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Tag: my drawings

Tilney, Alex and Adrian in Colour

Published by Frances Denny on May 23, 2021
  • Tilney Sullivan
  • Alex Martinez-Cruz
  • Adrian O’Donnell
  • Tilney Sullivan
  • Alex Martinez-Cruz
  • Adrian O’Donnell

I conducted an experiment where I put my portrait sketches through the app called Colorize, which is designed to turn black-and-white photos into colour. The aim was to see if the programme could recognise my sketches as people. Miraculously it did and above are the results.

I was worried that the app would either mistake Tilney for a girl, or for a caucasian. It did neither and as a result, I made little to no changes in photoshop.

Alex was given grey hair, bless him, so I coloured his hair brown in photoshop. I doubt he’d appreciate being mistaken for an older man. Being an absolute monarch does age you, however!

I did not expect the app to pick up Adrian’s freckles, but it did. I’m in shock. As for her red hair, I cheated a bit and put her through the Faceapp first to ensure Colorize knew she was a redhead.

Overall, I am pleasantly surprised I managed to trick a photo app into believing my sketches were real people.

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Adrian O’Donnell

Published by Frances Denny on March 16, 2021

Adrian is one of Alex’s distant cousins and a member of his circle of friends. She is also a friend of Tilney, although he’s secretly scared of her. She would argue that if he only stopped clicking his pen in class, she would have a little more patience left for lunch and wouldn’t feel the need to point out his areas of weakness.

For Adrian’s freckles, I use a technique where I take my blending stump, rub the tip in graphite, and dab it all over her face. The effect gives the freckles an authentic randomness. No individual freckle is the same shape, size or colour and this technique is a fast way to create that effect.

One of my personal nightmares is drawing a mouth that is slightly open. Teeth are difficult to shape. In my previous portraits, the teeth always appear as if they’re sticking outwards. I am thankful that I have finally pulled off sketching straight-ish teeth.

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Henry (Updated)

Published by Frances Denny on February 28, 2021

I decided to draw Henry again, but in a style closer to how I drew Alex. I originally drew Henry in a more cartoonish style, as I based it off the character in my graphic novel series. This Henry is as he appears in the novel adaptation that I’m currently working on. Still the same Henry, but drawn in a more traditional style.

I’m really pleased with how he has turned out. He’s exactly how I imagine him in my head; big beautiful eyes, long thin face and generous bottom lip. His features are much softer than Alex’s because he’s more gentle and approachable – ironic, given Henry’s the shy one.

In this sketch, Henry is wearing a hoodie, most likely a rather smelly hoodie as he never takes it off – if he can get away with it. The hoodie is an important part of his character because it acts as a comfort item, something that he feels helps sooth his anxiety when he’s out in public. Henry is autistic. #ownvoices

I was nervous about drawing his hair as I haven’t had many successes sketching hair that’s swept back behind the ears, but I found a good reference picture on Google and studied the direction in which the hair flowed. I think it hasn’t turned out too badly.

Now I must find a safe place to hide this portrait, lest Alex should find it and nick it.

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Alex

Published by Frances Denny on February 26, 2021

Alex is the protagonist in my series Friends of Foes. He shares the spotlight with Henry. He’s been bugging me to sketch a portrait of him since I first began sketching Henry. He still doesn’t understand why I didn’t sketch him first. After all, Alex is king – which ultimately puts him at the centre of the universe.

I had a lot of fun sketching Alex. I tried to keep it traditional and let his eyes shine without any embellishments from me. He’s supposed to look intense, so I hope I pulled it off. 😂

My least favourite feature to draw is the mouth. Alex’s mouth is particularly tricky because it’s long and thin – plus he smiles on one-side. To tackle this challenge… well basically I winged it until it looked somewhat presentable. Shh!

Another challenge I faced was that Alex’s head is positioned on an angle. This meant that I had to position his facial features accordingly. If one was is out of place, his face would look strange. So I used a ruler to ensure the measurements were exact. Alex would clobber me if I misrepresented any part of his regal face. Wish me luck!

I loved drawing his hair. He has longish, thick, brown hair that curls in interesting directions. I’ve never been very good at drawing males with long or medium-length hair but I actually think I’ve succeeded in not making him look like a girl. (yusss!).

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Nadya Harkness

Published by Frances Denny on February 21, 2021

Just finished a sketch of my oc, Henry’s aunt, Nadya. She’s a no-nonsence witch who runs her own coven.

For Nadya, I decided to go more traditional with my sketch because she is stubborn and isn’t easily swayed in her beliefs. I couldn’t help but add a little of my own style, such as the overly large eyes – guess it fits her subtle non-conformist nature.

I also coloured her hair and eyelashes in charcoal to portray her rebellious streak. Nadya is secretly in love with a vampire, and in this world marriages between vampires and witches are illegal.

I have Nadya looking away from the viewer because she is an idealist and often ponders about a better future. She hopes it’ll be with her vampire lover.

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