First Big Drawing Project in a While!

Hi, everyone. I hope you're having an eventful weekend! I sure have. I've taken a short break from writing to focus on a gift for a close friend of mine (my previously mentioned co-author of our Epics of Etheliu series, which we'll be starting to rough out on Monday), C. G. Malcolm.

I started this last night, because I was literally shaking and couldn't keep still long enough to write. My mind's been going like the Road Runner on about 6 pitchers of coffee since Friday night, and drawing helps me to zone out and focus my energy. No thoughts. Nothing except the lines and the pencil/pen. I wanted to do something a little more traditional, and of course, now that I'm looking at the picture, I see about a million mistakes. Hopefully my friend won't care.

I wish I'd taken more process pictures. I think it might have been nice to show you the process during the 8 or so hours I poured into this illustration. Ah, well. A lesson for next time, I suppose! Anyway, here's me nearing the pencil stage.

I used a myriad of references during the sketching phase, which I normally don't have to worry about. Usually I'm drawing my own creations, so it was a little strange having to jump back and forth between various images. I think I ended up with like 7 tabs open on my phone while I sketched last night! Fun!

Initially, I planned to start inking last night, but I was so deliriously tired that I couldn't even keep my eyes open, so inking was out of the question. I woke up this morning, and after some yard work, I started the inking process. This is an image from the stage where I inked a bit and finalized a few of the pencil bits, adding more, clarifying a few things, etc.

Here was when I began to notice a few things that I wanted to add and adjust, such as the flags, the saddle bag, the bedroll, and the checkered bit near the horse's rump. The lines came out rather good, I think, for not having practiced with pens in a long time. I think the last illustration I inked was for Frendyl Krune Origins: Their Pretty Bones! That was a while ago.

Once everything was inked to satisfaction, I went back through and shaded, added some details, and erased all of the pencil lines. While I'm not 100% pleased with the outcome, I'm still happy enough to pass the picture on to my friend. So much to learn still!

Here's the finished piece!

And some close-up pictures...

I still have a lot to learn, but at least it was nice to draw again. I might give it another go sometime soon.

For those wondering, I have considered opening myself to commission work. If you're interested, feel free to let me know, and we can talk. :) I work best in pencil and ink, but have had some success with PhotoShop and mouse work.

Also, sorry for the bad photos! This illustration is 14x11 and doesn't fit on our scanner, so taking pictures with my phone was the only way to show this picture off. :)

Thanks for reading, and have a lovely weekend!