GG Sparky beefcake

My Sketchfest experiment turned these days more into a matter of "draw something that actually challenges you as often as possible, with a minimum level of polishing up" than of "sketch away on a topic/ability as often as possible", but that's perfectly fine with me.

What we have here, as my fellow fans among you already know, is fanart of the awesome webcomic Girl Genius by Phil and Kaja Foglio. OMG

To the left we have Gilgamesh Wulfenbach, shirtless because experts have sometimes doubted he even owns a shirt, and to the right Tarvek Sturmvoraus, wearing a toga made out of a blanket and very little else. I can assure you that one and the other are canon. The reason behind this picture, besides the probably obvious fact that I like to draw handsome young men, is that I've spent most of the day studying and practicing drawing male anatomy, and I wanted to see if I could apply what I'd learned to build new poses without direct references. Since I also needed my models to be scantily dressed so I actually had to draw the muscle patterns, I chose Gil and Tarvek on the spur of the moment, given that (a) they are the main source of beefcakey fanservice in the comic, and (b) being rivals both in power games and in love, they banter. A lot. And I like their bantering. Seriously, Agatha, keep them both in your harem: they're just too funny.

And before someone here thinks that it's just my horribly dirty mind being stuck in the gutter, please keep in mind that Agatha's family castle actually has a harem/seraglio section and THEY EVEN JOKE ABOUT IT IN CANON. More than once. So, as standard procedure recommends, blame the Foglios.

Overall I must say I like the result. Sure, there's a lot to improve: Gil's right hand still bugs me, although I retouched it, and I might have made them both a little thin of shoulders, but it's not half bad as a first, quick try. I think I've learnt a lot on how arms bend and behave, and I've had the rare feeling of actually knowing what I was doing while sketching them. This drawing was also a chance to experiment prettying up my sketches in a quick and simple way.

Also, I have to admit Tarvek is right: he has the coolest hair among the males. It's a vibrant red and he actually keeps it in order decently, for one. While Gil is Manliness and Awesome Incarnate for a lot of other reasons, his hair is a sort of weird poofy mop. Yes, Agatha says Gil's hair is nice, but then again, she's the one to talk.

And now, how the banter would go if this drawing was infinite. Links provided by yours truly to show experimental evidence that all of the following is pretty much canon. This should be obvious, but ALL LINKS TO THE COMIC CONTAIN SPOILERS. Some might feel that this little bit of silliness too contains spoilers, but hey, this comic has been around for over 10 years and if you haven't read all of it by now, you definitely have a problem.

G: My fanservice is better than yours.
T: Back off! My hair is much cooler.
G: Feh. Aren't you the redhead who dressed in frikkin' lavender during volume 5? [link] And you like to think you have a sense of style.
T: Didn't you wear a pink waistcoat in volume 3, smartass? [link] And at least my hair does not look like an old mop. You should try combing it sometimes. Or washing it, you know.
G: Well, I was the one who actually called down the lightning. [link] In front of Agatha. [link] To defend her town. And you call yourself the "Storm King"! What have you done apart from whining about your stupid plan? [link]
T: Gee, I don't know. Becoming Europa's main expert on anthropoid clanks and mind control devices? [link] Saving Agatha from mortal peril? [link] Helping her to repair her castle while we were, you know, alone? [link] And my plan is made of awesome, by the way.
G: Dude, she kissed me. You know, on the lips. [link] [link]
T: I carried her over my shoulder [link] and you can't even talk to her like a normal being for more than three seconds. [link]
G: I saw her breasts while taking care of a wound. [link]
T: I was there. I saw them too.
G: Well, you're a sneaky, manipulative little toad!
T: And you're an upstart, debauched libertine!
G: And you...
T: And you...
*fade to black for decency*