Aes Sedai: Cadsuane Melaidhrin

I've always wanted to paint that scenario in Winter's Heart where Rand was being protected as he did his thing, but the cut scenes make it quite hard to compose into a single piece, even for the imagination.

Anyway, I gave it a try, and came up with the main person providing protection, Cadsuane.

Here she's using one of her ornaments to help her while she keeps a shield up, while using another to detect the One Power being used. I suppose most ornaments were in 'full gear' during the battle, but I wanted to highlight the two she used the most during the time, the shrike and the swallow. (Yes, they don't glow, but I wanted to show them 'active') By the way, you can also call her Cadsuane Squarepants - I'm not a fan of divided riding skirts, but I discovered that light passing through her legs gave her a ... stronger stance.

Also, I imagined the 'beacon' of saidar would be something focused, like Nynaeve shining like the round sun. The 'inconceivable amount' is such a convenient measure for RJ - inconvenient for artists! So to add some drama, I made the light bigger, taller and denser, like something you would see even if you're on the other side of the mountains - if you could channel.

Tried a new color scheme, so that I veer away from my usual brown. Oh, and Far Madding golden hand earrings!

Cadsuane using her ter'angreal near Shadar Logoth

I didn't post the step-by-step process this time, as I realize that searching the character names on google, also turns up the unfinished pieces!

Aes Sedai: Seaine Herimon, Yukiri, Egwene al'Vere and Saerin Asnobar

SPOILER ALERT!


This is a scene from Towers of Midnight, where Egwene confers with three Aes Sedai atop the Tower. Although it is a blink-and-miss-it, boring scene, I found it quite appealing to me as a testament of loyal, senior Aes Sedai accepting Egwene's authority.

From left to right are, Seaine Herimon, Yukiri and Saerin Asnobar. I wanted to get the ageless look right (unidentifiable age between 25 - 40) in contrast to Egwene's youthful face. Maybe you can zoom in and see if I got some of the agelessness right. Oops, careful the file is big, might get your eyes poked!

Egwene actually is NOT my favorite character. I can simply relate to her more with the experience, status, and over-all character development. Like what Siuan said, I actually don't like her - she reminds me too much of myself!

Seaine Herimon, Yukiri, Egwene al'Vere and Saerin Asnobar

Also, earrings depict nationality! Seaine wears a bull's head design, while Yukiri has thin lacy rose earrings. I was supposed to put leopards in Saerin's earrings, but I found it too cougarish, so I settled for daggers with leopard hilts (not entirely visible). Egwene has reddish eagle earrings, and we all know what that conveys :)

I might release separate portraits of the background characters, as I have their parts complete although made invisible by Egwene's presence. Also, no stole. I kinda forgot about it, but settled with the idea that she doesn't need to wear them all the time - especially in a private windy area :D

An Ageless Question

Recently, I've been wondering about my style, and although it hasn't solidified yet, I think I managed to establish a certain 'feel' to my pieces. Realizing I'm painting mostly Aes Sedai, I thought that I might as well perfect the ageless face. Since starting digital painting, I've finished four characters that are supposed to be ageless - Verin Mathwin, Siuan Sanche, Bera Harkin, and Kiruna Nachiman. So far, the nearest to the ageless look seems to be Siuan Sanche, which kinda makes me not so satisfied.

So I browsed through different approaches to digital painting, some are rough, while others are extremely polished, so I settled for something in between. Having a piece and a character in mind, I started a new style, with 'agelessness' in mind. Here's what I came up with:

My bf actually helped point out that (in photos of ageless women we browsed online),

the agelessness had something to do with the eyes - they were creased, sad, and almost droopy, while the rest of the face was unaffected. I pointed out that botox helps, and even plastic surgery - causing that tiny curl in the lip, a little cat-like in overdone cases. We both agreed that the cheeks were a little too emphasized and rounded.

My perception may be a little distorted, but I do think this unfinished portrait somehow hits near the mark. I sure do hope I can repeat it, as I suck when it comes to repeating works (hence I did not become a comic book artist). As only one of four characters in a piece I'm planning, I'm a tad bit scared to finish it.

Aes Sedai: Bera Harkin and Kiruna Nachiman

Yay! I finished my first all-out action scene, and finally uploaded it. However, I think there are a few awkward places, perspectives and sizes that could have been done much better, but I think it's quite alright considering my level of expertise with digital painting.

Here you can see Kiruna Nachiman (left) and Bera Harkin (right), surrounded by three (out of their seven) warders, fighting off the Shaido Aiel, in a scene from the Wheel of Time, Lord of Chaos. I don't think there's a line where they're fighting side by side, as it was a busy Perrin who saw them dropping themselves one by one in the middle of the battlefield, so that they could channel effectively.

Bera Harkin and Kiruna Nachiman

Kiruna Nachiman was said to be queenly, statuesque, and had a commanding presence. Bera Harkin on the other hand, was plain, square-faced and looked like a farmwife who became prosperous. I painted them in somewhat Asian-inspired clothing, as these are quite wonderfully maneuverable even if they are made of silk or any other soft fabric, which I thought was perfect for Aes Sedai. I'm also somewhat getting a little addicted to putting 'nationality earrings' on these Aes Sedai as evident in Siuan Sanche's silverpike earrings..

Kiruna has rose earrings - something of Arafel her homeland, where she was the king's sister. While plain Bera has silver lion heads - a reminder of the white lion of Andor where she came from. I think Bera's short hair and plain face coupled with the opulence of her earrings is a great contrast. Also, I first wanted to portray Kiruna with tied-up hair and having a long neck, to get that Ms.Universe feel, but I settled for windswept hair for a little dynamism.

As usual, agelessness is quite hard to perfect, more so with tricky lighting. I think I've managed to paint 'something off' about their faces, so I think it's ok. And I had to remember that they were calm and serene, even during battle.

Aes Sedai: Siuan Sanche

Finally I'm done! Say hello to Siuan Sanche, the Amyrlin Seat in the Wheel of Time: The Great Hunt. This is the scene where she visits Nynaeve al'Meara and Egwene al'Vere aboard the Tar Valon bound ship and teaches them a quick lesson.

I believe this is Robert Jordan's foreshadowing of Siuan's future. In that particular scene, she channels a sword made out of Air upon Nynaeve's remark that she's rather learn to use one. Siuan, while astounding the two girls by making the sword appear out of nowhere, further says that a sword is almost useless. She then turns it into a paring knife, saying that the knife was more useful. In the future, Siuan Sanche realizes she's more useful with her reduced status than before.

Siuan Sanche 

Silverpike!

Added some 'silverpike' earrings and completed the rest of the stole. Softened some shadows on her face and added some neck details. *sigh* I really need to learn speedpainting.

Sick with Siuan

Got a little sick literally, and by the time I've finished half her shoulder, my nose is already dripping wet. And I thought I've finally gotten all the time to finish her this vacation week. I was planning to do a little plant shopping tomorrow and work on the garden a little more, just in time for Easter. Ah well, let's see what happens tomorrow. Maybe I'll work on Siuan again tomorrow night.

Stretching with Siuan

It's been a while since I was able to post something and I guess it's time to stretch my little fingers a bit once more. I realized that all the characters I paint had something 'significant' happen to them, especially in the last book, and trust me, it's not something I expected in the first place.

Maybe my blog is the unofficial prophecy book!

Siuan Sanche

Obviously, it's Siuan! Siuan Sanche as we know her, was the previous Amyrlin Seat, here in all her ageless mystique. I really tried to achieve that ageless look, where a face makes you second, or triple-guess an age. Moiraine describes the look clearly in her narrative, as an estimation of a twenty year old face quickly causing one to second-guess it as a forty-year-old's.

I wanted to veer away from that Zooey Deschanel look people portray her in, and instead give her latin-inspired features. Her nationality was Tairen - Robert Jordan's version of Spain, or some other latin country. I based most of her features from Jennifer Connelly, with those thick, dark brows, making her eyes so intense. Siuan was described as having a strong face, and an intense blue stare.

Although the books say she didn't have concern over her clothes, I interpret it as 'having no care whether what she wears is beautiful or ugly'. So I added lace, partly because there's a small line in New Spring where she smiles in delight at Anaiya's lacey room, and also because it looks so appropriate to give off a hispanic feel.

I really do hope I can finish this one within the week. But at least I got most of the hard part down. Oh wait... what background?!

New Stuff and Painting One (Part Four)

Almost there! I think I've done around 60 percent of the total composition and I'm liking the feel of it. I'm already itching to adjust the depths, but I can't do that unless every element has been laid out.

In other news, I'm planning to help my colleague clean up the office, with all these cigarette butts lying around. I will have to find some cheap ashtrays to assign everyone, one big ashtray for all is encouraging laziness! So I thought why not assign people their own ashtrays with their big names stuck on the little canisters - that way everyone gets to see who smokes like a chimney and who acts like a slob. Brilliant! If I may say so myself :)

New Stuff and Painting One (Part Three)

Dammit, I can't put the pen down. As soon as I've stopped working for the day, I immediately grabbed the pen and started painting right away!

Here's the painting progress so far...  

Verin Mathwin Unfinished

After hours of trying different techniques, I've finally found the most comfortable and easiest way to digitally paint: Splash on the darker colors, and let the light ones define the picture.

I don't think I mentioned how tired I am of seeing 'static' portraits of the Wheel of Time characters. Everything you see is a studio portrait, where the character seems to stand or sit still, and 'pose for the camera'. Well, to deviate from that, I'm aiming to paint Verin Mathwin in a very dynamic scenario! (By the way, I'm still at 1/4th of the entire painting!). Here's a closer look:

Verin Mathwin Unfinished Closeup

I've also added some symbolic touches of my own: a black sash for a belt, and white under-sleeves. I'm sure you Wheel of Time readers will understand ;-)

New Stuff and Painting One (Part Two)

So far, so good. I've taken some new approaches to my painting style, and it seems that I will always revert back to my style 10 years ago. I'll try hard to flex these point-of-view muscles as much as I can, but as for now I will have to do what feels comfortable.

After sketching the layout, I proceed with some details. As I've often said, I like to put intricacies last, most artists (like those who love comics), start with most details, almost to the point of finishing it off. I kinda jump right in with the layout, coloring first, then applying the details. Sometimes, doing both at the same time.

Bear with me, I've been off painting for more than a decade. Here's the progression...

I noticed that too much detail on faces causes the pixels to merge (unpleasantly) when zoomed out. So here I tried to minimize the facial features - believe me, I've a hard job restraining myself.

Verin Mathwin Painting

Well, I guess I'm a little satisfied. Not too ecstatic about it, but for a first, I'm quite happy with it. By the way, I'm sure all you Wheel of Time fans out there would have recognized the character from the 'plumpness' and colors used. It's Verin Mathwin! Know more about her at: http://wot.wikia.com/wiki/Verin_Mathwin

New Stuff and Painting One (Part 1)

Yaaay! I've finally bought my first pen/tablet and I'm so excited to paint - digitally! I think the price was really cheap considering the size, but I'm not quite sure how long it will last since it's one of those lower-end products. I installed it today through my laptop and started sketching right away... given that I hate going through tidbit training and I tend to just jump right in, I started with a large scene and composition.

Okaaay... So I may have gone over the top a little. It's another Wheel of Time scene, and I think it will be well worth it considering this is my first time painting again after, what... a decade?! Anyway, wish me luck!

A Little Depressed with Elaida a'Roihan

Having a moderate case of Seasonal Affective Disorder today. Hopefully that’s just it, and nothing too serious. Feeling a little bit helpless about my future, not having a lot of resources to pull from, unlike so many of my colleagues and friends who have successful family members to turn to for help, or family investments to tap on in the future. Seems so easy for them when everything’s laid out already, all they have to do is check, check, check. Well, as for me… I have to plant things yet, and hope they grow. Well, so far the things that grow have become stagnant, and I’ve very few choices to make.

Anyway, I wouldn’t want to depress anyone else, so I’m saturating myself with happy food for the rest of the day. A double dose of coffee, chocolate doughnuts, and later some hot cocoa. I’m planning to fix the garden today, that always makes me happy, but only if it doesn’t rain anymore, and only when people start to leave the office. I should probably print out my Sketchup dream house, and draft it in the moleskin.

Unfortunately an email (one of many) came up again for more revisions on our projects. Maybe I’ll just delegate this and forget about it for the meantime.  I’m beginning to love these sarcastically hilarious quotes from my friend’s FB wall, and I think this one is appropriate:

Haha. True, true. 

To get my blood flowing a bit and refocus this stream of sad energy into a raging waterfall of activity, I'm posting another Aes Sedai. The one everyone loves to hate. Elaida.

Elaida do Avriny a'Roihan, The (Usurping) Amyrlin Seat from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series 

Flooded with Liandrin

It's been a week-long downpour here in Manila, and everyone is on edge. Here in the Philippines, it's the floods that cause the most worries, and the most damage. The capital which is a narrow strip of land flanked by the Pacific and the West Philippine Sea, is below sea level, and peppered by lakes and rivers on the northern and southern areas. In short, there's no other way but up!

See sample picture from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/244095/death-toll-from-floods-rises-to-51

The government has already declared that there be no work today for private offices, so that means I get to rest a little. I came up with a slight fever last night, after exposing myself to my plague-ridden, sniveling colleagues, and then rushing into the rain to buy something from the nearest 7-11. The cold, moist weather is making it worse, but then I got my cat all bundled up beside me providing a little warmth, so I guess it's not so bad :)

Posting some more digital art, in line with the nasty weather is a nasty Aes Sedai. Well, maybe not so nasty... Liandrin. http://library.tarvalon.net/index.php?title=Liandrin

Liandrin Sedai, of the Red Ajah (and Black Ajah) from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series

Liking Blogspot with Teslyn Baradon

Ok, I'm actually kinda liking this new interface of blogger as compared to the previous they had. I may have to post more things here other than the Wheel of Time art! Anyway, since I have a few hours free waiting for my work's feedback... Here's another Aes Sedai, Teslyn.

Teslyn Baradon, and Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series

I tried making her a little less eye candy, but I can't bear to see an honorable character go fugly. Even so, I wanted to show her doing one of those Aes Sedai hand-wavings with her bony fingers, and I think I've achieved a nice energetic swirl of sorts. Here's a close up.

Teslyn Baradon Aes Sedai

Agelessness does fade a bit when there's fire light around, but I think I can have a looker guess a little with the age. Click the link to know more about her: http://wot.wikia.com/wiki/Teslyn_Baradon

Starting with Merise Haindehl

I'm still wondering where to start. I know I should have been doing this a long time ago, but events of late have been egging me for a little fire-starter. Maybe I should just jump right in. Or dump everything all at once? Well, I'm a good dumper. So for a first ever entry I'm posting a ragtag composite portrait of a character from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Certainly not the first I made out of image bits... Well, let's just call this one a draft.

Merise Haindehl, an Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series

I'm quite satisfied with how I managed to show her ageless look (that, according to the books, can be mystifying/frightening/mind-boggling to common folk). Still a little difficult considering that the look should confuse people about the woman's age from around 20 to 40 or so years. Here's a close-up.

Of course, it all started as a draft, but I couldn't stop adding bits and pieces everywhere so I ended up polishing it a bit. My intention is digitally paint these, and hopefully master the art.

Here's a link for more information about her character: http://library.tarvalon.net/index.php?title=Merise_Haindehl

Siuan Sanche Aes Sedai

Siuan Sanche Aes Sedai