Sphinx Image

Sometimes it's you. Sometimes it's the tools you use. This post contains one of the uglier pictures I've done in recent times. (There's worse coming, if you can believe that...) Part of it is my still learning the craft. Part of it is drawing too heavily. But mainly I blame a crappy eraser.

But that's neither here nor there. Let's talk about our subject for a little bet, hmm? The Sphinx, the riddle master of old. Part human, part lion, all terror. I have a special place in my heart for the Sphinx. One of the characters in my first novel was of the breed, and while I intend to remove her from that text, I have plans for her over all.

Bear in mind that this is only her head. Brother Todd, when he saw the finished image, called her a Cat Person, and, as I told him, that was one way to look at it. I intend a fuller picture, but for now please imagine wings and body with the rest of the head..

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I did this while eating a late late dinner with my parents. (How late? Well, it was only a few hours too early to be breakfast. That's how late.)

I had an earlier Sphinx drawing and I thought to add this head to that body. Using another drawing as reference (again from the How To Draw book), I came up with this. Lioness head, woman's hair and eyes.

I was really digging the picture, but there was something wrong with the eyes. Specifically the one that's all messed up now. You can't believe how depressing that is, coming so close only to mess it up in the end.

Further reflection reveals that the face is lopsided. A longer arc on the right side, or the muzzle being moved over to the left a bit. Outside of that, though, I still think it's one of my better jobs.

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Here is the finished image. More cut and paste via Jasc. The coloration is a slightly interesting tale. I pulled the original color from a picture of an actual lioness. Turned out too brown. I diluted it with yellow for the regular fur and black for the hair.

About the eyes. I emphasized the lashes a bit to reinforce the notion that they were humanoid eyes and not cat's. The purple not only gives her an unearthly appearance, but it also has symbolic weight. Purple is the color of royalty, after all, and what could be more royal than the Sphinx?

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And now, as an additional bonus, the original image. Note we have a human head, as well as additional this or that.

Ah. Er. Yeah.

The reason I didn't go through with my original plan with sticking the new image on to this is that the styles really didn't match. This one's fur is WAY more cartoony and jagged. Partially because that was how I was drawing, partially because the source was a wee picture instead of the large ones I do now.

I could do better now. I know this as fact. Why not either a.) drawn a new body or b.) redraw the whole thing from scratch? Makes more sense to me.

Don't think I'm knocking this picture, mind you. I like it a great deal, especially the expression on her face. The paws, while not "accurate", are especially good; look how the shading individualizes the claws (fingers?). The rest of the body needed work, but that's nothing new. Again, the shading works for me.

It could have been much worse. And, as we will eventually see, it has been worse. Much, much worse...