bexatthedesk

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A while ago my friend and I were thinking what our pets would be if they were in DnD. (it started with their family dog who is now my mom's dog, who would be a bard)

My foxhound mix, Halley, we decided was either a ranger or a druid. Since she doesn't actually hunt, I made her a druid! She loves animals of all kinds--nice to cats and rabbits, and loves to see foxes and deer on our walks--and she's in tune with emotions, but still pretty hardy and active.

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@hkthatgffan unboxed the @gf-seasons-zine in a video that I was a part of!

So happy to be a part of this zine, ever artist, mod, and person involved was amazing and talented. I had so much fun doing my piece for the summer section.

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I keep getting random comments like "are you available for commissions, dm me."

Like NO.

YOU dm ME. That's how commissions work, if you really would want a drawing from me you'd ORDER, instead of having me hunt you down.

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New lore on the Dark Pegasus--a creature from Grior. Learn more about it and it's connection to Shreeko. Learn more about it on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/dark-pegasus-129572896

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It's a ghost, right? That means it's dangerous ....right?

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You can get caught up in Variant Realms here: https://variant.thecomicseries.com/

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Why is it I do my best work when I’m just noodling around?! Literally this was just an experiment! I want to get this kind of stuff on full paper instead of a corner of my sketchbooks. Do you guys think people would buy fantasy stuff like this?

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Been doing a lot of traditional sketching lately. Might be because every time I go to draw digitally, I feel overwhelmed. It's like all the stuff I have to do is just laughing at me. Just going back to sketching in my sketchbook is freeing. Gets the imagination going. I can feel like I can draw "crap". What stuff do you guys go to when you feel drained or numb?

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click the header for all my social links

Hi! Thank you for checking out my tumblr! I'm Bex, the one at the desk (not to be confused with the one in the stories). If you enjoy my work consider commissioning me or supporting my patreon for comics!

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Commissions: OPEN

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One of my favorite techniques for coloring hair on a tablet is not closing the lines. I know people are gonna come at me saying it’s messy, but I love the look of just seeing the hair color instead of linework. I just let my stroke taper off as if it were an ink brush. It makes it look more natural to me. It also allows for extra wisps of hair if you’re feeling fancy

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Starting sketches for the Renn Faire! Figured I’d start my sketches with a recognizable character…

The Tevinter elf himself! I have just a little more detail to add, but he’s done. Dunno if I’ll continue with the rest of the gang until I pump out some more creatures, but what do you guys think?Should I continue with Dragon Age or another series? Or maybe do some OCs next?

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Social media can change or disappear, but if you're in my adventure party email list, you'll be able to join me wherever I go. I share art, updates, new products, and secret posts I don't share on social media. And the best news is IT'S FREE. Just go to: https://www.bexatthedesk.com/adventureparty

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HOW I CREATE MY ILLUSTRATIONS

I get a lot of people that think that digital art is just pointing at the screen and PLOP! a fully formed image appears. They are surprised when I tell them that "digital art" is not the same as "computer graphics" (and even computer graphics takes more than just point and click skills). I used to get the same reaction in my graphic design world, where someone thought that just cause something is on a computer that it was easier than using traditional art supplies. I thought I'd show you my process as I create one of my pieces.

THUMBNAIL

I start with a really messy and basic sketch at small scale, called a "thumbnail". This helps me get the layout and composition of what I want to make. Usually this part doesn't require any research, it's just an exploration of poses or how I can get the figures in the image to fit.

SKETCHING

When sketching it depends on the image in what I start with. Here, I started with the cliff they are sitting on, so I had something to anchor the figures to. This helped a lot with sizing and perspective. Next I did the front character (Bex, my persona). I used a reference of a jaguar to get some of the shapes of the shoulders and back right, then I adjusted because of her different anatomy (she's part dog among other things). Ell, the character in back was next. I drew all of her, including what was hidden to get the right height. For Ell, I used a german shepherd as reference. Bex's wings were next, and I didn't erase parts of her back, in order to get her spots in place later, but I did hide Ell's feet in the next one. Lastly, I added their accessories.

BACKGROUND

I like to start the background with the sky, much like Bob Ross. It helps to have those colors figured out for later when I go to do the shading. For this sky I wanted a sort of sunset or sunrise so I used soft blues, pink, and yellows. The gradient tool in photoshop is very helpful for this part of the process, but I like to add in colors between them to give it that color changing look. The clouds were done with a normal brush but I set the layer on low opacity to let the colors come through. Lastly I blocked in the cliffside and worked on the rocks and how the light hit them.

LINES AND BASE COLORS

Next I do the lineart by reducing the sketch layers' opacity. This process takes a while cause I like to be precise. When I'm done I hide the sketch layer and color in the lines with each character's base color. Before I do anything else I add a new layer and color in the "extras"--eyes, nose, paw pads, or small piercings if they have them.

CHARACTER COLORS

I like to start off with a soft brush for coats that change color and work from dark to light and for Bex's blue points. I use a harder brush for Ell's sable marking, which shows over her pangare/countershading and the same brush for her white points and belly. I have specific colors I use on 40% brush opacity for shading each character, and each marking has two to three shades. Here, because it's a strong light coming from below, they get a sharper shadow.

CHARACTER SHADING

Ell's wings and tail are blocked in, as is Bex's wingtips. Then using a reference of Bex's spots from previous images, I use the same brush from Ell's sable, and start putting them in. She has a specific style of spots so I don't just add them wherever, but I do follow the direction of her fur and body placement. After each character's coats are finished, I color any accessories they have--Bex's bandana and Ell's necklace.

GROUND

I left the harder part for after the characters--the grass. I realized here that the color needed to be lighter (even if I wanted to work from dark to light, I had trouble figuring out the contour of the land). This is the same brush as the sable and shading from before. I work slowly here and in this case I started with a light color and medium tone to shade in the contour of the cliff. Then I added the darkest shade, especially under the characters. Next I used progressively lighter shades to complete the detail in the grass, until I could add highlights and hints of flowers.

EFFECTS

The final part is the effects of lighting. In sunsets the light changes to gold so I used a color similar to the sky to add a soft light from the bottom left. The same color I used to highlight the characters where they faced the sun. Their backs got a desaturated red shadow, and lastly some darker shadows coming off of them to give it that nastolgic anime feeling:

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Some Say...

The thought that started my whole comic.

People have so many different opinions, so many different beliefs. For me though, I believe in God. I imagine my character in the Imaginary Realm hearing or feeling Him call and it's so profoundly personal.

I tried a very different coloring style on this one, and I think it turned out well.

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✨ Big News, Friends! ✨

Guess what? I'm kicking off something super special —a Gift Membership Raffle! 🎉

Here’s the deal: I know times can be tough, and not everyone can join me on Patreon as much as they’d love to. So, I thought, why not spread some magic and invite more of you into my little fantasy-filled corner of the world? 🌟

By entering the raffle, ten people can win a free three months of membership (or gift it to a friend who’s been dying to dive into the story)! Imagine unlocking exclusive comic updates, behind-the-scenes sketches, and bonus lore—for free! 🐉✨

All you have to do to enter is: 1️⃣ Comment below or on my Patreon post: HERE. 2️⃣ Share with a friend who’d love the comic as much as you do (optional but awesome). 3️⃣ Cross your fingers! 🤞

Winners will be announced February 1st—so don’t miss out! This is my little way of saying thank you for all the love and support you’ve shown this magical world we’re building together. 🖤

Good luck, adventurers! Let’s spread the fantasy love! 🧙‍♀️✨

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New Years 2025 Announcements!

Happy New Year Adventurers!

I can't believe the year is over and we're almost at 80 pages! It's been a slow year for me, having battled with self-worth and depression, but I'm looking forward to some new changes in 2025.

First and foremost, I'll be using January to get ahead on comic pages. My patrons will be the lucky few able to see the new pages ahead of everyone else. I'll start back up with public releases in February!

Over the Horizon

The current chapter will conclude in June if I'm on track. That means patrons will get the whole thing then, while the public has to wait a few more months. That'll give me time to create some more extra content, like lore and bonus comics.

Some upcoming content includes Methyean races, magic, and world lore; backstories on our heroes and villains; spoilers on upcoming characters and arcs; and character and weapon adoptables!

Within that time I also plan on starting a kickstarter for printed copies of chapters 1-3. This might include new merch as well, like charms and stickers. Stay tuned!

Craft Worlds with Me!

I'd also like to invite everyone to share their stories and characters on our Discord, even if they're just in the brainstorm phase. Part of my dream in creating Variant Realms is creating a wider world of Author Beings who create stories and art together, and craft a huge wide imaginary world. So, show off your original characters, fantasy worlds, space adventures, or what have you with us! Who knows, I might even feature you in the comic!

P.S. GIFT MEMBERSHIP RAFFLE

I'm holding a membership raffle, you can enter it here! https://www.patreon.com/posts/119036906 (You might have to join as a free member to post)

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Some comic winter shenanigans!

Rudolph was always my childhood Christmas obsession. I imagined he always took time to play with me on adventures. I kinda see him with the ability to be with any kid that needs him. So now as an adult I love to imagine he inspires childhood wonder, uplifts underdogs, and still holds deer (pun intended) the values of Christmas.

Meanwhile, Din does not understand snow. He comes from a tropical land. There isn't even snow on their mountains. He is also not a fan of bodies of water, so he is VERY confused.

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Variant Realms 71--77

Page Explanation: Bex, Ell, and Shreeko are captured by a dark creature named Xosk that Bex knows. Now Ell wakes up to find herself chained to the wall of a cell.

If you want to see the whole comic in its entirety, then go to Variant on ComicFury

If you’d like to support me and the comic go to My Patreon