Rika - Child of SEED

All you Rika fans out there, here's something for you.

I mentioned to Tanith earlier how the other scanner I was going to use sucked. Well I found PSP Photo Pro has a scanning tool that does a better job so I tried it out. I removed some pesky pencil marks with a couple of tools too and I stuck a title in to help fill the space.

All in all, I'm chuffed with this one, just like the last one. Comments, etc, all welcome. You know this by now.

I think scan turned out really well, Xander. I think Rune_Walsh has said that markers are better for scanning as well, but that's about as much as I know about scanning artwork.

Rika looks great! No proportion issues that I can tell, though I'm not artistic. I think you did an especially good job on her armor and hair. This is a really great pose, too. Is it your own pose or is it from one of the Sega publications?

Sadly this pose comes from the compendium, so I can't take the credit. But thanks all the same. It has certainly been a lesson or 10 in this sort of stuff so I'll be able to do my own after some more practice.
The legs and chest plate were a royal pain to draw, let me tell you that.
The black was hard to colour because I had to spend so much time going over it to eliminate white. Though I am pleased with the highlights. The head took me a couple of hours to get right but I only used 2 sheets of paper this time. I'd actually say the picture looks nicer at this size.

As for scanning, because the line drawing turned out so well I went and scanned it in B&W so now I have something for my first CG colouring project, whenever that is. But now I know how to use PSP Photo Pro to eliminate drawing marks and get top notch scans from it too, I can breath a sigh of relief when it comes to uploading. Anyway, 3 weeks at it and I'm glad to see I'm getting something out of the hobby now.

You did a great job on this one! I can't see anything to criticize about it. Very well done.

Looks fantastic, Xander. The black is very striking indeed.

Thanks you guys. I'm glad you like it. It makes the late night induced backgrounding madness all the sweeter. Despite having had the software for months, finding I can do this now is like being a kid in a sweet shop.

Very nice, Xan! I have to say, this is my fave from you. I think you did very well on this piece; the form is spot on, and the grasp of shading, coloring, and hues are very nice.

As Tanith mentions, I generally don't like the use of colored pencils for people (they are perfect for CW's Bird art because of the feathering). This is usually due to white showing through the waxy coloring, and it doesn't scan the best as a result. However, you've made it work well here with Rika. Well done!

Nice to see some Rika fan art too. She is my top Phantasy Star character. Well done Xander.

@RW - Thanks. I'm glad to hear the highlights turned out properly, seeing how a lot of it was guess work bar a few areas. The pencils I use have broad soft cores which seems to help keep things even and less waxy, though I am looking at some narrower hard core pencils to help fill in those small bits. I can certainly understand why you don't like pencils for this stuff.

Having seen what you just did with markers I'm certainly going to try them out at some point once I get myself a little more learned, tempting though it may be to have a superior finish and lack of dusty bits getting everywhere. I think you'd agree when I say I don't think my skill level merits it yet. Kind of like learning to write in school.

@Lucas - Rika is my favourite character too if you see my profile, though Alys is a strong contender. Though this piece is more making up for the crappy drawing I did of her before, even if it was my first drawing ever. Besides, the gallery is lacking Rika art of any kind.


EDIT: I didn't want to make a new post for this, but I feel that I may as well. For one it's a good comparison and secondly, it'll show you all how far I've come since I started barely a month ago. I am of course referring to my first ever drawing. Beware: Fugly.

Xander wrote:

Having seen what you just did with markers I'm certainly going to try them out at some point once I get myself a little more learned, tempting though it may be to have a superior finish and lack of dusty bits getting everywhere. I think you'd agree when I say I don't think my skill level merits it yet. Kind of like learning to write in school.

You humble me so! True that I praise markers (they scan well but sometimes can streak) and I use them a bit, but I combine mediums. My favorite medium is watercolor paint, but I've yet to do any PS oriented art using them.

You really have skill, Xander, so I think you're being way too hard on yourself. ^^ As I said previously (sorry that I wasn't articulate enough), you were able to PWN colored pencils with your Rika piece - and you made something that normally wouldn't work so well, WORK. It's so nice to see some more Rika art, too. She doesn't get enough love!