Bunch of edits, not the least of which is the design on her tunic/robe/dress/skirt/whatever... Added detail here and there, plus all that pencil shading. This is probably about as far as I'll take this for now... it'd look tight in color though, no?

8x10, no.2 pencil on Canson sketchpaper, kneaded and solid erasers, Ticonderoga red checking pencil, triangle and ruler. That's all she wrote...

-EDIT-

What do you think of it when it's flipped? I kinda like better this way, it's been pointed out to me that your eye flows better across the page this way, lamp to sword to guy to sword to girl down sheathe to final guy, and the flag (which really isn't supposed to be so prominent a feature, I shoulda blocked something into the foreground, like leaves or something, to obscure it more) is less obtrusive. I think for now, I'm keeping it like this.

-NOTES-

- The shaded areas represent, if not black, at least "areas of deep shadow", keeping in mind that my sense of lighting is deeply flawed because I'm still making baby steps with it. So yeah, multiple light sources, right?



- That thing in the upper corner has been, at various points: a streetlamp, a heatlamp, a moisture collector, a moisture distributor, an electrical transformer and a "cool-looking thing to hang from a pole". If it gets your imagination rolling, then it works.

- And just 'cause people still mention that big frickin sword: [link] to the whole thing on the odachi, the big damn swords of Japanese history.


- If you want to color it up, go ahead... send me a Note when you do, and I'll link it here:

First up: [link]




Reilly over at Penciljack did this really kickass monotone pass over it: >>> [link] <<<

Another: [link]

And [link] by

[link] by

[link] by

[link] by

There's like a bunch more, I've not been good about adding every version to this list unless requested.

Thanks for polishing up my scribbles!

If you don't want me to link it, then tell me so, and I won't, but let me check it out anyway... I get all fuzzy inside when I feel like I contributed somehow.