Bookmarks for Artist Alley

April is always a busy month for me, not only because Gaia tends to pick up around then, but also because I’m busting my chops preparing for my Artist Alley booth at Fanime 2010, a local anime convention here in my home city.

I’ve been focusing on handmade clay charms over the past few years, but I always try to show up with new merchandise. This year, I’ve decided to (attempt to) finish a set of bookmarks that I’d always wanted to make.

I really love drawing fanart more than I should, and there are two major loves in my life when it comes to fanart: Squaresoft characters, and Naruto. One of my favorite set of characters from Naruto are the 3 Sennin: Jiraiya, Orochimaru (honestly, not as much since he’s a villain and crazy :P), and Tsunade.

Drawing Fanart can be a rewarding experience, especially if you are the type of person who not only genuinely enjoys reading comics/manga/watching anime, but also likes to explore and appreciate the many different styles that our most favorite stories and characters are depicted with. I think I enjoy drawing fanart the most because it gives me an excuse to take a moment and study the art styles and techniques of the artists I enjoy. I have learned and been influenced by many styles and techniques that I’ve picked up from my favorite artists and illustrators - it’s good to always be learning.

Before beginning any fanart, I take a few moments to study and get to know the character I’m drawing. To make things easier, I like to put together quickie collages in Photoshop so I can look at many references at once.

Tsunade is a strong character who possesses a great deal of confidence and strength, but is also sensual and empathetic. I wanted to make sure to portray these traits in my fanart.

My current work-in-progress (WIP) looks like this:

Sometimes “chibifying” (definition: chibi) serious characters can be difficult, because a typical process found in chibi art is simplification and exaggeration. When I’m drawing chibi characters, I try to isolate the few most impressionable and distinct characteristics, and exaggerate those while simplifying the rest. In Tsunade’s case, I kept her hair, the shape of her eyes, and her big chest (what can I say, it’s one of her major characteristics o3o) and I simplified the rest. For me though, the most iconic characteristic is presented in her current environment, and her actions (aka breaking things with her immense brute strength.)

If you’ve got a character that you like, try drawing him/her/it in your style, and see what happens. Fanart is a great way to learn new techniques and to express characters you appreciate in different and unique ways.

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