FanArt: Norrington and Groves

[honorat]

by Honorat
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Don't own POTC. Didn't take the photograph used for reference. Not making any money.

Summary: More Art! Norrington and Groves on the Dauntless. “That’s got to be the best pirate I’ve ever seen!” Poor Norrington looking pained, and Groves fangirling! I scanned this picture every time I stopped working on it, and I’ve included a few of the stages here as well as the finished piece. Here’s a Navy Lieutenant dauntless_2005! Thanks for the links.



Complete after 8 hours.

After 1 hour of sketching.

After 2 hours

After 4 hours

After 5 hours

After 6 hours

After 7 hours

Detail of Lieutenant Groves.

Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.
8 1/2 x 11 inches, mechanical graphite pencil on printer paper.

Comments

[drbillbongo.livejournal.com]

WOW!!!

I'm positively speechless. o_O

That is probably the MOST GORGEOUS drawing of the two that I've ever seen!!!! I LOVE you for your sense of detail.

May I friend you?

[honorat.livejournal.com]

*Bounce* A new friend! Of course you may friend me. I'd be honoured. Thank you so much. I've been wanting to get this drawing done for a long time. I'm glad you like them.

[teh-farmer.livejournal.com]

This is so.... GUH!

Sorry for eventual incoherency, but you just killed my (sometimes nonexistent) brain!

This is the best - I think the first Groves drawing I've seen... It's amazing!!!

May I friend you, too?

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Whee! I love producing incoherency. I certainly haven't seen very many drawings of Groves, and I can't remember seeing any portraits. The screen caps tend to be a little blurry or small, so a good likeness is a bit of a challenge. I'm glad you think I pulled it off.

I'd be happy to have you friend me. Thank you so much.

[rennie1265.livejournal.com]

I'm really supposed to be studying like mad for my final, wait for the chimney sweepers, watch the snow falling (again, nasty stuff), clean the house, do Christmas, writing, etc. etc. etc. Naturally I couldn't resist taking a peek to see what had been posted. Love this drawing, what a moment...one suffering commander and one enamoured fan. Really appreciate the steps shown along the way, it helps to see the process and how you organize your work. Neat.

[honorat.livejournal.com]

I'm really supposed to be grading papers, making lunch, shovelling snow (dry, dusty stuff), doing laundry, writing, etc. Naturally I couldn't resist reading comments and responding. :-D This moment in the movie was one of such contrasts. I had lots of fun with it. I'm glad you enjoyed the steps--I could only guess at the times each took since they represent things like 1 hour of faculty meeting. So it's an hour that's fairly interrupted by other business. Thanks for commenting. I hope your work magically completes itself!

[hadesgirl.livejournal.com]

Beautiful! You are very talented!!!!!

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much. I'm glad you like it. (Mmmmmmm. Rochester icon)

[the-dala.livejournal.com]

As usual, jaw-dropping wonderful.

[honorat.livejournal.com]

*pick's up jaw and hands it back* You've got to watch were you leave that thing! Thank you for your kind words.

[kenazfiction.livejournal.com]

Oh, WOW! Those are amazing! The depth and detail are incredible. As one of those people who has yet to master the stick figure, to see a sketch like this just boggles the mind-- even when looking at all the steps involved, I find myself going "How?? How??"


Hope you'll share more!

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I'm so happy you like my Navy boys. Probably the biggest "How" is the 8 hours on one sheet of paper. That was usually the dividing line with my art students. Who was willing to take ten minutes to place a single line right? :D

[elessil.livejournal.com]

Oh gorgeous! I love the depth and this is positively wonderful! *gropes*

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much. That means a lot coming from an artist like yourself. They are a lovely subject! *grins*

[arabwel.livejournal.com]

Wooo-ah., just... woah. incredible like woah. the detail is,,, unbelievanble.

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much. Detail is my favourite thing. I'm happy you like this.

[order_of_chaos]

Gorgeous. *gazes appreciatively at pictures*

And, outlines first? Might be a very good idea. Will try that myself.

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Yes, I do a fairly thorough line drawing (practically a colouring book illustration *grin*) before I start shading. That is the stage where I wrestle with proportions and angles. For instance, at the line drawing stage, I discovered that I'd placed James' ear too low and that I'd made Groves' face too narrow. At that point it's still easy to erase and change over and over. I find that if the line drawing is in shape, the drawing will go well, but if I rush the line art stage, things will be off. I always find things off anyway, but much less than there would have been otherwise.

[silly-walk.livejournal.com]

*falls off chair*
You're insanely talented, I LOVE how you blended the pencil for the shading on their faces. Mechanical pencil too! Jeeze, woman, you're as good as hot chocolate and gingerbread cookies rolled up into one!

[honorat.livejournal.com]

*picks up silly_walk and puts back on chair*

Thank you so very much. Shading is lots of fun. I do use soft lead in my mechanical pencils, and this is a fairly small drawing. Mmmmm chocolate and gingerbread--that sounds like a real compliment. I really appreciate your comments.

[black-hound.livejournal.com]

Stunning. I love your style. So crisp and clean.

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much. I'm honoured that such a wonderful artist as yourself has dropped by here! I do have a technical illustration tendency to my work. I was always good at drawing what I saw in a microscope in biology lab. :D I'm glad you like my Navy boys. You do such a lovely job with them yourself.

::Goggles::

[(Anonymous)]

WOW! Now *I*'m fangirling :D That's got to be the best drawing of the two of them I'm ever seen!!

Thanks for sharing, it's always a sight for sore eyes just before a whole day of work :o)

Much of love,
Belphegor :]

Re: ::Goggles::

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Hee! *steals your ship* Thank you so much. I'm glad to give you a good send off into the week.

[hms-dauntless.livejournal.com]

Oh this is really amazing ! Gorgeous ! A hundred times better and more impressive than the movie pic. I just saved it along with the other Norrie-related fanart and images I use as a screensaver. Thank you so much for this !

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Thank you for your kind words. The movie pics seem to never be able to get everyone in focus, so I had to improvise. And I made the two of them closer to the same size--compressed the perspective. I'm honoured that you saved this. And I did appreciate the links to reference photographs. I'll have to get to Gillette someday, too.

[mccleverly.livejournal.com]

Wow... so amazingly fabulous. I can only dream of having that kind of talent... *Bows before you.* You captured them so perfectly. Amazing amazing work!!!

[honorat.livejournal.com]

*bows humbly* Thank ye kindly. I do appreciate the feedback. I'm glad you like them.

[evilmissbecky.livejournal.com]

*drools*

See, you've reduced me to incoherency. This is simply beautiful! And I'm in awe over how quickly you draw, and how amazingly detailed the results are.

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Careful of the keyboard :D I've spoiled a number of keyboards looking at other people's pictures!

Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm glad you like my Navy boys.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Truly wonderful work. You've captured them ( ;) ) beautifully. The step by step pics and detail are much appreciated.

[honorat.livejournal.com]

That's what we pirates do--capture naval officers ;D Thank you. I'm glad you liked this.

[tiggothy.livejournal.com]

I think I'm in love <3

[honorat.livejournal.com]

With which one? Or both? *Snerk* Thank you.

[sinningia.livejournal.com]

What a beautiful, perfect picture you are presenting us with!

Beautiful with all its little details, beautiful with all this wonderful, light, smooth shading, beautiful in every sense of the word.

I will definitely rec this. May I friend you, btw?

~sinningia~

[honorat.livejournal.com]

OOOhhh! I'm feeling very happy finding such a lovely comment. I'm so glad you like them. Thank you for the rec! And I'd be honoured if you friended me.

[galadhir.livejournal.com]

I second and third everyone else. This is gorgeous! I'm not surprised that it took so long to do, in fact I'm surprised you managed to get such detail and accuracy in only 8 hours. Amazing! James in particular is fabulous. The Quality has arrived and it shows!

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much. I'm glad you like this rendition of the lovely commodore. Someday I'll have to try the lieutenant version. The Quality has indeed arrived.

[jaekayelle.livejournal.com]

*delurks*

Really should have said something before now, because your artwork is stunningly beeeoootiful! I've become a fan, and love all that you've shared with us. In this one Groves' eyes and his expression are particularly right on. I really like how you show the work in progress. It's quite enlightening. :)

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Welcome lurker! I purposely post Navy Boys to lure the lurkers :D I'm honoured that you like the art in general and Groves in particular. I'm glad his expression turned out, because the screen caps are a bit fuzzy. This was my first time trying to scan as I drew so it's rather interesting for me to look back on as well. Thanks for commenting.

[virgo-79.livejournal.com]

Okay, firstly, to get this out of the way: damn, Groves looks *fine*. I didn't even realize it until now, but you don't really get a chance to appreciate him on camera, because he's there and gone so fast. Way to capture a moment, honorat! I think you've done him more justice than the film did!

Mmm, I've gotta go up and look at him a little more.

Now, with that said -- another lovely one! And the in-prgress scans are so cool; I'm even more impressed now than I was before! Once again, my stick figures bow in awe before you. ;)

(And even though my longerresponse is over at BPS, I'l ltell you here, too: I loved "Balance of Justice". Very, very good!)

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Groves is really worth a second look! I always thought so, even though he tended to spend most of his time in the back of Norrington's shots and thus always was slightly out of focus. I really wish they'd invent movie cameras with a greater depth of field. They can never get two characters in focus unless they're on exactly the same plane. I'm glad my art could focus him for you. Since he's the more unusual character for fanart (everybody draws Norrington), I thought I'd feature him in the closeup.

I'm glad you like both my Navy art and my Navy fic. Thanks so much for the feedback. I've been running like a chicken without a head (5 concerts in one weekend--two I was stage managing, 3 performing, 2 involved travel all over the province. I'm dead.), but I will get by BPS soon to respond to the various posts there.

[felaine.livejournal.com]

Lovely drawing of the boys, and so interesting to a non-artist to see the progress of your drawing; thanks for including that.
Groves does have that fanboy thing going, doesn't he? You expect him at any moment to ask Jack to sign his wig.
Felaine

[honorat.livejournal.com]

They were fun to draw. I'm glad you found the process pictures interesting. I always like seeing how a work came into existence, so I thought I'd try it.

ask Jack to sign his wig. LOL! Yes, Groves is so un-navy here. That pirate has just stolen the only real chance Norrington has of catching the Black Pearl. But credit where credit is due--that pirate has also outwitted them all, or at least scrambled all their wits long enough to run free. The best and worst pirate indeed.

Thank you for commenting.

[aft-and-daft.livejournal.com]

oooh, lovely, lovely!! :-) Thank you for sharing!! :-) And thank you also for scanning it as it progressed, it is neat to see the stages of drawing - and as someone who does not draw, it makes me appreciate the final product all the more! Beautifully done! :-)

[honorat.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you like them and the process pictures. Thank you so much for commenting.

[dragonladyk.livejournal.com]

(Ignore deleted post. I was so excited by the progressive shots I didn't look UP.)

OMG I love you and you are God. I am in awe. Ask any fic of me you want, and it shall be yours, for you are Teh Talent.

DragonLady

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much. I'm glad you like the Commodore and the Lieutenant here.

you are God. *hugs* You're very sweet, but I'm just a friend! LOL

I checked out your Fox Commodore story--very intriguing, and I love your Mr. Murtogg. All I can ask is do continue with the sequel.

[erinrua.livejournal.com]

Wow.

I am doing absolutely nothing useful this evening, just taking my brain out for some air, strolling LJ, and found this.

This is awesome. This goes in my Memories! :-D Absolutely incredible stuff. The eyes, the wigs, the mouths, even the subtle tension around Norrington's mouth - the gold buttons and braid on their uniforms, for pete's sake! In black and white, I can tell it's gold. *lurves you*

The progression/evolution of your drawing is equally fascinating - I get to see how you work! *SQUEEE!* I am astounded that you actually shape out all the details as lines, first. I so cannot do that ... I tend to mostly draw horses and dogs, but I usually just start with a very fuzzy sketching of the outline, scribble scribble scribble, then as the shape begins to appear, I start sharpening my lines - erase the fuzz and sharpen what needs sharpened. But stuff like fabric, hair, fur ... no way! Hair especially appears one strand at a time, when I draw it. There's never an outline indicating the shape of hair before I start ... hairing, LOL! It just fuzzes into being as I scribble. *G*

Your way looks much more professional, and is probably why you draw constantly, and I scribble in spurts - one scribble a year, maybe. *G*

OH! It just dawned on me, I have one of my cartoons online. This is one I drew when my dog trainer got a couple Scottish Blackface sheep from Oregon, and brought then down here to Nevada:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v360/ErinRua/Me_and_Dogs_and_Stuff/SheepCartoonMed.jpg

As you can see, mine is scribbles, yours is Fine Art. Thank you for sharing your wonderful gift with us! :-) *saves to Memories*
Cheers ~

Erin
*an adoring Honorat Art fan*

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Wow! What a fantastic comment. *Bounces about happily looking for a pin to poke puffed head* All this PotC portrait practice is paying off. (I think I'm having an alliterative moment here.) I actually have a job doing a real portrait now.

That gold bric-a-brac looking like gold was a surprise to me. I didn't know how I was going to do it, but I find if I concentrate on shapes and values instead of what I'm trying to draw, I'll often get the effect I want.

I do start out with that rather rough outline you see in the first drawing of Groves, then I do also draw lots of lines, although I tend to erase them as I change them rather than stacking them up more than once or twice. I find that to draw portraits, I really have to get the proportions accurate, and the lines help me see the shapes. I'll also check things like the relationship of the length of the face to the width of the face, or the length of the nose to the face, or how far under the eye the corner of the mouth comes. It doesn't take much to be off and poof there goes the portrait.

I looked at your drawing and you don't give yourself enough credit. Your animals are anatomically correct (So few people can draw hocks!) and in varied and natural positions. Your landscape has natural lines rather than symbolic ones--the hills are irregular, your cloud looks like a cloud and not a cotton ball, and your tree is quite tree-like. I've taught some art, and it would take about three weeks for someone with your talent for seeing to learn the techniques to do what I've done with this picture. You've already got that most important bit down--how to see what is really there rather than the symbol your brain provides.

I'd recommend the book "Drawing on the Right Side of Your Brain." It's got a number of exercises that, if you go through them, you should come out well within range of realistic art like this.

I'm so honoured that you like my art and have saved it. Thank you.