tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242442402024-03-19T21:03:49.594+08:00Out of Darkness"Out of darkness, yet shall I follow a path of greater darkness. From the mountain crest, far-off moon, give me light." - Izumi ShikibuAntarel Nefertilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966615837850036261noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24244240.post-41196903786939429192013-02-17T00:31:00.000+08:002013-02-17T00:31:08.604+08:00Senbazuru In the Making<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OnUYUCuelG02G8bX8qIAFpTvCrfDcDedphdVW-PX8bdOSsPtudVKbrSzp_7gdzUm2uZA6AbyUdUvMVG8xvNp3gC6KTE4GaIfibeMwRmG6P_H-jhbpCxtQNP3IyWJLJKgibv9/s1600/fractalGreeting.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OnUYUCuelG02G8bX8qIAFpTvCrfDcDedphdVW-PX8bdOSsPtudVKbrSzp_7gdzUm2uZA6AbyUdUvMVG8xvNp3gC6KTE4GaIfibeMwRmG6P_H-jhbpCxtQNP3IyWJLJKgibv9/s400/fractalGreeting.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Would you believe this was supposed to be a <a href="http://antarel.deviantart.com/art/Wherever-the-wind-may-take-us-354406999" target="_blank">V-day artwork</a>? :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Valentine's Day 2013, admittedly, was the first time I awoke on that holiday not as a single lady. Since I was not exactly experienced when it came to giving presents to a significant other, I just decided to play by my strengths and go creative. What I decided on? Senbazuru. One thousand paper cranes to you and me.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibYAFH7dEhca7pBHZ_Mk7aNxJIecFunkC1MWsgJbfs9SgrMqE7qfZ4_-troPt8TXnPqUvr8nr0fFAIZtl4mHKDe4WfjFHL6PjG-C0pT8UOQCsRmP9oDl02ZbnWTed7yLVRLSYC/s1600/Senbazuru1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibYAFH7dEhca7pBHZ_Mk7aNxJIecFunkC1MWsgJbfs9SgrMqE7qfZ4_-troPt8TXnPqUvr8nr0fFAIZtl4mHKDe4WfjFHL6PjG-C0pT8UOQCsRmP9oDl02ZbnWTed7yLVRLSYC/s320/Senbazuru1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Know your enemy. Prepare ammo.</td></tr>
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Instead of buying pre-cut square post-its, I opted to just cut the squares myself. Dimensions: slightly smaller than 3x3 in (fitted 12 squares on standard size). Why sacrifice the convenience of using pre-cut paper? Two reasons:<div>
<ol>
<li>Post-it would cost more than double the price of using non-cut paper</li>
<li>The available post-it colors are in neon shades (I saw pink, yellow, green, orange, and blue variants). I wanted to be in control of the colors I'm using, and honestly, I am not too fond of neon colors -- and neither is my significant other.</li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><u>Trivia:</u> I based the color scheme on the actual colors of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-crowned_Crane" target="_blank">red-crowned crane</a>, and it was only later that I noticed they were t'nalak colors (sans the blue). I love those textiles, really.</span></div>
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<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9F9ceOUlNzisG9q7p1q_YiWHtrhf2Q57RgFOGVyStOUgxSoy2csp1ieBYyJWsoFh8pombYyKU6adoJTXFl_4_WKaA9ND5AQRmAi5rJP0qmilZgo7TAVqLpWjV4083FUAfE5Bv/s1600/Senbazuru2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9F9ceOUlNzisG9q7p1q_YiWHtrhf2Q57RgFOGVyStOUgxSoy2csp1ieBYyJWsoFh8pombYyKU6adoJTXFl_4_WKaA9ND5AQRmAi5rJP0qmilZgo7TAVqLpWjV4083FUAfE5Bv/s320/Senbazuru2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Multiply each by 25</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There are lots of online instructions on how to fold a traditional paper crane, so I won't elaborate on it here. Of course, I would end up killing my hands and my sanity (among others) if I attempted to fold 1000 cranes in one day, so I distributed their making into a 50-day period with 20 cranes per day. Stringing them together, give-or-take less than one week.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRhj2jBJlSwj7y0qr6_SHp9CDF8uyaD2TRp3YTg2t_2GZJWTYLUmOJ7zefWE_RYB6rG30PJXW7HFlvUvGlta8qNm3mUQFkAPfKjHcqT5-hf12oGTaycWZPGXSoi54Ck5jjib3/s1600/Senbazuru3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRhj2jBJlSwj7y0qr6_SHp9CDF8uyaD2TRp3YTg2t_2GZJWTYLUmOJ7zefWE_RYB6rG30PJXW7HFlvUvGlta8qNm3mUQFkAPfKjHcqT5-hf12oGTaycWZPGXSoi54Ck5jjib3/s320/Senbazuru3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skewering them together, 40 cranes per string</td></tr>
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Man, this step hurt my fingers and eyes more than the crane folding. I have no callouses to guard against needles, so I had to pad my digits with cloth if the needle became too difficult to pull. And I made the mistake of not using a threader, so I crossed my eyes more than once trying to make the crochet thread go through the tiny needle hole. I love arts and crafts, but needlework is something I still have difficulty doing.</div>
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<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiITUIeN3emRzwTD4k1Uwxjzs7X3hoFsHkImQthco7kBIicpcKzonRZNLe-OeXm1__ahIJGuc-X03eGL110yuCvjtS8Y_FmVcIvjlELTFaV47cvLJE4FFpCGx31r5BsDcHqR9QH/s1600/Senbazuru4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiITUIeN3emRzwTD4k1Uwxjzs7X3hoFsHkImQthco7kBIicpcKzonRZNLe-OeXm1__ahIJGuc-X03eGL110yuCvjtS8Y_FmVcIvjlELTFaV47cvLJE4FFpCGx31r5BsDcHqR9QH/s320/Senbazuru4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prior to bunching them together</td></tr>
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</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ckXgTmI3oVIQYxIoQUVAc7X0nag9O5VgRJiSBkMYQM9OBezdhSlx2U5A_U1pWXWSeaB-J6CtF7Pg7jOEXn7DLmeH0ZgRIzWZzg0fWGL-DMdKtc4nra1cWtkPxHyE-2k73hIX/s1600/Senbazuru5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ckXgTmI3oVIQYxIoQUVAc7X0nag9O5VgRJiSBkMYQM9OBezdhSlx2U5A_U1pWXWSeaB-J6CtF7Pg7jOEXn7DLmeH0ZgRIzWZzg0fWGL-DMdKtc4nra1cWtkPxHyE-2k73hIX/s320/Senbazuru5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If only I got to maintain the straightness of the pattern when I knotted the threads together. Alas, I ended up getting zigzags in the final version. I also wasn't able to take a picture of the threaded cranes hanging, so pardon me. At least I finished them before my scheduled deadline, and they have already changed ownership as of a few hours ago.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Did I wish for anything after completing the project? Yes, I did. But no way am I divulging my wish here. ;)</span></div>
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Antarel Nefertilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966615837850036261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24244240.post-53306963418915766352013-01-24T12:00:00.000+08:002013-01-24T12:18:40.169+08:00"Calm Skies" - Some Reflections<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii64DYsS-nulB2R8OnbRdaUcM-6KeW_JE77-GK-6Je5v8q2q6dbw2TaWaJ7lii-touVkir-GwLN6culgZsfqUgQboZiuembJPiNdS1xYF-c3pCH8iETX46ZB5cSz2ZDsj60aWV/s1600/preview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii64DYsS-nulB2R8OnbRdaUcM-6KeW_JE77-GK-6Je5v8q2q6dbw2TaWaJ7lii-touVkir-GwLN6culgZsfqUgQboZiuembJPiNdS1xYF-c3pCH8iETX46ZB5cSz2ZDsj60aWV/s400/preview.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A section of the artwork -- links to full version at the end of the post</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Simply put, my original plans for this artwork was quite different. With <a href="http://satevis.sky-song.org/illustrations.php#Death's Candles" target="_blank">Death's Candles</a> out of the way, I was free to do a new piece. It was very easy to return to my often-used female model (my "Kiya"), but I realized that Kouseikei, the current male lead in my artistic universe, had yet to be given a solo artwork of his own. All my other artworks that feature him are either group pieces, or otherwise show him with Kiya.<i> Now </i>was the time to remedy that situation, I thought.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBaNZ-HkTE6809x7sUWgrUxTZidnC7IbQg_x-upQOMMfuH-nvjJGB9cuPa2Wjtz3uuti1l0Fi6ehNhCUPL2IBRYibh0siYEINJfZypPsw4OZXqIzEMBzJYcdNI_tvRf3bl4W40/s1600/wash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBaNZ-HkTE6809x7sUWgrUxTZidnC7IbQg_x-upQOMMfuH-nvjJGB9cuPa2Wjtz3uuti1l0Fi6ehNhCUPL2IBRYibh0siYEINJfZypPsw4OZXqIzEMBzJYcdNI_tvRf3bl4W40/s320/wash.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meh, I still suck at human anatomies :(</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Horrible preliminary sketching/planning aside, the process of its finishing was <i>interesting, </i>to say the least. The time period of its making coincided with some drastic events in my life. For one, the Philippines was being buffeted by the typhoons Saola and Haikui just as I was painting the background of the image.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBYWHDctSDVHPkvusZDHVfHCDUUL0g9HuvqBSXhNmo0Q5j5y8rhJ48RI5TL59UhjiAL8ivvug9oS5a4WbOjgqffrAuNLwBElwqTjxrHA8XceeJf2Cy3YxNYOd0pf7yhNvE94N1/s1600/sketchy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBYWHDctSDVHPkvusZDHVfHCDUUL0g9HuvqBSXhNmo0Q5j5y8rhJ48RI5TL59UhjiAL8ivvug9oS5a4WbOjgqffrAuNLwBElwqTjxrHA8XceeJf2Cy3YxNYOd0pf7yhNvE94N1/s320/sketchy.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At that moment, you can say that the artwork was in itself a prayer for calm skies again.</td></tr>
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I owe Google images and Wikipedia a lot for jump-starting my muse and finding references, definitely. However, the weather wasn't the only significant influence in the artwork. I won't say it in many words, but as I was fleshing out Kouseikei, I made a decision that significantly altered my day-to-day living.<br />
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<i>And</i> made me notice some things I have never seen about him before, with regards to his character.<br />
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Admittedly, I am not too fond of using persons I know of as bases for my characters. I am not saying that my real-life interactions have no influence in how I design or conceptualize my characters (quite the opposite). I just don't like my characters ending up as simply being Ms. or Mr. So-and-so in a different name and look in my artistic universe. (Think of how awkward it could get.) Likewise, Kouseikei was "born" more as a plot necessity and not as a virtual model of a real-life person.<br />
<br />
At least, consciously. Because, if some people who know me by my real name also read about Kouseikei's story, they might find some glaring similarities with his personality and that of someone I know of. Don't worry, "he" has no wings, and neither was he scarred on the cheek and back by his cousin. :)<br />
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View the full artwork <a href="http://satevis.sky-song.org/illustrations.php#Calm Skies" target="_blank">here</a> or <a href="http://antarel.deviantart.com/art/Calm-Skies-350218058" target="_blank">here</a>.Antarel Nefertilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966615837850036261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24244240.post-82260977896949701522012-01-02T10:55:00.001+08:002012-01-02T14:24:55.034+08:00Bringing OCs to LifeIt's finally 2012. I just pray this year will be a better one than the last, in which I was plagued here and there by spells of hopelessness (a bit of which carried over to the new year, I'll admit). But enough of that. Before I return to college a few days from now, I decided to try bringing my OCs to life. Originally, I intended to include every major OC from Starmaiden, but I just realized I hadn't really paid attention to my characters' physical descriptions (excluding the main protagonist). It was like starting from scratch, so I ended up with just Kouseikei and Ashikase instead.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ViSRrmPJ3fc/TwEMNXcybGI/AAAAAAAAAGY/5SKEhncN2K0/s1600/kouseikei.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ViSRrmPJ3fc/TwEMNXcybGI/AAAAAAAAAGY/5SKEhncN2K0/s320/kouseikei.png" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well, it's no wonder Kiya and <i><name withheld to prevent spoilers> </i>fell for you, m'dear</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kouseikei is a favorite of my drawing muse, second only to my gijinka Palkia, who's his eventual mate in my story universe. I guess many can tell that I used Takeshi Kaneshiro as a reference (anyone watched "House of Flying Daggers"?). I mentioned in devART that he's my first major male OC in <i>years, </i>so it's no wonder he receives a lot of attention from my muses.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-viH0NiSp1t4/TwEMPrukueI/AAAAAAAAAGg/ekkRVmWccMo/s1600/ashikase.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-viH0NiSp1t4/TwEMPrukueI/AAAAAAAAAGg/ekkRVmWccMo/s320/ashikase.png" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ashikase, "drunk" version (hehehe)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Well, after 12 Starmaiden chapters, Ashikase finally gets his looks fleshed out! The de facto antagonist of the story, this guy was a pain in the ass to draw (well, he <i>is </i>a pain in Kouseikei's ass). My muse doesn't like him much either (both writing AND drawing), probably because I hardly consider him to be anything more than a perfect foil to Kouseikei. This is such a shame, because his family past was more delved upon than Kousei's, and was admittedly soppy enough to land a place in a soap opera plot. *snickers*<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">And since I already spoiled this little detail in DA, might as way say it here: Ashikase and Kouseikei are third cousins, sharing one set of great-great-grandparents (although Ashikase was never aware of it, and Kouseikei only found it out much later on). The father of Kouseikei's paternal grandmother was the brother of the father of Ashikase's maternal grandfather. Good luck figuring that out.</span><br />
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Similar to what I did for Kousei, I looked at pictures of various famous personalities to somehow jump-start my muse. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anyone who struck me as "Ashikase" enough, although I did temporarily consider Shin Koyamada, Zo In Sung, and Seiichi Tanabe. I had to completely redo his looks several times before I finally came up with something passable enough. Urk.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ltIkJPgc3gU/TwFNYH_CVyI/AAAAAAAAAHM/PbQ5oW35JPw/s1600/ashikase_v2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ltIkJPgc3gU/TwFNYH_CVyI/AAAAAAAAAHM/PbQ5oW35JPw/s320/ashikase_v2.png" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ashikase, "slightly more sane" version</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The above pic was just to provide a kind of contrast between Kousei and Ashikase, since the two look decidedly similar with their hair down. As it can be seen, Ashikase favors topknots while Kouseikei prefers low ponytails. I actually had to repeatedly revise his hairstyle, because several times he ended up teetering close to... someone I would rather he not resemble. My muse may not favor Ashikase much, but she's not <i>that </i>evil. *coughs*Antarel Nefertilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966615837850036261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24244240.post-71298768077013761512011-10-31T14:07:00.000+08:002011-10-31T14:13:03.604+08:00Death's Candles ConceptualizationNow that I am no longer fighting my Wacom tablet, I have decided to give my upcoming artwork a thorough revamp. Originally it's entitled <a href="http://kuraki-yori.blogspot.com/2011/06/incoming-tempest-beginnings.html">"The Incoming Tempest,"</a> but now (partly due to Halloween-esque inspiration) it will be "Death's Candles." Now for a preview pic:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHVeLB4nz3HBwHu6_650yW1Amp7KHd6dtBmNVKPKq-Oyg5tRyINCe4N7ayaTjTnnO7jsH0UXQn_bVT2mwEwkJoUbwKPjNwJuPlkeAPudrFlYegUq-cKP8gk7tN8zYoLyQsIQ3-/s1600/tempest_trial.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHVeLB4nz3HBwHu6_650yW1Amp7KHd6dtBmNVKPKq-Oyg5tRyINCe4N7ayaTjTnnO7jsH0UXQn_bVT2mwEwkJoUbwKPjNwJuPlkeAPudrFlYegUq-cKP8gk7tN8zYoLyQsIQ3-/s400/tempest_trial.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to fullview -- you know you want to ;p</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
The change was also to help the artwork be more "Giratina," for lack of better term. In fact, so far this is the closest I have been to the Gira in my mind, physical- and character-wise. Although it's flattering that he has many fangirls in DA (my cousin even point blank said he has more sex appeal than Dialga *coughs*), I am a bit bothered that people may be forgetting that he is first and foremost the Dragon of Shadows, the God of Death. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">And no, his chest doesn't have to be <i>that</i> bare in the final. Still thinking if I am going to give him a necklace or something. :D</span></div>Antarel Nefertilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966615837850036261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24244240.post-17692161210877883352011-10-29T09:09:00.000+08:002011-10-29T09:13:04.608+08:00Wacom PS CS3 Issues - Fixed (sorta)!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">This post was meant to be a follow-up of <a href="http://kuraki-yori.blogspot.com/2011/10/wacom-sensitivity-issues-in-xp.html">an earlier one</a> featuring the same problem.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
Recap: my old CD-R King tablet broke down (specifically, the pen got damaged by a battery leak *cries*), but as a replacement, I got a Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch. Initial testings ran smooth.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjonzzt4RfFNYlhT2sEIszkB45b-H3ULn3AJ_iLJprwH_CB5VnxN-9J6sXNwlAyZ2zIUF6vd2UsFBowgZtzLsJFuv5xPsw3gyV2EycsPUrulw6wT4kEJ35APHaDdHaDJn3B9Pq4/s1600/demo1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjonzzt4RfFNYlhT2sEIszkB45b-H3ULn3AJ_iLJprwH_CB5VnxN-9J6sXNwlAyZ2zIUF6vd2UsFBowgZtzLsJFuv5xPsw3gyV2EycsPUrulw6wT4kEJ35APHaDdHaDJn3B9Pq4/s1600/demo1.png" /></a></div>
<br />
But come a computer reboot:<br />
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Wow, Wacom guys, you would seriously allow yourselves to be beaten by CD-R King (a brand that never gave me this problem throughout their tablet's service)? So off to Google and deviantART forums I surfed for possible solutions, and turns out I am not the only one with the problem.<br />
<br />
Solution #1: Chances are, your tablet drivers are outdated. Download a newer one on the Wacom Customer Help website and see if it does anything good.<br />
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And it did!<br />
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But not always.<br />
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It turns out then, that Photoshop CS3 has this irritating tendency to muck up drivers or something (at least in Windows -- by the looks of it, Mac people have significantly lesser problems like this). I reboot Photoshop and then the problem resolves itself. But it would be just inefficient if I sit down to work and yet I have to keep on rebooting Photoshop until it fixes the sensitivity issue. Whaddamigonnado?<br />
<br />
Solution #2 (for Photoshop [CS3?] users only): Make 'Photoshop CS3 Prefs.psp' read-only.<br />
<br />
Wow, such a simple-sounding solution which I read in this <a href="http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1637560">forum thread</a>. I was skeptical at first, but after following the instructions, it worked sweet as a nut. Well, for a while. Occasionally it still mucks up if there are other programs running when opening Photoshop, but the age-old restart-PS solution fixes it in a jiffy. Oh, 'Photoshop CS3 Prefs.psp' could be difficult to find, so if you are going to follow this solution, I suggest that you refer to <a href="http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/401/kb401600.html">this site</a> if you can't find it (make sure to show all hidden folders first).<br />
<br />
The downside of this solution would be that you would have to remove the read-only setting manually if you wish to update your preferences (my case: updating the 'recently opened' file list for easy reference). I have actually decided to just keep the preferences file setting in its original state because it's hindering my working style. Guess I will just settle with the restart-PS solution and be a good girl who does not open any additional programs while PS is in the process of settling down.<br />
<br />
Now here are what I have gleaned from this problem:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The issue arises when Photoshop CS3 competes with other programs when it is just starting. There's a big chance the pen sensitivity will be lost.</li>
<li>On the brighter side, once you are sure that the pen sensitivity is working for a particular Photoshop session, it is quite assured that it will not be lost the whole session. I have played out various scenarios to test this (playing songs in Windows Media Player, typing using a keyboard, using the mouse in between tablet work in and out of Photoshop, surfing the web, etc... all while a particular session is open), and the pen sensitivity remained the entire time.</li>
</ul>
<br />
So does this mean that the problem is perhaps a conflict in starting command calls or something(since the issue pops up only there are other programs conflicting with Photoshop when it's starting)? Woo, at least this is a possible topic for my thesis year.<br />
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Despite all these problems (and having to sleep at 1:30 am in the morning), my reaction to my new Wacom tablet is still this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOQIvO_5DLIs5XUzYUvgGuTysOnwuJyQdvheGPe1mbaTSudkuK848P6fSpycEiIjcQLCfljImZNz3iSBqn9MwBN7KTXVPzuJOrs77KEQMgajCGR3KOySNhKS4cvwFYLQIx__u/s1600/demo5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOQIvO_5DLIs5XUzYUvgGuTysOnwuJyQdvheGPe1mbaTSudkuK848P6fSpycEiIjcQLCfljImZNz3iSBqn9MwBN7KTXVPzuJOrs77KEQMgajCGR3KOySNhKS4cvwFYLQIx__u/s1600/demo5.png" /></a></div>
<br />Antarel Nefertilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966615837850036261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24244240.post-40812196818042842022011-10-28T22:22:00.000+08:002011-10-28T22:22:34.731+08:00Wacom Sensitivity Issues in XPNow, <a href="http://www.wacom.asia/bamboo-tablets/bamboo-pen-and-touch">Wacom Bamboo Touch and Pen</a> is a very nice product. Sleek design, very responsive to pen movements, and good touch sensitivity. All compared to my old (now-busted) CD-R King tablet, of course.<br />
<br />
But amazingly, CD-R King turned to be the winner when it comes to software reliability, if that's the right term. Wacom Bamboo's touch sensitivity worked <i>perfectly </i>fine during my initial testing...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5TmZQnv6uXJd3MNkk0gnS9J3486LltCaT6R7hau-C65lNvRijm6Vmcx0xjQXKOCBSy3V9Se7iYntHXdQipsDL0QrSiLgTEnULDFG6R4PXPGGQsUWpBNn7s5AbLzMTxhWCBXnF/s1600/sensi1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5TmZQnv6uXJd3MNkk0gnS9J3486LltCaT6R7hau-C65lNvRijm6Vmcx0xjQXKOCBSy3V9Se7iYntHXdQipsDL0QrSiLgTEnULDFG6R4PXPGGQsUWpBNn7s5AbLzMTxhWCBXnF/s1600/sensi1.png" /></a></div>
<br />
But after a computer reboot...<br />
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It's all blocky again, as though I'm using a good ol' mouse! I never had this problem with my old dilapidated tablet, but does that mean Wacom now has to go back to the store (a damn waste of Php6000)? No way am I giving up without a fight! A few searches on Google -- any troubleshooter's best friend -- narrowed down my problem to this (AND it turns out this is a very common problem especially for Windows users): outdated <a href="http://www.wacom.asia/tablet-drivers?tid_1=9&tid=48">tablet driver files</a>. A download from the Wacom website's customer care service, and it solved the problem!<br />
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<br />
Well, almost. (And I've got to be thankful that being a sci-tech major causes me to have a high tolerance of these technical troubleshooting stuff.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI4lS16XSYHamO2h1ED5YPyU6ISTh8mNqteyVhl8Se7HtL7fR0sS5DPdlQ7rYMj3WF3u2vaLRXXBkn1X0aeYaAy7TspdQUTWGvcAVWMCYyHDtUhhbicBDnWL7tkgbZvB-nVNui/s1600/sensi3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI4lS16XSYHamO2h1ED5YPyU6ISTh8mNqteyVhl8Se7HtL7fR0sS5DPdlQ7rYMj3WF3u2vaLRXXBkn1X0aeYaAy7TspdQUTWGvcAVWMCYyHDtUhhbicBDnWL7tkgbZvB-nVNui/s1600/sensi3.png" /></a></div>
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Now I don't know if this is because I have a separate mouse plugged into another USB port while the tablet is on at the same time, but I think that the basic stress-free (or is it?) solution is this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNTekupleRbiBIhzuKAyFBgQayyGNfP95WuX16ytUlNZJPAI0ZHRyz4-ELfx2qV8y5eOvWoI4jSJ2JSi_g-qBbkRdM0zNrA6jvPaoTCipdK-koy0gVquIP-MYDqKe_sSIDApi/s1600/sensi4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNTekupleRbiBIhzuKAyFBgQayyGNfP95WuX16ytUlNZJPAI0ZHRyz4-ELfx2qV8y5eOvWoI4jSJ2JSi_g-qBbkRdM0zNrA6jvPaoTCipdK-koy0gVquIP-MYDqKe_sSIDApi/s1600/sensi4.png" /></a></div>
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Nonetheless, despite the occasional Photoshop muck-up (it happens ONLY in Photoshop, to my chagrin), my reaction still is best summed up by this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4Vf6j6pBv2oAMrML8zhkxSIhtREhFn9NnaytB6pH8nw3oYLtLVj3Hrunq8hFsPJ7JB6jHHDQm0BgLGGZrWcmvW3oUBZMc0OnjxBn_60czdUexd-MtuT1gP5xnKnJgp-wrx6E/s1600/sensi6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4Vf6j6pBv2oAMrML8zhkxSIhtREhFn9NnaytB6pH8nw3oYLtLVj3Hrunq8hFsPJ7JB6jHHDQm0BgLGGZrWcmvW3oUBZMc0OnjxBn_60czdUexd-MtuT1gP5xnKnJgp-wrx6E/s1600/sensi6.png" /></a></div>Antarel Nefertilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966615837850036261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24244240.post-3268382856902976652011-10-18T14:59:00.000+08:002011-10-18T14:59:35.530+08:00Reflecting on Last Semester<object height="357" width="450"><param name="movie" value="http://backend.deviantart.com/embed/view.swf"><param name="flashvars" value="id=264019154&width=1337"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://backend.deviantart.com/embed/view.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" height="357" flashvars="id=264019154&width=1337" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object><br />
<a href="http://antarel.deviantart.com/art/Last-Semester-in-a-Nutshell-264019154">Last Semester in a Nutshell</a> by ~<a class="u" href="http://antarel.deviantart.com/">Antarel</a> on <a href="http://www.deviantart.com/">deviantART</a><br />
<br />
The above cartoon may seem quite lighthearted, but looking back, I was already reduced to "survival mode" by the time finals week came close to arriving. I'll admit that part of my difficulties was due to a personal blunder I made during enlistment, but either way, I think that the year before my thesis will really be the most difficult throughout my college stay. There came a point when I simply cut off all means of communication from the rest of the world because I badly needed sleep. I don't want to abandon my groupmates to their fate, but a person could only take so much. I guess that if not for my part-time job, I would have cracked a long time ago.<br />
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Ironically, though, I didn't shed too many tears over academics this semester (and when I did, it was only for one non-major subject) because I am already happy where I am. Recalling how often I cried during my last semester in BS Computer Engineering before I finally had enough and chose to shift, it's really a huge contrast.Antarel Nefertilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966615837850036261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24244240.post-58690828484842469242011-07-28T19:28:00.001+08:002011-07-28T20:24:57.580+08:00Incoming Tempest Update 01<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Gee, is it coincidental that I get more psyched up to continue this artwork when there's a storm buffeting the Philippines?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUc6htpkaIl0yLz4agpMvMWCY8IVRJ1cwQrIfnzjmZ544en4gPCGKFCGU_dhjWP2zzUTcUzLTW9Wmpt2aOT71wLJJtvdQG0rylgd-WXb8VWUZ6H2p1p_WbptapQZ95N6XqdL7/s1600/grayscale.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUc6htpkaIl0yLz4agpMvMWCY8IVRJ1cwQrIfnzjmZ544en4gPCGKFCGU_dhjWP2zzUTcUzLTW9Wmpt2aOT71wLJJtvdQG0rylgd-WXb8VWUZ6H2p1p_WbptapQZ95N6XqdL7/s1600/grayscale.png" /></a></div><br />
His expression is probably more intense than what the original sketch implies, IMO. And somehow, if this in-progress work is the only basis, methinks he bears more resemblances with Kiya than Dia does (dunno... the hair perhaps?).Antarel Nefertilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966615837850036261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24244240.post-69189993791008356522011-07-10T20:17:00.002+08:002011-07-12T16:49:39.383+08:00Bubble 'Mence<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWAS7YW1suE6F1a7ukRQNNhbtjbmxx_dsok39Yn4YED3zotXHbjvRuIoXDhb46S8AXq1G1E8jxDXlKf1Lmj5um3YqUY1zO_lCLGEzDVbw4iw66xVwROzKsOvAJ7bJ1W76F1b5/s1600/Salamence.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWAS7YW1suE6F1a7ukRQNNhbtjbmxx_dsok39Yn4YED3zotXHbjvRuIoXDhb46S8AXq1G1E8jxDXlKf1Lmj5um3YqUY1zO_lCLGEzDVbw4iw66xVwROzKsOvAJ7bJ1W76F1b5/s1600/Salamence.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Sketchy Salamence With A Heart...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Woo, I figured it's time to hone my pixel art-drawing skills because I would need it sooner or later in my Interactive Multimedia track (read: game dev). I obviously need practice, but at least it's a good start.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Note: I actually used <a href="http://antarel.deviantart.com/art/A-Salamence-stole-her-heart-161754619">a previous artwork</a> as reference because I didn't want to start from scratch. Heh.</span>Antarel Nefertilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966615837850036261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24244240.post-21209084363664038402011-06-25T11:24:00.003+08:002011-06-26T06:54:45.129+08:00The Incoming Tempest - BeginningsThe Philippines is being buffeted by the typhoon Falcon as I am writing this entry. Heck, a tornado even formed at the part of the National Capital Region right smack where some relatives are living, and they had to call the fire department to remove the trees that have been uprooted in their property. As far as I know, this was the first time in <i>my </i>living memory that a tornado formed there. Signs of the times, indeed. I've got to be thankful that we are still all right where we are staying.<br />
<br />
So, you can say that this calamity also rather influenced the sketch of what will be my next project. Actually, the sketch wasn't the only thing I drew. I pretty much put to pencil most of the vital characters in Starmaiden (even those that have yet to make an appearance), in an effort to pull myself together after suffering from a little emotional breakdown. Don't worry, it's nothing too serious. Just the matter of not getting enough sleep and suddenly being given four chapters of Plato's <i>the Republic </i>to read, annotate, <i>and </i>highlight for the weekend. (And I actually managed to read it all and understand the main points, after I took a good restful sleep.)<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh495yYw1Y-e0ZmIx7h1gCl5U9WT2YZc-UtwbvfWHeD6fUqTRHYXMlyStTzU1iTgYBM7SiccDlVrfudA2JBG7i0CLU5vpuF76uv2L3gAeZLA1dhvREwxx6lZN0WmFIrOtO5chsm/s1600/tempest_small_mod.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh495yYw1Y-e0ZmIx7h1gCl5U9WT2YZc-UtwbvfWHeD6fUqTRHYXMlyStTzU1iTgYBM7SiccDlVrfudA2JBG7i0CLU5vpuF76uv2L3gAeZLA1dhvREwxx6lZN0WmFIrOtO5chsm/s1600/tempest_small_mod.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*gasp* Giratina, is that YOU?! Drawn right on Paulo Freire's essay <i>The "Banking" Concept of Education</i> from many semesters ago.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Ah, a great fan-favorite, Lord Gira is. Any female watcher of mine would most likely recognize him. *coughs* But your eyes are not deceiving you. That's my human-form Giratina, like never you have seen him before. Some of his fans (read: my cousin) have been pestering me to draw him again. Thankfully my muse was in a good mood (and yeah, I wanted to get back to my other characters after drawing EltaninShipping for two artworks in a row). I intend to use the same style I did with <a href="http://antarel.deviantart.com/art/Magnolia-Metamorphosis-204462255">Magnolia Metamorphosis</a> with this one, except that the no-stock-image personal rule still holds. Stay tuned, everyone, and please pray for those affected by the typhoon.Antarel Nefertilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966615837850036261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24244240.post-83094906089713762482011-06-12T11:02:00.001+08:002011-06-12T11:46:12.591+08:00Entropy Paradox: Post-artwork Evaluation<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>“Scientists have often been baffled by the existence of spontaneous order in the universe. The laws of thermodynamics seem to dictate the opposite, that nature should inexorably degenerate toward a state of greater disorder, greater entropy. Yet all around us we see magnificent structures—galaxies, cells, ecosystems, human beings—that have all somehow managed to assemble themselves.”</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>- Steven Strogatz</i></span></div><br />
"Entropy Paradox" is perhaps one of the most (if not the most) geeky artworks I have ever drawn, if one takes into consideration the science that inspired it. Well, just look at the title, for heaven's sake. I do admit, though, that I fared better in Chemistry and Biology than in Physics, and the irony of it is that I enjoy Quantum Mechanics and Relativity more than I enjoy the Newtonian stuff. Heh. But enough of that.<br />
<br />
I did mention two blog posts earlier that I intended to stick with two objectives in this artwork: <b>[1]</b> no stock images, and <b>[2]</b> stay true to the original sketch. Sticking with <b>[1]</b> was a success. Apart from the fractals, which were rendered with the aid of <a href="http://www.apophysis.org/">Apophysis</a>, everything was pretty much drawn by hand or using paths. As for <b>[2]</b>, compare the two images below and judge for yourself.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Ikxvb6I8BDguzh8ylfKknbxyxteVA8_YINwYgdRDOlPIAut3uU-EVCZu0fqFOyw3ZgsRKzEpFF_5lvWofoC6LAbAmK0O_ggqXmjr3KJWCypDGMQM59OCklgGPFsJre45hrdq/s1600/finalized.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Ikxvb6I8BDguzh8ylfKknbxyxteVA8_YINwYgdRDOlPIAut3uU-EVCZu0fqFOyw3ZgsRKzEpFF_5lvWofoC6LAbAmK0O_ggqXmjr3KJWCypDGMQM59OCklgGPFsJre45hrdq/s400/finalized.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://antarel.deviantart.com/art/Entropy-Paradox-212767432">DevART version</a> is a lot better, but it's concealed behind a mature tag.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXmPNJHW5as1FFYYJDMNnoAg4szoNT2FdCD0XmbmxfZ2GStF7jdWYApQbX2TDTQRU9u0Dj4UZ_o3psTV-Uc9j7q2nl46BNu7VBYl6B72sRwVa1AUcYARtNNpyp89dZVI18md5W/s1600/sketchy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXmPNJHW5as1FFYYJDMNnoAg4szoNT2FdCD0XmbmxfZ2GStF7jdWYApQbX2TDTQRU9u0Dj4UZ_o3psTV-Uc9j7q2nl46BNu7VBYl6B72sRwVa1AUcYARtNNpyp89dZVI18md5W/s400/sketchy.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Minor changes here and there, but it's pretty much the same... right?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Going with the "paradox" theme, I inserted a lot of "contradicting" elements in the artwork. Flat-surface versus depth-oriented, living versus inanimate, flowing versus rigid... you find it. But the main contradiction was perhaps... well, <b>order versus disorder</b>. After all, that's what the physics is all about. The problem was how to pull it off. In the end, I decided to intersperse fractals with hand-painted figures. Fractals, with their mathematical iterations and whatnot, somehow contrast with free-form painting, which in turn may not follow "the rules" so rigidly.<br />
<br />
So here are some of the non-brush fractals used (and yeah, I know they're not so sophisticated -- I'm just an Apophysis rookie):<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK0fN0sfzntRMXafGspF8KPMc-IiBAv1qgmh62SwoL0KPArBu91NII8PQvYjJ4cL3TPlGqWh7-dHk39KIaVg_EMAYYI_ZQ3FU9z_x8mzze13dAYusfWwQhNaFaOXjYbFOjk1nR/s1600/frac01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK0fN0sfzntRMXafGspF8KPMc-IiBAv1qgmh62SwoL0KPArBu91NII8PQvYjJ4cL3TPlGqWh7-dHk39KIaVg_EMAYYI_ZQ3FU9z_x8mzze13dAYusfWwQhNaFaOXjYbFOjk1nR/s1600/frac01.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafdtzD6BtgNQWxJYO4UGNPK5IO8dv1hTMBwsrPb96CuFsJxmoXskb73reAP_Fy1xiRMkqXDydGdMpF-YajCtOz4DxhdhZpdgVW_-Cys4Vz27heFjxUvzIqjPiI3g5OSIG6dSM/s1600/frac02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafdtzD6BtgNQWxJYO4UGNPK5IO8dv1hTMBwsrPb96CuFsJxmoXskb73reAP_Fy1xiRMkqXDydGdMpF-YajCtOz4DxhdhZpdgVW_-Cys4Vz27heFjxUvzIqjPiI3g5OSIG6dSM/s1600/frac02.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXwPBabTwcfMGi6GD4uIjuSiYa243OIehiEuOYrL0So9-GM7yiSsy1Tub0CJoKY_2ztUYM7KmWQg_iBbG7hIG0wJlqE2F3wbqzXreACS_TZFoxNRTeYdFCU0eDUX2R0CCeHu7N/s1600/frac03.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXwPBabTwcfMGi6GD4uIjuSiYa243OIehiEuOYrL0So9-GM7yiSsy1Tub0CJoKY_2ztUYM7KmWQg_iBbG7hIG0wJlqE2F3wbqzXreACS_TZFoxNRTeYdFCU0eDUX2R0CCeHu7N/s1600/frac03.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVxMZGX4FqxzBxFC9lCBrQT_-sv33QgFVpyGJ8Uo8xzfGrkjwAfXNGDC5DkRNeMlJjQ3Uf_aQ5f0PN94Vsq5f5HVdVdn8HUtUdfnq7azVmJjXmA_HROJ3Z85kTLsFIr1nHFHKG/s1600/frac04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVxMZGX4FqxzBxFC9lCBrQT_-sv33QgFVpyGJ8Uo8xzfGrkjwAfXNGDC5DkRNeMlJjQ3Uf_aQ5f0PN94Vsq5f5HVdVdn8HUtUdfnq7azVmJjXmA_HROJ3Z85kTLsFIr1nHFHKG/s1600/frac04.png" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxbLj_PRt4p5TwHd1UbBEFw5wpB11DvU_KbWlfIsfpc7iz0S26VV2NqM3LdfINMaH66bMaQ3jscrX8lF76qwBahVW_CqDMtMlRJoo8dkZRVAwz4zi2pQfURzQOpQ8eot4grpZ/s1600/frac05.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxbLj_PRt4p5TwHd1UbBEFw5wpB11DvU_KbWlfIsfpc7iz0S26VV2NqM3LdfINMaH66bMaQ3jscrX8lF76qwBahVW_CqDMtMlRJoo8dkZRVAwz4zi2pQfURzQOpQ8eot4grpZ/s1600/frac05.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's hard to see this one because I used it as a texture for the wings.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmin1ST4d2PERn8eRyN1lu0k8vCAhqVRV_fx9YHUNohDsRxh1tTEmgWGURgaZ9WDDYen7c86hSZ9Sowe_YN-24tHH3zHdcX5gk5TOw8mcjfJ7uW4im-gVXo_0SpcYnsz_yeJoK/s1600/frac06.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmin1ST4d2PERn8eRyN1lu0k8vCAhqVRV_fx9YHUNohDsRxh1tTEmgWGURgaZ9WDDYen7c86hSZ9Sowe_YN-24tHH3zHdcX5gk5TOw8mcjfJ7uW4im-gVXo_0SpcYnsz_yeJoK/s1600/frac06.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK90R91IREPcVifbmXKafZET_oI8i3bhNkNRON0scWhTHIB3LFNz4BQDMEA4P40nDg_23jwW_2GdntMmQVamFQNBwfA1AGAXflQViNqDUky33HjtPgRo3raVI2XhQDKfJibTOy/s1600/frac07.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK90R91IREPcVifbmXKafZET_oI8i3bhNkNRON0scWhTHIB3LFNz4BQDMEA4P40nDg_23jwW_2GdntMmQVamFQNBwfA1AGAXflQViNqDUky33HjtPgRo3raVI2XhQDKfJibTOy/s1600/frac07.png" /></a></div><br />
And on a closing note, if those rune-like markings on my signature got your eye, be aware that I did not invent it. It's Baybayin, a form of ethnic script in the Philippines. I could already write it well even though I am still rather slow in reading them. Like Japanese hiragana and katakana, Baybayin is spelled by syllable.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLoMH-COAogaTDp88wAX65gRc6NeVNvftPhbI-ozBOPSuyxjPtS6TtZx4P6JXUSTvy9HdBYeROxo59dvaaHSWe1YxqbEuyhfifPoKEPygcDSTAeiU2kGnneaAWgYNhNgOB5uIf/s1600/baybayin.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLoMH-COAogaTDp88wAX65gRc6NeVNvftPhbI-ozBOPSuyxjPtS6TtZx4P6JXUSTvy9HdBYeROxo59dvaaHSWe1YxqbEuyhfifPoKEPygcDSTAeiU2kGnneaAWgYNhNgOB5uIf/s1600/baybayin.png" /></a></div><br />
Read more about it in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baybayin">its Wikipedia page</a> (unfortunately, you have to know Tagalog in order to understand the samples). You can download Baybayin fonts <a href="http://www.mts.net/~pmorrow/fonts.htm">here.</a> The downloadable files contain instructions on how to work the fonts, so no worries there.Antarel Nefertilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966615837850036261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24244240.post-76257683656938730422011-06-10T18:41:00.000+08:002011-06-10T18:41:03.439+08:00No More Missus Nice Girl!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A.K.A. proof that Antarel doesn't always draw clothed people. *cough* (But hey, I don't do this all the time! My last "daring" artwork was five years ago, and only in pencil.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbM1Z_msB9qa-cVwfbKkTCu73j1X2QMNkgAoQ8YVpt_g0XqqT9R0AsEgjJtulA2L5a6ViP9-R6-QaNLFZCK_ngYT8bRdGQ3CRfL0tzkiWEotE5diyPCN-wWXQi8Vj00y9oWyg6/s1600/allegory.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbM1Z_msB9qa-cVwfbKkTCu73j1X2QMNkgAoQ8YVpt_g0XqqT9R0AsEgjJtulA2L5a6ViP9-R6-QaNLFZCK_ngYT8bRdGQ3CRfL0tzkiWEotE5diyPCN-wWXQi8Vj00y9oWyg6/s1600/allegory.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So does this merit a mature tag in DA?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Antarel Nefertilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966615837850036261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24244240.post-26837460166951921632011-04-27T08:46:00.000+08:002011-04-27T08:46:22.816+08:00Trying out something new<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Wondering what I'm doing now that Magnolia Metamorphosis is done? To tell the truth, I already have something in the works, but I got a little... hmmm, <i>sidetracked </i>when I began sketching away before Holy Week set in.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And what was I sketching, you may ask? Well... I'll have to say a bit of my conscience was screaming "You're INSANE!" and "Are you SERIOUS?!" as I looked at the outcome. But I guess it was only a matter of time before I drew something like this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6T4SyH8Heri3vhFc0F9gm3Kp5ILEO2RfalNFkB6u80wnJ-OUZWueu-0IxXWBl6I-Rd6U2EA-gsWdaZ0qYVsABczed7IM7vaIYCn3dINLgRapc4_qV6aTktpR6ngshmKViowt/s1600/prev.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6T4SyH8Heri3vhFc0F9gm3Kp5ILEO2RfalNFkB6u80wnJ-OUZWueu-0IxXWBl6I-Rd6U2EA-gsWdaZ0qYVsABczed7IM7vaIYCn3dINLgRapc4_qV6aTktpR6ngshmKViowt/s1600/prev.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brother Dia, don't kill me! It is censored properly, I promise!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
My current scanner and I are not the best of friends yet, so I had to rely on Photoshop to do color adjustments that the thing mucked up. <_<<br />
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This is only a section of the entire sketch, and <i>this </i>time, I intend to stick with the original sketch when rendering the artwork digitally (heck, Magnolia Metamorphosis was a complete turnaround from the primary scribble). It may not be evident yet, but this artwork will come out as heavily more abstract and allegorical than my previous straightforward ones. And no, I swear upon my drawing hand that I won't use any stock images! It's high time that I recover my nature-drawing skills via Photoshop!Antarel Nefertilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966615837850036261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24244240.post-69267513675859555442011-04-12T20:18:00.001+08:002011-04-12T20:19:36.361+08:00Magnolia MetamorphosisWell, I finally finished the only pending artwork I have at the moment. Since I don't want to upload a duplicate of the PNG file here, I'll just use this embedding link generated by DA:<br />
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<a href="http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/204462255/">Magnolia Metamorphosis</a> by ~<a class="u" href="http://antarel.deviantart.com/">Antarel</a> on <a href="http://www.deviantart.com/">deviant</a><a href="http://www.deviantart.com/">ART</a><br />
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Pardon the ugly resize. It looks a lot better when you see the actual link, trust me. Hmmm, at this rate, I can already see a trend in the feedback: the figures themselves are good, but the background could use more improvement. I can see where they are coming from, because I ended up using a stock image for the background. On the brighter side, since the purpose of this artwork was to gauge as to whether I could already draw semi-realistic people, I can say that I am very happy with the outcome.<br />
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At least, I now know what I have to work on. I plan to return to my landscape-drawing roots, but this time I'm doing it digitally. I already have something in my mind for a start, but I am not broadcasting it yet. Hopefully I will get to merge good background and good figures once I have recovered my original forte. (I was more of a landscape artist before I went digital, ya know?)<br />
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Thanks once again, to all who gave feedback and stuck with my slow progress from start to finish!Antarel Nefertilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966615837850036261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24244240.post-51665335642069149922011-03-14T13:16:00.001+08:002011-03-14T13:19:37.748+08:00Yin to the Yang<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Time for something comparatively more lighthearted. It may not be evident yet because I have yet to go far in <a href="http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5685403/1/Flight_of_the_Star_Maiden">Flight of the Star Maiden</a>, but two of my gijinkas actually... well, look similar (intentionally). However the personality of one is the yin to the other's yang (read: opposites). Want to guess before scrolling down?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr> <td><b>A</b></td> <td><b>B</b></td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Volatile and fickle</td> <td>Calm and disciplined</td> </tr>
<tr><td>Outspoken</td> <td>Silent</td> </tr>
<tr><td>Confident</td> <td>Self-effacing</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Immortal</td> <td>Mortal</td> </tr>
<tr><td>Privileged</td> <td>Poor (sorta)</td></tr>
<tr><td>Blue and Silver</td> <td>Red and Black (post-Starmaiden only)</td> </tr>
<tr><td>Can't stand children XD</td> <td>Gets along well with kids</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Could be naive</td> <td>Rather battle-hardened</td> </tr>
</tbody></table><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
Hah, it's already obvious as hell to those who have followed on my works for so long. But anyway, if A is your type, then you may like...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFwDkJQfs0W_sdzZFkq2u2ADQIsmpfInMtqhI3R9HIg7rE6R7DeLmMH-LQfUdBX68CWnI1mM5vUgj5rE8_l7t_8BGbdWvjUhc-0w8lbSIYZBlk-kD9Szx8O-hu_WXEbbdZi_7/s1600/dia.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFwDkJQfs0W_sdzZFkq2u2ADQIsmpfInMtqhI3R9HIg7rE6R7DeLmMH-LQfUdBX68CWnI1mM5vUgj5rE8_l7t_8BGbdWvjUhc-0w8lbSIYZBlk-kD9Szx8O-hu_WXEbbdZi_7/s1600/dia.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dialga! I don't have a semi-realistic colored art of him yet, so I just chucked this speed paint/practice in. Gomen ne, Dia! </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On the other hand, if you would rather go with option B, you'd better stick with...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5AWkFSuBEYVudDjNlw1k_0kZfBiVI_UOsT29EhskDQUeBOknzA9nq7LBYeN40vXkgBWI1YPBdpgECtvy6UBkqH8mBmYfKt9mfeF_X30Z77ySUAWJqLk7UweaLaMU0ylDzh1v/s1600/kousei.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5AWkFSuBEYVudDjNlw1k_0kZfBiVI_UOsT29EhskDQUeBOknzA9nq7LBYeN40vXkgBWI1YPBdpgECtvy6UBkqH8mBmYfKt9mfeF_X30Z77ySUAWJqLk7UweaLaMU0ylDzh1v/s1600/kousei.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah, Kousei darling. It's been a while.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Just one teeny problem though: both of them are taken, at least where their respective story universes are concerned. XD But hey, if you are in for a life-or-death match with two martial arts-experienced women (one of which oversees space), why not?</div>Antarel Nefertilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966615837850036261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24244240.post-60078507718432145122011-03-13T20:00:00.000+08:002011-03-13T20:00:12.028+08:00The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Or rather, my signature long-haired female character through the years. Although some of the proceeding stuff may hurt the eyes (including mine), one does get the urge to see the evolution of my art guinea pig (sorry, Kiya!) every once in a while.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPMtvLx0zGWLuo6GMSPrHxo7qwsLeeu9kz5a8fXXwxdaPzdNcG9uJpwwX0NZwUkxVrywK_NXO6Mgvyn_yfgdAq7WIvBwXl8CnShghnDN_3DjNJaV7PotCnhYOOAMqW0f2lw5D/s1600/00.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPMtvLx0zGWLuo6GMSPrHxo7qwsLeeu9kz5a8fXXwxdaPzdNcG9uJpwwX0NZwUkxVrywK_NXO6Mgvyn_yfgdAq7WIvBwXl8CnShghnDN_3DjNJaV7PotCnhYOOAMqW0f2lw5D/s200/00.png" width="153" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artwork: <a href="http://antarel.deviantart.com/art/Gijinka-Palkia-and-Dialga-80126349"><span id="goog_687672927"></span>Gijinka Palkia and Dialga ver. 1.0<span id="goog_687672928"></span></a><br />
Comments: Oh boy, would you believe she originally looked like this?!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0guZXNcv23-1ert-dR6SaRr3T_iDA7okolJDSg5LqcnzdfzzPKY4_KbpqznjoSXZgplH0Vmr0r80URtkR3ukmWDOXBHxP1b3sCo4HNiy33NmiaKVvxb_fa3YoTksE6lbi0cPT/s1600/01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0guZXNcv23-1ert-dR6SaRr3T_iDA7okolJDSg5LqcnzdfzzPKY4_KbpqznjoSXZgplH0Vmr0r80URtkR3ukmWDOXBHxP1b3sCo4HNiy33NmiaKVvxb_fa3YoTksE6lbi0cPT/s200/01.png" width="154" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artwork: <a href="http://antarel.deviantart.com/art/The-Dragons-of-Sinnoh-92833966">Dragons of Sinnoh</a><br />
Comments: Although that artwork was quite a milestone for me, well... at least my coloring was a bit better...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWDaB0E5BphDthnQ57E-6rZ-z3orzu-76XHEqKpiqwtO52QUgATltIxF0mAZ93abw3oV6ZVbW9x-zyezH21Aut5cFbWsYCXiY6Y6f80JzoSZfonhE9K6llis8WxEgwL4LJKGT/s1600/02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWDaB0E5BphDthnQ57E-6rZ-z3orzu-76XHEqKpiqwtO52QUgATltIxF0mAZ93abw3oV6ZVbW9x-zyezH21Aut5cFbWsYCXiY6Y6f80JzoSZfonhE9K6llis8WxEgwL4LJKGT/s200/02.png" width="116" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artwork: <a href="http://antarel.deviantart.com/art/Reconciliation-98106790">Reconciliation</a><br />
Comments: Woah, her hair's down for the first time!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKuasQ_kHs4cojVUJeqIS7qTRFqyh0EGw_m2SRjI8kJDv__U5KBtaCNm4qylSwx9drZo2NkxoHs5-MwVr3jhdOVNrFwW9Q0snRhJvfoy6YgHmkgfMyBI8zpsPH6ZGKLkFSFnP/s1600/03.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKuasQ_kHs4cojVUJeqIS7qTRFqyh0EGw_m2SRjI8kJDv__U5KBtaCNm4qylSwx9drZo2NkxoHs5-MwVr3jhdOVNrFwW9Q0snRhJvfoy6YgHmkgfMyBI8zpsPH6ZGKLkFSFnP/s200/03.png" width="123" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artwork: <a href="http://antarel.deviantart.com/art/Cosmic-Covenant-118418019">Cosmic Covenant</a><br />
Comments: Now that I look at this artwork, I kind of like the background more than the people in the foreground. :/</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1r6mChF3oAe5NN4T-q62Xy0SiUftobOCMg3AjtBPvKJPOgEjgM_GyZypwnwrRGx6MSjnz09SkCroIv7JZVjw44uu1934IYxO61DunGPPmKrfnBZwyscSkdJHQbVzdgEnfLjTt/s1600/04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1r6mChF3oAe5NN4T-q62Xy0SiUftobOCMg3AjtBPvKJPOgEjgM_GyZypwnwrRGx6MSjnz09SkCroIv7JZVjw44uu1934IYxO61DunGPPmKrfnBZwyscSkdJHQbVzdgEnfLjTt/s200/04.png" width="164" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artwork: ---- (unrendered sketch)<br />
Comments: Now, if only the final results were as pretty as the sketches...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEm58x3jrz-YZQEjyOys3BApu31Yb5OYPbfFSza22XcbxX2kQfFjt9LtD-T0p34YN8fVEdU70dP6ZemI6b6hBG-G21sKOGX6MU2j_jid2JLi8GeSK5XXcWFxoTP65Q9LF3aw0f/s1600/05.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEm58x3jrz-YZQEjyOys3BApu31Yb5OYPbfFSza22XcbxX2kQfFjt9LtD-T0p34YN8fVEdU70dP6ZemI6b6hBG-G21sKOGX6MU2j_jid2JLi8GeSK5XXcWFxoTP65Q9LF3aw0f/s1600/05.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artwork: Part of <a href="http://antarel.deviantart.com/art/The-Truth-Behind-the-Eclipse-128331642">cover page of a fanfic</a><br />
Comments: Wow, so pale. Wonder what possessed me to give her the vampire-like look, considering how I don't like... ahem.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJUjrM7F17d2FImbga_5pm8f6kMiHD-FmFLykUkgNn7_rnup-eEdjhLvVzAa4c-B5Oafup5mImLHCtxKC4O84ssjCqfWGM07Jk7FjRaWAF0Xr_kak3t97WBvR5raPvn63H5RvL/s1600/06.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJUjrM7F17d2FImbga_5pm8f6kMiHD-FmFLykUkgNn7_rnup-eEdjhLvVzAa4c-B5Oafup5mImLHCtxKC4O84ssjCqfWGM07Jk7FjRaWAF0Xr_kak3t97WBvR5raPvn63H5RvL/s200/06.png" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artwork: <a href="http://antarel.deviantart.com/art/Palkia-Starmaker-143240882">Starmaker (revamped version)</a><br />
Comments: Not half-bad, but why still so pale?! (*Facepalms myself*)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYLBChhgJHqRnUxtscpBS1qHZnIRpSkOqkH9CjQFG45ee5Pkm7iwu0krludq5YgKEEGEnCII3uOx7-r6BClqrJ_TyYk221D9DNCRLOFDMYqFpev3mbKc2nZp079tea4QRFdfX/s1600/07.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYLBChhgJHqRnUxtscpBS1qHZnIRpSkOqkH9CjQFG45ee5Pkm7iwu0krludq5YgKEEGEnCII3uOx7-r6BClqrJ_TyYk221D9DNCRLOFDMYqFpev3mbKc2nZp079tea4QRFdfX/s200/07.png" width="161" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artwork: <a href="http://antarel.deviantart.com/art/One-With-the-Night-165477356">One With the Night</a><br />
Comments: I was riddled with a lot of technical difficulties here, so I might say this is only so-so. But at least she doesn't look as drained of blood as before.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, I deeply apologize if I burned anyone's eyes out. The next pic is actually the updated preview of my only pending full artwork. Nix the earlier face you may be familiar with, because a couple o' weeks earlier, I just realized how much I needed practice in rendering semi-realistic people. Of course, the day may come when I may look at this new face and come up with the same negative reaction I now give its predecessors, but for now, it will have to do. Hopefully it's not too bad.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25pStULWAJ7KGY4fWyUHc7_EV-LI9h1ZtReYtV2wNzLbzyZYGNDCE1u9SIieppR6kSgSel8x95tDOmhJ75qtzC4LqcfJd8iisQS6IEy4HMc38zSYnB8-ZRZXBgKgdref9uZBw/s1600/08.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25pStULWAJ7KGY4fWyUHc7_EV-LI9h1ZtReYtV2wNzLbzyZYGNDCE1u9SIieppR6kSgSel8x95tDOmhJ75qtzC4LqcfJd8iisQS6IEy4HMc38zSYnB8-ZRZXBgKgdref9uZBw/s1600/08.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Note: Despite the tons of revisions, the last pic still isn't final! There's a big chance the actual output will look different.</span></div>Antarel Nefertilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966615837850036261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24244240.post-53764508071862779822010-12-20T09:10:00.003+08:002010-12-21T09:57:40.328+08:00Dark-robed Dragon updates 02<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our internet service turned wonky last evening, and who knows when it will be restored. I am not too keen on posting updates via public terminals, so expect any artwork progress work to be uploaded in long intervals. Gomen ne.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVicMbbHlPFuEZewCKUyt5VycIzax-bc7YBVMUzCG-ZaGS2AtI7ALcu_ipDDNjVt4hGEvGoUPV941wMpk0yhuh35RvV4m9XOw9j_OV4NFr5rgi4_fi75pp2BBiaaLtv7MQmgmI/s1600/prev02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVicMbbHlPFuEZewCKUyt5VycIzax-bc7YBVMUzCG-ZaGS2AtI7ALcu_ipDDNjVt4hGEvGoUPV941wMpk0yhuh35RvV4m9XOw9j_OV4NFr5rgi4_fi75pp2BBiaaLtv7MQmgmI/s320/prev02.png" width="223" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Those who are familiar with my devART account will most likely recognize the character (if you don't, shame on you!). But this was the first time I drew her wearing a dark color scheme. Different, yes. But I am loving it. I actually based her outfit on the Coorgi style of draping a sari, although since I drew the borders of the cloth a little too narrow, I just let the palla hang unpleated over her right shoulder. Here's a video on how to do it:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GSiqpzabDQA" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="480"></iframe></div><br />
The original headdress design was radically different from the one I ended up rendering. It was supposed to be more crown-like, but I had a hell of a time doing it, so I scrapped it in favor of a simple circlet. I am quite happy with how it turned out, though. Now for a detail shot and some of the patterns used:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDs5T4gsZAar2Vnt3p3xqKVLxXJdALzHnaGeCyQoWoPCUW1ZmccxFAW6oNCeTNWdpDgC5uUYgUFxiOnzY3LSvPKl__2OWVj3YNp8TsSwpcfq83GF605PUEYt_p00grU81Ezge7/s1600/prev02_02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDs5T4gsZAar2Vnt3p3xqKVLxXJdALzHnaGeCyQoWoPCUW1ZmccxFAW6oNCeTNWdpDgC5uUYgUFxiOnzY3LSvPKl__2OWVj3YNp8TsSwpcfq83GF605PUEYt_p00grU81Ezge7/s1600/prev02_02.png" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj66AKVbbg-TCKdvXHyZpu0G_1NONFWCPBMGCdXrVwFhGLc-ieuop8SNdk9JxLN67b_m7-sg4P1Chcb8t7j401kEMdNrJzGTbZqX_-fhNMOXo913AgJyZXqA3X6r058STdatsz9/s1600/prev02_03.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj66AKVbbg-TCKdvXHyZpu0G_1NONFWCPBMGCdXrVwFhGLc-ieuop8SNdk9JxLN67b_m7-sg4P1Chcb8t7j401kEMdNrJzGTbZqX_-fhNMOXo913AgJyZXqA3X6r058STdatsz9/s1600/prev02_03.png" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoTivJkmeyayR3Sprbbrynq5-Dh9QxUukx1n2_s2F7b_hoZWHa8dZzvU0KVSxx1Wzs96_jZkNmCmkUIrYwhhbFFXOHWJTKWxS1Ib8b5uVURn9bBdlklULhvKEA4PxPXxOLmXlB/s1600/prev02_04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoTivJkmeyayR3Sprbbrynq5-Dh9QxUukx1n2_s2F7b_hoZWHa8dZzvU0KVSxx1Wzs96_jZkNmCmkUIrYwhhbFFXOHWJTKWxS1Ib8b5uVURn9bBdlklULhvKEA4PxPXxOLmXlB/s1600/prev02_04.png" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDeCvZ2fho8vXON4ObNgCtWJLjCxJnSrmoyjbwyLxgzRHFHJeiAIPigQYYsXh8Cx5YX5vRBYZ1Fp44Oneeh7_zTa4AWwUwb_bUkyktZw1MiXQXT3A6bRVvpMODX9s2sIKy-j8q/s1600/prev02_05.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDeCvZ2fho8vXON4ObNgCtWJLjCxJnSrmoyjbwyLxgzRHFHJeiAIPigQYYsXh8Cx5YX5vRBYZ1Fp44Oneeh7_zTa4AWwUwb_bUkyktZw1MiXQXT3A6bRVvpMODX9s2sIKy-j8q/s1600/prev02_05.png" /></a></div><br />
The middle pattern may not be seen easily, but it's on the lower part of the shoulder drape. I have actually posted a Photoshop tutorial in devART on how to capture that glittering brocade effect <a href="http://antarel.deviantart.com/art/Glittering-Brocade-PS-Tutorial-190177836">here</a>. I will try to post another version online for the non-devART users, but since my internet is... yeah, it may not happen soon.Antarel Nefertilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966615837850036261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24244240.post-40140424125816078192010-11-30T22:16:00.001+08:002010-11-30T22:18:10.978+08:00Dark-robed Dragon updates 01<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I finally got my lazy ass moving and compiled a set of images showing some artwork progress. "Dark-robed Dragon" isn't going to be the final title of this piece, but for the sake of this preliminary report I will use it. So here's the work so far (or at the part involving him at least -- he's supposed to have a companion):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbImNE2zfeWyMdlEjSSBBhNgq_RfuoaEaGp7Lp-411DOo1maFMMUBFkhmS-xyJcmFNdynq5Go1dxBFpQX-bmHpuqKV48_d5Z0Tcojf-lT05i3e8HPReydluG7oLTj37dI0ylCG/s1600/prev01_01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbImNE2zfeWyMdlEjSSBBhNgq_RfuoaEaGp7Lp-411DOo1maFMMUBFkhmS-xyJcmFNdynq5Go1dxBFpQX-bmHpuqKV48_d5Z0Tcojf-lT05i3e8HPReydluG7oLTj37dI0ylCG/s1600/prev01_01.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kouseikei - my first major male OC in about four years</td></tr>
</tbody></table>For those who are unfamiliar with my characters, the guy was actually a humanized version of <a href="http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Salamence_(Pok%C3%A9mon)">Salamence</a>. But since he hardly looks like a Salamence anymore (apart from the headdress and the wings -- which are not yet rendered, by the way), I am counting this artwork as my first major original semi-realistic piece. Yes, that's a step to lessen the amount of fan art I am drawing.<br />
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The outfit is considerably less "robe-y" than most of the ones I have designed before (like <a href="http://antarel.deviantart.com/art/Palkia-Starmaker-143240882">this</a>, <a href="http://antarel.deviantart.com/art/Dialga-Time-Transcender-133549098">this</a>, and <a href="http://antarel.deviantart.com/art/Giratina-Shadowed-Reflections-141060378">this</a>), but then again, that's for practical reasons. ATLA fans may point out a similarity with Fire Nation guard uniforms (and I'll admit that I am also a fan of that series), but I guess the parallelism came out because the producers and I drew inspiration from a similar source:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSw3iWCR-SPzeDOgRZBBk5CBeWC1BjRWBSQwntC1mjgUe1stoZEUG8_wZ0zAx1igsoFcUV7-eiji8KyBpDNLV-x_0_J-6UWdlV-pil_iDRi3sD_MqcVFe-tOGcou7U0QyxoJa/s1600/prev01_02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSw3iWCR-SPzeDOgRZBBk5CBeWC1BjRWBSQwntC1mjgUe1stoZEUG8_wZ0zAx1igsoFcUV7-eiji8KyBpDNLV-x_0_J-6UWdlV-pil_iDRi3sD_MqcVFe-tOGcou7U0QyxoJa/s320/prev01_02.png" width="270" /></a></div><br />
That picture on the right,<i> </i>ladies and gentlemen, is the basic male costume of the Khmer Royal Ballet (Khmer = Cambodia from SE Asia, for those who don't know). However, I did modify plenty of aspects in the costume, as seen on the sketch on the left. Noticeably, the heavily decorated brocade panel dangling down the middle of the dancer's body was moved to drape diagonally across the torso. Ironically, it became closer to the style of the female costume in the end (see a picture of it <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Khmerr_restaurant_dancer.jpg">here</a>). Even then, I deviated from my original design sketch when I got to drawing. Instead of just letting the brocade fall freely down the back, I pulled it over the right shoulder as seen in the actual artwork preview (akin to a style of draping sari).<br />
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Note that it's actually a girl donning that costume in the picture; females often (if not almost always) take on male roles in the Khmer Royal Ballet. A drastically different case from Kabuki, if you'd ask me.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIMyQcYzeJN3hRlBWum29oTJG-jAcUx-DaO0N-IHtw8zOXNErF05I4FxQyc9J2tO-rsv3JyMpIi_QMOXVHoOTyzUkoJXZd0ieOoIpWlnR73ItyIYthmmmKl2ySYslVjZowuln4/s1600/prev01_03.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIMyQcYzeJN3hRlBWum29oTJG-jAcUx-DaO0N-IHtw8zOXNErF05I4FxQyc9J2tO-rsv3JyMpIi_QMOXVHoOTyzUkoJXZd0ieOoIpWlnR73ItyIYthmmmKl2ySYslVjZowuln4/s1600/prev01_03.png" /></a></div><br />
Yup, that's the pattern I used for the red borders. It's nothing more than the same rectangle being rotated and scattered semi-randomly over a 200x200 pixel canvas. I emphasize semi-randomly, because I also had to make sure the image tiled properly.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-xp4-keUuiV1h5DGy_WpAuQfvXaVVyiQQkqvymj6w28-ggs0y6-BGVe7_oK0sR3tVdI4jtxwtvExRRW8z69gQdnj3KZ1CMwSAhBoBmv8TwQweu8wU-6H-ZYuh-bqYIsSQDXF/s1600/prev01_04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-xp4-keUuiV1h5DGy_WpAuQfvXaVVyiQQkqvymj6w28-ggs0y6-BGVe7_oK0sR3tVdI4jtxwtvExRRW8z69gQdnj3KZ1CMwSAhBoBmv8TwQweu8wU-6H-ZYuh-bqYIsSQDXF/s1600/prev01_04.png" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ah, my favorite part of the costume (although whether much of it can still be seen in the final version, I don't know)! Those who have followed me in devART may be familiar with how obsessed I am with fabric textures and patterns. The last image is the basic warp-weft pattern (rotated 90 degrees) I used for the brocade. It is a rough replication of an actual t'nalak design. T'nalak is a special cloth woven by T'boli women (the T'boli are an ethnic group based in our southern island of Mindanao), and authentic t'nalak patterns are either handed down from generation to generation or are dreamed. Yes, dreamed. Down to the number of threads to be used. I will expound on this in a future blog entry, since I have been dying to replicate t'nalak patterns digitally ever since my Sociology and Anthropology teacher introduced me to them.</div>Antarel Nefertilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14966615837850036261noreply@blogger.com1