30Char #24 - Betty

Entry 24 for the 30 Character Challenge, (Underground edition). Keeping steady pace, still behind by 2, because its already the 26. This means that to hit the 30 mark, there's 6 more characters to cook up. Thanksgiving was full family time, and not a lick of art in the afternoon or night. And it was a long night. I did manage to finish coloring this piece.

This is Betty Flowers. She's the shy new girl in highschool about to try out for the swimming team. She's a little nervous. She wrings her hands as she walks over to the edge of the pool when called, looking at the team, in a "now or nothing" moment.

The piece has a process history. I started drawing a girl sketch, and coincidentally, my last run of characters were mostly male. My great artist friend on twitter, George Ward (web site link below), mentioned he hadn't seen female characters from me. He offered to give me tips, and I love tips. I include a couple of roughs that we exchanged. Great feedback from George! The initial pose changed significantly in the final version.

I colored with pastel chalk pencils, and used a Q-Tip (cotton swab on a stick) to soften the colors. The blending of slight shadows on fair skin is barely noticeable. I added background for contrast.

For more characters through this month, drop by the 30Character Challenge web site, or visit some of my great artist friends to see their characters. You'll really like creations by Kevin Cross, Bob Learned, Christopher Tupa, "Jahhdog", and George Ward. This is a great way to explore creativity, and possibilities. It is also a great way to practice, and share everyday problems, solutions, and discoveries.

Thanks so much for visiting. Drop by for more during this month. You can follow me on Twitter, just click on gonzalexx, or subscribe to this blog, if you like. Well, that's all for now, and as always, have a great art time!