Propmaking: Summoning Token

Hey everyone! I thought I'd pop in and share what I was able to make tonight while chatting with friends on Google hangout (first time using it, it was pretty fun).

I decided to make a rather fast prop by sculpting a 'summoning token' from my latest Alencia story "Tomb of the Unspoken." Summoning tokens are coins that demons and various dimensional beings give to people as a quick way to contact or summon them. They can only be used once and must be given by the creature of their own free will. There are ways around that but I won't go into them here. Alencia herself will be able to explain all that in the journal/companion book I'm making to go along with her comics. Lots of information about her world, in her own words. A very exciting project indeed!

Now on to the token itself:

When I am able to start mold making I plan on making another of these, creating a mold of it, and then casting it in resin. I've been told it should be fairly easy.

Well goodnight all! I have lots of work to do tomorrow to prepare for moving. I'll post more art as soon as I can!

My creation! IT LIVES!

As an artist I love to create things. Most of the things I create, like my characters, are stuck in the 2-D plane of view. But lately my desire to learn to sculpt has overwhelmed me so much that after gathering more supplies I have started trying to bring my characters to life; on a 3-D plane. I love action figures and statues (especially anime ones) so while using some that I own as inspiration (and some great reference) I've started sculpting a stand alone Alencia mini statue. Here are some photos from the last few days of working on it.


The wire armature covered in tin foil. This actually started as another character but I then decided to make it Alencia instead, so as I went on the pose was adjusted. You can also see my sketchbook (one of many) with notes and diagrams of how I originally wanted it to look. Now I'm more loosely basing it on my notes.


With sculpey on her. I put on a basic layer of clay to cover the whole form up (save for the hands, I plan on doing those near the end) and then added more volume where she needed it based on her body and her clothes. I then added details of the shapes of her clothes, trying to make it look somewhat separate from her body but as a part of the overall statue.


Detail close up. Here you can also see the bit of balsa wood I have lodged in her hand. That will be making room for the sword she will be holding. I'm very excited to make a miniature of her blessed sword. I hope once my prop making gets on to bigger projects that I'll be able to create a full sized replica of it. *Dreamy sigh* Her other hand will be holding a lantern. I'm not look forward to making that as much as the sword. When she's fully done and painted I plan on having her sit on my convention tables. I'd also love to make more of my characters and have already been drawing up possible design ideas for future figures.

I've also been having some computer trouble lately so while my iMac (and all its programs) are at the apple doctor I'm on my laptop, with almost no programs on it so even photo editing is a no-go right now. Also still trying to get the laptop to talk to the scanner, so until those two kiss and make-up there's not going to be much for me to share :/ But hopefully the iMac will be sorted out soon and then I'll have loads of art to share!

I've got Art Books on the Brain

Hello everyone! I’ve been working a lot lately (at both day jobs and on art projects) so here’s a little update:

+Alencia webcomic- I’ve decided that launching Alencia as a webcomic isn’t the best route for right now. As I’ve already proven to myself with ‘Or Maybe Not’ I find updating a webcomic to be mostly stress and guilt inducing (stressful trying to update on time and guilt ridden when I don’t or the comic quality suffers due to time crunches).

Alencia is my main comic project and I never want to feel tired of drawing her stories so making it as least stressful as possible is important to me. Instead I will continue to self publish each story as its own mini comic. In the mean time I’ll be sharing teaser photos, sketches, concept art and posting preview comics so you can get a taste for the story before possibly buying a completed book. I'm also looking into releasing downloadable PDF versions of my comics too.

Later when I have more stories completed I will hopefully pitch the book (or books) to a publisher. It would likely have some never before published stories in it when I do. But that is still on the distant horizon.

+Art book- I’m currently working on an Elder Scrolls/Skyrim/Oblivion themed artbook collecting illustrations and comics of my game characters along their adventures as well as photos of props from the game I have/will make. I plan on sending some to Bethesda as a thank you for making such awesome games; especially now since work is wrapping up on Skyrim. I’m not sure yet how/if I will handle selling copies of the artbook but if there is interest then I will think of something. I’m really enjoying working on this so far and I’m really excited to finish a physical book of it all. I’m in a strong book making mood lately :D


A look at just some of the notes and thumbnail images I've done recently. This is how I figure out ideas and concepts for illustrations and comics before I start working on them.
+Other comics- Ryan and I are currently working on about three anthro comic projects right now. A mermaid love story called ‘Oceanborn,’ a maid café slice of life-drama “Unintentionally Alice,” and a horror themed collection of short stories called “Fur-raising Tales.” As concept work on these stories gets done I will be sharing those too (I’m also planning a preview booklet for “Unintentionally Alice” showing concept work, illustrations, and preview pages. I’m also working on a mini print/post card set!) We will be self-publishing these stories.

I’m also starting early concept work and writing for tales about my Gravedigger, Lor. I’m hoping to do comics about her in the future too but as you can see my plate is quite full of personal projects already :P I think its also safe to say that reworking Kale’s story has been on the back burner too. I’ve done more writing and figuring things out for her story but it’s not in my immediate to do list right now. Still, fear not her story will be told! One reason I like to work on many projects at once is so when I’m burnt out on one I can rotate to another one. Kale is still on my list, just a little further down for the moment.

+Prop making- Currently I’ve done five out of nine Amulets of the Divine. I’ve picked up supplies and will start sculpting the new ones soon. I’m also hoping to try my hand at replica prop/display weapons after the amulets. I’m thinking of the Blade of Woe from the Dark Brotherhood quest line first. Being a dagger it’ll be smaller so I’m hoping a good introduction.

Also as my comics go on I will be looking into creating props based on items and weapons from my own stories. I’d like to try some mold making so I can cast multiples of an object after I sculpt it. I love the idea of being able to create an object from concept to fabrication; being able to bring something from my own comics into reality and sharing it with others.

As you can see I’ve got a lot of fun projects going on right now. Lots of hard work that is (happily) eating up my time out side of my day jobs. So stay tuned and be sure to follow the art tumblr for sketches and rough updates as well as my facebook page for updates, polls, and general interaction. I love hearing from folks so if you have a question or comment feel free to let me know!

Sculpting up a Storm

Hello everyone! April is going by so fast! Its' already almost May! My iMac screen is still broken so I've not been doing much digital work, as well as stalling on working on comics since I won't be able to properly digitally tone them as I'd like to. However I'm hoping to get it all fixed soon.
In the mean time, here's what I've been cooking up so far:

+Crafting/Prop Making

I've been continuing work on my 'Amulets of the Devines' series. The latest one being the Amulet of Mara; goddess of love, compassion, and marriage. This design has complicated knot-work involved and I drew myself out a map of what I had planned to do, but still ended up leaving out details on the largest piece. However I did go back and tweak it several times so it came out a lot better than it did in early photos I took. I'm pleased that I'm learning to go back and fix things rather than just accepting them. I know I'll end up with better results this way.

My 'map' of the details of the amulet.


Early shot of the main part of the amulet.


Before cooking.


After cooking. Make sure you don't leave sculpey in the oven too long... like me...


Luckily some gesso and paint cleared up the burnt parts.


At first I was going to join everything with wax thread but then changed my discision to using chains and links instead. I think it will look better, and be easier to wear for it. I still might shorten the chain depending on how my 'Agent of Mara' cosplay goes but for now, it is done. 5 Amulets down, 4 more to go! Then I will be working my way up to some other prop making projects.

I've also started making some little dolls based on Homestuck sprites. I'm currently making a Roxy Lalonde doll for a friend of mine, and one for myself of my fan troll. Here's some shots of Roxy:


Back to working on comics; stay tuned!

WIP Shots

Hey everyone!

Today I bring you some WIP photos of the current Alencia: Tomb of the Unspoken comic pages I'm working on. I made my goal of inking two pages before work today so here are some teasers of the raw inks:





I'm very happy with the pages so far. I think switching to using a brush for inking was one of the best decisions I've ever made :P

Comic Spotlight: Of Stars and Swords

Hello everyone!
As you may or may not know, I was able to attend Megacon in Orlando, Florida about two weeks ago and of course had a great time! Aside from being able to visit friends, meet celebrities, and spend my tax refund, I was also able to discover a new favorite comic.

While browsing the artist alley I noticed that many artist's tables featured distasteful images of women to sell their books. This cliche' isn't new, but failed to grab my interest so I kept walking for a while, until I passed by a table that caught my eye. It was the table of husband and wife writer/artist duo, Graham and Caroline Johnson, of 'Serious Turtle Studio.'

Their table featured books and images from their ongoing comic "Of Stars and Swords" which can be read online. They had two printed issues available which were colorful and featured female characters in a fantasy setting, (which immediately appealed to my interests). Furthermore, they were clad in practical yet colorful, and well designed, costumes which further peaked my interest. Upon making eye contact with Caroline I asked her what the comic was about. She said along the lines of "It's about a girl who has to decide between taking revenge, or doing what is ultimately right." Intrigued I bought the first two issues. I read them both while waiting for our flight back to Virginia, devouring them before our plane even landed.

The art was lovely and improved with each issue. The story was strong, keeping me guess with twists and turns, even inspiring a few out loud "OOOhhh!" moments while reading. The characters were each distinct in their design so I couldn't confuse them. The story itself continues online and I highly suggest anyone who appreciates well written and drawn fantasy, as well as spunky female leads, to check it out! I'll be keeping an eye on the updates as well as the release of issue #3. I believe the comic industry needs more well done stories staring female heroes. As I strive to add my own comics to this ideal, I will read and praise the stories of others. If you a know a great comic done by, or staring an awesome female hero, please share it in the comments!


OSAS I2 Cover by ~SeriousTurtle on deviantART

Check out the comic and support the creators!
Of Stars and Swords Comic
Serious Turtle Studio Blog
Caroline's Deviant Art
Of Stars and Swords Facebook Page

Of Eladrin and Amulets

Hey Everyone!
I'm back from Megacon and finally settling back into regular old life again :P I'm securing another second job (and possibly one full time job if the stars align in my favor) so I've been busy since getting back. However I did have a super fun awesome time and even got to see some old friends.

Here is the illustration I got to give to Wil Wheaton of his D&D Character Aeofel.



And here is the autograph I got from him too. The whole thing was a proud moment for me and I'll never forget it.


Next is an inked sketch from my sketchbook. I was having fun drawing my Dovakin, Merion, while waiting for the plane to arrive. This scene is from a quest in the game where she discovers this powerful book and while looking at it realized it was made of various kinds of skin (blood samples from each race of elves was needed to open the container it was in so looking back it probably didn't have human skin on it) but when you open the book you can choose which 'path' you follow and it levels you up in a bunch of stats. I reached a whole new level just from reading it :P But then it disappears...



Upon getting home I had to do some inking with my brush once more. I dearly missed inking with it while I was gone. Ink brush withdrawls anyone? Also added some Typography for fun and tried to make Merion look a bit more scratched up and weather-worn.



ALSO managed to find the perfect beads I had been looking for for my Amulet of Dibella. I tried in furious vain last night to sculpt the little leaves that are meant to be strung with the beads but I just couldn't get them right. The amulet itself is sculpted smaller than it looks when worn by a character. I think it looks too big and garish in the game so I made it smaller. But now with the leaf charms it's backfiring on me. I can't make them to scale no matter what I try. The leaves will not look exactly the same I'm afraid. I'm going to come back to it and try again later. For now this is my 'simplified' version of the Amulet of Dibella.



Next will be the Amulet of Mara! One of my favorite items, and diety, in the game! Also one of the more complicated pieces but I'm confident if I pace myself with sculpting it I can make it look as nice as the original. I'd like to make it as part of an 'Agent of Mara' cosplay one day. The priest robes aren't too complicated and I can pass around the little Mara pamphlets from the game :P Here's a peek!