Ladies and Gentlemen—we are down to the final six of the Alphabooks characters! Are you ready? Well here we go!And in case you don't know what Alphabooks is, here’s the lowdown: Alphabooks is a blog in which all artists are welcome to draw a book character corresponding to the letter of the week. For instance, A for Aslan, B for Bilbo Baggins, etc. Feel free to check it out and participate! :)U is for Lady UnaStardust by Neil Gaiman
So I didn’t realize this before, but apparently Stardust the movie was based off of Stardust the book (by Neil Gaiman). I admit that I haven’t read the book, but definitely am putting it on my to-read list! If you’ve never seen the movie, you really should—it’s a wonderful story of adventure, romance, and everything you wish to find in good story. Plus, it’s a fun blend of medieval fantasy and steampunk—and you cannot go wrong with either! :)This is actually one of my most favorite pieces that I have done for Alphabooks. It was done in watercolor and ink (the scanner as usual messed up some of its colors, but it’s really not too far off from the original.) I tried to go for an art nouveau effect with minimal shading and bold outlines—in the same style as Alphonse Mucha. Also, one of the biggest things I learned from this piece was how to ink with a brush. And I’m glad that I tried using a brush, since a croquil pen can give a rough and scratchy appearance, whereas I wanted smooth vector-like lines (thank you Doug Tennapel for the helpful and fun tutorial!) I’m just really pleased with how it turned out! I want to do more pieces like this in similar design. I’m definitely going to make prints of her, and I’m contemplating selling the original, but I don’t know if I will be able to part with her. We’ll see. :) (8 hours)V is for Jean ValjeanLes Misérables by Victor Hugo
It isn’t unknown that I am one of the slowest readers in existence (especially compared to my book-loving friend Erin, who has practically read an entire library in her life), but at least I can still boast that I read the complete unabridged version of Les Misérables in tenth grade. And if you prefer classical literature to contemporary or fantasy, then I dearly hope that you have enjoyed this fantastic novel by Victor Hugo, which was also adapted into a musical and will soon be released in film.So the choice was plain for the letter V--Jean Valjean, the main character (in my opinion) and protagonist of the story. He is just so noble, and his story is about redemption and overcoming odds. I decided to keep it simple like the pen-and-ink illustrations in older literature—as well as to lack of time—and completed it in pencils. It was also good practice to draw an aging man’s face—narrower eyes followed by bags, a creased and weathered forehead, wispy greying hair, etc. One of the best pieces of advice I can give other artists is to try drawing out of your comfort zone—from time to time, draw things that you normally wouldn’t—it’ll really open your eyes and keep you sharp! (45 minutes).W is for Bruce WayneBatman comics by DC Comics
The last character for this batch is none other that Danananananananananana BATMAAAAN!!!!:D(And for those of you who don’t know, Bruce Wayne is the man behind the mask.)Okay, yes….so it is more inspired off of Batman Begins, the movie. Regardless, I can use all the practice I can to draw male faces because, well…I’ve really sucked in the past drawing them. And I can say with confidence that I am getting better.Biggest takeaway: Man…. it is SO hard to nail a specific person’s “look”. So this Bruce Wayne is based off of Christian Bale, the actor who played Wayne in Batman Begins. It’s incredible how it only takes one line out of place to make him look like someone completely different. For instance, the hair. If not done properly, I quickly discovered that Bruce Wayne can first look like Elvis Presley, then again like Bill Clinton—it wasn’t until I added some very minor tweaks to the hair on his forehead that WHAMMO!—Bruce finally appeared! (Which is funny, because it wasn’t until later that I realized he now looked a bit like Nicolas Cage. …..whatevs).Bottom line: Lighting es muy importante, hairstyle is key, and if you draw his lips too round, he’ll look more like a Calvin Klein model than the Caped Crusader.Fin. (4 hours)
R - T Alphabooks
Alright, time for the long overdue R through T submission. If you like fantasy, then I think you’ll enjoy this grouping!And in case you don't know what Alphabooks is, here’s the lowdown: Alphabooks is a blog in which all artists are welcome to draw a book character corresponding to the letter of the week. For instance, A for Aslan, B for Bilbo Baggins, etc. Feel free to check it out and participate! :)R is for RichardSword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind
Oh Richard. Where do I even start? Well, if you never have heard of the by Terry Goodkind, you are seriously missing out. And no, I’m not talking about the television series Legend of the Seeker (the television series that completely botched up the books.) The Sword of Truth series are filled with epic adventure, romance, tension, struggles and everything you want to find in high fantasy. Plus, Richard is the kind of protagonist that you just can’t help falling in love with. He’s so real, sincere, and totally kicks butt.Although I could go on forever about the books, I’ll instead segue into the artwork. I’ve been trying really hard to better my photoshopping skills and decided that this would be a good piece to devote time in doing so (although take note that I did the lines in pencil, scanned that in, and then digitally colored it). I’m alright with how it turned out. I feel as though I’m slowly getting better with coloring in Sai, but it still has that Photoshop airbrushy feeling to it (something about the purity of the colors). I also feel as though I didn’t completely capture the Richard essence. But, ya know, I guess those kind of things take practice. I’ll no doubt do more fan art of him in the future and have a second shot at it. (8.75 hours)S is for SaphiraEragon by Christopher Paolini
I love me some dragons, and it was about time to draw a dragon for Alphabooks. Like with Richard, I still feel I didn’t completely capture the essence of Saphira. In fact, Saphira still looks different in my head (but oh well). I love using watercolor for my dragon pieces—it’s a very tactile and organic medium that compliments the earthy and wild dragon. I guess I should also mention that I have used acrylics in this piece as well since it allows me to layer (like watercolors) with less chance of muddying the watercolors, therefore creating deeper and richer tones. (4ish hours?)T is for ThorinThe Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
I hadn’t drawn a lot of men’s faces that were not youthful and smooth—and what better way to accomplish that then with drawing a dwarf? I actually have been finding it fun to draw this facial type, as I don’t have to worry about making sure it looks perfect, because after all dwarves have tough, leathery and beards that fill in most of their face. Let’s just face it, there’s not a whole lot of beauty on those mugs, but there’s certainly a lot of character! It sure seems to me that Thorin thoroughly enjoys a good tankard of ale. Or two…or three…And if you haven’t read The Hobbit, you should stop what you’re doing (which is reading my blog) and go do that RIGHT NOW.And yes, that is a Smaug mug. :3(2 hours)
P - Q Alphabooks
Happy Thursday! (or Wednesday for you state-side folks).After my last batch of Alphabook characters, I decided to take a bit of a break from drawing humans and decided to go for a more children’s literature look for the P and Q submissions. They’re not my best, but who care—they were still fun to do. :)And in case you don’t know what Alphabooks is, here’s the lowdown: Alphabooks is a blog in which all artists are welcome to draw a book character corresponding to the letter of the week. For instance, A for Aslan, B for Bilbo Baggins, etc. Feel free to check it out and participate!P is for Peter RabbitThe Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
For whatever reason, it was extremely difficult to figure out to do for the letter P. I ended up settling for Peter Rabbit. I honestly needed a break from all the human characters and wanted to do something more simplistic and whimsical. I also wanted to see if I could mimic more of a watercolor affect using digital methods. Alas, I wasn’t very successful. I probably wasn’t using the right brushes and the colors are far too saturated and unvaried. Whatever. He still is kinda cute. ^^ (1.5ish hours)Q is for the Queen of CatsIt’s a Secret! by John Burningham
If I thought finding a character for the letter P was difficult, then I didn’t know what I was in for when Q rolled around. And apparently other people on Alphabooks were having difficulties as well—there were a ton of the Queen of Hearts and Quasimodos with little else. Can any of you think of book characters starting with the letter Q? It’s hard!I ended up very randomly stumbling across a children’s book title called It’s a Secret! By John Burningham. I had never heard of it before, but I knew I struck gold when I saw that his book featured a character called the “Queen of Cats”. I haven’t read the story, but what it appears to be (in a nutshell) is the story of a girl who uncovers what her cat does when he goes out every night—he gets dressed up and goes out to parties with the rest of the cat kingdom! She begs to go along, and he agrees—and so they go off and have wonderful adventures and get to meet the rest of the cat kingdom as well as the queen of cats. Simple and cute, and especially since I still wanted a break from drawing humans, what better subject for me to draw than cats! :DI decided to keep her simple and decided to use watercolors, since it had been a while. Nothing fancy, nothing innovative—just a sweet kitty with a queenly disposition. And even though my scanner messed up the colors, that’s alright—I’m just relieved that I figured out a fun character for the letter Q. ^^ (1.5ish hours)
M - O Alphabooks
Okay! Here’s M – O batch of Alphabook characters. I really liked how all three of these turned out, so I wanted to group the goodness all together in one happy post. :) Enjoy!And in case you don't know what Alphabooks is, here’s the lowdown: Alphabooks is a blog in which all artists are welcome to draw a book character corresponding to the letter of the week. For instance, A for Aslan, B for Bilbo Baggins, etc. Feel free to check it out and participate! :)M for Mercy ThompsonMoon Called by Patricia Briggs
So although I said I was keeping these characters in an unfinished state, I got to the point with this character and thought “I just HAVE to finish her!” My approach this time was—instead of a sketchy outline—to do clean outlines with a finished “inked” appearance. And when I got to that point, I wanted to add color, and when I added color, I wanted to add details. And a background. And if you give a mouse a cookie—well, you see where this went. :P But I’m really happy I decided to finish it, and in less than two weeks two! *laughs* I know I’m slow at creating pieces (darn perfectionism!), but that’s part of the goal with Alphabooks—the more art I create and the more frequent it is, the faster and better I’ll become. And if you don’t know who Mercy Thompson is, she’s a mechanic who owns her own auto shop, has werewolves for neighbors, and occasionally get tangled up in issues with vampires and lycanthropy. Oh, and did I mention that she can shapeshift into a coyote? ;) (8.75 hours)N is for Nancy DrewThe Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene
If you were to take a look at my bookshelf when I was a kid, there’d be one shelf that was jam packed with faded yellow bindings of the classic Nancy Drew mystery stories. And no, I’m not talking about the modern adaptions of the book, I’m speaking of the good, old-fashion faded books that are nearly falling apart with love and years. You know, the ones Nancy and her gang are clad in 1930s to post-war apparel and zip around in shiny blue roadsters. So in my young years I took after my mom and devoured these books and dreamed of solving mysteries like Nancy Drew (which I actually did write a story involving myself and my friend Danielle as sleuths, but that’s a story for another day. ;) ) So there was no doubt in my mind for who I’d do for the letter N. I present to you the fantastic NANCY DREW!Before I even started, I realized that it’s been too many years since I’ve read a Nancy Drew book, and in order to truly capture the essence of Miss Drew, I opened up The Secret of the Old clock (the first Nancy Drew book written) and plowed through the pages. Aaaaaand I’ll be honest--reading these books as an adult (with a better idea of what makes good, believable characters), it quickly became apparent to me that…well…Nancy and her chums were one-sided characters. Nancy was this incredible, miss perfect dream girl who was smart, resourceful, drop-dead gorgeous, “naturally athletic”, and “boasted many friends.” Hmmm…how many people do you know that have a description like that in real life? :P In stark contrast to Nancy, the villains of the story were impetuous, unintelligent jerks who couldn’t put two and two together and bumbled through scenes like complete idiots. :P Although it’s not J.K. Rowling caliber of writing, Nancy Drew mystery stories are still fun stories that you can easily read in a day (or in an hour if you’re faster than my dino-paced reading) and be amused.So, with that said, I wanted a break from the digital work I was doing and also wanted to depict Nancy in a way that seemed to be a part of her world. And what better way to do that than with ink? After all, the illustraions in the beginning of the books were all done in ink, and it was about time that I practiced a little good old fashioned inking myself. I used my trusty croquil pen, a sharpie, and touched it up in Photoshop. Hand inking was good practice to finish a piece quickly without being too concerned about detail (and if you make an accident, just go with it!) I also quickly learned that it wasn’t a good idea to drink a cup of coffee and then try and ink fine, sweeping lines with a jittery hand. Oops. :P But Nancy still turned out alright, and I’m happy with the 1940s feel that I gave her. I also really enjoyed the actually process of inking by hand—there’s something so natural and organic about applying ink to paper—very satisfying to see a finished piece appear before your eyes. Anyways, I’ve wrote far more than I should have about this piece—I hope you like it as much as I do! :) (2ish hours?)O is for OnuaWild Magic by Tamora Pierce
Alright, since I bored you to death with my Nancy Drew shpeal, I’ll try to keep this one short. If you know who this character is, you get bonus points (and a cookie!). Although Daine Sarrasri is the main character of Wild Magic, Onua is the first character mentioned in the series. In a nutshell, Onua Chamtong is a horse care tender that hires Daine on to help her drive ponies from the northern part of the realm to the capitol. She is known to be “horse-hearted” and has her own wild magic that enables her to have a special bond with horses and ponies. She was fun to draw because A.) I enjoy her character—she’s matter of fact, but a loyal friend to Daine, B.) she’s ethic, so it was fun to draw something different, and C.) it was fun to come up with a medieval fantasy costume. I also decided to use a texture to give the image more dimension while making it look more rugged and natural. I also got to practice drawing braids again (they’re tough to draw!) Overall, I’m very pleased with how she turned out. ^^ (3 hours)
J - L Alphabooks
And now for the third batch of Alphabook characters. I've decided to split up the 3rd and 4th batches (for brevity's sake.) In case you don't know what Alphabooks is, it is a blog in which all artists are welcome to draw a book character corresponding to the letter of the week. For instance, A for Aslan, B for Bilbo Baggins, etc. Feel free to check it out and participate! :)J is for JulieJulie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
I'll admit, I'm not very happy how Julie turned out (which is a shame, because I really like the book.) I honestly didn't have a lot of time to finish her (the night before the deadline), plus during the time I was drawing her, I was coming down with a 101 degree fever. All-around UGH. :/ I suppose I learned two things: A.) Understanding how Inuit faces are shaped differently from face from European-descent, and B.) Drawing when you're feverish and have the chills isn't fun. Lesson learned...next character! (.5 hour)K is for KaeldraDragon's Milk by Susan Fletcher
I'm a fan of Susan Fletcher's Dragon Chronicles, and decided that Kaeldra from Dragon's Milk needed some spotlight time. The story in a nutshell is about this girl who's younger sister catches vermillion fever, and the only way to cure it is with dragon's milk. When she does find a mother dragon, she agrees to watch the mother's dracling's while she hunts (in return for dragon's milk). However, when the mother dragon is killed by townsmen, the draclings are in danger, and therefore Kaeldra must journey to find a safe haven for the draclings (dun, dun, duuun!) Anyways, it was a nice change to use only flats (no shading) to color this piece. Sometimes flats just give a cleaner appearance while still possessing a more finished appearance than simply lines. Again, it was good practice to draw different shapes of faces; Kaeldra’s is a lot longer than my normal default face, and I always need experience drawing braids (and blonde hair for that matter). Plus, dragons are always fun to draw. :) (2.5 hours)L is for LauraLittle House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Have any of you ever read the “Little House” series? If so, I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been enchanted with the pioneer life. I absolutely love how Laura Ingalls Wilder describes in detail daily life as a pioneer and all the adventures she grew up having. So, for the letter L, I was thrilled to do Miss Laura when she was still quite young. And since I had been doing everything digital up to this point, I decided that it’d be a nice change to pull out my pencils and draw in a more organic style (plus, my tablet wasn’t working at the moment. :P) Unfortunately, my scanner butchered the image (as usual), so I resorted to a *shudder* point-and-shoot camera (yes, the point-and-shoot actually looked better than the scanned image. -__-) *sigh* Guess it’s time to buy a real scanner. But regardless, Laura prevailed, and waves her hat defiantly in the face of technology—take that, you fiendish tablet/scanner! :D (2ish hours?)
E - I Alphabooks
Hey everyone! Here's the second batch of Alphabooks characters. In case you don't know what Alphabooks is, it is a blog in which all artists are welcome to draw a book character corresponding to the letter of the week. For instance, A for Aslan, B for Bilbo Baggins, etc. Feel free to check it out and participate! :)E is for EnderEnder’s Game by Orson Scott Card
I was trying to figure out who to illustration for the letter E. Cody suggested Ender from Ender’s Game. Having heard of the book but not read it, he explained that it was a science fiction book in which a young boy conducts epic space battles while donning sick battle armor. Good enough for me. :) I read the book within the week before the picture was due and really enjoyed it--now I understand what all the buzz was about! The next obstacle was that we were on vacation and I didn’t want to spend time drawing when I could be visiting with my family. So I managed to work on Ender during the car rides between Lynden and Seattle (and if you ask me, I’m pretty proud that I could set up a “desk” using a backpack on my lap, an open glove compartment to set my laptop, and still use the tablet while moving 70 mph.) Regarding the picture itself, I decided to take a different path from my previous alphabook characters and choose a pose that would be more dynamic—more suitable for someone who lives in zero gravity and is floating around all the time. Also, as you’ve probably noticed, I decided to use less cross hatching to shade and more washes. It just seemed more appropriate for Ender—his flash suit was designed to be slick and arodynamic, and the wash seemed to cater to just that. Overall, he was fun to draw. :) (2.75 hours)F is for FenrirHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Fenrir is an interesting choice for me. In case you don’t know who he is (and I don’t expect you to), he is a werewolf character from the final book in the Harry Potter series. And judging by his overall appearance, you’d be correct in thinking that he is probably one of the antagonists. I’m not largely into the werewolf thing, but the main reasons why I chose him were that A.) I didn’t know who else to do for the letter F and B.) More importantly, I needed practice drawing antagonistic males. And males in general. The large subject majority of my art are girls, and in order to develop a diverse and well-rounded style, I always need to practice drawing things and people outside of my comfort zone. Fenrir was one of them. To be honest, I’m not the happiest how he turned out. I decided to do just a bust since I wanted to focus on the face. However, it was one of those pictures you start off being really excited about…but when you’re wrapping things up, you just kind of go “ugh…that didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to. =P” I think it’s something to do with the way his head is positioned on his neck and his corky grin. It seems too posed. And unnatural. (Well, I guess werewolves are sort of unnatural to being with.) Oh well! Lesson learned, life moves on. :) (1.75 hours)G is for Garrick OllivanderHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
I must have been on a Harry Potter kick when I was doing these Alphabook characters—but what can I say? They’re so fun to do! Again, I wanted to challenge myself by drawing someone out of my normal range, and Garrick Ollivander (the town wand maker) was so much fun to draw. Drawing the elderly is a challenge in itself—it makes you realize the intricacies of the human body and how everything is put together (and changes with time). The really cool thing about drawing Garrick is that he doesn’t feel constrained or stiff—and that comes from the fact that it was very relaxing and easy to draw. Oftentimes artists who draw young characters need to be careful not to give them characteristics that make them look old (wrinkles, creases, etc.)…but in Ollivander’s case, I could just go to town! ^^ I modeled him a little after Geri from Pixar’s short, Geri’s Game. Also, those are wand boxes he’s carrying in his right hand. I forgot to decorate the exterior and am too lazy to do it now. =P (1.5 hours)H is for Sherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock was definitely fun to draw. I have to admit that this feels a little bit like a cheat (I’ve never actually read the Sherlock Holmes stories) because my Sherlock was inspired from the movies. But he’s still a book character, so it counts. ^^ Anyways, I really enjoy Robert Downey Jr. in this role, but I didn’t want it to look like typical fan art. I actually wanted to make something a little more original. I tried to blend a bit of his character with something else (I don’t really know what… :Z) and wha-la! Sherlock was born. It was good practice to work on drawing a man’s face without making it look feminine. I’m also trying to study facial traits and what makes each face unique and different. I have a long way to go, but I’m learning more each time I draw. The main complaint I have about this picture is that he still looks a little too posed and/or flat, like there’s just not enough dimension. I think I could have deepened the shadows and contrasted it a bit more. Overall, I’m pleased. Yay Holmes. :D (2 hours)I is for Iron ManIron Man comics by Marvel
Whoo hoo! Cheat week number two! Well, we were allowed to do comic book characters, and although I didn’t want to abuse that, Iron man was just too hard to pass up. :) Again though, this drawing is based more on the movies than the comic books. Whatever. Practice is practice, and he was really fun to draw! I used a pose reference and definitely had to reference the armor. Yet again I got to practice drawing men, drawing dynamic poses, and technical work (I’ve never been good at drawing mechanical detail and objects.) I didn’t spend a lot of time at all shading it (in fact, I really liked the outline the best…I might actually ink it). I wouldn’t mind finishing this piece. Fun, fun, fun! ^^(2.25 hours)
A is for Alphabooks
So tell me fellow artists, when was the last time you drew something? Today? Last week/month/year? Or perhaps your sketchbook is open right now (good for you!) Well, as we all know, oftentimes drawing may not happen as regularly as we'd like it to. Life gets busy, you get an artist block (or simply get lazy...believe me, I'm guilty of that!) Let's face it--it's hard to stay constantly regular and disciplined with our trade. I don't know about you, but I am MUCH more focused when I have some outside motivation from something or someone.Thus, I present to you. Alphabooks: a weekly challenge to draw a character from a book coinciding with a letter from the alphabet.It's pretty simple and straight forward. Every week we draw a character from a book--novel, children's book, comic book--that starts with the letter of the alphabet. So for instance, A is for Aslan, B is for Boo Radley...you get the picture. It's a good weekly discipline for artists who are looking for something to keep them focused and consistent in their drawing, along with good practice for drawing a variety of characters.Cool, huh?I'm intentionally spending less time on these--2 to 3 hours tops. I hope that this will teach me to draw faster and worry less about perfection and instead draw more.So here are my first three submissions and why I chose them:A is for Alanna of TrebondSong of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce
I had recently finished reading the Song of the Lioness series (for the first time!) and Alanna was fresh on my mind. She reminds me of my younger self--the tomboyish girl who was more interested in medieval history than makeup. I didn't spend too much time on her armor, and am not sure if it is entirely book--accurate. But oh well. (2.25 hours)B is for Bilbo BagginsThe Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
I read the Hobbit in high school and totally fell in love with the book. I was originally going to make Bilbo just standing there, but for some reason it seemed more fitting to make him running. He probably was too busy picking apples and fell behind the group. ;) (2.5 hours)C is for CimoreneDealing With Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
Again, this was another book that I really enjoyed reading (and still do). Cimorene is just such a fantastic character--she's that feisty tomboy who doesn't want to be a princess, and so instead runs away and volunteers to become a dragon's princess. The book is cleverly written and includes a bunch of fun parodies on classic fairy tales--Cimorene runs into a talking frog, has to deal with mischievous wizards, and spends her time solving a murder mysteries (not to mention she enjoys cooking up a mean cherries jubilee.) If you haven't read this book, make time to do so! (4 hours)D is for DaineWild Magic by Tamora Pierce
Wild Magic was the very first fantasy novel that I had ever read, so it holds a special place in my heart. The story features Daine, a girl who wields "wild magic" that enables her to communicate with animals and even shape shift into various forms. She is in tune with nature and handles the bow with deadly authority--hallmarks that impressed my 13-year-old self and made me revere her as "one cool chick". :) I am satisfied with this 2-hour rendition of her and might even complete it with full color some day. Oh, and did I mention that she's friends with a dragon? Even better. ;) (2 hours)