A sister's Drawing Work in Progress

[Rizara]

Hello all.   I haven't really done much with the forums in quite some time, or with 40k in general.   I basically quit playing for the past year, sold off all my armies and decided to wait patiently for them to release the sisters in Plastic, which I know I will pick up and start a new army when those get released.   In the mean time I have been focusing less on gaming (at least table top, i still video game from time to time) and focusing more on finishing up my classes towards my BFA in Illustration.  

 

Anyways, with my graduation around the corner, I am taking a class that has finally allowed me to simply create stuff that I want to create, no real guide lines, just to add stuff to my portolio (it is a portfolio class).   So with the recent rumors buzzing about the plastic sisters around the corner, I decided to use some of that interest and hype to fuel a project.    

So here are some pencils I finished this afternoon, so I can now ink the sketch.   I plan to make this piece entirely with pen and ink, using washes to also color, keeping it a black, white and grey illustration.    I decided to do something a little different and create a Seraphim Superior, hovering.  

 

Anyways, I just wanted to share with those who would truly appreciate all things Sororitas.    Sorry the image is a bit light, but it is pencil work, so when I get around to finish inking it, i will update the image. 

 

[Servant of Dante]

Wow! I'm no art major :P but that looks amazing!

 

Not just in that it looks realistic, but I think you've captured the proportions a Sister should have well, and I do love Seraphim. It almost reminds me of some of the older Blanche art (in that it's not over-sterile looking CG stuff, oh and the lightning around the sword feels really old-school 40k). Do you mind if I use this as a computer wallpaper for a bit? :P

 

Because I'm weird, the criticism I have (and it's more an opinion) is that the chaplet Ecclesiasticus looks too small. :)

 

Disclaimer: although I try to make up with it by my obsessiveness, I've only been playing Sisters for like a year, and 40k altogether for only 3 years :P

[Rizara]

I don't mind if you use it as a wall paper, though you may want to wait for the inked version.   Yes the chaplet is smaller than what is seen in most drawings and the models itself, but I shrunk it on purpose.   Thinking about the physics a little and the fact that she is using a jump pack, do you really want a honking brick dangling down there banging up your knees and lower region when you are flying.   For the models it is larger because it needs to be visible but realistically why would you carry such a large chunk of metal.    I also added some other bits to the armor, taking in some features of marine armor plates for power armor, like those technical lines segments of their armor in the forearms, and incorporated that in hers, while trying to keep the armor as close to sororitas armor as possible.     The lightning effect was more of a traditional comic style that i used, as it gives the effect of lighting for a sequential design.  

[Dosjetka]

The neck/head looks like it's a bit too far off to the right but otherwise it's all good. :tu:

[Servant of Dante]

I don't mind if you use it as a wall paper, though you may want to wait for the inked version. Yes the chaplet is smaller than what is seen in most drawings and the models itself, but I shrunk it on purpose. Thinking about the physics a little and the fact that she is using a jump pack, do you really want a honking brick dangling down there banging up your knees and lower region when you are flying. For the models it is larger because it needs to be visible but realistically why would you carry such a large chunk of metal. I also added some other bits to the armor, taking in some features of marine armor plates for power armor, like those technical lines segments of their armor in the forearms, and incorporated that in hers, while trying to keep the armor as close to sororitas armor as possible. The lightning effect was more of a traditional comic style that i used, as it gives the effect of lighting for a sequential design.

Eh, they wear power armour. Your reasoning makes sense . . . But I personally like to think of them as bigger. It's your drawing though :)

 

Edit: and yeah I'll probably wait for the completed version.

[Servant of Dante]

Oh, and Midnight Angel, I sent you a PM.

[Montford]

It looks very good thus far Midnight Angel!

[Isolia]

Looks great ! I think the head looks a bit tilted because of its relative angle to the spine and the general pose of the torso which is quite upright, but maybe it's because the forearm on the left (for the viewer) is at a bit odd angle, which may create the illusion that the head is a bit off. Perhaps it'll be corrected by the strong contrasts of the ink.

 

Don't get me wrong it's gorgeous and I wish I'd be able to draw at a fraction of that level :) I was just trying to figure out why we see the head as a bit off, because when you mask what's beneath it looks perfect on the shoulders

[Rizara]

 

as for the pose, I have invested in a pair of these figures, to help create poses, that are a bit harder to come by, such as jump pack sisters hovering in the air.   So I posed this figure where she still felt natural and rotated her to get the angle I was choosing.   Part of the reason the neck feels off is her head is twisted and the muscles of the neck are still flexxed towards her right shoulder, her spine is a bit arched so that could also be part of it.   I will say, these figures have been one of the best purchases I could have made as an artist, because as always its best to draw from real life, but its hard to find that perfect pose for a character who is in flight, or doing something most people wouldn't be able to do.   

 

I will try to have the inked version up by tomorrow, its half finish now, and I will try to finish it up tonight.  

[Rizara]

Finished Inking it, not 100% happy with the smoke, but it was my first time trying it with washes of ink, and it turned out okay, not great, but it at least filled in the void of the background. It also made her stand out a little bit more so that effect worked.

As far as the image, it is a spliced image, as I can only scan half of it on my scanner at home at a time. The illustration is 11x15 in real life, but the paper is actually 14 x17. So it will have to do until I can get to a larger scanner to scan it in in one scan.

Also, just to note, I made a few changes to the armor design from traditional Sister armor. As previously noted, i reduced the size of her Chaplet. I added in some of the panel lines that is seen on the minis of space marine power armor as I felt it added some extra detailing to the sisters armor. I changed the winged inquisition icon on her shoulder pad to simply the twin headed Imperial Eagle. I felt that being the militant arm of the church, and devoted to the emperor, they really shouldn't have the inquisition icon on their shoulder pad. I could have mimiced her inquisitorial chaplet on it, but I decided that icon was best left at minimum. I did add the skulled crossed ankh to her gauntlet instead of at her neck area. I felt the extra length of her neck adornment wasn't necessarily and the plain skull just looked cooler. I added the Fleur de Lys of the sororitas in various areas of her armor. As for the torso armor, I have seen many different designs but felt the leathered corset design from the breast down, with armor platting on the top, felt like a more thematic design approach. As for the elbow that is standing up, I had debated on what armor would cover the elbow but since the sisters wear robes and there power armor isn't as thick as the marines, I decided it was best to simply have the flexible joint of her elbow to allow her the mobility to flex, rather than adding some elbow armor. As for the neck itself, it does look a little odd, not so much from a proportion standpoint to me, but I probably should have added some under armor/flex neck protection instead of having her neck continue on to her shoulder. That might have made it look less of an eye sore area, as it seems she is not really wearing anything under the armor to protect her flesh from the armor itself.

[tvih]

 

as for the pose, I have invested in a pair of these figures, to help create poses, that are a bit harder to come by, such as jump pack sisters hovering in the air.   So I posed this figure where she still felt natural and rotated her to get the angle I was choosing.   Part of the reason the neck feels off is her head is twisted and the muscles of the neck are still flexxed towards her right shoulder, her spine is a bit arched so that could also be part of it.   I will say, these figures have been one of the best purchases I could have made as an artist, because as always its best to draw from real life, but its hard to find that perfect pose for a character who is in flight, or doing something most people wouldn't be able to do.   

 

I will try to have the inked version up by tomorrow, its half finish now, and I will try to finish it up tonight.  

 

If I may ask where did you get those figures? They look quite useful indeed, and provide much better anatomy than the more featureless ones I've seen before.

[Rizara]

I don't recall which online store I got the figures from, but they are known as Figma 2, Archtype Next He and She figures, and they come in a flesh color or grey.    I too thought they provide much better anatomy than the traditional wooden figures I have seen at art stores and have owned in the past.   They are small however, probably my only complaint about them as the figures themselves are about 8 inches tall, but they come with a stand that is flexible and plus in the back.   They are very adaptable to help create poses that you otherwise can't really obtain from real life due to requiring a harness, and often times trying to find a figure in the pose you want is next to impossible and finding a model to pose for you on the fly isn't an easy task either.   I have tried getting my kids to sometimes pose for me to get the general pose and it is like herding cattle, only much more frustrating because they wont stay in the pose even if I adjust them.   These figures just make the work that much simpler in the long run.   

[Servant of Dante]

The winged I is not an Inquisitorial icon as far as I'm concerned. Just like the chaplet is a Ministorum icon, I would call the winged I a Ministorum icon (it might even be the Adepta's I shaped symbol, since every Adeptus has an I shaped symbol).

[Rizara]

here is an update. I ended up coloring the sketch for another little project in the same class. We were creating a post card design that we could use as an artist to get our names out there to art directors, so I decided to use the sketch I had done earlier, but give it some color. I wanted to retain the traditional ink version as it loses something in the quality when I turn it into to digital line art. So the color is a transparent layer laid on top of the line art, which makes it flat in appearance and some colors are not as vibrant as they could be.

As for the color scheme, this is my intended color scheme I am planning to use for my sisters army when they release the new plastics, with black armor and yellow robes.

[Servant of Dante]

I like the color scheme!

 

but I do think I prefer the ink line drawing to the colored version, though the coloring on the face looks really good to me.

[Rizara]

thank you for your honesty.  It was a rushed color, so yes, I am not 100% happy with the end results, but considering I am pressed for time working full time, dealing with the fun holiday events and kids activities of having 4 kids, as well as taking two art classes, I knocked this out in 5-6 hours or less.  With three art projects from two different classes and literally no time, I tried a new color technique that was based around speed and simply getting it done.   This honestly to me felt more like a digital coloring book than a traditional digital painting, or comic style coloring.   I just thought I would share it in the thread. 

 

As for the color scheme, I really wanted to create something different, but yet something that still feels like a sororitas color scheme.  

[Servant of Dante]

guuurrrrr. I had a post typed out then it failed to post and I lost it.

 

I like the ink drawing more since it is visually obvious that the coloring was done on a computer, but that's just personal preference. Plus, I think the line drawing fits in with some of the older 40k artwork better, which is a plus to me.

 

I finally remembered to set the ink version of this picture as my laptop wallpaper. It looks good :D

[Ezr91aeL]

Nice!

[Isolia]

Nice indeed ! The face is really impressively coloured !

 

Might I suggest a more contrasted choice of colours for the future backgrounds, so as to focus attention on the subject ? Black on black is very difficult to make the subject pop out, even though your nuances on the armor are nicely bringing it out a bit :)

[Mud Duck]

A critique if  on a couple of things, if I may.

The bolt pistol is a little 'wonky', the magazine isn't in line with the axis of the body and the front sight looks to be twisted.

The jump pack looks to turned flatter to the viewer and out of alignment with the shoulder line.

The index finger on the hand holding the sword should have its tip touching the tip of the thumb.

 

As for the coloring, may I suggest Antarctic Press's "How to color for comics"  if you can find it, as it has some nice guides on how to prep and color line art.

[Servant of Dante]

Just checking back to say that I'm really liking this piece as my wallpaper (the ink version).