Queen of Sand | Posted: Nov. 10, 2016, 5:57 p.m.

Media: Mechanical pencil, .8 micron pen, and .05 micron pen on Strathmore Toned Gray Paper

Time: ~3 hours

This is a request from an artist on DeviantArt. I drew her original character "Queen of Sand."

Given the character's role and title, I wanted her to embody both royalty and nature. Because I didn't know her full backstory, I created my own concise version of it: The Queen of Sand should seem at one with nature. To achieve this look, I gave her a calm, closed-eye expression. She doesn't need to be wary of her surroundings because she can easily sense each and every movement around her.

I randomly thought of "The Ironwood Tree (The Spiderwick Chronicles Book 4)" cover when drawing the character's expression. I realized the cover girl's expression was exactly what I was trying to create.

I fell in love with that cover when I read the books back in early elementary school. While I have sadly forgotten most of the plot and characters, I have not forgotten that cover. The sheer amount of attention paid to detail never ceases to amaze me.

Check out the cover!:
http://covers.audiobooks.com/images/covers/full/9780739362440.jpg

I am particularly impressed with my lineart/linework in this piece, especially since it was my first time working with pen in over a year. Sometimes I think getting distance from a particular medium can be beneficial -- maybe because when you come back to the medium, you treat it more delicately? Maybe because in that time, you forget your old technique of application and try out a new process?

I realize that I still have major issues drawing hands and feet, but hey, practice is practice.