Inktober reflection, last days 25-31.
Here we go!
Inktober day 25: Auspex
I remembered that I like my portrait art and loose ink style. I let myself get that unfinished look and it felt good to do that. The brush strokes for her hair and the lighting on her nose are very well done. Need to watch the freckles...they are all a bit one toned and the same size. Spatter works better for this effect.
Inktober 26: Toreador
Composition of this is well done. The call back to the v20 character sheet was a nice touch. I did it earlier with the ghoul piece, but the personal touch of Eli's character with the thorns and lighting instruments is nice. My favorite detail is the slim white line that pops their head forward and keeps them from blending with the shadows.
Inktober 27: golconda
I think this one is a bit weak on composition and execution. I was going for the loneliness kindred may feel when they achieve this enlightenment. I think instead it reads more like a pious woman near prayer. Eh. Can't get em all.
Inktober Day 28: Prince
Okay this one was so fun. I adore a lot of the characters on vampblr. Moineau is one of them. And I love your guys reactions when I draw them. It brings me so much seratonin y'all don't even know. Composition is fantastic, but I got bogged down trying to find the right reference image for her. In reality, I should've just went for it. I am very happy with how this turned out, not happy with how long it took.
I'm also really proud of the details of her hair and dress. I love doing detail work, but it's critical for an artist to know when to say enough on a piece. I'm glad I kept working this, it's exceptional.
Inktober Day 29: Animalism
This one I got into some trouble with. It is fine to use reference images to assist your work. I got lazy and made this too similar to what I based this off of. It's important to make the piece your own. Granted, this is my style, and my techniques. But it is not my composition. And I'm very self critical about that.
Inktober Day 30: Final Death
This one was one of the ones I nailed. It's so cool and a wonderful showcase of different techniques. The story of this one is easy to read, but beautifully open to interpretation as to what happened.
Inktober Day 31: Yourself as A Vampire
First off, I wanna say that I really hope I don't become a vampire, I have enough issues that should probably be resolved with therapy. But. This was fun to work on. I always try to make the final piece something I spend a lot of time on and really finish strong. This self portrait is very accurate to my reference image and it's been a very long time since I've done a self portrait. I think it showcases the proper amount of smug that I try to keep in check...but fail frequently 😂
Since I spent more time on it, I was able to give more attention to details and layers. And it was worth it. The hair. Those tiny tiny highlights were a bitch to get right. The shadows on the brush are really well done. I think where I could have provided more details were the hands. They are a bit cartoony for the rest of the piece. And that came down to the lighting in the shot. I should've reprinted the reference after a level correction, to see the shadows and highlights a bit clearer.
Reflection:
When I first started this journey I wanted to learn how to replicate tim Bradstreet's work. Did I do that? Kinda. I mean this in a nice way but it's a brag. I can replicate any style given enough time and the right tools. I think I once got a grasp on how the man broke down his process, I began incorporating my own style and techniques. Which honestly, is way cooler. Rather than fully copying his work, I learned how to make it my own. And that's more important. I'll give a breakdown of how I do that in another post.
I thought the feeling would be way more joyous when I finished the 31st drawing. Instead I kinda felt myself dreading... Now what? I learned a lot of new techniques, reforged a love of loose ink styles and crosshatched shading, and learned how to utilize multiple references to create my own work. Now what?
Well, I have several projects that I think could benefit from this style. I intend to keep using these techniques both digitally and physically as I continue this journey as an artist. I aim to get a store running, where people can purchase my best pieces. And with a little luck...I'll get my work published. For now though, I'm resting. I'll keep you guys posted as I continue to create new art.
But lastly. Thank you all! Thank you for your continued support. Thank you for reblogging and commenting on it! Thank you for for your entertaining tags! It's been one of my favorite self motivated projects to work on. And it's been made even better because I got to share it with all of you. Here's to more of what we love and continued awesomeness. 🌹🦇🖤 ~Steph
