24 hrs Blogging (9:00 AM) - Pineapples

Pineapples is a phrase I like to use for states of extreme tiredness. It particularly applies to exhaustion that leads to remarkable silliness, such as randomly shouting "whee, pineapples!" I am not being silly yet, but I am really, really tired now, so I am just calling it pineapples for simplicity. I'd probably start being silly if provoked.



I was literally falling asleep as I drew that. I woke up and saw I still had the pen on the tablet and pink scribbles were across my face. lol. But despite those minor drop offs, I am awake, I made it, to the end of Blogathon 2007. I produced two tarot cards, a pencil drawing that I will eventually outline on the computer and color, and a colored pencil drawing request. As of right now, my blog's sponsorships total $75 for Alzheimer's Association. Thank you once again to everyone who so generously donated! I also thank those who supported me and encouraged me to stay awake and keep drawing!

I am now going to brush my teeth and collapse.

Or, as my friend Sophie said: Artwork all over the floor, and Denise amidst all of it, sound asleep. The desk chair still slowly revolving as she had just recently careened off of it when her eyes finally shut. The computer still on, and the scanner still open. The bed, of course, was made.

23.5 hrs Blogging (8:30 AM) - Vyse

I added a little bit to Vyse, but it didn't really end up amounting to enough additions to warrent a whole new upload.

I have now been up for 24 hours.

23 hrs Blogging (8:00 AM) - Two Angels

Done!



I fixed the colors a little and left this one at a large size so that you can print it better. Just click on it to see it full size.

I'm fading now. Not much longer... hang in...

22.5 hrs Blogging (7:30 AM) - Two Angels

I have no idea how I am still able to draw in any sort of appealing way, but I am glad that I still am.

I am almost done coloring in your picture. It should be done and up next update. It is too close to done to upload it now...

22 hrs Blogging (7:00 AM) - Two Angels

Coloring the skin.

21.5 hrs Blogging (6:30 AM) - Two Angels

Almost done with the black-purple wing.

21 hrs blogging (6:00 AM) - Two Angels

Almost done with the red wing...

20.5 hrs Blogging (5:30 AM) - Two Angels

Sorry that I haven't been really talkative lately. I think it is a sign that I am starting to get tired. Plus, I am typing slower and less accurately...

On the red wing, I am using a mixture of red, yellow-orange, mahogany, and green. With old Crayola colored pencils.

My right hand is starting to cramp up. It's okay with drawing still, but it doesn't like when I straighten the fingers. o.O

20 hrs Blogging (5:00 AM) - Two Angels

These colors are more vibrant in real life. I might need to use my digital camera instead of my scanner, or else adjust the settings on the final version...



I'm glad to hear you like purple, I was a little worried.

I'm going to go have a Pop Tart, I am hungry again, lol.

19.5 hrs Blogging (4:30 AM) - Two Angels

Coloring the wings...



I added a little bit of brown to the black hair, and purple to the black wings, to try to differentiate them a bit. Also, I think I am going to make the girl have the pale skin, and the guy have the bronzed skin... I feel like that might work better...

19 hrs Blogging (4:00 AM) - Two Angels

Coloring...

18.5 hrs Blogging (3:30) - Vyse

Gradual progress on Vyse.

18 hrs Blogging (3:00 AM) - Two Angels

Is this hair okay? What hair colors? What other colors?



I'll work on Vyse until I hear back from you. Then I'll color this, i think with colored pencil (oo, different media!)

17.5 hrs Blogging (2:30 AM) - Two Angels

Speaking of fallen angels, I declare feet are the devil. Along with noses. lol.



Why do our noses run and our feet smell?

17 hrs Blogging (2:00 AM) - Two Angels

I'm working on adding feathers to the other wings.

Do you have any preference on the hair?

16.5 hrs Blogging (1:30 AM) - Two Angels

In case anyone reading this hasn't been keeping up with all the comments, I offered Tina, my Blogathon monitor, a drawing request (since she's been stuck reading my blog all day). She requested two angels, one good, one evil, embracing, the good one male, the evil one female. Here's what I have drawn so far:



I used this nude painting as a reference for poses and anatomy.

16 hrs Blogging (1:00 AM) - Two Angels

I've started working on Tina's request. I'm trying to get the poses down right now.

15.5 hrs Blogging (12:30 AM) - Vyse

He's coming along.



I probably won't finish this one tonight (lol). But that's okay. I already made a lot of progress. This drawing took me an entire year from start of drawing to finished product... Hopefully this one doesn't take quite as long...

15 hrs Blogging (12:00 AM) - Six of Coins

Done!



I didn't shade this one as much as the Five, because I wanted it to look brighter. It's a much happier card, after all.

I'm going to work on outlining Vyse for a half hour, so that I can stretch out my legs on the couch while I use my tablet, and then I will start on Tina's request. =)

14.5 hrs Blogging (11:30) - Six of Coins

There's going to be a lot of yellow on this one.

14 hrs Blogging (11:00 PM) - Six of Coins

Wow, I didn't realize how smudged this index card was until I erased the pencil. I am right-handed, but I write with a hooked hand like a lefty, so I get lead or ink all over the side of my hand and smear it. I've washed it off now. I just need to keep remembering to do that occasionally.



I like how this is coming out. It's kinda, lacy... with all the intricacies in the pentacles. I guess that'll go away once I color it though.

I'm going to do some hand stretches before I outline this in green. ¬.¬;;

13.5 hrs Blogging (10:30 PM) - Six of Coins

I finish pencilling these a lot faster...



On to the outlining!

13 hrs Blogging (10:00 PM) - Six of Coins

Did you know, Pentacles are really tricky to draw evenly? Maybe that is why they are considered magical, because they take so much effort to draw right...

The flower in the middle of this card, by the way, is a Turnip flower, which represents Charity. I never even realized turnips had flowers, though I should have guessed they must. They are cute little yellow flowers. (see here and here.

12.5 hrs Blogging (9:30 PM) - Six of Coins

Well, you can pretty much see the idea here.



The Six of Coins represents generosity and charity, giving to those in need when you have too much, creating balance, what you give will one day come back to you when you need it.

On that note, know that you can still sponsor me and support Alzheimer's Alliance! (smooth, eh?)

12 hrs Blogging (9:00 PM) - Six of Coins

I've started working on the Six of Coins. I previously doodled a little thumbnail sketch of what I want it to look like. It's kinda simple, but I think it conveys the meaning well.

Hey, since you are reading this, would you like me to draw anything for you?

11.5 hrs Blogging (8:30 PM)

I've been awake for 12 hours at this point. =)

I just finished my dinner, Microwave Green Pepper Steak with white rice. It's good

So I'll get back to drawing in a sec.

11 hrs Blogging (8:00 PM) - Vyse

Thank you to whomever invented tablets.



I'm going to eat some dinner, and then I will draw the Six of Coins for a change-up.

10.5 hrs Blogging (7:30 PM) - Vyse

Nevermind, I lied. I decided to add another looper to make it more balanced.

10 hrs Blogging (7:00 PM) - Vyse

Woo! I think I am done with the pencil!



I think I will outline it until next update, and then switch gears to something else for a little while, because I bet everyone's getting sick of this drawing, lol.

9.5 hrs Blogging (6:30 PM) - Vyse

Random Encounter: Loopers!

9 hrs Blogging (6:00 PM) - Vyse

I'm giving up on the floor boards for now. I intend to color this on the computer, so I think it might be easier to do it then. For now, I'll move onto something more interesting, like the back wall, and loopers!

8.5 hrs Blogging (5:30 PM) - Vyse

I haven't drawn a real background with perspective and all in fooooorever. Maybe why that's why this is taking such a long time...



(My last drawing with a real background: August 2006. My last drawing with any semblance of perspective: May 2006. I should be ashamed...)

8 hrs Blogging (5:00 PM) - Vyse

The floor boards are giving me a little bit of a hard time...

7.5 hrs Blogging (4:30 PM) - Vyse

I'm almost done straightening out the lines.

7 hrs Blogging (4:00 PM) - Vyse

Sorry, not too much change this update. I took a break to eat a slice of pizza while the water for my tea boiled.



I'm going to get out my triangle and fix those lines so they are straight...

6.5 hrs Blogging (3:30 PM) - Vyse

I'm sketching in the background of the deck of the Little Jack.

I'm cold, so I am going to make myself some tea. =)

6 hrs Blogging (3:00 PM) - Vyse

I found a better reference image of Vyse from behind. (Before, I was using this. Not very behind, is it?)

So, I have tweaked my drawing to this:



I need to adjust his legs and that weird button thing on the back of his belt. I think I might just do Loopers for the enemy. Heh. They're not very strong, but you don't fight the Blue Gigas in person, so it makes more sense...

5.5 hrs Blogging (2:30 PM) - Vyse

I've made some tweaks. Now I am trying to decide what to have him fighting...

5 hrs Blogging (2:00 PM) - Vyse

Coming along!



I'm going to work on his hair a little bit more (lol, I sound like a sylist) and that left sword is still a little crooked. =| But this is coming out better than I expected! Yay, Vyse with his swords. I drew him before, but the swords wouldn't fit right.

4.5 hrs Blogging (1:30 PM) - Vyse

That arm gave me a little bit of trouble, but I think I might have it now.

Short post, I need to get back to drawing. =)

4 hrs Blogging (1:00 PM) - Vyse

Not too much to see yet, but I am working on it.



It's Vyse from the back. I am going to have him facing some giant monster, maybe the Blue Gigas, cause I like that one. He doesn't have a head at the moment, and I think I am going to move the left arm closer to the body.

Here's what Vyse looks like in game:

3.5 hrs Blogging (12:30 PM) - Vyse

Drawing away. I don't really have enough that would be worth scanning yet, but I probably will next update.

Skies of Arcadia, by the way, is an awesome video game for Game Cube. It is probably the best video game I have ever played. The main character is Vyse, and he is an air pirate. You see, the planet Arcadia where this all takes place, must have a really dense atmosphere or something. The surface of the planet is under so much pressure, pretty much nothing can survive. The land-masses are all floating in the sky, and people sail boats through the air from island to island. And, of course, with all that boat traffic, and lots of treasure scattered around, there are pirates. Black Pirates will attack anyone and steal anything for their own gain. Vyse and his friends, on the other hand, are all Blue Rogues, which means they will only steal from ships that are much bigger and more powerful than they are, such as the oppressive Valuan fleet. They will never attack the weak or defenseless, and in fact, are more likely to help such people and give them some of their gold. In the game, you sail around the world, looking for treasure, exploring uncharted skies, and helping a mysterious stranger on her important quest (bum, bum, BUM).

If any of this sounds like a Final Fantasy game to you, know that Skies of Arcadia existed long before, and Final Fantasy is a rip off.

3 hrs Blogging (12:00 PM)

In case you were wondering, this is the art project I did back in 2005, using the modern suits and the emotions Anger, Aggression, Peace, and Love. You have to guess which is which though. That was the whole point of the project!

2.5 hrs Blogging (11:30 AM) - Five of Coins

Done!



I used a little bit of a grey colored pencil on the oleander, because it looked a little bit too white. If I were to make this card again, I would make the flower a little bit smaller, so it would be less bright, and not collide with the "FIVE" at the top. But, overall, I am happy with it.

Next, I think I might try to draw some Skies of Arcadia fanart. I might do more tarot cards later, but I feel like I should do something different next, or else this blog will probably be boring to read, heh.

Oh, and so everyone knows, it's not too late to sponsor me, and support Alzheimer's Association!

2 hrs Blogging (11:00 AM) - Five of Coins

Okay, so it's taking a little bit longer than I thought, lol.



To shade the coins, I use the orange and the green I intentionally left behind before (no, I wasn't being sloppy! honest!), an d I have been adding a tiny line of brown, and then really quick going over it with the yellow while it is still wet. That lets me blend the brown a little bit. The downside is, the paper pills a little, and the yellow gets dirty and needs to be wiped off. Also, it's easy to get carried away. The middle coin got a little too dark. I also put a little bit of brown on the poison/blood/ooze.

1.5 Blogging (10:30 AM) - Five of Coins

I decided to scan my progress this time as well, as next time I will probably be done, and I felt like an intermediate step was needed. I hate it when drawing guides or "this is my drawing process" guides go directly from a messy thumbnail sketch directly to a completed and colored drawing. That doesn't tell me anything!



I am only using inexpensive and old Crayola markers, saved from many years of elementary school art classes that required a fresh new box each year. However, you can still use some of the shading tricks that are meant for fancier markers, like Copics. I color the leaves green first, and then went over the darkest part with a little bit of orange. It is usually a good idea to shade with a complementary color. Actually, the complementary color for green is red, but I guess orange is close enough, and I liked how it comes out with the orange. Then, I go over the orange and a bit further with the green again. That makes the orange look less orange, and also, since the first layer of green is dry by then, going over it with another layer of green makes it a bit darker, allowing you to make nice gradations in shading.

This is the photo I found online that I am using as a reference for the Oleander.

1 hr Blogging (10:00 AM) - Five of Coins

I've finished the orange lines, and now am going over them with green.



Scanning it now let me catch a mistake that hopefully I can fix a bit with the green...

0.5 hrs Blogging (9:30 AM) - Five of Coins

Right now, I am working on going over the lines with orange marker first. Later, I will put green marker on top of it, so the lines will be a really dark green.

With the Coin cards, I had trouble originally figuring out how I was going to have a coin represent anything. With a sword, it is easy. They can point threateningly, clash, cut things, slice through the air, stab things, etc. With a coin, it can... flip over... roll... stack... erm... not very much, especially of any interest. So, to help with the Coins, I decided to use flowers and their traditional meanings as well (Coins are traditionally associated with the Earth element). On the Ace, I used Hollyhock, which stands for Ambition, and goes along with the New Opportunity card meaning. On the Three, I used Primrose, which stands for Youth, which goes along with the Early Progress card meaning. On the Four, I just used random thorny vines, which I felt went with the Fear of Risk. For the Five that I am working on now, I am using Oleander, which traditionally means Beware. This goes with the card meaning Loss. And, if you've ever read or watched the movie White Oleander, you'll know they are very poisonous plants. The stuff oozing out is supposed to be poison. I was going to make it black, but since the card is so dark with all the brown, I think I might make it red. The coins go along with the meaning, too, since they are almost completely off the card, as in they are almost lost.

Alright, back to marker-ing, so I can have something to show you next update.

0 hrs Blogging (9:00 AM) - Five of Coins

Well, Blogathon is starting now! I'm excited. Thank you to everyone so far who has generously donated to Alzheimer's Association. Remember, if you would like, you can suggest something for me to draw, using the comments feature below.

I'll probably be scanning in my progress once every hour, since it takes so long to scan and upload things, but I will keep up updated each half hour.

To start, as a warm up, I will work on my Tarot deck. In an art class a few years ago, we had the design challenge of making the 5 of Hearts, Diamonds, Spades, and Clubs represent Anger, Aggression, Peace, and Love, using nothing but the suit symbols. That was fun, but the emotions were kinda vague, and I would have liked to have made a whole deck. So, I am using the tarot suits and meanings, plus an occasional prop. I don't believe in Tarot having divinatory powers, but they all have cool symbolism that is fun to draw.

It's taken a few years, but here are the cards that I have made so far:









I'll probably redo some of them eventually, like the Ace and Two of Coins, the Ten of Swords, the Queen of Wands, etc.

Alright, so, to start the day, I will continue working on this card:



I'll let you my reasoning behind drawing it that way next update, at around 9:30. Feel free to comment on my art below, I would love constructive criticism. Thanks!

Blogathon 2007

Hi all! I'm Denise, and I will be using this blog to blog for charity in Blogathon 2007. From Saturday, July 28th, 9 AM (Eastern Daylight Savings Time) until July 29th, 9 AM, I will update this blog every half hour, for the benefit of Alzheimer's Association, which funds Alzheimer's research and supports community programs for those with Alzheimer's. Please sponsor me, if you can. Read this to find out how it works. You can give a flat donation, or else pledge for how long I manage to stay awake. You don't need to give a lot. Any little bit helps!

I intend to spend much of the 24 hour period drawing, and I will post scans of my progress for each update. I got the idea from Nasubionna, who did that for Blogathon 2005, and it was really cool to watch (she will be participating in Blogathon again this year, for Pasado's Safe Haven, an animal rescue). I'm not as good of an artist as Nasubionna, but I think it should still be entertaining to see my drawing progress, particularly as it gets later and I start going pineapples for lack of sleep. If you sponsor me, you can suggest something for me to draw for you during the 24 hour period. I cannot guarantee that I will feel inspired to draw it, so I might not use your particular suggestion, but I will certainly try to. Thank you!

If you can't donate, you can still support me by watching this blog and commenting for as much time as you can, even if you can only check in once. I'd especially appreciate constructive criticism on my art, and encouragement to stay awake!

Alzheimer's disease is a horrible and scary disease. My grandmother, who lives with us, is afflicted by it. It is a very sad thing. My grandma used to be very clever, always fun to talk to, quick at telling jokes, interested in many activities, and active in her community. Now, she is easily confused, doesn't talk very much, and cannot do many things. She is unable to walk very far, because apparently she forgets how to keep her balance. Sometimes she slurs her words, because she forgets how to talk properly. She used to ask us what day it was literally every five minutes, until we set up a white board for her that we update with the date each morning, so she can look at it whenever she wants. It was not that she needed the date, but that she knew she should have been able to remember it, and couldn't, and would get frustrated. She spends a lot of time just staring vacantly out into space, or falling asleep in her chair. Sometimes she reads, or does word searches. She tells me that she works hard to try to remember things from her past, but when she tells me things she remembers, I know they are incorrect. We eat dinner as a family and talk, but she does not participate in the conversation anymore. She will watch TV with us after dinner, but I think she forgets what she has just seen by the time there is a commercial, if she even remembers for that long. When she goes to the bathroom, she throws the toilet paper into the garbage can instead of the toilet. She saves her fingernail clippings. Sometimes, she will get nasty and stick out her tongue at us, for no real reason. She once wandered over to our next-door neighbors' house and told them that we were so mean to her because we never let her go to church, but we take her to church with us each and every week. She still remembers who I am, but I am afraid that sooner or later, she will forget me. I do not know how I will be able to handle that when it happens.

I am blogging to support Alzheimer research, because I think it is probably one of worst diseases to die from. I would rather die weak, in pain, exhausted, and sick, than continue living, in otherwise perfect physical condition, without memories of my past, recognition of the people I love, my personality, or my ability to learn. This is a way for me to help find a cure. I hope that this disease can be defeated, so that other people I love, and I, will never have to suffer from it again.