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Abdomental

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Hi everyone, this is a journal that I wasn't sure whether or not I'd make, and even more so a decision that I have put a lot of thought into. I hope that anybody following my work will read this and bear with me.

To sum up, I've made a new profile that I'm going to be posting the majority of my work onto from now on. You can find it here: www.deviantart.com/sandspire

I've done this largely because I want to start building a platform for more SFW content where I can continue to improve my drawing technique. I think that this is the best move for me going into the future - after all, Abdomental has become something I would have never expected when I first uploaded a couple of pervy sketches three years ago. It's become something that's motivated me to really improve and draw consistently, even as I've had less time over the last few months. I want to continue that progress and growth and I've decided that the best thing to do would be to start fresh, or somewhat fresh, at least.

You might notice that the profile has already been up for a few months, with few and far between deviations. I'd first planned to keep these two profiles separate, but it quickly became clear that I couldn't split my time between both profiles in this way. There was also too much of Abdomental that I couldn't bring myself to neglect, namely Rachel, Sam and Ellie - they'll be moving over to Sandspire (for the most part) too in future.

I think that the New Year, as well as planned redesigns (improvements) for Ellie and Rachel make for a good opportunity to make this switch, and I hope that you'll watch me there as well as here. The work over there will be the same subject matter as this profile but generally be more tame, but I hope the improvement in quality makes them just as entertaining.

Here's some stuff that's already up there -
Korra - Pre Workout Stretch by SandspireRaven - Ripped by SandspireZero Suit Samus by Sandspire

Furthermore, rest assured that more risque artwork will still be posted on Abdomental, and commissions are running as normal, to also be posted on here.

This isn't necessarily a permanent change, but it's one that I want to have a run at. One that could very possibly have the best result for my future on here, and the development of my artwork and drawing skill. I hope you'll all continue to enjoy my work, on here or there, for a long time to come. Thanks again for the favourites, comments, commissions and watches.

As always, any questions or opinions are absolutely welcome.
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I'd like to start by thanking everybody who has commissioned me over the last couple of weeks - I've got to draw plenty of really interesting ideas and I'd like to say I did pretty well with them! I'm still finishing a couple up and hope to have them posted soon.

As I mentioned in my previous journal, I plan to increase the prices for my commissions. The main reason for this is that I have much less time than now than I have done over the first couple of years of this page and as much as I'd thoroughly like to, I can't spend all the time making deviations.

I think it's also justified considering my improvement over the time since I started -

                 Old Commission                                               Recent Commission
 

So, starting 7th December 2018, commissions for a full body character like the ones above will be around $45 - generally ranging between $40 and $50 depending on complexity, as usual I'd be happy to discuss prices and ideas with anybody considering it.

When the time comes I'll be posting a new chart, similar to the last commission chart I made years ago, and the price increase will take place from there. Commissions booked before then will remain at the original price (around $35).

Thanks for reading!
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If you're interested in commissioning me or have thought about it before, this will be something you'll want to read.

Just for some context, I'm looking into getting a new laptop, and to help fund it I'd like to step up my commission work. Of course, a new laptop will mean better hardware and potentially more frequent and improved artwork, too! I've also been more motivated to draw over recent weeks, so I think it's a good time to go for this. Anyway, enough rambling. Let's move on to the interesting stuff:

To give people a new incentive, I'll be offering a free Chiseled Chibi drawing with every commission! They will also be available for $10/15 separately. You can choose any character and details you'd like for it.

This offer will run for four weeks, until November 23rd. After this date, I will also be slightly increasing my commission prices, which is something I've been considering for a while now. I think my artwork quality and drawing skill has much improved since I first started so I think a small increase is reasonable - I hope everybody understands.

For now, commissions remain at the usual, negotiable price of $35-$40+ depending on their complexity, sent over PayPal.

I'm always happy to help with ideas or discuss more details about the process with anybody thinking about commissioning me, so if you're interested, just send me a note! I know some people using certain apps struggle with notes too, so you can also get in touch via commenting here or on my profile, and we can sort something out.

Thanks for reading!
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Hi everybody, I've been thinking of a fun challenge for myself that might be a good way to look at how my art has improved over the years. I imagine some of you will enjoy seeing some older art of mine again, too.

I'm going to choose one of my earlier artworks to redraw - something from either 2015 or 2016 (possibly later if somebody gives me a good reason!). I'll leave this comment section out for people to make recommendations, and I'll add some of the most popular and best explained ideas to a poll at a later date. The winner will get a 2018 remake!

So, feel free to make recommendations below with as little or as much explanation as you like. You can also make multiple recommendations if you'd like. Interested to see what people think!
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AMA Answers!

9 min read
I think I have plenty of questions to be getting on with, so let's start! Thanks to everybody who contributed, hopefully I can answer all these well!


UmiMikoDesu -
How or where did you learn to draw muscles correctly?

A big, big part of it is practice. Try not to use the same method over and over again and develop the way you draw, finding out what works for you. You can also try to find a reference image similar to the pose you want to really keep the musculature accurate.

I do 2-3 base sketches when I'm drawing, and the last is basically an anatomy model where I sketch out all the musculature, like here - Ellie Sketch. That helps keep the final outline looking right.

abslover123 -
I'm curious how long you usually spend on a drawing, are there any pictures you spent a particularly long time on? Was it a case of trying to get a particular thing right? Or just a super detailed scene.

It's difficult to say... most of them I do in more than one sitting and even when I draw a full piece in one sitting I often get sidetracked and have breaks.

I'm fairly sure Sam's Forest Exile - Month Five took over 10 hours, while Jinora - Light as a Feather took 2 or 3. I remember Jessica: The Junkyard (REWORK) I could NOT get right despite spending a very long time on, even coming back months later to fix it. I also spent a lot of time being very picky with Rachel and Amy (100,000 Pageviews!).

surfingdiamond -
Which characters/designs were the inspirations for your four main OCs?

Early Rachel drawings were almost entirely inspired by two women - fitness model Vanessa Serros and actress Meghan Markle (now married to the Prince of my country in a surprising turn of events). She's even named after Meghan Markle's character in Suits. More recently she's taken a lot of inspiration from this instagram page.

Sam was inspired by a chat with abslover123, alongside with a few pictures of Anu Lehtoranta that resulted in these three stories. It was also from a desire to have a girl who was less of a conventionally pretty muscle girl than Rachel. I wanted her buff, gruff, filthy and gritty, with stains on her clothes and scars on her skin. I'm hoping to develop this from the ground up with her reboot.

Hannah and Ellie are harder to pin down... Hannah was partly based on a toned, short haired blonde woman with abs doing an exotic dance in a video I saw but can't find at the moment. I also wanted a character more based exhibitionism and showing off her appearance.

As for Ellie, well... I like redheads?

AlvinophiliaComics -
What originally caused you to be attracted to women with defined ab muscles?


At this stage it's difficult to say. I think actually I was first interested in seeing women work out and push their limits. With that came looking up a LOT of videos and pictures. Abs just seemed to be the pinnacle of athleticism I suppose.

FireShock10 -
What's your biggest inspiration for your works?

Definitely the exceptional women I see in online pictures and videos, as well as the like-minded people I regularly talk to on the subject and the other artists I see.

Aside from the abs, what other muscles do you like the most?

It genuinely switches around with my mood... I want to say shoulder and bicep muscles. That said, back and quads are gorgeous too, it's a tricky choice.

In both categories of fan art and original works, who are your favorite characters in both categories?

- Original characters
Ally and Lisa: Sunstone Calender - The most gorgeous couple in existence.
Wossy and Aeria: Gagmatism - One of the cutest couples ever.
Megan: Camo pants Megan -  Absolutely beautiful.

- Fandom characters
Korra - Avatar
Yang Xiao Long - RWBY
Ty Lee - Avatar
Brigitte - Overwatch
Tracer - Overwatch

What are your favorite kinds of drawings? Ergo, what do you like to draw the most?

Generally, I think I have the most fun drawing workouts when they have BDSM aspects to them. But like most things it really depends on what mood I'm in.

Just what tools and programs do you use for your works and where do you get them?

I use Adobe Photoshop and a Wacom graphics tablet - both are available online.

How did you do your drawings?

I partly went over this a few questions ago. As well as the tools/programs I use plenty of reference images and base sketches.

Any tips that you can give me, especially for drawings, coloring, and shading, especially for muscles, poses, and angles? 

The best advice I could give you is to practice. Try out different things and be critical of your own work. 

If I'm having trouble with poses, I'll make a very small stick figure sketch trying to set out the right angle, then enlarge it and make another rough sketch over it. For muscles, more base sketches. Shading often takes me multiple attempts to get right, but I normally draw it in roughly, smudge it to get the look right and then use the eraser tool to clean it up. I might make something with more information on my own drawing in the future.

Is it okay if I draw one of your original characters?

Absolutely! I'd love to see it.

How did you set up a PayPal and Patreon account? How about setting up commissions?

I don't have a Patreon account, but PayPal is fairly easy to sign up for on the website. You do need to use your real identity details though or risk having your account suspended.

How can I become more popular in this site, or at least get noticed by more people?

I think the best way to gain popularity without having insane drawing skills (trust me I know how that feels) is to cater to a niche. Focus on something specific that you really like and you'll be sure to find other people who like it too. Practice, maybe take some requests and be sure to engage your audience and be friendly. Of course, practicing and developing your art skill is still very important.

Among your previous works, which ones are your favorites?

I have a soft spot for some of my older works, that I'm still really proud of and I think were a big part in developing my characters. Rachel's Static Hold and Sam's Forest Exile - Month Five come to mind. I love Toph's Ab Workout - ATLA too, and still want to try out more with that cartoony comic addition.

The more I look, the more favourites I could pick, but I'm starting to worry about looking big headed! 
Just leaving these here...

What's next in store for you in terms of works and projects?

It's going to be commissions for a little while - I'm very grateful to say that I've got several to get through. After that, I have plenty of ideas for Rachel and Amy, and I want to write more stories. Sam and Ellie will get plenty of love too eventually.

crazyman54

Will you start doing more physical types of fanfics like two characters fighting with an emphasis on belly punching?

Generally I have no plans to, but a commission coming soon might be right up your street! Abs punching will always play a part in my work though.

beez1717

How do you come up with new characters and ideas?

Most of my ideas and characters generally come to mind while chatting to like-minded people. In fact, Sam and Ellie are almost entirely the result of collaboration. A lot of my ideas also come from instagram and youtube videos.

How did you learn to draw muscles so well?

Practice, and lots of perving on videos and images... I've answered in a bit more of a helpful fashion above. Although I think it's worth saying that I have a long way to go with some areas.

Where did the name Abdomental come from?

I came up with half a dozen lame ab-related puns when making the page and decided on Abdomental. Abdomaniac was a close runner up.

Who did Ellie beat to get her gold collar?

That's a story that's for the future...

How did Ellie get into her school?

Ellie was obsessed with training virtually all her life. An ad-hoc home video her mother took of her doing an obscene number of pull ups ended up on the internet and went viral, and shortly after an Academy recruiter tracked her down.

What got Hannah to start working out?

She was always quite naturally athletic and began to enjoy the superiority she felt outperforming others. Then she grew addicted to it, and the attention...

How did Rachel meet Amy?

Amy was the late night receptionist at the gym Rachel frequented. It was often just the two of them in the gym and a bit of casual conversation as she entered and left turned into flirting, turned into helping her train, turned into much, much more.

Will you ever put your characters together?

I don't think so I'm afraid... not in a canon setting at least.

Who are some of your favorite artists on DeviantArt?

*inhales deeply*

pixeljail.deviantart.com, hellequin11.deviantart.com, shiniez.deviantart.com, jeffroww.deviantart.com, vashperado.deviantart.com, atastretch.deviantart.com and cmgjim.deviantart.com are all must-watches that come to mind. I'm sure there are more.

------------

Thanks for reading if you made it this far! And thanks very much to everybody who submitted questions. I've answered these over a couple of days so sorry if I've repeated myself without realising. I'd love to hear any replies or more questions, so comment away below!

P.S. If you leave a journal for a day and then try to click submit it tells you that the session timed out and deletes the ENTIRE thing. Thank God I copied it into a word document before I tried to submit it. I'm gonna go deal with my in-progress heart attack now...
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