Not only have there been a lot of people around, so I've been going crazy, but since I'm the resident artist, I've been commissioned to do the wedding cake topper. My brother and his fiancé wanted a custom one that matched them better than the ones advertised. So what I ended up doing was a rather spunky one with my brother's fiancé, who is much shorter than he is, holding him up as they try to kiss in that position. Using a simple anime-ish style, I think I pulled it off quite well, besides the fact that my brother's hand fell off and I had to super glue it back on. Oops ^_^
This project was fun, but I'm glad it's over with now.
The happy couple (art by me) - cake topper made of super sculpey and acrylic paint
They're off on their honeymoon now, so maybe I'll finally get a little peace. This weekend was still fun though, as exhausted as I am.
Anyway, besides all the craziness of the wedding, I am at a shifting point in my story, DA Shadow Phantom. It's a place where the plot could take any turn or twist. There could be a major turning point, where the characters' motives shift tracks. It's certainly an interesting place to be, though sometimes frustrating.
Part of what goes into the plot is the character development. Currently, my main character, Dalan, is going through a lot of changes. He's torn between being the Shadow Phantom, protecting the innocent from those that would hurt and exploit them, and just being a normal teenager. For quite a long time, he's been flip-flopping back and forth. Now he's faced with shutting out one identity completely to embrace the other. At the same time, he's also learning about his roots, why he is the way he is, and what his destiny might be.
One song that has been inspiring me recently to that effect is "My Immortal," by Evanescence. I first heard the song in season three or four of Smallville, in the episode where Clark has his first memories of his birth parents. It is a really touching but sad scene, so I thought the song matched it pretty well.
"My Immortal" by Evanescence, a wallpaper
Jor-El and Lara-El, Clark Kent's biological parents
The reason this song has inspired me is because it reminded me of a perfect, beautiful past that couldn't last or was too good to be true being drudged up. The person is forced to relive this, all the while knowing this life can never be, yet is wishing for it anyway.
Dalan is doing the same thing by wishing away his destiny. He's trying to look back to a time that at was more normal for him, though a time that may never have existed at all. Dalan has always had to watch from the sidelines while everyone else was just being normal. Later on, for a time, he even tries to forget his own identity to be normal himself.
The other central characters are struggling with their own demons. Heather and Matt, Dalan's closest friends, are having trouble with their friend's role as well. Neither of them are sure where they fit into the picture at all, as Dalan's destiny seems too great and alien for them. Heather isn't completely sure of her feelings regarding Dalan either, just as he's unsure of his. It seems the more complicated the plot gets, the more characters seem to grow. I am amazed at how much Dalan's character has grown and changed since I did his first character sketches, both in art and as a character bio when I was first getting the idea for this story. I still have a long way to go.
Anyway, I haven't yet done full character sketch pages for my character yet, as I've been off and on designing them, but I've gathered ideas from various artists who's character design pages and artwork have inspired me in the process of creating my own character pages. Once I have some done, I'll post them so that everyone can finally see what I've been up to.
+Contest design 5 out of 10- Seki+ by goku-no-baka@deviantart.com
By the way, in the image above, I love the expression in the middle :3
This design includes the character from various angles and even with a few expressions that define his personality, and all the viewers have seen so far is a brief glimpse. That speaks to me as artwork that is very well done; it's alluring and accomplishes its task well.
+Expression Meme - Astir+ by goku-no-baka@deviantart.com
Astir from Beast Hunt
An expression sheet is also useful to do for a character. If the character is an original character (OC), the artist may want to go on to do a comic or graphic novel, or even have it animated. Having references of things you've already figured out is very handy and keeps the character's reactions to various situations consistent.
Also, sometimes it's just fun to play around with styles and characters, whether they are styles and characters that already exist or not. I know I've drawn my share of anime characters in order to get a style I like with the characters for my own stories. I tend to make use of whatever interests and inspires me.
The bottom line: whatever you do, have fun with your journey through art. Art and storytelling are about the journey, not some end result. It's great to be able t o sit back and admire your own work. Trust me, I've been there. But once you hit some grand end-of-the-line destination, what then? Where do you go from there? What have you gained from the experience? If it's a journey, there's always more to explore and learn.
Happy travels!
If anyone has any questions or comments, or if you just want to start a discussion with me, leave a comment after this blog.
To see the fantasy kindle books I have on Amazon, visit these links:
1.) North Country, Book One: The Riders of Redrog
2.) DA Shadow Phantom, Volume 1: Transformation
Feel free to stop by and browse, and maybe leave a review.
For more artwork and story-related stuff, or if you just want to get in touch with me and see what I'm up to, visit me at these websites:
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