Pastels for Sophie and Diode

The creative block I've been going through seems to be slipping away (at least, for now). I did a couple of quick sketches last night of Sophie and Sarah-Cordelia, another member of the Aurora Sanction.



On a whim, I decided to bust out the pastels instead of the crayons, for once. Hey, don't knock crayons. Those things can do wonders. Anyway, enjoy.

The Charge of Starting Sanctions

For me, the task of drawing a comic is a way to practice my design skills. My artistic level is lacking. A creative slump can last various lengths of time; the one I was in before taking on this endeavor held strong for the better part of a year. My animation suffered, as did my other art.

Slumps are natural. It is up to us, as artists and otherwise, to keep working. Whether we consider what we produce "acceptable" or not is unimportant. Don't stop creating. Eventually the slump goes away. It's difficult to wait for it to disappear, but it's worth it.

I'm not entirely happy with the work I'm producing now, and that includes this comic. I look at a page after it's completed and know it could be done better...then again, if I was happy with everything I do, then I wouldn't learn anything. Being content is being static. My direction is forward, and I hope it keeps on that track.

Sophie's Study

I finished page one of the first book! I'm pretty proud of the design for a certain main character's study, but I think it needs more...stuff. At a certain point, though, I had to stop drawing and give the room a break, and I'm satisfied enough with it to let it go for now.


I can't wait to see what the inker and colorist do with this. Wood-paneled flooring, area rug, books, maps, gears -- fun times!

Quick Sophie Shop

A quick painting I did of Sophie in Photoshop. I'll notice the mistakes when I wake up tomorrow. She has no expression because...well, I don't know. I'm sleepy.

Wow.

It's definitely been a while! Althea and I have both been busy, taking care of school things. Now that graduation is over (O_O), we should have a bit of time between working and side projects to really take hold of this comic. Stay tuned.