Preliminary Doodles - General Alaam
In one of my previous posts, I've mentioned the Princess General Alaam who, in addition to commanding the forces of the Ripmorum in the city of Nevanne, is also the the adopted human daughter of the Akhae (i.e. Queen) Niamh E.K. Onuris.
Alaam was actually the first character I created when beginning work on the Void, and in fact popped into my head so fully formed that it was almost alarming. Just having that image of her proceded to inspire a lot of the other material and notes I've made over the past year about the universe of the Void.
So you can understand that while I've been wanting to get her out of my head and onto paper (or digital 'paper') nothing I could sketch was coming close to what I was envisioning, and it became a little daunting. Well finally I put a couple of doodles down in my sketchbook that I think are at least a good starting off point from which to build. You'll be hearing much more about Alaam and about her character in the future. Hopefully I'll be able to do some more flushed-out paintings and drawings of her soon.
Alaam was actually the first character I created when beginning work on the Void, and in fact popped into my head so fully formed that it was almost alarming. Just having that image of her proceded to inspire a lot of the other material and notes I've made over the past year about the universe of the Void.
So you can understand that while I've been wanting to get her out of my head and onto paper (or digital 'paper') nothing I could sketch was coming close to what I was envisioning, and it became a little daunting. Well finally I put a couple of doodles down in my sketchbook that I think are at least a good starting off point from which to build. You'll be hearing much more about Alaam and about her character in the future. Hopefully I'll be able to do some more flushed-out paintings and drawings of her soon.
Off-Topic: Summer Sketches
Happy Summer All!
I hope everyone's had a great summer so far, and that you've all been able to get out and enjoy it! One reason I love summer so much is the opportunity to get out of my dinky little apartment and actually sit outside on a sunny afternoon and sketch to my heart's content. So I thought I'd take the time today to share a few pages from my sketchbook from this summer. Enjoy!
<3 L
I hope everyone's had a great summer so far, and that you've all been able to get out and enjoy it! One reason I love summer so much is the opportunity to get out of my dinky little apartment and actually sit outside on a sunny afternoon and sketch to my heart's content. So I thought I'd take the time today to share a few pages from my sketchbook from this summer. Enjoy!
<3 L
Off-Topic: Angel
Hey all,
Just thought I'd throw up a quick post of what I've been working on lately. My wonderful significant other mentioned a month or two ago that he had an idea for an angel tattoo he was looking to get on his back, and I thought I'd offer up my services. So after being "commissioned" for this piece, I spent many an hour happily agonizing over linework and style, and this is the result. Enjoy! And, oh yeah...I was told that this lady should look at least a bit like yours truly. Cheers. ;)
Just thought I'd throw up a quick post of what I've been working on lately. My wonderful significant other mentioned a month or two ago that he had an idea for an angel tattoo he was looking to get on his back, and I thought I'd offer up my services. So after being "commissioned" for this piece, I spent many an hour happily agonizing over linework and style, and this is the result. Enjoy! And, oh yeah...I was told that this lady should look at least a bit like yours truly. Cheers. ;)
"Off-Topic": Or, "The Recent Hiatus": Or, "Where the heck has LZimm been?"
Hello Friends!
So I'm sure many of you may have been wondering where I've been these past few months. And seeing as how I blatantly promised to start posting more often, I'm sure the recent hiatus has been a bit of an irony. But fret not! I have not been sitting lazily on my ass doing nothing! (well, not all the time anyway) I'm here to share with all you lovely folks some of the things I've been working that haven't been related to The Void. (And no worries, there are more things to come)
First and foremost, this year has been tumultuous and total life-changer for me so far. Moving into a new apartment, just me, myself, and I - and, of course, Jordan the cat - has in and of itself been a new experience. While still working out of boxes (and sitting on them), I managed to start a few new projects for The Void, but was constantly sidetracked by new developments at work, at home, at my karate class, and so forth.
In February, a dear friend of my mine from my karate school became very ill, and I felt inclined to do something to help my friend. I'm no doctor, and I could never provide any help medically, but I can draw a bit, and so felt compelled to do this little cartoon as a Valentine's Day gift to help lift his spirits. I'm happy to report that I was successful, in at least getting his mind off things for awhile. Matt, I'm so glad you're back on your feet and that you're starting to feel better buddy!
So I'm sure many of you may have been wondering where I've been these past few months. And seeing as how I blatantly promised to start posting more often, I'm sure the recent hiatus has been a bit of an irony. But fret not! I have not been sitting lazily on my ass doing nothing! (well, not all the time anyway) I'm here to share with all you lovely folks some of the things I've been working that haven't been related to The Void. (And no worries, there are more things to come)
First and foremost, this year has been tumultuous and total life-changer for me so far. Moving into a new apartment, just me, myself, and I - and, of course, Jordan the cat - has in and of itself been a new experience. While still working out of boxes (and sitting on them), I managed to start a few new projects for The Void, but was constantly sidetracked by new developments at work, at home, at my karate class, and so forth.
In February, a dear friend of my mine from my karate school became very ill, and I felt inclined to do something to help my friend. I'm no doctor, and I could never provide any help medically, but I can draw a bit, and so felt compelled to do this little cartoon as a Valentine's Day gift to help lift his spirits. I'm happy to report that I was successful, in at least getting his mind off things for awhile. Matt, I'm so glad you're back on your feet and that you're starting to feel better buddy!
In March, I was invited by some other friends of mine, who work for Harvard's Infectious Diseases Department, to do some freelance work for an upcoming benefit concert they were putting together for World Malaria Day. I was so happy to take part in this effort, and I'm happy to say that my friends loved the graphic I made for their posters and t-shirts:
Malaria Bytes will be held at OBERON in Cambridge on Wednesday, May 4th 2011 at 8PM. Come enjoy a night of music to help sponsor malaria work abroad in 2011-2012!
Last, but surely most importantly; at the end of February, while visiting back home in Madison, Wisconsin, I was lucky enough to meet the one person I'd like to spend the rest of my life with. This was certainly not something I planned on happening, but if there's something I've learned over the past few months, it's this: When the universe feels so inclined to throw you the one thing you've yearned for with all your heart your whole life-long, you don't gripe about the timing. I'm so thankful for this love in my life, and for the past few months getting to know all the new wonders life has to offer me. The world is alive and bright again. I love you with all my heart and all of my soul, Scott.
So between moving, a new apartment, freelance, being there for friends, and falling absolutely madly in love, it's been a busy few months! And I haven't even mentioned all the work ramping up at my full-time job working at Irrational Games, nor have I mentioned that I've now graduated to a brown-belt in Kenpo Karate! Whew!
Needless to say, I DO have more void projects on the back burner, and they are IN PROGRESS! So hopefully you all will forgive me for the recent hiatus, and be happy knowing that I'm fully enjoying my life right now; enjoying being busy at work and busy in love. I promise you can look forward to what's coming! Thanks for reading!
-Laura xoxo
Work in Progress - End of the Road
Greetings, my friends! And Happy 2011! I'm finally back to work on the blog after a very eventful holiday and beginning of the new year, and looking forward to putting more stuff up soon! In the meantime, I've started sketching out this new piece to accompany another short story of mine...Enjoy!
Final Piece - Niamh of the Akhet
So after many weeks of vacations, sickness, family get-togethers, and personal stress, I have finally been able to finish this piece....I hereby promise to not go so long between postings again!
Niamh Eshe Kaket Onuris - the beautiful, yet unnerving lady pictured above - is one of the last of a race of creatures known as the Akhet. The Akhet are all immortal, or at least old enough that historical records have always made mention of them. There are only seven of the Akhet left, all of them unable to bear children, and all having a solitary nature. The remaining number seperated long ago, spreading to the far corners of The Void, and setting up the foundations of what would become the Seven Great Cities in the coming millenia. They set themselves as rulers of these cities from the first, and eventually the term "Akhet" or the singular "Akhae" became synonymous with the word for "Ruler" or "King/Queen."
They all are vaguely human in appearance at first glance, but interestingly, each of the Akhet has innately differing physical characteristics. Niamh, for example, has her characteristic "tentacles" instead of regular human hair, which has earned her many colorful nicknames over the centuries, including the inevitable "Snakehead." It is unknown why physical appearance differs so much from each individual, nor which of these traits would be passed on, had they been able to produce offspring. All of the Akhet are similar, however, in that they all have hands with four knuckles per finger, and all have distinctive, ghost-like eyes, glazed over with a grey color similar to cataracts.
Niamh rules the Great City of Nevanne, located along the Northwestern Divide. Niamh is also the adoptive mother of the human Princess General Alaam, who commands all branches of the Ripmorum located within the city.
Some very early thumbnails of Niamh from my sketchbook:
That's all for now....More to come!
-L
Work In Progress
It's been a while since I last posted, so I thought I'd throw up a WIP piece I've been working on here and there for the past couple weeks......just to show that I haven't, in fact, been sitting on my ass.....Well, not all the time at least.
The finished piece should be up in a couple weeks, along with a brief synopsis of who this colorful character exactly is.....Stay tuned!
