Zub Tales

Gal kicked me in the head on Friday when she correctly pointed out that I was procrastinating on artwork for the Exalted card game. I was so wrapped up in managing the rest of the crew, teaching, running around and video games that I was slowly slipping behind on my own deadlines.

Every so often it’s good to get your ass kicked like that, get up and energize yourself. So I set goals over the weekend and met them, tearing into more art roughs and coloring other pics I’d finished drawing. I really took my time to color up a pic I did of the Exalted equivalent of a Goblin (the Fae Hobgoblin) and it came together really well. One of the best things I’ve colored.

Then tonight, a really good drawing groove…

Back at Aurenya, Nick and Omar used to drill me on my quality of drawing. My lines weren’t precise enough, I wasn’t thinking when I laid down form and detail. I would argue and go back into my shell, wondering if I’d ever improve…sometimes I’d go over a week without practicing drawing at all, stupidly.

Sometimes I get a good drawing and I feel like I’m headed in the right direction. Usually my skills waffle back to their old mistakes.

Tonight though, I really felt like it clicked with the two characters I drew and I think I can make it click again more consistently. My quality of line is improving and my understanding of line and form is moving forward…strange that I’m stepping back and seeing it now.

Confident, fine lines instead of my usual hesitant, shivered and feathered shapes. Angles with curves and strong overlaps instead of easy angles and blobby soft shapes. Looks like someone else drew it. Somebody good 🙂

The ultimate irony is that I can’t show any of you this stuff. White Wolf has got a lockdown on this artwork until they start advertising the Exalted card game. As proud as I am of the work, it stays under wraps for now. *sigh*

But the pics are here in front of me. Maybe I’ll look at them tomorrow and see mistakes, but for now, they look good and that’s worth recording here.