Kaze wa mirai ni fuku

 

I didn't watch Trigun when it aired on Adult Swim but I distinctly remember the ending sequence with its depressing post-apocalyptic imagery and eerie singing. The mood was jarringly different from what bits and pieces I saw of the actual show.

Louis Wain, Mario 64, Dante's Inferno

 I've been having fun messing around with Craiyon. This set of images is by far my favorite.

Berserk cinematography value studies

 

Cathedral vase

 

I've been struggling to finish artworks lately just because life gets in the way. I started this idea back in May and made very slow on-and-off progress. Finally finished it the other day at long last!

The idea was inspired by certain a Louis Wain artwork that I'm fond of. One particular detail that I appreciated was a green vase of flowers next to the cat, the container of which reminded me of gothic architecture. 

The artwork turned out very different from my initial vision and what inspired it to begin with. Thinking of this artwork as an iteration makes it easier for me to accept the results and move on.

You were just tired

 

Colored one of the cinematography value studies. Now that I've completed the show it's nice to know what that line meant. Very cryptic.

Nature photo studies

 

Rapunzel WIP

 

Work-in-progress for Rapunzel. I'm just not getting around to finishing it. Started writing about it back in April. Thumbnailed it in May. Sketched in July. Fine-tuned sketch in August. On time to be completed by January 2025!

Sleeping Bear Dunes

 

Iterative Thumbnails

I’m really trying to be better with my time management skills and actually carrying out my ideas. There’s just too much to work on, and too little time. 

The process:

• Brainstorm an idea
• Type up the document
• Make a collage
• Keep the collage up for reference
• Set a timer for 5 minutes and make a thumbnail value study

It can be whatever comes to mind, no matter how good or bad it looks. All that matters is that you stick with it for those 5 minutes, then you can move on to the next iteration. What worked? What didn’t work? In the next iteration, fix problems that stand out, and exaggerate features that should be more prominent. Good ideas hardly come easily. Just like with a friendship or a new skill, you need to stick around and put in the effort. Timing myself for 5 minutes has helped me stay focused on the task, instead of my usual habit of giving up and hastily moving on. 

There is no limit on the amount of thumbnails that can be done. It’s a game of trial and error. Each iteration can be unique - it’s okay to start over if something’s not working out on a fundamental level. Eventually I’ll stick with an overall composition that I like, and tweak it.

The visual documentation makes me feel more productive than if I just erased each iteration as I am normally wont to do. It’s nice to have a documented journey from draft to final design.  

I like to write about my WIPs to evaluate my progress up to that point. It’s like studying your unfinished painting in between studio sessions. When you don’t have the paintbrush in your hand, you evaluate the artwork differently, as if viewing it from an outsider’s perspective. Things cannot be fixed in this state, making the mistakes stand out more. This provides valuable insight that could have otherwise been easily missed. Plus, it gives me something to look forward to!

Thoughts for future thumbnail sessions
If I’m tweaking the same composition, maybe I could redraw it every time just to get a better feel for the grand overall design. I’m trying to limit everything to distinct forms and values to make it easier to read. 

For my Trigun: Red Shimmer art idea, I did almost 20 thumbnail iterations. Eventually I settled on one that I liked and colored it. Moving forward, here is what I’m hoping to do next:

• Upsize the image again and redraw the entire sketch with more definition.
• Recolor the artwork entirely, using the original colored sketch as a guide. That way, it’ll prevent me from overworking the design.
• I can continue tweaking the design along the way, hopefully without making any unexpected major changes.
• If I decide to keep thumbnailing, I can do research in between sessions to find images that better portray what I’m trying to capture. In-between inspiration. 

Red Shimmer (Trigun)

Red Shimmer (Trigun)

What this idea means to me

• Vash is the Red Shimmer. 

• He is like an elusive mirage in the desert that is sought by many, but caught by none.

• The mysterious man in the red coat is mysterious and unreachable, much like his lofty ideals that the coat symbolizes.

• He is only known through rumors and secondhand information. 

• The actual man is mysterious and elusive. Nobody knows what to look for.

• By the time people realize it was him, he’s already gone.

• This idea was originally meant for my OC Apollow but I feel this could be highly applicable to Trigun as well. Part of why I loved Trigun is because Vash encapsulates so many of my favorite character tropes. 

• Song comes from Akiko Shikata. I believe it is from the Hanakisou soundtrack but I’m not sure which version (it was released for PC, PSP, and PS2)

Brainstorming thoughts

• Imagine that you’re spotting Vash through a spyglass telescope.

• I’m imagining a very blurry picture or impression of Vash. You can only make out a fuzzy red figure in the distance, but none of the details. 

• Unlike my OC version of this idea, Vash would be more prominent since he is the literal red shimmer. He’s still too far away to get a good look, but he would take up more of the frame.

Visual inspiration

• Artist: Andatsea

• Best example: Pink dunes

• Magical and surreal worlds

• Very background/scenery oriented

• Gorgeous color choice

• Dramatic lighting

• Heavy focus on shape and composition

• Trigun OP

• Reflective glow on gun

• Ominous figure approaching viewer

• Glowing sunglasses

• Serious expression; he looks very cool

• Long focal length

• Trigun ED

• Eerie post apocalyptic scenery 

• Strange, massive ruins in the distance

• Blowing winds

Suggested Elements

1. Vash the Stampede!

1. Coat blowing in wind

2. Desert rags

3. Facing forward

4. Glowing sunglasses

5. Heat distortion obscures detail

6. Reflective glow on gun

7. Serious, intense expression

8. Shimmering silhouette

9. Wind-swept figure

10. Vague and fuzzy

2. Setting

1. Endless horizon

2. Deep blue sky

3. Double suns

4. Dust clouds and blowing sands

5. Glittering particles

6. Heat shimmer

7. Heavy boulders

8. Massive ruins far off in the distance

9. Red sky

10. Red sunset

11. Ruins

12. Sharp rocks

13. Stark white desert

14. Triple moons

3. Composition

1. Horizontal orientation

2. Long focal length (i.e. viewing him from very far away)

3. Red and purple hues

 

Dodge reflection

 

Window

 

Cathedral vase WIP

 Something I've been slowly working on. I have a general vision of where I want to take this but as far as color goes I'm just making it up along the way. Who knows how the end result will look! And who knows when I'll actually finish this thing!

I debated if I wanted the tower and peony to overlap or not. After some experimentation and various second opinions I've decided to keep the overlap.

Sleeping bear dunes

August check-in

My July was okay. I had to stay with my parents for almost 2 weeks because covid finally caught up to my sister, the nasty new variant too. Thankfully she's doing a lot better now, just has a residual cough. She's already back to her art business stuff so I'd say she's doing just fine. It was nice spending time with my parents even though I missed my cats. 

During those two weeks I went to the zoo with my bestie and took some good photos with my camera. It has a really nice zoom! Another highlight is that I started watching the Trigun anime. I've never watched it before other than seeing random bits on Adult Swim way back in the day. And.... wow. This show is incredible. I've been doing a lot of writing this month because it helps me appreciate the story better. 

Art-wise, I've been doing lots of practice with mini photo studies. I'm trying to do more interesting things with my art and experiment with color and style.