this is a convention commission i did at some show...i think new york..

its one of my first attempts at using copic markers other than in the background such as grass or on ur ass..i mean...trees... i wrote in one of my digital descriptions that fear holds one back...not only in art but in life..i learned that if u continue to let fear control u, odds are u wont learn much. so i spent 200 bucks on markers and refills that everyone seems to be using these days and i fell in love with them after i said..."fear..u can kiss my hairy ass"!!! and now i use them n just about all commissions. i feel they really add a lot of depth..

i used the markers (warm, cool, neutral and toner gray copic markers) on the hair first which is odd cause i never thought i would...cause i like the softness that a pencil gives hair..well in my con comm's in general...especially the belly area. and i never thought a marker could come close. and i still feel i get a softer look with the pencil, but the images really seem to pop when ink is applied to them...

it took me a few tries to figure out that u need to go over the "entire" surface of the part u are rendering with a light marker before u can tone it to make it darker. at first try i left a lot of spots white and it looked amaturish. it also took me a few tries to realize that i like when the strands furthest from the face dont really need to be rendered in that first tone (lightest tone) ...its kind of a waist of ink. since most of it will be colored darker anyway. i used a warm gray (w1) for the spots closest to the face and went to a w2 for the ends of some strands and locks of hair...and to a w3 for the furthest locks of hair and a w4 for the cast shadows...thats a lot to realize all at once..

but i tell u...i liked realizing that there is still new cool stuff to learn...i've been using straight up pencil for yrs now...me so happy...but its a process that takes so much longer and im still charging the same ...blah! dilemma.

i tell u...u really need to plan ahead when thinking in terms of black and white. cause with markers u cannot hit the delete button... i had to remember to not use too much of a dark color on her outfit cause it going to be darker in the background...things like that.

its weird but these markers are easy and hard to use...because so much ink comes out of them...u need to really know what u are doing....to get a nice smooth blended look, i had to have the next shade marker in the other non drawing hand ready to use. the ink stays wet for a few seconds...and while im shading one spot i stop and switch markers really quick and put a stroke or two in the spot i need darkened and switch back again and almost "push" the ink with the lighter marker around...kinda like paint....sounds confusing i know.

the technique that works for me when rendering round spots is accomplished by landing my stroke in a spot that needs to be dark anyway. when i rendered her boob...i landed my strokes from one end of her boob to her arm pitt area...her arm pitt is going to be a dark spot so i know its ok to go over that spot over and over again.... and from her arm pit to her back...etc...

well enough about markers...drawing up shots are always hard cause i need to take everything u learned about anatomy and through it out the window. cause it all changes...like the pointy part of the side of the jaw line is always aligned with the line of the mouth...but in an up shot like this one...that same line needs to be drawn lower..."not" the ways of regular anatomy....

drawing natural looking tits are hard too at this angle..i draw them a lil smaller cause it helps with the more "natural" look... not fake looking implants. i try to draw the top line of the jublies as straight as possible, i think thats the trick.

having the line of her back as arched as possible is always a good rule of thumb for that classic iconic superhero shot...thats what i was going for in this shot...the arms back and chest busting out helps with that majestic look..

i was happy to draw her cause i know she wears a skirt and even though shes facing forward...i was able to throw in a lil ass....GO ASS ...smiles... ; )

the leg thats striaght and not bent needed to not be completely vertical...if it was i think it wouldve taken away from the illusion that shes ascending forward and not straight up...why is that important?? i think it looks cooler if the hero goes towards his enimy...shows more confidence that they will kick serious ass...plus it lessens the possibility of looking stiff.

i havent learned how to do rim light with these markers yet..which is missing from this piece cause of the amount of energy exerted from her hands...oh well...

go ass!!