spqrblues: Ave Sweetums Rose (Default)
SPQR Blues ([personal profile] spqrblues) wrote2019-06-07 05:51 pm

Head studies

This is something I don’t ever do—character head studies from different angles—so I collected some photo refs to use with various characters and gave it a go. To be honest, I did not love the process, but it’s a good exercise. :/

Iusta head studies

I used photo references, but this photo set didn’t have enough variety in angles, so I did another head study more like the one for Iusta.

Mus

more Mus

Felix

My people don’t smile.
They hardly ever smile, that is. Not big toothy grins.
Because of a childhood accident (think Raina Telgemeier’s Smile comic, only more dramatic and traumatic), I quite literally can’t smile one of those big, wide, all-teeth end-to-end grins people are supposed to use to show they’re friendly and good and worth interaction. I’m not used to seeing it in a mirror, and not used to drawing it. My crop of Romans just don’t think grinning fits in with proper gravitas. Although, from time to time, Felix has given a snarky grin. Sure, there are grinning satyrs capering about, but, really, think about it: How often have you seen a bust of a Caesar or Alexander the Great with a grin?

Felix faces
amedia: Lovely drawing of Venus from the webcomic SPQR Blues with the caption HOMINUM DIVOMQUE VOLUPTAS, Latin for "delight of gods and men" (a quotation from Lucretius referring to Venus) (SPQR Blues Goddess)

[personal profile] amedia 2019-06-10 06:36 am (UTC)(link)
Ladeeeeez ... ;-) ♥

I love all of these, but I agree that smiling Felix, while well-drawn, just doesn’t fit the character.