Coffee Sweet and Chilled

This was a request image; Sapphire Gothic Lolita asked if I could make an image of Kopaka and her character Debbie having iced coffee.

It's the first basic request I've taken....probably won't be a frequent thing for me to do because I have so much on my own project plate to do. In this case though, I figured why no give it a try? It's sort of like a way to thank SGL for drawing my MOC Frona twice because she liked it, and I appreciate the fact someone was inspired off what I make.

I didn't expect the piece to turn out like it did (so much for I'll take it simple). Somehow it ended up coming out the way it did and took about the same time, a little less as a regular art piece (started and finished it today O.O) 

Plus, is it me? Or does Kopaka look oddly smexy? (Did not intend that, it just happened). :P 

Like the title? It was inspired off Kopaka's lines in the Bionicle movie when he says, "Rahkshi, washed and chilled".

 

The thing that kept me driven on making the piece despite the work it would take, is the challenge of turning Debbie from a humanized Bionicle drawing into a basic Bionicle drawing. Rather funny, because SGL likes looking at Bionicle figures and Humanizing them; whereas I faced the challenge of doing the opposite of that. I even used my own styles so I could add some of the fashion aspects to the figure (hope it's okay).

 The drawing below is what I worked off as a reference.

No Mask No Service

A comic I've wanted to do for quite some time. "No Mask No Service"

It's a moment of what would happen if my character Pearllight brought Onua to a coffee shop on Earth. What came to mind is a complication of company policy in not being able to serve someone wearing a mask. Little does the clerk realize there's a reason Toa wear masks, and that Onua isn't a human in costume. Pearllight comes into the scene fast to save the day before Onua has to say anymore.

The comic was fun to make. It's all pretty much free hand sketching and coloring. I loved making the simple expressions and adding in the clerks body language of pouring the coffee which starts to drop from her hand when she sees Onua's face.

Marine's Canopy Hoop Chair Throne

 A project from long ago, the very first broken headphone project I ever made. This was the first broken headphone hoop chair (used for small figurines or dolls); other broken headphone projects following in its wake. 

To the left of the panel above is the base structure of the hoop chair. Bottom half is made from what once was the headband part of the headphones. With some help from my sister, the hoop chair was completed using heavy weight wire, coiled in a swirly pattern for interest, and bent to be a canopy.

I finalized the chair with scraps of purple tulle, tied in the center, draped over, and secured with lighter purple ribbon.

Marine's throne room, or more specifically sleeping chambers. These photos were taken for fun, to show how the headphone hoop chair worked. 

I felt it worked better as a hanging chair/bed thingy, hung with silver elastic thread over a curtain rod. Now Marine can either rest or sit, cozy as ever in sleep, or as a princess training to rule.

This is one way of viewing parts of Marine's kingdom, and just in time too, now that the Life of Lewa story is moving along. 

 I also made a second panel just for close up shots of her royal ruling.

Single views of each photo below. Enjoy. ^-^

 

 

 Two of my favorites.

 Above and below are my main images. I love the mysterious enchantment of each piece. First one is when she's sleeping, then below she's relaxing and ruling.

 Just some close up shots of Marine resting.

Close up shots of Marine Ruling.

 Main Royal Ruling image.

A Kiss Goodbye

 A Kiss Goodbye. An emotional scene from Life of Lewa chapter 7- "Saving Marine". The close up shot above depicts the final moments of Ashton as his sweet heart Fiamma gives one last kiss, a sign of forgiveness and love before he goes. Lewa and Tahu stand to the side respectfully, hiding their own emotions. Care to know more? Check out the story chapter. ^.~

 I took a few more shots, experimenting till I got a shot that displayed the emotion I was going for. First full scene shot is nice, in the the sense that it displays the grandeur of Marine's palace; but it also makes you feel like a side line viewer, someone who's not at all involved, just watching, and almost leaving the room.

 The second shot was a bit more zoomed in, making you feel like a closer viewer, curious to know what's going on, but still not involved. It doesn't make you feel like you're about to leave the room, but it doesn't fully help you relate to what's happening.

Both shots have their purpose, but hold a different emotion which didn't quite convey the feeling I was going for. I'm sharing these shots for the sake of displaying the full view of the room, but the final shot at the top is for the story. It helps you feel up close and personal, involved with the characters and able to relate to them. Just shows a grand scene isn't always what's needed to get the proper emotion across. You barely see any of the room, just the characters, making them the main focus.

Tips on scenery: I used a blue sheet of fabric, a sparkly wrap draped over cardboard walls, a shoebox for the bed, Barbie pillows and an old lace trimmed napkin for bedding, folded Sari fabric for a blanket, a Barbie table and crystal ring holder as a fountain, a curtain rod, two American Girl Doll hangers hung from the rod, and a real silk scarf draped from them as a canopy.

Blue Crew-Marine's Scheme

 An image inspired from Life of Lewa, episode six "Marine's Scheme" It's a scene where they just get past the guards after disguising themselves as water guards of Marine's palace, pretending they caught  Marine and are returning her to her bedroom chambers.

 A few pointers on the set up. I borrowed some sample floor tiles and used that to create my hall floor, then set up my trusty cardboard wall prop, draped some pretty fabric over the back, and did my photo shoot. Unfortunately with lack of room and supplies, I can't create full backgrounds that hide the kitchen table and wall, tomatoes, and colander. This is where digital work comes into play; I used an Arabic tile image for the walls, and simply kept my tile floor, added in some shading, and turned my characters blue. 

The original shot (left); you can see how much has been changed. I also went ahead and experimented with angles (right). The second one said comical for some reason, like that moment of Ashton saying, "Tahu, what are you doing?"And Tahu would say, "Posing".

 I also went ahead and took a picture without Tahu in the way. It looks nice, but in order for the scene to be accurate, I needed all four figures squeezed in somehow. So I chose the first image, and have left the other angles raw.

The only details I left out of the image for the sake of time was adding palace garments to the figures, and cuffs to Marine.

Through the Universe

Through the universe, that moment of wonder when time slows down as you fly through a celestial gateway that leads to another alternate, another world, another time. Don't hold your breath, you can still breath, even though space and the galaxies surround you, sparkling past as you speed through a bridge, a protective field that shields you from the outside, while still showing you the beauty and wonder that lies before you. All these worlds, all these alternates, tied together by electrical bodies like beads on a net, connected, yet individual. Let yourself soar, another world awaits you.

This is how I imagine alternate dimension travels and gateways to be, specifically the kind my character Pearllight journeys through.  Who the character in this scene is, not sure, maybe someone who asked to be sent home to some world they originally came from, and were granted the opportunity. (Perhaps a story idea will come later). :P

I do think the character will be a woman, element, most likely a mix of some kind 

(that's what I have so far).

The original image, as you can see just above, was some quick sketch made a long time ago. I always thought it was interesting, then I wondered if I could actually complete the piece. The character and their expression made me think of a portal jump, like they were flying through some kind of worm hole and their eyes are both enchanted and longing, amazed that what they're experiencing is even possible, and striving to reach the other side to their home world. (Pretty sure originally I was just sketching an air type on some sky blue, trying to make a flight scene, and never finished it).

Completed scene is composed of overlay color to the figure, three different background images for desktops, and additional lighting with added lens flair.

All Alone

All Alone. Oh this image (first time try at water reflections), I love it.

Just a small clip, a story bit that was never mentioned in the episodes of LoL involving Marine and her two week fleeing from her own palace, but can be assumed to have happened. Enjoy the mini side line story just below. ^.~

A week and half had passed, Marine had trekked the forest, stumbling through the brush and avoiding the familiar, but constantly longing for home and the right to discover mysteries untold of what her mother, the queen of Tajun, had been doing with the palace workers. Where were they taken, why did they displease the queen, why was she not aloud to ask questions? Her sadness began to deepen, and her feet grew tired. All around her she found her element as rain poured down, making vast puddles in a forest clearing. Marine sits on the wet ground in the rippling puddles as rain falls on her, her palace garments muddied and wet, hanging from a tree not far from herself. She curls up and places her head to her knees; who would help her? who would be willing to look past reward and believe her claims? That something wrong is happening in her palace and she needs help finding out what. As rain fell around her, she felt like letting her eyes do as the skies, and release the rain from within herself, yet tears refused to fall. "Am I all alone?" she mutters in sad longing, "Mata Nui..help me." she whispers.