#faebruary2024

2/19/2024. Drawn with Platinum Preppy fountain pen, using Noodler's Ink. No pencil underdrawing. Colored with Copic markers and Stabilo 88 pen. Corrections made digitally with Krita.

2 days ago, I finally remembered the Faebruary drawing challenge, which I always look forward to (because I like drawing butterfly fairies), but I always forget (because it's February). So I tried to cram in a bunch of catch-up drawings.

Every Faebruary, I draw chibi butterfly fairies of my current OTPs. This year, it's Goldenheart.

But I still need to learn to draw both Ballister and Ambrosius. And I'm still testing out which of my Copic colors to use for them. I'm especially having trouble drawing Ballister's hair, from a front point of view. I keep wanting to draw the upturn at the back of his hair, even though it's not visible when he is facing directly straight ahead. It's really hard to not draw the upturn, after those years of drawing Claude von Riegan.

This time, I've chosen real life butterfly wings to base theirs off of, instead of making up my own designs. Because Ballister's comic book name is "Blackheart", I'm basing his wings off the "Uranothauma nubifer" or "black heart" butterfly. Ambrosius Goldenloin's wings will be based on the "Wallace's golden birdwing" butterfly, because that was the first butterfly with the word "golden" in its name that appeared in Google search.

The problem is that I think I might have referenced the wrong pictures for the "black heart" butterfly. A Google search shows many different looking "black heart" butterflies. It's difficult to know which pic to reference. I initially went with Wikispecies's pic, since it was specifically labelled "Uranothauma nubifer". But it's also labelled "Uranotauma nubifer, as Lycaena nubifer Trimen", so it might be a different variation of that butterfly. Maybe??? I went with the mostly solid brown wing from Wikispecies's reference, since that would be easier to draw/color. But I later found several other websites specifically labelling photos of the "black heart" butterfly, which look completely different from Wikispecies's mostly solid brown wings. They're mostly gray and tan speckles on white. So I tried to stylize a design based on the more speckled "black heart" butterfly wings. I'm still trying to simplify it in a way that is easy to draw. And I'm still trying to figure out colors that don't get confusing when juxtaposed by Ballister's skin or clothing.

I usually draw my fairies without shoes, but I wanted to practice drawing Ballister's (and Ambrosius's) full outfits, since I'm just starting to learn to draw them. Also, their regular clothes are close enough to the "medieval fantasy"-inspired fashion that I usually draw my fairies in.

I was unsure about adding Ballister's cybernetic arm. How would a fairy get a tiny cybernetic arm? Does their hidden fairy society in the woods, have a whole system of technological equipment and supplies? Does a human use magnifying glass spectacles and miniature cybernetics to make a tiny robot arm for him??? So I skipped the whole subject by not drawing his robot arm.

2/21-22/2024. Drawn with Platinum Preppy fountain pen, using Noodler's Ink. No pencil underdrawing. Colored with Copic markers. Corrections made digitally with Krita.

Child-Nimona's wings are based on official concept art from the Art Of Nimona artbook's drawing of a moth version of Nimona.

2/16/2024. Pencil underdrawing. Inked linwork with Stabilo 88 pens, Kuretake Zig Clean Color Real Brush pen, and Copic Multiliner 0.25. Colored with Copic markers, ShinHanArt Touch markers, Copic Multiliner BS, and Platinum Preppy fountain pen using Noodler's Ink. Corrections made digitally with Krita.

References for Ballister's wings: "Black Heart" butterfly

References for Ambrosius's wings: "Wallace's golden birdwing" butterfly"

References for pomegranate: https://www.herzindagi.com/diet-nutrition/pomegranate-recipes-benefits-article-221381 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Pomegranate/Helen-Elaine-Lee/9781982171902

Every Faebruary, I draw chibi butterfly fairies of my current OTPs. This year, it's Goldenheart.

2/15/2024. Platinum Preppy fountain pen, using Noodler's Ink. Colored with Copic markers and ShinHanArt Touch markers. Corrections and assembly made digitally with Krita.

References for Ballister's wings: "Black Heart" butterfly

References for Ambrosius's wings: "Wallace's golden birdwing" butterfly"

References for flower (my photo): https://nidailylife.tumblr.com/post/742424384394887168/2152024-backyard-walk-souvenirs-flower

Every Faebruary, I draw chibi butterfly fairies of my current OTPs. This year, it's Goldenheart.

Every Faebruary, I draw chibi butterfly fairies of my current OTPs. This year, it's Goldenheart.

This time, I've chosen real life butterfly wings to base theirs off of, instead of making up my own designs. Because Ballister's comic book name is "Blackheart", I'm basing his wings off the "Uranothauma nubifer" or "black heart" butterfly. Ambrosius Goldenloin's wings are based on the "Wallace's golden birdwing" butterfly, because that was the first butterfly with the word "golden" in its name that appeared in Google search.

I was unsure about adding Ballister's cybernetic arm. How would a fairy get a tiny cybernetic arm? Does their hidden fairy society in the woods, have a whole system of technological equipment and supplies? Does a human use magnifying glass spectacles and miniature cybernetics to make a tiny robot arm for him??? So I skipped the whole subject by not drawing his robot arm.

2/11-12/2024. No pencil underdrawings. Platinum Preppy fountain pen, using Noodler's Ink. Colored with Copic markers and ShinHanArt Touch markers. Some corrections made with white-out and digitally with Krita.

Until 4 days ago, I was severely out of practice with drawing. So I completely forgot how to draw sideways chibi faces. Next time, they'll have noses. …Or maybe I kind of like this style; I'm not sure yet.