http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...low_Sunday.jpg

Photo of my eye, massively edited in Photoshop. Used as a CD cover, and occasional icon. I was bored.

Well, where is the picture? There's only the text: "user posted image" :huh:

Well I can see it, try refreshing, that sometimes works. It's good btw :ok:

There is, there is. Try to refresh the screen. Else, this is the link:

http://ic1.deviantart.com/images/large/pho...llow_Sunday.jpg


Welcome on Abandonia, Taikara!
And most of all, welcome on Art Forum - place of infinite beauty and edonistic oasis of visual pleasure :)

:ok:

This is mean! :cry:

Took me forever to find a suitable hosting site, but I think it's fixed now.

Sorry, Predator!!! =/

Hey, for it's kind of work it looks interesting. :ok:

hm, very good, I like it....
:ok:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../goodearth.jpg

Hand sketched, scanned, and colored in Photoshop. I don't know many of the "tricks" to PS, as I mostly taught myself how to use it, so if anyone has suggestions for coloring techniques, have at it. I usually just use the airbrush :D

Nice Work :w00t:

I suck at hand drawing stuff :-|

EDIT: Your male or female?

It says in the profile, she's female. The picture is very good, I've got to try colouring in my handrawn stuff on computer sometime :ok:

Thats what i thought but that pic of here eye... forehead looks manly., :tomato:

Show us a pic of you? :bye:

Incredible! :blink:
Wow, it seems we have a new great drawer here. Beware, TheVoid... :sneaky:

Nice works taikara :ok:

Bwahaha, the Void's got competition... and what kind of competition :D Keep up the cool pics :ok:

Nice work! Like it loads ;) Want to see more soon!

wow!!! your hand sketched draw is just great :ok:
I'd love to see more of your work

Did this today in honor of Kontiki's interesting characters.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ra/hamster.jpg


It's a remake of an old picture I did in MS Paint (!!!). The original Mutant Hamster took about 10 minutes to complete, this one took about an hour in Photoshop. I created him as the mascot of my university's Computing Helpdesk. That blue thing in his mouth is what's left of a NIC cable.

The Mutant Hamster is the evil creature that kills internet connections.

I call that bros.
Mutant Hamster looks cool, although I kinda thought that wire was its two tails at first :D Would've been cool if it could plug its tails into a comp, then roll its eyes back, revealing tiny monitors which have lines and lines of commands run over it as it alters computers and networks, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

Hey... I feel left out :cry:

Just because this stupid school doesn't have a scanner...

I'm sure we'll soon see something from you again. ;)
And that's well made picture, Taikara. :ok:

You don't have to feel left out.

That last pic I added was done completely on the comp, no scanning involved. Just because you don't have a scanner doesn't mean you can't create art.

...It just means it's less likely to be "pretty" unless you have a stupidly steady mouse hand, or a stylus (they are ridiculously expensive!!).

To everyone: Thanks for being supportive. :ok:

We've already seen what he can do with a comp :)
And I fear and wait at the same time the moment he'll get his hands on a scanner :evil:

You are flattering me...

These are a few of my favorite icons I made for my blog.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...kara/flare.png

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v243/taikara/evil.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v243/taikara/cake.jpg

These three are severely edited pictures of me. The first was a self-taken digicamera photo, the second and third are from the same picture, taken of me at a party eating something(?). Whatever it was I was eating, I felt I seemed very in awe and reverent of the foodstuff. It was a weird picture, thus I liked it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ra/believe.gif

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...kara/dream.gif

These 2 are my favorites, but I can't use them here :cry: , so I thought I'd share them here.

Why can't you use those two last here? They have correct dimensions, too... :huh:

very nice works, taikara! would be cool to have u in our "Abandonia Art Project".
check it out, if you're interested. the thread's in the art category of this forum...

and btw - you asked for techniques about coloring hand-drawn images...
here are some links you might find useful:

http://www.steeldolphin.com/tutorials_photoshop.php
http://www.steeldolphin-forums.com/htmltut...colorpart1.html
http://www.steeldolphin-forums.com/htmltut...colorpart2.html
http://www.howardcruse.com/howardsite/feat...coloringcomics/
http://www.jaxtrawstudios.com/Site/tutoria...ccolouring.html
http://www.dynotaku.com/how2color/start.htm

have fun! :ok:

Because the filesize is too large! :not_ok:

@ Strobe:

Thanks for the links! I'll check it out!

I'll PM you about the art project, I've already replied to the thread :D

If you enter the url for the avatar instead of uploading it there is no limit for its size, my avatar is huge so I hosted it on another site.

:blink:

Well, darn. I feel retarded :D

Thanks for the info.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2..._-_Taikara.jpg

Really old character sketch, from when I was playing Everquest like a fiend. The eye is messed up a little, heh.

Edit: I forgot to mention that this is a scanned pencil sketch, I used a watercolor effect in PS to frame it, and added the text and (horribly done) kanji in PS as well.

Very pretty - and elegantly designed, Taikara. Admire your choice of subject matter. :)

Sorry for posting so much lately, but it's the weekend :D

This is a practice that I'd like some criticism/advice on.

I started with the following line art by Jimmy R. Vann from steeldolphin.com, a link given to me by Strobe.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...nda_ink_bw.jpg

Following the tutorial, I ended up with this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...a_ink3copy.jpg

I'm not very confident with shading, especially in color, so feedback for improvement would be helpful. This is my first attempt at PS line art fill/gradient shading.

@ wendymaree: Thanks, that's a very kind compliment.

Did you say this was a first attempt? That is amazingly good! OMG I wish I could install PS but my hard drive can't fit another thing, let alone a program of this size. I mainly use PSP, but the results from airbrush and fills are nowhere near as professional as this.

I must only :kosta: to you. AMAZING!

Pretty neat work!

W-O-W! can you hear my jaw dropping?!? :D

you did excellent work in coloring the image! :ok:

i'm glad to see the tuts seem to be useful to you!
keep on posting!!

woah me likey!!!!!!!!!!! :w00t: :w00t:

Nice colouring indeed! The gleam on the sword is excellent. And the legs shine just right as well. The hair is a bit awkward though. It looks like the highlighs are a bit out of place, imho. But, very nice all in all!

Exactly my words.

To all: Thank you guys! I must admit, I was pretty pleased with the way it turned out.

@ wendymaree: Yes. On the first page, you'll see a pic shaded with airbrush only. No fills, definitely no gradient. I didn't know how to work with channels to do lineart fills, or how to use the gradient tool effectively. The airbrush is how I normally shade. I always wondered how other people got such a bold, clean look.

I'm just lucky to have several computers that can handle PS, because I'm a huge geek, and do freelancing web & graphic design sometimes, among other things. Of course, I started learning computer graphics on MS Paint, and never really effectively learned the nifty tools that progressed from there, teehee. I just ended up with PS because it produced more professional results, but still used the old tools I was familiar with :D

@ Reup: Thank you for the criticism. I agree, the hair looks a little "off," and so does some of the skin. The hardest thing to do was the shading on the hair and skin, and it just looked bad when I tried to use a gradient. I admit I cheated a little and used the airbrush on the skin and hair. I'll work on it :)

Hey... don't badmouth Paint :bleh:

Sure... it takes a longer time than fancy-schmancy Photoshop, and you can't redo as many times, and you have to do everything pixel by pixel, but it will do the job if you know how to use it ;)

Touchy, much? :blink:

I didn't badmouth it, I just said I learned on it and use PS like a glorified version of MS Paint! :angel:

I love editing pixel by pixel! Sometimes, that's the only way to do it right. :D

Hehe... I was just kidding ;)

paint sucks...period

Get photoshop, try it a time and see the light ;)

@Maikel: What Tom said ;) I agree. Paint rules!

"You guys are crazy... I like you, but you're crazy."

how come you say that? :whistle:

Just to make 50 posts :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ow_Desolee.jpg

This is an older sketch I created, colored with Prismacolor pencils.

I wish I could draw so nice like you... So many imagined pictures, and no way to realize them. And thoughts alone can't form them...

If only there was a way to hook your mind up to a comp and bring over the pictures, movies, songs and all the rest onto your HD. That'd save having actual artistic skills :D

This isn't necessary for taikara anyway :D
:kosta: to your works and style

:ok: very nice pic!

Thank you guys, that's really nice of you to say.

@FreeFreddy: I bet you can draw better than you think. I've seen your gallery, and there's some pretty nifty stuff in there. If you can do those things with the computer, it's because you have talent, imagination, and creativity. Drawing is just the ability to take those things and put them to paper. It takes practice, just like anything else, and you have enough raw ability to do it.

@TheVoid: I appreciate you saying so, but there's a lot I don't know how to do.

Couldn't have said it (or drawn it better) myself. Go Tai! :w00t:

Since everyone is posting portraits lately, I think I'm going to try my hand at one.

I don't normally do real portraits, because of some misfire in my synapses, it's a lot harder for me to do a portrait when I'm looking at the person or a picture of them than when I'm not, which by definition is not really a portrait.

I'll try to finish by tonight. It's been a while, so try to be nice when I post it :D

Okay, here we go.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...inal-small.jpg

I did this using a regular pencil for the rough sketch, and finished with a charcoal pencil for the shading. I used a photo as the subject.

Edit: posted a smaller size for more user-friendly viewing.

This is awesome!! :w00t:
Especially the eyes, I love them!
Great work :ok:

The eyes are very lively, but what gets my attention is the teeths... DIFFICULT! :kosta:

You rock, girl! :ok:

Thanks :D

The more I look at it, the more I think it looks like a caricature, heh.

These are very good pictures. The last one looks little clumsy. But hey, it's still more than I could draw myself. :ok:

Found this and decided to scan it. I love using just two colors. It's done with Prismacolor pencils.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v243/taikara/love.jpg

Not all of it would fit on my tiny scanner =/

The caption around it says:

"If love truly hurts, then I was a corpse long ago."

@Black angel: Thanks. It was pretty clumsy, I was rushing to get it done within an hour =/

sorry, but i can't understand what should be clumsy about the picture
before your last contribution. both ones have a stong emotional expression
and are both very well done from the technical point of view.

great to have you back, tai - and both thumbs up for your newest artworks! :ok: :ok:

Indeed! Very emotional... and very nice! Keep up the great work! :ok: ;)

Very nice pictures. So calm and romantical. :ok:

Agreed. I must try something romantical myself out soon...

It's not exactly *art*, but I thought I'd point out that I've added my picture to my profile :D

This is in response to Magic's comment that he thought my forehead looked manly, grr. :angry: :cry: :angry: :cry:

Took me a while to get a photo.

It's going to be a few days before I can post real art again, I've been uber-busy, but I do have something I'm thinking of working on that I can scan the line art for (if I ever get around to inking it, sigh).

Love your two colour drawing...delicate and pretty yet tinged with melancholy. The photo is lovely...methinks I see the dreamy expression of the visionary artist.

Hey, you aren't Japanese as I thought first. :max:
Aren't you Waterman, by chance (starsign)?

Looking good. Looking good. ;)

Nothing to add! Cheers! ;)

*blush*

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback, it builds confidence :ok:

@FreeFreddy: I'm sorry to have misled you, but no, I'm not Japanese. I just have fallen in love with the culture. Actually, my sun sign is Pisces, which is also water sign, and just a few days off, so you're close. Being a Pisces might be what accounts for that dreamy expression wendymaree mentioned =)

Heh, I also thought you were Japanese. Maybe the name, the manga-like drawings, the japanese signature.... :whistle:


Being a Pisces rocks! :Brain:

Pisces of the world, unite! :sneaky:

GOTCHA!!! :D

The name isn't Japanese! It's from Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series!!! In the Old Tongue of those books, "Tai'kara" means "true blood."

Buahaha, I feel so sneaky :bleh:

And you're right, Pisces rock! We're so under-appreciated, we should get together and show them all :D

You would have to get through us Scorpios first :sneaky:

Because I'm so excited about this, I'm going to post this as a WIP even though I won't be able to finish it for a while. It's a pencil sketch, which I plan to ink and attempt to color in PS.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...nga-sketch.jpg

I may try to redo the character's right arm, too, the proportion is a little off.

@Tom Henrik:

We Pisces are lovers and dreamers, not fighters. We'll probably just watch while the rest of you take each other out, then recreate the world in beauty and love. :bleh:

Wowchimomma! But isn't that head a bit too high? 't Looks odd like that. The rest.... Wowchimomma!

You like her, huh? ;)

About the neck - yes, it is long. I don't know why I do that, but I like it better. If you'll look at the (badly colored) picture I posted on the first page, you'll notice it there, too. I keep trying to work on that, but it doesn't look as nice to me for some reason. Consider it my trademark :angel:

Give them all a bunch of rings 'round their necks. Problem solved :ok:

Wow this is niiiice!!! :w00t:
Great work!! :ok:
I just have to say I love that top :whistle:

Thanks, Puffin :D

I like it, too. Suggestive, but not revealing. I think it's better not to show too much. It leaves more to the imagination. :sneaky:

It's really nice!

I can't but notice a little bit of selfportrait in these last drawings :whistle: which is far from bad told between us ;)

Looking forward to see the final version! :)

I'm a pisces too! and my mum! we will.. umm... what will we do?

Get your arses kicked by all the Aries in the world :evil:

@Thevoid: Thanks! :D You noticed that, huh? I have no idea why :whistle:

@Danny252: We'll uhh... be really creative in devising our evil plots?

@R Havell: Pffft. If you can stop bleating at each other long enough to actually do something, that is.

Great! As always. :D :ok: :angel:

nice drawings tai :) as for star signs, cancer all of the way!

Nothing beats Ursa Major's Mizar when it comes to star signs, but I think those things're kinda off-topic.

another nice drawing...your art is really nice, tai! plz finish this one, i'm really
curious to see the outcome!

BTW: as far starsigns are considered, libra seems to be quite underrepresented!
balancing the scales, i say...! :D

LOL

That's so bad, it's good. :ok:

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone! I'll work hard on getting it finished :)

I really must start doing some more art...

I tried a pixel art. I didn't realize pixel art was just pictures you make with MS Paint. :blink:

I know how to use MS Paint, heh. But this time, I used that GraphX 2 program just to try it out. I didn't like it! Except for the color palette, anyway.

So, it's been a while, and I don't think it turned out too clean, but I'm tired of working on it :yawn:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ra/TAIPIX2.png

First try and already got a professional sprite... I ended up with a blob that was worse than Space Invaders back in my first try. Y'ought to be happy with the result ;)

That's an incredible result. Some nice lines and the body has a curvy S shape so it looks realistic and not stiff.

@Kon-tiki: I'm a perfectionist, I'm never happy with my results LOL

Actually, I'm teasing :D It depends on my mood. Sometimes I think that something that is not so good is very good, and sometimes I think that things that are good are horrible. That's why I like to get other people's opinions :angel:

It's actually not my first try, except with that GraphX 2 program. I used to mess around with MS Paint when I was a kid. It's my first "sprite," yes, but not my first pixel art. I just didn't know that's what it was when I was doing it then :)

@wendymaree: I worked very hard to get it to look somewhat realistic. To do so, I completely ignored a good chunk of the tutorial Maikel posted, which had guidelines for "perfect pixel lines." Although I agree with the tutorial, it's just hard to get something organic to fit into perfect pixel lines. But hey, organic things don't have perfect lines, they have curvy ones!

Instead, I did outlines of the figure in the colors I wanted to use, then filled and shaded as desired.

Great pictures, Taikara. And that pixeled picture is really good. But I understand you good, me and Freddy, we're both perfectionists, too. ;)

Nah, in drawn pictures it's not possible to make it perfect. And they're great, anyways. ;)
I for my part like the picture of the girl, it's beautiful. :tomato:
Though the neck is just slightly too long... :sneaky:

as i have for sure mentioned before, i really like your creations alot! no doubt about
that....

but there's one thing i've noticed - could it be that you keep on painting only female
characters? maybe i've overlooked something, but a male person in your paintings
would be interesting, too! :D

please don't think i would dare to dictate on you what you have to create. but
knowing that you possess a great potential of talent, i'd really like to see some
diversity of gender in your works. i hope you feel not upset by my request, it's
only a matter of interest...

i hope to see more of your outstanding art!

Sigh.

I figured someone would notice :cry:

I don't draw men often. I'm much more comfortable with the female form, being female. If I have a problem drawing something, I can just look at myself and figure it out. Which is probably why a lot of my drawings have features like mine, too.

There's no men around for me to look at and figure things out, so I'm a little hesitant to try it most of the time. I could pick up a clothes magazine or something I guess, though.

I like drawing manga-style, so you would think I would just do that... but the secret is, you can't draw people disproportionately well if you don't know the true proportions in the first place.

I'll try something, and you'll see what I mean. It's an awful mess.

If you need a model, just give a look at the classics (Michelangelo, Leonardo, Durer), or at some comic :ok:

You can find lot of stuff on the net :)

How to draw males - Toonzone
Polykarbon's tutorial (scroll down to the male-section)

Got a book 'bout how to draw superhero characters... heroes and villains. Can scan some stuff of that in once the scanner works, if you want to have a look at that too...

You guys rock! Great ideas. I prefer live models, but it can work. :ok:

The reason I prefer live models: You can see how things work together. If you can see how a joint moves, you can draw it better. Also, posable!

also posable and sometimes easier to handle than life models are wooden
puppets, which you can buy in almost any store offering art equipment.

i'm quite sure you know these puppets, but i attached a picture of mine, so
you can have a look.

i know this is not directly helpful for gender issues, but such a puppet might
be supportive in basic proportion practice...

Actually, it's theoretically simple to draw people. You just need to know the laws of beauty, where the beauty of all the parts of the body is the same as their perfect serving of purpose. When you figured out why beautiful people look beautiful to you, look on that more close to gather details the puzzle-pieces together, it's all you need to know. ;)
(not that it helps me really to draw people, but I also didn't try for real... :whistle:)

Heh, I have one of those puppets too.
But I'm not very methodical. I just draw how it seems right to me, developing a misuring eye is important ;)

I don't have a puppet.

Never needed one. For me they don't work - as I draw what I see ;)
(I end up drawing the puppet).


And I quit playing with puppets a loooong time ago :bleh: :tomato:

Couldn't resist to modify your post :whistle:

You should be less material, Tom ;) use your imagination :ok:

Exactly! When I draw, it's like I draw it with closed eyes and see the finished picture before me already. It's just the matter of placing it correctly on paper. :max:

Same here, Black angel...

If I try to look at things, it's harder, unless I just can't see it in my head. It's more like I just have to know them. I'm not familiar enough with any man to know how to draw them. I know how I work, but I don't know how anyone else works, especially men.

So I guess the only way to know is to practice drawing men I don't know. They won't end up looking very good, but perhaps I'll get familiar with my aesthetic preference by doing so, as FreeFreddy said.

Also, I'm unfamiliar with male expression of emotion. That's very hard when trying to draw, for me. So much of it is just driven by how I feel.

Everyone's suggestions will help me with the technicalities and proportions, but I'm wondering how I will figure that part out? Men are a mystery.

Male expression?

We are either confused or angry. You only need to make two different faces :ok:

Actually, I often see yet another expression on Freddy's face. :sneaky:

Damn...

Yes, you are right... we have different expressions. We just don't like to show them. That is actually true.

Only partially. Again taking Freddy as example. He doesn't show them very often, as I noticed, but with me he doesn't hide them. You seem to believe hiding own feelings make you look hard. It doesn't matter, you know? Not the look on your face shows your character, but your deeds. It's still better when you smile often, instead of hiding them. ;)

Sure....
But let me show you the second male expression:

Well, you seem to fit pretty well into an army of trolls. LOL

male expresion? :blink:

looks more like horse to me!! :bleh:

I wish guys would show their emotions more often. It would make things easier, not having to walk on eggshells trying to figure out what's going on.

@Thevoid:

OMG. You look like an angry pirate! LOL Argh, maties!

Rather like a went mad undead zombie! :roflol:

Indeed! *scared*

*YAR*
It was just a sample of how faces can be twisted LOL

I hope that in normal posture the troll army wouldn't accept me :unsure:

You should show us normal posture... I can't picture anything but undead evil troll pirate zombie horse now. :angel:

Look for his photo in the profile of Puffin, you'll find him there. ;)

:blink:

Thevoid is Jack, The Pumpkin King?

That's the only picture in Puffin's profile...

Take your pic ;)

http://www.abandonia.com/~thevoid/photos/me_old.jpg
http://www.abandonia.com/~puffin/Immagine%20030.jpg

Jeez, what do they feed Italians? :blink:

When I went to Italy, everybody looked like a supermodel, just walking down the street like it was normal to be ridiculously attractive without trying.

Sorry, Thevoid. Don't mind me, I'm just a girl. :angel:

Quick sketch example of male expression. Hope you'll understand.

Another picture of me.
(Who wants to draw me? Tai? Man ready for taking here).

Gotta love those :max:

Spaghetti, what else LOL

I love stereotypes, they're so funny.

Hey Tom, I'm going to draw you, one day :D

I have to repay the favour then, Al ;) :D

@Tom Henrik: I'll do it if you want, Tom, but trust me when I say you probably don't want me to.

Taikara, if you want to, you have my permission.

Just try to avoid the fate the other Tom-drawers have suffered. ;)

(You might want to take the picture from my profile, though - as sunglasses are very difficult to draw properly).

:blink:

What fate is that? I want to know what I'm getting myself into....

@Kon-Tiki: I'm not sure I want to know what that expression is.....

Hmm... I'll try to explain it in words then. When showing emotions, men'r far from as subtle as women. If we find something funny, it's blatantly obvious. If we're sad, it's blatantly obvious. If we're angry, it's blatantly obvious. It's not like when a woman's crying and you can't see the tears, you're wondering whether she's crying or laughing.

None of them has posted any new art since they began on my face :ph34r:

Pfft.

Please, spare me the drama. ;) :bleh:

I'll work on it tonight, and probably have it posted by tomorrow, if not sooner.

Edit: I am now staring at your head for the next few hours.

I have a portrait of Void hidden somewhere in my ftp.. Beneath the rays of sun.
Not to be posted here :bleh:

Hmm.. If I move to Italy, and eat a lot of spaghetti, I wonder if I'll turn beautiful.. *thinking*

Usually when I draw men, they look confused.. Don't know why...

Last night I tried something interesting... I went into a dark room, no light, with a pencil and a paper, and started drawing a dude. Then today, I told my boyfriend about this experiment, and he insisted on seeing the doodle I did. He really liked it, and he told me he's "not just saying that" :whistle:
He actually makes wonderful drawings.. I'm quite envious
:angry: ;)

:kiss:

I'm nearly done with Tom's portrait, minus final shading and hair.

I have no idea how to do mens' short hair!! :cry:

@Puffin: :blink: You are beautiful, I saw your picture.

So when are you going to post something? :D

*blush*

Thanks, I'll post something as soon as I make something worth posting ;)

Tom!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../tom-final.jpg

Pencil sketch, cleaned up a little in PS.

I tried. :angel:

It's very good Tai!! :w00t:
The way it watches you....It's definitely him :D


But to do some critics, I think you should have done some more beard to make him more "manly" - there's some "girlish" feature in it..you can still correct it, anyway.

But maybe it's just because Tom is queer :whistle:

I repeat myself, it's very good :ok:

hey, that's geat, tai!
why were you so unsure about his hair - it looks good!!
what i like most is that you captured the weird look of the original image very well!

thumbs up!!! :ok:

@TheVoid: Poor Tom. I knew it would turn out girly. This is one of the few (and maybe the only, I can't remember any others) real male portraits I have ever done. I used to draw cartoon-y type guys, but I don't think that counts as a real portrait type thing. There actually is more facial hair, but it didn't scan well.

Sorry, Tom! :(

@Strobe: Thanks! I don't draw short hair often, and it's usually long short hair, or manga-style short hair. It was mostly just me panicking, as I hadn't tried yet.

I like it! :ok: And I think the subject will be pleased, too. :D

I can see what Void is getting at with the too feminine aspect. I think if the eyes were smaller and the nose more blokey, perhaps...? But you've got the tilt of the head, the hair, the lips and the quirkiness of the pose absolutely spot on.

Thanks, Wendy!

I hope he likes it, even though my feminine touch is apparent.

Looks great. That feminine thing can be worked away by making the lips thinner and the mouth a bit bigger, I suppose. At least the lips thinner should do alot. Besides that, it's a great result :ok:

Gread work, no doubt! :ok:
Eyes are ok, but it's the chin and the mouth that are little too small. Simply the lower part of the face is little too small. But it's easy to correct. ;)

And you forgot my rugged look ;)

Other than that, the result is very good :kosta:

I'm sorry, Tom. I feel bad, it doesn't do you justice. :cry:

I'll practice drawing guys features, and then try to make it look more masculine.

Hey... I'm happy :)

Edit: Tai got the impression I meant what I said in this post, even though I was really joking. So I'll just edit this in case any one else might get that idea. Sorry tai. Didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I should really lay off the joking if it hurts people. Really sorry. :cry:

And, digging out the art gallery...

Decided to play around with PS, trying out anime-style coloring techniques.

Hand sketch, digitally inked and colored in PS.

http://www.sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/flame-final.jpg

I think it turned out okay.

Looking great, Tai! :ok:

Wow, she looks sweet and really sexy! :w00t:
Good picture. :ok:

Awesome!!! :ok:

Very nice job Tai...I like orange. :ok:

great painting! you seem to master photoshop colouring very well...

the way you've "cut" the body of the woman is very interesting. and
i like the colors a lot...very warm. and the expression on her face is
quite emotional!

well done, tai! :ok:

Thanks guys! :D

I appreciate the feedback, as always. :ok:

I think I'll save my energy now for the Abandonia Art Contest, buahaha. :sneaky: :angel:

A little something different...

This is my first ever acrylic painting. It was done in school, I think in 9th grade.

http://www.sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/sylvaen.jpg

I like to paint better than I like to draw. I don't feel so pressured to make things perfect. I can't draw a straight line to save my life, half the time! :D

I could only scan part of it, but you get the idea.

you can bet we got the idea! :D

it's nice to see how flexible you are in doing art. it seems that your are not
bound to any specific kind of art. sometimes you're presenting comic-style
works, now you present this fabulous acrylic paintic...

your talent is quite manifold, and i admire that!

this painting is very interesting in many respects. the shading is done very well,
the picture has depth to it and the composition, though it's one a part of the whole
work, seems homogenous. the colours are warm in a way, although you've used
cold tints. i can't tell definitely if this scene displays day or night.

impressive!! :ok:

Indeed, very nice picture. :ok:
It reminds me on a scene from Wizardry 8, on that longer road to the nearest town and further...

Thank you, Strobe & FreeFreddy!

I have some large-scale stuff I've done... I don't have a way to get it onto the computer... My mom has a digital camera, though, maybe I could borrow it! :)

There's been a slight emergency... :(

Unless it's resolved quickly, I won't be able to get online much for the next week, possibly more.

I'll miss you guys very much. :(

In the meantime, here's an old piece I did. It's not much, but it's all I had available....

Hand sketch, colored in PS with airbrush technique...

http://www.sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/cloud.jpg

On the upside, I might have something to post when I get back...

Miss u. Bye :cry:

We will miss you. Hurry back if you can. We'll save a spot for you.

reguards......

sixapes

Crap, I'll miss you too... Don't take too much time. :(
Very good and beautiful picture, anyway. I'm looking forward to the one you might post later. :bye:

it's a pity that women can't b cloned from art works. otherwise i would have
a couple of new girlfriends now, all resembling the cuties you have presented
here, hehe. :w00t:

you managed to amaze me once again with your ability to draw and to color
your works beautifully! great job, tai! :ok:

so, you'll be absent for a while. too bad! but i hope you'll be back soon
(otherwise there might be the chance of catching you on msn, though...)

great picture!! :ok: too bad it's not the whole body though... <_<

The whole body is not always needed, use your imagination if you need to know more...
I think the picture looks flawless as it is now.

well, I don't.. I think it would be better if it was a whole body..

Ack!! You people stop complaining. Taikara has left and you are complaining cause she didn't draw naked women. Yeesh.

I'll try to do that :ok:

If this can soften the fact that taikara's away :cry: after posting such a beautiful work.

I gotta hand it, the work she has done is astonishing... :angel:

Exactly what I mean. She left such a beautiful work, there's nothing to complain about. :angry: :D

Oy, that I didn't notice it now :blink: Hope to see you back soon, Tai :bye:

She'll be back as soon as possible. Just keep her place tidy for her to return to.

@everyone: Thanks guys, for the nice thoughts :D It was resolved a little sooner than I thought, though I still will be sort of busy for the next few days. Somehow, I just can't resist Abandonia, though :whistle:

@FreeFreddy & Fawful: LOL...some boys will just be boys, you know. Personally, I think the imagination makes things more beautiful.

@Tom Henrik: Thanks for looking out for my gallery. :angel:

In the meantime, looky what I found:

http://www.sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/lil_tai.jpg

This is one of the OLDEST pictures I've done that I have on archive. I did it when I was about 17, in MS Paint, no sketches. Just outline and fill. I tried to use some freeware program to add the highlights (I forget what it was called), but it turned out kinda awful. (Probably my technique, hehe).

again...a girl.

again...a beautiful one

again...well done!

you never disappoint our trust in your artistic flow, tai! :ok:

and for an "oldie" this pic is even more impressive!

this girl looks like she's diving deep into herself...

A beautiful picture! Such a sweet girl... :wub:

Can't agree more. There is a very nice and calm atmosphere in the picture.

Thanks everyone :)

I wish I had a better copy of it... it's so old and is all dithered-looking. :(

uh? me is yet again mentally scarred, methinks...
nice piccies ^^ moremoremore

Welcome to my university days of doodling in class...


Drawn in blue pen.

http://www.sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/fallenangel.jpg

Nice sense of proportion and structure. I like the way her wings drape and flow around her like a huge, feathery cape.

Nice, very nice, Taikara. :ok:

Thanks, Wendy & Troop :D

This post is a special one.

It's dedicated to Kon-Tiki (obviously, hehe) as a thanks for the wonderful present he gave me for my birthday (my very own birthday adventure game, whee).

So, to Kon-Tiki, for being wonderfully kind and making my day:

http://www.sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/kontiki-bw.jpg

Pencil sketch, portrait (?) of Kon-Tiki!

Gotta love those Tikis, hehe.

Very well, detailled done work. :D

Woo! Tiki likey! Not really a portrait, though. I'm much more handsome in reality :D Although...

I'm going to take an internet break, I think. I've been tired lately, and haven't been working on my personal projects as much as I'd like. Maybe just a couple days, however long it takes for me to feel better.

I'll still be around, and will be working on my commitments to Abandonia, just won't be available to talk as much as I have been. Also will still be in touch :D

In the meantime, I made these three icons last night, and am trying to decide what I want for an avatar. Which do you think is best?

Rockin' Out:

http://sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/rockout-icon2.jpg

What are you thinking?:

http://www.sometimessulliedsoul.com/...tive-icon2.jpg

Profile:

http://www.sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/tai-icon.jpg


Or, the current one?

I have to admit, I have a huge attachment to my current icon, but maybe it's time for a change. Although, I'm also not sure about the idea of using me as my own icon.... though I think they did turn out pretty nifty. Maybe some suggestions for non-me icons? I'm having a hard time with inspiration. Maybe when I come back, I'll be refreshed.

Edit Added the profile one...

I like the second one, though they both look a little overlighted...

i'd definitely go for the second one!
can't tell exactly why, though...

maybe cause i think it shows you the way we know you...thoughtful and kind!

BTW: take your time, but be back soon...

The second one.

Second one, definitely.

Your eye look pretty good,but if you will change it,I would say number 2...

Because she looks beautiful on the second one, what else. ;)

thanks freddy, without your comment i wouldn't have noticed :bleh:

and on the first and third one she's ugly, or what ??

no, seriously - i was rather referring to the emotional expression of the pic,
than to its aesthetical value, y'know?

second one..

They all look good.

I'd have to with the second one! You look like you know something we all don't :)

jwow some of ur pictures are awesome. using Photoshop to colour sketches is a very useful thing, i nmyself used to do alot of anime sdtyle drawings and colour them with photshop. my HD died over XMAS and i lost the lot though :(

Hey everyone! :bye:

@Talon: Thank you so much! I haven't had time to check out your new gallery and comment properly yet, but trust me, I will :sneaky: :D

Thanks for the comments, it looks like the second one is winning by a vast majority...

But, I think I'll save it for later, because I think I have found an icon that just might truly represent me, courtesy of Kon-Tiki!

With no further ado, check out the left side of this post hehe.

And to those of you I speak to in MSN: I apologize if I seem distracted lately, I have been working hard on the new review editing project. It's good to be useful! :)

Hehe, now that's a cute avatar. :D

Not ugly, she looks on all of them good, it's just that the second one looks best of the three. More details on it than on the two others. ;)

Double pictures tonight...

Finished a color version for Kon-Tiki's pic:

http://www.sometimessulliedsoul.com/...olor-final.png

And now it's time for a game. The following is a tattoo on my ankle that I drew myself (although, it was much better on paper than what ended up on my skin, which was somewhat disappointing, though not overwhelmingly so).

http://www.sometimessulliedsoul.com/personal/tattoo.jpg

Can you guess what Tai's tattoo means? ;)

WOW, tiki will start a wild "thanks-dance" for this wonderful giant version of his
avatar, for sure! totally impressive work this is, tai!!! :ok:

EDIT:
as for the tattoo...i think i can identify two of its elements. first (in the upper part)
there's something like a drop, secondly (right in the middle) i see a shape that
resembles that of a pentagram...

hm, honestly i have absolutely no clue what this symbolizes, but if had to title it
i'd go for "devil's tear"...

Goddamn, that's an awesome pic :w00t:
*glomps*
I think I've got a new desktop pic :D

As for the tattoo... wasn't that a rose?

WOW - Love Kon-Tiki's picture. Gee you're good.

No clue on the meaning of the tatoo. :blink:

EDIT:
Just thought of something about your tatoo. Is it a droplet (water, blood) within a droplet, within a droplet...and so on infinitum. Could it be representative of eternity or immortality?

The kind in which the tattoo is drawn..
Well, maybe it will sound rude or embarassing of me, and I'm probably wrong anyway, but the two crossed drops in the middle and the third falling into them remind me on sperms. :tomato:
It also resembles a face, with the two triangles on the both sides at the middle as the eyes, and the mouth as the triangle at the bottom of the tattoo. And the drop above them, the one falling into the two others crossed, might be the "third eye". Perhaps this second guess is also the one closer to the truth...

Freddy, two links for you:
Link 1
Link 2

Strobe and Wendy have the closest guesses to what the tattoo means (for me).

I actually have a few sketches like that, which I deliberately made vague so that the interpretation is open to the viewer. It's actually much like a Rorschach, in the sense that what is being seen tells more about the viewer than the art.

Anyway... Now that I have the digital camera available, I can post a few of my larger format works for you guys (as I find them).

So, enjoy:

http://www.sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/creation.png

Charcoal sketch: "Creation of the Mind."

OMG

The amount of work that must have gone into this.

Brilliant, Taikara!

*Jawdropsmiley*
Friggin' awesome! Got to love the movement in it... and the flying pair of vicegrips :bleh:

:ot: about the tattoo. Are you considering getting (this) one?

And the picture is great :ok:

The last picture was brilliant, but does it have a meaning? :tomato: Should it say anything to the viewer? Anyway, lots of work, professionalism and a great mind made it possible. Great job. :ok:

:w00t: wow, a totally new aspect of your talent, tai!!

this artwork is very impressive in its composition and very original in the idea
that's behind its content. the dark atmosphere being diplayed suggests to expand
this artwork's title to

"creation of the mind of a murderer"


incredibly beautiful picture!! :kosta:

EDIT

@ reup:

i guess this tattoo already is on her ankle :D

It is. Right foot. Ankle. Spot on.

Thanks everyone!

@Troop: It has a meaning for me... but it should also have a meaning for you. That's one thing I really enjoy about art, which is to say that everyone is allowed their own perspective. If I were to tell you what I meant when I drew it, it would rob you of your personal perspective, which would be a shame...

@Strobe: Actually, I'm thinking of renaming it... not anything to do with murderers though OMG

@Reup: Tom is correct. It is already on, right leg, (slightly above) the ankle.

@wendymaree: You have no idea. First, I drew it on sketch paper. Then, I used a light table to transfer the outlines from the sketch paper to a nice grade paper. Then, I spent many hours with a stick of charcoal and a gum eraser. It actually looks a lot clearer than that IRL, unfortunately, the digicam transferal leaves something to be desired...

@Kon-Tiki: Vicegrips, eh? ;)

@Tom Henrik: Show off. :bleh:

i love tribal tatoos. i have a swirl pattern one on my shoulder blade, just simple black and white, if i could get my digi cam working id take a pic, but unfortunately it is broken after my dad dropped it LOL

nice picture!! Reminds me of Gaudi a little, but just a little...

yeah. that's an ace drawing. have you been looking at lots of dali pictures recently? I'm a big fan of surrealism (but unfortunately a mediocre artist at best, and pretty terrible at worst) - i've two Dali prints in my room (Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory and Metamorphosis of Narcissus if anyone's curious. the first one has those famous melting clocks.)

@TaloN: I have a tribal butterfly on my back. I like tribal, too.

@bohor: I have no idea who Gaudi is! I'll Google it. :)

@BeefontheBone: I enjoy Dali. There's a really nice Dali museum nearby here, but I haven't been in a while.

Thank you guys for your comments! :D

take a piccy, my digi is bust atm so no piccys on mine :(

@Talon: Because of the location of that tattoo on my body, I'm not really comfortable with posting a pic on the forum, sorry.

Because I unfortunately have still not gotten into storage to get paintings out, I'm going to post this, because I like how it turned out so much :)

http://www.sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/thoughts.png

For the record, I'm not as self-absorbed as it seems when I post these. The truth is, I'm not extremely fond of how I look in the skin (who is, though?), but I love how I look when I view myself in a world of different colors. Also, don't have any other subjects to take usable photos of at the moment :D

Edit: Of course, I would not be above admitting I have a skewed perspective of the world, and of beauty, hehe.

Wow, wouldn't like to bump into that in a dark alley :D

:blink: What do you mean? "That?" :cry:

:max:

What he means, Tai, is that if you looked like that in a dark alley, you would most likely be radioactive, which is a reason he wouldn't want to bump into you. :angel:

Skewed perception of beauty indeed, if you don't think you're gorgeous :bleh: That pic proves it once again.

On a lighter note, it is a very cool picture. :ok:

that's a nice one :) it's nut just a simple self-portrait...it's more like a
"digitally absorbed moment". the shot shows a distinct vividness and intensity,imo!

i think the colors contribute great effectivity to this picture, and the look in your
eyes seems almost mysterious - i would describe your facial expression as "cold
amazement"...as if your most favourite music star is passing by on the stage,
and you look up to him/her in severe adorance, being overwhelmed by shivers
of profound respect..or as if spectating some other breath-taking specularity.

(sorry folks, it's late and my fantasy seems to do loopings ;) )

@Kon-Tiki: Thanks, that's a bit much though, heh.

@Fawful: Yes, I can see what you mean, hehe. And thanks! :D

@Strobe: I don't have favorite music stars :D

I don't really follow celebrities. If I am in awe of something, it would probably be of something that made me think in a new way about the world.

I titled this one "Thoughts," though, so that's probably fairly accurate, minus the music stars :D

somehow i was almost sure that you're not the ordinary boy-band-groupie...
that's why i wrote "it looks AS IF" :D nevertheless, it's a very interesting and
appealing look..

kawaikute omoshiro shashin ga desu
Anata ga kirei desu yo

translation:
The photo is interresting and cute.
You look beautiful!

:D

Iie, tsumaranai-mono desu ga, arigato gozaimashita, Data-sama! :kosta: ^_^

Gotta love manipulated pictures :D

Looking good Tai.

o m g burn the which!! :ranting:

hehe thats fair enough :P.

wikid pic , im gonna go do a photoedited version of me now.


/me plugs in solarise PS pluggin.

Another pic edit, a very good friend of mine... :D

http://www.sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/kt-color.png

He has a very green soul... kind, gentle, down to earth, with one of the cleverest senses of humor I've ever known. Good people. :D

Mmm, looks like a Dutch-speaking Belgian scout or something like that..... :D

Ace pic anyway..... :ok:

Dutch is very good, Void :P

He posted that pic in another topic, himself.

That is Kon-Tiki looking good... and green...


I love color-manipulated pictures. Keep 'em coming :cheers:

And I thought it was yellow, until I zoomed in :blink: Cool pic nonetheless. Tiki likey :ok:

Hmm... could it perhaps be due to a certain "uniqueness" of vision that you possess? :D ;)

@TheVoid: Hmm... the likeness is strange, isn't it? ;)

@Tom: Thanks, I will. :)

Well, my old monitor was jiggling, and this one has color issues...

So, I finally got into storage, and took a picture of one of my paintings, but I have no idea if it looks okay, because of the color variance between PS and my monitor. Sigh.

But oh well...

http://www.sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/schzadd.png

The name of the piece is "Schizophrenic Addiction."

http://www.sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/eye-detail.png

Eye detail...

Acrylic on canvas.

Great job on both :ok: First one reminds me of One Piece's Mohji, the lion tamer :D

Lovely Work Tai... :D

Ooooooooh..... EYES.


Love it, Tai.

The style looks completely different from what you make now. How old were you when you made that painting?

You mean how young was she?!

She isnt old now so how can she have ever been old... at least she doesnt look old :-/

...

@Taikara: Great work :ok: - such paintings could hang in a museum I know.

She's not that old remember! LOL

Slowly but surely I become mad from you guys... :tease:

tai, i've just come across your latest presentation!

by definition this was/is my reaction:

a·maze Audio pronunciation of "amazed" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (-mz)
v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es
v. tr.
1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise.
2. Obsolete. To bewilder; perplex.


v. intr.
To cause great wonder or astonishment: a sight that amazes.

n.
Amazement; wonder.


[From Middle English masen, to bewilder,, and from amased, bewildered (from Old English masod) both from Old English masian, to bewilder : -, intensive pref. + *masian, to confuse.]a·mazed·ly (-mzd-l) adv.
a·mazed·ness n.

this is how my reaction looks like:

:w00t: (version 1)
:blink: (version 2)
:drool: (version 3)

or to sum up: simply great
wonderful how you've worked out the colors. the brush strokes are done very
nice...just like a mosaic of hundreds of little color spots which form a shape.

did i mention the connotation "amazing"? :D

She's not that old remember! LOL [/b][/quote]
I was being serious.. she doesnt look old :angry:

20-30?

Let me check her profile

25 right in the middle... so BLEH!!!

Thanks, everybody! :D

I'm totally blown away by all of your reactions, thank you so much. :)

And thank you, Magic, for protecting my self-esteem, hehe.

@Kon-Tiki: That guy is freaky... but you know, does actually resemble the painting's subject, strangely :D

@Tom Henrik: I painted that last year. I like trying out different styles.

@Strobe: I'm glad you like it. You're right on with the technique. I was going for a blend of impressionistic and post-impressionistic painting techniques. Only, instead of painting the impression of the light as it hits an object, I was painting MY impression/feelings... of a person ;)

I really enjoy painting that way, just a little dab at a time. I wish you guys could see it for real. :D

New avvie for Kon-Tiki! The shrunken one he was using of my Tiki pic was driving me nuts LOL :D

*hands Tai some peanuts* These nuts?

Anyways, as long as it's a tiki, Tiki's happy. And this one definitely makes Tiki happy :bannana:

acryllic art *drools* when i bring home my pieces from my GCSE art (got A* wooo) ill take some piccys. i love that kinda styling.

And you made that avatar all yourself? Impressive work, then. :ok:

I agree, excellent work on the avatar, very nice :D

WTG Tai! Great colours! :Brain:

How did you draw Tiki's avvie? (wow, talk about in-crowd lingo)

Thanks everybody! :D

I didn't exactly "draw" it, I used a resource pic. In Photoshop, I cropped it square, then painted over it with a paintbrush to give it more definition. Then, I used a gradient map with green and black (it was originally grayscale - you need to convert the mode to RGB to do the gradient map), then resized it. Finally, I used MS Paint to give it a border.

yeh i came across that Tiki in google images when finding a tiki for kon-tiki's signature

It's the first one that comes up! LOL :D

And actually, the best one that I found... the rest weren't very usable, I looked for a while :crazy: :D

I love your art. Esp. this http://www.abandonia.com/forum/index.php?s...indpost&p=55984 and this http://www.abandonia.com/forum/index.php?s...indpost&p=67130
Really nice ^_^ The acrylic painting as well.

I haven't gone through all pages yet though.. LOL
18 pages... O.o;

Yay! I finally have something to update with.

This is a portrait in charcoal of my best friend.

Sorry about the bad quality, it's large format, so I had to take a picture :(

Also, the paper is creased because it somehow got crunched up in my portfolio bag :tai:

http://www.sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/dani.png

Detail on the face:

http://www.sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/dani-detail.png

Those of you who've seen pictures of her, what do you think? :D

i can't remember having seen a picture of her, but anyway this is a fine drawing.
the body seems a bit out of proportion at certain parts (her behind is slightly too
large in relation to her legs, imo), but the face is just EXCELLENT! :ok:

overall, her pose is cool, and shading is nicely done. great job, tai!!! :kosta:

Dani looks awesome here, Tai.

One thing I really love about the drawing is how the eyes move in the two shots. In the first she seems to be looking more straight ahead of her as if she was thinking, and in the close up she seems to be looking over her sholder as if she was shy or sorry or being vulnerable.

It really makes the viewer stop up and think. Great art :kosta:

@Strobe: Welllll.... Dani has somewhat of a ghetto-booty... :D

She's proud of it, though, so I don't feel bad for saying so, hehe. :)

Thanks for the compliments :D

@Tom Henrik: Thanks... I love drawing eyes ^_^

nice picture, yet again ^_^ Im running out of good comments!

I'm just going to congratulate you on yet another fine drawing Tai! :ok: WTG and keep it up!

I sketched this because of a topic on AR...

Envisioned portrait of (the rather mysterious) A.J. Raffles:

http://sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/raffles-sketch.png

medium: graphite pencils & blending sticks

Edit: I only posted here because it's been forever since I posted in my gallery :( , and it was an actual artsy kind of project, hehe.

Way to go!

The fact that this is a made up picture is mindboggling! It looks as if you watched a photo while drawing up the lines. My favourite part is the lips and eyes. You've really managed to make them look lifelike. :w00t:

I have a lot to learn from you regarding the use of graphite :kosta:

*Eagerly awaiting the next masterpiece*

Now I don't know where to post my compliments. Ah hell, I'll just do it in both. :D
Incredible drawing :blink:

't Looks like somebody I used to know :blink: That you can draw such a realistic portrait simply from how you think somebody looks's quite stunning, definitely a talent few have.

@ tai well i cant say anything bad about your work because it is a 10-20 min drive from your house to come to beat me up sooooo

nice drawing of the mysterious raffless

Indeed that really is some fine work :w00t: , just the way it is expressed, it looks really awesome, keep up the good work Tai.

It doesn't really look like me, but it's a great drawing.:ok:

@Raffles: Well, damn... but you can't blame me for trying :D

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the compliments, it makes me feel good to hear them, so thanks a lot :)

I don't know how it is exactly that I can draw things without looking at them. Good imagination, I guess ;)

Nvr seen a picture, so I'll just say that the first picture of the girl on her stomach reminds me of the art done for A Series of Unfortunate Events. Its quite good.

Thats pretty good Tai, especially since you have nothing but your imagination to work from. (Pretty good is Doctor Adrian's way of saying -Thats a helluvalot better than I could do in a million years)

Can't wait to see more :ok:

I'd like to compliment you, but nothing shows up for me. :cry:

Heh - I said that about the raffles one on AR before I'd seen the other drawing. Bret Helquist is the guy who does them.

Bloody fantastic drawing, would be intriguing to see how your mind has distorted the image. Is there any chance of a comparison picture?

*hopes for some future comical reactions at the distortion mad :tai:'s mind has made to Miss Mysterious's face*

WOW :kosta:

You do a fantastic job with your drawings !

And the fact that you learned Photoshop so well by yourself is amazing !

What's your real life job ?

I think she's in real estate.. :blink:

Thanks again everyone for your comments :)

@BloodPigggy: I don't know what's wrong, I'm sorry :(

@swiss: Thanks, and Danny's right, I'm technically in real estate, and soon to start a new job at a law office doing legal research for real estate law.

The piece I'm posting now is actually a portrait I promised to do of a friend many months ago, before I was made admin of AR. I lost a lot of my free time, and put it off :( I'm really sorry, but here it is...

http://sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/strobe-portrait.jpg

Portrait of Strobe, oil pastels on paper.

Nice job!!! :ok: Lots of color! :ok: And the eyes are excellent....

Wow :w00t: amazing job Tai, indeed the eyes are really well done and the colour is just gorgeous, awesome job Tai, good work. :ok:

Booyah!! :w00t:

That is looking superb! I really love the contrast of red and yellow on his face, but I'm also very overwhelmed by the background. So simple, yet it sorta pushes the face up from the paper, and it also wraps around his head like a fog. Brilliant.

:kosta:

Thanks guys, as always, I appreciate it :)

@Tom: Welcome to the wabi-sabi aesthetic. Well, my own personal interpretation of it, in any case.

't Is good to see you're drawing again ^_^ This pic shows why. Mind if I ask who it is?

Thats a stupid question, anyone can see its her most favorite peron in Florida, Jeb Bush. :w00t: :P BTW that is a really good pic, but can I ask, is it done in charcoal or pencil?

@Tiki and @Fawful...

Boys boys boys... Tai answered both of your question before you thought of them... probably to engrossed by the pic to notice... :ok:

:tai: excellent as always ^_^!

Weird, didn't see that there before. Dunno what Strobe looks like, but I know I like the pic. Great as usual :ok:

@Tiki & Fawful: hehe, you guys are silly :P

@Reup: Nice to see someone caught the tag ;) and thanks for the compliment :)

Wow, I wish I could draw at all. Simply the most incredible drawings I have ever seen :kosta:

Hey Tai!

I noticed your new signature, so I thought I would comment on it.

I like the cut that you've used, its really bold. It's a little too big for my tastes but your intended it that way :)
The backgrounds pretty cool, I don't like them little stars (are they lens flares?).. Perhaps you could reduce the opacity of some of them? Maybe even add a motion blur to the odd few.
The text is great, suits the image and looks nice.
The technique for the border is one i've seen quite a lot and im not a big fan of it but the slight colour overlay fits the dreamscape atmoshphere.

I am randomly ranting again... ill be quiet.

huuu ... magic ...

I don't know what you are talking about.

Tai's sig is fantastic!
It's real and cool anime style and there is nothing (!) that I would even dare think negative about ....

Great Avatar and Signature (I disable them, and only way to see them is trough profile)

Also great Art! :ok:

Now, if Tai was born one day later, she would have B-Day every 4 years, just like my cousin who is 12 years older from her. LOL LOL LOL

I do not like it when people insult me for sharing my opinion. :angry:
Tai knows that I respect her and enjoying viewing her work. Also, I am just sharing my thoughts on the image and seeing if she agress with them, if she does she will improve in theese areas in her next image making her work better than it already is. I did not say her image was crap and anybody that knew even a slight bit of me would know that I do not set out to slander people's work. I offer constructive comments. Please next time do not start ranting at me!

Thank You

Magic

Peace, people. (In lack of a hippie smiley, here's a :pimp: )

*note to self: Make a hippie smiley*

@blastradius: Thank you muchly :)

@Magic: Thank you for your criticism! I was starting to think I could do no wrong, which just can't be right, hehe. I have been playing around with ideas for trying out new border styles. As much as I personally love that style, I'm getting kind of bored with doing it :P

@swiss: Thank you very much for the excellent compliments :)

@Anubis: Thanks, and you know, I was actually scheduled to be born on the 29th, but my mother made the hospital change her appointment (C-section birth). Would be nice to be able to say I was 20 when I'm 80, though :D

@Tom Henrik:

Buahahaha. :D

Thank you, Pimp-Dadday T, for laying the smack-down and keeping the pizzle in my tizzle :P

Don't mizzle it :ok:

Tai, the only way to improve is look at your work from a third person perspective. Also sticking to one style makes your work repetitive, I fear thats whats going to happen with me for a bit.. just them grungey backgrounds look so cool :)

What you sayin son? Tai's artwork needs improvement? I dun think so. LOL
(note:not trying to be insulting here, sorry if you take it that way... :tai: ) And ya, them grudery backrounds are cool, like Stephen King!!! :ot: But good job on the new sig Tai!!! Looks awesome!!!! :ok:

:D If I was certain I had to :kosta: every piece of art you have done, I would never stop :ok:

Everything needs improvement, we can only develop as a race if we constantly aim to stride forward and better on our previous work.

Now why would we spend the time trying to improve previous works of art, when you could be making more? Or more of the same thing, but never ditch the original. That reminds me of all my tattered poems on notecards :ok:

Speaking of which, with Tom's permission, I performed the following knee surgery:

:D

Wow, his kneecap was really sawn pretty well.
Sometimes I think you should be a surgeon, Tai :D

And both Death Adder and I love you for it!! :w00t:

THAT knee is going straight to production! :kosta:




You really are the best, baby :kiss: :wub:

I think my track record of killing patients in Life and Death (1 & 2) would disagree with you there, blastradius :P

@Tom: Thanks babe, I'm glad I could help :kiss: ^_^

However, you did the hard stuff. I just made a little edit... so I'd be willing to wager that you're actually the best :wub:

For the record, I hate pixelling from scratch (editing's not so bad), and I know this isn't that great, because I got tired and didn't do much with the sky, or put in shadows, and it's my first "building" pixel, but oh well, it's the thought that counts in this case...

A special pixel project for a special person :wub: :

Looks like something for a hugo game or something.

Very nicely done Tai :ok:

I think it kicks serious behind! :w00t:

That is much more difficult than it looks, especially the bridge and the trees! :omg:
Masterfully done, tai.

That house is much better than anything I could've made in that size. You have a lot of details in the pixel, including flowerboxes. All in all... WOW!

Sure, you haven't done anything with the sky, but that only makes the viewer give the house more attention.

:kiss:

Thats bloody great Tai, I know just how hard Pixel Art is.. tried myself for a little while ;)

Is it just me or does the bridge look.. out of perspective?

Wow that's just wicked to the extreme Tai, :kosta: the detail for all the pic is really well done and really gives a nice overall feeling to the whole environment, it looks good all around, as for the sky no worries, it won't draw attention away from the house. :ok:

't Looks good <_<

Very nicely done Tai.

I like how you've done the river, with water crashing against the rocks etc.

:ok:

Thanks everybody, I'm pleased that you seem to like it ^_^

@Magic: Thanks, and I think you're probably right... actually, there's probably more than the bridge that's off-perspective a bit, hehe.

@Kon-Tiki: uhh... thanks? :huh:

@Tom: I'm sure you could do much better with the shading than I ever could. But thanks, babe ^_^ :kiss:

It's ok, but some of the detail needs improvement. The sky and trees could have a bit more shading but other than that its awesome. :)

nice pixelart thingy there ... How did you do it ? I mean what is the technique ? Do you paint in Photoshop pixel by pixel, line by line or is there something there like "Isometric Painter" or something ?!?!?!?

Thanks for the critique, Faw :)

And swiss, as far as I know, there's not an isometric painting program, unless it's a game engine that allows you to just place pre-made objects...

...which is the long way of saying I made it pixel-by-pixel :)

Nice!!!!
:ok:

huh ... wow ! :kosta:

Respect for your patience while doing so!

huh ... wow ! :kosta:

Respect for your patience while doing so! [/b][/quote]
That is one of the rules for pixel art ;)

You HAVE to do the work pixel by pixel, there are no other way allowed. This is why I hold pixel art in such a high regard.

:kosta: @ Taikara

The amazing thing is that you used many flat colors (i.e. not too many seperate colors in a certain area) yet it still looks very detailed, masterful.

Yes, I can't wait till the next masterpiece :ok:

My office is by Lake Morton, a lake known for its plethora of swans and other birdlife. Our city "mascot" is a swan, so it's sort of the trademark lake of my city.

I took a series of pics from Lake Morton today, since the law office closed early today, and I had a bit of free time...

I'll be posting one a day or so, and Tom gets to pick which piccie from the series I post each day :)

Today's pic:

http://sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/...an-croquet.jpg

Swan Croquet

Edit: For the record, I'm no photographer, this was just an experiment, hehe.

Well, you know that I love that photo! :kiss:

:wub:

Thanks baby, I was beginning to feel a little insecure about my photography skills :kiss:

...wait a minute... :huh:

That's right, I have no photography skills to be insecure about :P ^_^

Nice shot you took Tai, very cool to see 2 animals in the pic and it's pretty much centered too, so that really centers the shot nicely, looks like a nice lake too, good job though Tai. No photography skills pshaw, what ya talking bout? :bleh:

Hey, those pics are really neat. I like how the swans look, they are purty, and I also like the reflection off've the ripples around the swans necks. The sunlight there makes the picture very well taken. Also, it almost looks like you cloned them both, the way they are positioned in the picture. I really like them and can't wait to see more pics. :)

very cool contrasts in the pic! I love it when the light colours get pure white and the dark ones go black ... WOW :kosta: (I feel a bit ashamed for my stupit noob pics now ...)

Cool picture.. you going to edit it at all?

Aww, thanks everybody :)

@swiss: your photos are so much better than mine it's not funny :P

@Magic: Not really, I just took these pics for fun... some of them I edited, some of them I didn't, dependent on how I felt about them, hehe.

But today, I interrupt the originally scheduled boring n00bie swan photo and give you a pixelled cat instead :D :

(I cheated on the picture in the frame a little :ph34r:)

Well-done cat. Some parts look a bit squary, but it's well-done overall.

Nice work Tai, it seriously rocks to the extreme :w00t:

The kitty is so cute too ^_^

The way it's positioned in the drawing looks so nicely done and the colouring too it's a beaut looks very nice all around, das very cool eh :max:

ok let the audience decide ... what about posting your fav pic you took yourself and then I take mine. we make a new thread and a poll. Then you will se that yours are so much better than mine - honestly !

Competition!!!!! :evil: :D

That Siamese kitten is awesome, hon!

And may I add that that is one rugged fellaw in the picture-frame?

There are many details on the kitty and the colour theme is perfect. I am glad I was able to witness the entire life of the pixel, from it's birth to the finished result. :kiss:

Nice pixel, but isn't that Christopher Lloyd in the picture there. :P :bleh: Anyway, I like the cat, Siamese cats have always been my favorite breed of cat so that makes me like the picture even more. The background is pretty good too. well done :)

Thanks everyone for your comments :)

@swiss: I'll consider it, but there's an issue... I don't take pictures very often :P

@Tom: A rather rugged fellow indeed ;)

Tom's choice for Swan 'o the Day:

http://sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/...wan-grotto.jpg

Isolation

Lovely photo.. great pixel too.

Im finding it increasingly difficult to criticise your work... shame Im the type of person who enjoys doing such things :sulk:

Always swans, but never a pic of an ugly duckling? :blink:

Jeeeez.... two comments within thirty seconds or less, you guys are fast :blink:

@Magic: I'll take that as a compliment, hehe :D Thanks :)

@Tiki: It's mostly swans at Lake Morton... I have one of a bird I think you'll like, though I have no clue what it is, and a few ducks as well :)

You know I love those photos.

Just a question... what are those trees? The have a square root that builds up as a pyramid... that can't be done by nature, can it? :wacko:

Tropical, swampy area, remember? 't Kinda looks like the trees you'd find in mangroves. 's Just a guess, though.

I believe that they are some variation of cypress trees, very common in Florida due to our very wet, swampy geography.

Edit:
@Tiki: We have lots of mangroves, too, but in mangroves, the roots protrude. They do look similar, though :)

That tree is cool and looks like the place holds some sort of secret. Also, the way the swan is going in there sneakily and the way he's looking at you makes it look as if he's hiding something sinister. Beware! Cthulhu ftaghn! The swan is an evil minion of the Elder ones! :P

Ooh what lovely trees, and vibrant colours and the swan is captured nicely, another sweet job Tai. ^_^

Tai, the Cat and Swan works are wonderful. The cat is created in the perfect manner you would expect the little furry guy to look at you and want you to pet 'im.
The swan was a masterful capture, and I think she wins, swiss :P

Swans are my favorite animal, no lie (some people consider it strange cause I'm a guy) These pictures are making me happy :D .

Keep up the awesome work.

Both are excellant..wonderful camera work with the swans :ok:

Thanks so much everybody, you're so nice :)

Today, Tom's choice for swan of the day comes with a twist (and literally, too, hehe). I'm curious to see who can come up with the best caption for this guy :D

http://sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/...swan-small.jpg
An Odd Moment

Large Version

What 'bout: "No, I did NOT pee in the water!" ?

Either quite alot of skill or quite alot of luck to've been able to capture that pic. Doesn't happen every day, that.

LOL... that's pretty good :P

I think it takes quite a lot of patience and a trigger-happy button-pushing finger, actually :D

For each pic I took, I spent about 15-30 minutes just laying in wait ;)

My caption is, "Cthulhu ftaghn! When the seven stars are aligned a curse will be upon you! All is lost! *crazy laughter* " What he looks like an evil minion :P Or, "So I killed the ugly duckling, Grand Theft Auto made me do it. " or "I'm a hitbird, whenever Johnny the penguin wants a job done he always calls the Goose" :D I'm full of em. :P I really like that pic though, its really cool, how long did it take for u to get that pic :blink:

:roflol:

Great one :ok: :D

Edit: I'm not sure, if I remember, I think about 15 minutes for that one :huh:

Yeah, birds won't pay attention to you if you are really quiet for a long time. Then you can get em on camera. Or shoot them, but they look better on the camera :sneaky:

Hey, get your own pool.

Gotta go with a classic on this one.

"You talkin to me?" "Are you talkin to me?" :max:

"You gonna eat that piece of bread?"

"I'm watchin you :sneaky: don't think I don't see what your doing."

"Yeah I'm a swan, das cool eh." :max:

"I may be a swan but Geico can save you 15% or more on car insurance, ha beat that performance ya dumb geico.

'Eh... does that camera taste like candy?''

Poor I know.. so am I :(

Nice photo Tai!... Sorry I mean... Mrs Henrik! :)

EDIT: My first ever 4 digit post count on a forum.. wow im l33tzor! :bleh:

Lovely shot Tai. Really lovely :ok:


Caption 1 - Who you looking at ? :blink:
Caption 2 - Watch it. This beak is loaded and I'm not afraid to use it. :sniper:
Caption 3 - I'm watching you watching me watching you. :wacko:

Why am I angry? Maybe because somebody bent the ground through 90 degrees just as I was about to go for a swim, that's why!

hehe, thanks everybody :D

I'm seeing some good captions, but I'm going to give it another day before I decide whose is best ;)

It looks a bit like he's in one of those aquarium places where you get to walk through a tunnel underwater with rays and stuff swimming around you - but I can't think of a good caption for that...

Thats so fun!!!
Yet strangely kinda scarry.....
:blink:

I always have nightmares where I'm walking in those things and it suddenly fractures and all the water rushes into the tunnel.

Very good pic by the way, you must have been very lucky to get that duck to look straight at you.

Ok, a new caption:

Who are you calling a duck?!

Me? A duck? You were always the ugly one in the family... :P

And the winner of the caption contest has to be:



Honorable mention:

<!--QuoteBegin-BeefontheBone
Who are you calling a duck?! [/quote]
(especially in the context of Blood-Pigggy calling the poor guy a duck :D )

Congrats, Faw :) You win... uhh... I'll think of something :P

Tom's choice for today's Swan o' the Day:

http://sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/morton/traffic.jpg
Traffic

Hehehehe

Alright, alright. The show is over. Fawful won. Nothing to see here. Come on. Break it up. Swans to the left. Ducks to the right. One Two One Two.

nice nice nice :ok: :ok: :ok:

it seems to be so beautyful where you all are living ... if I would take a pic from the outside you just see the flat countryside with ugly buildings of concrete ... (I need my cam back to go out and hunt some larger animals - maybe I find a swan somewhere round here - but wait - the sun here isn't shining like in your pic here - d'oh - I give up)

"Those swans think they're so great, lording it over us just because they can break a man's arm with their wings. Wait until they see the bloomin' great shark we're running away from..."

Can't think of any weird sentence, but those in the last few pages are really nice shots! :ok:

hey I got one (and it's crap):

Posh accent: Oh darling we should have used sunscreen, my beak hurts.

Haha look at the ugly ducklin.. !
Where?
Down there!
Thats your face sweetheart.

Good captions, everybody :)

In lieu of a swan, I decided (with a little encouragement [read: bribe] from a smurf) to post something I did when I was about 8 years old. My mom dug it up, and is trying to convince me it should be hung in her newly painted bathroom. Ugh.

So, this is my first watercolor painting (using the grumbacher tube water colors), painted (as I said) when I was about 8... be nice :(

http://sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/...nset-small.jpg

You were 8 when ya drew that Tai? :w00t: Wow actually it's pretty good overall, nice of use of colours all around for what you were drawing, I can definitely see it, Very nicely done Tai, tis good. :max:

Looks like the art you'd see hanging on the walls in beachside restaurants 'round here, or in summer holiday TV shows :ok:

That's better than I could do now - how many 8 year-olds would have waves in there?

People do this just to embarass me dont they... YEH YOU WAS A GOOD DRAWER WHEN YOU WAS 8.. I'VE ALWAYS SUCKED ALWAYS WILL... *sulk*

I mean just look at the detail in the sand.. 8 my backfoot.

Thanks, everybody ^_^

I did indeed paint that when I was 8 :)

If I were to paint a watercolor now, I would would have a greater chance of creating straight lines and nice shapes rather than blobs of paint going every which way... not to mention, I think I've picked up a few nifty techniques since then.

Point of fact, though, not only is this one of the first paintings I did, but also one of the few. Shortly after this was painted, my mother and I moved to Texas, and for various reasons, I didn't have the opportunity to paint (or draw) again until I was about 16.

I've only done watercolor a few times since I turned 16, mostly I've painted with acryllics, and I'm currently working up the nerve to experiment with oils... well, and truth be told, it's less working up the nerve, and more working up the time :P

But, with no further ado, Tom's choice for Swan o' the Day:

http://sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/morton/solace.jpg
Solace

and, for fun, I tried out a little edit, and I liked how it turned out, so here you go:

http://sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/morton/solace2.jpg

Ooh what a nice pic of the swan you took Tai :) very nice, catches the swan in a coolish position yesssssss, or something ;p uh giving it a very ambient feeling of one with nature yeah excellent to the max. :whistle:

And the edit too looks very nicely done, like the way it just is made out to be essentially, very nice all around Tai, sweet shots. :max:

How many of theese swan pics do you have?

I feel a little cheated... I was looking forward to one of your inspiring and educational computer graphics :(

I do of course love the swan picture's... I just want more.. as always ;)

In other peoples words without my touch of... whatever it is I have.

Lovely Photo Tai!

I really like the edit, the pinkish ambience around the swans feet makes it look a little divine.. like yourself :wub:

Looks like he's about to put on some shades and turn to the camera like he's in Reservoir Swans or something.

He looks stuffed to me, look at the legs.. they look like little bits of wood.

Tai shot it really.. she puts it in a different pose every day and takes a picture.
It's one of thoose stuffed things... ewww cruel.

Thanks, guys :D

I suppose his legs do look rather wooden :huh:

@Magic: I'm done with the swans, I believe that was the last one... I do have another birdy guy to post, but after that, this gallery will be dead for a while, I'm afraid. :(

I post the graphic stuff over on AR, and am about to go into a flurry of banner-making for the site, so check for it in a week (maybe give it a bit longer, as I have a junkload of game prep to do) or so over there :)

And uhh... thanks (for the divinity comment) :unsure: ^_^

Can't wait to see more of those banners. To be honest, the swans were getting a bit same-old, even though they're great photo's. There's just that much difference possible in the pics before it gets repetitive. The effect in the edit of the last one's subtle, yet adds a completely different feel to the pic :ok:

Dead... ah... means I will have to go and spam up reloaded's gallery. I don't like that place as much.. much less friendly and tightly knit IMO.

That swan does look rather wonderful in those pics, Tai :ok:

Magic's right, you are pretty :wub:

Tai, lovely photo with the swan standing under the tree.

Your effect makes it seem like the swan is glowing, like it is from a fairy tale. Very clever how you did that. :ok:

:D

Love the swan photos and water color

Very nice!!!
:ok:

Thanks once again everyone :)

The following is a test pic for my first attempt at using the DeepPaint program.

It's a purely digital creation :D

http://sometimessulliedsoul.com/art/test-final.jpg

Wow thats digital?
Interesting!!
Looks very nice. :ok:
THis "DeepPain" sounds interesting....

Nice work Tai..

My only complaint would be that she seems to have a slight amount of stubble LOL!

's An awesome program, isn't it, Deep Paint. This just shows what awesome art you can make with it, if you've got the skills :ok:

Read some DeSade lately? :huh:


That pic is very expressive! that girl/woman looks like she could be 25 and quite stressed, or 40 and still very stressed :P
The background has a Van Gogh feeling too.

I have to agree with Void here. What you have created is the most expressive picture in this entire forum.

There are just so many expressions you can pick out from that picture; love, anger, stress, thoughts, sadness and joy are just a couple that springs to mind. The background fits perfectly and hooks the attention of the viewer, and once the background has brought the viewer in, the face takes over and traps the viewer. It's a piece that it is hard to move away from.

Amazing work! This piece would sell at an art convention! :kosta:

Actually, I can't find joy in there as an expression :bleh:

That's pretty good. :ok:

Tai, did you draw this with a mouse or a (Wacom) pen and tablet?

Pretty good no matter what you used, but I'm still curious :ok:

Thanks for all the comments :)

@Magic: Who says she doesn't have stubble? :P

@Void: I'm going for 25 and quite stressed :angel: It's not really a self-portrait, but it's definitely a product of my current state of mind, hehe.

And Van Gogh-like? :blink: That's quite the praise, thank you.

@Tom Henrik: Thank you for saying so, but I doubt it would be art-convention material. There are artists out there a thousand times better than me. But then again, if a canvas of pure green paint can sell for thousands, I might have a chance :huh:

:kiss:

@Kon-Tiki: One of my favorite tricks is to draw and paint things that are left open to interpretation. In my opinion, what people see in art is usually what they have inside of themselves. But you're right, she doesn't have a joyful expression... but that doesn't mean it can't be found in there somewhere ;)

@Reup: I used a mouse. I wish I had a tablet, I think that would make things easier sometimes, but hey, you work with what you've got, right? ^_^

Ooh, it's you isn't it. :D I like. Looks painted yeh.

One thing I just noticed... it's a female... with a long neck. Typical ;P

So do I. Then my drawings would be a thousand times better. Or a scanner.

Comments may be late, fashionably late or something ;p but awesome work Tai, I like the way it turned out all the way, expressionwise and all wicked to the extreme as I say. :kosta: The pic is just too sweeeeeeeeeet. :D

Nice work and looking forward to seeing more =)

WOW ...


(cannot say any more)