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Digital Ask Laurence 2.0

Discussion in 'Art' started by Vurrunna, Apr 16, 2017.

  1. Vurrunna

    Vurrunna Giant Laser Beams

    Proto-Laurence 30.png
    I don't think I need to comment on what Laurence could do with a lamp.

    This is one of the few times I have drawn Laura and Laurence in the same panel, and the only actual drawing of them both in Laurence-ified garb. See, the thing is, Laurence kind of knows Laura exists, and sort of has an idea that she lives in the studio, but because of a wide series of reasonings he doesn't really know who she is or what she's doing here or even that the orange-colored Laura and coffee-colored Laura are the same person. He's even only just vaguely aware that her name might be Laura, but for all he knows that may be a third person from the two lady foxes he thinks live in the Box. Chances are, when he wakes up, he won't even remember that he tried to attack her, or that he did a myriad other things that may-or-may-not haunt him in the future.

    Merry days,
    --Vurrunna
     
  2. voiditect

    voiditect Scruffy Nerf-Herder

    Hey Ed. Hey Ed. Hey Ed.
    Why does A female clone of Laurence exist? Laura seems a little illogical to me.
     
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  3. Rgbunpro

    Rgbunpro Cosmos Killer

    If it's anything at all like what he can do with a spoon, that's scary.
     
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  4. Vurrunna

    Vurrunna Giant Laser Beams

    Proto-Laurence 31a.png
    Clearly, Jierik's more rooting for his own fan club. It's because he's jealous that he's not as popular PLEASE JIERIK NO NOT THE BEATING STICK--

    As for gifts and obsessive clubs concerning Ed, he's more likely to be annoyed than flattered, so I of course encourage such things heartily. The first order of business for such a club would be: What exactly is Ed?

    Blech. Sorry for the super long delay--I actuallt made this a few weeks ago or so, but wanted to make another panel I never got around to. I eventually decided the one panel was good enough on its own, but then never got around to posting it. Regardless, here it is now!

    Oh, and if anyone felt so deranged compelled, there's a decent deal of information regarding who and what Ed is that's scattered throughout older posts (i.e. the dirt ugly ones that make me sad). One thing I'll give away now: of the characters presently displayed, he's the most prominent in the universe outside of the Box (noting that Laura originates from outside the Box, as do a couple other older characters). While I don't expect anyone to care enough to dig through my horrid doodles I used to make, anyone who did so with some real attention to detail might find a few interesting hints mixed in with all the indecipherable nonsense.


    One other thing--it may be a while before the next post. My plan was to take a bit of a break after this one anyways (then I stalled and took twenty days), and there's been an influx of things what need doing on my end (for one, lots of models what need painting, for two, a super secret project I'm making for Christmas to give to a friend, for three, finals are coming up which other artists use as an excuse for not making art so hey may as well). That said, I definitely want to make something Laurence-y sometime soon, and have a few ideas for what to do.

    'Til next we meet,
    (Hope your Turkey Day was nice and artery blocking),
    --Vurrunna
     
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  5. Bonabopn

    Bonabopn Fluffiest Squirrel

    What's the internet coverage like there?
     
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  6. Rgbunpro

    Rgbunpro Cosmos Killer

    Shoot man, now I wanna take a mining expedition through all your old posts. I'll have to do that when I have time though, this job has a lot of hours @_@
     
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  7. Vurrunna

    Vurrunna Giant Laser Beams

    Intermission 3.png
    We've all been there--tired, exhausted, suffering a coffee crash the size of Jupiter and just wanting to purge the universe of all life via an easy-peel orange... Er, actually, scratch that last part.

    Anywho, like Laurence, I am not yet dead, and, also like Laurence, all of you are (presumably) not yet dead, meaning that all is right with the world*. I have some ideas for what the next few installments of Laurence will be, and have a few floating questions to boot (thank ya kindly), so if I don't get to work on those it's because of laziness and a growing dislike of digital drawing (I find I much prefer a physical pen on paper compared to the slickness of a tablet).

    *Ignoring for a moment all that is not right with the world, including poor grammar and the continued existence of the Prequels.

    I mentioned a while back that I was working on a super secret Christmas project for a friend. Here is said super secret Christmas project:
    Beren Luthienye.png
    Elessar.png
    The first is entitled "Beren Luthienye," or "Beren and Luthien." The second is entitled ""Tar-Elessar," or "King Elessar (Aragorn)." Each represents the titular characters as risen corpses returned to the land of the living past their worldly expiration, which they decided to give a shot because apparently all mankind decided their afterlife wasn't as cool as the halls of Mandos and thus decided to show the Valar what-for by wandering around and being real spoopy (and not even in the proper month!).

    Both pieces are large (I wouldn't have it any other way), and both were immensely fun to draw. These are actually what set me to decide that I much prefer traditional drawing over digital drawing, though that shouldn't put too much of a hamper on Laurence's continued shenanigans.


    'Til next Laurence induces obscene violence,
    --Vurrunna
     
  8. Bonabopn

    Bonabopn Fluffiest Squirrel

    i hope laurence & co are having a happy holiday! do they have holidays in the box?
     
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  9. Vurrunna

    Vurrunna Giant Laser Beams

    Proto-Laurence 32a.png
    Proto-Laurence 32b.png
    Capitalism at its finest.

    Laura is not, in fact, a clone of Laurence. She's a fan that was enlisted to temporarily take his place the first time he got swallowed into the void, meaning that she's considerably younger than Laurence, who has been answering questions against his will since the dawn of time. She likes to dress up like Laurence, even dying her hair and getting it all spiked up, but it always ends up washing out when she cleans her hair.

    New semester. Lotsa projects. Personal nonsense. Bleugh.

    As it happens, Laura is really the only character on Ask Laurence who regularly changes her appearance. The idea is that, being a normal person who happens to have a pension for fashion and dressing up, she actually owns several sets of clothing and likes to do her hair differently in the morning. Also, her hair actually grows! Not like Laurence's, which is in a perpetual state of three orderly/disorderly spikes.

    Also, the Tallan kid isn't speaking Latin today. I think I've decided that using authentic languages, while fun, just gives me more work and ends up looking worse on the page after translating (I could translate it off of the page, but that just makes it even harder on people that don't speak a multitude of languages (as if such people actually exist).


    Blah blah blah, don't get killed,
    --Vurrunna
     
  10. The Purple Dragon

    The Purple Dragon Master Astronaut

    YOU CAN'T TELL MR WHAT TO DO!!! I'LL DIE JUST TO SPITE YOU!!!!
     
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  11. Vurrunna

    Vurrunna Giant Laser Beams



    Make like the cockroach on the wall,
    --Vurrunna
     
  12. Vurrunna

    Vurrunna Giant Laser Beams

    Proto-Laurence 33a.png
    Proto-Laurence 33b.png
    That right there is $150 worth of muffin Laura's eating. Too bad she's too groggy to really appreciate the experience. Or to keep hold of her social filter.

    I don't usually put this much effort into a panel. While the result is overwhelmingly satisfying, I'm not certain I could pull off doing more than one at a time--it's just a lot of details and a lot of time,and while it's worth it, I have a tendency of giving up on a response if it takes me more than a few days.

    That said, seeing as I plan on going the artistic route with life, Ask Laurence is the perfect avenue for risk-free and highly enjoyable practice! At some point down the line, I hope to be able to draw up as many individual, unique panels as I need. That said, once Laura and Laurence are awake, I'm probably gonna go back to quick and witty responses.

    Also--for whatever reason, I really enjoy Laura's floofiness. She was, after all, declared the Fluffiest Allaarn in the Tallan Republic by Senator Allistaire Vaarn* (though of course he's hardly the most respectable of individuals to be complimenting you on your fluffiness).

    *Technical note nobody noticed nor cared about**: Originally, Laura specifically said she was declared "Fluffiest Friend in the Tallan Republic." I never liked that name too much, so I retconned it to Fluffiest Allaarn. That said, being the master explaining why my past mistakes were glorious triumphs (it comes with being a gamemaster that has no idea what he's doing half the time), I have an explanation as to why Laura's original quote wasnt's technically incorrect: she simply thinks she was declared Fluffiest Friend, since she has a very upbeat and friendly demeanor.

    **I've been reading the History of Middle Earth, wherein Christopher Tolkien explains every last minutae of detail about the words and phrases his father did or didn't use in a piece, and how that did or didn't influence his later writings. As a result, I feel inspired to be equally technical about my own work. Perhaps not too pleasant for anyone around me, but it makes me feel more special, so hey, I got that going for me.


    Don't let the existential dread sink in,
    --Vurrunna
     
  13. Rgbunpro

    Rgbunpro Cosmos Killer

    Let me start by saying that this looks bloody fantastic! However, if doing this every time would make a daunting task that you'd quickly give up on, 'worth it' may not be the right phrasing. That being said, never give up on your dreams, if you think you can make it there one day then you're in the right mindset and you probably will.
     
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  14. Vurrunna

    Vurrunna Giant Laser Beams

    ... Behold.

    Before you, a barren wasteland.

    Surrounding you are the remnants of old memories and forgotten promises.

    The graveyard of a comic, years old and usually mediocre at best, but hey there were still a few good moments.

    But now, there is nothing. Nothing but emptiness where there should be coffee and incoherent violence.

    Suddenly, upon the horizon, a light!

    Could it be? Could the prophesies of old finally be coming true? Will age old promises be kept, and will this once irregularly-populated land be irregularly-populated once more?!

    Look! Over the hill, there rises, THE ARTIST!

    He raises his fists in the air, mouth agape in an animal roar. Not a roar of triumph, or of a victor, or even of a noble warrior--but merely an incomprehensible, entirely directionless roar of pure stubbornness and refusal to "be one of those guys that says he won't quit but then quits and everyone's disappointed in him" kind of roar!

    The Artist charges down the hill, fists flinging at the pure emptiness, stumbling and face planting more than a couple times and at one point losing his shoe and having to take three minutes to slip it back on, but all while continuously roaring in pure defiance!

    Soon, he reaches you, hoarsely screaming in your ear in a very uncomfortable manner.

    He plants a hand on your shoulder. Trepidation fills your heart, as you battle with your own feelings--can he really be back? Will the barreness finally end? Am I not actually having any of these feelings and the writer's just saying that I am? Should I not be so sassy?

    Yes. Yes you shouldn't.

    The Artist reaches his hand into his pocket, and pulls out a slip of paper.

    There it is. Right there before you. The answer to this land's prayers. The very thing everyone had ceased to hope for. Amidst the hacking and coughing as the Artist loses his breath, you hold the paper with trembling hands, and reveal...



    One Last Go 001.jpg

    H-hey! Remember how I said once that I'd be back after my Finals? W-well I'm pretty sure I did, a-and I just finished my Spring Finals, so haha, I technically kept my promise, okay guys, I'mma do some more doodles and be right back.
    --Vurrunna
     
  15. The Purple Dragon

    The Purple Dragon Master Astronaut

    YAAAY!!! Nice roar, by the way.
     
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  16. Taphy

    Taphy Scruffy Nerf-Herder

    Oh fudgesicles, I thought this died, how wrong I was. Maybe it's the year ( I think ) of me being to lazy to check here. Anyway, what are Laurence's thoughts on decaf?
     
    Last edited: May 16, 2018
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  17. Vurrunna

    Vurrunna Giant Laser Beams

    One Last Go 002a.jpg
    One Last Go 002b.jpg
    One Last Go 002c.jpg
    ...!

    One Last Go 002d Gooof.jpg
    JIERIK: Jeez Ed have you ever heard of KNOCKING

    (And I just realized Ed's speech blurb in the last panel looks like a plaque on Jierik's wall. Magnificent.)

    It's good to be drawing again, especially like this--I got all three of these done in one sitting. I'm very excited to make more.

    One big thing is that while these look rather nice in person, I only have my camera for taking photos of them. Fortunately I have enough editors to quickly make the photos look a bit pretty, but I might see about getting my hands on a scanner to try and make things look nicer upon upload (we have a scanner hanging around someplace but it might be missing a cord).

    The pages right now are a bit simplistic, which will both change and remain the same. The simple shading is mostly a product of my medium, as Sharpies do poorly at covering large swaths of paper without going dry and leaving a black mess in their wake (I might switch to different markers to see if it makes a difference, we'll see), whereas the simple backdrops should hopefully improve to start including more interesting settings and such. The walls will likely remain white for now, as I don't have a light enough marker to shade the walls without them standing out too much, but hopefully I'll eventually expand my markers to allow me to accomplish more art things.


    Thank you, I try.

    Laurence can't die. Believe me, I've tried--it usually ends with Jierik getting out the beatin' stick and me having a sudden burst of motivation to draw comics again.

    : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :​

    As it stands, I actually have a tiny bit of a story to tell with Laurence and Co (astounding, I know), but still feel free to ask whatever questions you like! Chances are I'll mostly make responses to questions involving what's presently happening in the Box, but that shouldn't restrain you from asking random questions as well (they'll be answered eventually, be it now or far later).

    Blah-Blah The Sleep Calls For Me,
    --Vurrunna
     
  18. Rgbunpro

    Rgbunpro Cosmos Killer

    Lol, you're pretty good at writing my dude.
     
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  19. Vurrunna

    Vurrunna Giant Laser Beams

    One, making jokes about my lateness is getting stale, so I'm just gonna assume we all understand this nonsense is par for the course by now.

    Two, I'm too lazy to do proper line art in a fashion that isn't either terribly tedious or poorly drawn, so we get quick sketches. Again, par for the course.

    One Last Go 003a.jpg
    One Last Go 003b.jpg
    One Last Go 003c Colorless.jpg
    Look at that, he's actually coherently acknowledging her existence in a way that doesn't involve trying to kill her. ~Progress~

    I suppose it's kind of silly how stubbornly I want to finish this comic, given this is just a personal little project that will likely never amount to much. Of the many ideas I hope to bring to life someday, this will likely be the least known, the least read, and the least well drawn (just look at where I started). That said, it will always hold a very special place in my heart.

    This is probably the only project I never gave up. It's the comic that got me into drawing regularly--the difference between where I started and where I am now is tangible, and in many ways amazes me. It's also the comic that made me want to keep coming back, so much that every time I thought about posting the bad news that I was finished, I got a burst of inspiration and made a new post. The characters in this comic will always be important to me--their personalities will always float around in my head, and when I'm bored I'll always want to doodle them in preposterous scenarios in the side bars of homework assignments.

    In short, even if they never mean much to anyone else other than some mildly silly doodles an internet guy once drew, these characters will always mean something to me. They'll remain in my memories for years to come, and I'll always find myself wanting to come back to them. To me, they deserve a better send off than simply being forgotten as their creator moved on to bigger things.

    Their story is going to come to an end soon. For anybody else, I'd assume that's just an interesting tidbit about a sub-par comic that was occasionally funny, but for me, it's terribly bitter sweet. My plan is to finish up their story here, and then maybe one day I'll come back to them, and give them a new story to run around and wreak havoc in. Until then, I plan to keep posting here, even if it's only in rough sketches of what I envision, until their current story is finished.

    But that's just my sentimental piece about these wackos. I'll keep making posts, however irregularly, until it's all finished. For all I know that might still take a year or two, but with any luck I'll have the motivation to get it done much sooner than that.

    Thank you guys for sticking around, whoever's still there. I've always appreciated your support and willingness to stick around even as I have no idea what I'm doing. Having at least a couple people to see my results has always made this thing worth continuing. Thank you.

    Couple more things. First, here's a colored version of the last panel (I messed up and drew on the wrong layer in the other two so I couldn't color them):

    One Last Go 003c.jpg

    Second, I just now noticed that I drew Laura walking funky in panel 2 and it looks like she's crossing her legs while she walks. Whelp.


    May the wind ever be under your wings,
    --Ethan
     
  20. Vurrunna

    Vurrunna Giant Laser Beams

    Large image incoming:

    One Last Go 004a.jpg
    I'm sure it's nothing.

    I remain stubborn in my convictions.

    So I decided to try out a new style here. I was actually inspired by another comic I saw recently on the forums, one by a certain owly-faced individual--they used primarily flat regions of color without any real outlines, and it created a very rich effect. I've tried similar styles before, such as using colored outlines, and I always liked the general effect. Here, I think it has a nice appeal to it, even if it doesn't fit the aesthetic I have for this setting very much.

    Also: though I've been gone, I've been incredibly busy. I've put quite a bit of thought into the general universe Laurence and Co exist in, and have put some decent work into defining its species and cultures and the like. No doubt it's still rather bare-bones compared to what I want from it (it has a general setting, but needs much more actual history to make it feel alive), but it's certainly getting there. If anyone's crazy enough to be interested, I can expand on it a bit more, especially since writing is far easier than drawing this fox of ours, but I'll try not to bore everyone with the details.

    I've also been working a lot on drawing for non-Laurence projects of mine. Some of them include concept art for the various species in his setting, including designs for other Allaarn (the general name for Laurence and Laura's species), while others include a lot of stuff for Middle Earth, Lord of the Rings and the like. If anyone's interested in seeing any of that, I actually have--much to my chagrin--an Instagram account I created to follow a friend and his art, and now use to post some of my pictures. I plan to upload more there, but honestly I'm none too interested in that platform and only use it to feel like I'm putting my artwork out there somehow.

    Lastly, this panel is obviously hardly much as far as the story goes. I just wanted to get something out there to break up my hiatus, and will continue posting the next few bits intermittently at some point in the next millennium. Expect the style to possibly shift about a bit as I experiment with different things.

    Alright, I've rambled long enough. I hope you're all doing well, and wish to thank any of you that are still poking around.


    Until next we meet, my dears,
    --Ethan
     
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