February: Projects

Hi all! I'm just going to focus on publishing something at least once a month, which will usually be projects and such. I'm about to start my final year of university so there won't be too much going on apart from uni projects, but I'll be sure to share my thoughts on those as well.

I've been commissioned by extended family for acrylic canvas paintings and tattoo designs.

Canvas

The first one was from my cousin, who wanted me to paint a large canvas to suit the blue/silver/black colour scheme of their house.

The mock-up

The concept I wanted here was of freedom, that not even the sky is the limit- the dragon is seen emerging from the earth's atmosphere and into the areas of space.

Background gradient

I was introduced into the world of art with acrylic paints and pencils in my early childhood, but I had only painted on canvas twice beforehand, these canvases were quite small in comparison to this one. There were many days spent frustratedly trying to achieve the same smooth gradient that I had managed so effortlessly in previous works. The paint would dry too quickly, or my efforts would scrub up previous paint layers causing all sorts of unwanted effects. Eventually I got the above results, at which point I was satisfied with the range and depth of colours. 

Dragon sculpture

Using some Super Sculpey clay, I then sculpted the body of the dragon, wanting the dragon to literally pop out of the canvas to enhance that concept of freedom. 

This was my first time using polymer clay, and in comparison to other clays I've used, it was amazing to work with. I spent two days on the sculpting, I only sculpted parts that would be closest to the viewer, painting the rest on the canvas later. I also had to be wary of the length so that I could fit it onto the baking trays, though in the end no matter how much tail I cut off, I still had to cut the dragon in half to fit it flat on its tray.

Dragon sculpture after baking

After baking I super-glued it back together, this entire painting was a huge learning curve for me, and there are many things I'd have done differently, knowing what I do now. One example was not to bake both halves at the same time, the difference in colour illustrates just how different the oven temperature was in the top shelf to the temperature in the bottom shelf!
And unfortunately the cut edges warped a bit and the dragon has a mismatched bulge on its back and scar across its belly. It also shrank enough to comfortably fit on the smallest tray after all of that effort.

Canvas In Progress

The background was detailed some more before I added the dragon, I used some impasto gel and a bent kitchen knife to smear it across the canvas, creating all sorts of interesting 'cloudy' textures, I was able to add in some of the purple cosmic clouds using this method. The sculpture was glued on and smoothed out with the impasto gel, which was a bit like PVA glue. I added many coats of white paint to cover the clay colour and the beginning shadows of the dragons other limbs were blocked in. To get the 'stars' I dipped the tip of a dry roughly bristled brush in white paint and flicked the bristles with my thumb. I've seen many tutorials that mention using an old toothbrush, but there weren't any laying around to test this with, and my own improvisation worked well enough.

Finished Canvas

The end result. The sculpture was given a coat of glossy varnish to give it some more life and preserve the paint on it, and the entire canvas was sprayed with matte varnish.

Considering my limited experience with canvas painting, this project turned out pretty well, although I still prefer my watercolours and digital art over acrylic, there's less mess and better results in a shorter amount of time.

Update

Hi there to anyone who has been following this blog.
I have recently moved house and the disconnection from the internet that resulted has put the progress of my research back a few weeks. In addition, I have switched my focus to traditional painting in the hopes of being able to sell them locally, to make up for my current unemployed state. My tools of trade in this so far has been watercolour and acrylics. Hopefully this might also help get me exposure for more work doing what I do best.

During this time away, I plotted some ideas down and though I have little idea how I might end this plot, I've found at least one way to start it. I will of course brainstorm more up, as I've been taught that the first idea is not always the best. I'm putting them up on this blog as a record of my ideas anyway, in the hope that someone might add their own ideas to the mix too.

This idea is inspired by the Roman gladiator matches in arenas like the Colosseum, of course this aspect of their culture was not a widespread thing until centuries after the time setting of my story, but I'm doubting the arena/gladiator fights at the Colosseum were the first of its kind, it may be possible similar events were held on smaller scales in other lesser known areas prior to this.

Seraphinus and Ninurta are illustrated here being held in captivity underground

My previous blog entry has the character profiles of Seraphinus and Ninurta.
I copy and paste this straight from my word document, it's full of grammar and spelling errors but it serves its purpose of roughing out a narrative idea.

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Ninurta mauls a man of noble status for molesting a girl/young woman whom is the daughter of his stable hand (the person who is responsible for Ninurta’s physical needs, his handler trains and directs him but leaves the dirty work to the peasants). Ninurta has formed a bond with the stable hand and his family from the kindness they have given him. Family often appears during the final hours of his(stablehand) work- young sons and daughters to talk and play/help/see the dragon.

Their gentleness and thoughtfulness towards Ninurta after his sessions with his cruel/abusive handler help soothe the physical and psychological abrasions.

Ninurta is viewed more like a beast of burden, and thus when his attack on the noble is reported, the dragon handler is ordered to put Ninurta down/execute him like they would a dog. Someone else suggests Ninurta is taken to a gladiator arena to fight against the convicts sent there for the audience entertainment and the revenue it makes. The person has an eye for profits/business and believes the presence of a dragon in the arena would attract more spectators, he knows the arena already holds a captive bloodthirsty dragon, the murderous and greatly feared Evening Destroyer, named so because the dragon would only rend entire towns and villages to rubble and ashes in the evening hours. The arena is capable of keeping such a fierce dragon captive and would not have much difficulty keeping Ninurta, whom is the size of a pony. Ninurta was already more dangerous than the usual exotic predatory beasts brought into the arenas, such as big cats, bears and wolves and thus more valuable.

Ninurta is kept in an enclosure designed specifically for holding dragons at the arena,(specially reinforced to prevent escape and deter attempts) the arena animals are usually kept captive together with others of their own kind in small enclosures underneath the arena. The Evening Devil(Seraphinus) is already well settled into the arena/gladiator life by the time Ninurta is brought in, the dragons(and all the carnivorous animals) are fed the remains of the gladiators slain in battle. The dragons are kept chained at opposite sides of the enclosure so they would not kill each other as the humans would expect.

Ninurta is terrified of the Evening Destroyer dragon he overheard about in the fearful rumour talk of the towns people. The Evening Destroyer is aggressively hostile to anyone that nears him, and is especially aggressive towards people. This day he is even more intimidating to the people than usual, and in consequence Ninurta too as a first impression- the sight of another dragon caught captive in chains, and only a youngling, sends the Evening Destroyer into a deep rage.

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People call him the Evening Destroyer because they think dragons are like most other animals, simply far more dangerous, and don't learn of the dragon's true name, which is also due to dragons being unable to speak, except through telepathy. The more advanced the mind of the creature a dragon attempts a connection with, the more concentration and skill it requires. As such dragons can rarely speak telepathically with one another. 

Seraphinus attacks human settlements in evening hours because that was when his family - mate and hatchlings- was murdered by Dragon Hunters. 

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Dragon Delusion Sketchbook

Ninurta expressions experiment

Top: size chart, bottom: experiment with dragon ears + style

Dragon anatomy practice

Wyvern species concept

Adult Ninurta concept

The Dragon Delusion Project

I have begun the lengthy process of researching for the upcoming web-comic, Dragon Delusion.

I've already constructed a world of dragon cultures in my book 'The Dragons of Dragon Delusion'  which I created for an assignment, along with the original 13 page comic a year ago.

So I WAS going to make this concept a traditional, digitally created comic that could probably be published in print later... but... knowing what I do now, about the possibilities of the web, I could probably take this much further than a simple paneled digital comic.

 You see with the web, you have pretty much all digital formats available to tell the story; animation, audio, interactivity, and the ability to create games from all of these.

 I've seen examples of webcomics that already take advantages of these such as Homestuck, and also my favourite, Prequel, but I have no intention of making this in MS Paint! 

But I could even have 3d settings, panoramas of a scene, endless scrolling, things that animate as you scroll down, interactive elements scattered throughout the scenes... 

It would mean lots more work for me, of course, but it would be way more memorable to the people that discover the story, and I guess at the end of the day, I want it to have an impact and be all about the experience for the readers.

So far I know the new revised series is to be set at about 200BC, or the middle Iron Ages, somewhere in Europe, and that I may start it from the POV of Ninurta, a Eurasian dragon youngling whom is held captive by humans, rather than with Seraphinus's wrathful beginnings in 'Seraphinus's Retribution'.

Things I need to know to portray this setting right is the sort of cultures, societies, architecture styles, technology etc that were present in that area at the time, this map I found in my searches shall be my best starting point:

I should probably introduce these two main characters-that I've planned to be main characters so far, I don't have much of an idea about the direction the plot will take yet, so who knows what the final outcome will be?

Ninurta

Ninurta (pronounced nee-nuhr-tah)

Originally named after a Sumerian god for the 'lord earth' version, this god is most commonly known as a war god, and sometimes portrayed as a solar deity. (Ninurta a.k.a Ningirsu, Ninip/Ninib)
"On the one hand he is a farmer and a healing god who releases humans from sickness and the power of demons; on the other he is the god of the South Wind..." - Wikipedia

Character profile

Species: Russian or Eurasian Dragon

Gender: currently male.(see species concept for more on this- but all are born male because they are carried inside their 'mother' as eggs until it is time to hatch, higher temp = male in reptilian species.)

Age: pre-adolescent

Abilities/powers: forest dragon, the most common type. Catalyse the growth of plant-life to rebuild and heal damaged environments. Think of Fern Gully, or even that one scene in Fantasia which I can't remember what it was called, but that lady that swoops and everything suddenly grows and stuff. In a nutshell.

Personality: carefree as the youth come, energetic, playful, joker/wise-guy, can be a thrill seeker - he has startling moments of wisdom/insightfulness, and some darker personality changes occur as a result of captivity.

Species Facts

Russian/Eurasian Dragon

It is undecided whether this species is a hybrid between Eastern and Western Dragons or if they are still an existing ancestor that gave rise to them. Russian Dragons share traits of both species, large wings and long legs like the Western Dragons, but slender, flexible bodies, stag-like horns and manes like Eastern Dragons. They are however the smallest of the three species.
The most perplexing trait of this species is their androgynous nature, they change sex every 100-200 years and so are neither completely male or female.
These dragons are nomadic; they migrate around Russia and its neighbouring countries in turn with the seasons in small clans. They have a close connection with the natural environment and some have been known to guard rich ecosystems against the encroachment of human civilization. Russian Dragons inhabit any area that is rich in prey and relish the act of hunting prey that challenges them both mentally and physically.

Seraphinus

Seraphinus (pronounced seh-rah-fee-nus)

My original research that lead to me choosing Seraphinus said it was a Hebrew name meaning 'fire serpent'. Other sources say it's Roman...

Character Profile

Species: Western Dragon

Gender: male.

Age: Middle aged, about 500 yrs

Abilities/powers: fire dragon, just the typical fire breathing ability

Personality: hotheaded and brash, a bit macho-ish at times but it's mostly to compensate for/mask his sensitive side-thatyounevernoticebecauseyou'retoobusycoweringinacorner-*ahem*

Species Facts

Western Dragon

Western Dragons are a large, powerfully built species. Even the females are impressively muscular. They are generally quite temperamental and unfriendly towards strangers but are protective of close friends and family. Western Dragons value strength, size and power and constantly like to demonstrate this, thus their culture is heavily influenced by and based upon battle. Western Dragons have large territories to meet their needs for prey and often make their nests in caves, where they tend to live for most of their life. Their powers are destructive element-based breath abilities.

I think that's all I have to say for today, you can look forward to future posts documenting the Dragon Delusion Project.

Promotional Stickers, Logo and Business Card!

The last couple of weeks have been pretty hectic, designing and illustrating all of the below Purple Tigress promotional items (and I still have the postcards, posters and portfolios to get done in the next two weeks), as well as staying on top of my other three units such as; Illustration Masterclass, Interactive Web Design, and Image Compositing. 

It'll all be over in a few weeks and I can make a start on research/development/plotting for my upcoming web-comic, Dragon Delusion, which I hope to begin the production for, by the end of 2014. But you'll be seeing many more posts about the Dragon Delusion project in the future!

These are the Purple Tigress sticker promos, I decided to do a linking dragon theme, just because I love drawing dragons so much! So basically, I designed these dragons so that they would look like they were made out of certain materials/elements, which the final designs are crystal, fire, water, metal and bone. I also wanted to inject a sense of personality into them through their body language and expression, (like I usually do with my dragons), because it better reflects my illustrative approach, rather than random epic poses and colours, which at the end of the day, have no real purpose or substance other than to 'look cool'.

Crystal Dragon sticker design

Bone Dragon sticker design

Water Dragon sticker design

Fire Dragon sticker design

Metal Dragon sticker design

The final Purple Tigress logo is the shield of arms inspired design, the early stages of development can be seen here, but I chose this concept for its uniqueness and adaptability into various digital as well as print formats.

The stripes have been reduced in number to increase the logo's visibility at a smaller scale, and I've changed its decorative stripes on the shoulder and cheek to resemble the letters of my initials, a bit of an 'easter egg' of sorts, for those who are observant enough to make that connection.

This is the final business card for Purple Tigress, I'm waiting for the first batch to arrive in the mail, along with the stickers.

The cream and purple go together quite well, as you can see, and I've duotoned some previews of my illustrations with the same cream and purple on the back of the card. After much dwelling over fonts, I'd finally found one that reflected the Purple Tigress fantasy illustration theme, without being too decorative and taking the focus from the logo.

There are a range of duotoned illustration previews on the back of the card to select from!

 And now I should go and figure out what I'll do for posters and post cards..

Purple Tigress Logo Designs

I've been busy designing myself a 'brand logo' in the name of Purple Tigress, these are the more refined variants.
The Purple Tigress is a combination of my favourite colour -Purple, animal -Tigers, and drawing subjects -Dragons, all rolled into one creature to represent myself in the world of online and business identities.

My favourite of the logos so far is the second one, but it may not be entirely suitable for scaling down, which is why I was experimenting with a more graphical style. I think the fire-breathing tiger logo has the potential to be the most successful, provided I tweak it enough to be recognizable in small sizes, and appealing enough to be memorable.

Here I am

My first post in my first blog. It is a bit overwhelming because I barely know how to use anything here.

I will start with an introduction then, shall I?

My name is Jasmine Smalley, (Purple Tigress is my artist/brand name)

I'm 20 and am currently attending Curtin University(Western Australia), majoring in Illustration Design. 

My favourite animals are tigers, and my favourite colour is purple.

My passion is for animals and art, I have been drawing animals since I was a little girl, I love being around them.

Most of my artworks now though are fantasy themed, creating my own takes on various fantasy beasts and creating my own, even. I'm an imaginative person who loves to tell stories through my artwork, on that thread of thought I should probably mention that I plan to get into the Graphic Novel and/or Story-boarding industries, sometime, in the near- or distant future. I personally would prefer the near future.

As part of my portfolio unit, I am creating a few online profiles in various social media, so right now they are blank and bare bones until I get around to styling them.

For now though, you can visit my Deviantart profile to see my gallery http://purpletigress.deviantart.com/