Sparrow

Now I'll sit on her, see if I want to make changes before I send her into the wide, cruel world.

In the mean time, let's talk about her tattoos.

Since I wanted much of her character to be in the tattoos themselves, I tried working with one or two telling motifs. Her right arm starts off with a smoking knife and a banner. The banner says, 'hack' since she's an adept hacker. The skull, snake tail, and bone design moving into the grim reaper all follow the same idea: death. But the Reaper's coat is drawn away, and flowers burst from his ribcage. The verse below that is I Corinthians 15:26 "The last enemy to be destroyed is death."

Her right arm moves from death to life, while her left arm represents resurrection itself, what with spirit birds bursting from the dead sparrow's heart.

I originally wanted a much more cyborg-ish rogue, but I did my research, and adepts, though they have increased physical abilities, don't usually opt for cyborg parts since their abilities don't affect (and in many cases are hampered by) technology. So I had to go all-naturale.

UPDATE: Changes! :)

WIP

So far...

More WIP-ing:

Operation: Look at Me

Welcome to the ground floor. I've been light on projects lately, so I'm starting to get proactive on the situation. I really liked working for Shadowrun. As I've covered in my previous posts, they liked me working for them, too. But like any child who knows that their parents love them, sometimes all they want is some attention.

'Look at me!' They scream, while doing anything on a spectrum from touching their nose with their tongue to climbing a tree while trying to juggle cats. The amount of attention they get is in direct correlation to the danger/impressiveness of their feat.

So I'm going to try and juggle some cats for Shadowrun.

My greatest strength is also my greatest weakness: I am a character artist. The faces/figures are crisp, clear, and individual, but the outfits are poorly thought out, lacking the required baubles and doodads that every post-magical-awakening badass should be fitted with. I struggle with the storytelling, not sure if I should go full leather chaps or 80's glam, and end up dropping a t-shirt and jeans on a bamf elven warrior. Even if they were Express Jeans, I should be doing better.

So I thought about it: I enjoy simple design. I like clarity of expression. But how do I get my cake and eat it? How do I tell a runner's story without chains and netting crisscrossing the frame like an S&M surplus store?

I looked through older (read: already published) Shadowrun illustrations, and I noticed another common theme: tattoos. Most of the tattoos are black tribals, which probably has more to do with their simplicity than a future cultural preference for frat boy tramp stamps. Don't get me wrong, they look cool and all, but for such a personal accouterment, you'd think there'd be more personality.

Which is why I did this sketch:

Meet Sparrow, the elven adept hacker. Adepts are runners that use magic to augment their abilities, rather than cast spells. Sparrow has augmented eyes, reflexes, speed, and stealth.

She also has one more important ingredient, badass-ness. After working on more than six illustrations with Shadowrun, it's the most important ingredient in every piece, and something I have to constantly remind myself of (lest my AD do it for me).

I was influenced by artists like Shawn Barber and Dan Dos Santos, who often let the skin of their subjects carry the narrative.

Now begins the hard part: painting an illustrated woman. I'll invariably have my share of stories on the process, but until then, make sure to introduce yourself. Just... don't make any sudden movements.

Mother's Day

No one ever thanks glue. Especially on things that need it, rely on it. Glue just does its job, keeping everything together. You don't get nearly the credit you deserve, Mom. You are the glue that binds the Hoveys, and the only reason many of us (read:me) passed certain classes or turned in certain projects. Art critic, burden bearer, advice giver, no matter the day or the problem, you set down what you are doing to help your family when they call for it. It is no surprise that you are on the speed dial of four phones, and you will stay there, because you are super glue. You're a super mom. You're the bomb and I love you. Happy Mother's day, Tonnie Hovey.

Sadly, I don't have a painting to show along with mother's day. Maybe soon...

Another portrait, another day.

I'm having fun producing these little ditties, and they teach me a little something every time. I really need to loosen up and inject some painterly qualities into my digital work, but at least the likeness isn't bad. Maybe I'll get more adventurous with them soon, but the main goal is to be painting. Goal accomplished.

Anna and Mother's Syndrome

This is the original image I posted. I was so proud of it not three hours ago:

In science, there is a theory called the happiness theorem. It postulates that if a). woman is x). unhappy, then y). everyone is unhappy. It looks like this:

 x(a)     :(      =      x(y)      D:

I posted the art, I liked the art, I texted Anna proudly, and I received a text back saying only, 'Oh Lord.' And not the 'Oh Lord, thank you for this cornucopia that just fell from the sky,' more the 'Oh Lord, why hast thou seen fit to smite us?'

So I asked her what was wrong, and she said, "Is my nose really that giant and hooked?" And that's when I knew: I had Mother's Syndrome.

Mother's Syndrome is when you love a piece of art, you think it's the most wonderful piece ever, and you show it proudly to all the other parents. 'Look how beautiful she is, listen to how sweetly she sings,' you cry. And all the other parents smile tightly, avert their eyes, and plug their ears.

Some artists never get this. Some artists hate everything they do, which makes me wonder why they do art. I'm the opposite. Every newfangled piece I drool onto the canvas is my baby, and my baby is the BEST BABY IN THE WORLD.

It isn't always a lost cause, though. Most times, I've just stopped a few hours short, or failed put things together in enough places to throw it off. So I gave Anna the usual artist lingo for 'Yeah I effed up,' which is 'I meant to do that.' And, as per usual, I got over my motherly pride and fixed the darn thing.

So here's the update. Is it better? See for yourself. Is it done? Well, we all know what happened last time I said that. Rock-a-by baaaby in the tree top.....

P.S. Anna was very gracious, never once criticizing my work. The conversation above is edited for humorous purposes, and does not represent her humble and sensitive nature.

P.P.S If you scroll from one picture to the next and back again in rapid succession, it looks like she's bobbing her head and laughing.

Who you are.

Who am I?

A question every artist has to ask whenever they produce work. Who am I as an artist? What story do I want to tell? What are the images I want to produce?

Maybe that's why artists can seem so full of themselves. Also, artists are full of themselves.

This question follows every artist from the outset of their design until the final brushstrokes on their signature. Who do I want to be known as? Some artists have pen names, some use initials: C.F. Payne, N.C. Wyeth, Bansky, Android Jones, the list goes on.

I love artists like John Singer Sargent and John William Waterhouse, but I've always thought that the three name handle was a little... snooty. Which works fine for them because, beyond their general awesomeness, they're... you know... snooty. Or English, which is basically the same thing.

My name is David Hovey, and my full name is David Robert Hovey. I didn't want to be known as David Robert Hovey. I'm not English, and I try my best not to be snooty (unless the crumpets are absolutely dah-ling). So why do I sign my work DRH and all of my everything online is David Robert Hovey?

It's all just a misunderstanding. See, there's already an architect out there named David Hovey, and he has splattered his name unceremoniously across the inter-webs. So, when it came time for me to pick a url that wasn't taken, I simply typed in my full name.

My signature is a 'D' followed by a scribble, and an 'H' followed by a scribble. I have all the flitting, orchestrated penmanship of a doctor filling out prescriptions. So, in lieu of finishing my masterworks with a children's crayon scribble, I opted for the initials.

By that time, I just gave up on being known professionally as just 'David Hovey' and made all of my other sites and emails match. I've come to terms with it.

Who am I, then? If I'm knighted, or become the Earl of Crumpet Manor or something, you can call me your Lordship David Robert Hovey. For now, just your Lordship will do.