Snow White

Even though I haven't been posting on a regular schedule, that doesn't mean that I haven't been drawing.  I've been working on commissions and doing sketches here and there trying to keep my mind loose.  One of the sketches that I did in between commissions was that of Snow White.  I drew a version of her a while ago...but I really didn't like that one.  I didn't like it when I posted it originally...I just posted it to keep posting art, so I knew that eventually I would have to go back to the idea and do it all over.

So below is the initial sketch that I had in mind for the Snow White illustration:

Lately, I've been doing very loose sketches, but this one was pretty well defined...and I'd blame that on commissions, which definitely isn't a bad thing.  At least this way, I knew exactly where I wanted to go with the final drawing.  I had an idea of having everything around Snow White decaying because of the poisoned apple, and it still doesn't sound like a bad idea.  Actually, I may do that one as well...but anyways...

Below is the final illustration:

I'm very pleased how the final version came out, and even did some experimenting along the way.  I think with each drawing that I do, I learn something new, which is definitely a great thing.  And as always, if you would like to purchase this as an  11" x 17" on high quality gloss cardstock paper, you can always do so at my Storenvy site.

Oh, and follow me on Tumblr, Instagram, Facebook, Google+ and all that jazz...I post some work in progress stuff there and other random stuff too.

Without Wax,

-Charles

Untamable

Since I've been getting very loose with sketches recently, I decided to keep my sketches a little tighter this time, and this is what came out.  I say that you shouldn't let other people dictate what you do with your hair or how you wear it.  Do what's best for you, and only you really know exactly what's best for yourself.  So below is the sketch after I went over it again and tightened the pencils up a little bit.

And below is the final illustration.  I decided to make her shirt a Minnie Mouse shirt and gave her a tattoo to her side as well.  It was hard trying to decide how to put glasses on Minnie Mouse and make it look aesthetically correct, mainly because her eyes are too close together and her ears are too high upon her head, so I made some compromises that seemed to work out well.  

Per usual, this illustration is up for sale in 11" x 17" size on gloss cover paper on my online Storenvy storefront.  Feel free to browse and even buy a print or two!

Without Wax,

-Charles

Selina Kyle

It's been a long while since I've drawn Catwoman...like a really long while.  If I were to guess, I would say somewhere around 4 years or so.  That means this was long overdue.  The drawing that I did 4 years ago was very similar, but it appears that I may have deleted it, so I can't really use it for comparison purposes.

But I know for certain that this one is better, just take my word for it.

I've noticed that recently my sketches has been looser and less refined than I used to do them.  I guess that means that I just fudge areas in sketching and will define them more when I'm inking and coloring them.  Good thing that I'm the only one completing my work from sketches to finishes, cause an inker and colorer would probably hate me.

I guess the sketch does serve its purpose though, I get the main figure down pretty much (even though some adjustments have to be made) and it gets the general idea across.  And below is the final image:

I think it came out pretty well.  I may go back in later and make the light source coming from outside the window more pronounced, but who knows.

If you would like to purchase this illustration as a high quality 11" x 17" print, you can do so (as well as view my other prints) on my Storenvy site.

Have an awesome weekend!

Without Wax,

-Charles

The Electric Lady

Lets just put this out there, I love Janelle Monae's Electric Lady album.  There, I said it.  Its like a different sound of R&B and just music in general that's just refreshing.  So, if I like something, chances are that fan art is definitely on its way.

Yep.

I decided to draw Janelle as a semi robotic cyborg after her other persona Cindi Mayweather.  I had this idea during the sketch that she would be sitting in this chair plugged into a stereo system, which probably didn't come off all that well, but the speakers are definitely visible in the final image.  I tried my best to put this image online and tag Janelle all over the place on Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and if she reposts it or shouts it out...I would seriously lose it.  Anyways, below is the initial sketch concept.

And here's the final image below.

And if you haven't done so already, check out her album Electric Lady.  You would not be disappointed.

If you would like to purchase this image as an 11" x 17" high quality gloss print, you can do so here on my Storenvy page.

Without Wax,

-Charles

Objects in Mirror...

I have this really bad habit of doing a lot of sketches but never coming back to them.  I mean, here we are, 7 days away from 2014, and I still have sketches from the summer that I told myself that I would turn into full illustrations.  How crazy is that?

This was also one of those that was going to forever sit in sketch purgatory.

I drew this a while ago, and it just sat there while I sketched other things.  I liked it a lot, but I just never finished it.  I saw it not too long ago, and decided to open it back up, make some alterations here and there, and add colors and inks to it.  I normally draw comic related figures or cartoons and stuff, so it was great to take a break out of the norm and draw something a little different for a change.  Plus with just about every illustration that I do, I always learn something new.

And if you would like to purchase this illustration as an 11" x 17" print on high quality gloss cover paper, feel free to check out my Storenvy site Illumistrations.storenvy.com.  And be sure to use the discount code DECOPEN for an additional 15% off of your total purchase.

Without Wax,

-Charles

Jinkies! Velma Dinkley and Scooby Doo

About 2 and a half years ago, I created a re-imagined African American version of the Scooby Doo Detective Agency.  And anyone who knows me should know that Velma was by far my favorite character from the show.  Looking back at it recently, I thought to myself that the concept needed a complete redraw...especially how looking back at my old art just makes me want to throw all of my old sketches and illustrations out of the window.

So, I decided to change the character direction with Velma to get it more in line with the actual show (especially the colors) and change the look of Scooby slightly.

I also wanted to do a background for this image as well, but I didn't want it to detract from the focus of Velma and Scooby, so I kept it rather simple.

You can also purchase this image as an 11" x 17" print on high quality gloss cover paper from my new online store at Storenvy.  This will probably get a separate post, but for right now, all of my prints are for sale there (Illumistrations.storenvy.com).  From now until the end of the 2013 calendar year, you can use the discount code DECOPEN to get 15% off of your total purchase!  Just in time for the holidays.

Without Wax,

-Charles

Neo Sailor Moon

Fighting evil by a futuristic techno Neo-Tokyo moonlight.  Winning love by daylight.

She's the one called Sailor Moon.

Not too long ago I drew a Neo Sailor Venus, and I thought that it would only be right if I drew an accompanying Neo Sailor Venus.  I probably should just stop being lazy and draw a full image with all of the Neo Sailor Scouts...which I will...eventually.

Below is the initial sketch that I came up with.  I was going to draw in Luna as well, seeing as how I drew in Artemis for the Sailor Venus one, but she didn't make it in.

And below is the final illustration:

And as always, if you would like to purchase this as an awesome 11" x 17" print, I shall direct you to my print purchase page!

Without Wax,
-Charles

Jubilation Lee

Besides the X-Men issue #1 drawn by Jim Lee, the cartoon from the 90s was my introduction to the Xmen.  I loved that cartoon...even though the animation definitely doesn't hold up today.  Ah, I lied.  I used to be an avid Marvel and X-Men trading card collector.  That was my introduction to the Xmen...but that's neither here nor there.  

Jubilee was one of my favorites...well besides the mainstays of Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue and Storm...and whenever she appeared, Psylocke.  Her "uniform" on the show was soooo 90s, so I thought that it needed revamping.  And well, thats what I did.

This is a part of the original sketch that I did, but something about her face just seemed skewed to me, and instead of trying to fix it over and over, I just drew the whole thing over again.

This is the revised sketch that I came up with.  There are parts of the original that I liked and tried to incorporate into this one, but overall, the redraw is better.

And here's the final version.  I'm still trying to mesh together this cel shading technique with the original way that I color.  I tried to use some Kirby Krackle, but changed it to how I would do it.  Happy accidents I suppose.  

If you would like to purchase this as an 11" x 17" print, feel free to browse the other images I have for sale as prints here.  

Without Wax,

-Charles

#NoFilter: Sugar, Spice & Everything Nice Edition.

If you've seen my Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn illustration from not too long ago, you should know that I'm pretty much a fan of the photo sharing community Instagram.  It has definitely helped me in meeting and learning about new artists as well as get my art out there.  So, here's another Instagram inspired sketch, featuring Cartoon Network's most famous set of triplets, the Power Puff Girls.

I mean seriously, how can you not like the Power Puff Girls?  

If you would like to purchase this illustration as a 17" x 11" print, you can do so either on here on my blog, or on my print purchase page!

Without Wax,

-Charles

Super Princess Peach: Mario Kart

People who say that they don't love Nintendo made games fall into 3 categories: 1.) People who never played video games and have no interest to 2.) People who are clearly lying to themselves 3.) People who just want to watch the world burn.  Those are the facts.  You can't say that you don't love Super Mario, or Legend of Zelda...and especially Mario Kart.  The concept of Mario Kart sounds like all sorts of fail, but in practice, it really is a great experience.  I loved Mario Kart the first time I played it on Super Nintendo and have been in love with the franchise ever since.

So when I thought about doing some fanart for Mario Kart, sure, Mario, Luigi, and Bowser came to mind....but I thought that Princess Peach doesn't get enough shine, so I drew her instead (and Princess Daisy gets even LESS shine...so, you know what that means..).  

Anyways, above is the initial sketch after cleaning it up some.  I wanted to draw her with like a Toadstool pit crew, but it wasn't coming together how I had pictured it in my head, so I simplified the idea, which makes it much less busy.

And as always, clicking on the images will allow you to see them in much higher resolution.

If you would like to purchase this illustration as a 17" x 11" print, you can do so either on here on my blog, or on my print purchase page!

Without Wax,

-Charles

Fall

I love the changing of the seasons.  I love the Spring because the weather is just perfect...plus I'm a lil biased since my birthday happens to be in April.  I love Summer because there's so much to do and so much happening in the Summer.  I love the Winter, basically because of the holidays, but not the cold weather...not at all.  And Fall...well, because of the fashion.

Without Wax,

-Charles

Neo Sailor Venus & Artemis

This whole past weekend, I've been working on commissions pretty much non stop.  But I did happen to take some small breaks in there, mostly to work on this Sailor Venus illustration.  I loved the initial sketch and thought that it looked pretty plain without any background associated with it, so I decided to add that in there too while coloring...and here's the final result:

Click on image for higher resolution.

This is sort of a techno-y Neo Sailor Venus and Artemis...sort of how I picture them if they were in some revamped Sailor Moon anime.  At least it should be like this.  I'm really fond of the design of the outfit/suit that I may do the other and extended sailor scouts in their associated suits.  That definitely sounds like a plan...it could be like a series of sorts...lemme write that down before I forget.

Anyways, back to the commissions!

Without Wax,

-Charles

Glob Hammercy!

I really liked the sketch when I initially did it and thought that it would be a shame for it not to have a proper background.  This way, I didn't have to do a fully realized background that probably wouldn't fit the rest of the drawing, and give it a more print/illustrative type feel...which I definitely love.  And if you're not familiar with Adventure Time....then shame on you.

Fionna, Cake, Gunter, B-Mo and some random Gumdrops

I decided to deviate a little from the color palette that I'm used to to give this a more bright and sugary sort of feel.  Gotta say that I sort of love this color combination.  I should do more bright (and possibly neon-y) colors in future pieces.

And as always, this 11" x 17" print is available for purchase.  Just head on over to my Prints and Commissions link and you can purchase this one or some of my past prints there.  And if you're not following me either on Facebook or Tumblr, then you probably should rectify that mistake.  Until next time!

Without Wax,

-Charles

Storm

This took a little longer than I had anticipated to finish, but I'm happy with the final result.  I intended to do more to it, but I decided to keep it relatively simple and didn't want to overcomplicate the background, which would detract from Storm.  And as previously told to me, yes, I'm aware that the Sentinel in the background bears more than a striking resemblance to Megatron...that definitely wasn't intentional.  But I'm sure everyone familiar with X-Men lore and what not will know what that's actually supposed to be.

Its also been brought to my attention that sometimes purchasing my prints through Serve can be a somewhat convoluted process.  So I'm now offering the option to purchase my prints as well using Paypal.  That should be easier for most, as well as more familiar.  And what better way to test out to see if everything works than to purchase this very here print!  

Have a great weekend!

Without wax,

-Charles

Calvin & Hobbes WIP

Just a work in progress shot of the Calvin & Hobbes illustration.  The background so far is up in the air, and hopefully it will come together the further along I go with it.  Welp, time to get back at it.

Without Wax,

-Charles

Artistic Nude

Finally finished the sketch that I posted on here a couple of days ago.  I should do more of these, especially since I can definitely see some rough spots in this one.  I've been debating on whether to post my artwork with more watermarks over them to deter some art lifting that I've been experiencing as of late.  I don't want to make them overly garish and hideous, just enough to make it more difficult for others to remove my signature and logo (or website URL) from my images so they can use them however they see fit.  I'm still experimenting with that and hopefully I'll find a happy medium.

In the coming days I'll speak more on that, but for now, lets just enjoy the artwork!  Now, onto the Calvin & Hobbes sketch...

Without Wax,
-Charles

Supergirl

This one was definitely was a while in the making.  I did the original sketch sometime in like early August of 2012 and pretty much sat on it until now.  I liked it then, but I didn't love it enough to finish it, so it sat in the dusty corner of my hdd until I was going through some random folders and saw it.  And then I thought about how I could improve it...
But instead of erasing parts and pieces, I decided to do a completely new sketch without looking at the last one at all...and I ended up not liking that one either.  I liked parts of it, but not all of it.  Then I looked at them both, and decided to use the best of both and combine them into one...the face of the newer one, and pretty much the foundation of the first...well....pictures speak louder than words.

This happens a lot actually.  I'll sketch something out, and it will just dwell forever in purgatory until I randomly see it again and try to fix it.  

And I guess as a bonus, here is a work in progress shot of the final image:

This print, as well as others, are available for purchase here.  Also, feel free to become a fan of my Facebook page!  

Without Wax,

-Charles

Chillaxin'

It seems like I haven't drawn in weeks.  So, I did this to shake the rust off and get into the drawing spirit of the new year.  And well, here's the product of that.  Hopefully 2013 will be more frutiful drawing wise than 2012.  2012 brought a lot...and I've been more productive than I have been in quite some time.  And drawing became fun again...and not a laborious chore.  Here's to things staying that way and getting even better!

Without wax,

-Charles

Happy Holidays

Thought I'd do a little illo to keep in the holiday spirit...

Have a safe and happy holiday!!

Samus Aran, The Bounty Hunter

Finally!!  I put this one off far too long.  I actually wanted to do much more with the background and experiment with it a little bit, but my laptop was having no parts of that.  I can't get more ram soon enough, sheesh.

Also, if you aren't following me yet on Tumblr, I'm currently doing a giveaway to two lucky winners: the grand prize winner will get 10 FREE prints from me of the best illustrations I've done all year, while second place will win 5.  Not too shabby.  You can enter by either reblogging my contest post, or liking my Illumistrations page on Facebook.  I mean, seriously though, this is stuff you should've done already, now there's just an incentive to do so.  Ha!

On to the next one...

Without Wax,

-Charles