Arania Posted February 25, 2020 Posted February 25, 2020 Stuck with The Seer because SOMETHING is missing... takes time to figure out what.
Raggydoll Posted February 25, 2020 Author Posted February 25, 2020 3 minutes ago, Arania said: Stuck with The Seer because SOMETHING is missing... takes time to figure out what. Sending you some love and encouragement! You can always ask for us to try and help you pinpoint what is missing, you do know that, right? But if you rather work on it alone then that's of course what you should do 💜
Arania Posted February 25, 2020 Posted February 25, 2020 Yeah I know. If I can't figure it out today I will. It is one of those things so very close to grasping but it always escapes at the last moment.
geoxena Posted February 25, 2020 Posted February 25, 2020 (edited) So, I'm about 3/4 finished with the Nine of Fire and I must say I am rather happy with it. I was going to switch to a different medium for it -- water-based art markers -- but I'm still teaching myself how to use them and my first attempt was more cartoonish than I'd wanted. So I went back to colored pencils and am loving how it's turning out. It's rare that I love my creative projects right off the bat, but I can't stop looking at this one. Here is a portion of the drawing. I'll explain my concept below it. The flash washed out a lot of the shading - sorry, my phone takes crap pictures. So, this is a person sitting by the fire, wrapped in a blanket, and clutching a military uniform (there are stripes on the sleeve, which you can't see here) with a (hopefully) far-away facial expression. The hand on her shoulder hasn't been colored in yet, but it belongs to a relative or caregiver who is out of frame. Their other hand is bringing the woman a cup of tea. On the fireplace mantle (cropped out for this sneak peek) are what should look like military medals and a framed photograph of a soldier. So, I started out depicting this woman as the soldier but then changed the framed portrait to be more ambiguous as to who it is. Because it could be her own uniform she is clutching to her chest, or that of a loved one, but the situation is the same either way: she is lost in the past which was difficult or traumatic (however far or recent it is), wishes she could change it or revisit it, and is having a hard time letting go. The person bringing her tea is an important element because I want to emphasize that this is a time to heal. In researching this card, I came across many sites that had "stubbornness" and someone who doesn't accept that the fight is over in their descriptions. But when I found one that said "Now is the time to heal," an image immediately came to me and I wanted to depict someone who is recovering from a difficulty, not just stubbornly refusing to accept it. I wanted her complexion very pale, as if her life force had drained out of her, and her caregiver's will be robust and rosy (even though only their hands will show). Hopefully the message of slowing down to heal and accept support will be evident once it's finished. Edited to add: I am very anti-war, but chose to depict a soldier as a way to pay homage to a relative who was badly wounded in the Vietnam war and sent home fairly early on. He was only 18 and was pretty traumatized by the experience. He always felt guilty about not serving his full tour of duty, and even decades later, even with the medals he was given, he had an irrational fear he couldn't shake: that the army would need him again to fulfill his obligation. He passed away several years ago. So I find myself thinking of him and the need to heal from trauma while I make this card. Edited February 26, 2020 by geoxena Added more info
joy Posted February 26, 2020 Posted February 26, 2020 Looking forward to see the finished card @geoxena you captured the expression in the face perfectly!
geoxena Posted February 26, 2020 Posted February 26, 2020 8 minutes ago, joy said: Looking forward to see the finished card @geoxena you captured the expression in the face perfectly! Thank you! Her face, oh my! She has gone through several different chins and I had to reposition her eye, and I still need to fix something that is bugging me about her ear, so I'm glad her face is expressing what I want it to! All that despite my trying super duper hard not to be a perfectionist... sigh.
joy Posted February 26, 2020 Posted February 26, 2020 3 minutes ago, geoxena said: Thank you! Her face, oh my! She has gone through several different chins and I had to reposition her eye, and I still need to fix something that is bugging me about her ear, so I'm glad her face is expressing what I want it to! All that despite my trying super duper hard not to be a perfectionist... sigh. Faces are difficult 😉 If you want my opinion, the ear is too dark/prominent unless you want to show that the person needs/wants to listen. Well if you are a perfectionist it is often very hard to not be a perfectionist.... I know it too well.... Try not to be too critical with yourself 😉
geoxena Posted February 26, 2020 Posted February 26, 2020 1 minute ago, joy said: If you want my opinion, the ear is too dark/prominent Yes, that's exactly what I need to fix because it looks like a cavern to go spelunking in right now, lol. After working on the uniform and fireplace today, I was too pooped to keep going, so the shadow in her ear will be lightened up tomorrow! I will never choose to draw someone wearing their hair tucked behind the ear again!!
joy Posted February 26, 2020 Posted February 26, 2020 2 minutes ago, geoxena said: Yes, that's exactly what I need to fix because it looks like a cavern to go spelunking in right now, lol. After working on the uniform and fireplace today, I was too pooped to keep going, so the shadow in her ear will be lightened up tomorrow! I will never choose to draw someone wearing their hair tucked behind the ear again!! Oh why not? You will get there, just give yourself room! 😉🙂
Raggydoll Posted February 26, 2020 Author Posted February 26, 2020 5 minutes ago, geoxena said: Yes, that's exactly what I need to fix because it looks like a cavern to go spelunking in right now, lol. After working on the uniform and fireplace today, I was too pooped to keep going, so the shadow in her ear will be lightened up tomorrow! I will never choose to draw someone wearing their hair tucked behind the ear again!! Ears are challenging, but looking at the picture I can tell it’s the anti helix that’s missing. It’s supposed to protrude and catch light in her ear. Once that’s visible her ear will look perfectly normal. Your drawing is wonderful!!
geoxena Posted February 26, 2020 Posted February 26, 2020 (edited) 12 minutes ago, Raggydoll said: Ears are challenging, but looking at the picture I can tell it’s the anti helix that’s missing. It’s supposed to protrude and catch light in her ear. Once that’s visible her ear will look perfectly normal. Your drawing is wonderful!! Yes, is that the sort of fold along the outer rim? I swear, she did have one but I blended too much and it went away! She's already had quite a number of ears, haha! And of various sizes and shapes! Good thing colored pencil allows me to just keep layering until I get it right. And thank you! Edited February 26, 2020 by geoxena
joy Posted February 26, 2020 Posted February 26, 2020 1 minute ago, geoxena said: Yes, is that the sort of fold along the outer rim? I swear, she did have one but I blended too much and it went away! She's already had quite a number of ears, haha! Good thing colored pencil allows me to just keep layering until I get it right. Yeah! Of course @Raggydoll is right! Had to google it and yeah, that will do the 'trick'!
Raggydoll Posted February 26, 2020 Author Posted February 26, 2020 39 minutes ago, geoxena said: Yes, is that the sort of fold along the outer rim? I swear, she did have one but I blended too much and it went away! She's already had quite a number of ears, haha! And of various sizes and shapes! Good thing colored pencil allows me to just keep layering until I get it right. And thank you! Google outer ear anatomy and look at one of those pictures when you tweak the shading. Then there is no need to fear the ear 😊 You can also do what I’ve done many times and snap a picture of your own ear with your phone... that way you can also position yourself like the person you are drawing to get the lighting right.
Pen Posted February 26, 2020 Posted February 26, 2020 11 hours ago, geoxena said: So, I'm about 3/4 finished with the Nine of Fire and I must say I am rather happy with it. I was going to switch to a different medium for it -- water-based art markers -- but I'm still teaching myself how to use them and my first attempt was more cartoonish than I'd wanted. So I went back to colored pencils and am loving how it's turning out. It's rare that I love my creative projects right off the bat, but I can't stop looking at this one. Here is a portion of the drawing. I'll explain my concept below it. The flash washed out a lot of the shading - sorry, my phone takes crap pictures. So, this is a person sitting by the fire, wrapped in a blanket, and clutching a military uniform (there are stripes on the sleeve, which you can't see here) with a (hopefully) far-away facial expression. The hand on her shoulder hasn't been colored in yet, but it belongs to a relative or caregiver who is out of frame. Their other hand is bringing the woman a cup of tea. On the fireplace mantle (cropped out for this sneak peek) are what should look like military medals and a framed photograph of a soldier. So, I started out depicting this woman as the soldier but then changed the framed portrait to be more ambiguous as to who it is. Because it could be her own uniform she is clutching to her chest, or that of a loved one, but the situation is the same either way: she is lost in the past which was difficult or traumatic (however far or recent it is), wishes she could change it or revisit it, and is having a hard time letting go. The person bringing her tea is an important element because I want to emphasize that this is a time to heal. In researching this card, I came across many sites that had "stubbornness" and someone who doesn't accept that the fight is over in their descriptions. But when I found one that said "Now is the time to heal," an image immediately came to me and I wanted to depict someone who is recovering from a difficulty, not just stubbornly refusing to accept it. I wanted her complexion very pale, as if her life force had drained out of her, and her caregiver's will be robust and rosy (even though only their hands will show). Hopefully the message of slowing down to heal and accept support will be evident once it's finished. Edited to add: I am very anti-war, but chose to depict a soldier as a way to pay homage to a relative who was badly wounded in the Vietnam war and sent home fairly early on. He was only 18 and was pretty traumatized by the experience. He always felt guilty about not serving his full tour of duty, and even decades later, even with the medals he was given, he had an irrational fear he couldn't shake: that the army would need him again to fulfill his obligation. He passed away several years ago. So I find myself thinking of him and the need to heal from trauma while I make this card. She's beautiful, geoxena, I think her expression is just right. There's a quality difficult to put into words - a mixture of emotions that suggests many things - she's far away, seeing in her mind's eye, yet acceptance of the troubling aspects seems to be there too.
geoxena Posted February 26, 2020 Posted February 26, 2020 (edited) 12 hours ago, joy said: Yeah! Of course @Raggydoll is right! Had to google it and yeah, that will do the 'trick'! I just looked at pictures I took of this drawing when I first began and, yup, she had an anti-helix to start with. But I had made her ear too big and round for her face. Somehow, during the resizing and repositioning process, she lost her anti-helix! But it's back now and better than before! See below. 11 hours ago, Raggydoll said: Google outer ear anatomy and look at one of those pictures when you tweak the shading. Then there is no need to fear the ear 😊 You can also do what I’ve done many times and snap a picture of your own ear with your phone... that way you can also position yourself like the person you are drawing to get the lighting right. Great idea to take a pic of myself - thanks! First thing I did when I woke up this morning was to give her her anti-helix back! I also reshaped her ear, softened and lightened the shadow, and added some pink to the shadow. Here's the new and improved ear: 4 hours ago, Pen said: She's beautiful, geoxena, I think her expression is just right. There's a quality difficult to put into words - a mixture of emotions that suggests many things - she's far away, seeing in her mind's eye, yet acceptance of the troubling aspects seems to be there too. Thank you very, very much! I wanted her to look a little worn-out and bedraggled as well as far away and wistful. She reminds me of a period in my life when I wondered if I'd ever smile again. I probably wore the same expression. Your comment gives me a boost of confidence! Edited February 26, 2020 by geoxena
Raggydoll Posted February 26, 2020 Author Posted February 26, 2020 31 minutes ago, geoxena said: I just looked at pictures I took of this drawing when I first began and, yup, she had an anti-helix to start with. But I had made her ear too big and round for her face. Somehow, during the resizing and repositioning process, she lost her anti-helix! But it's back now and better than before! See below. Great idea to take a pic of myself - thanks! First thing I did when I woke up this morning was to give her her anti-helix back! I also reshaped her ear, softened and lightened the shadow, and added some pink to the shadow. Here's the new and improved ear: Thank you very, very much! I wanted her to look a little worn-out and bedraggled as well as far away and wistful. She reminds me of a period in my life when I wondered if I'd ever smile again. Your comment gives me a boost of confidence!
geoxena Posted February 26, 2020 Posted February 26, 2020 35 minutes ago, Raggydoll said: LOL! Thanks!
Grandma Posted February 26, 2020 Posted February 26, 2020 1 hour ago, geoxena said: I wanted her to look a little worn-out and bedraggled as well as far away and wistful. She reminds me of a period in my life when I wondered if I'd ever smile again. You succeeded in capturing the look, and the new ear is great. As always, wow!
geoxena Posted February 26, 2020 Posted February 26, 2020 43 minutes ago, Grandma said: You succeeded in capturing the look, and the new ear is great. As always, wow! Aww, thanks very much, Grandma!
geoxena Posted February 27, 2020 Posted February 27, 2020 36 minutes ago, joy said: Well done @geoxena looks great now!!! Thanks for all the help and encouragement!!
Starlight Posted February 27, 2020 Posted February 27, 2020 Lovely work, @geoxena! (Hurray for the ear!!) I'm looking forward to seeing the whole card when the deck's ready. 🙂
Wanderer Posted February 27, 2020 Posted February 27, 2020 I totally agree with all the comments, @geoxena - that's a very hard expression to get right, and it comes across immediately. I honestly don't know how you folks can draw faces so perfectly... it's really impressive!
Pen Posted February 27, 2020 Posted February 27, 2020 Here's the Elder of Fire - I think she's finished, although she may need a tweak or two. I've trimmed the bleed off, so this is more or less what will be seen on the card. Elder of Fire Although an Elder, she is full of energy, fire and a passion that can be felt the moment she walks into a room. She balances the creative fire between her palms and it seems to some like magic – how does she do this? She is unafraid to walk the fire, to take risks that others wouldn't contemplate, and her charisma and confidence draw admirers and followers, although there are others who are antagonistic towards her and suspect her power. This is a lady who will do as she likes and who cares little for the opinions of others.
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