more saeko drawings…
I posted a new sketch of Saeko last night, not a fantastic sketch by any means, but not too bad. It’s one of many sketches (mostly bad) that are part of me re-addressing warmth, the story and it’s characters. The body and the pose is kind of plain, really, but there are some things of note in the drawing.
One of the problems with warmth is the fact that the initial character designs were developed a long time ago. I may not be very good, but i’m certainly better than i was back then. When i was working on warmth two years ago, i was finding that i was having some particular problems with the characters, Saeko in particular. There was something nebulous about her design that just wasn’t cutting it, and was making her hard to reproduce on a regular basis. For example, the highly angular eye shape, the bangs, her forelocks and how long they were, the way her hair fell down her back, shape of her face… many of my drawings from back then did a good job of capturing something of what i wanted in her, but drawing her these days was leaving me thinking that i needed some better control nodes on her design to work with.
So, with that in mind, i’ve been working on subtle tweaks and changes - and these things have to get by me before i have to worry about what anyone else would think. I have been tweaking her bangs, the facial shape, the eyes (these still aren’t right yet) her forelocks in particular, shape of the hair… its all part of a larger process that i’m just starting to get my teeth into.
- pirotunes: Chimaira - Severed -
January 31st, 2005 at 5:46 pm
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…I wish I could draw half as well as your “not very good”.
That said, very nice work! I think the thing I like the most about your drawings are the eyes…something about them is intriguing both and haunting at the same time…beautiful!
Keep up the good work, and don’t stop until you are happy with it (but keep on posting your ‘work-in-progress’, too!)
Warren
January 31st, 2005 at 8:33 pm
I agree with Knightsabre here. Your style of artwork lets in a lot more emotion than many others’. I still have a lot of trouble doing so in mine. I can’t seem to capture Shiori or Minagi in my sketches at all.
In any case, if you keep trying, you’ll find it. Don’t try too hard. It’s like trying to find something when you lose it somewhere, lets say a couch. You try to look to hard, you get stressed and can’t find it at all, but if you let it, it’ll come back “on its own”.
January 31st, 2005 at 10:10 pm
Wow… I like it … and mostly because its clearly not “Kimiko v.2″ or some such (which some of the earlier Saeko versions (imo) tended toward). Its clearly her own person, so to speak.
yet another new wallpaper…
Episode 4 of Air is out for those asleep at the wheel. Very interesting, I don’t feel nearly so lost now … some very beautiful artwork in it.
January 31st, 2005 at 10:38 pm
Hmm… Well, to me, the drawing looks great!! If you’re having trouble on doing Saeko’s character design, you should draw as if you’re starting a new character, while fitting her description [and/or personality] with the sketch at the same time. This way, you could get a new feel on what Saeko’s character can become!! XD
Anyway, good luck on her character design!! Looking forward to more sketches in the future! XP
Lauren
February 1st, 2005 at 7:09 am
Awe I like the drawing.
Yes, she definitely is starting to show that she has her own personality now.
And the backpack is cute
February 1st, 2005 at 1:57 pm
I think I prefer the older style such as in Saeko Studies, to this newer version, she looks a bit too much like a Kimiko/Erika hybrid.
Still with all the girls in Megatokyo looking unique it’s a lot better than I can do, since any characters I frequently draw tend to end up looking similar…
February 2nd, 2005 at 12:22 am
Hmm… I like the drawing by itself, but you may be right about one thing– the backpack is a bit over the top symbolism-wise. (Ayuuuuu!)
But it’s important to try to find the character, so don’t give up hope.
As for the criticism that the girls look similar, well, that can’t be helped. Certain styles just work certain ways. and previous works will always affect the way readers see your art, because they’re subconsciously looking for similarities to your previous stuff. (It’s a monkey-brain thing. We instinctively seek out patterns even when we don’t think we do. It’s in our wiring.)
I’ve been trying to figure out how to put this, but my favorite characters are the ones who come across as the most human. They have all these great unexplored facets to their personalities, and they always surprise you. They have weaknesses and strengths, and they’re complex and simple. Sort of like a creme brulee– crunchy on the top, yet also creamy in the middle.
We’re all motivated by different things, and keep going for our own reasons, and find joy somehow in our daily lives. (Or at least we try like hell to). So perhaps rather than worry too much about visual cues, just let the story unfold and let Saeko develop. We’ll find the pattern eventually. (Or at least the creamy center.
)