[Feed] Laying down some bricks (Patreon)

The second row of images contains work that has yet to be shared. It is a preview of content planned for upcoming posts. 

I've begun working on the next batch of Sketch Suggestions, and I hope to get the bulk of that done by the end of the week, alongside some more conceptual work. A lot of my silence lately can be attributed to working on content that is more conceptual in nature, requiring a lot of time to think and shape ideas. Ideally, I'd like to spend the final two weeks of the month being able to relax and freely work on illustrative work without worrying about deadlines.

Anyway, let's take a quick look at the previous illustration.

I think it's clear that I'm becoming more comfortable with this stylistic approach, but there are still some qualities that I'd like to see improve in my work. Two of the most noteworthy qualities are my anatomy & faces. Also, upon comparing the finished product with the original sketch shown last week, you can see just how much of an improvement was made by slowing down to develop the foundation. The composition is now much more dynamic.

I'd like to improve my understanding of anatomy and spend more time sculpting interesting poses. If we are to expand the scope of each illustration, then that will be important. Additionally, I'd like to make faces feel as though they have more form, as if they were three-dimensional objects rather than flat planes with features "drawn" on.

What have I been working on?

Like I said earlier, I've been spending some time on more conceptual work. Writing & story outlining is one of them, but it's kinda hard to show that stuff off considering the nature of spoilers, temporary work, and the fact that it's just words, so it's not the most exciting thing to look at.

Elayne Beaumont

The prototype comic is not considered canon and will have no impact on the events of the upcoming story. It served to simply communicate the basic idea, and was simplistic in doing so. However, I hope to explore some of those concepts with more depth than before.

This new story should be much more faithful to the originally intended tone.

• Atmosphere should be dark & moody.
• Utilize sexual imagery much more liberally.
• Slower pace, allow the narrative to breathe.

While I won't share my outline with you, I can tell you some of the things I have in mind right now. The prototype didn't offer the viewer much of an opportunity to reflect and think about the characters and its world, and this is something I hope to do differently with the next story. Here are some of my early plans for that story:

• Introduce Elayne. Be mindful of her character & conflicts.
• Explore the concept of Hunters as an actual profession.
• Introduce a brief history of Witches for narrative context.

Additionally, Amaranth should not be featured in Elayne's story. He should have his own story so that we can explore his character without having to serve Elayne's while doing so. Which means that instead of having a single upcoming story, there should be 2. Portions of both stories have already been outlined, but further development is required.

Legend of Zelda

I've previously considered separating the story into multiple parts or books. Each book can have its own narrative arc, allowing us to approach the storytelling bit by bit, with each story culminating in the completion of a "micro" goal. I've already got an idea for the basic narrative of the first book.

Book 1:

• Start with Link leaving Calatia for Hyrule in search of the Triforce.
• End with Link confronting Aghanim, who is in control of Hyrule Castle.

Link's journey to defeat Ganon is very overwhelming, and it's easy to get lost on the way there. By focusing on smaller arcs, we can slowly progress towards the final goal. 

This way we can go through an entire story cycle without having to reach the end to receive the same kind of emotional pay off and character development. The specifics of the story can be explored in greater detail during a future Concept art post after I've had more time to develop it.

Upcoming Concept Art Post

I've been casually developing two separate posts, with one containing familiar subject matter, and the other being much newer and experimental. I expect both concepts to be on the shorter side, but I think it'd be cool if I could get both out. Anyway, here are some of the ideas that would be expressed in those posts.

• Some design work on Amaranth.
• A bit of history & lore for Beaumont-verse.
• A separate idea, perhaps a game project for Dreams.

Speaking of which, Dreams is releasing tomorrow, on the 14th. Perhaps you'll be interested in getting it, if that's up your alley.

Anyway, that's probably enough for now. Thanks for your support.

Don't forget to eat & sleep.