While you can see the character, those ears and those eyes drive me crazy today. Still, the ears I know came from me ElfQuest influence at the time - although the character is a Tolkien elf.
Jandari with Keemara. Trying to move the bodies around, and put two figures together.
I use to go through more than one book a year.
Stiff, but trying to put in some background.
Jandari from the 50's. Kinda like a Halloween costume.
Here he is with his crown on. He was the first elvin King.
Still have the big ears.
I have obviously become more aware of the muscles of the body and am trying to learn them. This will continue to haunt me.
See? 6 books in one year. That's a whole lota drawing. They are not small books.
The eye-patch is from an alternate world game that my players encountered one game. It sounded interesting, so I drew it.
Long face, long ears. Yet, still recognizable.
This was the pencils for something that got finished for an art show. By this time, I was certainly putting things up in shows.
Jandari and Karrac. My dragons are not so good - yet I liked drawing them, so I did. The joy of sketch books is that there is nothing in them that is wrong or bad - they are all just sketches and doodles for your own enjoyment.
Here is some movement. The ears are beginning to calm down - thank goodness.
This was finished for my own enjoyment - not meant for anything. Jandari and his dragon motif.
I am obviously still struck back and forth with the ears, but the lines are getting smoother - more confident.
Here is the same idea from last year. Jandari and Karrac. Here is the perfect case for how I am improving.
This is me trying to loosen up my figures. Being too posed and stiff, I want them to relax a bit. This is a little exaggerated, but again this is me looking through the books for Jandari pictures. Not all of them are going to be gems - some pictures in the book are better than others.
I still like this picture. That tends to be rare amongst artists - to like something that is so old.
Also, I am beginning to find some nice reference pictures to help with the poses, and that tends to make the pictures turn out better than if I am just 'winging it'.
Personality. An artist should strive for being able to draw pretty as well as angry. This has a good emotional communication (even if Jandari is usually a happy guy).
The pace of the sheer number of drawings is starting to slow up a bit. I am starting to spend more time on each picture (I think)
This one I think I did with a girl's reference. The waist is interesting - there are guys who have them.
This picture was more me 'winging it' The hair is a bit big - but I think that happens with Jandari.... The ears are more normal, the eyes are better, and I am still playing with the muscle sets.
Well, this is getting better.
This Jandari has a great chin line. I am obviously taking some time and working around the eyes. There is personality and grace in this piece.
Is this IT? Is this the moment that I consider myself an Artists (with a capital 'A')? No. That never seems to crystalize.
This one was done for personality. To put some more joy in the lines.
Now, I am much more relaxed with the character. Here is some more expression - but the loose lines make me think it was a just a quick sketch of someone familiar.
Whoops, did I mention that things that happen in my D&D game, often turn up in my sketch books. Here he is in a pickle - game wise.
I like the way they fit together. I think I ought to practice that more often.
Playing with his hair and costume. Again, campaign bits slip into sketches - here he has a Master's Knot around his neck.
Are you bored of my Jandari yet? Here he is a bit more fancy - going out on a date. Details will often make or break a picture. I am practicing doing more of them, trying to figure out what fits in my style and hands.
A quick sketch - triangle hands and feet just to give space to them. They are not drawn as finished lines, just as place holders. This is an example of artists shorthand - not meant to be finished or have your eye linger on them, but there for space sake. This is just a little sketch - a quickey.
I am pretty confident of my 'skills' as an artist. I enjoy drawing, and do a lot of it.
This little sketch has immediate emotional impack - even if it's a little quick sketch.
This is a more finished sort of sketch. Dropping a bit of background on it. Not meant to be made into art work, but made with all the bits and pieces that finish a work.
This is a starting sketch for a finished piece of artwork. It has movement ideas, background, and design elements. You can't really tell it's Jandari - but it has his elements in it.
This is the year I quit my day job to become an artist as a profession. Is this the moment where I became an artist? Well, technically, yes - but not really.
Yikes! This sketchbook is missing. Now I'm not sure what happened. It's either a miss-numbered problem (which is what I think happened) or it's lost. This is the year that I had a baby - so if it is a real missing book - I forgive myself.
I think I'll just say it's in some FBI files somewhere....
Here I am playing with shading and more design work. This wasn't done for a finished piece - but as practice.
A quick sketch, just kinda visiting with the character. He's sorta looking out at me. Let me get all defensive and say that this is a timeline of Jandari sketches and sometimes, he didn't show up very often and sometimes there were lots of sketches to choose from. This book, there wasn't that much of him here.
This book makes the 10th year of collecting my art up in sketch books. Not that I took any particular notice in the book. I think I have a tendency to go more by the book number than the date.
Well, the work is much more recognizable as mine today - although there is more room to move.
This sketch is obviously a quick one.
Here I am playing with the limbs. It's not meant to be graceful - but it was meant to be finished.
Found a really interesting artist - and was enjoying her style of clothing and decoration. I wanted to try it out on my own. Trying things out and playing this way makes me expand and hopefully - makes my work better.
The sketch books are alot more steady now. With me doing art for finished work - a lot of sketches are finished on paper and not in a sketch book. I no longer have a sketchbook at hand at all hours of the day (although it is still always at easy hand).
I think this sketch was done in conjunction with many little head-shots of my campaign characters.
This picture came out really nice. It has his coat, and his personality. It is 'presented' yet still relaxed. And since it's not too old - I still enjoy it.
This pictures was done to play with body angles. It is a 'winging it' picture and thus I feel was fairly successful.
A quicky, but obviously Jandari.
This is Jandari's family. He did wind up with Keemara from the picture back in 89. Having fun with a bit of drama and adding lotsa characters together.
Quick and comfortable. Interesting, this is a picture with the 'no pupil' thing that happens so often in my art. You can really tell a finished sketch from a doodle when the pupils are filled in. Jandari always seems to have his eyes.
So here I am today. See how far I've come? You can do this too.
Jandari has a new son. Sketches are just sketches - sometimes they get really worked up, and sometimes they are just my own little shorthand jots to myself. Sometimes, I look and realize that I am not really working these sketches into finished work.
This one I called storytime. In my game, he's going back to some draconic roots. Isn't he just looking so happy and nice? I really am enjoying the fact that his personality comes through.
Got your tail! This sketch was just a quicky, but (obviously) I really like it. I wonder what happens next?
I always picture him as a forest elf, so up in the trees and with leaves Jandari gets drawn. I should mention that these are just sketches in my books, nothing finished or polished.
Whoops! Drawing sword and looking hauty - something is obviously going on!
Love this collar! Interestingly, I am obviously happy with the level of sketching I am doing, as my style hasn't really moved in a while.
Here he is in the trees again. I like the casual-ness of this picture. I really need to do something more elaborate and close, but I enjoy the quick powerful sketches.
Yeay! Pussywillows. There use to be a huge bush in the backyard when I was growing up. I think we plundered it too heavily. Here is Jandari with some sprigs.
Every once in a while, I feel the need to add backgrounds against the characters. This was one of them. The pose has Jandari looking down, and it just seemed natural to put him in the trees.
Gotta try and grow a little more. These drawings are becoming too much alike.
Jandari's coat is made of white dragonleather. It's one of his touchstones. So, I had to draw him with it on. Got those great shoulder details that I think of as elvin too.
Jandari does like to be in the trees - he's all elf after all. In this picture, I think he's bird watching from above.