Coffee Time, sketch 2.0

...Yes I have "demoted" this version a little to 2.0. BUT I'm still very happy with how it's worked out so far. When this one is actually finished, it's going to be a proud moment to put it on the Art page!
It's been very fun to play with this to this point so it can't do anything but get better on the final version!

All that said, I hope no one is going to be disappointed that I'm probably not going to do another comic for a little while? XD Still prefer my full images over this, however much fun it's been to learn some tricks and all for this one. I'll definitely be applying some of the shortcuts for this to some of my full images, though!

Before I leave today, I must say Thank You to a certain "bad influence" friend of mine for even making this idea begin to sound fun, what and all the short and hilarious comics he spits out at anything funny that crosses his mind. Just had to say!

Coffee Time as a comic!

I wish I still had some of them to show you (had a computer that held most of them die) but I used to mess with Sonic comics all the time. Why do I bring this up now? This will probably not be something that continues in a regular basis but it's finally come around that I came up with a small comic with a handful of my own characters. Look at this. XD

Right this moment I'm very happy with how most of this has turned out. And I'm more than aware that thumbnails are meant to be my eyes only...sorry if these are difficult to read right now, but I'll get them lined and cleaned up as soon as possible for everyone!
   Oh gosh, I hope I don't get slow on things now. I want to get this finished now that it's started! Just knock on wood with me!

Kima and Valeon are both finished!

Valeon's Clothing: CherrysDesigns
Ground texture: Stockf8

...three more characters til this is finished! Putting in the waterfall definitely brought them closer to the hills and I'm enjoying the shadows I have for Val and Kima.
And ohmygosh, I would never have gotten Kima worked out without help from a dA friend! Thank you so very very much, jameycakeshottie.

I need to give a warning for her page, however. I don't personally have a problem with her artwork, since she does all of her models and situations in Daz Studio, but if you're uncomfortable with the idea of bondage and "peril" (quotes because she does her work with a 3D program), you may want to avoid this one.

I'm getting impatient, now!

I can't wait til this thing is finished. But it is not going to beat me, it will be finished.

(Update June 9)

I need to add more light to the guy who's running in but, with that and everyone's shadows/paint? I'm expecting it to be done within the next few weeks. xX;

I swear I need more ideas in a run. XD

Learning to Focus the piece

First we start with the piece that's far too large to suggest a problem.

Then you adjust the canvas a little:

It brought everything a lot closer together, the two in center finally look trapped. This must be what someone meant when she was trying to tell me to focus the piece. Mercy I'm slow. Sorry about the frustration, friend!
All that said, I finally have an idea for the shield and where the actual light source is going to be now. Shame that it may cover some of the wizard back there but it should help when I get to shading!

Surrounded! update

Still struggling on the magic, for some reason, but the wizard in back has gained a face! And a hand! He's finally part of the image!
If I can follow the same way of painting that the wizard got, the other four characters shouldn't be awful at all. It's just getting that magic in order since it'll be a closer light source than the sunset!

Thinking about flipping Valeon's free hand, too. If he's magicking up a shield, it doesn't make sense that it would be pointing downward. ...at least that's what I think. Am I wrong? I'm having some trouble finding references in this case. (Probably using the wrong search words.)

Whatever the case, whenever this picture is finished, it's at least going to be one of the better ones!

Magic and Eyes

Valeon's new clothing style by CherrysDesigns 

Ground texture from Stockf8

Valeon's magic is going to come up and be bright on them. Means I have to work a little on the lighter end of the palettes. Egh, it's about finished. Driving me crazy..but it's going to look good. It'll have to, much as it's fought with me! XD
Then the guy in back is going to have magic reflecting on him too--at least it should work!

...plus, Kima's eyes have been fixed. >>; Needed to bring one up to be even with the other. Bah! XD

Image updated, again!

...You know, it was much easier to keep to one post each Friday when I was making/posting sprite backgrounds. Simpler, too. >>; But now, that I've 'evolved' into doing my own pictures, I'm going to drag you through each and every flail that I go through.

*cut to some character spitting out fire with some kind of evil laughter in the background* 

*cough*

Right. I'm sure you already knew about this nefarious plot. Only been doing it this way since Box of Blurbs/this site started. This time, I think I've finally made some kind of breakthrough, there's actually some change that's gone on. It's starting to come out like a sunset. It's gotten darker; correctly! At least what I'd assume to be 'correct'. Still better than what I originally had.

Valeon's new clothing design: CherrysDesigns

Ground texture from: Stockf8
Image edit: Apr 20

Things are finally starting to come out. I could scream or cry, whichever comes first with this maddening picture.

Also, found a much easier way to rotate the image in Clip. You don't have to go down to the 'Rotate Left', 'Rotate Right' arrows and lose your place on the canvas. Nope! All that has to be done is hold the R key and move the tablet pen/mouse left or right at will.
Should have learned this at least a year ago. >>; But I never knew how to move a canvas quickly with GIMP, either, and that was my go-to program before someone introduced Clip.
So...y'know.

"Surrounded!" finally worked out!

Valeon's new clothing style by CherrysDesigns 

Ground texture from Stockf8

May need to try my hand on the hill to the left again, it doesn't look as together as the right. But OH MY GOSH, the cause of my being stuck has finally allowed itself to be tackled. Right now, though, I am really liking how both came out!
Especially how the characters aren't just blending into the background now. They aren't fully painted yet, but it makes me so excited to get the magics and atmospheric sunset in.

Just noticed I forgot to paint the little waterfall. Will hit it later today.

But I'm so excited, finally breaking my block and getting to this point!

The most terrifying foe

Valeon and Kima knew that they were going to be in trouble when they came into this place, tracking the band of monsters that ransacked the nearby town's supply of gold and other magic making items. They just didn't know until far too late what they'd gotten into.

This group of monsters were ready. They had every i dotted and every t crossed. They had brought with them...

[Update May 4th]

The most feared of all casters; the Hot Pink wizard.

How will our two heroes make it out of this one?!

---

Now for some credits:

Valeon's new clothing style was originally drawn by CherrysDesigns on dA

and the texture in the ground was from Stockf8.

Paint delay admission

Yes, I've been delaying putting any color on this picture. Went back and redid some linework and everything! Well, this is why.

The darn picture has agreed to be a sunset! 

I'm not used to an image agreeing with me about the lighting situation. And it's going to be the mountains to the sides that's going to be hardest to figure out with all those little rocks...Let's not count the five characters on top of that.

It's going to be pretty fun to get this thing to work. But it's going to be exactly that. Work.

Considering the last sunset I did was "Battle's Sunset" that's posted to my Art page and deviantArt, this one should hopefully come out better. But I'm going to have to argue with Valeon for a little while about his images being so much trouble for me...can't be pleased with just posing on an easier background, noooo. He expects his story to come out in these! XD

Had a nice suggestion that the sun was flattening the image since it was front and center. So I've edited the sunset a bit to pull it down. Thanks, BrushXO!

Fixed Kima's trousers, finally!

And this means I can finally get to finishing out the mountains. Been stuck on her for far too long! XD

Finally fixed Kima's arm!

And I went through way too many jumps to get it positioned better. But that's what I do! Her shield is a little funny looking but maybe that's cause I've been looking at it too long...And it might look a hair better if I add a strap around her arm. Will try that a little later.
Still have to add something to Valeon's clothes but it'll work out sooner or later--he's meant to have a clasp at his shoulder and darn if I've made it take position yet.

This said, I'm finally almost done with the linework!

The grayscale was failing. Hard.

I sat on that thing far too long. *facepalm* So! Forget grayscaling, I'm going to put in the flat colors for everyone--this will work a lot faster and should do better.

Kima's looking a lot better than she was previously!

Looking forward to getting all this colored in!

Grayscaling beginnings

Very okay with how the shading on Kima's arm is coming. If the rest of her comes out as well as this does, it'll be great! Tiny post today since I've only gotten started on shading...but if the rest of this comes out like this, it should all work out just fine.

Two things on the Surrounded image!

1. Valeon's boots have been fixed. ...You'd think that I could be pleased with changing them now and again, but nooooo. XD Made me hesitate far too long before I could really get to the next step.

2. The beginning of grayscale! The light source is perfectly visible, if not just barely above the mountainline, and I've got an idea about the time of day. Morning, just before the sky is fully blue. It should come out pretty fair, if it does what's in my mind. 

Far too excited!

I can ink now! This sketch is entirely ready for ink--I can fix all this in the black lines! Gosh, I've been fussing with this for so long and my mind is so pleased right now! ...ready to find any huge error or something that's going to slow me down, soon. I'm hardly this excited about a piece.

I think their faces need a little editing, of course, and I'm not entirely agreeing with how Valeon's leg looks right now, but that's the beauty of fixing things in this next draft.

Kima: "Why do you always get us into these problems!"
Valeon: "Not the time, Kima!"

Oh my gosh though! This is a finished sketch!

Late post! But Val's finally dressed.

Feb 4

So yeah. I'm late a day...forgot to save like I should have so had to resketch a couple things so I could post!

Valeon's turned out to be as simple a sketch job as I thought it would be. Thank goodness! Usually when I get in that state of mind, things turn out to be so much harder. XD I want to see if I could add in a small waterfall back there between the furthest rocks. If that were to come out...it would probably be hidden by all the magic being sent around by that mage and Valeon, no doubt.
But it'd be fun to try anyway!

Val's hair is going to be added either on the "clean up the lines" stage or the coloring one. Kima already has hers...for the sake of eliminating character jealousy, it will hopefully come sooner than later.

Edit: Feb 5
Lookit what I found after digging in these rocks! Water! And the beginnings of a couple thin trees! What else has all these rocks and dirt hidden from me?

(Image update Feb 9)

And a redline helped!

(Image update Feb 9)

And now, I'm thrilled. I can go over to sketching Valeon in peace. Kima looks so much better than when her arm was sticking straight out and she doesn't look pregnant anymore. (I didn't realize she did until someone said something to me! Kima's quite happy about this fix, let me tell you.)

Many thanks to Fluoroid for her redline! She has many works of her own--it's worth keeping an eye on her gallery, what and how much trouble her characters get into.

Cropping the image helped!

(Image update on Feb 9 post)

It fixed the biggest problem in that picture; the guy in the foreground isn't having to show his buttcrack to the whole battlefield! I'm fairly sure that it's upped his morale some. He'll be even more confident if I can size that knife in his hand to actually fit his palm.

I'm also fairly pleased with how Kima is dressed. Her top wasn't as much a problem as it was the first time I drew it. The trousers ought to come out fine in the proper lining/painting. 

...One of these days, I'm going to have to draw Valeon relaxing. Yes, he's always getting into some trouble or other--comes with the job description--but he needs a cup of coffee and a book. Just something that he's not in a fight! XD