I missed you writing for the Beauty Letter. ;_;
And then it turns out that you've been gone for several months, now...

Please come back. ;____________;

Well, yeah it's, you know, the Beattles. I'm terrible at this too, so don't worry.

Nah, I should just show it to you. I'll get some pictures and post them when I can.

Ohh, that's what I forgot. : ) I should have known; he's one of the few people in pop culture(?) that I can actually put a name to, because I'm terrible at such things.

No wonder! Your works do have an abstract feel to them; I guess you focus more on movement and impressions and whatnot, rather than detail. While I'm the exact opposite. XD Again, I love semi-realism and pretty people.

Heehee, I idolize them all! They're all just so talented; I'm envious. Yeah, Kubo draws such pretty boys - o_o - (heehee!), and again, the flow, brightness, and movement of Kazuaki's works is amazing. Her figures are all so... graceful!

And the two from Deviantart are the ones who got me into watercolour in the first place (although it's messy, so I hardly ever use it). They're both equally talented in that medium, but Clapsan has some absolutely beautiful pencil works, while Dark134 is also equally talented at digital painting. Would you call their styles semi-realism? It's the sort I aspire to. :'>

Aaaah, all those great artists... I have a long way to go... :'>

Hmm, so in the meantime, how's your other stuff different? D'you think you could describe to me? Again, I'm curious! 8D

She was John Lennon's wife!

Definitely.

You don't need to! xD You can borrow stuff related to Baroque and apply them to anything. Same goes for art from different times.

The character designs from Bleach and Persona I definitely recognize, and these guys are good at it. They give their character a newer, more stylized proportion and it's just like more cutting-edge in anime. I''m looking up these DA peeps, and I'm really digging their use of watercolor-- a really, really nice approach to anime and manga characters and proportions.

In many ways. I'd love to show you some of my work, definitely. I'll gather a few examples later.

Oh yes, and you've said that your art from classes and other projects is radically different/unrelated - how so?

(I'm interested; could I take a look?) : D

Wow... I remember Yoko Ono; she was on a list of artists for study, but I've never really looked at her works in-depth. Wasn't she married to someone famous? I forget...

As for the other two, I particularly like Tomas Saraceno's compositions. Whoa... the structures are so ethereal and the patternwork/latticing is awesome. Yes, I'm in awe...

And Jean Philippe Delhomme... It's definitely clear now where he's rubbed off on you; I'd say... body structure? You've both got that thin curvy feel to your figures.
(But really, I've never seen the likes of your style before, it's so... shiny. First thing I think of.) XD So you're into abstract/conceptual art?

Haha, Baroque, Rococo, Renaissance, all that classical realism... I love that stuff, and I'm always amazed at the paintings and the sheer detail. I love them, but I can't paint. : )

M-Metal Gear? Wow. I never would have imagined that such a franchise would have that kind of abstract concept art. It's beautiful. Yoji Shinkawa's art is beautiful.
And Amano! I love him too; his watercolour works are so abstract but they're unique and wonderful and instantly recognisable.

Hmm, I, uh, I get influenced a lot by manga and Deviantart *coughcough*, which is where my animu/semi-realistic tendencies come into play. So there are quite a few artists that I look up to; I wonder whether you can recognise any of them?

*ahem* So there's Tite Kubo (yes, Bleach, yes, my obsession with it runs on and off, the art has something to do with it), and Kazuaki (artist for Starry Sky and a little of Persona 4). She's quite a new discovery, but her colour choices and the sheer dynamics of her art is simply stunning. Then, from Deviantart, there's Clapsan and Dark134 foremost among them; I guess you can see now where I get my inspiration from, hmm?

Check'em out and be amazed. I am nowhere near the level of any of these people, but I can always hope! ;D

I don't think I've fully developed something entirely mine, and it's also true that my art for classes and from personal projects is totally unrelated to any of my fan art or any of the stuff I've posted here. Stuff from my sketchbook may have a resemblance, but that's mainly because I focus more on painting and sculpture. A lot of the stuff that influences me is minimalism from the sixties-- I try to incorporate that idea in painting (shows in my graphic design as well, though simplicity's hot in this applied art right now). Also really like the idea of conceptual art and have admired a lot of the stuff from Yoko Ono. Right now I'm obsessed with Xavier Veilhan and Tomas Saraceno-- really recommend looking at their work sometime.
So I take bits and pieces from that as well as what I like most from art history. I really like the excess of Baroque, especially French and late Baroque. That shows up in my stuff, though maybe also in my fan art.
For drawing, I definitely look up to Jean Philippe Delhomme's illustrations:



And of course from the video game industry there's Yoji Shinkawa who does the highly artistic concept art for Metal Gear. Then there's Amano who did the concept art for the earlier Final Fantasies-- I admire that guy a lot.
Still, I like to be artistic and like to apply all my creative skills to anything, so I while I don't take fan art as seriously, it's always worth trying to pull off a different kind of creativity there. Always worth it, I think.

Haha, Nomura? As in Tetsuya Nomura of Final Fantasy? 8D Awesome!
Aaah, I remember admiring his art so much way back then. He draws beautiful people. (And I can see why you think that!)

Yes, I don't want to be derivative, but then it's a little unavoidable, I guess. My style always changes a little depending on what I like, so I'm not even sure what it is anymore... Eh, I don't know. I hope it settles down soon!

Oh! How did you come about your style? Do you have any favourite artists/influences?

I wanna say there's this Nomura vibe in your drawings, though they don't come off as derivative or anything like that. I definitely think they're drawn uniquely. Don't think I have any real advice, but it's always great looking at art history and the works of contemporary artists and incorporate stuff from both in your own work. You'll naturally have a style that's yours and should show in your formal works of art and one way or another in your less serious and more hobby-based fan drawings and sketches.

Mmm. I might post some more, maybe, maybe (but all I have is sketches!). And I really do need a scanner. Though I've been checking out some traditional works taken with normal cameras which really look just as good. Or I just suck at editing.

Looking at my entry still makes me cringe, haha. The anatomy's a bit off, but... I'll just keep practising! Yeah! And now I'm getting the strangest urge to draw Link, oooh yeah. (You. Are going to draw moar LoZ. NOW.)

But I will keep drawing until I die (and after), because I just... love it too much. ;_; It's like my life.

Eh, off topic, but I really need help finding my own style, any advice? ; )

I hope it's extra motivation for you to keep drawing and sharing your sketches, though. You've been unsure about finishing drawings and posting some progress, but your stuff is awesome, and people would love to see more.

Ah, heehee, thanks! XD

I'm happy too. I was sorta shocked when I checked the results; I wasn't expecting it at all, really. So yay! 8D

(Could recognise yours straight off the bat. Oh, and EL's, too. Her style is also way too distinctive.)

Tiff, your entry made it! So happy you did awesome on your first contest.

So just polishing it up, then? : )

(I spent a couple hours on my piece... but I'm sure I was meant to be doing something else instead, heheh.) Oh well. I seriously don't think I'll win, but it was fun all the same! (Even the procrastinating.)

I submitted mine. o_o Except I then submitted it a second time, because I had to make some vital last-minute changes... I guess I should have waited.

Guessing who drew what will be fun! Yours should be easy to find... I do wonder how many entries have been handed in... The anticipation is killing me.

For sure, yeah. As soon as it gets late or if I suddenly have plans tonight, I'll wrap it up any way I can just to finish. It'll be great.

Aww nope, no Skype, not planning to get one anytime soon. No access to MSN, either.

Good luck, then! ;D You should be able to finish before the deadline, right? Up to the last stages?
*can't wait can't wait can't wait*

That's awesome! You've got Skype, tiff? I'm still making progress with mine, but maybe I can talk about it more over skype. My handle is Septemtriones.
Otherwise, I still need to catch up with my entry.

WOOO.
FINISHED. *collapses onto the ground and dies of exhaustion*

I'm... partially satisfied with what I managed to put up, but now is the time I really start bemoaning the loss of my scanner. Taking photos doesn't bring out the details at all, and it looks so much better in real life... ;_;

So I worked on it for most of yesterday (meant to start the day before, but being the hopeless procrastinator that I am, I was stuck for ideas and none of the poses seemed to work!). And I was originally going to draw only Link, to keep it simple, but eventually I ended up drawing two people instead of one. And I tried to make it easier for myself! : )

Well, how's it going for you?

Hmm, yeah. I tried staying away from it awhile, but I'm always drawn back... And there are so many talented artists there; it's inspiring for a n00b like me. (I could recommend a few, if you like.) Still, beware, beware, beware.

Well, it doesn't take too long to sign up. And c'mon, you don't have to maintain it. All you have to do is dump a few pieces on, and watch. There! : D

Everytime I stop by Deviantart I'm like 'this place is great,' but making an account and maintaining a page there seems like such a drag. It's been a long time since I've been 'yeah, I'll start a Deviantart.' Eventually, eventually.