This week, it’s all black and white sketches, some of them unfinished, because I’ve mostly been working to finish a commission. Two of the sketches are also missing from this week’s update, because I sent them to a client as samples, and they want those specific drawings! When that particular commission is finished, I’ll include those sketches in that week’s Sketchbook Sunday.
Wednesday’s sketch is based on an old painting that I did for my mom. I don’t have it anymore, it’s still with her back in the US, but I wanted to see how it would look if I redrew it. It’s a ladybug fairy inspired a bit by Amy Brown’s fairies. This is one that I may finish later and, as soon as I work out how I want to do this, sell prints of it.
Thursday’s sketch is a grumpy little goblin. He was meant to have clothes but I ran out of time, so he’ll have to have some later. He’s a bit different compared to the goblin I drew for Thunderhead Games, but I wanted to try something a little different, and I’m happy with his design. If anyone has any idea for what sort of clothes he should be wearing, let me know!
Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of art on Tumblr of pretty orc girls, and I think that’s great, I love seeing that art! But less pretty characters can also be a lot of fun, so I set out to sketch an older troll lady who’s grumpy, not particularly pretty, and the sort of character you might encounter at the bar of a disreputable tavern. She probably has important information for your quest, which she’ll give you after she finishes her beer and beats you at arm wrestling. I am very happy with how she turned out, but once again did not have time to finish. (The tattoo on her arm is meant to be a reference to Gary Gygax.)
And here’s some fan art that did not start as fan art. The pose came first, and then I thought I would turn it into Ro Rowen from The Zeta Project, but that didn’t quite work out. I changed her clothes to something a bit more asymmetrical and dystopian, with some elements from The Zeta Project thrown in. This is the Ro of a darker TZP – but when you think about it, under its bright colours and cute characters, The Zeta Project is already a dystopia. This is a future where the government sends shapeshifting robots to spy on you, and they’ll kill you even if you’re innocent! Pretty dark already.
And here’s today’s sketch! My husband hadn’t seen much Star Trek before we got married, so I’m introducing him one series at a time. We’ve finished The Original Series and The Next Generation, and have now moved on to Deep Space Nine. One of the last episodes we saw was “Past Prologue,” which introduced one of my favourite characters: plain, simple Garak, who is most definitely not a Cardassian spy.
And that’s all for this week! Let me know if there are any sketches you’d like to see, and I’ll include them in a future sketchbook post. I also have plans for semi-regular non-sketchbook blogging, so keep an eye on this page for more updates!
My cat Buster! I’ve always thought I was pretty bad at drawing cats, so on Friday I decided to challenge myself. Pretty happy with this one, although I think I need to make her eyes a little more round.
On Saturday I had no idea what to draw. I overslept, then went to a friend’s party and had a fantastic time, then came home to eat dinner, and there was little time in between for drawing! Still, I’m determined to not make excuses, and managed to get a quick D&D-like character done before bed. She is very mysterious. I think she may be a witch.
Vanessa Ellis 