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Description
Full View Please!

This is the best thing I've ever done. This is also my first picture ever that has a real background that works- none of my usual Photoshop gradients and colour splodges here. I drew this for Narsus.

I finished this off some days ago, but I was keeping it under my hat (ish- there were numerous previews) until after I'd made a present of the glossy, professionally-printed-out-onto-nice-heavy-paper version of it: so I'd have the advantage of SURPRISE, see. It wasn't a surprise in the end, but Narsus was a perfect gentleman and feigned surprise for me.

Anyway- the picture itself is of Ludwig from Meine Liebe without a book (his standard prop). Instead, I've got him holding the torn half of a white silk ribbon. He's sitting on an extraordinarily deep windowsill, with a look that could be a Mona-Lisa-smile or an expression of tragically resigned melancholy. That windowsill looks too dark and grimy to be Rosenstolz, unless their window cleaners have gone on strike.

The most difficult thing about this picture was the background. Making the background look like it belonged to the picture was a trick and a half. That left hand wasn't easy either- it's not often that I draw in fingernails- I tried to get it looking as natural as possible. The hair was great fun, as was colouring the face. The window was a problem, as glass is difficult for me. It's a cold day- the glass is misted up- that's my excuse. I tried hard at it though. The composition was hard too- I tried to get it so that the picture was focussed around the ribbon, but not too much so that it drew all the attention away from the face. Not sure how well I succeeded- I resorted to making the it a magically glowing ribbon in the end.

There we go. Gift art for Narsus.

Progression: preliminary sketch -> lineart -> almost finished -> detail of face

Description
Full View Please!

This is the best thing I've ever done. This is also my first picture ever that has a real background that works- none of my usual Photoshop gradients and colour splodges here. I drew this for Narsus.

I finished this off some days ago, but I was keeping it under my hat (ish- there were numerous previews) until after I'd made a present of the glossy, professionally-printed-out-onto-nice-heavy-paper version of it: so I'd have the advantage of SURPRISE, see. It wasn't a surprise in the end, but Narsus was a perfect gentleman and feigned surprise for me.

Anyway- the picture itself is of Ludwig from Meine Liebe without a book (his standard prop). Instead, I've got him holding the torn half of a white silk ribbon. He's sitting on an extraordinarily deep windowsill, with a look that could be a Mona-Lisa-smile or an expression of tragically resigned melancholy. That windowsill looks too dark and grimy to be Rosenstolz, unless their window cleaners have gone on strike.

The most difficult thing about this picture was the background. Making the background look like it belonged to the picture was a trick and a half. That left hand wasn't easy either- it's not often that I draw in fingernails- I tried to get it looking as natural as possible. The hair was great fun, as was colouring the face. The window was a problem, as glass is difficult for me. It's a cold day- the glass is misted up- that's my excuse. I tried hard at it though. The composition was hard too- I tried to get it so that the picture was focussed around the ribbon, but not too much so that it drew all the attention away from the face. Not sure how well I succeeded- I resorted to making the it a magically glowing ribbon in the end.

There we go. Gift art for Narsus.

Progression: preliminary sketch -> lineart -> almost finished -> detail of face