Vampire Hunter D entry for Anime Drawing Challenge!

Good evening, Steemit! Tonight I’m joining the masses of Steemians participating in the #animedrawingchallenge. I set up these goals for myself, and this year I wanted to commit to drawing more. Most of you follow me for photography, I’m sure, and I love my job. Deep down, however, I do long to be doing comic books and graphic novels full time. Drawing every day […I’ll even settle or several times a week] is a paramount part of that equation.

I told a friend today at lunch, Steemit has opened me to a renaissance of creativity. It’s true. A few weeks ago, I entered the @peerplays RPS logo contest multiple, multiple times. I didn’t win, but I fell back in to graphic design experience that my brain hasn’t accessed in almost ten years. There’s nothing like exercising those creative muscles that’ve grown weak.

I decided to start my comics contest, “Trial by Comics”, in part to reach new artists and audiences, but moreover, to commit myself to drawing week in and week out. Each week, the post contest is […and will continue to be] a sketch, drawing or inking of that week’s theme. It’ll keep me on task and push me along in something I’ve determined is an end point destination for my long term goals.

That being said, I couldn’t pass up drawing something when I saw the #animedrawingchallenge. @vermillionfox is a huge anime nerd, and we’ve watched several. I typically follow Western comics, but there are a handful of animes and manga that’ve fallen in my favor. I remember watching Ghost in the Shell, Green Legend Ran and Death Note in high school. Around that time, I also discovered Vampire Hunter D, and he would be the subject for my contest entry.

This drawing was done digitally, using Procreate on the 12.9” iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. I began with lose pencil sketches to map out the forms of D and his cyborg horse. This very well may have been the first time I’ve drawn a horse in my life and for the first dozen attempts, he looked like a giant dog. I ended up studying plenty of reference until I finally executed the shape of the head.

Once the the rough pencils were finished, I began inks, which are one of the smoothest parts of Procreate. There are literally times it feels like I’m working with liquid India ink. I’m fortunate to be beta testing Procreate 4 and the variety of new brushes and pens made this even more enjoyable. I studying plenty of pages from Jonathan Galpion, one of my favorite inkers known for his run through Snyder and Capullo’s Batman The New 52.

Hope you enjoy the work. I post daily. For more comics, illustration, art and photography, follow my blog here @kommienezuspadt!