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TribalGraces β The Operative
#blade #couple #elves #knife #romantic #romulan #romulans #coloredpencil
Published: 2015-03-12 23:09:26 +0000 UTC; Views: 1422; Favourites: 27; Downloads: 12
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Description
Prismacolor; Micron pen outlines; Tombow marker as an underlayer for the skin tones. On bristol vellum, approx. 15"x10". Reference image is this amazing photo byΒ .He's the leader of pre-industrial Vulcanoid civilization on an unaligned planet. She's a Romulan operative sent to his planet to pave the way for an Imperial takeover. Their romance is about to become complicated. He insists that he will never bow the knee to invaders, but she's not worried. She's a Romulan. It's her destiny to get whatever she wants--both militarily and personally.
From a story idea first proposed by LornaWinters , in the Comments section of this drawing . The idea was further developed by thymetoread in this work .
(Or, these are simply two elves, if you prefer. Watch out for those knives. This is not a good time to interrupt these two.)
But, whew! This was a lot of work. It took several weeks off and on to finish it, what with drawing and re-drawing to try to get the anatomy right, fixing mistakes, doing color tests, and so forth. In the end, I'm happy with the results, although it's apparent that my technique still needs improvement in some areas. (I'm always open to suggestions or critiques.) I've also decided that colored pencil is even more unforgiving, in some ways, than watercolor.
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Comments: 32
Thanks! I worked really hard on this one.
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You're welcome
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GORGEOUS work! 
I hope these two don't end up hurting each other....
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Thanks so much! Yes, I hope both of these two will be able to stay calm when the Romulan invasion begins.
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Maybe one of them just nerve-pinches the other, so they don't have to worry so much.
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This isn't just fanart. It's some SERIOUSLY HIGH QUALITY art.
I love this kind of pencil work that while realistic, is not SO photorealistic that it loses the beautiful "imperfection" of being a drawing, and not being ashamed to be a drawing.Β Truly gorgeous.
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Wow, thanks for such a kind comment! You've made my day. Β
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Oh, YES!! *applause, applause*Β I'd love to be a fly on the wall when that conversation goes down.
Second class citizenship will prove far more palatable when you've got that babe by your side.Β As for the people...?Β They may not see the benefits of our leader's new girlfriend in the same way he does.Β
Just who the heck is she, anyway?Β She shows up one day, and all of a sudden she's calling the shots!Β Well, our province never voted for him, if you folks will remember.Β "Too young and hotheaded," we warned.Β He's obviously not thinking with his head now.Β And from whence has she come?Β Forest dweller, my pointy ear!Β Everyone knows forest dwellers have hair the color of the sun.Β Mark my words, trouble follows on her heels.Β Lock up your goods tonight.
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"Lock up your goods." Alas, poor good folk, they have no idea what a D'deridex class warbird--such as the one that brought her here--is capable of. He loves her, but he has the weight of his world on his shoulders, as you can see from his sober expression. She, on the other hand, has that little smirk that says, "No problem. The Empire's got it all covered."
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Slowly, a squadron of alien vessels hovered down from the clouds and swirled like drunken dragons overhead.
The ruler stood transfixed, glaring at the metallic beasts with a mixture of rage and awe. What good were sword and catapult against an enemy who could command fire and cloud? Grudgingly, he lowered his gaze.βIt would seem that I have no choice.β
βNo,β she said. βYou donβt.β
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"Whatever you say, babe..."Β Β Hahahahahahahaa!
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I don't see a lot of traditional art techniques used for Trek stuff. It makes this stand out.
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You're right, most Trek artists prefer digital art--and they create some really amazing work--but I switched back toΒ traditional art some time ago because the process just feels so satisfying.
Thanks for the fave and for commenting!
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When I saw this this past Friday (waiting in the car for my hubby to run some errands), my first reaction was "Aaaagh! That looks fantastic!"Β then I was smiling toΒ myself for the rest of the day. Β Love the pose, the knives, and the gold leaf pattern on her outfit.
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Thanks so much! I'm really glad you like it. It was very exciting to find the absolute perfect reference pose for this one. As soon as I saw it, I just had to draw it.
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Thank you so much! And thank you for the faves.
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It is looking very good. Prismacolor pencils, I have found, develop that waxy build up quickly even with a light pressure, so have to be worked light to dark as you would watercolour.
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Thanks! You're right about the wax; it's a constant issue with Prismacolors. Too many layers of color, and it starts to feel like you're drawing on the surface of a candle.
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Yup. That's why, now that I've acquired enough of a color range of Derwent pencils, one of my next experiments will be using a combination of pencil brands. Don't expect to see that any time soon as I have a couple of canvases to finish first.
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Well, I look forward to seeing your experiments whenever you have time to post them.
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Love that pixie cut!
What's most striking to me, technique-wise, is the texture achieved in their outfits. Love it!
Nice to see more work done by you! Thanks for the description, too, helps contextualize for the viewer, the artist's intent.
Second most striking thing, is her outfit underneath showing through. That looks just plain awesome! Great job there!
Oh, and I love ear cuff jewelry, that's what's she's wearing right?
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Good to hear from you again, Arthur! I'm glad you like this one. It's been quite the learning experience, because I've done so few pictures that use colored pencil all over. Up till now I've mostly used it for adding details.
Yes, that's ear cuff jewelry. The patterned petticoat and under-sleeves were my favorite part to draw, aside from the faces. I'm looking forward to trying the same technique in future projects.
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The patterned petticoat and under-sleeves were my favorite part to draw, aside from the faces. I'm looking forward to trying the same technique in future projects.
And I look forward to seeing them! : )
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