Firebird's Sketch of the Week Series

[Firebird]

Helluva week at Studio Firebird! Episode 17 of EVA-Trek went up on Friday (https://archiveofourown.org/works/52126198), and I think it's got some of the best writing I've ever done. It's the closest I've gotten to writing a real Star Trek: TNG story. Beyond that, I completed first draft scripts for three episodes within the span of a few days - one-hundred and fifty-five pages!

After cooling off my overclocked brain, I worked on a couple of illustrations this weekend:

Drawing 452 / 2023 Artwork 125: Mihoshi Kuramitsu from Tenchi Muyo.

Drawing 453 / 2023 Artwork 126: Lt. J.G. Asuka L. Soryu and Acting Ensign Shinji Ikari pose for a publicity photo on the set of EVA-Trek.

 

[Santaman]

Cool.

 

[Firebird]

Been a major crunch week in the writer's room at Studio Firebird as I start to land the EVA-Trek plane. In the last few days, I've finished the first draft of episode 23, locked the final drafts of episodes 20, 21, and 22, and did the final polish on episode 18 ahead of its premiere this coming Friday. Somehow between all of those, I had some time to draw a couple of characters from one of my favorite current manga/anime series, The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You, or 100 Kanojo. Not since It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World have I had to try to remember how much repetition there is in a title.

Drawing 454 / 2023 Artwork 127: Hakari Hanazono from 100 Kanojo.

Drawing 455 / 2023 Artwork 128: Karane Inda from 100 Kanojo.

Now, if you pardon me, I need to do something about this steam escaping from my ears before I try to finish episode 24 of EVA-Trek this week... and attempt to write the two-hour finale script over Christmas...

 

[Santaman]

Nice work!

 

[Firebird]

Happy holidays from Studio Firebird! Not quite sure how it's happened, but I seem to have settled into drawing each of the 27 established girlfriends from 100 Kanojo. I should make some good progress since I'm planning on doing daily drawings through New Years. Hopefully the author doesn't introduce another one or two before I finish...

Drawing 456 / 2023 Artwork 129: Shizuka Yoshimoto

Drawing 457 / 2023 Artwork 130: Nano Eiai

Drawing 458 / 2023 Artwork 131: Kusuri Yakuzen

Drawing 459 / 2023 Artwork 132: Hahari Hanazono

 

[Santaman]

Both your monochrome and colour work are really good.

 

[Firebird]

Merry Christmas from Studio Firebird and Santa Katsuragi!

 

[Santaman]

Merry Christmas!
And as usual good work!

 

[Firebird]

Whewwww, what a year it's been this week! I've managed to hit my goal of daily illustrations, which brings the total number of 100 Kanojo characters I've drawn up to 13. Just another 15 to go (or 16, if I count the main character, Rentarou Aijou).

Drawing 461 / 2023 Artwork 134: Kurumi Haraga

Drawing 462 / 2023 Artwork 135: Mei Medio

Drawing 463 / 2023 Artwork 136: Iku Sutou

Drawing 464 / 2023 Artwork 137: Mimimi Utsukushisugi

Drawing 465 / 2023 Artwork 138: Meme Kakure

Drawing 466 / 2023 Artwork 139: Chiyo Iin

Drawing 467 / 2023 Artwork 140: Nadeshiko Yamato... or Miss Naddy, y'all.

Over in the EVA-Trek writer's room, it was an even busier week. I managed to finish the 124-page first draft of the finale script, the title page of which is below, basically the only non-spoilerific part I can show at this point. I'd estimate it took a combined total of 30 hours to write, spread out over five or so days.

Beyond that, final revisions have been completed for episode 19, which drops this coming Friday, as well as second drafts for episodes 23 and 24.

Feels good to have cleared out all of my holiday goals!

With that, this is Studio Firebird signing off for 2023. See you all in 2024!

 

[Firebird]

And we're back for the new year here at Studio Firebird! I've been continuing on my daily 100 Kanojo artwork series with the next batch of seven. Next week's post will complete the series... assuming another girlfriend isn't introduced by then.

Drawing 468 / 2024 Artwork 1: Yamame Yasashiki

Drawing 469 / 2024 Artwork 2: Momiji Momi

Drawing 470 / 2024 Artwork 3: Yaku Yakuzen

Drawing 471 / 2024 Artwork 4: Kishika Torotoro

Drawing 472 / 2024 Artwork 5: Asahii Kedaru, better known as "Ahko"

Drawing 473 / 2024 Artwork 6: Uto Nakaji

Drawing 474 / 2024 Artwork 7: Mai Meido

 

[Santaman]

Really nice work, seems I missed a few, they're all great.

 

[Sgt_G]

Drawing 474 / 2024 Artwork 7: Mai Meido

Her face and hand gesture says, "Come here, boy; we need to have a talk."

Drawing 469 / 2024 Artwork 2: Momiji Momi

This one says, "You really should NOT have done that!"

 

[Firebird]

Phew! We've done it - this week's batch of daily drawings completed my 100 Kanojo series through the most recent girlfriend. Now I can finally rest and revisit this every few weeks as a new girlfriend is introduced. Between all of these, I locked down the final draft of EVA-Trek's finale, which now means all significant writing for the series is DONE! From here, it's just revisions and annotations for the release. The end is nigh after the last 2.5 years of effort!

Drawing 475 / 2024 Artwork 8: Momoha Bonnouji. If I had to be honest, this one is my favorite of the twenty-seven girlfriends I've drawn.

Drawing 476 / 2024 Artwork 9: Rin Baio

Drawing 477 / 2024 Artwork 10: Suu Hifumi

Drawing 478 / 2024 Artwork 11: Eira Kaho

Drawing 479 / 2024 Artwork 12: Tama Nekonari. Probably the cleanest lineart I've ever done here.

Drawing 480 / 2024 Artwork 13: Himeka Saiki. Fun fact, I was watching Roddenberry's The Questor Tapes while I drew this one yesterday evening.

Drawing 481 / 2024 Artwork 14: Matsuri Dei. Trying to replicate a plaid pattern by hand suuuuuuuuucked!

 

[Santaman]

Nice work! As usual.

 

[Sgt_G]

This one gave me Cowboy Bebop vibes:

Adopt you? I would, but my wife said No!

 

[Cyfa]

Drawing 480 / 2024 Artwork 13: Himeka Saiki. Fun fact, I was watching Roddenberry's The Questor Tapes while I drew this one yesterday evening.

~ I love the lines as hair tone/shading - and the four pointed stars (as highlights?).

Do you draw these straight into your sketchbook, or do you have practice sketches first to get the features/look to your satisfaction then have at it with these stunning drawings?

 

[Firebird]

~ I love the lines as hair tone/shading - and the four pointed stars (as highlights?).

Do you draw these straight into your sketchbook, or do you have practice sketches first to get the features/look to your satisfaction then have at it with these stunning drawings?

They go straight into the sketchbook, but I’m using references for many of these in order to get them right.

 

[Cyfa]

Ah, far more practiced and skilled than me then - I'd be dithering about on the back of an envelope for ages before committing to proper paper!
Your drawings are wonderful - the figures so full of life!

 

[Firebird]

Drawing 482 / 2024 Artwork 15: Rentarou Aijou from 100 Kanojo.

Drawing 483 / 2024 Artwork 16: My fully-realized version of a Galaxy-class Cetacean Ops lab aboard the USS Nerv on EVA-Trek, which features a bunch in this week's new episode (https://archiveofourown.org/works/53157028). Credit to @Mr. Phreez for the Cetacean Ops department logo that I reused here!

This originated with an observation I had in Mr. Phreez's interiors thread that the art directors for Lower Decks repurposed their main engineering backgrounds for cetacean ops. It's one of many brilliant callbacks to Berman-era production Trek design.

Thus, for my concept, I followed that same design ethos and took a budget-conscious whack at what Richard James and Herman Zimmerman might've done if we ever saw Cetacean Ops on TNG.

 

[Michael]

Holy heck, I love this! Both the concept, but also your drawing! Teal and orange/beige go so well together. Now I want someone to recreate this as a 3D set as well!