Author Archives: Sam

Looking forward (and back)

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I actually started this drawing before either of the other two. I had BB-8 mostly drawn last month and I’d started on Finn’s outline. I suspect that’s where things went a bit wrong in terms of improvements I was hoping to make.

For christmas I got a Star Wars drawing manual which is what enabled me to draw BB-8 because I basically followed the step by step instructions. With Finn I generated the pose using Adobe Fuse and Unreal Engine (same as I did with my past two pieces). So what did I do differently on this one?

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My two favourite characters from the new trilogy.

#as always I’m not very happy with the face or hair#I am pretty happy with BB-8 though#learning from last time I tried to give Finn’s clothes more texture

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I’ve reached the part of my Star Wars drawing where I need to decide how to finish it. Do all the shading/textures etc. and this is the part where I usually screw it up. It’s a bit like a story in idea form right now, so much potential and then you start locking it in /sigh

One step forward, two steps back

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I’d had the bare bones of this Valentines drawing started before I did the last piece (my Fitzsimmons comic). Still there was plenty of scope to apply the lessons I’d learned and #1 was don’t mix styles.

So as you can see there’s lines around the hair.

I think some things on this came out well. I’m pleased with the shading on some of Belle’s skin, I think Gold’s collar looks ok and I like the hand that is placed on her side (apart from the fact that it looks like it’s floating). The biggest success with this was the faces. I looked for tips on YouTube and then I drew the faces by eye. It’s not perfect but it looks loads more like Belle and Gold than last weeks Fitz and Simmons attempt.

Ultimately it’s not a terrible job but as always there are lessons to be learned.

The angle on this was awkward. It involves foreshortening and again – just like with Gold’s hand – I think I have a floating issue with their extended legs. In fact everything sort of looks like it’s floating – that chocolate box is definitely not grounded. Belle’s hair is too red and Gold’s hair should have more grey in it.

Plus I’m still kinda mixing styles. I didn’t think I was until I thought about it after it was completed. The digital painting which gives the shading doesn’t really match with the solid lines. I should really have chosen whether it was a digital painting or cartoon/comic book style.

The biggest takeaway from this though is materials/textures. I used the same painting/shading technique on everything and it’s alright but it kinda looks too polished. I struggled particularly with Gold’s feet (in the socks), though some of that was down to the awkward angle.

My next piece is going to be Finn and BB-8 from Star Wars. I’m going to aim to make that a true digital painting and I’m going to do a deep-dive on YouTube for how to differentiate materials. After that I think I’m going to scream into reverse and try and do a true comic book style, as I have another comic to draw.

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Blind taste-testing at home on Valentines day.

Drawn for @a-monthly-rumbelling​ in February. The Prompt was Love Letter, Candy Hearts, Chocolate, Roses, Blind Date.

#I also learned from the fitzsimmon piece more about doing faces#I learned not to mix styles from my last fitzsimmons piece hence the lines around the hair#I think this might look a bit like Belle and Gold and I did it by eye – a first for me#I was so unhappy with how fitz and simmons came out I did a deep dive on YouTube for tips#socks are impossible note to self not to do that again

Why the name change? Will you still remain in the Rumbelle fandom?

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I’m going to be 100% honest here and I apologise for the length of the reply. Although heh if you know anything about me, you’ll know I’m not very good at brevity *rolls eyes at self*

Why the name change?
This was my first tumblr, I’d never had anything like it before. I kinda missed the whole LJ thing or MySpace or whatever else people used before tumblr. I’d been out of fandom for years and the online ‘handle’ that I’d had back then I’d picked when I was 11 so it was kinda dumb heh.

So basically I didn’t have a clue what to call myself on here. I’ve had the domain still-searching since 2005 and 47 is my favourite number. It wasn’t linked to any particular fandom which suited me because I love many different things. I went with it and figured I would never change it. The URL was my identity and that was that.

BUT then I saw this aesthetic (which I should probably reblog again, I love it!) and space pirates started echoing around in my mind. Sci-fi is very close to my heart, Stargate will always be my first love and when I found out galactic-pirates was available I just couldn’t help myself.

If I’d had the brainwave back in May 2016 I would have been galactic-pirates from the beginning 🙂

Will I still remain in the Rumbelle fandom?
Absolutely!

Now I could leave it at that (and probably should, shut up Sam) but I feel like explaining a bit.

I used to be a lot more active than I am now. My relative inactivity isn’t because I’m moving away from the Rumbelle fandom, it’s because I’m trying to improve my life and change is hard.

I’ve gone back to uni, I’m experimenting with new creative things, I’ve joined a comic book club (hopefully our comic book will be published this Easter!) and not going to lie my mental health is kicking my arse – like I said change is hard. It’s kinda one step forward, two steps back.

I haven’t written in ages because writing is the most important thing in the world to me and is consequently utterly terrifying. Uni is also terrifying and comes first and it takes all my “do this scary thing” willpower and I got nothing left.

Basically the only writing deadlines/demands are self-imposed ones. I HAVE to do uni but writing I can let slide. I don’t want to! But I can only cope with so much, and I’m struggling to cope as it is. Fandom is way down at the bottom of the list and it has to be something I enjoy.

Don’t get me wrong I do love Rumbelle – like I said I’m not going anywhere – but I used to be pretty Rumbelle-centric and now I’m going to branch out. I’m going to do what I feel like because this is my place to relax. I just did a Fitzsimmons exchange, that was nice. It was also stressful because I didn’t think I was going to finish and then I had to rush and wasn’t happy with the result.

I don’t think I’ll do anymore exchanges BUT I’m working on something for the February AMR, it was supposed to be for Fluffapalooza as well but I didn’t finish it in time. So that’s for Rumbelle and will be the next thing I post. Also in the works I have a Star Wars art project which will probably be after that.

With fandom participation I have loaded my kindle up with rumbelle fic which I read on the bus when I can concentrate to do so. Every now and then (when I remember) I do a search for Rumbelleedits and add them to my queue. There’s a Rumbelle appreciation week going on so I expect my queue will be dominated by rumbelle again soon 🙂

So yeah I hope that makes sense. TLDR – not going anywhere.

still-searching47  >>  galactic-pirates

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theoneandonlylittlebird:

I was afraid I wouldn’t figure out who this person was… that I’d never find this post. I’d have been sad indeed if you’d disappeared and I never knew you were still here. PHEW!

I’m sorry

if it helps I’d be annoyed with me too hehe. I’m really a big hypocrite with this because I’m easily confused, I get utterly befuddled when people change their avatars, let alone the names. At christmas a couple of people I followed used the same avatar and my brain really didn’t like it. So I utterly sympathise!

Anyway I have a “formerly” in my blog description and I’m going to reblog this a few times over the next few days. Plus I’m still my weird self so there’s that 🙂