Sunday, June 21, 2009

Ohmigosh, SALE!

Yeah, yeah, I have a bunch of posts you're expecting. And they're coming! But first, I would be a neglectful hostess if I didn't mention I am having a SALE! tomorrow. As part of my Etsy Texas team, who I neglect awfully, I must say, and who are having a big $5 sale for Fifth Monday. Suddenly, I love Fifth Monday and cannot wait. So, besides going to my shop, you should totally be searching ETC5. Ok?

Anyway! All my ACEOS are going to be 5 bucks. All! And I've got a few special listings planned. And I'll be putting up ACEOs as fast as time and my internet connection allow. Maybe I'll even get my shop to crack a hundred! Woo!

Ok, back to natter into the keyboard for a while.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Ta DA! I Return, To Finish A Piece!

Whew! Sorry to be away so long-- the Kon of Cons really takes it out of me! I love conventions, but they are an exhausting endeavor. I have spent the past week pretty much sleeping, and believe me, you are glad I did. My conversations with actual people this last week have gone like this:
"How was the convention?"
"FUN! VERY FUN! I HAD FUN!"
"What did you do?"
"I...had fun!"

So not the most riveting dialogue. Sincere, but not interesting. But I will have con stories for you, never fear! Presented as interpretive dance-- er, comics, most likely. Right now, though, let's finish up a project, shall we?

Remember last time, when I had a pair of pictures well on the way to being finished? Well, as usual when I'm near completion, I stepped back and waited on them for a couple days. And as usual when I do that, I decided I didn't like them so much. At all. Especially my Snow White; the inking was all wrong. Emergency re-ink!

Snow in Ink:



And I never liked that color scheme! Well, that's a lie, I liked it quite a bit. Very period. Why did people so often seize on orange and blue? Whataburger? Naruto? Any comments?
But I want this to be a bookend piece with Rose Red, and orange and blue does not rock for her. Plus I have-- cue the ominous music-- just found a tutorial on a way to do toned color work, over at the insanely gorgeous Lackadaisy Cats.
So first I put in the shading in monochrome:



Then put a very thin color tint over it:



So it looked like this, altogether:


Yay! Now I add a background, and like five layers of effects-color to the hair. I would show you those, but they don't show up much at all unless you're totally anal and have spent five hours staring at this thing already. That's the thing I'd bet most non-artists would not believe, the level of work we put in our stuff that NOBODY ELSE WILL EVER CARE ABOUT EVEN A LITTLE. But I couldn't let this go without those overlays! I need help.

Anyway! Finally, it is, if not done, too far along for me to risk mucking with it anymore. Even on computer, there's a point where I start spitting out stupidwork, and that road eventually leads to sparkles and tears. So let's wrap it up here, shall we?




And now I get to do the same thing with Rose Red! Well, I've done it, actually. So, hopefully this week, these two girls will go up in my Etsy shop! Maybe even with their paired bookcover piece! Yay, me!

Oh, yeah-- I missed my internet!