.Young Gate.
I drew this picture during the beta testing phase of World of Warcraft. Well, actually I drew it in the week between the beta test and the launch of the retail version of the game, mostly because I was in withdrawl and unable to get my fix by playing. The subject of the picture is "Gate," my human warlock, and "Thuldron," her summoned voidwalker. This is how she appeared around level 15 or so.

The thing about this picture is that I scanned it into Photoshop at something like 600 dpi and then did all the inking and coloring digitally at that resolution. Of course, I can't post something that size on my site, so I shrank it down to about 12% of the original image. What that means to you, the viewer, is that about 12 hours of perfecting all of my line weights during the inking phase were totally obliterated. You're essentially looking at a tiny thumbnail image, with no appreciation for the little scratches in her vest or the woodgrain on her sandals. It drives me crazy, but there's not much else I can do.

So while you may glance at this picture, shrug, and say, "Eh, that's cool," at least bear in mind that there was hard working going on behind the scenes that is better than anything I've ever done before. And since I'm pleased with those little details, I'm considering the possibility of printing out a full poster-sized version.

Also, Gate has progressed quite far beyond her humble beginnings, which means a new picture with an updated look at her is in order. Stay tuned.