longestdistance: 2012

July 13, 2012

Art style restoration: Toshiaki

Date drawn: August 2012

This was done for an art trade.

What do I like about this that I would continue using in my art?

I made special note of this picture because I like the use of textures and ornamentation. The textures are a nice cherry on top. It's a subtle paper-like texture that helps give the artwork a little more oomph. This picture was a good reminder that I should use more textures in my art.
I like the Japanese ornamentation influence. The clouds are represented by thick horizontal bands. I also like the subtle floral patterns on his robes- the white-on-white doesn't stand out much, but it still glistens.
I like the fern-like plants and the fact that they're all slightly different in color and brightness so they don't compete with each other. I like that the design is more ornamental than realistic.
I like the colors used for the giant flowers. Minimal shading with shifting gradients and a texture overlaid on top. The whites are mostly represented by pink hues, and in the shadow they turn blue-purple. I also like the green and blue used for the leaves.
Subtle use of stock images. Probably some Photoshop brushes I downloaded back in the day. I would love to make my own ornamentation graphics that I can use whenever needed.

What didn't work and how would I have done things differently?

I used a letterbox effect, but I wish some objects had popped out of the frame.
Not a fan of the yellow/green shading on his skin and clothing. I would have given his skin more of a pinkish hue, especially for the darker shaded areas.
OMG. Did I forget to color in one of those flowers/leaves? The one by his leg is neon green. I didn't know about Fill Layer back then I guess.
The setting is vague so I'm guessing it was improvised. I want to improvise the things I'm confident in (colors, texture), but plan for things I struggle with, like composition.

Art style restoration: Kan-nah

Art reflection: Kan-nah

Date drawn: August 2012

What do I like about this that I would continue using in my art?

A cutesy kawaii art style
Very thin lineart and soft feeling
The coloring style in general is fairly minimal. Mostly flat colors with soft gradients where needed, and the occasional hard shading used sparingly.
Soft pastel colors that bleed together. Lots of light blue and pink
Hair is light blue but the glow of her skin makes her bangs glow pink. I definitely used the pin light filter when fine-tuning at the very end. I can tell because the lineart in that area is pink.
This was during my blurry eyes phase. Honestly, I still love the look. It’s not everybody’s taste, but it’s certainly mine. I love the soft ethereal effect.
There is a vertical letterbox effect, with some objects extending past the borders to give it a more 3-dimensional effect.

What didn’t work, and how would I have done things differently?

I remember struggling a lot with the backdrop. Eventually I settled for an aesthetic that I’d seen on Pixiv, inspired by the artist Suou. Flat organic patterns with a fringe effect. If I did this again, I would give the plant backdrop more definition.
I would give more emphasis to the dango motif with soft round shapes repeated throughout. Soft round shapes are a visual symbol for soft and cute.

June 1, 2012

Finding my art style: 2012

This is where my coloring style perfected. I was on a roll in 2012. My style has changed a lot since then, and some characteristics have been lost over time. I made a list of the style choices I would like to keep / bring back.