I dropped by again because I finally managed to tear myself away from work and slowly started a new art series. This time not for Romance Club, but for another visual novel game — League of Dreamers. Specifically, the story “In the Embrace of Darkness.”
For this series, I even asked another artist for permission, just so there wouldn’t be any conflicts later on (I really don’t like drama). I even made a speedpaint for the very first piece. And oh boy, I remembered what a total nightmare editing is... so yeah, the video thing is a one-time special.
So, the series is called “Whipped Boys.” And the first one up is my favorite — Lais Atrau.
The tricky part with this series is that I have no references. At all. So I just skipped the construction stage — it was hell anyway! I went straight to the detailed sketch and coloring. That’s how it’ll be with the rest of my favs too.
I didn’t want to dress him in the in-game outfits, so I went with something closer to our reality, and I don’t regret it one bit. The boldness is still there, but drawing him was way easier. The most interesting part was picking the palette. I wanted to keep that sterile white vibe, but at the same time give the picture some life and richness. In the end, it came out pretty contrasty.
And now... his tattoos. WHO CAME UP WITH THAT?! THEY DID THIS ON PURPOSE JUST TO MAKE US ARTISTS SUFFER!!!
Overall, I like how it turned out. Though, for example, I actually added his smile only after I had already posted the art elsewhere — without it, he looked waxy and lifeless. But with the smile... ohhh, perfection!
