Kitana and the Tessen!

It’s Just a quick update today. I attempted to do some shading on the Kitana picture, but it wasn’t turning out well. I also tried to change the boots to sandals with straps up to the knees like something Romans would wear, but apparently I’ve never tried to draw toes and they weren’t working out very well at all, even worse than my rubber looking fingers. That's when I dumped that picture and went back to this version. It's no where near as awesome as the one that Midway did, but it's the best I can do for now.

Kitana Preview by TL Jeffcoat

So after doctoring up the lines and colors some, it is as good as my skills can do for now. Maybe later I’ll come back and put in some shadows, but for now, she is ready. Click on the link below to see the entire picture, and if you’re into weapons, to check out the Tessen, which is what Kitana is most known for besides her curves and being a princess.

Tessen of the Samurai 

That's one out of five pictures done for the month, now back to writing, and then finishing the two I'm doing for the Rajput's katara. Here's a sneak peak to the first one I'm on. Already made good progress. The Katara post is one of my most popular Weapons & Warrior's posts, which is why I chose two drawings showing three different variations of it. See you next week with those. I honestly didn't notice the similarity in names (Kitana and Katara) when I decided to do these drawings in this order, lol. My list showed Tessen and then Katara.

Katara preview by TL Jeffcoat

Mortal Kombat's Kitana Drawing.

Today I’m just popping in for a short progress report. I have been squeezing in a few minutes here and there to draw a few lines, or erase and draw them differently. I tried modeling the picture after the picture I had originally posted for the Tessen, but my skills are lacking in a great way in comparison. I think I have all my lines drawn now, so looks like all I have left is some coloring and then I will attempt to do some shading to give it a more three dimensional look.

Once I finish this picture, I am pretty sure I'll be able to crank out a bunch of weapons pictures a lot faster. I'm really getting a hang of the software and this is so much better than my free hand drawings. I will have to go back and replace some of those ugly free hand pictures someday. Like the Hwacha. That is a horrible drawing that mixed my initial freehand sketch with some digital editing. I had no idea what I was doing with this software at that time and I know I can make that picture a hundred times better. I'm very excited that I am developing a new skill alongside my writing. I can't wait to start sketching my characters one of these days.
 
I posted my progress so far down below. It's not perfect, but it's a huge improvement over my last attempt at drawing people. I'll have to go back and tinker with the Terminator: Back to the Future Cover after I'm done with this.

Weapons & Warriors: The Tessen of the Samurai

Art by TL Jeffcoat

You Mortal Kombat fans have seen this used by the ninja Kitana, but what you may not know is that this is not a purely fictional device. These specially designed fans were made with iron spikes and were very popular tools among Samurai and many others in Feudal Japan who were able to afford them.

The Tessen was designed to appear as an everyday fan used for cooling off. Instead of wood or paper panels, it was made with thin strips of iron, which were then sharpened. The fan could be folded up to hide its deadly nature and carried around without anyone knowing its true identity. This comes in handy when a Samurai enters an area that swords are forbidden, such as another lord’s home in which he refuses to allow the Samurai inside while armed with his katana. With the Tessen, the Samurai remains armed, despite his host insisting otherwise.