#depends!

This will be notes with my thoughts on the challenge. This challenge was “50 portraits in 5 days”, which meant 10 heads each day. Its very interesting to see the first day again, despite it only being a few days ago.

I’ve never done a challenge like this before where I draw so much in a single day, especially when I’m busy with school and work. But I felt motivated to try a challenge at least every other month this year and think I have same face syndrome.

The characters I chose are only Black/mixed characters. A part of these challenges and all art (to me) involves research. I always want the research to be purposeful, to learn things even I’m not drawing. I wanted to learn more about the history and presence of Black characters in mediums I love (video games, movies, etc.). I also just simply wanted to draw only Black characters.

They look a bit sketchy, thats because I want to render/paint over them as well. I tend to begin rendering before i finish sketching (if i plan to do so). If a characters note is blank, that just means I didnt have too many notes (and these ramblings will already be long as is…)

1. Storm from Marvel Rivals: based off this specific skin! Shes missing her glasses and her other earring because I already started rendering her on another layer. She actually inspired me to do this challenge because i figured ‘if i can draw one portrait surely i can draw 50 right?”

2. Selene from Hades 2: Selene is beautiful, but sprite hides her hair and I didnt entirely understand how her helmet worked… so i took it off and wanted to take the opportunity to draw a different type of hair style. Shes wearing french curl braids! When I was looking at different styles, the curls looked like moon crescents 🌙

(I also based Selene off of this edit i liked which was very well done!)

3. Hazel from South of Midnight

4. Clementine from TellTales The Walking Dead: i grew up with this game! Younger me would be so happy. Also fitting because the whole time i was drawing I was watching a playthrough.

5. Baptise from Overwatch 🥰🥰 support players rise uppp

6. Marina from Splatoon: i love playing salmon run with my buddies!! the art direction of splatoon is inspiring to me as well

7. Wyll Ravengard from Baulders Gate 3

8. Vivienne from Dragon Age

9. Nessa from Pokemon: havent played much pokemon, but i love her color scheme. Her outfit and colors make her seem fun, so i decided to give her a jade braid inspired hairstyle

"What's your name?"

..Momo

"Momo...last name?"

No last name. Just Momo

"...Okay. Can you tell me where those scars came from, Momo?"

....

"What about you? What's your name?"

Hm? Me? Oh, call me whatever. Veronica, Vera, Detective May. I'm not picky.

"Miss Vera...why are you helping me?"

...

It's my job. That's why.

Veronica May, or "detective" May, has had a rocky relationship with the force for a while, and in one period where she was taking on her detectivey work, she was searching the abandoned house of a wanted man that fled a few days prior. In the bedroom closet, haphazardly hidden beneath a blanket, was a bird cage. Laying on the floor, malnourished, injured, and barely half conscious, was a two-inch girl in filthy clothes named Momo.

Upon taking the girl home (for questioning, of course), she learns of an underground organization of purchasing and selling tinies, which prior to this were not known by the public. Momo has been with Vera's wanted man for a little under a decade, taken when she was young.

Turns out Vera really liked this traumatized little kid. She doesn't like to admit it, but she's gotten a bit attached. And she's made it her life's mission to bust the operation of the bastards that put her through that.