Artist AG88's SW images***UPDATED 30 March 2013

That's pretty much the way I pictured that scene when I read Bloodlines. It is very emotional, and you did a great job capturing it.

I like the Sith pics too!

 

Thank you so very much. I am glad you like it. After rereading that passage a few times it really hit me as to how horrible that must have been for Ben. I appreciate your kind words. I am getting to like freehand drawing, but I have to admit it is a whole lot harder than just painting over Poser models.

Thanks!

Thank you so very much. I really appreciate all the help you give me by feedback and encouragement. And thanks for giving me the idea to make this painting!!!

I saw your pic and it looks great so far. You are right that Ben was looking at his hands. I think you have a good depiction of him in your sketch. I look forward to seeing it when it is complete!

Thank you. I tell you, I hate doing hands. A lot of time I just want to draw them as closed fists. It is easier that way.

Thank you. I think Darth Sion was my first free hand pic. Before that I was painting over Poser figures. I mean with Darth Krayt there was really nothing of the original poser figure that was still visible, but I tell you it is a lot easier to paint over a figure than trying to create one from scratch.

I am glad you think I am progressing well. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

Thank you. I want to thank Falcon Fan for giving me the idea of doing Ben. She always told me that would make a great painting and she was right. And thanks for complimenting my Halloween Sith pic. I really liked how that one came out.

Thanks everybody who stopped by my thread and commented.

Okay, I was working on another drawing I did from scratch. This is a painting I did of Cade Skywalker. He is from the Legacy Comics. He is either Luke's great-grandson or his great-great-grandson.

I must admit I hate how his face turned out, but he looks so different in the various panels of the comics. I think he sort of looks like Cade. He actually has big bushy eyebrows in the comics.

Anyway, I painted this using Corel Painter and my Wacom tablet.
[image=http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/5375/finishedversioncadeskywalker1co3.jpg]

Thanks for looking!

AG88

 

AG88 wrote: "I tell you, I hate doing hands. A lot of time I just want to draw them as closed fists. It is easier that way."

ROTFL!! soits has mentioned before he's tempted to "put everyone in mittens:" me too!!! lol! Hands are devilishly hard...I do have some fabulous references for them, if you'd be interested--they've helped me a lot (...well...that and constantly looking at my own hands in the bloody mirror... ). Let me know!

And I'm loving Cade! Though I'm not familiar with this character (not currently reading the Legacy comics), I do know he's supposed to be a Skywalker descendant, and this fellow has that look about him: he certainly has Great-great-great--however many of those there are--Granddad Anakin's curly blonde hair and classic "glowering" expression--I also see Luke's mouth there. The costuming here is very cool--sort of a cross between a mercenary/bounty hunter and a Jedi! You really do have clothing down, grad--the folding and highlighting look marvelous. And that pose is great, as well: kind of a "have gun, will travel" look about it!

A wonderful painting--and it's just so much fun to see all this freehand work you're doing now! See? I told you that talent such as yours might go dormant when neglected for a long while--but it never leaves you!

FF

 

I would love any references I can get. I was getting frustrated last night looking for pictures of hands. I really need to get a mirror at my work desk. I was trying to twist my hand around to get a look last night and that wasn't working.

Here is pic of him: Click Here

Thanks. Until you mentioned it I didn't see the resemblance between him and Anakin. But you are right, there is definately a Skywalker look to him.

Thanks! His armor has people speculating that he has some Mandalore blood running through his veins. And that got people thinking that Ben and Mirta may get together eventually. After all, she is only about 5 years older than Ben and the Skywalker men seem to have a thing for older women.

I guess you are right. It has been decades since I put pencil to paper--- and even when I did draw as a kid, it usually was only face portraits--so,I am pleasantly surprised that I am doing as well as I am.

Thank you so very much for stopping by and looking! Your comments always inspire me.

AG88

 

Great, Cade! I'm totally loving the Legacy series. Since I can't manage the tattoos, I'd love to see you do Darth Talon. Or hey, even Astral Vao (I've got a mind to tackle making her one of these days...)

 

very cool! Nice job. I like the backgrownd.

 

I might consider that. I need to practice drawing women. They are way harder to do than men, IMHO. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.

Thank you!!

In case anybody is interested how I did the last couple paintings here are a couple links that explains the process.
[image=http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/332/howtovy7.jpg]
[image=http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/4056/howitwasdonece5.jpg]

AG88

 

Very cool "how to" panels, grad! Interesting process--Corel Painter seems to offer you a lot of flexibility, for importing "raw" work and going from there... Plus, there's that blessed "Undo" button! lol! It's so cool, to see how the colors go down in rather undefined blobs, and how that morphs, with additonal highlights and tones, into the wonderful shadows and textures and features...very cool indeed! I wondered how you got the b/gs in without messing up the lines on the figures--layers are a must, then...

Beautiful--and very informative (and it's a cool-cool thing to see the sketches you started with, my dear!! Let's hear it for the ol' pencil and paper!

FF

 

Nice!

Thanks for putting up those tutorials. I have to agree with FF and say that it's amazing how you went from the sketch to give both finished drawings such life with all the detail you've fine-tuned.

 

When I first got Corel Painter I thought I probably wouldn't get much use out of it because it is purely an artist's program, and at the time I was only doing photomanips and 3D modeling programs--- not painting. It doesn't have many of the fancy features seen in Photoshop, but it is great for painting. It can mimic just about every type of paint from Oil, acrylics and also pens, pencils and such... and yes there is an Erase and an UNDO button. It also has hundreds or brushes to choose from. Best of all the program is fairly easy to use. I tried painting with PS, but I had trouble figuring it out.

I have been reading a digital art book and the author says when you first start a painting you will soon get to what he calls "The Ugly Phase". This is the point where you hate your painting, it looks terrible and you are sure you should just delete the whole thing. He says that phase lasts until you are around 90% done. He said you just have to keep working at it. Every time I start one of these paintings from scratch I so want to just delete it. Why do you think I always keep sending you rough drafts to see? It is so I will force myself to not delete it. I know you will ask to see my progress.

I LOVE LAYERS. They are wonderful to work with. Because of layers you can work on the foreground character and then later just click on to the layer below it and you can paint away and your art will remain behind everything in the layer above it. I also have an option to make various layers invisible. So when I painted Cade and then I wanted to paint the background, I can just make Cade invisible and now I can work on the background without distractions. I love it!

Thank you very much. I am glad you liked them.

Thanks everybody for stopping by and commenting.

AG88

 

I got a great laugh out of "The Ugly Phase" comments! lol! I think that actually applies to any type of drawing or painting or anything, really: there are so many times we want to just ball it up and huck it into the bin--but instead we set it aside for a while, then look at it again later and have a fresher "eye," and can continue working. I find it interesting that this phase, at least according to your book, lasts until you're almost done! I don't know if I'd have the patience or stubbornness to use a program like that...and having said that, I commend you on your perserverence!

Can't wait to see more!

FF

 

Cade looks great, I think you really captured his bravdo. I only read the first two entries in the series, i'll have to get back to it after seeing this.

 

That looks soo good! I like the details on Cade. HE looks so real and so angry.

 

The color is amazing!I guess it's quite difficult for me to make this and you've done a great job! The colors are maching perfectly and show a grandness atmosphere!

 

I think it is true. You got a glimpse at my latest Non-Star Wars piece featuring my favorite Army Bomb Disposal Expert, and you could see that it really is a big difference from when you start until you think you are finished. I think not getting frustrated is the key of getting better. When I first started it looked horrid.

Thanks for being my sounding board. You always encourage me to keep drawing.

Thanks. The series is only getting better. I am getting to really like Cade.

Thank you. I have to admit that his face isn't spot on, but he is drawn so differently in the various panels that is it hard to figure out what he really should look like. He has a hard face to draw. I am glad you like it.

Thank you. I wasn't sure what do do for a background so I just settled for a lot of color. I tried to get his outfit as close to possible to the comics.

I appreciate everybody taking the time to look at my paintings and commenting!

AG88

 

This is some art for my favorite fanfic that is posted over at another Star Wars site.

[image=http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/2626/lukemarapalpatinefanficxg6.jpg]

I cheated a little with Luke's face. I was painting Luke's face using a photo as a reference. I was having a lot of trouble with it so I made the photo 75% transparent and placed it over the painting I did of Luke to see if I was having a proportion problem. I was surprised to see that my painting was dead-on. The eyes, nose, and mouth matches almost exact. The problem I was having was his skintones. So, I ended up flattening the semi-transparent photo over my painting because it made the skin look more natural. So Luke's face is a morph of painting and photo.

As you can see with Mara, I am still not quite up to par when it comes to painting skin. I will work on it. But this is only the second time I drew a female. I hate drawing women because they are unforgiving. You have to have long flowing lines to make a woman look good. And to do that well you need to practice. So this is my practice. It is not great, but I am getting better. At least I didn't use poser for any of these figures. I drew them all on paper first and then scanned them and painted them with Corel painter.

Here is a look at some of the steps I took:
[image=http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/46/howtotl9.jpg]

AG88

 

You *gasp* painted that? Nice.

 

It's marvelous, my friend! Absolutely perfect. I can't thank you enough!

 

Hey, Nice work on Cade! (I finally went ahead and picked up a copy of Legacy after much deliberation.) The colouring around his torso (mostly on his upper thighs) is a little on the dark side, but it's still good. I think you did a particularly good job on his facial features & hair and just like with the previous pic of Ben, you did really well on the hands too. I'm telling you, you've got talent painting hands - they seem to be standing out to me a lot as of late. Consider the same comment about the hands applied to your next piece as well.

The Taming of the Jedi - Interesting title, Awesome action, Great looking cover. You say you're having trouble with the skin tones, but looking over to the right at Mara's arm, I really don't see it. It looks pretty darn good to me. I love the lightning effect (it reminds me of gnarled branches of a tree). I just find Luke's lightsaber glow a little fuzzy though, like it should be brighter and more clear.


It's odd though, it seems that many people say they have problems drawing women, but I have problems drawing men. I feel like such a weirdo now. Anywho, I really enjoyed the posts of your progress with the paintings. I always find it interesting to see how others work. And now I know why I almost never complete any digital paintings I start. I get hung up on that darned UGLY PHASE!!

Keep cracking out the great work!

- Suz ^_~

 

Wow i had no idea how much art you had! I love the mara and luke pics! Great job on the Nihilus too! Ive just spent a good 20mins looking through all your pics and theyre just awesome! I cant wait for you to finish tempest... perhaps we'll see some scenes from that? *cough*hint*cough*

 

"Taming of the Jedi" what a cool image. Looks like it would make a great movie, I can hear the sound track now.

 

Thanks, SilSolo!

In case anybody doesn't know by now, Arica is the author of The Taming of the Jedi. Thanks Arica! I am really glad you like it. I think this is the fourth drawing I have done for your fic. I can't help it, I really, really enjoy reading it. It is too bad that its NC-17 rating prevents me from posting the link to the fic.

When I first read this I was a little confused. When you said the area between his torso and thighs were a bit 'dark side', I was thinking 'darkside'. I was wondering why you thought Cade's groin was Sith-like.

Thank you. I have purchased a number of digital art books that I have been reading. They give me a lot of hints as to how to draw people. But I still have a long way to go.

Ummm... yeah. It is a really interesting fic.

It is hard to get past, but it is worth working through that phase.

Thanks for your wonderful feedback.

Yeah, I have a whole lot of stuff. A lot of it is fanfic coverart. I first started with photomanips, but then I got Poser and Bryce--two 3D programs. Last Christmas I purchased Corel Painter and a Wacom Tablet and I slowly started painting in details to my Poser figures. I think it has only been a couple months that I have been painting from scratch.

I cannot wait!! I don't think I will get my book until the 1st of December. I am anxiously waiting for its arrival.
Thanks DS for your kind words!

Now that is a movie I would love to see. Thanks Bieren!

Thanks everybody for your kind comments!

AG88

 

Whoa! Great image, AG88!! It's just so much fun to see you painting most all of this without Poser now--and you're doing sooooo well! I lurve Mara's physique: she's just like I picture her--very toned, with some development that would certainly be evident in a coiled posture like this one; her face looks beautiful and deadly (and we've all agreed that's just what she is! ) and in perfect proportion--pose is awesome! Luke looks just as good (and maybe you got impatient with the "Ugly Phase" you described previously--if you'd just worked on him a little tiny bit more, it probably would have turned out perfectly! )--great pose and perfect expression! And I agree with the comment I saw in another forum: ol' Palpy doesn't stand a chance here, does he? Great "how-to" as well (I can't do any of that digital stuff, but it's still pretty interesting!)! Wonderful work!

FF

P.S. Hope your hubby is feeling better!

 

Thank you. I haven't used poser for weeks now. I am slowly getting better at drawing.

Thanks. It always gets me mad when I watch female action heroes where the woman doesn't have any muscle, but I am supposed to believe she can beat up a 200 pound guy. My favorite female action hero was Sarah Connor in Terminator II. She looked awesome. I always pictured Mara having a body like that.

I think you are right. I should have stuck it out.

He is doing much better. He was a bit apprehensive about taking the bandages off. He was shocked at the size of the scars down both sides of his face, but he later decided that they make him look dangerous... like a pirate. And I do have to admit they do give him a certain scoundrel look about him. I am just glad he is all right.

Okay, this next drawing may be a spoiler. I haven't read the new book Tempest, but I was told certain things about the book. This next pic is just a drawing of a character that supposedly appears in the novel. I was told Aurra Sing returns to give grief to the Jedi once again. And that got me thinking... Aurra Sing? Wouldn't she be about 95 years old? I mean she was an evil villian during the clone war era, wasn't she?! First we have a 70-something Boba Fett showing up in the LOTF novels... now Aurra Sing?!

So then I got thinking about how she would look and I drew up this little parody...

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/2181/aurrasing5eo1.jpg

Let me know what you guys think.

AG88

 

ROTFLMAO!