Jenny Dolfen

December suggestion: Nerdanel

Or, as Paul put it, Fëanor's wife, Not Putting Up With His Drama. 😂

I've been sick since Christmas Day but hey, it's still this month!… year!  More experiments which quick-ish colouring styles which somehow still take pretty long. 

I'm finding it hard to get into a reflective end of year mood, or to draw any conclusions from 2023. Maybe there aren’t any. I had another nasty run-in with homophobes and weirdos again after my last Orym/Dorian piece, and I'm so tired...

Orym/Dorian kiss (that I'm already regretting)

... spoilers ahead for episode 81. 

So I started a little follow-up sketch to the fire scene last night... had begun cleaning it up while watching yesterday's/today's episode... and probably will have to eat my words, or rather, my lines, because Orym has just made a deal with Morrighan, the Fatestitcher, that he'll serve her if she makes sure all his friends make it back alive from their mission to stop Predathos. 

Dammit, Liam, that little guy deserves happiness, not a...

Unspoken - coloured

The holidays are here!! It's pretty unusual for us to go on holiday a full three days before Christmas Eve, but it's still much-needed. Usually, we have school until the 22nd and I remember one year when we had to work up until the 23rd. (Which is even worse because in Germany, the important day with family and food and presents is the 24th). 

So - now for SLEEP! And art. And definitely food and family. <3 I hope to do this month's suggested art before Christmas, too. 

Unspoken

Here's to everyone who's ever spent weeks and months and years next to their crush and not got out a word, deciding it’s easier to pine silently than to tell them and yet that look of "You? … with ME?" followed by a more or less tactful rebuff.

When (not if, I hope) Dorian comes back, it's going to be a situation that Orym must hate - he's told all the others (not all voluntarily) that he's crushing on Dorian, but not the man himself...

Props to Jamie Bell for lending...

Repurposing Jamie Bell

Hubby and I were watching "The Eagle of the Ninth" with Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell last weekend, and it hit me how much Jamie Bell looked like Orym in that movie. I asked Hubby to hit the record button, which he did, but then he hit the delete button as soon as we'd watched the end of the film, so I was left looking for blurry internet photos after all. A disproportionate amount of them found on "Shirtless Movies & TV" on tumblr. I'm not complaining. Much. XD

(I'd been looking fo...

The thing I threatened…

… and an "Art vs Artist" for 2023. A lot of digital stuff, obviously. I've been wanting to get back into at least colored pencil but just wasn’t up to it. Every time I was ready to try, there's been new episodes… 

I love the borrow Row of Redheads. =D

I see you every night

This took a while. But our heating is up and running again and I have my head halfway free for art!

And as of last episode, I feel very much vindicated that Orym is indeed in love with Dorian, and I hope we'll see the Blue Boy at the table again soon…

I'm also very happy to announce that I’ve *finally*written all the postcards for Patrons' welcome packs, and will post the last twelve this week! So, all you Forest Guardians who haven’t got theirs yet, look forward to a little...

Comfort zone sketch: Will and Orym snuggles

I haven't had a good last few weeks, so here's some Will and Orym snuggles. (Before I upload them on social media in any capacity, I'll absolutely put a blinking red arrow pointing at Orym saying, "ADULT HALFLING". 😂

Been missing Orym. Only two Bells Hells episodes in November, and Liam was sick for one of them, so no emotional support halfling. Can't wait for Thursday/Friday. ❤️ Also because that'll be the end of a week full of doctor's appointments, no heating, and a long-term ...

Spelljammer character: Ace Jr.

I've been iin love with the Spelljammer setting for over twenty years (since I first learned of it). It's D&D meets Treasure Planet.  Does anyone here remember my art from ~2002 of two Dark Elves in 18th century uniforms? I need to dig some up!

Anyway, I'm DMing Spelljammer again, for my hubby, daughter, and my colleague Stefan. Stefan was over last Sunday for character creation and the first steps in the Spelljammer universe. He plays an autognome, and the way he came up with ...

Child in the dark - finished

Had some fun with digital gold leaf on this one!

The session last Sunday left Jax extremely shaken - they were fighting an assassin demon sent by the last demon lord they p*ssed off really badly, and the DM (probably influenced by this pic I was working on) had Jax' deceased Paladin father manifest to guide his hand - and when Jax miserably failed a saving throw on an attack that would have killed him instantly, it was his father’s soul that was sucked into the abyss in his stead. 2023-11-22 11:29:17 +0000 UTC View Post

Jax - sketch

"Child in the dark. To whom will you call out? To Mother, or to Father?"

"To both. And I know that both will listen. I am both their child. I am the light that hides in shadow. I am both the blazing sun and the starry sky. I am the sword and I am the dreamer, I am valour and I am redemption. I am the son of a holy warrior and a demon. And I intend to do them both proud."

Playing my Pathfinder character Jax again on Sunday, and the story is starting to get more and more epic. (Only...

Screenshot redraw: *angry screaming*

One of the fun pastimes in Critical Role fandom: redrawing screenshots of the players as their characters. Last episode had me check my blood pressure real quick (it was fine, strangely enough), but that was *so* stressful!
(Spoiler)
…

Ashton (bottom right) persuaded Fearne (bottom left) to aid them in a risky ritual that might have killed them (and very nearly did), absorbing the energy of a primordial deity of fire when they already held a shard of a primordial deity of earth...

Maedhros is finished! And he has my brushpack in tow!

Woo-hoo! This always takes SO LONG, to fix up the brush description, and the video, and do a demo, and upload everything so they interconnect... 

So YEAH! Maedhros presents my squeaky new brush set: Texture Galore! You can see it in action in the YouTube video here, it's available on 2023-11-12 18:44:11 +0000 UTC View Post

In progress: Maedhros for my new brushes demo

Since Fingon got the demo for the last brush set, Maedhros was very clear he'd have this one. I found a really cool piece of model photography to use as a rough base. It it possible for Maedhros to look too handsome? I don’t think it is, but he’s certainly pushing the concept here. 

October suggestion: Boromir and Faramir's story time

Here's the suggestion I didn’t get to with all the Patreontober: Finduilas reading to her sons, suggested by Elizabeth. Trying for a quick watercoloury sketch (with the new brush set I STILL haven't finished up - first I was waiting for hubby to vacate the living room table so I could record the video, now I'm waiting for my voice to come back for the same purpose…)

Voice of the Tempest

I'm in love. Seriously. <3 

This is definitely a direct outcome of Inktober, too. Drawing every day and completing that challenge is exhausting and liberating at the same time. It helps you overcome the "stage fright" when sitting down to draw, which is still a problem for me as well, but after all, you just did it two dozen+ times and apparently it worked, so get your act together and DO IT!

Fun fact: Keyleth was my first real brush with Critical Role. In autumn 2021, at ...

Voice of the Tempest - high-resolution lineart

Here's the high-res version of the lineart to colour! I'm already on it too. =) 

As I mentioned earlier, by the way, there will not be an art suggestion post this month - I did last month's art poll and then had the idea for Inktober, so we had 28 suggestions instead of one, which I think is pretty nice. ;) I'll take care of the previous poll winner - Faramir and Boromor with their mother - over the month!

There will also be a teaser for my new Procreate brush set again, plus...

Voice of the Tempest (Art Nouveau)

As brilliant as Inktober/Patreontober was, it's always good to leave that deadline-heavy time behind. My health is a mess, sadly, and November is one of the worst times at school, so some comfort zone art is very much in order.

Keyleth of the Air Ashari, Voice of the Tempest. This may be the most beautiful woman I've ever drawn. =O

And yes, that's a goldfish in the corner. XD It's 2023-11-03 09:16:36 +0000 UTC View Post

Patreontober #31 - "purrmpkin"

Happy Hallowe'en, everybody, with Jess' fun prompt of "purrmpkin"! I can't believe I did it. 😅 And with new blind spots, too. Weirdly, drawing and painting (digitally) is still the easiest thing, among the three end bosses of reading, driving, and art. 

ALL of Patreontober:

2023-10-31 08:50:11 +0000 UTC View Post

Patreontober #30 - "space"

Now here's a throwback! For Heather's prompt "space", I went to my years of Star Wars Role-playing, when I played Samica Trey, an Imperial TIE fighter turned Y-wing pilot, who took part in the Battle of Yavin under the callsign of Gold Seven, thus giving rise to my online name for years (and still in some spaces).

One day left! =D

Patreontober #29: "Brave"

Sam Gamgee for Lisa's prompt of "Brave"! 

I need some bravery today too; it's my eldest's birthday, and the in-laws are coming this afternoon. >_< 

Last page coming along: 

I also did a little sketch last night, since we now know what Orym's husband Will canonically looks like. It's so close to my vision that I can comfortably stick to it, and he has a half-bun!...

Patreontober #28 - "Awe"

Kate's prompt of "awe" was the one prompt that had me stumped for the longest time (so it was good I had nearly four weeks to think about it!) In the end, this was my first association, and I was completely surprised with how easily and quickly this flowed for something I wouldn't consider a simple sketch. 

I will definitely put together a blog post called "Things I learned during Inktober" when all this is finished, as it's been a gamechanger in a lot of tiny little ways.  2023-10-28 13:08:15 +0000 UTC View Post

Patreontober #27: "Fall"

This was my very first association for Tanya's prompt of "Fall", and since I don't draw nearly enough Good Omens, Crowley it was! I still love the first season (and book) to bits. I wasn't really into the second; all the things I loved about the first (a crapload of quirky characters on a collision course with each other and with the apocalypse) were sadly absent from the story. It seemed straightforward and yet slow. :( 

Patreontober #26: "Gift"

Bonnie's prompt of "gift" made my brain go to the gift of Galadriel to Gimli, of course!
Last page started! I'm pretty pleased with myself I've kept up. 

Those of you waiting for the suggested art of Finduilas with Boromir and Faramir: I hope it's okay that I'll postpone that to next month. I didn't think this through, and of course I couldn't have done Inktober AND the suggestion sketch without losing my sanity. ;) Especially as it's a more complex scene. 

Patreontober #25 - "Tattoo"

No surprises for this one! =)

Very happy with this beautiful boy for Kris' prompt of "tattoo". I had great reference: I asked *my* beautiful boy (now nineteen) to pose, and while he normally isn't interested in my art at all, he looked at this one and was really, really happy to see the piece of art he became. Like all nineteen-year-olds, he's very insecure about the way the looks, and to see himself like this was pretty huge for him. <3
Third page filled! =D

2023-10-25 16:40:07 +0000 UTC View Post

Patreontober #24 - "Homecoming"

I really like this little sketch for Christian's prompt of "Homecoming". It's obviously neither the ending of the Lord of the Rings nor the Hobbit (not enough furniture being carried out/much too idyllic), but it's the peaceful sense of coming home after a long walk that so many of the walking songs in the Lord of the Rings conjure.

This was a lot of fun to do. No plan, just starting somewhere and watching a little scene unfold. I should do that more often. It's one of the things Inktob...

Patreontober #23 - "Seedling"

Michelle gave us "seedling", and we both knew where my mind would go with THAT. Seedling, the Wayward Pilgrim, Orym's sword that he held on to even though it was basic and un-magical because it was a gift from Will; until the Wildmother herself blessed his sword. ^_^

Bonus cartoon: Raven Queen and Wildmother

Two goddesses that have an eye on Orym: The Wildmother, who's been invested in him for some time, and the Raven Queen, who just lost a champion with a far better fashion sense (Vax famously wore black long before he became her champion) and who's been seeking a suspicious amount of contact recently.

I'm pretty sure Bells Hells will be called upon to free Vax from his orb-state, and Orym, unlike Vax, would most probably not kick off a relationship with the Matron of Ravens by calling her...

Patreontober #22 - "Tevildo" (cats and ravens and ink, oh my)

Tevildo is one of those weird atavisms in the legendarium. Like Tinfang Warble. I've never tried to draw him, as I'm a cat person, and it was always a hard sell for me how a precursor of Sauron could be a cat. Obviously, as good usually equals beauty in Tolkien, Tevildo can't be a majestic, sleek, beautifaul black cat. The only halfway scary thing about his description are his whiskers, so I went from there. I tried to make him look a little less like a Sphinx version of Grumpy cat, but that,...

Patreontober #21 - "Hope"

I often try to pick the first idea where my mind goes, and for Limitless_Paper's prompt of "Hope", it was a close call between two unusual things - Leia in "A New Hope" and the smith Kate from "A Knight's Tale", whose voice I hear whenever I read "hope". (Not being a native speaker means my brain goes off on nearly Every. Single. Word in the English language.)

Page three is coming along!

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