Concept art : one of my first drawing

[MathieuBertrand]

please . . .

[kraal]

most concept art portrays a feel a mood or a distrinct character..... i am getting none of that from this drawing....

[SebastianPatric]

I apologise in advance for my comments.

When I saw this, I thought, "Pre-schoolers these days. Movies rotting their brains". But then I read your post. You named the drawing "Last Hope". Indeed; and a lost one, at that. 4 years since high school. That makes you about 22. I think it's a bit late for you to start with this level of skill. But what do I know? I hope you prove me wrong.

I wish you success in pursuing art strictly as a hobby. Everyone can improve with practice.

[MathieuBertrand]

And i thought i was harsh with people, i guess it all comes back to you at one point or another. Good thing i know not to take what ur saying to much at heart...a concise critic would have done the trick http://www.cgtalk.com/images/icons/icon13.gif
...u just needed to rant i guess.



--id like feedback on my technic, how i could improve it--

[nofxsapunk]

i think its not super bad it just needs some fine tuning. it needs some details everywhere. i like the idea you have going so far but i think you should take it further, keep going and spend some time on it. the only way you will get better is by practice. your eyes will slowly tell you what is right and what is wrong. if you want i can be of a guide and help you out with any questions that you may have to what it needs. the biggest thing here is just lack of detail. add in more contour lines on the body to give it more shape.

[MathieuBertrand]

thanks for your input nofxsapunk (NOFX RULES !!!) so i went back to it and added details and shadows,,,anyways this is what i get

http://www.pheonix3.net/last_hope3.jpg

let me know

[jais]

You need a lot more contrast in the drawing. Take the soft pen and start making some statements with it. Then it will become deeper and start to state an opinion.
Most def better than the first attempt.
But you have a long way my friend.

[MathieuBertrand]

thanks for you advise, ill try to put into practice. I just want to make something clear though, i do not intend to become a professionnal 2d artist, I just want to polish my drawing skills so I can draw what I want to model in 3d, communicate my ideas with others in the nicest way my talent and my late comming to drawing will allow.

[ElysiumGX]

You haven't drawn since high school...sounds like you're in the same boat as me. Pencil is still a tough medium for me. Try sketching with pens.

As for you drawing...there are many things that can be improved. I would suggest spend much more time learning how to properly display light and shadow on a variety of shapes. Experiment with line thickness, and crosshatching. Also, your character lacks any set measurements regarding proportions and anatomy. Study those as well. Concentrate on the focus of the drawing, and composition. Find a method that works for you that satisfies your concept needs. It's never too late to learn.

I find that I'm terrific with cartoons, but I'm in need of practice with realism. Try different styles.

[zilla]

Coming to a skill late in life (like 24 is old HA HA) does NOT mean you can't become fantastic at it!! I didn't start studying animation until I was 25 and I now work as an animator for a games company! saying you can't learn to draw because you are over 12 is foolish! (hell I studied with a 70 yr old man who was JUST learning to draw and he ended up way better than I am).
You just have to want it badly enough and be prepared to pactice A LOT! If you can control the blushing, drawing other people (on the train, bus in the park at lunch) can be a great way to get better at proportions. Also community centers often have life drawing classes at night these too can be fun and informative!

Your drawing skill is at beginner level, but the fact that you can draw as well as you do suggests you have some natural talent to work from. Also I like your idea you obviously have a good imagination to work with (you must if you do 3D modeling), just have fun with it!! :)

[Lonely Pixel]

As people posted before, you need some training, but don't pull down on yourself. If you've never really drawn this is not a bad start at all, no matter what your age is.

There's one thing tho! You started drawing something with a human, loads of tubes and stuff and even a landscape. You want too much for now. Start drawing easy objects. A cube, a piramide, just easy shapes. In the end those are the first things you created in 3d apps as well. Am I right?

So grab your pencil, put this drawing away for now, grab some objects, put one or two lights on it and draw them. No background, just shades and forms. Scan everything so you can put it all in chronological order so you can see your progress. Draw at least one object every day.

Next week start doing harder things. e.g. your mouse or your monitor. Keep it fairly simple though. Maybe LEGO-pieces or other simple toys. Do that for a month and keep everything archived.

You'll be amazed when you compare your first drawing of this month and the last one.

Please keep us updated as well!

Keep this in mind though. If you can't do it... you have to face it, no matter how hard. :)
Good Luck!

[Swoop]

I think you should do more stuff to get better.
Im not pro, but keeping on 1 image isnt nessarily gonng get you anywhere fast hehe :D
Try just going nuts.. sketching alot of drawing for 1 hour... some eys, a nose, whatever pops into mind. Just go nuts. And then looks at what you did afterwards.

Also try and sketch first before committing any lines. Get proportions ect working before you start adding anything really. This means building the persons from shapes, like elipses, circles ect, and then you got a good shape for a person then start drawing the lines onf theperson :D

[MathieuBertrand]

thanks for all your advise guys it been very helpfull..funny I woke up this morning and I wanted to draw, draw wathever, just to put a pencil on some paper...anyways I think i'll look into taking some drawing classes and maybe buy some different shades of pencils, not only HB.

I'll keep updates of my new drawings. Thanks again everyone.

[InKraBid]

Hi, this doesn't look bad at all, I know semi-professionals who couldn't do it better.. It needs practice, yeah, but I think you're past the "drawing cones and cubes" phase, I think you need anatomy lessons (muscle studies specificly) and perspective training more than studying techniques. As you get better, you'll get bolder in expression.

What I see you have, is good proportioning and a good eye for likeness. Just put it in perspectives and forget the 2D way of seeing things. For instance try doing this same pic seen from a frogseye view. Happy trails.

[nofxsapunk]

this is looking alot better great progress. the thing thats bugging me now is the hand. it just looks like its broken and twisted around the other way. best reference for human objects is yourself. us it and you will learn alot. study yourself.

[Ilikesoup]

i just drew this in a coffee shop, took me a couple of hours.
I don't know if it's more important to you right now to finish this drawing or to practice and hone your artistic skills, but bringing a sketchbook into a coffee shop for a few hours is a great opportunity to learn. Start doing quick sketches of people with the emphasis on "quick". Try doing gesture drawings--a stick figure that shows a person leaning against a counter, standing and talking to a friend or lounging in a chair. Draw your own hands, paying close attention to knuckles, creases, hairs, etc. Do portraits of the staff or anybody who is still long enough, focussing on creating a likeness--take special note of a trait that's unique to that person. In short, train your eye to SEE the shape of a nose, the angle of a back, etc., and get it on paper. For inanimate objects like coffee mugs or lamps, take note of light and shadow and how they give an item depth. Even if you have a love for drawing fantasy or sci-fi, there's plenty of objects in real-life to practice on and then to incorporate into your drawings.

As for your current drawing, the cropped image is much more manageable--you had a whole lot of white space on the sides that made the pic look empty and might distract you from the main subject, your robot. I'd suggest concentrating on the following:

the pose--Why is his left arm reaching behind him? What's his right hand reaching for? Also, his legs look too close together for him to be balanced.
proportions--too much difference in finger lengths, right arm looks very long.
robotic details--more details in the joints, the eyes, the seams (if the robot is metal)
shading--if your dark areas are very dark, you can have mid-range tones and white highlights to really give a sense of depth.

You don't need to do all of this at once. Besides, the skills you gain from your coffee house sketches will certainly help you "see" new things to add. Have fun with this. And cheers for not letting a few negative opinions get you down. :thumbsup:

[MathieuBertrand]

thanks everybody for all your supporthttp://www.cgtalk.com/images/icons/icon13.gif
so I went to the store and bought some 8B, 4B, 5H and 8H pencils and I used them on my drawing to add contrast and depth and this is what i got..i also added a blade showing in the back to emphasis the fact that she/he is hiding something deadly.ho and i fixed the hand.

http://www.pheonix3.net/last%20hope%20final.jpg

[nofxsapunk]

hehe thank you for fixing the hand. its look alot alot better. still needs some contour lines to help give shape, like some lines around the chest area to show ribs and such something to that effect. or even some muscle lines on her/his arms.

[CloudNine]

If you have not drawn for a long while the first subjects you tackle should be from real life. Sketch people out in the street to get a sense of their space and weight. Anatomy should be studied even for fictional characters. A good sharp pencil is probably needed. Keep drawing constantly and you will improve.

[MathieuBertrand]

heres a drawing of a couple of inanimated objects

http://www.pheonix3.net/inanimated2.jpg

[SebastianPatric]

much better!

[Mystifyurmind]

I respect your feelings and ambitions. I hadn't drawn in a good... year, and it hurts because I would kill for that moment to draw on a napkin just before eating somewhere. Drawing is a creative drug and I finally got back into the swing of things. It paid off so I fully support and admire your determination. Keep up the good progress.

If you ever need any help, let me know. I was fine arts way before 3D.

[MathieuBertrand]

thanks Mystifyurmind, (http://www.cgtalk.com/member.php?u=29258) very appreciated, say I would like to know which anatomy book you or anyone else would suggest i buy, i really like drawing the human body and i want to get better at it. Let me know.

[Lonely Pixel]

Good to see you started drawing easier things!

Looking good there, especially the cube. I like how you even gave it a bit of round umm.. corners? (correct me if that's the wrong word, hehe :)) Keep that up, please do! Try a composition of 5 cubes, or steal a couple of lego pieces from you nephew and draw those!

btw I love Natasha Bedingfield ;)

[Mystifyurmind]

thanks Mystifyurmind, (http://www.cgtalk.com/member.php?u=29258) very appreciated, say I would like to know which anatomy book you or anyone else would suggest i buy, i really like drawing the human body and i want to get better at it. Let me know.
your best anatomy book is right in front of you. Draw from life, draw from your hand. Literally hold your hand up in front of you and draw it. Find a mirror, draw your face, over and over and over until you're so sick of the same motions that it becomes second nature. Then tilt your head, draw some more, so forth and so on.

Though they are not realistic proportions and you may want a book to get more characteristic characters drawn, i suggest "how to draw cutting edge comics" by Christopher Hart. He does comics, but has a major understanding in the body and the shapes you see when breaking down the proportions.

I still suggest from life more than anything. It is key. :)

[Ilikesoup]

Looking good there, especially the cube. I like how you even gave it a bit of round umm.. corners?
Sorry to interrupt. I believe that's his eraser and the corners are worn down and blackened from use. The pen appears to be a Sanford Uni-ball based on the notches on the top of the pen cap. Great details, IO !

As for anatomy reference books, Jack Hamm's Drawing the Head and Figure gets my vote. It's pretty cheap and gets down to bones and tissue, poses, wrinkles in clothing and much more.

[MathieuBertrand]

You were right about the pen and the eraser likesoup, thanks for the support.

So today I felt like drawing something alive so i drew a part of a plant ive got hanging next to a window in my room. twas a race against sunlight since i started at 5:30 and finished an hour later with the sun almost set and nothing lighting my subject, anyways this is what i got...let me know what you guys think.

http://www.pheonix3.net/plant.jpg

[nofxsapunk]

ok man that is some awsome progress. i would say you have to add more detail now to that last drawing because you got the light and the highlight youn just have to make sure your images uses all of the scale from the darkest dark to the lightest light and use the white of the paper as the whitest white. then your image will come alive.

[MathieuBertrand]

Thanks for pointing that out nofxsapunk. Heres an updated version, you are right it look a lot more real now

http://www.pheonix3.net/plant2.jpg

[SebastianPatric]

Try finding "Anatomy For The Artist", by Jeno Barcsay for an in depth look at anatomy. ISBN 1-58663-174-8. This book has great reference material in the form of full page illustrations. However, it doesn't offer much in the way of instruction on how to achieve the results shown. It is a reference, as I said. If you are interested in a book that will teach you to draw while teaching you anatomy, check out "Life Drawing: A Journey to Self-Expression", by Bridget Woods. ISBN 1861265980. I haven't read it, but my friend recomends it as one the best figure drawing books he has used.

Either way, it would be good to have a model. And a book can rarely give you as much as a class. But if you don't have tiime for classes, a book and lots of practice will help you improve immensely.

Now that you started posting drawings from life, I can see a definite improvement. Good luck.

[MathieuBertrand]

heres a drawing for the daily sketch forum - girl with a gun. I drew her as I imagined her. And i kind of letted my self go a bit more.

http://www.pheonix3.net/girl%20with%20a%20gun%20filtered.jpg

[nofxsapunk]

much better man. you are improving alot. soon comes the day when you do this with 3d .

[MathieuBertrand]

heres my drawing for today's daily sketch - no reference - whats weird is that when i look at my drawings afterwards i dont feel like its me that drew them...i mean i started drawing last week and before that i didnt even think i could draw stick men. Anyways I tried to go with a cartoonish style here.

http://www.pheonix3.net/im%20late.jpg

[nofxsapunk]

ok much better man. your even setting the lighting in your drawings now its alot better. one thing you need to do is to add more cast shadowns and reflective lights on your objects when you want to make then more realistic. but i love the last one. reminds me of my style of draing. i love to just draw the outlines of cartoony type characters. i dont do colors at all and i never take the time to render my drawings to complete finished ones. :thumbsup: for your hard work and keep up the good work.

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