THE BIG FOOTBALL POST : Next Man Up Illustration Arts - 10 FAN ARTS

[petite_madame]

LET'S START

What's the concept ?

All the fan arts below are illustration arts for a fan fiction by rhythmsextion  called Next Man Up, posted about one year ago for the Big Bang 2009. The arts also cover the "Timestamps" particularly #2. Some drawings may be spoilery (some more than others) so pay attention to the spoiler alerts I wrote in red if you didn't read the story yet. Here's a little summary taken from rhythmsextion 's page :

Next Man Up
Adult, Jared/Jensen, Jared/Sandy
~97,500 words

Armed with strength, size and instinctive talent, Jared Padalecki is the first round draft pick for the faltering Dallas Cowboys. Quickly granted a multi-million dollar contract and heralded as the hopeful future franchise quarterback, Jared is thrilled to be a part of the team he grew up idolizing and is all too eager to take the next step in what should be a long and promising career. However, Jared soon realizes he has a much tougher road ahead than anticipated when he meets the prickly Jensen Ackles, the team's veteran QB and Jared's number one competitor for the starting roster spot.

In a league ruled by money, celebrity and ego, where the roster changes week to week and injuries aren't so much a risk as a fact of life, Jared must prove himself capable of leading one of the NFL's most glamorous and controversial teams back to glory. And in the process, must deal with his teammates' potentially career-ending secrets and his own burgeoning, confusing relationship with Ackles.

- Link to Next Man Up Master Post : timewillbe.livejournal.com/24444.html
- Link to NMU Timestamp #1 : timewillbe.livejournal.com/27361.html
- Link to NMU Timestamps #2 : timewillbe.livejournal.com/30716.html

Isn't there a fic a little bit like this one, with football players and the Dallas CB in this year's BB ? It sounds familiar...

You are absolutely right. It's called Hail Mary and if it reminds you of Next Man Up it's because it's the sequel! Here's a summary and a link to the Master Post (taken from rhythmsextion's LJ) :

Three years since becoming the first openly gay coach of a Division I collegiate football team, Jensen Ackles is hired by the Dallas Cowboys as their new quarterbacks coach. Though happy to return to his hometown and eager to return to the NFL, Jensen's new position puts him directly in charge of former teammate, Jared Padalecki, with whom Jensen had a somewhat complicated personal relationship ten years before. Jensen also finds his new position comes with a price when the organization makes it clear they intend to use Jensen's sexual orientation to further their own status. When an old high school friend steps back into Jensen's life, the situation becomes increasingly complicated as Jensen struggles to balance his professional life with his private while attempting to control his reawakening feelings for Padalecki.

Link to Hail Mary Master Post : timewillbe.livejournal.com/37818.html

Are you the only fan artist who have worked on Next Man Up ?

Absolutely no!! Two great artists have worked on illustration arts for this story, egotists  and dauntdraws , they were both the official fan artists for Rythmsextion's Big Bang in 2009 and 2010. Take the time to go and see their works by clicking on the banners below, you won't regret it!! 





FROM ONE TO TEN : THE ARTS

ONE : Next Man Up Poster Art



Full size version available here : img251.imageshack.us/img251/7581/47253460.jpg

What's the concept ?

Here's typically the kind of fan art that started in a very simple way and got completely out of hand. At the beginning, it should have been a portrait of Jared and only of Jared. I don't know why I added Jensen at the back, just to see the result and as it turned out ok, I finished the portrait to the last details. However, with only two characters, the composition of the image was really strange. And then came Chad.   Something was still missing. It wasn't a question of composition this time, it was a question of colors : too much blue... I finally came up with the idea to add Chris and his red uniform, to compose the image as a kind of movie poster with a gradient palette going from red to blue with white touches that would remind the viewer the American flag. 35 hours, 15 nervous breakdowns, 200 Coca Cola cans and a long hunt to find the right CMM reference pic later, the "NMU super production" finally got its poster. 

For once, I drew all the characters on the same document (I usually don't work like that) and it lead to a drawing that was a monster size wise (about 6500 px X 4300 px) that I had to reduce at the end because Photoshop, like the French soccer team during the World Cup was threatening to go on strike...

Reference pictures : Jared - Jensen - Chad - Chris
Photoshop CS - Painter Essential 3


TWO - Next Man Up Preview Gif



What's the concept ?

Basically, having fun with Image Ready. Image Ready is a very simple software from the Adobe suite that helps you create in just a few steps gif animations. Here, there are only 6 layers (4 for the hair, 2 for the rain) and 4 animation steps set to a 0,2 second speed. As I told you above, the big "NMU poster art" was aimed to be a Jared fan art and a Jared fan art only. This is what the drawing was looking like before I lost control of the situation. The idea of turning it into a gif came up when I was drunk when I saw the website of the forthcoming Supernatural anime and just though, why not ? The animation of the hair is simple, I just drew the strands at random on 4 layers without thinking in terms of animation or "where / how should I draw that hair to create that movement ?". I knew that your eyes would do the rest : the randomly drawn brush strokes became hair floating in the wind thanks to the magic of optical illusion. 

Reference picture : Jared 
Photoshop CS - Painter Essential 3 - Image Ready

THREE - The quarterback : Jensen



Full size version available here : img153.imageshack.us/img153/4750/73219092.jpg

What's the concept ?

In the story, Jensen is the #13 of the Dallas Cowboys. Here is the guy in the heat of the action during a training with the other players on the field. I wanted something very dynamic that really shows that the character was in motion. I used mainly Painter and its fantastic Digital Watercolor tool to create  that effect. I also added a "motion blur" with Photoshop in the background and reworked the image with the Photoshop Dry Brush. I worked  really fast for that one, around 15 hours I think (yes folks, it's fast! ) because I had the right reference pictures, the pose wasn't difficult and for once because of the motion effect, I didn't have to take care of very very small details like I usually do. As far as the face is concerned, I drew it alone on a separate document (because it's impossible to draw a face that small with so many details), resized it and added it later on Jensen's body. 

Shouldn't he wear a helmet or something like that to protect him ?

I think he should...But let's face the truth...Did you really want me to hide Jensen's face under a helmet ? Hum ? Ok ladies, problem solved! 

Reference pictures : Tony Romo - Jensen
Photoshop CS - Painter Essential 3 - Paint Shop Pro

FOUR - The quarterback : Jared



Full size version : img704.imageshack.us/img704/8233/21071782.jpg

What's the concept ?

In Next Man Up, Jared, like Jensen is one the quarterbacks of the team. At the beginning, the drawing shouldn't have looked like this one at all (as you can see below if you check out fan art #5). The guy should have been in the Dallas CB locker room but I finally changed my mind at the last minute and drew him with the original background of the reference picture because after all, it was just perfect, no need to sophisticate! I wanted to change from what I usually do in terms of illustration that is too say using mainly the Photoshop Basic brushes set and the Painter Digital watercolor tool. For once, I went for the Photoshop Dry Brushes coupled with the Painter Art Pen tool to give the impression the drawing was executed in chalks and pastels. I added a texture to add to the "grunge" effect of the image et voila! 

Reference pictures : Eddie Cibrian - Jared
Photoshop CS - Painter Essential 3 - Paint Shop Pro

FIVE - Outtake : The quarterback : Jared



Full size version available here : img685.imageshack.us/img685/1459/jaredqbsketchlj.jpg

What's the concept ?

Jared, the #14 of the Dallas CB in the locker room after a game. This illustration is the first version of the fan art above and yes, the two have practically nothing in common except for the pose. The technique I used, the face, the background, everything is different. This is typically the way I work : I start with an idea, draw a sketch, think it's awesome then it's awful, and finally change everything once scanned and colored in Photoshop . Here, however, I liked how the original B&W version came out so I decided to keep it and reworked it with Photoshop and Painter. And as rhythmsextion  loves Jared with the Dallas Cowboys uniform it would have been a pity that this illustration ends up in the trash (with the 2 previous tries, because, FTR, this is in fact try #3... )

For the Photoshop geeks...

A little step by step...



Don't think that because you used traditional medium like pencils and charcoal you just have to scan the picture and...voilà, everything will be perfect ! Digital tools like Painter and Photoshop are a great help when it comes to enhance the shadows and highlights, correct some mistakes and even rework the face. Here's an example below, before and after the black shadows (added with Painter Digital Watercolor tool and one of Photoshop default brush) and the white highlights. I also added at the end sweat drops because my kinks are completely special Jared covered with sweat is just hot...



On the left, the face looks almost flat. I didn't dare to add too many shadows when I worked with the pencil so I reworked Jared's features with Painter first then with Photoshop (with a layer set to "Multiply"), it gives a better control as you can draw and erase as many times as you want. 

Reference photos : Eddie Cibrian - Jared - Locker Room
Pencil, charcoal, make up (!) - Photoshop CS - Painter Essential 3.

SIX - The boy from Texas : Jensen



Full size version available here : img822.imageshack.us/img822/2096/45326496.jpg

What's the concept ?

I got the idea for this one after I stumbled upon a photo on eviltwin  's LJ : a beautiful boy with  a cowboy hat. I don't know why I immediately pictured Jensen wearing the same hat with a very moody face.  I don't remember if in the fic, Jensen is actually from Texas but as he plays for the Dallas CB I think it's not that OCC after all. In fact, in my first vision, Jensen should have had under his eyes those big black marks, the eye black, that are used by the players to deflect the glare from the lights in the stadium or when playing outdoor. It was a way to stay in the world of football and not just draw "another Jensen fan art". I am glad I didn't add them on the original drawing because the result was terrible. I erased them right away and just added a texture to give the impression of an old movie poster.

The watch Jensen is wearing on the picture is really his watch. Call me a detail freak but I took as a reference photo a photo from a con and copied his watch and not the one the boy with the cowboy hat wore in the original picture. In addition, it looks better and add to the "realism" of the RPS story. 

For the Photoshop geeks...

Here's the drawing after the scanning and Painter (left) and with all the Photoshop retouches on the right (textures + shadows + white highlights). I just love traditional art but I think that's it's even better with a little help from CG softwares. 



Reference pictures : Boy with the cowboy hat (Thanks eviltwin !!!) - Jensen - Jensen's watch
Pencil, charcoal - Photoshop CS - Painter Essential 3

SEVEN - Jared



Full size version available here : img42.imageshack.us/img42/998/cblj.jpg

What's the concept ?

J-A-R-E-D W-I-T-H-O-U-T A S-H-I-R-T

Do you really need a concept here ? 

Ok, sometimes, fic authors write PWP and fan artists do (how can we call it ?) FAWAC (fan arts without a concept), just for the pleasure to draw stuff like that. It doesn't take less time, it just takes a little bit less originality and let's face it, it's a lot of fun. 

Reference pictures : man with cowboy hat - Jared
Pencil - Charcoal - Photoshop CS - Painter Essential 3

EIGHT - Dallas CB - Denver Broncos 24-38 (Chad)



Full size version available here : img16.imageshack.us/img16/2610/33278160.jpg


What's the concept ?

As I said once to rhythmsextion , a J2 RPS AU without Chad Michael Murray starring as Jared's best friend isn't really a J2 RPS AU. It's like Paris Hilton without her Chihuahua or Hello Kitty without her bow. So, here is Chad in a very bad mood after a lost game against Denver. In Next Man Up (and that's one of the reasons why I loved the story), The Dallas CB aren't a super team that always win like in Captain Tsubasa. They loose, quite often, so Chad has some reasons the be a little bit upset...

I didn't plan at all to draw a Chad fan art because to tell you the truth, I've never watched in my life a show with CMM ( = I am not a fan) but after reading the story again to draw my illustration arts I thought that maybe paying a tribute to the guy wasn't a bad idea. In the first draft, Chad was sitting on a bench holding his helmet between his hands. Then, IDK why,  I thought about a very famous football player, sorry, soccer player for you, Eric Cantona a.k.a The King Eric who had the habit to always be in a very bad mood and leave the field without talking to the press. This kind of behavior being "very Chad", I changed the whole picture to reach the result you can see now,  Chad leaving the field, ready to throw his helmet to the face of the first person who would talk to him. 

For the Photoshop geeks...

OMG Petite-Madame, you used the lens flare ?!!!

Yes, I did, the "effect of death" as I like to call it.  Sorry folks but for me it's the worst effect available in PS (with "Crosshatches" ) . I don't use it very often, I think that over 200 fan arts of everything and anything I might have used it 5 times...Here, I needed it to create the sun but I lowered the opacity of the halo so that it was VERY subtle, almost invisible and erased most of the circles of light created by the lens flare.

Textures, filters ?

They are really important in this drawing. It's thanks to them that I could create the sunset effect. I used a "warming filter", changed the tones of the picture thanks to the color balance ("more yellow" + "more magenta") and finally added a sepia texture (to a low opacity, around 20%) with the Stamp Tool set to "Multiply". And let's not forget the lens flare.  



Reference pictures : Football player - Chad
Painter Essential Pro - Photoshop CS

NINE - The Locker Room : Jared & Jensen



Full size version available here : img23.imageshack.us/img23/7240/62669370.jpg

What's the concept ?

After I finished one of my pieces called Winchesters' Laundry Day, I swore I would never spend so much time again on a fan art because at the end I was really exhausted and stayed without drawing during at least 3 or 4 days (which is for me something absolutely unthinkable...). I was far from thinking I would not only do it again but that I would also break the preceding record concerning the time spent on one drawing with....45 hours! Yeaaaah!! (I know, I am nuts but why not ?). I loved the idea of Jared & Jensen talking in the locker room after a game but I didn't think it would be that complicated. FTR, I don't think I would have started if I knew where that drawing was going..

At the beginning, the guys had their blue uniforms but when rhythmsextion  kindly sent me reference pictures of the Dallas CB and told me that the blue uniform wasn't the only one, I decided to switch from the "Away" uniform (blue) to the "Home" uniform (white). She didn't request anything at all she just wanted to help me but the idea of drawing the boys in white was challenging too so I gave it a shot. Why challenging ? Because from my point of view, white clothes and white elements in general are hard to integrate properly in a picture full of colors. It often create a kind of "void" that attracts all the attention of the viewer. When I can avoid that "non-color", I do it or I do what I do here, I cheat and choose a palette where white will not appear really as white but much more as a kind of grey or very light beige.

For the Photoshop geeks...

Technically speaking, it was very close to the "Laundromat" fan art meaning it was impossible for me to draw properly Jensen's & Jared's faces at such a small scale, I am not like those Chinese artists who are able to reproduce a whole landscape on a grain of rice. I had to draw on a separate document the boys' faces, then add them to the main picture and finally rework them with Painter and Photoshop to avoid the "head pasted-on effect". So what you have in front of you is in fact a patchwork of 3 pieces (2 heads + the main picture).  

Did you paint over a part of the picture ?

I painted over a part of the locker room behind Jared, the one above the shirts (with the balls and the protection equipment). I also re-used from my Chad fan art the helmet on the floor..

Here's a recap of how the picture was built :



Reference pictures : Football player 1 - Football player 2 - Jared - Jensen - Locker room
Photoshop CS - Painter Essential

TEN - The End - Jensen

This fan arts is completely spoilery so don't click on it if you didn't read NMU yet. There are the last lines of the Timestamp #2 written all over it so if you don't want to be spoiled , click on the "Non-Book version" below.

Book version : WITH THE TEXT




Full size version available here : img153.imageshack.us/img153/160/24142143.jpg

Non-Book version (Non-spoilery) :





Full size version available here : img709.imageshack.us/img709/6791/33877576.jpg

*SPOILER* (Do not read if you don't want to be spoiled!!!)

What's the concept ?

At the end of the Timestamp #2, Jensen's career has reached an all time low and the guy who was once the Dallas CB QB decides to finally quit, a decision unavoidable after a series of bad performances and a severe injury. Even, if in the story Jensen doesn't end up his career with the Dallas CB, I really wanted to draw him with this uniform and also show how much he was fed up and ready to leave everything behind him. 

In a first version, Jensen wasn't alone in the picture : Coach Morgan (Jeffrey) was next to him but I erased him pretty quickly because I thought it distracted the viewer's attention from what was the most important : Jensen. I also started to work on a color version but it was really far more powerful in terms of intensity and conveyed less angst so I reworked the B&W sketch to add a sepia texture and shadows (Painter) and also added a LOT of details to Jensen's face thanks to Photoshop. 

When I worked on the sketch, I was looking for a good way to texturize the floor so I put the piece of paper against the wall of my apartment and started to draw directly against the wall to make the texture underneath appear on the sheet : the texture you can see near Jensen's feet isn't a Photoshop texture : it's my wallpaper  

Reference pictures : Sorry, I lost the main one,  it came from a movie about football - Jensen 


*****************************

At the end what was the most difficult ?

- I suffer from (light) dyslexia so writing the name R-H-Y-T-H-M-S-E-X-T-I-O-N without any mistake was a real challenge (and I am not kidding...I had to rework two of my drawings because the name wasn't written properly ) . If you are not dyslexic yourself you won't understand, if you are, give it a shot, I am sure it will make you laugh...eventually! 

- The "locker room" fan art almost drove me nuts, but I am glad I found the courage to finish it 

- CMM 's mouth. Beautiful lips but really difficult to draw 

*************************************** 

Well I think we can call it a day!!

A big thanks to rhythmsextion  (aka timewillbe )for her help and for letting me draw all these illustration arts for her story. 

I hope you enjoyed this post!!

I will be out of LJ during at least a month (or a little bit more), except for a rec', I am going back to my hometown for the summer. Paris, here I am !!! 

GOOD BYE!!!!! 


Next illustration arts : The Doors of Time by felisblanco (Thank you felis for allowing me to draw art for your story )

Next Supernatural fan art : The one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition (A little bit gross, bloody and disturbing but a lot of fun to draw so far)

Comments

[leyna55.livejournal.com]

Wow, these look great, and what an impressive project. Kudos on the sheer amount of work involved.

My favourites are the two sketches of Jensen (six and ten) for the gorgeous pencilwork. I also really like the banner, with the four portraits, particularly the colour painting of Jared (great likeness, and I love your use of turquoise tones on his skin and hair)

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

First, let me tell you I didn't know you were a fan artist yourself. I've just check out your LJ (thanks to your fabulous icon) and WOW!! I just loved your art, your technique, the colors, everything is just perfect. I've just added you as friend to see what you were going to post next.

Thanks a lot for the very positive feedback you gave me about my NMU post, yes, you are right, it was a lot of work but I really enjoyed it ♥ #10 (Jensen against the wall) is one of my favorite too ^^

[kruel_angel_lj]

Holy blond cheerleader batman! I am so completely speechless right now. This is so beyond amazing, there aren't even words! I'm seriously like geeking out on all of these pictures. I have no favorites, but I especially like 3 and 4 and the group one, but I seriously LOVE them all.

And Doors of Time, Oh Em Gee!!! And Gripped You Tight! You are seriously my hero!

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

Holy blond cheerleader batman!
This expression really made me laugh!! Thanks a lot for the very lovely comment about my art and letting me know what were your favorite drawings amongst the 10. It's really interesting because, it's different for everybody in all the comments I've had so far ♥

Oh yes, the Doors of Time! I really enjoyed this fic and I was just so glad Felis agreed on letting me do some arts for her story. One is ready and I think I will draw 2 or 3 more ;)

As far as the "gripped you tight" fan art is concerned, don't expect Misha (I know you're a Destiel fan so I prefer warning you). Well, Castiel will be here but..well, you'll see! Just trust me ^^

[legoline.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's really cool :-)

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot for the lovely comment about my art ♥

[borgmama1of5.livejournal.com]

These are amazing! My personal favorite is Jensen with the cowboy hat--guh!

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

And two for the cowboy hat! (I am counting points...) When I think that this one was a complete impro...
Thanks a lot for the lovely feedback about my art ♥

[equally-dour.livejournal.com]

OH. MY. GOD! *_*

Everything looks amazing, I can't decide what I like best. I'm in awe, seriously. <333

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot for the comment ♥
If you can't decide, it's a good sign ;) From all the comments I read so far, the winner for the moment is Jensen with his Cowboy hat! Funny, I thought that Jared without a shirt would be more successful..Ahhh it's because the awesomeness of Jensen...^^

[space-raider182.livejournal.com]

Holy crap, I never really found the words to articulate how much I adored Next Man Up (even if Im not a Dallas fan *ahem Go Raiders!*) and this art is striking me with the same problem.
Jesus, I love how you draw Jared. He always looks so youthful, which is how I like him. AND the drawing of Jensen for the end of the fic? Too lovely. His expression is gorgeous. As is his "moody" face in that owboy hat. Hot damn. *lol at his real watch*
The locker room drawing with the boys together is my fav, though.

I can't say Im a CMM fan either, but the lighting in his solo drawing is perfect. Hehehe and I love the way Christian works in the first poster ;)

I can't wait to get the chance to read this fic over again and then its sequel with these drawings now as reference. Yum

(have fun in Paris!)
xoxo

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot for this very very positive feedback about my art and for letting me know which drawing was your favorite one (It's really funny, everybody loves a different drawing, there is no "leader" except maybe for Jensen and his cowboy hat ). Thanks also for paying attention to details ;)

Christian, it was really selfish, I am a Leverage fan so I just found an excuse to put him in at least one of my fan arts ;)

Oh yeah, the real watch. I am a detail freak. I love putting these kind of very small details in illustration arts for RPS fics, it's always a lot of fun and I know that the crazy fans like me will certainly recognize that "yees, it's Jared's real shirt" or "great! it's Jensen's real watch". Completely stupid but funny... ;)

Thanks, yes, don't worry, I am sure I will have fun in Paris. ^^

[apieceofcake.livejournal.com]

These are wonderful ♥

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot ♥
I just love your icon with Jensen wearing a cowboy hat! ^^

[nito-punk.livejournal.com]

They are totally AMAZING <333, love them!!!
You are awesome like always!!

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot for the very nice feedback about my art!
Glad you enjoyed this big (and very long, sorry..) post! ♥

[uglybusiness.livejournal.com]

These are incredible! *in awe*

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot! ♥

[wingfrog.livejournal.com]

you killed me this morning.
my friend showed me your entry and I was like...
OMFG... *stares... drools... dies*
and even she was amazed by your Jared drawings, especiall she is normally a Richard fangirl. :)

so, THANK YOU!!!! for your amazing breathtaking art. <3<3<3<3<3<3

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot for the lovely comment and thank you friend on my behalf ;)
God, if I managed to make a Richard fangirl love a Jared fan art, I guess I can be proud of myself then ;)
Glad you enjoyed this post too!! \o/

[vongue.livejournal.com]

OH MY GOD, this is just SO SO beautiful!
*dies*

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot !! ♥
Your icon is hilarious and completely hypnotizing...This little dancing rabbit is just..I don't know, I can't take my eyes of him ^^;;

[mysticwaters.livejournal.com]

These are all absolutely stunning! I am blown away by your talent! Your art compliments the story so well, it makes me want to read it all over again. Absolutely beautiful!

I hope you don't mind me friending you because I don't want to miss any of your future work. I'm very much looking forward to seeing your Doors of Time art.

(I'm meming this post for sure!) ♥

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

Go ahead, read it all over again because I think it's really a great fan fic and if you didn't read the sequel yet, Hail Mary, you should do it because it is as awesome and intense as NMU ^^

No, no, go ahead, friend me, no problem! The Doors of Time post won't be before August or September even if I already started (of course..).

Thanks a lot for the lovely comment about my art and for the rec' ♥

[dontknowmyname.livejournal.com]

Holy Heck these were amazing! I'm such a huge football fan and have such a weakness for stories where the boys are players. I've never seen such amazing art though. Gotta say though, I'm a Baltimore fan so seeing Chris in a Redskins uniform was kind of disappointing lol =P. There were absolutely great! Thanks so much for sharing. I have the story saved so now I'm really excited!

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

Your comment really made me laugh because all the football fans who posted comments so far or who sent me a pm was to tell me that they loved the post but that they would have preferred to see, Jared, Jensen or Chris with the uniform of their team and not the Dallas CB ♥ Blame it on the author, I am just a poor illustrator who follow the storyline!

Hail Mary is a great story, you won't be disappointed.

Thanks a lot for the lovely feedback about my art ♥

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

these are amazing! i love all the faces on the poster and the sense of motion in #3 (i figured he wasn't wearing a helmet because he was just practicing...). also i really like the chalk effect in #4 - and, ok, jared just looks really, really good there - and the very last one, jensen leaning against the wall, is really fabulous. his expression is perfect.

(and chad is a pissy sore loser, hee. poor chad.)

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

And one more for the "Jensen against the wall" fan art ^^ (I am counting points here, like a "mini-survey" ) For the moment Jensen with Cowboy hat is the winner ;)

Thanks a lot for the lovely comment about my art and for paying attention to details ♥

[alena2b.livejournal.com]

wow! absolutely stunning work! my fav is jensen with the cowboy hat.

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

And one more for the Cowboy hat! Damn, I didn't think this one would be the most popular drawing of the post!
Thanks a lot for stopping by and for the lovely comment about my art! ♥

[rhythmsextion]

Holy crap, woman. HOLY CRAP. I know I've seen most of these already, but having them all laid out like this and seeing just how much work you really put into each of them-- HOLY CRAP!!! You are AMAZING.

And EEEEEEE #7!! I don't CARE if it's completely gratuitous, it's completely GORGEOUS. I think my favorite thing about how you've drawn Jared in these is that you've got him YOUNG. Because he IS in the fic, he's only 23 and these pictures ARE Jared at 23. (I'm not sure how good a job I do of getting his age across in NMU to be honest.) He looks YOUNG here and it's PERFECT. His haaaaaaair. GAH. MAKES ME SO HAPPY.

(Also, I am ENDLESSLY amused that you used a picture of Chad Ochocinco as a reference for that Chad picture. That is so amazingly perfect, I can't even tell you. Ahahahaha.)

I can so totally see that cowboy-hatted Jensen picture as a poster issued by the team. Like, back in the day, I had a poster in my room of Troy Aikman (legendary Cowboys QB) where he's in this long, leather sheriff's coat and a cowboy hat and it says 'Strong Arm of the Law' on it and I can SO see this picture of Jensen being something kinda like that. (Only less hokey and more just BLAZINGLY HOT.) It makes me giddy, seriously. Also, it's just a GORGEOUS GORGEOUS picture. I'm seriously in awe of you.

And man, that poster of Jared, Jensen, Chad and Chris is just... JESUS. So so SO amazing. You got the PERFECT expression for Chris and Jared and Jensen both look so PERFECTLY young and Chad looks just douchey enough to still be endearing. I'm just. I could stare at this all day. ALL DAY.

Actually, to be honest, I could stare at every picture in this entire post all day. I'm seriously completely floored by your talent. And I am SO SPOILT. GOOD GOD.

Also, sorry about my name! HAAA. If it makes you feel any better, there are times when I spell it wrong. Still. Rhythm is a hard word to spell, damnit!

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

First let me tell you that I am in AWE in front of your knowledge concerning football! I understand now why NMU and HM were so detailed and full of anecdotes. You seem to be a kind of living encyclopedia, a real fan, it's AMAZING !!

I had no idea who the hell was Chad Ochocinco when I picked up this precise picture for CMM (you're talking to someone who didn't even know what a touchdown was before reading NMU...). I liked the pose so I gave it a shot and it worked pretty well! I don't know why the guy is perfect for you but for me I just liked the way he moved!

Chad looks just douchey enough to still be endearing
He looks douchey on all his photos...It took me time to find a photo where he was looking in the right direction but in terms of "bad mood" it wasn't difficult ;) Glad I didn't have to draw him while he smiles...

Hé, hé, I knew you would be surprised by #7. A total impro. I thought it was a good complement to the "Jensen with the cowboy hat" drawing.
Is it this poster you are talking about ? Impressive! http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/troy-aikman-strong-arm-of-the-law-autographed#
Well back in the days, I had a poster of Axl Rose with leather pants and a bottle of Jack Daniels. It was a little bit different ^^ (but I am sure Jared would look fine in leathers pants ^o^ )

Well, I drew Jared young, because you described him YOUNG in the fic!! If I had to draw art for Hail Mary or for any of your fics where you would have described him as, IDK, a 34 years old man, it would have been different. All I had to do was finding the right reference pictures from the start and believe me, it's easier to find photos of Jared when he was about 24 than recent photos. When I wanted to drew a fan art inspired by Swan Song recently, all I could do was working with crapy screen shots. Honestly they should do more photo sessions (Jared AND Jensen).

Yeah, your name...At the end, I had it written in a text document and do a ctrl+C / Ctrl + V when I had to write it (go ahead, Laugh XD )

Voila!!
Once again, I am SUPER HAPPY you liked the drawings I did for NMU \o/

[errant-jane.livejournal.com]

Holy crap these are AMAZING!!! I love NMU SO MUCH and your art completely does it justice! I would be hard-pressed to choose a favorite, but I absolutely love the book version of 10. The passage you quoted is one of my absolute favorites from the series and the picture fits it perfectly! ♥

Absolutely gorgeous! Thank you for sharing!!

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

The passage you quoted is one of my absolute favorites from the series
Me too. I think it's the one that really made want to start a whole series on NMU. I pictured this exact Jensen fan art in my head while reading these lines!

Thanks a lot for the very positive feedback about my art. As a NMU fan, I am glad you liked it and that it corresponded to your vision of the story. ♥

[enablelove.livejournal.com]

DAMN.

All of this is AMAZING!

I cannot WAIT to see more from you. WONDERFUL job <3

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot ♥
"More from me" won't be before August because all these fan arts have taken all my energy ^^ The next one will be a (quite gore) Supernatural fan art ^^
I love the drawing of your icon, it's one of my fav Spn fan arts ever ♥

[lomer.livejournal.com]

This looks amazing!

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

Not as amazing as your icon! YAY!
Thanks a lot for the lovely comment ♥

[eviljellybean88.livejournal.com]

i am soooo glad you decided to add Chris to the poster art! truthfully he's my favorite part of the poster because i rarely see any actual art of him and you captured him so perfectly it just took my breath away for a moment.

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

Well, adding Chris was a completely selfish choice : I am a fan of Leverage and of Chris so, even if he wasn't in NMU a lot, I thought it was a good excuse for drawing the guy ;)
Thanks a lot for the very positive feedback about my art. Glad you liked it ♥

[auroraprimavera.livejournal.com]

I am such a fan of your art - I cannot stop staring at everything on this post. The last one though has to be my favorite, Jensen's face is just stunning and the scene really does pull everything perfectly from the story. Great job!

*stares at art some more*

And as always, I love how you share bits of your techniques with us :D

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot for the lovely comment ♥
I think that the last one is one of my favs too, I am glad I erased JDM at the last minute because the drawing wouldn't have been the same.
I always try to think about Photoshop geeks by putting in every post a little part devoted to technique ;) Thanks for enjoying the tutorials too ^^

[hituiwen.livejournal.com]

OMG, I love you - I really, really do!!!
So much amazing pics at once - you totally made my day, hon. I won't be original of course but I share opinion of other people here - Jensen in cowboy hat is gorgeous and you are amazingly talented artist!!!

I wish you to have a good time at Paris :)

P.S. - The quarterback Jensen just brilliant - motion and speed so vivd!

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot \o/
I was wondering before posting if I was going to post the drawings one by one or just wait and go for a super big football post. I am glad I went for the big post finally ;)
Glad I made your day and that you enjoyed this post so much. ♥
OMG, your icon is beautiful! I've never seen this photo of Jensen, is it a screen shoot ?

[kerfuffling.livejournal.com]

i cannot get over how gorgeous your art is *stares*

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot ^o^ Glad you enjoyed the post ♥

[felisblanco.livejournal.com]

Honey, these are amazing! So, so beautiful. I'm in awe. Don't want to play favourites with the boys but damn, the one of Jensen with his cowboy hat is just... rowr.

And no, thank YOU for wanting to illustrate Doors. I love your art so much and I can't wait to experience your vision of my story. Squeeee!

Have a wonderful time in Paris. It's been 13 years since I was last (and that time it rained like the Niagara falls the whole time) but I'm sure it's lost none of its magic.

*hugs*

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

And one more for the cowboy hat! I think this one is everybody's favorite! I wouldn't have bet on that one but the LJ readers have the last word ^^

Thanks a lot for the lovely comment Felis. Glad you enjoyed this post so much ♥

I am already working on your DOT fic, well, you saw one (B&W) and this time, I am working in full color. It's a far more happier drawing, quite funny I guess and it's Jensen (again). I have to take care about Jared and about music at a moment or another ^o^

I am leaving for Paris tomorrow but the airport is so far that I have to spend a night at the hotel before! -________-

*hugs too*

[matalinolukaret.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous. ♥ I'm gonna hand flail over this in the corner over there. \0/

[petite-madame.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot for the lovely comment about my art ♥
Glad you enjoyed this NMU post ^^