All right, time for my #DesertBus #DB2025 #Craftalong thread! I'm getting an early start on the project I didn't manage to finish for last year. Partly because my main SSD died, partly beause I *spilled ink on 2/3 of the artwork*. Still very frustrated at last year's outcomes. =(
First off: vectoring some silhouettes, part of the work I lost in the great SSD controller death of 2024!
Here's one silhouette, for one part of this triptych. What is it? What's it for? Take a guess ;P
(2/?) Here's the second silhouette, for another part of the triptych. You might have seen it before.
(3/?) I seem to have forgotten about updating this thread. Let's keep going—I guess the next logical thing would be the third silhouette!
If you know what this is from, this should be instantly recognisable.
(4/x) First sketch of the first couple! Not 100% happy with Asami here, but very happy with Korra. I'll probably adjust these sketches digitally, if needed, and trace them onto my final paper for watercolour once I'm fully satisfied with them.
(Definitely not confident enough in my illustration skills to sketch directly on my final paper!)
#DesertBus #DB2025 #Craftalong #LGBTQIA #Lesbian #Sapphic #Korrasami
(5/x) #DesertBus chat, which do you prefer? Poll in the next post in thread.
I redid the Asami sketch from the last post, with much closer referencing from the comic, because I was unhappy with the previous one.
And then I IMMEDIATELY discovered some of Konietzko's Korrasami artwork and had to draw this adorable pose.
Happy as I am with the faces in the first, I really love the tenderness of the second...
(6/x) So, #DesertBus chat, which do you prefer? Your thoughts may influence my Craftalong!
(7/x)
(Some credits: Both illustrations are inspired from and referenced from existing works. Faces: official Korra comics published by Dark Horse Comics. Cuddles: a piece by Konietzko himself, see: https://www.tumblr.com/bryankonietzko/112732303027/turtle-duck-date-night-this-is-my-piece-for-the )
(8/x) I've been terrible about posting updates - here's a painting update! In-progress photo of the #Lumity painting, with all the lighter tones painted in.
@desertbus #DesertBus2025 #DB2025 #Craftalong #watercolour #painting #theowlhouse #lumity #lgbtq #lgbtqia
(9/x) Finished painting, just needs inking! Then on to calligraphy!
#DesertBus2025 #DB2025 #CraftAlong #LGBTQIA #lumity #painting #watercolour #theOwlHouse
(10/x) #Lumity #painting is finished! #watercolour and India ink. Now on to calligraphy!
It's such a big difference working with a 100% rag paper compared to the blended wood/cotton paper I was using before. So much less cockling.
(11/x) hey babe guess what new #sapphic #painting just dropped
Betweeen this painting's lighting not having a strong colour identity (it's supposed to be late-afternoon daylight), and there being a lot of nuanced colours in this one, it was a little annoying to paint.
#Watercolour and india ink on cold-press rag paper.
#DesertBus #DesertBus2025 #DB2025 #CraftAlong #LGBTQIA #Pricefield #LifeIsStrange #fanart
(12/x) Korra and Asami!
I really really love how this one turned out, despite not quite matching some of my colour choices in my digital mockup.
#DesertBus #DesertBus2025 #DB2025 #CraftAlong #sapphic #LGBTQIA #painting #watercolour #Korrasami #LegendOfKorra #Avatar #fanart
(13/x)
And time for the calligraphy updates. First up is Lumity!
I still need to erase the guidelines and trim these, but this is otherwise complete. =3
#DesertBus #DB2025 #CraftAlong #LGBT #LGBTQIA #queer #TheOwlHouse #Lumity #art #painting #calligraphy #watercolour
(14/x) And, on the opposite side of the triptych, we have Korrasami, complete with their quotes!
#DesertBus #DB2025 #CraftAlong #LGBT #LGBTQIA #queer #Korrasami #TheLegendOfKorra #AvatarTheLastAirbender #art #painting #calligraphy #watercolour #watercolor
(15/x) And finally, the middle piece, complete with calligraphy: Max Caulfield and Chloe Price ("Pricefield"), from Life is Strange.
#DesertBus #DB2025 #CraftAlong #LGBT #LGBTQIA #queer #lesbian #Pricefield #LifeIsStrange #art #painting #calligraphy #watercolour #watercolor
(16/x) This is so satisfying.
#DesertBus #DB2025 #CraftAlong #LGBTQIA #LGBT #sapphic #lesbian #art #calligraphy #painting #framing
(17/x) I promise final prize photos Soon™, but in the meantime, have some in-progress photos I never posted!
(18/x) And some photos during the course of the framing effort! While I had the frame itself, the glazing, the backing board and the simpler matboard professionally cut, I decided to do the silhouette matboard and the final framing myself. I specifically decided to go with conservation-grade materials and techniques, to ensure the pieces last for years to come. There was a lot to learn; I was researching ever since I started working on this project last year!
(19/x) I'm really proud of how clean the frames turned out, even the backs!
Laurabunny
JSPearce | Damn_I_Am_Pretty
Holo
Welbog