Jenny Dolfen

Painting on one layer

Been poring over this one for ages, spent two evenings laying out flat colours that wouldn’t work with each other, detailing faces I didn’t like… and started from scratch, on one layer, the way I would on paper. It’s weird how scared I am to work on one layer digitally, when I used to do it without hesitation in traditional media, especially as digital layers are so much more malleable! So, I arrived at something I really love with just an hour’s work, after hours and hours of being...

It's not good-bye - lineart (hi-res download for Patrons!)

This barely looks different from the last one, but there are SO MANY MORE HOURS in this, haha. 

I'm also celebrating the return of my favourite little emotional support halfling to the show, and will in all likelihood draw quite a few scenes from the last episode. I'm not sure I can pull off a back walkover (to draw, of course; I can't even do a forward roll. I think) but the little "I don't think I've ever felt so small" melted my heart. Of course it did. And poor Orym; if Fearne ...

"It’s not goodbye" - "rough" lines

Still some lineweight and details to be added. I love their expressions so much! I've found an incredibly nifty little artist resource: referenceangle.com, for ANY angle of the human (or halfling) face. I was despairing over Orym's angle, looked for ref, found that tool, and the rest was a breeze!

I'm having so much fun with the size difference whenever I draw Orym. So many fan artists totally pass that one over, making Orym look as if he was just 5'2 or so, instead of 3'3. It's so funn...

A kiss on the tiny little forehead (sketch)

Orym: "It's not goodbye… see you later, that's all."
Dorian: I'll bring him in tight and I will kiss his tiny little forehead.

I had a BEAST of a time coming up with a pose for this, and bringing anyone in tight was completely out of the question, unless Orym jumps into their arms. But having him stand on tiptoes was the best idea. (The payers frequently keep forgetting just how small Orym is.)

(For those not following Critical Role and knowing it only through these art piec...

I've just remembered why I don’t do comics

I will never understand how people can do cartoons and comics. I already work fast, but for even a halfway cleaned-up thing like this, it’s two days of work for a weak little punchline. How do people do it? Gluttons for punishment? Priorities? I can do chainmail and brocade for hours, but somehow this totally eludes me. I really want to know, if you have any pointers. ;) Even if it's just "you lack the right mindset". 😂

I'm also terrible at likenesses, but here, it halfway worked!<...

Sketchy Will and Orym mini comic

Oh, I'll put up a warning for language just to be safe. ;) 

Sparked by Orym once telling Chetney "We chose our life with eyes wide open" (referring to how dangerous it isfor two bodyguards to be married), as well as the fact that they must have thought Will, as a half-elf, would outlive Orym if nothing else happened first... 

And yes, he may be able to grow flowers left and right, but I don't think Orym is romantic at ALL. =D 

I plan to finish this if I make i...

Flowery Orym - process video

Here's the vid I promised! Compression's looking good to me. 💚

Music by Jeff Kaale. :)

Main brushes by Boo Studios.

Watercoloury Orym

I actually wasn't going to use the full watercolour look (and I kept the flowers flat-ish), but I'm really in love with how this turned out. This time I mainly used "loose watercolour brushes" from Boo Studio. (My watercolours are hardly ever loose, but they still look nice when I use them!) ;)

I'll upload a progress video in a bit! There's been a lot of back and forth with this one again but I've edited out the worst of it. I spent an hour yesterday just being unsure about colours, s...

Orym demanding flowers (wip) and ACEO test

No, of course Orym doesn't demand. He just stands there quietly and hoping I'll notice he'd like them if he just looks wistful enough. =D 

I went for peonies because they look absolutely spectacular and I finally managed to wrap my head around how they work, at least partially. I still have to idea where this is going stylistically, but here's a little wip shot for you! I rarely do those in digital media, because I always feel I have no idea what I'm doing and just tweak s...

Sorry, gratuitous shirtless Orym post. And my Patreon will get some new tiers again!

Yes, the Orym withdrawal is real. Two months without my favourite little halfling (as we've been with the other half of Bells Hells since early March), so here's some shirtless Orym wrapping his hands. What is it about people contemplatively wrapping their hands that is so sexy? 

I'm thinking about some changes to Patreon - mostly, more tiers again, with cool stuff! Discounts, ACEOs, art suggestions and voting are what I have on the table, so all the things that have been ...

Calico and Sapphire - coloured

More flattish colours! I'm really happy with the style here.

(Calico's name is a hot mess, I know. I looked up the word "calico" about 25 years ago because of a Paul McCartney song, and found it meant undyed cloth. I later read that there are calico cats, but never saw a picture of them, so I assumed it meant a cream-coloured cat. Now I found out that in the US, "calico cats" are what you'd call "turtoiseshell cats" in the UK but by then I'd fallen in love with the name and now it's TOO...

Come here, kitty kitty...

Because three RPG campaigns in two different systems are not confusing enough*, here's the new Pathfinder 2nd edition characters of my daughter and me: Sapphire, a lynx-like catfolk Champion (possibly of Shelyn), and his little sister Calico, a bard. (Different fathers. I wanted them to be of the same litter with different fathers, because cats, but my daughter insisted on being the elder brother by more than two minutes, so here we go! Jana loves playing the "adult in the room" to my more ha...

A gryphon made of stars (coloured)

Updated with new image - old one is below! 

This is turning out to be my go-to solution of Procreate problems: When in doubt, simplify shading. ^^;

First version: 

OLD POST: Erf, I'd forgotten how much trouble dark colours always give me. I'll leave it like this for now. Actually wonder if I should make a version of the gryphon unshaded, just as a starfield... I'll probabl...

A gryphon made of stars

… eventually, in the colouring.

Some more from Critical Role: Calamity. A heartbreaking moment from the end, when the Paladin Zerxus, in the destruction of Avalir, with his dying breath after losing his soul to the Lord of the Hells, is granted a vision of his bonded mount, carrying his stepson to safety to his father. 

BRENNAN (DM): The last thing you see as your body begins to immolate and burn… is a griffon made of stars… bearing on its back a young boy holding a jou...

"I think you might be dead."

ASHLEY (Fearne): I don't know how to do this. I don't even know if you're there. Could be dead. Could be talking to nothing, which I actually do a lot. Never mind. Okay. I came here to say, if you're there, maybe you can talk to my friend Orym and try to say that we're okay and we're alive and hopefully we'll see you soon. I think that's it. All right. Well, I'm going to-- I'm going to go back, unless-- Are you supposed to say anything to me? Do I do-- Amen.

ASHLEY: Do I hear anything?<...

When the Wildmother sends you a sign…

… and your character is too dense to see it. 😂 Critical Role spoilers for episode 56. 

After days away from the others, Fearne goes to a shrine of the Wildmother to pray (in her endearing but inept way) and to ask the goddess to let Orym know she's okay. After she's finished praying, Matt describes to her how the MOON (which Orym has tattooed on his shoulder) shines down on her, how the WIND (he's Orym of the Air Ashari) blows gently, describes the FLOWERS (which Orym often co...

Elenwë and Thranduil, and prints!

Here's the finished commissions! ^____^

Give me some time to have them printed and sent out! Definitely not as long as the last batch of Glorfindel, Dorian Storm, Elanor, and Nerdanel (of which I just got the prints in). 

I got just a handful of prints of Elanor, Nerdanel, and Glorfindel, and won't list them on Etsy - if you're interested in any of them, please let me know! =)  

Dorian prints are now in my Etsy shop. 

The boys in splashy colour, Elenwë and Thranduil drawings!

First week of school after the Easter holidays, so naturally, I've been busy. =D

I splashed some colour on Will and Orym, wanting to keep this dreamlike and like a memory, and I really like that look. I'll keep that one in mind for quickish pierces, definitely. 

I also did the sketches for Elenwë and Thranduil! Elenwë is based on a bit of fashion photography that's been on my hard drive(s) for something like twenty years, and I've always wanted to turn that one into a paint...

These two 💚💙

Love is all around in Critical Role these days, though the canon stuff that's happening on stream is a lot more hilarious. When two robots fall in love and one of them is played by Sam Riegel, watch them go from "let's power down holding hands" to "draw me like one of your French girls" in the blink of an optical sensor. And the artists are all over it. 😂

2023-04-18 08:23:04 +0000 UTC View Post

First Knight of Avalir

Welcome to new Patron, Victor! Hope you're all having a good week =)

The first of the commissions: Zerxus Ilerez, First Knight of Avalir, from the Calamity story arc set a thousand years before the other campaigns of Critical Role. There have been no full Paladins on Critical Role, only Vax and Fjord multiclassed, and the Paladin-lover in me squeed at Zerxus. One day I need to draw his starry gryphon, Tempus. <3 

Zerxus is probably the most tragic...

"I lost my way, Chetney"

Welcome to new patron Julia! Glad you joined us! =)

Why does Travis' hilarious old gnome resonate with me so much? (Maybe because Travis is one of the biggest gems Critical Role has.) The way Chetney reconciles with his former employer Oltgar (who is meant to look like Father Christmas and who has a "shithead or okay" list hanging on his wall), with whom he used to make beautiful wooden toys for children until Oltgar was told metal toys were all the rage and now sees th...

Three commission slots!

I want to try some loose digital watercolour portraits, and am opening commission slots for three of these! 

I'm going to pick three ideas you throw at me over the next 28 hours, so this time it's not a first come, first serve situation. Cutoff time is tomorrow at nine pm CET (google 9 pm CET and you'll find an automatic conversion to your time zone). I'll announce my choice then!

THE DEAL!

Patr...