Breaking the vicious cycle

[alias_sqbr]

Thankyou to everyone who gave suggestions about my picture, especially rdmasters who suggested a flying machine, though not the sort I ended up drawing. I'd actually been planning on doing one to begin with(*) but was imagining something human sized which wouldn't work with this sort of design. I haven't QUITE finished it, but editing it is giving diminishing returns (and I've been editing it for much of the past 2 days. Goddamn muse). I think I need to take a break for like a month then come back with fresh eyes and fix all the little errors. To let myself do that I have declare it finished (I am weird about unfinished art), so I've uploaded it to Deviantart:



And no, no background image: I experimented and it just ended up looking ambiguous and busy. For those who got exited about the idea of an Atlantis-esque scifi city with zeppelins, I give you Steampunk Atlantis. No explosions, though, sorry :D

And now to start thinking about hp_holidaygen.

(*)Inspired by "Midsummer Moon", which also gave me the apron and the small animal companion :)

Comments

[redbraids.livejournal.com]

I really like the hair.

[alias_sqbr]

Thanks! The flowing hair is one of the things I love about Art Nouveau and Pre-Raphaelite art.

Pretty!

[rdmasters.livejournal.com]

Oh, very nice. I had not considered a traditional ornithopter! That works very well.

I kind of get the impression that this is something that she enjoys spending a lot of time working on, judging from the expression. Her favourite tinkering project, if you like.

Good work!

Re: Pretty!

[alias_sqbr]

Absolutely. One day a rat will fly! :)

[triestine.livejournal.com]

♥ her feet!

[alias_sqbr]

I spent ages on posematics looking for a pose with a foot how I wanted it, since attempts to draw it by eye had failed. The one I found wasn't what I was after originally but I decided it was better :)

[greteldragon.livejournal.com]

Wow cool. I also love the hair, but I'm surprised you didn't balance it out with hugely flowing skirts. Or at least that's what I would have done, but not being an artist I guess I should shut up. :P

Or I'm just bitter about a lack of explosions. :P

[alias_sqbr]

Oh no, I would have drawn flowing skirts if I didn't totally suck at drawing complicated fabric. As it was I had to blutack tissues to my little artists dummy to get the creases and hemline to look remotely plausible.

I suck at explosions even more, though :) (In fact I'm not sure I've ever actually drawn one. Something to try I guess!)

[greteldragon.livejournal.com]

Fair enough, I don't remember you doing that a bad job of Batman's cape in the shot you did for me, but skirts are probably more complicated. Which btw, I'm still in love with.

Surely you could lift some other kind of explosion from another artwork and credit or something? :P THIS IS NO EXCUSE TO NOT HAVE EARTHSHATTERING KABOOMS IN AN ARTWORK.

*coughs* Er, sorry if I got a bit excited there. :P

[alias_sqbr]

Yeah, fabric flowing in the breeze I can almost sort of do, it's when it has to drape over bodies I get all confuzzled.

Oh yes, when I decide to draw a kaboom there will definitely be stealage of other people's techniques. But I have to wait for my muse to be inspired, you can't rush these things :)

[velithya]

I really like the edging on the hem of her dress!

[alias_sqbr]

Thankyou! It was inspired by a pretty dress I came across doing research for a story, it's funny how these things go :)

[theducks.livejournal.com]

Is very nice! Reminds me of the style of Linda Guymon's cover of the Rolling Stones' Metamorphosis Album -

[alias_sqbr]

Yes, I think that's the same pen-and-watercolour technique Mucha used and I was trying to mimic :)

[kadeton.livejournal.com]

Is it perhaps a flying harness for her mouse?

[alias_sqbr]

Yes! Well spotted :)