[Art] Keaton the Black Jackal: Commission Preview~ (21/10/09)

[Sunblink]

Not much to say this time around, except for huzzah for more double-posts. XD

Oh.

And I FINALLY got a request finished. Say hello to Xze everyone!

CLICK HERE

I'm not very happy with this picture, but I'm pretty satisfied with how the head turned out. Been sort of practicing musculature, which doesn't really show well in this exact picture, but some lines on the abdomen indicate it. Just tried to give Xze an athletic, robust look--but she just may look weird. Hope you like the picture, Xze, and sorry for the wait!

Next up is Tapewolf's request, then I've got a big project coming up. See you next time everybody!

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Tapewolf]

The wings are nice.  Wings often seem to give people trouble, but you've managed to devise an elegant way of portraying feathered wings while keeping it simple.  How well this would work in colour I'm not sure (Zedd's the only one I can remember and his wings are black anyway) but as a sketch it works very well.

[Zedd]

She did a great job on me though and quite good on Xze as well

[GabrielsThoughts]

yikes. skinny without the muscle always scares me... it looks ok but why is one wing bird and the other mammal?

[Sunblink]

yikes. skinny without the muscle always scares me... it looks ok but why is one wing bird and the other mammal?

Heheh. I still need to work on the muscle a bit. As for the wings... well, that's Xze's character design. If you look on the second page of the topic you'll find her character design sheet.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Sunblink]

Oof, I nearly let this drop off the map again. Sorry everyone.

To Tapewolf: your picture is almost finished. I just need to adjust the anatomy and some other finer details, then it'll be ready for posting.

For now, to keep this topic afloat, I doodled up an unnecessarily complicated image of Keaton's clan leader, Jyraneth.

CLICK HERE

Information on Jyraneth. One of the younger clan leaders, she had formed the Jyraneth Clan after she was ousted from her own on the grounds that she was "a dangerous lunatic," something which was quite an accomplishment considering her original clan was almost as violent as the Jyraneth Clan. What set her apart from her kin was that she claimed to hear the voices of the Gods and their phantoms, as well as communicate with them. This was merely an illusion--just a fabrication forged by her own insanity. She could never speak to any deities, nor did she have any divine power. But there were many who believed her and her dogma, gravitating toward her like flies to a lamp. These eventually became the foundation of what would form Jyraneth Clan.

Over time, as the clan grew, Jyraneth started a series of laws which were adopted as the Jyraneth Clan's mantra. Whether or not she actually believed these, or had just passed them to keep her control on her clan was unknown, but if the latter were true it certainly worked. Many Cubi view Jyraneth as a maverick and a cult leader, while the Jyraneth themselves find her a brilliant leader. What strengthened their opinion was how skillfully she handled the near-extinction of the Jyraneth Clan, by gathering what remained of their population and helping them construct a city. Over time, as her clan mushroomed, Jyraneth's insanity only worsened. The only thing anchoring her sanity was the throngs of advisors and attendants she hired, who assisted her in running her hidden city and choosing decisions.

She was brilliant, but whether or not she was actually competent as a ruler and leader without her aids is up to the imagination.

Some Jyraneth actually held a disillusioned perspective of their leader. Open critics of Jyraneth's policies were exterminated and their families paid handsomely to remain quiet, even disavow the deceased's existence. Rumors were quickly extinguished. Some slaves or citizens were picked up as playthings for Jyraneth.

After the massacre that led to the downfall of the Jyraneth city of Harla'keth, Jyraneth escaped with a few of her attendants and her most loyal advisor. These attendants and advisors remained with their lady up until their violent demise, in which Jyraneth flew into an insanity-fueled breakdown and obliterated their bodies, allowing the souls to float away. The massacre had destroyed Jyraneth's remaining sanity, making her lapse in between periods of stability, her mind overwhelmed with echoing voices, increasing her intense schizophrenia, and even agitating her to the point she tore up her wings and forgot how to use her powers.

Yep. I'm evil. XD

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Not to object, but informationally... I thought Amber said something about bodily injuries repairing themselves, given time, with Cubi.

So... things like cutting out the clan mark, for example, would only be a temporary fix, since it'd grow back. And this wasn't, as I recall, under the control of the Cubi themselves, being more of a subconscious activity. Like breathing - you can control it a bit, but you can't stop it totally. (odd point - you can knock yourself out by holding your breath, if you have enough willpower, but once you fall unconscious, you start breathing again. Curious, no?)


Not that I'm trying to run you down - it's a lovely description. The last line just... jarred, a bit. :-]

[Sunblink]

Not to object, but informationally... I thought Amber said something about bodily injuries repairing themselves, given time, with Cubi.

So... things like cutting out the clan mark, for example, would only be a temporary fix, since it'd grow back. And this wasn't, as I recall, under the control of the Cubi themselves, being more of a subconscious activity. Like breathing - you can control it a bit, but you can't stop it totally. (odd point - you can knock yourself out by holding your breath, if you have enough willpower, but once you fall unconscious, you start breathing again. Curious, no?)


Not that I'm trying to run you down - it's a lovely description. The last line just... jarred, a bit. :-]

I'm glad you liked the description, and I appreciate your input. I learned something today. XD If Cubi can heal their bodies automatically, then chances are that Jyraneth's wings could've repaired themselves after some time... though I wonder if Cubi can carry scars, since all Jyraneth Clan Cubi are required to have secondary clan markings etched into their shoulders as a mirror image of Jyraneth's own.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

It's a guess, but I'd say the scars are likely to eventually heal themselves over.

And it's not "Cubi can heal automatically" - it's more, Cubi -will- heal, whether or not they want to. Or, at least, that was the impression I had.

Which means carrying a scar in the shape of a clan mark is even -more- of a burden, since you'd have to have it re-branded every ten or twenty years or something. :-[

As much as a lost limb, I'd expect that to take somewhat longer to grow back - particularly as big a limb as a wing or two. Bear in mind there are a -lot- of muscles in a wing, even such a wing as a Cubi's (ie, non-flight-capable - although gliding is a possibility) and all those muscles get fed with blood. I'd expect, if you cut/ripped one off, you'd have to do something to sear the remains, otherwise you'd pass out from the volume of blood pouring out of the major arteries - after all, they'd be about on height of your heart, so good and close to it, etc etc.

Try looking into losing a leg. It's a -big- thing, and you've got to be dead close to serious medical help, otherwise you bleed to death in, I think, less than 10 or 15 minutes. If you cut the whole thing right off (as your Jyraneth would have with the wings) I think it's even less, as the arteries are -all- open, rather than half being smashed shut, or blocked by bits of leg, etc... Which suggests that she not only ripped her wings off, but she also then lay down on a fire (or something like that) to seal the wounds. Which seems to me to be -seriously- out of your mind territory... :-]


Erm. I'm not really this morbid, honest. I just have lots of curiosity about things :-]

[Sunblink]

It's a guess, but I'd say the scars are likely to eventually heal themselves over.

And it's not "Cubi can heal automatically" - it's more, Cubi -will- heal, whether or not they want to. Or, at least, that was the impression I had.

Which means carrying a scar in the shape of a clan mark is even -more- of a burden, since you'd have to have it re-branded every ten or twenty years or something. :-[

Hmm, unconventional, but I think I can use that in a creative sense. It's hard to explain how, really, but I'm actually very pleased by this. I'm sure the Jyraneth clan members, however, wouldn't be very happy about being re-branded every so often... XD;

And wait! Crap! If Keaton can't scar that means that her torso and eye-scar are moot. Curses, but I can always just remove them from her design altogether. Problem is they've already been mentioned in RPs and such, so it would be inconsistent to deny their existence after doing such. I wonder if an eye can grow back, though... then I'd be royally screwed, since one of Keaton's eyes are fake. XD

As much as a lost limb, I'd expect that to take somewhat longer to grow back - particularly as big a limb as a wing or two. Bear in mind there are a -lot- of muscles in a wing, even such a wing as a Cubi's (ie, non-flight-capable - although gliding is a possibility) and all those muscles get fed with blood. I'd expect, if you cut/ripped one off, you'd have to do something to sear the remains, otherwise you'd pass out from the volume of blood pouring out of the major arteries - after all, they'd be about on height of your heart, so good and close to it, etc etc.

Thing is though, Jyraneth didn't rip OFF her wings, she just tore apart the membrane until it was hanging between the skeletal frames like shredded confetti.  Still gruesome, but I dunno if membrane can bleed.

Am I nuts? Of course I'm not!

Try looking into losing a leg. It's a -big- thing, and you've got to be dead close to serious medical help, otherwise you bleed to death in, I think, less than 10 or 15 minutes. If you cut the whole thing right off (as your Jyraneth would have with the wings) I think it's even less, as the arteries are -all- open, rather than half being smashed shut, or blocked by bits of leg, etc... Which suggests that she not only ripped her wings off, but she also then lay down on a fire (or something like that) to seal the wounds. Which seems to me to be -seriously- out of your mind territory... :-]


Erm. I'm not really this morbid, honest. I just have lots of curiosity about things :-]

You're not the only one who is curious about lots of things in that category. XD I come up with a lot of effed-up things, honestly. =P So it takes a bit to really shock me. Though lying down on a fire to seal up wounds... interesting... I should use that in a story sometime.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Tapewolf]

To Tapewolf: your picture is almost finished. I just need to adjust the anatomy and some other finer details, then it'll be ready for posting.

Cool.

For now, to keep this topic afloat, I doodled up an unnecessarily complicated image of Keaton's clan leader, Jyraneth.

Nicely done.  It could do with a bit more contrast I think, although that might just be my nasty LCD monitor sucking again.  Does she have to be so cute given how incredibly messed-up she is?

Which means carrying a scar in the shape of a clan mark is even -more- of a burden, since you'd have to have it re-branded every ten or twenty years or something. :-[

This particular clan is psycho enough to go in for that sort of thing.  I'm a little more concerned about Keaton's missing eye, although it's possible that the Kamei'Sin somehow cursed it to prevent it regrowing properly.

[Too late, ah well, never mind]

[Sunblink]

Nicely done.  It could do with a bit more contrast I think, although that might just be my nasty LCD monitor sucking again.  Does she have to be so cute given how incredibly messed-up she is?

Contrast? Do you mean darkening of the lineart? If so, I see what you mean there. I should adjust it when I get the chance, perhaps change it to greyscale. As for the cuteness... holy cow, that wasn't intentional. XD I did mean for her to have a certain amount of dignified beauty to her in this, off-set by the almost insane look in her eyes (I tried to add some extra rings to her irises and reduced the size of her pupils)... she'll probably be less cute in the next picture I do of her.

Though I'm glad you like the image. *bows*

although it's possible that the Kamei'Sin somehow cursed it to prevent it regrowing properly.

That is possible. Or Kytharion's healing had a side-effect: it sealed up the wounds and prevented the missing eye and her scar from regenerating.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

And wait! Crap! If Keaton can't scar that means that her torso and eye-scar are moot. Curses, but I can always just remove them from her design altogether. Problem is they've already been mentioned in RPs and such, so it would be inconsistent to deny their existence after doing such. I wonder if an eye can grow back, though... then I'd be royally screwed, since one of Keaton's eyes are fake. XD

Erm. The key word is "eventually". You can twist that to how you like - 20 years? 200? I mean, there's the whole, it takes 9 months to grow them in the first place, but after that, growth slows -way- down. So you can stretch the healing process, artistic licence style, for some time.

And yes, I can see magical cursing mixing it up there.

Also, I didn't say "can't scar" - I just mentioned that, according to the info we have, scars are not "forever" for Cubi. You -could- enforce Cubi to morph the brand mark in, but that wouldn't be painful, and I can't see Jyraneth being happy with that... :-]

Thing is though, Jyraneth didn't rip OFF her wings, she just tore apart the membrane until it was hanging between the skeletal frames like shredded confetti.  Still gruesome, but I dunno if membrane can bleed.

You better believe it.

Remember, either you have feathers all over the wing, and hence have muscles in the base of each, so you can move the feather -individually- to manage airflow (how else did you think birds manage it, hmm?) so you have all the blood flow to those muscles... or you -used- to, generationally speaking, and, as such, you've still got lots of skin to feed blood to. Did you know that the single biggest organ in the human body is the skin, by quite a large margin? And it uses a lot of blood to keep it oxygenated. If you've got wings, that's a -lot- more surface area, so yes, there will be a -lot- of blood. Although it's possible the arteries for that are smaller, and more likely to seal themselves over without the drastic measures suggested above...

Am I nuts? Of course I'm not!

Hah. :-]

You're not the only one who is curious about lots of things in that category. XD I come up with a lot of effed-up things, honestly. =P So it takes a bit to really shock me. Though lying down on a fire to seal up wounds... interesting... I should use that in a story sometime.

It's not just that category. I have -all- sorts of interesting information about all sorts of things tucked up back in a corner of my mind somewhere...

Besides, I'm not trying to shock anyone. I'd rather not, honest. I'm just following the pattern you've laid down to it's inevitable conclusion, and attempting to see if there's a logical flaw there somewhere that you might or might not have seen, and may or may not have an answer for...

[Sunblink]

Erm. The key word is "eventually". You can twist that to how you like - 20 years? 200? I mean, there's the whole, it takes 9 months to grow them in the first place, but after that, growth slows -way- down. So you can stretch the healing process, artistic licence style, for some time.

And yes, I can see magical cursing mixing it up there.

Also, I didn't say "can't scar" - I just mentioned that, according to the info we have, scars are not "forever" for Cubi. You -could- enforce Cubi to morph the brand mark in, but that wouldn't be painful, and I can't see Jyraneth being happy with that... :-]

200 years might work nicely, though Keaton recieved the scar when she was 68, so it would take more than that for the scar to remain in the present.

Magical cursing it is then, most likely.

And morphing works well. Aniz did, after all, keep Cid's scars (such as the torn ear and the scar over his eye) via metamorphosis. As for Jyraneth's position on painful branding... she would probably believe that it's through blood, sweat, and tears that one shows true dedication to the clan, so she would keep branding away. XD; Worst of all is that those who are in the Jyraneth military have little military scars on their upper arms that serve as signs for rank.

You better believe it.

Remember, either you have feathers all over the wing, and hence have muscles in the base of each, so you can move the feather -individually- to manage airflow (how else did you think birds manage it, hmm?) so you have all the blood flow to those muscles... or you -used- to, generationally speaking, and, as such, you've still got lots of skin to feed blood to. Did you know that the single biggest organ in the human body is the skin, by quite a large margin? And it uses a lot of blood to keep it oxygenated. If you've got wings, that's a -lot- more surface area, so yes, there will be a -lot- of blood. Although it's possible the arteries for that are smaller, and more likely to seal themselves over without the drastic measures suggested above...

I didn't know this about birds. That's incredibly fascinating. O.o I also didn't know this about skin. The fact it's the largest organ makes a lot of sense. Though hmm. I still need to figure out how Jyraneth survived. Maybe the fact she's a tri-wing Cubi gives her more durability. It was said in the Demonology 101 that most Cubi can die of normal means unless they're a certain power level.

I'm just following the pattern you've laid down to it's inevitable conclusion, and attempting to see if there's a logical flaw there somewhere that you might or might not have seen, and may or may not have an answer for...

And I once more appreciate your observations. Plot holes irritate me like nothing else, so I'm really glad that you pointed this out so I could try and come up with a way to fix it.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Tapewolf]

And morphing works well. Aniz did, after all, keep Cid's scars (such as the torn ear and the scar over his eye) via metamorphosis. As for Jyraneth's position on painful branding... she would probably believe that it's through blood, sweat, and tears that one shows true dedication to the clan, so she would keep branding away.

You've got to admit, it's one hell of a loyalty test.

I still need to figure out how Jyraneth survived. Maybe the fact she's a tri-wing Cubi gives her more durability. It was said in the Demonology 101 that most Cubi can die of normal means unless they're a certain power level.

It doesn't confer invulnerability, though.  IIRC from Amber's comments (nitpick warning - this is not guaranteed to be accurate) there have been around 200 tri-wings from the dawn of the race to the present day.  Of whom there are about 12 survivors.

Depending on how solid you want it to be (how consistent with DMFA) there is an argument for her having not survived, at least not to the present day.

[Sunblink]

Another little something I drew up, only it isn't really a drawing, per se, but a clan marking. Uh, still counts as art and I'm proud of it, so I'm tacking it up here.

CLICK HERE

...Looks like the Sunfest symbol. Anyway.

It's none other than the Kamei'Sin clan marking--the Kamei'Sin Clan being the enemies of the Jyraneth Clan. And it's GREEN! Not just green but a LIME GREEN! Oh the humanity!

Since I'm lazy at the moment, I'm going to steal my description about the Kamei'Sin from a conversation with someone:
About the Kamei'Sin. They weren't the Jyraneth clan's only enemy, just one of the most notable ones because of their participation in the war which eliminated the majority of the Jyraneth clan. The Jyraneth had very few allies, in fact maybe only one or two.

The Kamei'Sin, while a violent clan which specializes in aggression and hatred, never really engaged in any notable conflicts against others outside of the Jyraneth. In comparison to the Jyraneth, they were a great deal less violent despite their love for competing in arenas and gladiator matches. They constantly hosted brutal festivals in which people would fight against one another--either their specialized warriors or their prisoners who had been promised freedom.

Because of this they had a very flippant attitude towards life and death, and even educated youngsters about combat at a very ripe age. The clan was started by not one but two tri-wing Cubi, one of which was killed in a duel with the insane and twisted founder of the Jyraneth clan. The surviving Kamei'Sin founder, Qaisyne, swore vengeance upon the Jyraneth and since then they had been at one another's throats. Their feud had been lessened considerably since the Jyraneth adopted their secretive attitude and resigned themselves to the shadows, but once they discovered their location they were quick to act and wipe out their most loathed enemy.

Recently, Qaisyne, the remaining clan leader, has been killed in an assassination attempt. What has happened to the Kamei'Sin after the fall of their leader is unknown, but it's possible that they have either petered out of power or dissolved into obscurity entirely.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Tapewolf]

It's none other than the Kamei'Sin clan marking--the Kamei'Sin Clan being the enemies of the Jyraneth Clan. And it's GREEN! Not just green but a LIME GREEN! Oh the humanity!

Cool.

Recently, Qaisyne, the remaining clan leader, has been killed in an assassination attempt. What has happened to the Kamei'Sin after the fall of their leader is unknown, but it's possible that they have either petered out of power or dissolved into obscurity entirely.

That's less cool.  Rather sad actually.

Wait.  Let's think this through. You've created a character for yourself who is evil, and then killed her family.  The rival clan who did this then tortured her and did all kinds of nasty things, yet somehow I feel sorry for them.  Perhaps it's just that 1AM feeling but there seems to be some pretty strange psychology at work there 

As for what happened to them, unless there was something truly irreplaceable about their leader it's possible they may simply have had some kind of succession thing.  Although since the clan leader seems to project power back to the others, it's likely that they are a shadow of their former selves.  (Dunno if Aary's leader is alive, but if not she seems to be doing pretty well for herself)

I guess we just don't really know enough about how 'Cubi clans work...

[Sunblink]

Wait.  Let's think this through. You've created a character for yourself who is evil, and then killed her family.

Yep.

The rival clan who did this then tortured her and did all kinds of nasty things, yet somehow I feel sorry for them.  Perhaps it's just that 1AM feeling but there seems to be some pretty strange psychology at work there 

Honestly I'm not too surprised, since I experience the same things sometimes. XD

As for what happened to them, unless there was something truly irreplaceable about their leader it's possible they may simply have had some kind of succession thing.  Although since the clan leader seems to project power back to the others, it's likely that they are a shadow of their former selves.  (Dunno if Aary's leader is alive, but if not she seems to be doing pretty well for herself)

I guess we just don't really know enough about how 'Cubi clans work...

Hmm, I need to think more about this. I'm going to assume that the Kamei'Sin were extremely reliant on their clan leader, but that's behavior more characteristic of the Jyraneth Clan. I'm probably going to need to rethink this. Curse my quick conclusion skills...ing! D:

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Tapewolf]

The rival clan who did this then tortured her and did all kinds of nasty things, yet somehow I feel sorry for them.  Perhaps it's just that 1AM feeling but there seems to be some pretty strange psychology at work there 

Honestly I'm not too surprised, since I experience the same things sometimes. XD

Just to check, that wasn't meant in a negative way.  In a way it's rather like Invader Zim, which has you rooting for someone who wants to kill you.  No mean feat.

Hmm, I need to think more about this. I'm going to assume that the Kamei'Sin were extremely reliant on their clan leader, but that's behavior more characteristic of the Jyraneth Clan. I'm probably going to need to rethink this. Curse my quick conclusion skills...ing!

It's not impossible that the KS might be somewhat like the Jyraneth, although minus the actual insanity bit.  Rivals will often tend to mirror each other.  Whatever the case, losing their founder would certainly leave them in a much worse state.  It might indeed cause them to split up, and if the surviving leader hadn't made any concrete plans for succession, it would probably break into rival factions.  On the other hand, after losing one founder, the survivor would have to be pretty dim/egocentric not to make contingency plans for their own death.

"Ah Benson, you are so mercifully free of the ravages of intelligence..."
--Evil, The Time Bandits

[Sunblink]

Aaaaaaaaugh it's finally finished. Tapewolf's request is FINALLY finished.

CLICK HERE

Though damn... I can't say I'm too happy with it. Tapewolf, if you're not happy with it, I'll be sure to redo it. If you do like it, though, I'm glad it was worth the long time it took for me to finish it.

I admit there are some aspects of the picture I enjoy, such as the wings, and the cane. Meanwhile other facets irritate me to no end, such as his expression (I can do much better than that, honestly...) and the hand gripping the cane. Why does he have a cane, you might ask?

Because canes are DIABOLICAL. *DR.EVILPINKYFINGER!*

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Kenji]

Tapewolf: The new El Suavo.

Ya know... I don't know if this'll offend or compliment, but I'm aiming at compliment. Your style reminds me of a cross between american styles and manga. The heighs of the manga characters, with leg comparisons, but with the american art style to it.

[Sunblink]

Tapewolf: The new El Suavo.

Ya know... I don't know if this'll offend or compliment, but I'm aiming at compliment. Your style reminds me of a cross between american styles and manga. The heighs of the manga characters, with leg comparisons, but with the american art style to it.

Actually, this comes across as a definite compliment to me. XD I've always been trying to aim towards a style which is somewhere in-between, as opposed to an exaggerated anime or cartoonish style.

So thank you very, very much.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

I like his expression. "I know something you don't know" written all over it.

And that, of course, fits Jakob to a T...

[Tapewolf]

Aaaaaaaaugh it's finally finished. Tapewolf's request is FINALLY finished.
I admit there are some aspects of the picture I enjoy, such as the wings, and the cane. Meanwhile other facets irritate me to no end, such as his expression (I can do much better than that, honestly...) and the hand gripping the cane. Why does he have a cane, you might ask?

Because canes are DIABOLICAL. *DR.EVILPINKYFINGER!*

~Keaton the Black Jackal

Hehehe.  Yes, I do like that.  I really don't know what you're complaining about with the expression, the evil grin is pretty much dead-on.  In fact I look rather like that now, just looking at the picture.
The eye is perhaps a trifle large but that seems to be a general feature of your art style so I'm not really complaining about that.

Two things that it would be nice if you could tweak - the hair is lovely but ideally it should reach down to his shoulders.  Likewise the trenchcoat should be longer.  Exactly how it interacts with his tail I'm not sure - probably an opening in the back to accommodate it.

This is based on James' version and makes a good reference for the coat:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k216/tapewolf/jakob/eviljakobcolour-dodge.png
I think you've done a better job with the hair and the face, though.

[Sunblink]

Hehehe.  Yes, I do like that.  I really don't know what you're complaining about with the expression, the evil grin is pretty much dead-on.  In fact I look rather like that now, just looking at the picture.
The eye is perhaps a trifle large but that seems to be a general feature of your art style so I'm not really complaining about that.

Two things that it would be nice if you could tweak - the hair is lovely but ideally it should reach down to his shoulders.  Likewise the trenchcoat should be longer.  Exactly how it interacts with his tail I'm not sure - probably an opening in the back to accommodate it.

This is based on James' version and makes a good reference for the coat:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k216/tapewolf/jakob/eviljakobcolour-dodge.png
I think you've done a better job with the hair and the face, though.

Well, that's a total relief and a mood-lifter to hear.  I'm absolutely overjoyed that you like the picture, Tapewolf. I'm once more sorry for the wait, however. X3 As for the eye size... whoops. I need to keep fixing that in future images. XD I've been messing with that eye all throughout my attempts at making the picture more anatomically correct but somehow that keeps weaseling its way into this.

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o15/Keaton_Mask/Scan-JohanCross2.jpg?t=1180904860

Here ya go, Tapewolf. X3

I managed to adjust the picture a little bit, some of the changes are sort of subtle. For example one side of the hair is sort of thrown over the shoulder, but the increase in length actually makes it look a bit better. As for the trenchcoat's sleeve for the tail, the tail is outside of the sleeve so I decided not to really incorporate it.

However I think I'm a bit happier with the adjusted image.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Tapewolf]

Here ya go, Tapewolf. X3

I managed to adjust the picture a little bit, some of the changes are sort of subtle. For example one side of the hair is sort of thrown over the shoulder, but the increase in length actually makes it look a bit better. As for the trenchcoat's sleeve for the tail, the tail is outside of the sleeve so I decided not to really incorporate it.

Yes, that's good.  Ideally the coat should stretch down to his ankles, but I've had a quick go at extending it here and it doesn't really work with the way the image is constructed.
Your slightly extended version is probably the best it's going to get without a major redesign of the lower part of the picture.  Besides, I suspect the despotic ruler of Ha'Khunn could afford more than one coat 

If I could make another change request, do you think you could you close the eye ever so slightly, something like this?

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k216/tapewolf/jakob/cross_eye.png

I smiled my trademark cynical smile, the hooded eyes... amusement and deadly menace in equal proportion.  "Executions are messy and inefficient," I said.  "It's so much easier and just as effective if the population THINKS that my opponents and their families have died by my hand."
--CJP, chapter 12

"I want them, Ashley."  I said, smiling my infamous smile.  "I want them alive.  They won't be alive AFTERWARDS of course, but I want them to be delivered to me in the best possible condition."
--CJP, chapter 18

[Sunblink]

If I could make another change request, do you think you could you close the eye ever so slightly, something like this?

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k216/tapewolf/jakob/cross_eye.png

Hmm, I can definitely do that.

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o15/Keaton_Mask/Scan-JohanCross3.jpg?t=1180908087

Once more, the changes are subtle, but I'm growing increasingly happier with the image.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Tapewolf]

Hmm, I can definitely do that.
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o15/Keaton_Mask/Scan-JohanCross3.jpg?t=1180908087
Once more, the changes are subtle, but I'm growing increasingly happier with the image.

Yes.  The eye itself is now the right shape, but that change has fuzzed the pupil somewhat.
In the previous versions the pupil is crisp and dark, and the highlight gives his whole expression a vital spark which is somewhat missing in this version.
It's easy to fix in the digital domain though, so if you're going to colour it, it could be dealt with at that point.

[Sunblink]

Yes.  The eye itself is now the right shape, but that change has fuzzed the pupil somewhat.
In the previous versions the pupil is crisp and dark, and the highlight gives his whole expression a vital spark which is somewhat missing in this version.
It's easy to fix in the digital domain though, so if you're going to colour it, it could be dealt with at that point.

Well, I am planning on coloring the image at some point, so that IS easy to fix. However, considering the size of the image it will take me a while to ink it. Cursed inking. XD

So expect a colored version to appear sooner or later. Hopefully since fewer black hues are involved in this picture than in the Zedd one, it'll be much easier to shade and highlight. XD

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Gareeku]

Awesome art once again, Keaton. I love the facial expression.

Maybe it's just me, but all this nitpicking gives a strong impression that you're not grateful, Tapewolf, for the fact that she drew you a pic in the first place.