Jesse agrees.
In the previous three episodes we had featured Azu-nyan, Yui and Mio. Azu-nyan was technically a 1.6E (Enhanced) drawing- a prototype of portraits, and Yui paved a higher basis for an even higher drawing style. We finally coughed out a 1.7 prototype for Mio, the first of its kind last wednesday. The first (and last) T1.7 portrait took five and the half hours to complete, and the process was so laborous I needed a break of three days after that.
Today we have our 4th K-ON! character up on the drawing pad (there are five of them altogether). Her name is Ritsu, and technically she was going to be this healthy and energetic drummer (and also leader) of the club. There is constantly a slight look of defiance, misdemeanour, and tomboyish look in her eyes, although at instances she may too have her rightful girlish charms. What else about her is pretty straightforward- she needed to stop looking like a 12 year old.
Drawing the standard facial poses was pretty okay by now- we still have that armada of set-squares, protractors and calculators. But this one challenged me greatly in terms of hairstyle and facial structure. Unlike our Mio, whom has this bashful looks safely hidden under folds of long sweeping hair, Ritsu (her best friend anyway) sports much shorter hair, pulled back and held in place by a hairband. Consequently, much of her forehead, and the sides of her face are exposed.
Well, whats so difficult? Technically, most drawers (i like the puns) tend to like to hide character faces under great folds of hair. Hair is relatively easy to draw (although it's quite a nightmare to shade), and more importantly it obscures any potential errors in facial shape near the eye-ear region, as well as the eyebrows. Moreover, its more than a stereotype that a girl must look graceful to look ideal. Tom-boyish hair, yet looking ideally girlish? No link.
But we had fun nevertheless. A ear-ring was added, and we allowed a single strand of hair to fall in front of her face to allude potential feminity. The shading still cannot fully mirror the facial contours (I am technically a noob, mind you), but I tried to make it up with softer shadings.
Oh yah, this time the background music (BGM) was Kenny G.
The outcome was fun. Ritsu looks pretty decent (not fully elaborated, but neither too abstract for it's type), and there is a sense of symmetry. I was quite worried of the hair (or the lack of it) this time, but it turned out fine nevertheless. But what was really suprising was the time taken- compared to our the previous picture, this one took a mere 2 hours to attain general 1.7 standards.
Yes- and if practised consistently, it is possible to reduce the time to one-and-a-half hours. If so, then type 1.7 pictures can become the norm standard of drawing from now on.
This drummer girl was suprisingly fast on its own, just like how she beats the drums too quickly all the time LOL- even so, I don't intend to start rush things through haphazardly. Our final character, Tsumugi, would be up soon- and seemingly it would be impossible to rush her. (Not that she is a graceful piano player, but rather because her hairstyle looks completely gravity defying and nightmarish), in the meantime- we might of course spend the extra time sitting back, have cake, and have fun.
Attributes:
Genre: Version 1.7 anime / manga conversions
Source Material: Ritsu Tainaka, Sakurakou K-ON Bu, K-ON!! Listen!!
Dimensions: 20 : 14 cm bust portrait
Idealism factor : 75%
Duration: 2 hours (record timing)
Comments: More elaboration could be done to the ends of the hair, more complex shadowing required (possibly higher versions), facial contours could be further perfected (was an upgrade from the previous picture), could be generally more darker, but I do not want to push too much for something that was supposed to be bright and energetic. And- stop being lazy on the body!
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