Sketches - "Chandra"

Now that I finally have an opportunity to work on personal art, I've decided to start doing more exercises. I really want to spend some time on technique, and try to examine where I need work. I decided to begin with some character work, and picked Chandra as my subject.

I hadn't done much with the character since I designed her a couple months ago, so I wanted to try to explore her personality with some studies. Her clothes, jewelry, and makeup reflect the culture she's grown up in, and I felt her movements should, as well. Unlike her mother who's usually standing straight, I chose a lot of crouching poses. Mom is also used to chairs, while Chandra just sits on the ground.

The original photo references come from some super-cool folks on deviantART: SenshiStock,  Kirilee, Gesastock, Reference-Poses, and DrunkHobo-Stock.

Great anatomy references!

I just found an awesome blog post to share with everyone. It's a photo collection of athletes--male and female--that shows a huge range of diversity in body types. This is a really great reference that artists can use to compare and contrast different physiques. As the blog author notes, it's easy to fall into drawing athletic characters the same, but a swimmer doesn't look like a weight-lifter. These photos are a great way to avoid that, and make your characters more unique.

Check it out here.



Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and best wishes to those who don't.