AQATSA Update, No April Fools' Joke!

[inverarity]

I feel like staying off the Internet tomorrow. I know this makes me sound like a humorless grumpy-pants, but I hate April Fools' Day. Yes, it's just so cute when every web site covers their home page with monkeys, tells us they've been bought out by the Russian mafia, changes their color scheme to pink and chartreuse, announces that they've sold your personal information to a finance start-up company in Nigeria, or whatever other clever idea they come up with. Hah hah. So I have to spend all day going "WTF?" and then remembering "Oh yeah, it's April 1."

So anyway, I guarantee this post is 100% April Fools Free.


Current word count: 186,392.

Below is preliminary line art for the cover of Alexandra Quick and the Stars Above. I made a few change requests (like holding her wand in her right hand, and pointing out that Alexandra should be a little bit skinnier), but I like it and am looking forward to the full color painted version.

Comments

[swissmarg]

Obviously a talented artist, but Alexandra looks at least 30. Maybe the wide hips have something to do with it, but I think the face looks too old as well. I really like the swoosh of faces up in the corner, especially the slightly different angles of the profiles.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

The problem is that most fan artists learned to draw from fantasy, superhero or otherwise heroic genre artists, and they tend to know only one body shape and one age. It's a problem I haven't completely overcome yet, but at least I'm aware of it. I'm not saying this artist is not capable - proportions, anatomy, etc, are proper, and the posture is expressive and natural - but there is still that difficulty in thinking of different body shapes, proportions, ages and degrees of health and illness.

[inverarity.livejournal.com]

I think it's mostly the wide hips, which is why that was one of the changes I requested. The face may look a little old, but I think the final painted version will make her look younger. (I was quite clear that Alexandra is fourteen.)