Gravedigger

I've been playing around with ideas for a new character so I thought I'd draw her out tonight while doing some Manga Studio inking practice.

She's a grave digger from a small town who decided she wanted to be a treasure hunter. She's got a southern twang to her voice and is very muscular from years of digging graves and manual labor around the cemetery. More of her to come~

(She also needs a name, suggestions are welcome.)

Fluid Lines

Hello all! I've been really busy with work lately but today I had time to practice inking with Managa Studio. I decided to finish up a Kale sketch and then give inking it a go.

I am really loving this program so far <3 You can check it out here. I'm using the EX 4 version. If you're interested in getting the program be sure to join the newsletter to get special deals and offers. That's how I got the Black Friday sale deal (paid $30 instead of $300).
I love a good deal. Speaking of which, if you're still looking for some unique gifts this holiday season I still have illustrations and comics up at my Etsy store including copies of 'Kale: Lost & Found' and 'Alencia: A Noble Deed.'

Queen of the Mountain

I was itching to do some more practice with Manga Studio after work today so I took another crack at it, this time with some fan art. Abby Bominable of Monster High looking a bit more ferocious than usual. She's my favorite <3 I might color it later or take another shot at it so it looks more like the image in my head. I just had to get it out for now.

Two updates in one day? You guys are getting spoiled today. Enjoy it while it lasts :P Also still figuring out tricks for rendering blood. Might have to get out my Hellsing mangas for a bit of studying soon.

His Bloodied Hands

More Manga Studio practice this morning! Figured out the dip pen feature a bit more. The brush pen tool looks more like a dry brush effect so it's not as smooth as the dip pen (or a phsyical ink/brush combo) so I'll be using the pen more often.

I drew out part of a scene from a story I was/am working on with El Goro. Alencia was adapted to be in this story too, and she's meeting Hugo for the first time. Her clairvoyance allows her to see fresh blood on his hands meaning that he's killed someone. However I haven't added the blood yet (I did but it looked lame) so I'll be working on that later.

And now I'm off work!

Tones

I took a leap yesterday and between job shifts ordered Manga Studio EX 4. I got it for a major Black Friday bargain online. It's usually $300 but was on sale for $30. Seeing that lots of comic artists I like use it, like Coelasquid of "Manly Guys Doing Manly Things" (who actually posted a tip about the Black Friday deal on tumblr) I thought I'd give it a go.

It took a while to download (it was the digital version) but once I got it up and running I got to play around with it a bit. While it's different from Adobe Photoshop it does pay close attention to the tools comic artists use and how it separates layers. It also offers lots of different ways to get LINE VARIATION and fine tuning each tool to get it exactly how you want it (like different kinds of dip pen nib types and sizes, brushes, multiliner pens, etc.) I'm having fun with it but I'm still a bit stiff with it. Also hoping to force myself to use some real comic tones since I have no experience with them at all (traditional or digital tones. I worry about not sizing them right so they look good when printing. I hope to get over this fear.) since I usually just use flat greys. I feel like it's something I should learn/know how to use.

Here's my experimental doodle of the day via Manga Studio:

I need SO MUCH more practice with tones. At least it was fun to use.