Vanessa Looks Back

Vanessa Looks Back - gnvnes1.jpg

Not a nude, but still erotic-- at least to me. 8^D*

A few years ago, I was waiting around for a pair of replacement glasses, enjoying the impressionistic view afforded by myopia and astigmatism, when a young woman strolled by-- in the most incredibly orange and magnificently form-fitting knit dress imaginable. Well, those photons pretty much whacked me upside the visual cortex. Sooner or later, I had to draw her.

With thunderstorms in the area last night, I reverted to using a back-up graphics tablet: cellulose substrate and graphite stylus. (Now if I could just figure out where the dang scrolling controls are!) Anyway, after scanning in the sketch today, I did a quick color test, painting in some solid areas underneath the pencil layer. The Results: "Whoa! This is interesting..."

So, I did a slower color test, and some very minor cleanup of the pencil layer, mostly around the face. I know a lot of folks here enjoy the energy of a still-rough pencil sketch (I sure do)-- so I figured, what the heck, let's post it.

The cropping is due to running off the edges of the paper. If I had been working digitally, I would have just glued more virtual canvas on. In hindsight, I'm glad I couldn't: I rather like the way she divides up the picture plane.

I'll definitely return to this character-- I may even try a more polished version of this image. Purists, don't worry: I use version numbers.

Three more in the to-do queue...

Gnabbist

Artist Delurking - thanks Bigboote

Happy Red Lectroid - gn_hrl1.jpg

See what happens when you leave a tutorial sitting out where just anybody can read it? 8^D*

Here's a modest thank you (at least I hope it constitutes a thank you) to Bigboote for inspiring this Photoshop user to get up off his background and exploit some dang layers already! Thanks for the pragmatic advice, the beautiful images, and for helping to establish the remarkably welcoming tone of this group. Nice place you folks have here.

Now, to get the commentary ball rolling:

I could've sworn that the girl's face in the original line drawing was a passable likeness. Somehow (perhaps through the magic of my inexperience at full-color rendering) I ended up painting a pleasant-looking Asian girl with a blonde dye job... (?) Nice, but not what was in the blueprints. Oh well, I'll try for better luck (and better photo references) next time.

Yes, the background (chair & purple void) is a bit of a placeholder. But, given my current lack of rendering speed, and a desire to get something posted before the end of the millennium...

Had way too much fun doing Christopher Lloyd impressions while drawing the Happy Red Lectroid figure. I wonder if anybody passing by the studio could fathom the significance of "Eat your HEARTS out, MONKEY BOYS!" Heh heh heh.

Gnabbist

Gnabbist's gn_point.gif

A first, tentative post to ABPEC.
Slid silently into the waters there leaving nary a ripple. 8^j*