I found a fansite that had a large collection of Airi’s photos that I had no seen before. One of the albums contained photos of Airi’s collaboration with Pivotdoor. There’s a lot of possible drawing ideas but I was really drawn to Airi flying with a broom like a magical girl. Her photos are always so fun and full of energy. That smile is really infectious.
Hasta la proxima,
-NUBE
For the Momochi Pose line art I decided to ink it and hatch it.
Yesterday I went to Meow Wolf. Inside was an art display by Future Fantasy Delight. The black and white art really popped and looked amazing. It was obvious that the artist had a lot of inspiration of anime/manga and Mexican culture (such as with the Mijo Miho character). I really need to make more black and white drawings.
There were a couple of areas that I did have to edit digitally and other areas that I had to clean up. Cheap Paper is cool to practice with, but I should seriously stop using it with my dip pens. The sharp tips lift up a lot of of the paper fibers. The areas that I inked were done using a brush. One thing I don’t like when I scan my artwork is that the light from the scanner exaggerates the dimples/texture in the paper. To the point where it creates blank spots. This happens as well with watercolors. I wonder if this is why some artists prefer to photograph instead of scan.
Hasta la proxima,
-NUBE
I finally finished making my new lightbox so I can now transfer line art as many times as I want so that I can practice more traditional styles.
Since I want to use my lightbox but don’t like having to move everything over and over again, I think it’s time that I finally make the lightbox that will fit in the desk opening. For that, I will scavenge the light and parts of my old lightbox. It took me a couple of hours but it was worth it.
This painting was done using my Holbein Watercolors. I like that I can play around with the opaqueness and vibrancy of the colors. But it’s obvious that I need to practice more. As I was painting I noticed that Momochi’s left (to our right) eye was misaligned. So when I was done painting I modified it digitally. I was going to leave the background blank but decided to add some blue brush strokes to emphasize the cold temperatures.
Hasta la proxima,
-NUBE
For this drawing I used a watercolor paper. There is an artist that I watch on Youtube named Alpay Efe:
https://www.youtube.com/c/AlpayEfe
I want to try using the brushstrokes and colors that Alpay uses. They are amazing. But I also want to do ink drawings… Meaning that it would be a great if I transferred my line art to another paper. This calls for the use of a lightbox.
So I have a lightbox I built quite a while ago, but it takes a lot of space. It no longer works with my current setup. But, the desk I built has a place left open so that I would slide in a lightbox but I never built it. I think it might be time I scavenge the lights and built a smaller version that can dock into my desk.
Hasta la proxima,
-NUBE
There are more drawings I want to make of Momochi skiing. She looked so cool holding her skis.
Hasta la proxima,
-NUBE
Time was limited today so I drew a quick sketch. It has been snowing pretty consistently lately where I live, so I want to make more snow based artworks before we move into the spring season. This time I wanted to draw Momochi skiing from her time in Country Girls. She was really in her element it seemed when she was doing it in the DVD Magazine vol. 2. I wonder if she went skiing often?
I’m not sure what I will do with this line art. I could shade it with pencil, transfer it to another paper and paint it with watercolor or paint it digitally. We’ll see.
Hasta la proxima,
-NUBE
I thought it would take me longer to paint it but once I started, the flow just kept going. I need to make more watercolor paintings. It’s strange, I was wondering just how much my digital skills would translate to traditional. But they are quite different. One main thing that it has helped me is with layering. As in putting in the base colors and adding more details on top. I’m no longer second guessing my self anymore. But I guess that is more a matter of getting more experience in general. Only way to get better is to just keep painting and thinking about what each technique and stroke means.
As for why I decided to make this painting. I love Oosama Ranking. It is quite an emotional series. Everytime Bojji and Kage overcome obstacles and keep pushing forward, I feel this massive feeling of pride for believing in Bojji and motivation to keep trying my self. Not a lot of series can do that for me. On top of that, the author plays around with clichés and little by little let’s us in on a great mystery that embarks their family and kingdom. The anime really did a good job of elevating the manga to another level. I of course really recommend this series as well.
Hasta la proxima,
-NUBE
Just started to watch Oosama Ranking. In a way, I’m glad I started watching it late because I can just binge the episodes whenever I get the chance. All I’ll say for now is, Wow.
This is the line art for this piece. The plan is to make a traditional painting so that it looks like a picture book illustration.
Hasta la proxima,
-NUBE
I’m really loving what they are doing with the anime adaptation. Its so beautifully designed and has a lot of attention to detail when animating movements. Episode 3 made a really good job of showcasing the struggle of artist dealing with deadlines and encountering a wall (in terms of one’s current skill level). I feel that whoever is directing this anime is of course putting a lot of emphasis on the fan service aspects but also to a lot of emotional moments and the artistic aspects that comes from cosplaying and doll making. I really do feel that there is a lot of love and care put in this project.
This painting is dealing with Gojou’s comment on Marin’s beauty. The animation sequence and facial expressions were really impactful. So of course I wanted to make a painting of this moment. I really like Gojou. Most protagonists in these types of stories are a little too annoying for me. But even though Gojou has a bit of social deficiencies, he is still portrayed as what a normal person would be. That assertiveness and confidence when it comes to his craft is also quite refreshing. That’s why I believe Marin falling for Gojou is a lot more believable than other series where the protagonist has the most beautiful girl falling for him for no reason. If you haven’t given this series a try, I really recommend it. The anime is a really great addition that actually amplifies the series.
For this painting I first painted the background then Goujou and Marin. Then I added some lighting. Although it I felt it looked good, after playing around with the layers on one of the lighting layers I came upon the realization of editing the values and saturation of Marin and Goujou. The more vibrant colors I felt looked much better than the colors I had before. The background was also edited slightly to fit better with the changes. Now it looks so warm and cozy…
Hasta la proxima,
-NUBE
If you know, you know.
Current painting I’m working on at the moment. I’m actually almost done, but it’s gotten rather late and I need to eat and rest a bit. So I’ll finish it tomorrow. Bummer. Though I guess that will give me some time to rest my eyes from the painting. Perhaps some things will be improved because of it.
Hasta la proxima,
-NUBE
Hey, I was able to finish it by today. Good thing I started painting it yesterday. Happy Valentine’s day everybody.
Hasta la proxima,
-NUBE
Thinking about it now, had it been a couple of years before it wouldn’t have happened huh? The trope was always to string the relationships along for ratings and continued readership. Luckily that has been changing and love triangles and feelings don’t have to go unexplored. It’s obvious that the author loves drawing the female characters since he puts so much detail into a lot of their drawings depicting their feelings and some of their actions. That was showcased quite well in Komi’s reaction to Tadano’s confession. I really loved those panels. Specially when when she was holding her face and stroking her hair. For that reason I decided to join both together in this interpretation. Happy Valentines everybody.
Hasta la proxima,
-NUBE
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