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X-I-L2048 — USPH Summer Contest Entry - Sunburn

Published: 2012-05-10 01:11:48 +0000 UTC; Views: 1890; Favourites: 46; Downloads: 19
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Description So there we were, back home from somewhere inside my head
Oh, bravely I fought off the monsters beneath her bed
Pillars of postwar books supported by frame of mind
While she memorized the pages that I tried to not hide behind
She took my hand in hers and whispered her love for me
The lantern died that night but we didn't need to see
Implying that she's the bee's knees and I am the cat's meow
It's funny how she recalls what I can't remember now

But when her smile came back and I didn't feel half as horrible
She gave me a heart attack just because she looked so adorable
We both put our sunblock on
Played on the beach and vowed that we'd live and we'd learn
Yeah, but she got a tan, and I got a sunburn

- ”Sunburn” by Owl City

My entry for the Summer Contest. ^_^ When I saw that the contest theme included “beach” my mind immediately jumped to this. “Sunburn” has been one of this couple’s main theme songs, and I was just itching to illustrate it.

Say hi to Rita de los Santos - my OC for the Philippines - everybody! This isn’t the first time I’ve drawn her, but it is the first time I’ve posted a picture of her. Her design still needs some tweaking, but overall, I’m pleased with how she turned out.

Now, I must say that both of them are missing their scars (they both got a bunch). I tried the picture with and without them, and they turned out to be just distracting, IMO, so I removed them. So, just think of this as their… idealized forms, or some such.

Disclaimers
APH is Himaruya’s
Rita is mine
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Comments: 27

Kintupsi [2012-05-29 03:19:47 +0000 UTC]

That song fits this picture quite well! X3 I like the flower in her hair, too. ^^

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X-I-L2048 In reply to Kintupsi [2012-05-30 01:52:30 +0000 UTC]

Thank you! I'm glad you like it.

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PwnedByPineapple [2012-05-14 21:52:16 +0000 UTC]

Aww, this is so cute! I love their expressions; makes me smile. And Rita is very pretty. ^-^ Although ouch, that does look like a sunburn from hell. xD

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X-I-L2048 In reply to PwnedByPineapple [2012-05-15 01:37:26 +0000 UTC]

Thank you. I'm glad you like it. As Scarlette said, Al will need Rita to rub him with a LOT of aloe.

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Maerd7733SCAIP [2012-05-12 23:43:29 +0000 UTC]

So pretty! I love her hair, but OUCH! That sunburn looks like it hurts I personally don't get sunburns (I think I've only gotten one in my entire life so far) so I always pity the poor fools who forget sunblock I love the colors (so vibrant _____)

Good luck with the contest!

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X-I-L2048 In reply to Maerd7733SCAIP [2012-05-13 02:10:56 +0000 UTC]

Thank you! I'm proud of her hair myself. And yeah, it does look like it hurts a lot. I usually tan, but sometimes if I'm out too long, I will get burned. He normally tans, too, but it was in the song.

Thank you again.

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Maerd7733SCAIP In reply to X-I-L2048 [2012-05-13 16:47:44 +0000 UTC]

No problem!

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ScarletteDiscord [2012-05-10 13:10:38 +0000 UTC]

Nice job on this Poor Alfred, that sunburn looks like it would hurt! (even though I see him as being able to tan rather than burn, but that's me ) And Rita looks cute here, love the little flower in her hair. She apparently got more than a tan, though (being Filipino she'd have a darker skin tone to start with...) And I've told you love the way you render hair

My only critique I have would be Rita's wrist. The angle of it coming from the hand is off, it should curve in rather than out. Other than that I think it came out well, even getting Alfred's skin to look sunburned (not the easiest thing without making a person all red!) I can't really say much about Rita's looks since I've not seen a Filipino person myself to compare but from the little I know, she looks fine to me

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X-I-L2048 In reply to ScarletteDiscord [2012-05-12 00:20:16 +0000 UTC]

Thank you! Good to hear from you again. lol - Yeah, he got fried pretty badly. And don't worry, I think he tans normally, too, but I think he went outside for too long after being cooped up inside for too long. Or something. It was in the song, okay? Aww, thank you! Yeah, she got dark. And I do so love doing hair, too. Thanks for noticing!

Oh, I see. I'll keep that in mind for next time. Thank you for pointing that out. lol - I tried to do that without making him look like he'd been boiled alive. Thanks agian!

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ScarletteDiscord In reply to X-I-L2048 [2012-05-12 04:58:26 +0000 UTC]

You're welcome! Lol, need to have Rita there rub some aloe on him

I actually need to get the rest of Owl City's stuff, I really like his music. I've been listening to his latest album practically on repeat XD

Anytime

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X-I-L2048 In reply to ScarletteDiscord [2012-05-12 21:45:25 +0000 UTC]

Yessss.

Oh, definitely. He's so awesome.

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sigalawin [2012-05-10 01:23:35 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so much for entering!

It looks great~

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X-I-L2048 In reply to sigalawin [2012-05-10 01:49:53 +0000 UTC]

No problem!

Thank you!

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KitakLaw [2012-05-10 01:17:31 +0000 UTC]

Good job on this, and best wishes for the contest!

I like what you've got going with Rita here, although...to be frank, she doesn't look like most Filipinos I've met - and I've met A LOT.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

X-I-L2048 In reply to KitakLaw [2012-05-10 01:53:49 +0000 UTC]

Thanks!

Heh heh, umm... that's PROBABLY because I didn't use a reference when I was drawing her. I DID say that her design needs tweaking, though, so the next time I draw her, she'll probably look a bit different. And I've never met a Filipino before, so that might be part of it, too. >_>

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KitakLaw In reply to X-I-L2048 [2012-05-10 02:05:22 +0000 UTC]

You're welcome.

Right now, I think that Rita - in terms of her features - looks like a REALLY dark Caucasian, like someone from the Mediterranean. People from the Philippines, from what I've seen, often have more conventionally Asian features, especially the hair (it's often jet black) and the lower half of the face (the nose and mouth), but many also have really big eyes, which is different from, say, stereotypical Chinese/Japanese/Korean people. When drawing people of various ethnicities, though, the nose shape alone makes a MASSIVE difference, and I think that's the one thing that's throwing me off about her appearance right now. It's too narrow and pointed for me to ever see it as being Asian - I can tell you drew hers the same way you drew Alfred's.

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X-I-L2048 In reply to KitakLaw [2012-05-10 02:21:53 +0000 UTC]

Well, thanks for the tips. I did end up looking up some pics of Filipinos while I was coloring the pic so I didn't make her skin too light, and was like "O_O Ohcrapshelooksnothinglikethis..." So I suppose I can try to change it later. The contest deadline isn't until the 12th, so I have time. I really wasn't trying to be TOO realistic with this pic, though. Most of the pics I have of Philippines OCs (drawn by actual Filipinos, no less!) make her look like a dark skinned Caucasian, so I didn't really know any better. Shame on me for not doing my research properly, I suppose, but oh well. Live and learn.

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KitakLaw In reply to X-I-L2048 [2012-05-10 02:26:43 +0000 UTC]

I think that a lot of people draw her like a dark-skinned Caucasian because, in all honesty, the standard "anime nose" DOES look really Caucasian. If you've seen East Asian and Southeast Asian people in profile, you'll know that that's VERY uncommon. So the question is just what style you're going for.

As for myself...I'm still finding it odd that you've never met a Filipino person before.

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X-I-L2048 In reply to KitakLaw [2012-05-10 02:51:17 +0000 UTC]

Yup, that's what I thought. Well, I'll fiddle with it later and see what looks better, then.

Hey, the United States is a big place, okay? And not all places are what you would call as "culturally diverse" as Toronto. And Toronto is the 50th largest city in the world, so I daresay you've had a lot more cross-cultural exposure than I have during your lifetime.

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KitakLaw In reply to X-I-L2048 [2012-05-10 02:58:05 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, I know the US is a big place - but I also know it's one of the most culturally diverse nations on the planet. So forgive me for thinking you were from a big city that couldn't NOT have a Filipino community

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X-I-L2048 In reply to KitakLaw [2012-05-11 02:44:11 +0000 UTC]

You are forgiven.

Seriously, though, nah, it's okay. I'd LIKE to meet a Filipino someday, though. Sos I can grill them mercilessly about their home country and culture. >:3 I do that with my Canadian friends and people from other cultures I've met, or even people who've just traveled more extensively than I have. (And believe it or not, I HAVE met a Latvian before. Now THAT was an awesome conversation. )

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KitakLaw In reply to X-I-L2048 [2012-05-11 03:13:47 +0000 UTC]

One of the couple of part-time jobs I have ends up with my working in a place with a significant Filipino community. So maybe I'm a bit more advantaged than most on that front. But I can definitely say I've never met someone from Latvia before - either that, or it was just a one-time thing that I've forgotten by now. The most unexpected ethnicity/nationality I've come across...that'd be a tie between Eritrean and Uyghur.

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X-I-L2048 In reply to KitakLaw [2012-05-12 22:06:38 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, that would probably explain it. And I've never even heard of those countries.

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KitakLaw In reply to X-I-L2048 [2012-05-13 01:34:38 +0000 UTC]

lol - that's because the first is a country that not many people have heard of (Eritrea - it's not too far from Ethiopia) and the second...is a people group as opposed to a nation state. The Uyghur are a Turkic and Islamic people who live in Xinjiang, which is Northwestern China: they are one of the 55 officially recognized non-Chinese ethnic groups in the PRC.

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X-I-L2048 In reply to KitakLaw [2012-05-13 02:00:45 +0000 UTC]

Wow, I learned something today! 8D Thanks.

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KitakLaw In reply to X-I-L2048 [2012-05-13 02:06:20 +0000 UTC]

You're welcome. Things between the Uyghur and the Chinese are...REALLY complicated - just as controversial as what's going on in Tibet, I find - but that's just some background information for you.

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X-I-L2048 In reply to KitakLaw [2012-05-13 03:24:49 +0000 UTC]

I see.

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