For the longest time I've been relying on lineart, and as much as I love how detailed I can make it, I felt burnt out. So I decided to try something new; painting on top of/under a sketch.
Finally back. Been in a bit of an art slump, but the worst of it seems over. I've been a bit disappointed with Mandalorian season 3, so I'm working on my Star Wars OC again; then I can put her in a fix-it fic.
After over a year of working on this piece, occasionally getting burned out, and 30+ hours...Iāve finally finished my Lady Dimitrescu artwork; inspired by one of my favourite artists, Alphonse Mucha.
Here it is, the result of a labour of love:
If youād like to see some commentary on the process of this piece, as well as WIP shots, check out under the read more!!!
So I did a version a while ago; the lineart anyway. And I gave up on it for a while before eventually returning. I redid a fair amount of the lines, particularly our vampire goddessesā face, hair, and hat. I added more and more to it, and went through several versions before deciding on the one that would eventually become what you see today.
This is easily one of the most detailed, labour intesive pieces of art Iāve ever produced. And sure, itās not perfect- no art is. But I am very, very proud of myself for returning to this piece and finally finishing it.
Hereās the (highly condensed) process:
You can see how much work went into this, hopefully! I havenāt gotten past the first hour of RE8 because I am a chickenshit, but I am a major Lady Dimitrescu simp (even have a 5 ft body pillow of her) and her whole aesthetic/design has gotten my attention from the moment she first showed up in the earlier RE8 teasers.
It was tough to dodge potential spoilers whilst looking for suitable references, but as you can see, I did ok and managed to find some good stuff. I wanted to stay true to the original Mucha piece that I chose, but also put as much of the gothic aesthetic and Lady Dimitrescuās design as possible.
All in all, I think this piece was a success. Iām immensely proud of it, and I hope you all like it even slightly as much as I do. Iād normally post a colouring timelapse, but the file is too big to put on Tumblr, unfortunately.
Iām definitely going to do more Lady Dimitrescu art in the future, because whilst this was lowkey a pain in the ass to line and stuff, it was somehow alot of fun as well.
To learn a bit about my Mox V, as well as see the process behind this detailed piece, check under theĀ āread moreāĀ
This Vās birth name is Valerie, the name our Fem Vs have in-game. But she takes on the name of Velour as she becomes more of her own person. Her cyberware may seem flashy, and yeah it kinda is, but it all serves a function; and she only has all these prosthetics due to a particularly dark era in her past.
Her Mom died when she was just 10 years old; a tragedy NC knows all too well- she got caught in the crossfire of a gang shootout on her way home from work at Clouds. The grief shattered V and her Father, and when the grief took away what little they had left, their Father turned to drinking; becoming more irate and abusive as time passed by. Things eventually got so bad that V ended up having to run away from home.
They lived on the streets for some time, scraping by as they tried to learn how to survive in their newfound hell. Over the years, they built up a pretty decent set of skills, but never stayed in one place for too long. When they got older, times were particularly bad money-wise; she had a few bad run-ins with some shitty people.
And as she was older, V found themselves working as a Hooker down on JigJig Street. One night, whilst having a smoke between shifts, she happened to cross paths with Evelyn Parker. The two hit it off, and she was able to get V in at Clouds. This gave V a new sense of security and belonging; there was a cluster of Cloudsā dolls that stuck together. And when more time passed, Evelyn brought up to V the idea that they could try and get in with the Mox.Ā
V was incredibly excited for this; they saw it as further steps to gaining the family theyād lost, and finding more solid footing on the streets. A meeting was set up in Lizzieās bar, but V never showed; on the way over, theyād been accosted by a group of Scavengers, and whilst they fought like hell, they got taken down. Evelyn knew something was up, especially when V didnāt respond to her calls. So she asked the Mox to help her look.
Trapped in the Scav den, V was subjected to torture as they stripped her for parts. She was paralysed due to the drugs they injected, but she could still feel the agony. Limbs were taken, organs removed and replaced with cheap parts to keep her breathing while they took as much as they could. Even her eyes, some facial nerves, and certain parts of her neck were taken or butchered.
It took several days for Evelyn and the Mox to get a lead on V, and when they did, they immediately went for the den, storming through and saving who they could along the way. They found V close to death. And they took her back to a safehouse. Evelyn helped get V fixed up, gaining extra help from the Mox because they had heard from her the skills that V had, and knew sheād be a good addition to the crew.
When she was finally physically recovered, V dove into life with the Mox, wanting to repay them and Evelyn for everything that theyād done; turning to drink and drugs when the nightmares got bad.Ā
And they spent time honing their skills and gaining new ones. V left Clouds when Evelyn did; the two becoming private, well known Escorts. But V also took on merc work; and steadily built a rep.Ā
This is a basic summary of her story; Iāll be exploring it more in-detail in a fic Iām planning for her. Excited to explore where itāll all go!
As for the art, hereās the (condensed) process behind it:
Honestly, it took forever to do this piece; chipping away at it for 3 or 4 hour long stints every few days, until I finished it after 30 hours. But I believe it was worth it; I really am happy with how it turned out.
I normally shy away from backgrounds, so it was great to deviate from my norm with this project. It was super fun actually; I love the whole neon/brightly coloured aesthetic of the Mox and their hub at Lizzieās Bar.
And it was even more fun to draw Velour! I loved making her outfit fit with the whole Mox aesthetic, but also making it her own thing. Working on her Cyberware was challenging, but I still had fun with it.
Unfortunately the colouring Timelapse was too long for Tumblr to handle :(
Definitely expect to see more art of her in the future; this little project was very labour intensive, but it was a labour of love honestly.
It took me a little longer than I thought, but I finally finished another piece of art! Februaryās been a bit weird; like Iāve done far less art than I thought I would. But I mean, hey, life happens.Ā
And yes itās my nonbinary Corpo/Assassin V again, they are my current brainrot OC.
Hereās the portrait, with and without glasses, in their early days with Arasaka:
To see a bit about this OCās story, as well as the overall process and a colouring timelapse, check out under the read more!!!
This eventually attracts the attention of Arasaka, and they offer V a place/contract with them. Despite the fact they know their friends will hate them for it, V accepts this offer.
It puts a huge rift between V and the Samurai crew, but they keep going for their brotherās sake.Ā
This eventually attracts the attention of Arasaka, and they offer V a place/contract with them. Despite the fact they know their friends will hate them for it, V accepts this offer.
It puts a huge rift between V and the Samurai crew, but they keep going for their brotherās sake.Ā
Over the years, V rises in the ranks, and is a major fixture in significant events; like the 2013 raid to save Alt, and the 2023 tower bombing.Ā
Eventually, they get to like 85, and have gone from merc, to Arasaka Assassin, to Saburoās bodyguard...and back to Assassin again when asked.Ā
Stuff happens, and this leads into a vastly different take on the 2077 in-game events.
Hereās the (condensed) process behind this piece:
You can see that, whilst itās not quite as detailed as some of my other recent pieces, alot of work still went into this. It was super fun exploring an age I havenāt really drawn this V at (2013 era, Age 23) and adding all the Arasaka details.
I really tried to work on different fabric textures, as well as shadows and lighting, and while I know Iāve still got a ways to go, Iām still really happy with the progress Iāve made.
Overall, Iām so happy with how this turned out. I feel like it has the right kind of vibe that an Arasaka Assassin would have, and the outfit kinda has that Corpo/Luxury style to it.
Hereās the colouring timelapse (warning for flashes of colour):
The timelapse gives an even better look at the colouring process; it emphasizes all the little details that get a bit lost amidst the dramatic lighting and shadows.
This is definitely one of my favourite pieces from recent months, and Iām excited to draw this V at other stages in their Arasaka career.
