Whoa, a drawing from me. Even I'm surprised. And it's... shounen-ai. I shall explain.

It's been more than a year since my last full illustration. I doodle every now and then, but this is the first time in a long, long while that I managed to come up with something decent enough to attempt to ink and color. I'm rather happy with how this turned out, especially considering how I've been feeling really rusty.

I'm still trying to find a style to call my own, but I notice that I often use several rendering styles in one composition. Like for this one, more complex shading on the skin, and gradients inspired by ukiyo-e for the clothing. The background is actually a photo that I took; I intentionally shot out of focus to get colored blurs and balls of light. Then I drew on the swirly smoke (a visual element I'm very fond of) and the red spider lillies later on. I would also like to say that drawing those details, as well as the garment patterns freehand was a real pain. A rewarding sort of pain, though.

Naruto and Sasuke are wearing outfits based on an illustration from one of the Naruto profile books. However, I changed certain parts and threw in my own ideas here and there, like Naruto's ponytail (which apparently has its own gravitational field). Hey, it's possible. Maybe he's following after Jiraiya's footsteps.

I know Naruto might look really young to some of you, and even somewhat girlish, but that's how I interpret his features - open and innocent, in contrast to Sasuke's sharp, stern face. Or maybe that was just me trying to deny that this is what it is. Perhaps I was subconsciously pretending that this is a drawing of a boy and a girl; or a guy giving his little sibling (who looks nothing like him) a protective, brotherly hug.

So uh, about the chosen subject matter... It's dedicated to Charmie ~yaoiangel14 _{(take note of the username)} who has been an absolute angel when it comes to helping the rest of us out with, well, practically everything. To help her get more people into The Dark Side, we'll be selling prints of this illustration (8.5 x 11 inches on thick board, no watermark) of one of her favorite yaoi pairings at our table for AME 8th Avenue tomorr- ...later.

convention info:
AME 8th Avenue
NOVEMBER 8, 2008
Ang Bahay ng Alumni
University of the Philippines - Diliman
more here [link]

Sorry, I fail at plugging! This week really flew by because con preparations made it so hectic and action-packed. I don't know if I'll be getting any sleep, haha. I just hope I don't end up looking too much like a zombie. Hope to see you guys there! Back to work for now!