Lynn Minmay Update V

I got quite busy these last few days again, but I did get to advance on this piece. It takes quite a bit of thought process to continue after finishing one area and moving to the next. And doing on area require one to go back to previous sections to make sure they compliment each other color wise. Don’t know how long this one will take but I have been learning quite a bit from it and am no longer afraid to work with darker colors. I used some previously learned techniques which made things easier but had to develop some new ones so that I could work with a dark setting. I’d say the hardest part is making the lights look like lights. I’ve added some more details to make it look better than the last scan shows but you guys will have to wait for that update. The scanning always takes away the real lighting of my work and I have to correct it afterwords so it feels really off when I see the scanned piece on the screen.

In any case I am making progress. Just a bit more and I can have the background done so I can actually start on the main focal point.

Hasta la proxima,

-XERO

May 24, 2016 0

Lynn Minmay Update IV

I think I have everything that I wanted drawn, now it’s just a matter of coloring… I really hope I can pull it off.

Hasta la proxima,

-XERO

May 17, 2016 0

Lynn Minmay Update III

I’m really contemplating on how to go about this piece. I need to stop overthinking it but I feel I can probably come out with a nice piece if I do this right and on top of that learn some new techniques… Anyway this is what I have so far.

I went back to basics and bought a pencil set so that I can start using H level pencils again. Since they are so light they give me less problems when erasing them and if I do it lightly they don’t leave a mark either. I should be able to get better and cleaner work this way. The drawing is almost done now, I think I will change the background lights and make them smaller so that it appears as though the stage is much bigger. The hair is rather tall and fluffy huh? I was thinking of making it a bit smaller but after modifying it a bit I decided to not alter it too much so that I can make it look as if it was bouncing as she was dancing so that it looked like she was in the middle of movement. After adding that and a couple other details I should be ready to color. Here’s hoping I can pull off what I am imagining.

Hasta la proxima,

-XERO

May 14, 2016 0

Lynn Minmay Update II

I had two final classes this week but I still have to do a couple more things until the 27th but over all I should have more time to focus on art (among other activities that will benefit my body and mind). Hmmm. I had a couple of days worth of searching for some more references of Macross and the main idols (Akina Nakamori and Seiko Matsuda) I will be using for this piece. Although I kept working on the piece throughout the week I didn’t really get much progress since I couldn’t decide on the outfit and the background.

Macross is quite interesting isn’t it? It has a very obvious 80s feel to it (it makes sense since it was made in the 80s) and yet is set around this time period. With that in mind I can actually modernize it if I felt like it. Though one can argue that the fall of the Macross on earth and the war that came from it might have stopped the progress of innovation when it comes to music and fashion. I think about things too much…

Anyway I decided to keep with the 80s feel so I set out to look at the concert performances during that time. I mostly focused on Akina Nakamori and after a couple of videos I came up with this:

I wonder if it even makes sense? I want to make this so 80s it brings nostalgia for those who actually lived it or saw the movies and music in the 90s.

Hasta la proxima,

-XERO

May 6, 2016 0

Next project 5/1/16: Lynn Minmay

I have decided upon the next project for my next piece, and that is non other than Lynn Minmay from Super Dimensional Fortress Macross (my all time favorite anime). When I first watched Macross I really came to dislike Minmay, she seemed to fickle and self-centered. But upon re-watching last year now that I am older I came to really like her. She was written in a way that doesn’t make her dislikeable, in reality she only saw Hikaru as a friend and nothing more (at least throughout most of the series) so seeing her not treat Hikaru as anything more than a friend is quite understandable (having experienced it myself).

Anyway, despite what people might think regarding her personality and actions she is quite cute making her a good model to draw. I went on a binge of downloading and searching for references. Eventually I got the idea to actually search for actual photos of idols from the 80s to serve as a firsthand visual reference to make something a bit different and more in tune to reality. That’s when I learned that Minmay was actually based on two of the most famous idols of the 80s in Japan. Those idols being Akina Nakamori and Seiko Matsuda. They are quite famous even now, I was actually quite surprised how much of a fanbase there still exists. And I’m glad because I found treasure troves of reference pictures to make my artwork come alive.

I can really see the influences in Minmay after looking through the photos. At first I was thinking about using a Chinese model for the drawing but after learning that these two were the influences I decided on just using them. And just before writing this I learned that Lynn Minmay is actually half Japanese from he mothers side so it’s ok if I just use Matsuda and Nakamori as the models.

I’ve written quite a bit so I will just leave it at that, here is a little taste of what I have done so far:

I know it doesn’t look like much yet, but I am quite happy with the base I have so far. I want to start incorporating movement into my work. And I truly think this is a good chance to do so. Drawing shouldn’t be hard anymore, what I worry is when I add color (which I still haven’t mastered).

Here’s hoping for the best.

Hasta la proxima,

-XERO

May 1, 2016 0

Macross Frontier

I just finished watching Macross Frontier and I was just blown away. Not only did they pay homage to the original story a couple of times but the music and story was truly amazing. I was rather surprised at how much I like it. Having watched both the original Macross and Frontier, now I feel like watching all the series in between. When watching the story I sometimes felt that certain emotions that would later begin to gradually change over time. For instace, at the beggining of the series I seriously felt a bit annoyed my Sheryl Nome. But as the story proggressed one could see just how austanding and comprehensible she really was. As for Ranka, I was a fan since the very beggining although it did waver a bit when she was sucked in by that evil women at the end. Thankfully she snapped out of it.

The pilots were really cool. They achieved a really good amount of action and cinematography on the battlefield on this series. Something that could not really be done on the original because of the limitations of technology and animation. I would really like to see a remake of the original series (not the “Do You Remember Love” version though, I didn’t really like it) I bet it would look really good with the abilities we possess at this moment.

I feel like I should do a sketch of Ranka… allright, I’ll put one up tommorrow.

Hope you look forward to it,

-XERO

February 6, 2012 0

How to Draw Challenge: The Eighth – Valkyrie VF-1S – Hikaru Ichijo

First of all I apologize for not putting up a video on Wednesday, it got so late that day that I fell asleep while making it so I never got the chance to upload it. Sorry.

Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, truly a gem among all the anime series I have seen so far. I remember watching it when I was a child. It was truly an amime that really left an impression on my life. Even back then when I was really into Dragon Ball, Macross managed to beat it. The story, the action and the music was just so amazing that I was left craving for more everytime I finished watching an episosde. A couple of days ago I finished watching the whole original series and was reminded why I loved it so much. For those who have watched it in it’s Robotech form, please watch the original version you will not be dissapointed. There is just so much that was cut off in the American version that pretty much changed the whole series from it’s full potential. Despited being rather old it can still hold it’s own in this era (although that shouldnt be too hard considering most anime’s have just becalmed fan service machines with little to no story at all). The original Macross is definitely the best series I have seen from this franchise (although from the little I have seen, Frontier isn’t too bad).

For this video I recommend listening to: “Macross” the original theme song

Hope you enjoy it,

– XERO

February 4, 2012 0