Empty Skies Part 3

Mostly this is an an update on where I'm at and so on.

I've re-done the map entirely. It's still a work in progress, But I received some help from a friend and worked on making it a bit more "old world like".

I did want a poster that I could use next to the gameplay explanation (when I get to writing it. Even though I already know how it functions.) One key feature is the fact that there is a long range, medium range, and short range player. That and I wanted to draw another thing of these guys to cheer myself up sometime. I do need to go back and edit Kyros a bit....*happy sigh* Seren is so small.

But I also went back to really old drawings such as the Beginning and the End. So I have the basic drawngs of them done. Just not.. y'know the descriptions. I already know about them, I just have to place the text down. So this is what it is like having characters with straight hair... interesting.

Also as a cute bonus, some sketches of two of the Magical Cats from The Island of Magical cats, You get to choose one of five. But I have a basic doodle of the Defense Cat (purple) and the Speed cat (Green) 

Empty Skies Part 2

A lot has changed already since last time. Here are the updates:

+ The story is finally fully understood in terms of the 'big picture' (See Paragraph for Synopsis)

+ The Game Mechanics are understood in terms of the 'big picture'

+ All the primary characters have at least their design and their full story/character going.

+ There is a Map in Progress

+ Minus the text, the character Marcelo's poster is done.

+All the playable characters are complete.


Seren Poster update:

The composition needed a huge re-do. The background is also a lot nicer and more simplistic. The description of who he is has been condensed from last time.

The Character Calamity finally has a poster. I'll still need to update it as I forgot the shadows. But other than that he is done. Calamity was originally meant to be the main antagonist of the story. But as time goes on he is more of a tragic character similar to Seren in that he does not know his purpose. It turns out the two were actually meant to be brothers and Calamity the original Keeper of the Stars. But... well the new main antagonist interfered with all of that. Calamity is however, the main antagonist for the most of the story, or so your character you play as (Seren) is lead to believe. And while it's true Calamity is bringing harm to people when he goes out of his mind, he isn't trying to conquer the world or anything. He's just so desperate to do anything to find out what he was meant for. As Calamity is a shape shifter, the black form or "Raw Form" on the right is his natural form, a result of never having been born or transferred to the planet properly. The form on the left is the form he stole from Seren. While Seren still has his own form, Calamity now has his own variation of it. It's the most comforting, as it is the form he stole from his would be twin brother, and thus the closest to his own form that would have been. Calamity does eventually join your party. He has four forms he shifts between. Seren form is his favorite and he chooses to be his new natural form. It's his most balanced form. The Raw form is used for espionage and scouting ahead, as he can be invisible

Kyros has been developing as one of the more Slavic inspired characters in terms of physical appearance. So far I have two drawings of him. One is below, the other is  a sketch book drawing which focuses more on his armor. Kyros is one of the playable characters in your party. He's the swordsman tank type character. Very strong, fun, free spirited sort of guy. He is sort of like a father to Seren and instills a strong sense of helping others. Kyros however is a bit of a flirt and a go-with-the-flow sort. 

 

Kiva has only come to me in the last day or so. She's the oldest of the main party characters you can play as in terms of physical age and life experience. (Seren and Calamity are older, but they'd be the equivalent to normal 16 year olds.) She is harsh on Kyros when he is slacking or flirting. In general she is a domineering warrior. She fights with a staph/sicthe sort of thing for medium distance. (As opposed to long distance Seren and close up Kyros). She's also the magic/healing one. To Seren she can be sweet and motherly, as the lad has absolutely no life experience despite his age

We also have Marcelo. He is a powerful Wizard that protected all major cities in artificial light when the starts and sun were taken away. He's kind of clutzy and childlike. He actually draws children, including Seren, to him with his personality. (He kind of can't really help it) He tries to show them all sorts of cool things. In the case of Seren, he is a mentor and guides the characters through their adventures with leads and ideas. He says if you collect the stars he can restore them.

 

A map in progress. Showing a lot of the 'Sunspots" Marcelo the Magician has made. Still a WIP.

Annnddd because everything else are sketches that I don't have scanned in, have this silliness I made with a friend. Seren is in pink. The blue character is my friend's character, who was created and developed around the exact same time as Seren.

 

Empty Skies Part 1

Empty Skies is a game that follows Seren, a young (well relatively speaking) man who is destined to hold the stars of the universe together in loneliness . One day Seren is attacked by something simply known as "The Calamity" and his stars taken away. Needing to retrieve them (as the people on the planet love the stars and need the sun), Seren goes to the planet for the first time in his existence. However, as he comes to make friends and experience more of the world, he isn't sure if he wants to accept his fate as Keeper of the Stars anymore. But someone has to do it.

To the left, two angels known as The End (left) and The Beginning (right). The beginning is given each person that is about to pass from the planet and gives them their general basic overview of a destiny. No details, just the overview. She's sweet and perky and whatnot. She is super sympathetic. The End is a lot more rough and tough, and as her name implies, she's a sort of angel of death. Taking the person away from the planet once their purpose is fulfilled. When her sister gets upset over someone losing track of their destiny, The End often finds this person and nudges them back on track.

These are the only two characters not physically using baltic style like the rest of the characters will.

Here are images of Seren... I really am super attached to this boy. Physically he is a combination of my friend Alan and character Hayden. With a little Flint Diackt thrown into the nose. His Planet clothing is inspired by Polish Military and Nobility as well as the Link in the LOZ: Twilight Princess.
Personality wise he is calm, but emotional and genuinely interested in people and learning. He does however have no sense of social standards or awkwardness. So basically he has the social awkwardness of Baymax from Big Hero 6. He is always calm and always intently focused. If you have his attention he will focus on you so much it can almost be uncomfortable, though he always means well.

Seren in his Void holding the stars

Seren in his void form without his stars, and on his planet form. He is an archer but also has a flail with a morning star end... (yes intentional pun) We can't see it, but far off is a small dagger on his other side.

Can you tell I'm attached to this guy? He is actually breathing. This is what it is like in his void scape... stuck here. He can't move. He only has his thoughts. He doesn't even know at the time why he is here. It isn't until after his stars are taken away that he starts to learn why he was stuck in his void.


There are a ton of characters, ideas, and so on that I have for this... I just want to keep going.

Burd

Cute little bird one moment, predator the next. The branch like things in it's mouth can wrap around a human hand and rip it to shreds. By the time you could get away from it it would likely have gotten to your elbow. And of course the trauma from having that much of your arm ripped off would likely kill you after awhile. While waiting for it's victim to perish burd usually follows them until they've passed. Then it has a meal for a long while.

Environment Thumbnails

I've always liked environments. Sure they take me more work to get right, but they're pretty nice.

I dunno I like a lot of these. I hadn't the time to work on making two of them a full background...  I was too busy making environments for another project that was due Friday no exceptions and will still take lots of work.

Ha ha so... environments everywhere.

Manic Acupuncturist

Basically that was the next Characters and Environments assignment. Sadly I didn't have enough time to finish more expressions. I imagined one this psychotic lady - who still has no name - where she was running her hands down her face in pure joy for more patients who had arrived. I also imagined another where she used acupuncture needles to make a mustache on her face.

Ah none the matter. I got to torment one of mine - and my friend Brooke's - other characters, Hayden Striker.

If you tell Hayden something is fun, he is along no questions asked. Sometimes Often that shortsightedness gets him into trouble.

I drew the one of Hayden being tormented with 150 needles first... so I couldn't resist this sketch with Brooke later. Originally I was supposed to be in it too... but I changed my mind.

Indeed I do Hayden. Indeed I do.

The Dragon Lady

 

Drawing a character in my style was interesting. It was nice to have a tiny bit of practice with elderly characters prior. Still I wasn't entirely sure what to do with the idea of a "Spanish Old Woman".  I thought of a vain woman losing her youth but... the Dragon Lady was just too tempting.

 

Here she is first in my style. I couldn't attempt other styles until I had a base.

 

 I couldn't figure out if it's Scotty Young or Scottie Young. Well either way  I was rushing this one too much. Though scribbly, there is a neatness he has that I neglected in a rush. I like how creepy she is here, but this is my least favorite. Yet it's also the most similar to my style.

I didn't know if I would like the Michel Ocelot style. I did truly! I also got an opportunity to use some photographs I've taken n the background and light thing.

 

The Kuroko no Basuke (Kuroko's Basketball) or as I like to call this, Kuroko no Dragon, was the most opposite of my style. Now  I know why I don't use pen pressure in my own art. It's not a bad tool, just not the right tool for my style. This style, goes the opposite, not just in that it is anime, but in technique. Thin line art that requires the brush of the pen pressure. Hard shading that requires pen pressure. It's all very pen pressure reliant. My style just isn't.

Ahhhh recent examples. Uh Edwin here yes. See? My style is a no go in pen pressure. Sorry this is a portion of a group project. There's meant to be more stuff around him.

Oh here is a better example. Part of the DR.Wolf project. Yeah my style is super cartoony. My painting is pretty but the process just...  don't enjoy pen pressure. That and my tablet only lets me use pen pressure on Macs only. My personal computer and class room ones are windows. I have to go down to the computer lab for pen pressure.

 

Finally here are all my references for the old lady style. I own none of the drawings in this reference sheet.

Still in WIP phase: Golden Light

Due to my idea for the DRWolf project being so... crazy (I blame my tendency to underestimate the time I need to do things.) Golden Light is still in its WIP phase. :(

On the bright side, with the DRWolf project out of the way I intend to use this week to give the project all the love it deserves.

This story is based off the Tiger from the Chinese Zodiac. One character, Elliot, has the personality of the Tiger. Meanwhile Lydia... well you'll see. 


It's about a young magician-to-be boy named Elliot, whose arrogance becomes so out of control, another magician turns his sister, Lydia, into a tiger. Unable to undo the spell, Elliot and Lydia leave their home in search for the 'Golden Light' which is said to undo all abnormalities in any creature. However, time is limited. If mistakes are made, Elliot may lose both his sister and his future.

The Process of finding Elliot

It took me awhile to get a Tiger Lydia I liked. The one in the top right corner and the one with "YAY!" near it are when I felt good. The girl version is still... going. I need more work on her human version. 

More Elliots. I love drawing this guy. The Gradient is not final. It is just his color scheme that I'm going to use. I wanted this style to be different in my coloring techniques from normal.

 Again these gradients are just placeholders showing Elliot and Lydia's color schemes. I still have to figure out where Lydia's stripes are going to go. <3 Cute anyway. Though I'm sure Elliot is annoyed... I mean his sister is only 6 or 7 so... yeah. Oh yes Elliot is probably 12 or 13

DRWolf Project

This week I got the pleasure of being able to help my favorite youtube analyst, DRWolf. He likes to do new things to keep busy all the time. Recently I encouraged him to try covers after hearing a bit of his singing voice in another video. Several research and conversations later I was providing art for his next video. Mind you this post is actually being shown before his video... but no one will really see this until much much later if this blog really ever goes anywhere. XD

I just wanted to show something I'm proud of.

This is only ONE of many elements/drawings in the video and my personal favorite.

There are more... but I think I'll keep my posting to this for now.

Dustmites

Dustmites are always creatures that have had my interest. Odd because normally I detest creatures such as them. Our goal was to make an ugly or cute version of some sort of insect like creature. The bottom left one I see actually as an old mentor character. The fancy cute one... a butler of sorts.

Characters with Shapes

 Basically this is assignment was to create character sketches with circles, squares, or triangles. I'm glad to have been able to easily play with the types of styles I know into odd combinations. Actually I'm probably going to use some of these characters as basic ideas for characters in my stories.

Circle based people. My favorite is the man in the middle with the large chin.

Had a lot of fun with this square section. Somehow I can do dogs in this... which is odd because I don't know how to draw dogs. I really should learn. I also love the guy with the gauge earings and the men in the top left and right. Maybe the boy with the turtle on his head... maybe.

The triangle section was both my first and last. I like the little girl in the top row, the woman to the bottom left and the man to the bottom right. The dog is okay, but I like the previous dog more.

Animation Love Self Portrait

My feelings for animation when I have an ounce of sanity. I admit that isn't very often.

Digital Painting

Digital painting is one of my absolute favorite forms of media. I've been doing it since eight grade. That is why I wanted to veer over to one of my loves for my independent study. Granted I had to rush time due to the College deadline arriving soon.

Since I want to go into storyboarding and animation, I decided to show character creativity and originality. I wanted the backgrounds to be part of the characters, not separated from them.

"Paper Street"

These are my characters Jacob (blond in back right) and Vivi (black hair to the left). The drawing was loosely inspired by a Brony song I like called Paper Sky . The rip in the road is meant to be like cyberspace separating the two different landscapes. After all, the characters live on different sides of their continent. Yet, like many people these two are only online friends. I wanted them to react to the others like complete strangers though. Jacob lives in a town. His town is inspired by Puerto Rican architecture. 

The car is a navy blue Buick Park Avenue, the same car I own.

"Chase"

Way back in 8th grade I made a silly series about cats called Detective Cats. I spent years changing the story and it became really serious actually, but not without bits of humor and fun to balance it out. I left the project to focus more on humans around 11th grade. But that doesn't mean I don't still hold the fondness for the series and think  about reviving it sometime. The Characters from left to right are: Darkstripe, Tiny, Pickle, & Starbuck. 

So yeah, those are my digital independent study projects. Both have traditionally (on paper) drawn line art that was scanned in and colored digitally. 

Observational Output

     One of the many gifts I've discovered I possess is the ability to observe people and process their stories. Commonly my observation is of others I identify as unique either physically or in their personality. Now by unique I don't necessarily mean society's standard of 'beautiful'. I observe based off clothing styles that don't blend in, different styles of hair, the bend of the leg, the gesture one stands in, the folds of a fabric, and so on. I can't say I consciously choose who I study, it just happens.
     Going off of that, this also means that I form timelines of people I study frequently. Honestly I see life as one giant set of several stories merging together, each with a different outcome. A storybook, a storyboard, a movie if you will. Each one unique and fascinating. Though, as of late, I've come across stories that prove points I've heard in the past. 

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” 

― Abraham Lincoln

“You are essentially who you create yourself to be and all that occurs in your life is the result of your own making.” 

― Stephen Richards, Think Your way to Success: Let Your Dreams Run Free

“You have to open up to the world and learn optimism...Contentment with the past, happiness with the present, and hope for the future. Learned optimism.” 

― Jennifer Crusie, Agnes and the Hitman

I'm sure you find quotes like this all the time. It is littered all around us. In fact such thinking is so frequent we tend not to dwell on it too much. The very room I'm in has a poster I tend to over look.
It states:

"If you say, "I can't" you won't. 

If you say, "I quit" you lose.

If you say. "I'll try" you might win;

but you have the power to choose."

  At times we take these statements to heart. Others we think it matters not. Really, I've seen a lot of people that say their done. There are too many mistakes they've made. The world is against them. This is the very reason I'm writing this blog entry that veers away from my typical artistic pursuits. I feel compelled to call awareness. I've discovered the sayings are true. The way you perceive the world really does effect how you live in it. Now that I'm 18, yet still in High School, I'm balancing on the fine line of the the Real Adult World and the last remnants of the Teenage years. I'm taking in glimpses of them at the same time and analyzing it in my mind just as I would a person. I've met a few people in particular whose outlooks are so negative they might as well throw their lives away. Truthfully the fact is, I fear they may be doing just that. 

Just at lunch a friend of mine told me about her mistakes. How because of this it is too late to fix what she could have had for a career and education. She resorted to saying she'd be working a low class job and be stuck in her home town forever. Another classmate I know has a very negative outlook on life. Sometimes over themselves, other times at others. I'm not sure if they are incapable of seeing the possibilities or simply do not wish to. As much as I'd love to understand the workings of that person's mind, I'm constrained by the limits of human design. These pessimistic views are dragging them down. I'm watching them let others lead them instead of going for the dreams they once had all because of this downcast view. I feel as though I've tried to instill positive ideals in them, encourage them to think beyond the half empty glass. Yet, in the end it is still their choice. There are those who genuinely remain negative. It is unfortunate that not everyone rises to the top.

     With this in mind, I move on to those of you who generally are positive but like I, have occasional doubts. I ask you to realize the value you have. The outlook you have REALLY does effect your success. Sure you aren't perfect, neither am I. But that doesn't mean we can't overcome these and move on to something that may actually be better than we plan. If you look for good in the world, you'll find it. If you see the best in people, you'll generally overlook their negative traits and enjoy relationships far more.

If you can't take it from the adults, the posters, the experts, at least take it from someone who is yes a teenager, who is young, who had a long journey ahead of her instead of already overcoming it like a lot of others. I have a long way to go and I haven't come very far, but I'm starting to learn from those around me. I'm literally watching the positive thinkers advancing while the pessimistic ones resort to lesser standards than they are worth. 

     In the end, I can't control what you do, but I can at least try a small influence here. I wish you well and hope you can see what just thinking a bit more positively, whether it be about yourself, your family, or take time to get over hating a freaking annoying person. :) Work hard and look forward to the rewards. You won't get stuck in the slums forever thinking this way and actually doing good for yourself and others. You might even inspire the mindset of another. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

     Thank you for reading - or skimming I know a few of you have - this lengthy journal as I shared my observation results. Have a wonderful Valentines Day (Whether you hate or like it) and be sure to smile. It will chemically make you feel better. No lies. :) (At least it works for me.) 

-bye (PS: This is cute... So I'm putting it on here. Even though I like cats more. :3 

More art updates next entry!) 

Results

I'm pleased that I've managed to bring about some very nice realism art over the course of this class. It takes quite a bit of time for me to create these things. So it is unfortunate that I cannot get myself to practice it as much unless it is very short studies in my sketch book or doubled as a school assignment. 

Regardless, I've seen a big improvement from some of my other Portfolio Pieces. 

(The After Starbuck and Room Corner from the last post) 

So I figure I might as well show what I've completed thus far as well as my thoughts on each piece. (Prepare for a ridiculous amount of speech. Blah blah yap yap dribble dribble dribble.)

Thanks Olivia for the Photos... though I'll admit I'll get nicer ones later. :) Still, they were great for a quick at the moment thing! :D 

ANYWAY, Dani can paint!? Well apparently more than she previously thought. Really. I never thought I would be able to show any decent painting skills. Even water color, my best painting media was rather pathetic. I came into this assignment even more nervous than I previously was. Water colors were not allowed. Oil or Acrylics only. This was tedious work - as always is realism - and often stressed me out. But eventually I came to enjoy the time it took to oil paint. I loved the blending of colors. I'll still take digital painting any day though. 

POINSETTIA! <3 Why yes, yes I do like them thank you very much. The idea of drawing one and all the leafy fabric sounded wonderful and challenging. Mind you it's a fake. (I'm not about to kill my cats... or kill a real poinsettia by neglecting to care for it.) I also wanted to try out a glass which is something I've never experimented with. I also enjoy fabric. Fabric is one of my favorite things to draw no matter the style. Sadly I think I made that vase look like another type of fabric. :/  I also intended to create a faded background through the window. Imagine how overwhelming the piece would be if you could see every detail of the outdoors in clarity? 

The piece was created with Charcoal pencils, (First time using them in 3 years. Second time using them ever.) Derwent Graphic Pencils, and Chalk. 

Say hello to my mother. The Heidi of HyperionEA. I really do love my mom. She's done so much for me. Er... before I get off track let's move on to my thought process hmm? The idea was to do a figure drawing. I love the human figure and fluid poses we can create. As much as I would have adored to go for a full body the vertical effects of this picture were screaming:

DRAW ME! DRAW ME NOW! YOU WILL DRAW ME!

Isn't it neat when your art goes an entirely different direction than you intend? Drawing the top of Mom's hair was tedious and fun. The bottom meh... needs work. I'm not good with lengthy hair. I also loved the skin texture on her face and the fabric of the shirt she wore. The couch fabric was also fun. The Christmas tree in the background was difficult in the respect of ornaments and lighting. The tree itself wasn't so bad. 

Okay. I believe you've suffered through enough text. :) 

Summer Improvement

If I could recommend anything to improve drawing Skills, it would be the book

"Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" By Betty Edwards 

Actual Book: (2012 Update)

Work Book: (Contains even more lessons) 

It has helped me so very much over the summer. Here are my two favorite before and after pieces with my own art.

Basement Corner Before Instruction

Living Room Corner After Instruction

My Cat Starbuck Before Instruction 

(This took  5 hours and isn't even complete)

Starbuck After Instruction

(2.5 hours)

This level of improvement over a very short time is why I'd totally recommend this book. Sure it is a lot of reading, but it is absolutely fascinating and worth every penny and moment invested. I haven't even finished the book as of now. I'm glad that now I can really 'see' better, though I still have a very long ways to go. :)