• My Process
• Contact and Bio
• Commission Info

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Illustration

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Story Art

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Sketchbook

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Figure Drawing

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My Process

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"Twin Boys"

This piece is one of my favorites because of all the little things I could sneak in. Using small details scattered across the scene, it tells a story that couldn't be seen without following them.

I will almost always start with some solid visual research, especially if I'm doing a piece that takes place in a different period. This is a small fraction of my notes; I go through to find elements of the period's architecture I like, then frankenstein them all together into the final environment.

For this piece I worked fully traditionally. I started with some rough thumbnails in order to lay out the basics of where I want everything placed. Then, I translate the final design into rough perspective with a red pencil, cleaning up my lines and angles as I go. Once I have everthing laid out in correct perspective, I go over it with graphite to set everything clearly in place for inking.

Then it's time for ink! I add in texture and hatching as I go for depth and detail. For this piece, I scanned it into Photoshop to remove the pencil lines-- I might want to add some color in the future.

These are the details that hint towards my little story. There are two young boys living in this house, who can be seen in the portrait in the sixth photo. There are torn up plants that grew to where they could reach them, there are a few toys scattered around, all the items on the lower shelves have been removed and the fireplace is bolted shut, and finally there are doodle all over the wall with crayons strewn about the stairs. The cat also looks traumatized in a way that only young boys can provide.

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"Tastes Like Cherry"

This is one of those drawings where the idea was bestowed upon me as I was falling asleep. I immediately sketched it out, intending to get back to bed, but I got invested and was about halfway through the digital stage when I called it a night.

I started with rough sketches and thumbnails then settled on this. I didn't do as many iterations for this piece since I had a really solid vision in my head. I have an intense love for traditional sketching, which likely comes form me drawing paper/pencil for as long as I've been alive. After I have the sketch, I photograph it, edit it a bit, then-- for this drawing in particular-- I import into Procreate.

Even though I had a good idea for the composition, I struggled a bit when it came to color. This is an issue I have often, but I've come up with plenty of strategies to combat it. For this piece, I knew I wanted to have a horrendously bright red for the blood, which I felt contrasted best with the dark teal, dusty purple, and near-black brown that I settled on.

I place all my colors while double checking my lineart for tangents. Then I render in some soft shadows and highlights and place a darker color for my background. This stage is where I check my black and white most often. This piece cuts it a little close with how similar in value her hair and the background are, but it works in this instance; her hair pieces come out like tendrils of darkness from the background. Which is cool I guess.

I love the effect achieved when soft and hard shadows are combined, so more often than not I'll toss down a multiply layer after I finish a bit of rendering. It gives more depth to the final image.

Then the fun part: blood! I placed the red on a color layer, then spread it with the smudge tool, scattering different values as I went.

I blend the colors together in hue using overlays. I also add finer highlights where the blood would shine on her face.

It was at this point that I realized I had no intentions for the background. I knew I didnt want to place her in an environment as this is more of a visualization of this character's inner turmoil. The left option showed how she is split between two worlds, but it felt lost behind her figure. The second felt more cohesive with the piece as it also touched on her survivors guilt.

Boom! Final piece. (Here's a little timelapse for ya.)

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"Pretend"

This is not so much me documenting my process so much as an unfortunate even that transpired as I was nearing completion of these pages.
This comic functioned as the final for my Intro to Comics class this past semester. The story featured is original, and I completed it in about two and a half weeks

I am extremely unfamiliar with this character. League of Legends is one of the most iconic games of this century, but admittedly Ihave never touched it. I fell in love with Arcane a few years back, but for this piece I wanted to challenge myself with a completely foreign character. Aatrox is a sword; a sword that houses a godly being to be precise. Whenever Aatrox is wielded, he possesses the poor soul and morphs them into his physical body. I quickly noticed that there are plenty of splashes for Aatrox, but none of the possession taking place. So it was there I found my challenge.
I first took existing splashes, notating what was significant about them, then got to thumbnailing. I ultimated decided on nonne of my thumbnails and mashed them up into the above sketch. I then compiled some basic references and got to painting.

I finalized the framing and started to clean up the sketch, erasing aroung the characters to create open canvas for an environment.

I then started roughing in the background. I wanted to set up a narrative; this group of people discovered an old abandoned weapons room and began to loot it to use or sell. It was there that Aatrox had been waiting dormant for decades or even centuries, waiting for his next victim to stumble upon him. One of the poor adventurers is now having a very bad time.

Continue painting! I start to balance the values. Looking back, I like the more intense shadows famore than the lower contrast version; I will definitely be moving back towards that in the future.

I felt I was struggling with my grays, so I moved into color a bit earlier than I usually would in order to resolve some of the issues I was facing. So far I feel that this was the right choice; I feel more excitement towards the project!

I'm excited to see where this project goes!

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Biography

AJ ("Grobble") is an American illustrator from a small town in the United States' Midwest. They specialize in concept illustration and design, working mainly in digital media, graphite, and ink.
AJ is currently attending the Columbus College of Art and Design with a major in illustration and a minor in comics. They have been recognized by the Society of Illustrators as an outstanding student illustrator in the 2024 Student Scholarship Competition, and was featured in CCAD's 2024 CHROMA end of year show.

Contact

Email; [email protected]
Social Media; @grobble__ on Instagram and TikTok
Discord; grobble__

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Comics

"Pretend"

"Music"

"The Tortise and the Hare"

"Breakfast Battle"

"Sweet"

"Cheesy"

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Commission Info

Here's all the info for my short-term character commissions! If you are looking for assistance with a long-term project or for a service not listed here, contact me directly.

TAT varies, from these examples it could take anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks.

Extras

Policies

-- I take payments 50/50, and I require the first payment before I start working.
-- Prices can change! If I feel a request is not properly compensated by the original payment, I will have to discuss a new final price. Of course I will discuss this with you first, and if you are working within a strict budget, I will work with you to try to still provide art that you will be happy with!!
-- I will draw NSFW to my own discretion. I will NEVER draw proshipping, pedophilia, or zoophilia.
-- I will not depict racism, homophobia, transphobia, or any dergatory belief.
-- I take payment through Paypal, Venmo, or Cashapp, but I can negotiate other payment.