John Singer Sargent and OpenCanvas.

John Singer Sargent is one of my favourites. I'm also very out of touch with OpenCanvas. Tragically, I started painting with a resolution that was way too low, so this ended up being pretty much pixel painting later on.

I initially wanted to study Sargent's pencils, but this turned up, and since I did intend to do it with OpenCanvas, I though I'd try just painting it.

It... didn't end up being that good a practice, due to the too low resolution.

The source was a painting called "Louise Burckhardt aka Lady With a Rose". Is it just me, or does she totally look like someone who could be the Doctor's companion?

I was happy with today's writing; I will need to start transcribing  the initial drafts to computer. The writing itself is completely horrible, but that's what editing is for, right.

Today failed, scheduling-wise, really.

Worm Fanart: Skitter

Cue Mook Horror Show.

Meet Skitter. 

She can control every single arthropod within half a mile radius, perfectly. 

She can make wasps sting your eyes, spiders crawl into your lungs, and spin webs. 

She can see and hear through the insect eyes, and sense what they touch. 

She breeds black widows, 

She made her costume out of Darwin's bark spider's silk, which is the toughest biological material ever studied, making her somewhat bulletproof. Even when she's not hit in the armor. 

She's the protagonist. 

I wasn't quite satisfied with the fan art I've seen of Skitter - none of it displays how terrifying she can be from an objective point of view. 

The skirt and mantle were originally an improvised costume made out of scraps of spider silk, but since it offers an extra layer of protection, it seem she's taken to wearing them into potentially dangerous situations.

Overqall, Im satisfied. Still messy, but I have some interesting things going material-wise. Shoes are just thrown in there, though.

Also: Hey, I'm on time! It's still two and a half hours to midnight!

Early to sleep. Also, I like writing in cafés.

I gotta get to bed early, and I was somewhat satisfied with this, so this is what I'm posting. Um.

I've found out that I can get much more written with a pencil, in a notebook, preferrably in a café somewhere. The output is very first-drafty, but I have to transcribe it to a computer at some point anywhere, so I get a minor edit step at that point. I'm not writing a whole lot, yet - I think I average about a page per day - but it's still something more-or-less consistent.

I have one story idea.
Wait, I lie. I have, um, five-ish, I think, at this point, but there's one in particular that I think has a beginning and an end.

I want to get it written down - it'll be about, ten-ish pages when done, I think. Less than twenty, in any case. Point is getting something done relatively fast - I'll do at least a couple of edit cycles on it, too. Still, it's not my favourite idea. I'll start working on something full-length after I'm done. I'm not entirely sure yet, what... but I'll make it painfully honest. It's the only way an inept writer such as myself can create something compelling.

I was thinking about the parallels between drawing and writing, or the lack thereof... but there is one - an that is coming up with stuff. While writing, you think of an item, character quirk, name, something you want to use. Similarily you come up with things while drawing - outfit, accessory, shape.

So, basically, coming up with story elements has similarities with concept art. So... story concepts to concept art parallels?

Shikkari, Shikkari. Also, a Punch Line, of Sorts.

I was looking at "On Writing" and this popped up from the early parts:

     But there is a simple rule of thumb to help you decide that. Viewpoints belong to the characters who are the most deeply, emotionally involved in whatever is at stake in the scene. When you're wondering which character should have the viewpoint in any given scene, all you have to do is to pick the character who has the most to lose. THAT person is the one who is going to have the strongest goal, and his pursuit of the goal will be fertile ground for the best conflic

I ended up playing Diablo III during the afternoon, and then I went to the gym, so that took a lot of my time and energy for today - that is,
yesterday. 

I really need to get a grip here. Meaning, get my commitment for drawing & writing done daily, as well as physical exercise. Apparently my cholesterol is wildly high. Thus, gym.

So, let's talk about today's drawing.

It's clearly some sort of a fighting.... person, wearing a clothy type vest and fistguards. The hair shine is too glaring, I do like the picture-right side shoulder, though. Body is too messy, needs flattening.

I also need some reference for drawing toned bodies. Something of a issue, as right now I'm choosing to draw in a location away from my computer. Well, except when working with OpenCanvas, naturally... but I don't really have anything to show for that, yet.

The head was interesting - the current version is HUGE compared to what I initially pencilled down, but it's looking much better than what I had there initially. I'm not sure if the angle reads properly, though.
...
Maybe I should draw some still situations from some sort of a fighting match, if I want to put some more work into this specific theme.

My all around goal right now is improving and regaining my skills.

No inspiration today.

well, not exactly true. This drawing was basically random lines, which I followed to make forms and trying to end up with something not nonsensical.
Also, I sometimes draw really skinny bodies for characters.

This is pretty much junk, but there IS something I like about this drawing, otherwise I wouldn't have posted it. It has... some  energy and a bit of three-dimensionality which I find somewhat compelling. The silhouette isn't all that strong,though.

I played a bit of Diablo III and then ended up chatting afterwards, so I didn't have much time to draw or write today. I did give OpenCanvas a spin, but that produced nothing I could approve of. I did consider posting some of my old Oekakis, but the point isn't in posting something - It's in working my skills.

So, um. I guess I'm trying to write 'sufficiently' here, too. However, blogging or chatting is very different from storycrafting.

I have this whole big thing about the Silver Millennium I've -- I've actually written, but into a notebook, with a pencil. I do intend to post it at some point. Well, probably.

I may have to rely on drawing some fan arts. In the off chance that I get more than one image done per day, I'll create a backlog so that the images come out in sequential days. I'm trying to use the Seinfield method here. In this blog. Now.

Maharis, The Witch in the Tower [3.x]

Whether it was something in her blood, or the circumstances of her power awakening, Maharis was bound to Death ever since she climbed out of the plague burial pit. 

As her arcane powers grew, her lifeforce waned, replaced by an unnatural vitality. Yet, she remained alive. Seeing an inevitable doom approaching, when all of her lifeforce would be gone, she desperately sought ancient lore to combat the grip of unlife. Whichever realm of death had made a claim for her, she had no desire to enter.

Her doom couldnt' be stopped. Seeking knowledge, she became more powerful, and more able to see uses for the unnatural energy within her. 

For a time, she despaired. 

She widened her search, learning everything and anything of her condition. If she could not remain alive, at the very least, she could anchor herself to the world, forever escaping wherever the fell force was trying to drag her.

Eventually, she found a way to cling to a semblance of life by fashioning a locket, which she made nigh-indestructible, layering magics upon magics unto it. Within, she hid her soul. 

Eventually, what little life remained in her body was lost. Yet, she didn't stop. Her soul safely hidden within a phylactery, within a locket, the reaper did not come for her. 

Her arcane might ever growing, she now resides in a tomb of her own making - a spire of black stone; A cyclopean needle within the city of Necropolis. 

Maharis
Female Lich Dread Necromancer 20/Mage of the Arcane Order 7 (CR 27)
LE Medium Undead (human)
Init 9; Senses darkvision 60 ft., See Invisibility, Detect Magic, Arcane Sight ;
Listen
Languages whatevr
AC 41, touch 24, flat-footed 34
(+7 Dex, +7 Armor, +10 natural, +5 deflection, +2 Foresight)
hp 290 (27 HD); DR 15/Bludgeoning and Magic Half Damage(shielded)
Immune poison, cold, electricity, sonic, polymorph, mind, sleep, stun, paralysis, critical hits, disease, death, nonlethal, ability drain, energy drain, breathe, eat, sleep
Resist fire 30; Foresight
Fort 10, Ref 24, Will 18 (+1 from luckstone)
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee Touch +13, 1d8+5 + Paralysis(DC 32)
Ranged +21 for spells
Space 5ft., Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk 13, Grapple 13
Atk Options Charnel Touch, Scabrous Touch, Enervating Touch(swift, Fear Aura vs. panic. Will for shaken, Metamagic(empower, quicken)
Special Actions: Contingency, Draw from Spellpool, Multispell X2
Combat Gear: Belt of Battle, Bracers of Arcane Freedom
Dread Necromancer Spells Known (CL 28th):

Base DC: 22, 23 Necromancy
9th(5/day)—Energy Drain, Imprison Soul, Mass Harm, Plague of Undead, Wail of the Banshee
8th(7/day)—Create greater undead, Horrid wilting, Mass inflict critical wounds, Symbol of death, Blackfire
7th(8/day)—Avasculate, Control Undead, Destruction, Finger of Death, Greater harm, Mass inflict serious wounds, Song of discord, Vile Death
6th(6/day)—Acid fog, circle of death, create undead, eyebite, geas/quest, Harm, mass inflict moderate wounds, planar binding, waves of exhaustion, Aura of terror
5th(7/day)—Blight, Cloudkill, Fire in the Blood, Greater dispel magic, Insect plague, Lesser planar binding, Magic jar, Mass inflict light wounds, Nightmare, Oath of blood, Slay living, Summon undead V, Undeath to death, Unhallow, Waves of fatigue,
4th(8/day)—Consumptive Field, Animate dead, bestow curse, contagion, death ward, dispel magic, enervation, Evard's black tentacles, fear, giant vermin, inflict critical wounds, phantasmal killer, poison, summon undead IV
3th(8/day)—Crushing despair, death ward, halt undead, inflict serious wounds, ray of exhaustion, speak with dead, summon undead III, Vampiric touch
2th(9/day)—Blindness/deafness, command undead, darkness, death knell, false life, gentle repose, ghoul touch, inflict moderate wounds, scare, spectral hand, summon swarm, summon undead II
1th(9/day)—bane, bestow wound, cause fear, chill touch, detect magic, detect undead, doom, hide from undead, inflict light wounds, ray of enfeeblement, summon undead I, undetectable alignment, chill of the grave

Abilities Str 10, Dex 24, Con -, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 34
Special Qualities undead traits, , familiar, scry on familiar,
share spells
Feats 2x Multispell, Corpsecrafter(+4 str, +2HP/HD undead), Rapid Metamagic, Empower, Quicken, Cooperative, SF:Necromancy, Undead Leadership, Eschew Materials, Ignore Material Components, Destruction Retribution(undead explode 1d6/1d6per2HD 10ft burst, Ref 15 half)
Skills (roughly 53/390 points) Concentration +42, knowledge(arcana) +33,
knowledge(religion) +33, spellcraft +33, Hide +45
Possessions Combat Gear plus +5 tome, +5 manual (read), Haversack, Luckstone, Ioun Stone, Orange Prism, +5 Anchoring Leather Armor of easy travel, improved agility, masking and fire resistance, greater, Belt of Battle, Bracers of Arcane Freedom, +5 Ring of Protection, Amulet of nat. armor +5, Broom of flying roughly 70K GP
Advancement by class levels; Favored Class Dread Necromancer
Death Throes: 28d8 burst, 30ft,
Spellcasting Short Range 165 ft. Medium Range 380 ft. Long Range 1520 ft.
Daily Spells Death Throes, Energy Immunity(Sonic, Acid), Foresight, Death Ward on Imp
Contingency If HP drops below 100, Ghostform

Permanency Arcane Sight, Detect Magic, See Invisibility, Tongues, Read Magic

Belt of Battle: +2 init, 3 charges renewed at dawn

Activation: Swift

1 charge = 1 Move action

2 charges = 1 Standard Action

3 charges = 1 Full-round action

Bracers of Arcane Freedom Activation: Swift. 2/day automatic still spell

Tactics: Hang back, nuke. Blackfire on self and undead allies. Avasculate, Exhaustion, Acid Fog.Phylactery: Hidden within the Amulet of Natural Armor. A kernel of Hardened Adamantite, with permanent Nondetection and a fake Magic Aura on it.


Cohort: Shield Other:
Human Vampire Cleric 5/Crusader 1/Ruby Knight Vindicator 7

Hair Today. Also, Eyes.

Elder Venus, Incognita and, uh, some random character.

My post titles are annoyingly apropos.
I'm getting some of my skill back, but I've found that I want to learn some specific techniques, when it comes to depicting materials, textures and such. I may do some studies next, perhaps.

One interesting thing I've noticed - especially with pencil - is to use somewhat cartoony level of realism, but to draw details such as reflections and texures very realistically, albeit with rough enough style that you can see the pencil strokes.

So, on my drawing craft queue:

• Fan arts
• Animating a bit
• Learning new techniques.

I'm also looking for a RPG gaming group locally. It's been a year since the last time I had a chance to play, more or less.

I'm, uh, also trying my hand at writing fiction. I'm not completely awful, but I am pretty bad. It's another thing I just kind of want to take a stab at, at this point. There are strong parallels between designing roleplaying adventurers and writing - the storytelling is very similar, but writing has the actual writecraft aspect to it, as well as the fact that in roleplaying games, other peoples are playing the part of characters, while the GM just has to prepare the setting, play the supporting characters, design plots.... Come to think of it, that's already quite a lot of work. Still, it's essentially similar to the prep-work one might do for a longer story - making notes of appearing characters, preparing locations, making sure things are kept consistent. That sort of a thing.

Hmm. Parallel between Elder Gods and Elder Senshi....