You look sad when you think he can't see you...

You look sad when you think he can't see you...

Created using: Wacom Intuos tablet + Photoshop CS3

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Inspired by watching the BBC Sherlock series, this piece is my tribute to the friendship between Sherlock and John, one which I find indescribably beautiful. Their relationship is one that has been interpreted many times in many different ways, but to me, the core of it is just a connection at a very deep level. Whether the surface result is a wonderful friendship, bromance, romantic attraction, something else, or any combination thereof, I just find this basic connection something really wonderful to observe.

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In a way, I really needed to draw this piece to express all the emotions I had accrued from watching "Sherlock", particularly since I essentially marathoned it (as much as I ever marathon any show). As much as all the action and intrigue was exciting (and yes, I really like feeling smart when I think I figure something out faster than Sherlock), what I really enjoyed the most about the show was the portrayal of humanness, and particularly the developing friendship between Sherlock and John. So first and foremost, that's where the motivation for this piece came from.

The title is one of my favorite quotes from the series, and one that I think is especially telling of the level of friendship formed between the two men over the course of the series. It not only confirms to us, the viewers, what we've been observing, but I think also serves as sort of a lightbulb or emotional realization point for Sherlock, who I perceive as becoming more and more human through his relationship with John.

On a more technical note, I've been slowly experimenting with different ways of using my drawing tablet over the past couple of weeks. In particular, while I've gotten fairly comfortable with vector-style art (think standard My Little Pony), I've been wanting to learn how to execute a more painting-like style. This turned out a little bit simplistic and almost block-like, but I quite enjoyed getting to play with shading and texture. I'm not sure I'll ever achieve a highly polished level of digital painting, but I actually feel fairly satisfied to have pulled of this simpler style.

I've also been trying out some different nibs in the process. I stuck with the standard nib for the preliminary sketching and placement planning, but then switched to the "brush" nib once I moved into the coloring phase. My conclusion is that I really love the feel of the brush nib and will definitely be using it more.

I apologize for the influx of fandom recently, but it really does give me the impetus to draw despite my lack of free time. Hopefully I'll start finding the inspiration to draw more original works soon XD