Jacobin commands some 400 pirates, three dropouts, and his karaakh (a large gunship), the Blind Savage. He was last seen in the skies above Providence on Mercy Island where, if you believe the rumors, he is looking for Azrael's Curse.
He came out younger than I intended. He's supposed to be in his fifties. I'm not sure how to fix that. Fatter? Gray hair? (And how best to do gray hair with ink? I guess... less.)
The cool thing about this drawing, though, is I did it all freehand -- no reference pictures or anything. It was really hard, especially the hundredth time I erased it because it looked stupid. That was the kind of thing that made me quit drawing multiple times before; what I drew never matched what was in my head. So it makes me feel all good inside that I didn't give up.
For me, that's what drawing one thing every week is really about: overcoming my fear of failure. I'm not sure if it makes it easier in a general sense (like for writing or talking with people, etc.), but the fact that I can overcome it once a week, every week, is a pretty cool thing on its own.
I would go with gray hair over making him chunkier personally. An air pirate doesn't seem like one who can afford to get fat -- too much time spent on the run for that.
ReplyDeleteJacobin looks cool though ... do we get to meet him in the story?
Matt: Most certainly :-)
ReplyDeleteSeems like he could be in his 50s to me... though perhaps a bit swarthier, depending on how much sun's out there.
ReplyDeleteFor age, it's not about fatness, more about carefully placed age lines on the face. A crinkled brow, lines around the mouth, etc.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I think you did a good job on age. He looks like a healthy middle-aged man:)
I love that you conquer the fear every week too. Screw perfection;P
you can draw more lines on his face
ReplyDeletefor gray hair, leave parts of it white. if you still want to work with this drawing, take whiteout and paint over the middle sections a bit (leaving the outline black) or wherever you want highlights. you can go back over with black pen if you want to re-add details
also, if you want to be able to continue adjusting and readjusting a drawing, i recommend using an opaque paint instead of ink (dark, medium, and light tones)
another way to get the drawing you want is to start with big, shape-based scribbles, then go back and darken the lines where they appear correct to you. it's easier to adjust a drawing than a blank page. if you don't want the initial lines to show up, use a light pencil. they make a pencil called "non photo blue" that supposedly doesn't show up when you copy it. big smooth sweeping circles, start with general shapes.
also, you can probably find online the "official" proportions of a human body. for example, how many heads high a man or women is at different ages in their lives, or the fact that elbows hit the hips, or that the tops of ears line up with eyebrows and the bottoms of eyes are at the vertical midpoint of the head. practice using math and eventually it'll just come out by itself
to combat over-controlling a drawing or stressing about it, spend a lot of time scribbling. practice crossing out parts you like and leave parts you don't like as a power play against your fear. you'll end up with a bunch of interesting drawings and also it'll be pure fun. draw with your whole arm
the drawing looks dope!
Thanks for the tips, Natalie. The fatter comment might just be how I (and Cindy, because she said the same thing) envision Jacobin. Not fatter, but... broader or something.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks too, Andrew. I love getting tips from my bro. Compliments even more so.