Friday, October 3, 2014

Welcome, stranger



Spoiler alert!

Snape kills Dumbledore.

This warning will make NO sense if you are viewing on a mobile device.  Sorry. I can't stop you from jumping off the ledge!



Thanks for stopping by. I hope you like my doodles and illustrations.

Here's where I'm at:
I'm an amateur artist who draws for stress relief. For this blog, I will post as often as I can - but unfortunately this work comes third, after my two retail jobs. I am often sleep-deprived, but my art keeps me sane. My goal is to complete a big watercolor scene from every chapter before the story completely ends at some point in my life.

By donating, you can ensure artwork posted more frequently. Also feel free to throw drawing ideas at me, or characters you want to see fleshed out that I've missed. You can always contact me here in the comments, or at Rookneversleeps@gmail.com. I reply to everything.


Please enjoy the world that Wildbow has created, and feel free to get in touch with me.
I promise I don't bite.
(Unless its a full moon. Then its a little iffy.)


Sunday, September 28, 2014

Preview piece: Faerie Realm



The Faerie at the table shifted position, their expressions placid and slightly interested.  She couldn’t help but feel as though they were silently mocking her for the spill.  Which they were.
....Everywhere she looked, everything she smelled or touched was art.  Everything she heard was music to distract the attention, or were exceedingly dangerous words that demanded it.  The simple scene of a patio with wine, crackers and cheese served in the center, a short ruined wall and numerous statues was a complicated piece of machinery, where every single thing around her was working against her or working for the ambassador.


This is a cut-away from a much larger piece, detailing Sandra's negotiations with these crazy people. It is wildly unfinished but I've been staring at it for months now and I want to get *something* out. So here you are. Two assassins, and an ambassador, and a... little nymph-like figure smirking (not mentioned in the story, but... I get carried away. Sorry.)

I just started a tumblr account, in an attempt to more readily express myself  as I'm going through some rough times, and since this piece wound up there, yep, there's 2 big fat watermarks.

Anyway.
Candle-light is fun to illustrate. Faerie are fun. Statues are fun.
SUPER FINELY DETAILED STONE AND TREES ARE NOT FUN.

I'm looking at you, Wildbow.

3.1 - Bite your tongue, Blake



“You don’t know how close I just came to a sarcastic response,” I said.
Dude, retorts are dangerous!

...Blake sketch. No real particular chapter assorted with this one, just... a straight up "I'm withholding this biting comment" doodle.
Crappy photo. Apologies. Drawn on the back of a letter.

If I'm honest:
I've been to hell and back in the last 30 days, and am happy to finally be at a place where I can be drawing and posting again. I'm getting a grip on medical problems, and getting the hang of therapy, all while still working and finding a new place to move. Things have yet to settle, but I'm struggling to get back to my art as often as I can. I have missed it so much.

More to come.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

8.3 - Buttsack



Buttsack stood in the middle of the sidewalk.  He looked like a cross between the worst features of a small child and a very old man, simultaneously lumpy, misproportioned, hairy, wrinkly, gnarled beneath his too-loose skin.


...nasty little bugger. Quick sketch. I need to redo it. Needs more cowbell lumpiness.
Because of him, today I learned the word "FUPA".

The things I do for the love of Pact.
Sigh.


Friday, August 1, 2014

Pact Top Web Fiction Banner



So I drew a banner thing :D

Don't Forget!
Vote for Pact on http://topwebfiction.com/

Wildbow FOR PRESIDENT 2014

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Wildbow's vacation




....OK LET ME EXPLAIN.

First. I like to imagine Wildbow with a freaking majestic beard and a beanie (because yes, I call them BEANIES, or a knit cap and not... a... toque. You silly Canadians. What the hell kind of word IS THAT.)

Secondly. Wildbow was been writing in the comments section of each new chapter to give us updates of his brother's wedding he's been helping with, and at one point he shared a story of a hellish week that involved suit shopping and his family's car trying to blow up. I suggested that it was the EYE causing them trouble and ever since, have had this scene in my head. And yes, being mature and giggling about the word "hoser".

Still so many pieces I'm working on.
And I'm doodling Buttsack at work now.

THANKS WILDBOW.


your friendly neighborhood spiderman,
Rook

Monday, July 14, 2014

7.10 - "Fire sparrow"



Here's a quick and tiny 5 X 7 drawing of everyone's favorite little guy.

Apologies for lack of posting. Things are crazy right now for me.

I have 2 big pieces half-finished I hope I can find time to work on this week: a request for something from the faerie realm, and a pretty large one of Rose's face as she awakens.


Meanwhile, Wildbow is in full-on wedding mode, and breaking our hearts with these new chapters.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

The Fool and the Priestess












(I'm terrible at sizing things as I'm drawing. Sorry if these are hard to view because of their odd shape. Was going for a banner kind of thing. Frustrated that it not entirely symmetrical but I'm letting its go before I permanently check-in to crazytown.) 

Sometimes its hard to imagine Blake and Rose together, with the same features. We know that they're basically the same person, but how much of them are exactly the same? What hand gestures, what expressions? I keep doodling parts of their faces, and especially scenes where they're side by side so I can try to pin their appearances down. And then I came up with this, where they are two halves of a whole. Just an idea/practice, as I'm fleshing out more illustrations from the book.


So. 

Guys. 

Guys listen. 

What if - 

What if I designed a Pact-themed tarot deck? 

:D 



(Personal update: I don't have another day off for the next 9 days, so this is it for the week. Will be back to working on stuff hopefully next monday, but in the meantime I need to remember to sleep and eat.)


Monday, June 30, 2014

Notebook: "Fear keeps you alive"







“Scared?” Rose asked. 
“Yep,” I said.  I moved the wreath, and checked it over. [...]
Evan descended, setting down on my shoulder.
“It’s an old building,” he said. 
“Yeah,” I replied, still pushing the wreath forward. [...]
“There’s nothing in a lot of the windows.  No people, no things, no walls, no floors,” Evan said.
“Yeah,” Rose said.  “Only emptiness.” 
“A little more afraid, now,” I said. 
“Good,” Rose told me.  “Fear keeps you alive.  Just don’t panic."


Another notebook piece.
This one has too much crammed into a small space; I intend to come back and expand it further - make it into a wide scene. My photo wound up a bit dark as well, which is annoying.

Is it just me or is Rose's face (unintentionally) bitchy looking? ha.
But then again. Maybe she's in that super bossy mode. (Maybe it works?)


Also.
Evan.

I am drawing sparrows like a madman all over everything.



Notebook: "look like you could be possessed"



“I was instructed to bring you to the factory building,” Fell said.  “Turn around, look at me.” 
I did, leaning against the car door for support. 
“What?” I asked. 
“I don’t have to bring you if I have reason to believe you’re not you.  You look like you could be possessed.” 
“You’re fucking with me?” I asked. 
“If your head turned around three hundred and sixty degrees,” Fell said, his tone placid, “and you started spewing projectile vomit everywhere, I wouldn’t be particularly surprised.”

So this was a fun one. Didn't turn out the way I initially wanted it to... but I wanted to sort of capture what a very tired and fucked up Blake might look like when using the Sight. Which somehow includes flame-like hair? Maybe its the radiation.
I have no idea.

Moving on. 

More doodles.

I intend to come back and finish fleshing out this scene - drawing Fell with a gun is ever so fun :D
Personal update: injured my hand last week - its healed now and I've been an insomniac since then, churning doodles out left and right. Hoping I'll get lots of little goodies posted this week. 

Thursday, June 26, 2014

3.x - Sandra and Hildr


"Dark skinned, white furred, Hildr was more wart and scar than clean flesh where flesh was visible, her hair and fur were long and tied into braids as thick around as Sandra’s arm, the longest braids locked into place with iron shackles that could be used to dash a man’s skull to pieces.  Her arms were disproportionately long, with lines and cords of muscle visible even beneath the long, brushed fur.  All in all, she was of a size and bulk that suggested she could catch a charging rhino and wrestle it to the ground."


From the initial description of Hildr, I knew I had to draw her.
I mean, its a Scandinavian TROLL. That's so badass.

Here is a quick Sandra sketch, from how she is initially described in her "histories" chapter... reluctantly wearing a corset, with her chalice, and little stoat around her shoulders. I did my best to draw something like an 80's fantasy gown haha.

I'm beginning work on the following scene, where she negotiating with the Faerie, in their realm. At first I was thrilled, but now... *sobs* the detail. OH GOD THE LEVEL OF DETAIL. WHY.


UPDATE: woke up with a swollen hand. Tendinitis flared up in my drawing hand's thumb and wrist overnight; it happens from time to time. Going to let off the drawing for a few days so this can heal. I still have to use my hands at work quite a bit, but hopefully that will be alright.

Art Nouveau Thorburn poster





When I uploaded it to Blogger, the colors were altered a bit. Strange. Be sure to check out the Full size here

Finished poster is 18"x24"

I think I wound up putting about 48 hours of work into this one. I've been staring at this face for over 2 weeks straight. Losing my mind a little haha.

Remember that if you share, please link back here.
Much appreciated. 

Now back to doodles for the chapters (I've been slacking.)
I think I'm the only one who's happy about Wildbow taking Thursday breaks haha. Time to catch up! 

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Preview: Art nouveau sneak peek







My friday deadline came and went.
Sigh.

Been working on this single piece for over 20 hours. Not straight, usually in 5 hour chunks, but the bottom line is, I'm losing my mind.

Here's all that I can give to you:

Blake's tired face and a preview of Rose in a stylized bike mirror surrounded by holly, as a minor piece of the Art Nouveau portrait. I can't share any more of this because I've repainted it about 5 times and frankly, its a mess. Going back and forth between traditional and digital media is merry hell.

(All will make sense when I finally upload the final piece)

If I just find time to pull another spare 15 hours or so this week, this will be complete and I can go back to doing chapter doodles.

I appreciate your patience.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Blake never gets naked for me



So this happened.

Blake hates it when I ask him to pose for a scene in only his boxers. 

(I'm such a pervert.) 


Rose's awakening scene is coming up next (since Blake doesn't sit still long enough). 

What it's like drawing Blake



here's the full-view version in case you can't read it : http://i.imgur.com/GWjzIZ5.jpg



Apparently I'm a bit of a pervert. 



So I have this problem where characters talk to me in my head as I'm drawing them. Most of them are pretty cool - Rose and I get along fine.

But Blake.

Jesus.

EVERYTIME I'm just trying to study his form, or I start work AGAIN on the awakening scene (he even has the book covering all the important bits, sheesh) he just gives such a fuss that I find myself distracted. So I made this.

Sometimes I wonder how in the world Wildbow deals with these characters in his head.


Saturday, June 14, 2014

5.6. - Urrrrr


Click to enlarge.

"It took only a second to get the diagram burning.  All of my surroundings were dimly illuminated, now, cast in faint yellow and orange.  The shapes on the walls seemed to move back and forth as the flame did. 
I saw it to my left.  It was barely visible in the shadow before it retreated to further darkness, vague and nebulous when I looked at it without really looking.  It moved like a hand without an accompanying body, of its own volition, using fingers to drag itself along the floor, perhaps.  A bulky, multi-limbed, asymmetrical body, with limbs that moved so quickly they might have been flickering.  Matte black.  It might have been a spider gone wrong ten times over with some full-body cancer, or a giant hunchbacked man with a dozen arms that were stretched long enough to reach over and under one another.  But it wasn’t.  It was a demon of the choir of darkness.  Something that had been given life in counterpoint to creation.  It was aged limbs, withered ones, from every species and no species in particular. 
It was nearly silent.  There was only a shuffling, the faintest scrape of body against floor.The front of the body disappeared, and some form of lower body or tail dragged behind it, like entrails trailing behind a man that had been bisected, a spine without the accompanying stomach, or a naked tail.  The trailing flesh was bent in places, as if it had been broken badly and bones had reset improperly.  A kind of detail that teased, invited me to look, as if it were a clue I could use.  But looking was a trap."


This one didn't quite come out the way I wanted it to. This particular demon is so nasty, so intriguing, so... Lovecraftian. It captured my heart instantly. I love drawing it and coming up with all the entrails, creepy hands, veins, and tentacles. Demons are so fun.

I will be revisiting this scene again, you can be sure of that.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Notebook: Art Nouveau Blake



This is a preview of a sort-of art nouveau piece I'm working on - here's the lineart with Futhark runes, pentagrams, and a locket thrown in for good measure. I hope to have the full color version finished by next friday. Filling in the dead space with branches, birds, and my usual splatter of watercolor.

My favorite thing to draw at the moment:
Blake's eyebrows.
heh.

Rose and demon sketches coming soon. Hold tight.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

1.1 - Hillsglade House in Technicolor



Click to enlarge.

Same ballpoint drawing as before, just throwing shit-tons of watercolor paint at it. This style is way more fun, I have to admit.

1.1 - In the beginning, there was a Blake.




" .... I looked down the length of the street.  The property was framed by a short stone wall, shoulder height, along with an elaborate iron fence of roughly the same height, shaped into curling vines with metal points at set intervals.  It had been covered in some black paint or coating, but rust and peeling paint made for a mottled texture.  ‘No parking’ signs, a good distance in every direction.  I was already regretting coming.  Damn me, I thought, not for the first or second time. 
Further down the street, a few of the locals had stopped on a corner to talk.  Odd, how they kept looking at me.
Their eyes on my back, I pushed my motorcycle, guiding it through the gap between car and fence.  I set it on the lawn, leaning against the inside of the fence. 
I wasn’t in a rush.  I had made promises to myself.  I wouldn’t get caught up in their tempo.  Taking my time, I removed my helmet, wiped the sweat from my forehead and scalp.  Putting my hands in my pockets to be sure I had my keys, I felt paper crumple.  I went through my pockets, sorting out the change, bills and receipts I’d hastily pocketed at a rest stop along the way.
Procrastinating.
Looking up at the namesake hill, I could see the house.  Not big, but it drew attention because of the way it looked down on the two-theater podunk town.  It wasn’t dark, and it wasn’t ominous.  Barring a slightly overgrown garden, trees that had grown well beyond the quaint, tidy little decorations they might have been when the house was built, and the railing, it was nothing more than a nice house.  I’d dated a wannabe-architect at one point, a brief-lived fling.  I didn’t remember much, but I didn’t feel confident labeling the place as Victorian...."
Fell view HERE


Opening scene, ladies and gentlemen.

Some ball-point pen doodles that I took into photoshop and played with. I don't know how I feel about this one. I'm still trying to figure out a certain style for Pact. I'm really leaning towards a watercolor feel. Might play around with that in a bit.

ONE THING IS FOR CERTAIN, though. Blake rides a beat up cafe-racer with club handlebars. Its never stated, and I have no idea what Wildbow envisions, but... this is what I think.

The kid has class.



Update:
defined some of the lines - made Jacob's Bell hills and houses in the far right side a little more prominent.

Its so hard for me to leave drawings alone!


Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Notebook: Back against the wall.



...is not smoke.
Just cold.

Because CANADA.


Thought for the day... if circles and triangles help to ward stuff off in this universe, man, FRACTALS must be the shit.