XaiJu
animalshapes

animalshapes

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animalshapes posts

September 26, 2022

Autumn vibes. 🍂🔥🍂

A scene for an anonymous client. :)

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September 23, 2022

⚠ EXPLOSIVE ⚠

(My favorite from this batch of designs. Stickers are coming soon!)

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September 21, 2022

The night shift.

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September 19, 2022

Egg not included.

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September 16, 2022

High voltage! ⚡

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September 14, 2022

Clip them gently.

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September 12, 2022

Safety first!

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Open for Projects!

I have a few new commission slots available for mid-September. :) Note that I'm especially interested in SCENES this time around, but as usual I'll take on as many projects as I can. 

You can request a commission HERE. I'll respond to all inquiries promptly on Tuesday (September 13). Best of luck!

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September 4, 2022

A character design for @RealClapperson on Twitter, based on a color concept and some personality notes - a ton of fun. :)

Commissions reopen September 12!

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September 2, 2022

A character design for an anonymous client based on this coyote - and a lot of new/experimental brushwork! The poncho in particular was an enormously fun puzzle. :) 

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Process Notes - August 30 (Continued)

Some plants! I've been working to incorporate more linework into my paintings. Although I always find it useful to start with blocky colors, I went back and finalized the tree shapes as bold outlines (high contrast, on a separate layer) before any further cleanup. This step helped me avoid fussy edits with the surrounding stonework as the trees took shape. 

As always I love adding new plant shapes to my repertoire. :)

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Process Notes - August 30

Lots of cleanup! I never thought I'd enjoy painting so much stonework in one sitting, but here we are. :)

A bit of canvas stretching early on to give the scene more breathing room, and major revisions to the character design at the very end. 

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August 30, 2022

Probably my favorite project pitch so far! I was such a treat exploring a "long abandoned castle" theme, and a great opportunity to work with new brushes and painting techniques. 

A scene for @FiligreeMouse on Twitter. :)

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August 24, 2022

Portrait commissions for @IneptLurker, @AudenAster, and @ProbablyWulfre on Twitter. :)

A slightly different painting style for these that I had a lot of fun with!

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August 18, 2022

More mischief. 

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August 17, 2022

Raccoon mischief. ;)

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Open for Projects!

The next batch of commission slots is now available! :) Please note that this round is NOT first-come-first-served, but as usual I will try to take on as many projects as I can. 

You can request a commission HERE. The form will be open for 24 hours and I will respond to all inquiries promptly on Tuesday (August 16). Best of luck!&nb...

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August 11, 2022

A ref sheet commission for @shazkal_ on Twitter!

I'm opening for more projects August 15! :)

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Process Notes - August 8

An extra scene that didn't make the final cut. I'm still fond of the rough version though. :)

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Process Notes - August 8

The cleanup! Working outward from the character as usual. A lot of very small editorial decisions in the final panel (lower right) help keep the focus front and center. :)

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August 8, 2022

Scenes are my absolute favorite thing to work on these days. :) This one's for @KoviePup on Twitter. 

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August 3, 2022

July pencil commissions for @kniazskrime, @IanZero_, and @snoozingferrets on Twitter! 

I don't think I've ever drawn so many spots. 😭


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July 29, 2022

IV

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July 28, 2022

III

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Process Notes - July 25

From rough sketch to (nearly) finished piece. When I "finish" a big painting like this I like to let things sit for a while - usually overnight. The following morning I make final adjustments, either because I'm not completely satisfied with the level of cleanup or because I want something in the piece to read differently. In this case it was a bit of both. 

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Composition Notes - July 25

Forests are closed spaces. Here I made the trees and canopies lean into teach other to create volume around the stream, and to help frame the character in the foreground. 

The water was a bit trickier - I wanted to experiment with values and shapes to show different depths within the stream (with the added complication of shadows, of course). Bright, converging lines (red) imply deeper, more turbulent water. Darker, diverging lines (blue) surround shallower water where the underlyi...

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July 25, 2022 - Commission

A water-themed scene for mythical0wonder on Twitter.

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July 22, 2022 - Commissions

Portraits for @dookssh (1) and @kilometers (2) on Twitter.

I'm opening for more projects July 25! :)

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Process - July 19

Sometimes composition doesn't work out right away. Expanding the canvas often helps create a little breathing room to figure out what needs fixing. In this case I ultimately went with a tighter focus closer to the original sketch, but it was helpful to explore a slightly larger piece before committing to cleanup. 

I also flip my canvases A LOT throughout the painting process - not just to catch mistakes, but to see if the mirrored version reads better than the original idea. <...

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July 19, 2022

🌿

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