Sketches: Alyssa

Alyssa is a fairly new character, so I'm not completely married to her looks yet. I know she's a Northerner - as in, Alaska north - so I'm thinking some Russian, some Inuit, inspirations like that. However, I didn't do as much research into her face as I should have - I actually kinda didn't need to. She'd been floating around, bugging me a for a few days, and I just couldn't stop seeing her face. I didn't get it right, but she's at least satisfied that I tried.

Fun things about Alyssa:

• She's a snow bunting! Yes, a ridiculous thing to know about a character, and a ridiculously specific species of bird, but I love it anyways so shut up :P
• Alyssa has actually made an appearance in Asylum already, though we weren't positive it was her. It is (and I'm sorry Lyssa)
• She's easily the shortest character I have, again, making it impossible for me to imagine. I'm really stuck in this whole 6'2" frame of reference thing. Everyone is short to me (except Kain ...and Jack) so someone that short - I just cannot relate.
• Alyssa came into being around the same time Hannah did, so initially I made mistakes and blended some of their characteristics together. Hannah has sense corrected me, and rescued Alyssa from the current predicament she's in now (Gods, predicament sounds so mild for what I know she's going through. Aiya...)

Sketches: Kain

Ah Kain. I cannot say enough good things about Kain. I also cannot keep from swearing at him every time he does something in the story, because it's always a)smug b)meddling or c) both. But he is very, very pretty.

Sketches: Nica

Nica has a very odd face. She has been hands down the hardest to try and draw. You'd think this would not be the case, as Naj sits around staring at her ALL THE TIME,  but it's true. I cannot draw Nica.

NICA'S HAIR!!! Nica's hair defies drawing!!!!

Sketches: Naj/Seth

A side by side comparison of Seth and Naj. I am both really happy with this piece, and really not. For one, the more I draw Naj and Seth, the more I feel like I'm losing them. But on the other hand, it's really cool to have a comparison of facial expressions and such on them. It would be cooler if I'd drawn them right, but whatever. Practice makes perfect, right?

Sketches: Lena, progression

Sketching at work one night. This is how doodles become characters. Sadly, I don't remember the order I did these in originally, but here they are.

Sketches: Lena

Here's another character that I sketched a few times before putting her into "The Book", so I played around with her expressions a bit too. This is Lena.

Sketches: Naj

Same awesome journal that Seth is sketched in. I wish I could remember the name of the vendor, they were cool folks - from NY, I think. The front of it has a great quote by George Bernard Shaw. "Life isn't about finding yourself, life is about creating itself."

The Outtakes: Seth dances with Emily

Just a one off with Seth and Emily. I suppose, technically, any scene with Seth is a spoiler, so if you HATE spoilers and ever intend on reading Asylum when it's finished and I start posting it, then don't read this. However, that's so far away, and this is so unconnected to anything else, that I don't honestly see it being a problem. So, you've been warned, spoiler, I guess. :P

Ridiculous stupid happy day

This will matter to no one but me, but I don't care, because I'm stupidly happy.

I emailed my favorite author today. She wrote back.

I got to speak with two Diente and a leader of the Obsidian Guild.

I got things moving in Asylum today, THE BIG THING is  being written as we speak.

I found a new character today, and he is nearly integrated completely into the worlds I need him to work in.

I got to go to the gym.

I had chorizo and hominy for dinner today.

I'm getting a custom icy toy from Bad Dragon (NSFW).

Many of these things are unrelated, but they have come together to make a VERY happy Raeven.

Sketches: Seth, profile

Seemed appropriate to post this after the "Have you seen my serpent?" bit. For those curious, this is what Seth looks like (kinda. my sketching skills are not their most awesome).

Some fun factoids:

• I did this sketch on the final day of BazBiz in Cleveland, Ohio, while playing booth babe for my wonderful friend, Zabet (of anticraft fame). Wow, lots of links in that one.
• This is not the first sketch I've done of Seth ...I think. Could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I've tried to draw him a few times before. This is definitely one of the better ones though.
• The characters from Asylum come from a WIDE variety of ethnic backgrounds, so drawing them has been an exercise in "What makes X people look different from Y people?" An EXCELLENT resource for that sort of thing can be found here.

Finishing my first book

The first "book" of The Asylum is coming to a close.

It's been an interesting journey, and I've learned a whole lot along the way. This is the first book I've ever written all the way through to the finish, though of course the story is no where near over. But my partner and I both know this is the end of book one, we can just tell. There's a big plot point looming on the horizon that'll change everything, and open everything up for books upon books to come.

It's kinda funny, we've know this was coming for weeks, but the closer we get to it in the writing, the longer its seeming to take to actually get there. Like an event horizon of a black hole. I don't think the characters want us to write it. :P I can't say I blame them, it's going to be pretty intense.

Looking back on it all, it's been an odd adventure.

I'm still kind of in shell shock about it all, but once I've decompressed a bit and had some time, I'll share more complete thoughts on the matter, and maybe talk about the editing process a bit as well (once I've given myself the required "just walk away for a while" stage)