Tattoo Inspired Ink Design

I had a really bizarre college class schedule winter term. I had a two hour break in between two of my classes and nowhere to go. My friends were all in class and by the time I walked anywhere worth being I'd have to head right back to get back to school to be in time for class. Besides, its not like I had ample spending money. So what did I do? I pulled out my fresh sketchbook and started doodling to my heart's content.

This was one such drawing.

The starting point of this image was the flower above her head. I sort of worked out from there, the drawing blossoming around this point. Lots of shadows. I love the way the wings came out. Or rather, the lines that suggest wings. Overall, there's an implied circular shape about this piece which I really like. Originally, her hair was gong to be long enough to cover her body entirely, but I liked the shape of her hair the way it was, so opted for heavy shadows instead. The twisted curve of a mouth is somewhat jokeresque and plays up the character's inhuman aspects.

Ink on sketch paper. Some unnamed random fine tip inking implement. Not sharpie, but something similar. It had a very soft finish, little bleed, and went on smooth. I'd like to purchase more of these pens if I could dig up the now dry pen barrel and figure out what brand it was.

-Krystal Dawn

Facebook: Krystal Dawn
Twitter: KrystalDawnArt
DeviantART: kekei94

Giratina: Origin Form

And for your viewing pleasure, legendary pokemon Giratina, in origin form!

Growing up, pokemon played a major role in my life. I was, and so remain, an avid fan of the original pokemon franchise as a whole. And what with the announcement of the next generation of new pokemon with the release of pokemon X and Y, marked for release in October of this year, and the controversy revolving around the  further announcement of the newest pokemon type introduced to the series, its nice to have a little reminder of some of the things Game Freak has done right in the past.

Mixed media: markers and colored pencil on regular copy paper. I really need to invest in some higher value drawing paper. Cold press, or bristol board or something of the like. I'd also new fine tip inking pens. I guess I'll just have to add those to my starving artist shopping list.

In other news, I finished Zaius, the third and final part of my three part Planet of the Apes Portrait series. Next on my to do list, I need to have all three portraits sprayed with fixative so they don't smudge before I get a chance to scan them and have prints made. I'm also considering adding digital manipulations to the drawings, like using layers to create watercolor backgrounds. I think I have a clear idea for a way to add a little more color and overall visual interest to my simple Planet of the Apes portrait series. If all goes well, these might be prints I'll sell as a limited edition, a "Rose City Comic Con Only" type deal. 

I wish you all good luck in your future artistic endeavors!

-Krystal Dawn

Facebook: Krystal Dawn
Twitter: KrystalDawnArt
DeviantART: kekei94

The Gray Jinjo House

So here we have a quick study of the Gray Jinjo House from the Nintendo 64 game Banjo-Tooie. First off, this a scan straight from my sketchbook. I wanted to do more still lifes, but had no interesting subjects on hand. So what I chose to do instead was sketch the polygons from my TV screen in the sequel to one of my favorite 64 games.

The gray Jinjo house is just plain interesting.

The sign next to the house reads, "In loving memory of the gray Jinjo family. Passed away unexpectedly when a huge digging machine flattened their house."

Yep. That's the morbid humor of Rareware, for you. This was the first sign you encountered in the game, and were prompted to read it by Jamjars, an NPC who teaches you new moves throughout the game. The huge digging machine was of course the bulldozer that Gruntilda and her hideous witch sisters had used to burrow their way out of spiral mountain during the opening cutscene of the game. The house remnants are found in Jinjo village, surrounded by other colorful houses left quite in tact. Rare uses this sign to explain why Gray jinjos, which you must rescue throughout the levels, are nowhere to be seen in the game.

This was done entirely with pencil. Shading was done with Q-tips. Hope you enjoy!

NOTE: The small sketch of the critter in the corner was drawn by a talented friend of mine...She felt the need to doodle on it while it was still half finished, apparently.

-Krystal Dawn

Facebook: Krystal Dawn
Twitter: KrystalDawnArt
DeviantART: kekei94

Purple Peacock

And here we are! Our first official artwork post of 2013! So sorry for the tremendous wait, everybody.

This was a commission for a friend of mine, who requested that I draw her a peacock with all of the traditional feather colors, EXCEPT to make the blue feathers on its body purple instead.

Mixed media. Pens, markers and colored pencils. I actually ended up using cheap plastic ballpoint bic pens for almost all of the black ink in this drawing. My other, more professional fine tip pens had run dry, and I didn't have the chance to hit up an art supply store. So cheap ink it was!

Check out my commission info if you're interested. Enjoy!

-Krystal Dawn

Facebook: Krystal Dawn
Twitter: KrystalDawnArt
DeviantART: kekei94

Updates 6/25/13

Alright! Welcome to kdvan.blogspot.com, your place online to find an up close look at the art of Krystal Dawn. Here you can browse my scrapbook, check out cool fanart, learn about commissions or view my portrait gallery. 

My last official post was made almost a year ago. Wow, time goes by fast! Of course I've been online to edit or update posts, and I've changed the blogger template multiple times since then and even the name of the blog. No longer are we Graphite butterflies, as that was a temporary work in progress title anyways.

Some Quick News:

1.So, if all goes well, I am at this point in time planning on attending Rose City comic Con in Portland come September and hosting my own Artist alley table, where I'll be selling both prints and original artwork. More info will be posted soon.

2.If you'd like to support my artwork, or are a fan of Planet of the Apes, Cornelius prints are now available on Ebay. 

3. I am now open for commissions. If you're interested, leave me a comment. Official commission info and prices will be posted shortly. EDIT: Temporary Commision info page, linked from my DeviantART journal.

4. Please take a moment to show your support and like my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter and Blogger, or watch me on DeviantART.

Facebook: Krystal Dawn

Twitter: KrystalDawnArt

DeviantART: kekei94

What Time is It...?!?

...Pizza Time! 

Originally drawn as a T-shirt design, this digital artwork brings together two of my favorite animated franchises. And I had so much fun working on it! 

This blog has seen some drastic changes quite recently, such as the overall layout and template design and even the blog name. Graphite Butterflies was always a temporary work in progress title, but somehow it had stuck. As an artist I go by the name Krystal Dawn, which is my real first and middle name.

There is much work yet to do! 

Enjoy, and feel free to comment, ask questions, and leave feedback!

NOTE: I seem to have lost my original, completely edited artwork file. So this one will have to do for now. Please bear with me as I work to correct this problem.

-Krystal Dawn

Facebook: Krystal Dawn
Twitter: KrystalDawnArt
DeviantART: kekei94