OLD Gallery

[Cole]

I've seen a few of the J.R.O.C.K girls and hopefully we can get them and a lot more here.

[Yangi]

The new team of guardians for Kandrakar to order.
Here you can find outfit sketches, pictures of the former guardians that are connected with JROCK
and of cause pictures of the new generation itself.


And to get started I'd like to post this first draft for this introduction picture:



The heart keeper looked too much like Hay Lin so I changed her hair. CC also had a hair change.
Originally she had
brown hair.

[Yangi]

Uniform Sketches

When I design a character or rather their outfit I often use a certain sheet. One female and one male. That way it's really just about the outfit and I don't have to worry about any poses etc. I use that quite often, not only for character I will use for a picture but also for characters of a story. If I visualize them, it's easier for me to describe them in the story. Also, by designing their clothes I capture a piece of characterization on paper that I can access any time, which is very practical.

 

[Cole]

So each of the girls has this own unique Guardian attire?

[Yangi]

Well yes, I had to give them some kind of magical attire, right? So I thought of some that match their character and element. You can see them up in the finished picture. In WITCH the black parts of uniforms appeared the first time with their new power outfits. I changed that, since the new generation holds more power from the start. That's why they already have a mixture between their first and second attire. It would be interisting designing an even NEWER power outfit ... but it'll take a while until I'd get to that point in the story...

I wanted to do a picture of them in those uniforms where you can see almost everyone from front or so, to give the details a chance. Most of them got hidden behind another character or due to dynamics... well we'll see.
Oh and while editing the stories or rather: while browsing through old notes about my first ideas for the story, I found, that I had originally planned a girl named Tira being the first magical girl to be abducted. I thought that was really funny. Guess your character really influenced me there XD

[Cole]

Well yeah, I expected them to have their own magical attire, just wasn't sure if they'd have something different or the same thing as W.I.T.C.H or different, but also similar. Kinda like how Nerissa's is way different from everyone elses, but it also has some similarities between them as wells. Will they have anything in common with the attire, like colors?

Between this outfits and the Power Outfits with W.I.T.C.H, it really makes me think I should probably give the characters unique and different attires in War of the Guardians. Problem is, I could never come up with any writer attire and there is so many different teams, it'd be rather hard to come up with something for all of them.

Yeah, I had noticed the name was use way back when it was posted on DA. I had the thought that like me, you just really liked that name. It really is a pretty cool name.

[Yangi]

I was thinking about giving JROCK an new set of colors but then again I thought, that, as a true fan I wouldn't do that XD Because all of the guardians (Kandrakar) uniforms have had these two colors, so I only added the black or really dark grey to symbolize their power status compared to WITCH or when CHYNK started. The uniqueness of each of their outfits is because of my detail-fanatism... I just love to think of new designs and details, small things to show even more of their character.

Well that surely would be amazing, but as you mentioned, there are quite a lot of teams. But you could give each a unique feature. Like Kandrakar has these rather tight suits in violet and green. Other teams might have different wings, some objects to carry about, maybe flattery big uniforms like asian Yukatas or in a warrior outfit with protectors and stuff. Maybe one team is colored entirely in white or black and white (cliché I know, but you get the point). Or they each have a pearl on them that symbolizes their element... That kind of stuff. That way you don't have to think of entire uniforms but one major feature each, to make it easier to follow for the readers.

[Cole]

I don't think using two different colors besides purple and turquoise would be an issue, I just think so long as they have the two same colors or something like that to show that its a type of team attire.

Hmm, I never really thought about minor things like that to add. I always just had the thought that if I was going to give each team a different attire then I would need to really give them a new attire, go all out and make each one vastly different and unique. Sometimes I way overthink things.

[Yangi]

That's the good part in writing in comparison to painting. When you write, all the reader needs is a little hint about two characters' difference. Of cause you can go all out saying Chara A has a round shaped moustage, one green and one blue-ish eye with golden sprinkles, a long nose, black spiky hair and always wears red sweatshirts, blue trousers with a belt in brown with spikes on, boots in green with a white symbol and carries a watch around his left hand and a silver ring on the right thumb. If you've red until this point: Congratulations! Most people wouldn't. The trick is, how you said yourself with characters: subtle introductions. Not all in one go. Same goes for attire. With he first entrance you can go for height, hair, eye-color or a specific habit like carrying a certain necklace, having a tattoo or other things as unique as that. That's all it takes for the reader to get it. Later you can say that person played around with a black necklace and everyone will know instantly who you're talking about without mentioning the name.
Same goes for the teams. Once you made clear team H has feathery wings, you only have say something along the lines: "feathers lifted into the air, when the brought shouldered man took off into the air". Something like that. Everyone will conclude: Feathery wings = Team H. brought shoulders and male = Team member X. TADA! Same works with colors of uniform, special items that might blink in the light or some other feature.

I did that a little with my guardians as well, tough I didn't use it much yet. CC is unique with her red hair. Rukia is the only tanned girl and very strong, Kia wears always a hood and almost never any shoes, O-Hani is the tallest and oldest of them and Jess is the petite one. Just by their nationality I can simply say: "the swedish girl" and everyone knows I'm talking about Jess. It's a simple principle that I love very much because it prevents me from having to use their names all the time.

Maybe you can use that as well. It might make it easier with your many teams and characters to get through.

[Cole]

Really gonna take me a while to get into that level of flow in writing. Spent so much time not writing that I'm a bit on the rusty side. I had wrote some One-Shots here and there, but in must cases I take a different approach with one-shots then I do my actual stories, so its kinda a completely different situation.

I always rather liked Kia's hood, don't know why, just always rather enjoyed it.

[Yangi]

Yeah I understand that. It's never easy doing something after a long pause. But it's like riding the bike. You never forget it completely. It might take a little while though, until your bike stops staggering and a little more, until you remember where the brake was. And you can always train it up until you can ride freehand or take someone on the pannier rack but with training, it might work.

Writing isn't any different, neither is drawing. I guess one never really get's out of training once started... At least I don't...

[Yangi]

Oh and: Yeah I'm really happy with it too (the hood). It's only one hell of a feature to draw *grumble* >_<

[Yangi]

Chapter Covers

I was thinking about redoing the chapter covers soon. Why? Because I had better ideas for them
Until then the old ones remain. And to make sure they can be seen in any case, I thought I'd make an extra post here where you can see them. Might be interesting, IF I changed some of them, how the old  looked compared to the new.

Prologue:
I really like the prologue picture. So that's probably going to stay... Somehow classy... in a WITCH sense...


Okay the hugeness aside.

Chapter 1:
I'm intending to Change this. I just don't know when I'll have the time for it. I've made some concepts... still have to see which one works out the best. Originally her Outfit was very green. I changed it later to what you see down here. On DA there are still chapter parts with the old version. I couldn't bring myself to change it... delete it forever... oh well. The sentiment of people...


Chapter 2:
The reason why I rethought the old pictures. It's a nice picture and all but not a cover. It Looks more like something cut out in the middle of an action. That's why I intend to change it.


More to come...

[Cole]

They might fit better as covers if those parts really did focus mostly on just the one character. Quailing Earth for example does seems to focus a tiny bit more on Kia, but generally they all seem generally equally important for each part, which isn't an issue, but it does bring up the questions of why the others aren't on the pic with, Kia. Even if Kia is the main focus for this part, with them being particularly the same in importance it almost seems more fitting for the others to appear in it as well, just a little in the background behind Kia.

They seem like the type of pictures that you stop to show an event going on or probably more like how some of the W.I.T.C.H pictures when they come to a bit of a stopping bit and there is some picture that may have nothing to do with what is going on, just a picture that is being shown of W.I.T.C.H, again nothing wrong with that either its fine like that as well, but that's the whole general feeling on how everything is to me.

[Yangi]

Wow you brought my fears to an exact point! Well fears may be too harsh a word, but my worries at least.

That's why I was planning to redraw them. Exactly the Thing with the others to be in the Background somehow, since they do play a role as well, or at least some other person there. And with the second Picture, also, just as you said. It doesn't really look like the cover of a Story. And I wouldn't like to read somehting when seeing that Picture, myself so why would others? I'll Keep it as a Picture of the series, but I won't use it as cover. I rather draw a new one. After all I already have concepts for it and the other ones. The Trouble is the coloring. If it were just the LineArts, I could get soooooo many Pictures done within few days. But since most of them Need coloring it takes several weeks for one, since I don't have much time... *sigh* Oh well it's still great to draw a Little once in a while

[Cole]

Sorry wasn't meaning to bring your worries to an exact point, was really just trying to give things from an other view point. The pictures do look great and can work as covers, its just though would better as cover under certain circumstances; like the focus of the specific chapter being about that character or if you do something like a solo adventure type of thing [Like the W.I.T.C.H Adventure books] then they'd work great as covers.

[Yangi]

Haha! Don't worry, it was GOOD you got the Point! That just made it more certain to me, what I was already thinking myself. I know they might work, but I also know, that, if I Change them a little here and there, they might work even better as Story-part covers.

[Yangi]

JROCK Ultimate!

Hey everyone! Long time no read! Sloooowly I'll be able to get back to my usual activity Status here and on my other Websites so I wanted to give you some News on my current stuff. I still got some commissions waiting, but to get "back into Business" so to say, I tried something different.

I was thinking about what might happen to the JROCK Girls int he future. Their uniform is more like the WITCH's "new power" Outfits, since their powers are more equal to that Level. I was wanderin, wether or not to give them new Outfits later on and how they would look like. Well, what can I say... of cause I had an idea! XD
Actually I wanted to Show you guys right away, since I've finished the LineArt for three of them already, but I seem to have saved it in the wrong Folder, which means, I can't upload it right now... -,-'
In any case I really like the new Outfits and I tried to give the Guardians in that Picture a more unique attire. Before they looked a lot like the WITCH Girls, especially their faces. So this time I tried to make them more themselves. I'm interesting how you like it!
Please, please comment as soon as the pic is up! I really want to know how you like them! Outfits, haircuts, faces, all kinds of stuff!

Well then, stay tuned for the JROCK Ultimate Outfits!

Probably online by tomorrow!

[Cole]

OH! Very, very, interesting! I can't wait to see them!

[Yangi]

I really hope you can see the Picture. Had some trouble with my Website so tell me if you see one riiight down here... right there... under this text. Pretty huge... *Point downward*

If you see it: I'm almost finished with Rukia so there's not much left until I get it done. Until then we have These lovely three Girls, my favorites concerning this Outfit, to make the wait worth while

[Cole]

Sweet!

Amongst the three I think I like Jess's the best.

[Yangi]

Hihi I like CC's the most But I love all of them >,< So proud!!! They look so grown up and cute! *wanna cuddle* So excited when the pic is done. And then your Boys are on the turn. Well okay I first have to get the actual Outfits designed, but I aldready know the most important Features and stuff so that won't take Long. So amazing!!!! Drawing is so much fun if you have time for it! OvO

[Cole]

Are they also meant to be older? Is this meant to be a few years later thing, or are they still the same age?

I really wish I could draw! I just don't have the patience or the natural skill to be able to do it. I've practiced, and practiced, and practiced, but nothing. I've even bought a few books in learning how to draw over the years, still never made any progress though.

[Yangi]

Well they are meant to look older but more so they look cooler hehe... If you take a look at the WITCH transformations, they started looking only slightly older in their first uniforms but their new power Outfit made them look practically grown up. At least in the Comics. So I thought if the JROCK Girls get a new Outfit it should make them look older than before.
In the adventures, some time might pass, until they get this Outfit. It's not planned until the 5th chapter so it takes a while to get there. Within the Story maybe it will be half a year, maybe even a year later from when it all started. I'm not sure on that yet. Then they get this new Outfit and some power-updates and the true Story Begins so to say
So exciting! Wish I was faster in writing and drawing an doing all the real life stuff so I could go writing and drawing all day Long!!!! ->,<-

[Yangi]

Oh and as for the drawing part: I guess some People arn't ment to draw. I suck at Backgrounds and painting. Sure I have a certain... Level but no matter how hard I try I don't get better at it at all.
Or cooking. I'm teeeerrible at cooking! Baking - no Problem! Cooking... ask the firealarm. He's pretty busy around here -,-'

[Cole]

That's good to know. I was starting to wonder if maybe they'd just almost immediately get their new outfits. I think its better to give it some time and use it as something of a plot device later one.

I can normally take some time out of my day to just focus on writing. Be it something like just working on ideas, or working on story chapters or just some fun little one-shot.

Yeah, kinda almost takes into the question of being be able to do anything if they try hard enough. I guess its still possible, but when you like a natural talent for something it takes far longer then other people just to get remotely good at it and even then you can hardly ever reach the level you'd like to reach.

[Yangi]

J.R.O.C.K. ULTIMATE POWER

After I've been looking at this for a while I do think I'm starting to like Rukia and O-Hani here as well. I still think I'll have to chnage O-Hanis hair somehow but I'm Content with her face. After all this was a test to get their faces more individual. They looked so much like the old WITCH Girls that I had to try and so I designed their new uniforms and older attire in one go!

For those who are interested: This attire is planned approximately for the 7th book so looot's of stuff to write until then XD But now you have something to be excited about, right? I'll make a repost of their first uniforms sometime too so that they match concerning the "new" facial Features.

[Cole]

I often tend to go a little back and forth on their looks, not just their outfits, but their own specific designs. Sometimes I like O-Hani better, Kia tends to stand out to be quite a bit from time to time in large part because of her personality and her hood is a trait of hers that always stands out, its actually a little odd to see her picture on Book 1 without the hood.

But there has always been something about Rukia that has always been appealing to me about her from her personality to her design. There's just something about her that's always stood out to me that I think would probably push me to say that she is my favorite.

That's nothing against Jess and CC though, its just a current thing. As the story progresses and each specific one gets a chance to really shine, it will be interesting to look back at this now and see how my list of them is laid out.

Calling it book now is only a simple change, but its a change that I like. It's the type of thing that I've considered for my Rewrites calling the chapters Episodes for the cartoon version and calling it Issues for the comic version. Small things to add in, but still things that seem rather fitting.

[Yangi]

Yeah I think the whole "book" Change is reasonable and makes it easier for other People to understand that there will be more coming up, why it focuses on one Guardian a bit more then others etc.
That sounds like a good idea with the "issue" and "Episode" difference. Very Fitting

Yeah I'm very interested how your prefernces will continue too I guess everyone has their own favorites. Of cause I like each of them because of some certain askect or because I know what's about to happen or their backstory in Details any of you can't just yet. I don't know if I have a favorite right now... I'm excited about Jess' book but it's on spot 4 so I'll have to go through two others to get there XD Maybe my favorites will have changed until then. Really interesting even for me!

[Cole]

Its a rather interesting really when even with our characters and know a great deal of how they are and things that will happen to them that our list of favorites for them can so often change.

I've always had Cole as my favorite of my OCs, and Willow as my favorite amongst the kids I have created, but all of the other places just seem to be a temporary bases as at some point I'll think of something and end up liking one character a bit more then most of the others. Its not to say I don't like the other characters, I just like that one character a bit more.