Technically I'm not a digital artist, but to start off my first post I would like to introduce an art project I did for a digital painting class several semesters ago. It involved creating a toy that looked photo realistic, or at least as real as you could get it. I started my project doing a rag doll, which will be posted later, but after working on it for days and still making slow progress with a fast deadline approaching I sat down and did this instead.
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| Original Pawn Sketch |
I'd already drawn out this pawn character from a sketch I'd kept from my first semester in college. I've always been fascinated with these chess pieces, because unlike the other pieces, they are the only players on the board that can change who they are. In a way, their fate is not predetermined. However, despite this ability to change into whichever piece they want there is still the fact that a pawn can never be a king.
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| Red the Pawn Sketch |
For me this seems odd, and so I made this pawn character, called Red, who is a pawn that rebels against the idea that he can never be a king. Despite being incredibly short, even for a pawn, he challenges the other pieces and wins completely changing the chess playing field. Originally the pawn was going to be Red, but as my time ran shorter and shorter I again had to make some changes. So I came up with Black the pawn, who, like Red, has a desire to become a King, but his intention is not so noble.
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| Black the Pawn in Progress Screenshot |
The most difficult part about doing this project was coming up with arms for the pawn itself. One of the rules for the project was the toy couldn't have floating parts. So I had to improvise on what a pawn would look like with arms. Looking at the finished piece I actually have to admit I like them better than I thought I would. I was worried that the arms would take away from the original sketch. Turns out I was happily wrong.
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| Black the Pawn |
Probably the best thing I liked about doing this was that I was able to take an old sketch and update it. I'm amazed by the progress I've been able to make in a few short years. It makes me want to draw more and keep progressing so I can get better. I'm also happy that I was able to use the pawn as a symbol for what I was going through at the time. It's what I'm still going through as an artist that draws in the anime style in a world that thinks I shouldn't. This blog is to show that what I do is not a waste of time, but something worthwhile. It makes me happy. It has made those who follow my work happy. Anime art is the only style for me. Who said pawns can't become king?
