Hot Springs

I actually finished this a while ago but didn't post it here.  Life just gets in the way I suppose.  I wanted to do a more fantasy type of drawing, so I came up with this.  There is another that I want to redo from like years ago, and hopefully I'll be able to get to that (and make prints of it) thats sort of similar to this image.

Below is the initial sketch that I came up with:

At first, the background was going to be like a cave wall with water pools cascading down, but the whole thing just felt really claustrophobic, so I decided to open it up a little bit.  And I wanted her robe to be sheer to the point where it was going to be a little more than slightly see-through, but since I was going to get this printed out in a public place, I erred on the side of caution and to make her robe more opaque.  (I don't understand why my sketches on white backgrounds post on here as slightly gray, but whatever...)

And below is the final image that I decided to go with:

The spheres weren't in the sketch at all, and I just threw them in on a whim, but I definitely like how they came out.  And as you can see, I made her robe semi transparent, and you can see a slight silhouette of her figure, and I think thats probably just enough to get by and get this printed in a family friendly place.

I posted several work in progress images of this on my Instagram feed, so you should definitely check it out and follow me for more work in progress shots of different illustrations and other randomness.

And as always, if you would like to purchase this illustration as an 11" x 17" print on high quality gloss cardstock, you can do so at my Storenvy site and see my other prints for sale there as well.

Without Wax,

-Charles

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

Long Distance Relationships

Long distance relationships can be hard to maintain, but in the end, they're totally worth it.  No matter how many times you travel to see your significant other, you still get butterflies when you're on your way and almost there.  So, I guess I wanted to try and capture that.  I don't really do much storytelling with my drawings, they're usually just 'snapshots' I guess, so this was something a little different.  Below is the sketch:

This also turned out to be a coloring exercise with transparencies and glass...as well as reflections and related things.  Below is the final image:

Its great when you can draw something thats based on reality and something that you know and are familiar with.  It gives images I guess a sense of realism that just seems grounded.  As always, if you would like to purchase this image as an 11" x 17" print on high quality gloss paper, I can direct you to my storenvy store where currently I'm offering 15% off for Valentine's Day.  Just use the discount code VDAY14 to get 15% off.  

Back to the drawing board!

Without Wax,

-Charles

The Worst

I've been a fan of Jhene Aiko for quite some time.  After I heard her song with Miguel about 2 or so years ago, I've been hooked on her music ever since.  Then her newest EP came out, Sail Out.  And there are some great songs on there (notably the one she has with Kendrick Lamar), but it's her The Worst song that stays on repeat.  And then the video...the video is great and makes me love the song even more.

So, with a suggestion from a special someone (thank you!) I decided to do some fan art of her based on the video.  So first, obviously was the initial and hen tightened up sketch of her.  I wanted to base it off of the video, but not from a shot from the video, if that makes sense.  Anyways, the sketch is below.

My perspective is all wrong (the blinds) in the sketch, but that usually happens when I sketch stuff out and then I go back when I ink it and fix it (most of the time).  And below is the final image:

If you haven't checked out her music, I seriously suggest you do so.  And as always, if you would like to purchase this as an 11" x 17" print, you can do so on my Storenvy page.

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

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

Chillin' on the Stoop

Like I said earlier, just because I haven't been posting doesn't mean that I haven't been sketching.  From doing commissions, and struggling to fit in personal stuff in there, to trying to finish illustrations, please believe that the pencil has been busy.  I soooo want to finish this, and there's some modification that I need to make before I do (eyeing perspective is never a great idea...always use rulers), but this will definitely get done.  

I mean, you can't complain when there's an influx of creativity...you just have to roll with it and get as much of it down on paper (or the screen) as quick as you can before its gone.

Hopefully I can show some progress on this soon!

Without wax,

-Charles

Sketchy

I've been doing a lot of sketching lately...I guess the creativity bug bit me....and I'm not complaining at all.  My mentality right now is to get as much of these random ideas down now, so when that inevitable art block hits I can ink them all and color them.  We'll see how well that plan pans out.  But until then...

Without Wax,

-Charles

Duality (sketch)

I probably should be working on completing some illustrations that I've already started, but when inspiration strikes, you just have to run with it.

I wish I could just sit down and devote time to all of these sketches and finish them, but I have commissions and other things piling up....which are problems, but very good problems to have.  I need to knock those out and get them completed, those right now are a priority. 

But in the meantime, feel free to check out my new Behance profile as well as my About.me page...or, buy a print or two.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get all of this stuff done.  Gotta keep that penc...err, stylus busy.

Without Wax,

-Charles

Soundwave, Superior (sketch)

Transformers will forever go down as one of my favorite if not the favorite cartoon that I used to watch when I was younger.  I had the die cast metal lunch box, countless coloring books, an insane plethora of toys...I was all about that Transformers life.  And if you have anything bad to say about Generation 1 Transformers, I cannot know you.  Say all you want about the others such as Beast Wars and the movies, but you never speak bad about Gen1.  

And by far my favorite Transformer was Soundwave.  While everyone else loved Optimus Prime and Megatron, Soundwave was that go to guy.  He was like getting 5 Transformers in one (so was Devestator, who was also one of my favorites).  I loved how he talked all logical and had no emotion whatsoever...it was always "Soundwave, superior, all others, inferior".  Thats cold man.  And he always had his cassettes with him like Ravage, Rumble, and Laserbeak (who are all pictured above).  And yeah, I'll admit, I thought it was kind of weird that a boombox could transform into a 50+ foot robot, but we're not here to debate the small details.  

I can't wait to finish this one, and I'll be sure to post progress shots as I go along.

Without Wax,

-Charles

Summer Heat & Sailor Moon

I always seem to update every other online space that I have first before updating my original Blogger blog...which is something that I definitely need to change.  I still find that this blog has a lot more information in it than my other spots like Tumblr, Facebook or even Google+, so this one definitely needs to remain a priority.  But since I've been gone, I've been doing a lot of sketching (and finalizing some illustrations).

The first one I did was definitely summer themed.  I think the whole idea for this one came from July 11, or 7/11...the day that 7 Eleven gives away free Slurpees.  Yeah...and with that said, this happened.

And for no apparent reason, I wanted to draw Sailor Moon (yes, I know...again...).  But this time without her fellow Sailor Scouts.  And I wanted her to look more imposing, than the bumbling way she was depicted in the cartoon.  Initially when I first sketched her out, I wanted to do my own take of her costume and give her like a sailor themed coat and all this jazz, but it looked very cumbersome and too busy, so I nixed it all and started all over.  And this is what finally turned out, from sketch to colors.

Both of these illustrations are available as 11" x 17" prints.  The Summer Heat one, I'm thinking of doing a limited print, mainly because I need to fill out my portfolio, but if people actually like it, I will offer it more.  And don't forget to check out either my new Square hosted online store, or my other "store" hosted on this very blog!

Gotta keep that pencil busy.

Without Wax,

-Charles

Girl on a Vespa

Well looky looky here...I finally finished something!  As cool as it is to draw fanart of other comics, cartoons, movies and games...its nice once in a while to just draw something else.  It cleanses the palette I guess.

I always dread having to draw trees because I always tend to make them just look like broccoli really.  I've been trying and experimenting with different ways and techniques, but really, I just want to get to the point where I can render leaves and not have it just look like a glob.  I think that I'm slowly getting there.  I think that this was one of my favorite pieces to do in a while.  

If you're interested in purchasing this 11" x 17" print or any others that I've done in the past, you should hit up the Commissions and Prints link at the top (or just click the link I just posted).

I'm supposed to be doing a coloring tutorial to show my coloring process, but I'm totally slacking on that.  Don't worry, its going to get done, I just have so many other things on my plate right now.  But to make up for that deficiency, I made an animated gif of my process.  It's extremely dumbed down, but you get the gist of it.

On to the next one!

Without Wax,

-Charles

Glob Hammercy! (Fionna & Cake) sketch

Ughh, after countless redraws and throw aways, I finally came up with something that I finally like.  Granted, some things definitely need tweaking here and there, I do like the overall result.  I even flirted with the idea of putting a background in there....but who knows what I'll do to this when I try and finish it.

Without Wax,

-Charles

Girl On A Vespa (sketch)

I'll go out on a limb saying that about 80% of my art is re-imagined fanart of existing characters...which is cool I guess.  And since leaving AwesomeCon, I've been looking up other conventions (smaller ones...hey, you gotta crawl before you walk), and I stumbled across an anime convention that is pretty local that I'm going to go to.  But one of the requirements for being an artist in the artist's alley was that only 50% of the work that you display can be fanart, and the other has to be original.  If I was still working on my webcomic, I wouldn't have an issue with that, because that is what I would show, but currently I'm not.  And just about all of my recent stuff has been fanart.

So, I have to diversity.

And I have no problems with that at all.  I like drawing other random things that have nothing to do with comics or cartoons at all.

I hope that this turns out awesome when I finally get around to coloring/inking this so it can be a great print.

As far as my webcomic goes, I still love everything about Redux Deluxe, and I'm still going to do it, just in a completely different format with a slightly reworked story.  I mean, not everything I do has to be pinups and prints, right?

Without Wax,

-Charles

The Forgotten Disney Princess

Atlantis: The Lost Empire never gets mentioned at all when the discussion of Disney animated movies come up.  Maybe it was because it was one of the few, if not only, Disney animated movies that was rated PG instead of G.  Looking at it today, I don't see how it was rated PG (especially since the movie ratings system is so lax today).  Maybe it was because of the term mercenary thrown around quite often towards the end, and maybe the one or two guns in the movie.  Anyways, I love the movie because of its visuals and its depiction of Atlantis...so you know what that means...impending fanart.

That background in there is more of a placeholder than anything.  I'll definitely be reworking that as well as other little things in the picture.  Hopefully I'll be having in progress shots soon as well as the final drawing...that is if I don't muck it up along the way.  

But while you're here, why don't you fancy yourself a print or two or like me on Facebook or follow me on Tumblr.

Without Wax,

-Charles

I Feel a Storm Comin' On...

A Storm drawing has been long overdue.  In all actuality though, I've had several Storm sketches, and none of them I liked at all....so they all have been subsequently scratched.  But this one I like, so I may finish this one. I took some liberties with her costume that I may or may not change when I finally ink and color this.  And you can never go wrong with drawing any of the X-Men against Sentinels.

Progress shots coming soon.

Without Wax,

-Charles

Artistic Nude Sketchiness

No naked bits shown, so this is probably SFW.

Decided to sketch something up real quick while taking a break from web development and branding and what not.  Its cool that everything is beginning to come together as far as "Illumistrations" goes, but certain things seem to pop up and get in the way.  And as much as I love seeing everything flourish, sometimes I wish that things just went back to me just drawing for fun without thinking of the consequences of everything...ughhh....this post probably isn't the best place to talk about it (maybe in a later post).  But I'm getting sidetracked...

Anyways, just sketched this up...colors coming soon:

Without Wax, 

-Charles

Calvin & Hobbes sketch

When I was younger, the highlight of my Sunday morning was picking up the newspaper and reading the comics.  That's all I cared about then.  Peanuts, Family Circus, and a little later on, Dilbert.  Those were the days.  But the comic that I loved most was Calvin & Hobbes.  So I thought, hey, why not....let's envision him how I would if I could do it today...and this is what came out.

And as per the course, I'll be updating here as this comes along.  

Without Wax, 

-Charles