What's That? You Said Something About Eating? ....o.O?
Okay, so I've been up since 9:30am and I still haven't eaten. And it's not because I'd have to make me food--nope. I have breakfast made, and the same with lunch.
So, why am I sitting here, hungry and very thirsty?
. . .
Art consumes my life.
I ended up watching Season 1, looking for fun screen shots that I could doodle. I found one that I inked, but I'm not sure if I like it enough to bother coloring it. It did help me in getting the shape of the characters a little more. I'm still trying to find where I want my style to land in terms of realism, and how faithful to the original designs I want to be. I don't want to straight out copy the artwork--that's not helpful for me at this stage of drawing. I need to be able to assert my own style and flair over another's template. Because I CAN copy--that is not all too hard, not with the level of skill I've achieved over the years.
But, can I adapt a style to my own? Can I innovate on the imitation?
Those are the pertinent questions. Yes, even this fanart funart is really just a drawing exercise in disguise, to try and hone my skills further, so I'm more prepared to produce artwork that I can really be proud of (or, okay, "content" with...well, not so insanely disappointed in, how about that). This is all about a reversal of what I've practiced for so many years--rather than looking at reality and trying to replicate it with few modifications, I'm trying to look at ART and modify it with a few replications. It's a lot more challenging, and therefore, you should be able to see pretty quickly a change in ability. For instance, my first Katara will probably be my worst, and my last fanart will be my best--that's just how it works. The more I draw, the more I practice, the better I'll become. And I don't just mean within a few years--I mean within hours. You'd be shocked and amazed how quickly you can improve...
...and how quickly you can lose it with just a few weeks/months of not practicing. u_u
Without further ado, I give you...ZUKO AND KATARA! (Just fyi, I'm a total 100% Aang + Katara shipper. I think that Zuko and Katara have an amazing connection, especially as time went on, but I don't think it's a ROMANTIC connection. Just like I think that Iroh and Zuko have an amazing relationship, no romance. ~_~ Zomg no romance. In fact, let's never mention this again.)
If you ever needed proof that it's ALL ABOUT shading, or in this case, coloring, the contrast between an inked drawing and a colored/shaded one should be all you need to convince you. I mean, the above is okay. It's not bad at all, but it's very boring.
And THIS is very interesting. =D
My favorite part about this drawing? It's moments before one of my favorite odd one-liners from Zuko:
"I'll save you from pirates."
XD Whut? Oh, Zuko. Grabby grabby.
But, because I really like this scene, and I'm real fond of how it came out as a piece of art...I may not put this one in the pool of art-to-claim. Unless I draw something ELSE I really like. 'Cause I'm going to try and only keep one. I have other more artsy things I need to draw soon that will probably end up getting stuck up around the apartment. We need lots more art. We have way too many bare walls, and not a lot of cash to shell out for good artwork. So! Why not just have the crazy non-eating girl do it? =D
But, in doing all this, I've completely ignored my powerful need to eat, and it's now 2:15pm. So, I'm going to go and drink my mango, peach, and strawberry smoothie (with vanilla and nutmeg), eat my soba noodles, egg, salad, cashews and cherries bento, and top it all off with one or two (or three?) cups of Earl Grey tea. Om nom nom.
...Oh, and continue watching ATLA. XD
So, why am I sitting here, hungry and very thirsty?
. . .
Art consumes my life.
I ended up watching Season 1, looking for fun screen shots that I could doodle. I found one that I inked, but I'm not sure if I like it enough to bother coloring it. It did help me in getting the shape of the characters a little more. I'm still trying to find where I want my style to land in terms of realism, and how faithful to the original designs I want to be. I don't want to straight out copy the artwork--that's not helpful for me at this stage of drawing. I need to be able to assert my own style and flair over another's template. Because I CAN copy--that is not all too hard, not with the level of skill I've achieved over the years.
But, can I adapt a style to my own? Can I innovate on the imitation?
Those are the pertinent questions. Yes, even this fanart funart is really just a drawing exercise in disguise, to try and hone my skills further, so I'm more prepared to produce artwork that I can really be proud of (or, okay, "content" with...well, not so insanely disappointed in, how about that). This is all about a reversal of what I've practiced for so many years--rather than looking at reality and trying to replicate it with few modifications, I'm trying to look at ART and modify it with a few replications. It's a lot more challenging, and therefore, you should be able to see pretty quickly a change in ability. For instance, my first Katara will probably be my worst, and my last fanart will be my best--that's just how it works. The more I draw, the more I practice, the better I'll become. And I don't just mean within a few years--I mean within hours. You'd be shocked and amazed how quickly you can improve...
...and how quickly you can lose it with just a few weeks/months of not practicing. u_u
Without further ado, I give you...ZUKO AND KATARA! (Just fyi, I'm a total 100% Aang + Katara shipper. I think that Zuko and Katara have an amazing connection, especially as time went on, but I don't think it's a ROMANTIC connection. Just like I think that Iroh and Zuko have an amazing relationship, no romance. ~_~ Zomg no romance. In fact, let's never mention this again.)
If you ever needed proof that it's ALL ABOUT shading, or in this case, coloring, the contrast between an inked drawing and a colored/shaded one should be all you need to convince you. I mean, the above is okay. It's not bad at all, but it's very boring.
And THIS is very interesting. =D
My favorite part about this drawing? It's moments before one of my favorite odd one-liners from Zuko:
"I'll save you from pirates."
XD Whut? Oh, Zuko. Grabby grabby.
But, because I really like this scene, and I'm real fond of how it came out as a piece of art...I may not put this one in the pool of art-to-claim. Unless I draw something ELSE I really like. 'Cause I'm going to try and only keep one. I have other more artsy things I need to draw soon that will probably end up getting stuck up around the apartment. We need lots more art. We have way too many bare walls, and not a lot of cash to shell out for good artwork. So! Why not just have the crazy non-eating girl do it? =D
But, in doing all this, I've completely ignored my powerful need to eat, and it's now 2:15pm. So, I'm going to go and drink my mango, peach, and strawberry smoothie (with vanilla and nutmeg), eat my soba noodles, egg, salad, cashews and cherries bento, and top it all off with one or two (or three?) cups of Earl Grey tea. Om nom nom.
...Oh, and continue watching ATLA. XD