Beginners' Lounge

[Rebeccak]

bermuda_boy_jimbo,

What I recommend (and anyone should feel free to jump in here and offer more suggestions) :) is to first make a copy of your image, then second, desaturate your duplicate image: in PS, go to Image > Adjustments > Desaturate, or Ctrl + Shift +U. This will allow you to see your image more clearly, since you will only see the values (black, white, and gray).

Once you desaturate your image, you will better see where different areas of imperfect painting are ~ go in and tweak these areas subtly by repainting / retouching. When you have the brush selected (in either PS or Painter) you can alt + click/sample an area of a painting, and your brush will temporarily become the eyedropper, with which you can sample a color / value in your painting ~ then release alt, and continue to paint.

If you have not already seen Steven Stahlberg's excellent grayscale to color painting tutorial, definitely check it out:

http://www.androidblues.com/JealousyStepbystep/jealousystep.html

It well explains how you should proceed from there. :)

Hope this helps! :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[CalvinChoy]

Hey all,

Haven't post for a while again, had some really bad drawings days hehe, and not much time, having school test soon :S Everytime I comeback here im impressed by the improvement you guys made, really nice drawings lunat1k !!

I just made some gesture sketches . . again :p Dont think im ready for drawing details yet. I started with a little shading with a big airbursh in alias sketchbook . . still kinda shy with shading hehe. I really have to draw more more more more more !!

http://www.c-styled.com/cgtalk/c1.jpg
http://www.c-styled.com/cgtalk/c2.jpg

btw rebecca, the link of Steven Stahlberg's is VERY nice !!! Do you got more stuff about basic shading ?

well, gotta go back to work now . . will post more when i got time again :).

cheers,

Calvin

[lunat1k]

Calvin_C, thanks man.
I hope you don't mind I pulled a review on one of your drawings.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/devalvatora/calvin_c_c2.jpg

Here's a ~50 min study of a Sargent head.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/devalvatora/sargent01.jpg

[CalvinChoy]

Thnx lunat1k :) all reviews and critiques are welcome, it's just helps :) I really didnt see the elongated leg problem till you mention lol.

cheers

[lunat1k]

Since I won't be able to finish it today... Честита нова година. Нека 2006 бъде успешна за всички ~ Happy new year! Let's hope it'll be a better year for everyone :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/devalvatora/4ng_wip.jpg

[CalvinChoy]

Wish everybody a happy healthy 2006 !!

Calvin

[BBJ-83]

Wish you all a Happy New Year and a lot of fun tonight!!!:p

[Mu]

Hello everyone,

inspired by Erichs Master copies I decided to come back to the assignments

the practise never stops, does it?

2min

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/681/assignment32min9gh.jpg

5min

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c4/mkayi/assignment3_5min.jpg

15min

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c4/mkayi/assignment3_15min.jpg

[Rebeccak]

Nice work, Mr. Mu!

I hope everyone had a good vacation. :)

I thought that many of you here might be interested in test driving the following, very informal mini~workshop:

Color Theory and The Human Figure - NUDITY (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?p=2965469#post2965469)
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?p=2965469#post2965469

Please note that like the Beginners' Lounge, the Color thread is a highly informal Workshop area ~ where everyone is encouraged to give comment and feedback, much as you guys have been great about doing here! :)

Hope to see your participation in the Color Theory thread! :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[il_boxer79]

Hi all, i'm a 26 year old italian guy. two days ago i was cleaning my room and i've found my old aiptek tablet... so i thought 'let's give it a try' and in few mins i was trying to put down a sketch... then i spent my next 10 hours in the net searching for a tut and finally i come here.

i've loved the rebeccack and nebezial tuts but i think i'm still in trouble...
this is the best i can do in about 4 hours....

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f240/il_boxer79/Voltohalf.jpg



and now i get inspired and i drawn this one i about 10 mins:

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f240/il_boxer79/Gnoll.jpg


the problem is... i have no idea how i can paint it better than i did before. and here i ask for help :

Could someone of you BIG MASTERS make a little colouring tutorial over my sketch, marking my mistakes and so on, putting tips and hints...

i think i've got the drawing phase but i'm still missing the colouring one!!

i know that u can answer : hey guy try it urself or u don't learn nothing for the next 100 years. but i've tryied to figure it out on my mind and i'm in lack of resources... so i need a little bit of inspiration...

i've followed the nebeziel tut but i have problem defining the colours of the zones!!! i mean, i can recognize the zones but i never figured out without seeing it that under the mouth of the face i can use violet tones instead flash ones...

little tips for my gnoll .... i thought it green like a goblin ( or at least light brown) but i really need an help.

please be patient and satisfy my wish (is still xmas time isn't it?)

PS sorry for my bad english =)

[il_boxer79]

ok can't wait i've tryied to do something by myself but i'm not convinced yet....

hoper in ur skills m8s

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f240/il_boxer79/Gnollphase2.jpg

[Rebeccak]

il_boxer79,

Hey there! :) Welcome to the Anatomy Forum! :)

The first thing I would recommend trying is painting in grayscale. As a relative beginner, I think it is first important to understand VALUE over color.

Take a look at the following 2 tutorials in particular:

Stahlberg's Digital Painting Tutorial (Black and White to Color) (http://www.androidblues.com/JealousyStepbystep/jealousystep.html)
http://www.androidblues.com/JealousyStepbystep/jealousystep.html

TUTORIAL - Digital Figurative Painting from OFDW - by Rebeccak (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=275436)
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=275436

Let me know what you think, and we'll go from there! :)

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Rebeccak]

il_boxer79,

Please note that I have merged your thread into the Beginner's Lounge. I hope you see this, as you do not have PM or email activated! :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[CalvinChoy]

LoL, all those example/tutorials are freaking me out hahahah, looks sooooo gooood, can't imagine that i will ever be able to do that LOL.

But again . . practice practice :p

Calvin

[Rebeccak]

Calvin_C,

No need to be freaked out :) ~ what I recommend trying is taking a simple still life set~up and doing a study ~ perhaps it's a study of fruit or of a plant. Take a photo so we can see what you are working on, from the same angle as you are doing your study, and post that along with your piece so we can help with critique. :)

Try this is using the 3 value (black, white, gray) method as used previously ~ and post your results!

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[CalvinChoy]

Calvin_C,

No need to be freaked out :) ~ what I recommend trying is taking a simple still life set~up and doing a study ~ perhaps it's a study of fruit or of a plant. Take a photo so we can see what you are working on, from the same angle as you are doing your study, and post that along with your piece so we can help with critique. :)

Try this is using the 3 value (black, white, gray) method as used previously ~ and post your results!

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

Ok, let's give it a try :S I used ( again ) alias sketchbook for this one, since it's black and white drawing and my computer can't handle photoshop cs2 very well . . hope I wont have much trouble later if im stepping over to photoshop :S

I couldnt change the image to greyscale, do the blurr and mosaic stuff in sketchbook, so i just . . wel looked and painted :p

Peers : (http://www.c-styled.com/cgtalk/cg_peers.jpg)

http://www.c-styled.com/cgtalk/cg_peers.jpg

Cheers,

Calvin

[Rebeccak]

Calvin_C,

Great to see this exercise! :) I think that you've got a nice start here ~ I suggest pushing the values even further ~ try not to leave any lines in the finished study, but only suggest the definition of form through values ~ for example, in the stem, I suggest filling that in with a relatively dark value, and definining its edges with the lighter value of the background.

Looking forward to an update!

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[CalvinChoy]

Calvin_C,

Great to see this exercise! :) I think that you've got a nice start here ~ I suggest pushing the values even further ~ try not to leave any lines in the finished study, but only suggest the definition of form through values ~ for example, in the stem, I suggest filling that in with a relatively dark value, and definining its edges with the lighter value of the background.

Looking forward to an update!

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

Thanx for the feedback rebeccak, after I posted the drawing I was also thinking that the lines look a little wierd hehe, since in real life we actually never see real lines, we make them ourselves when looking at objects. I will try to update a new version asap, since im having tests now, hope it will not take too long :p

By the way, is there a way how I can make the drawing less blurr ? or is it better to start with blurry drawings at the beginning . .

Thnx,

Calvin

[Rebeccak]

Calvin,

You can either sharpen your image (in Photoshop, Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask > set numeric value, or adjust the hardness of your brushes. Also, if you use a smaller brush, and zoom in, that should be able to give you more control and a sharper edge, no matter what type of brush you are using.

Hope that helps! :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[Dreamy Kid]

hello everyone, just wanna drop by and say hi. My apologize for havent been able to post anything in this past 2 weeks. I've just finished my graphic design program at the college and done with all those final projects, then i was working on my portfolios..lots of them >__< and did a job hunting...been sending my portfolio to 50 sudios now...hehe wish me luck, so yeah it's been a crazy weeks for me :D. plus somebody i knew was working at the government and he wants me to design a huge logo for a military school, ouch it kind of freak me out but it turned out to be ok. The upcoming week will be spent sculpting my work in progress, the anatomy model to be added later in my 3d portfolio.

you guys been doing great here, i miss you guys :D. now that most of my work have been done i will try my best to get back to drawing this week.....miss my pencil.

Becca, i promise you to show my website once i'm done with it, so here it is : www.delusionalgrande.com (http://www.delusionalgrande.com)
It's just a place where i put all of my works, still need to update it with some of my newest work though.

cheers. nice to be back :love:

[CalvinChoy]

Hey rebecca,

thnx for the tips, i've beeing trying to update today, didnt have much time so it was kinda rush and ended up in a mess with all the layers, I had to rename all my layers lol. Having hard time figuring out what what is hahaha . . . will try again after my tests next week :S

Dreamy kid,

heh it was quiet here without you lol . . but ur not the only one busy I think hehe, haven't heard from the others too, i havent been active for a while too -_-. Anyway, just wanna say that you got a nice site ! and ur art works looks very nice.

I still havent finished my website :( dont have any motivation and stuff . . well maybe after the rush the coming weeks at uni I will try to start with my website too lol.

cheers,

Calvin

[Rebeccak]

Hey guys, :)

I should just put the question out there ~ would you like to see more exercises here? Or prefer to post work as you can? It's completely up to you guys ~ I'm really flexible. :) I'm going to be getting really busy in the next few months as the CGWorkshop will start in early February and end in early April. I'll be a bit less active on the forums, though always, of course, checking in. :)

If you guys have any suggestions as to what you might like to see here in the Beginners' Lounge, please post your ideas.

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Dreamy Kid]

thanks for the compliment calvin_C :) and good luck with your uni

sure thing bec, i'm still working on my gesture :scream: and planning to do some more this week, but sure i'd love to see more exercises. thanks bec, and good luck with your cgworkshop. I wish i could join the workshop, but there are too many things that i have to do at the moment - i'm still hoping i can join it one day :D

[fredlovebot]

If you feel like your having the time to do them, sure!
Im still working on my gesture too ^^
Had several weeks of slacking off, but now I feel like i can get back to this :)

[aggie93]

I just found this thread. I thought, since I was a newbie, I would post a few of my drawings. These are charcoal and one painting. Some live models some picts of models. I am downloading a trial of Maya right now so maybe next week i can post a few CG picts.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d50/Aggie93/CIMG0021.jpg
Oil of a Nydia Lozano

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d50/Aggie93/05-12-14e.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d50/Aggie93/05-12-14a.jpg
Live models at a workshop before Christmas 05

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d50/Aggie93/051227c.jpg
Old Master Study with a skeletal study of my own.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d50/Aggie93/051218stfl.jpg
A picture used from the photosets on Character Designs.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d50/Aggie93/06Jan10.jpg
Another set of pictures from the photosets on Character Designs. (That is a great resource.)

[fredlovebot]

Heres a 2-5-15 sketch for you! Sorry for the bad quality, was painting on A3 paper and my scanner is broken and doesn't fit A3 size :shrug:

All that slacking off really shows here, hah! :D
Comments and critics are more than welcome!




http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/gorgnut/1.jpg

Here's the link for the ref: http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a74/thomasphoenix/References/michel001.jpg

[Rebeccak]

Hi guys, :wavey:

I have kind of a busy day today, but I found this useful link with a good collection of Master Drawings. I think it would be great for anyone who wished to work on some 2~5~15 or extended copies from some of the works linked here:

Master Drawings: (http://drawsketch.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=drawsketch&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.oldmasterdrawings.com%2Fhtml%2Ftours.html)
http://drawsketch.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=drawsketch&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.oldmasterdrawings.com%2Fhtml%2Ftours.html

I'll link this at the beginning of the thread as well. :)

Looking forward to your studies! :)

gorgnut,

Good to see your work, let's see some more! :)

aggie93,

Great to see you here! :)

Can you please copy and paste the URL of your images into the square sun/mountain icon in the EDIT POST text editor so that we may see your images without clicking on a link? Thanks! :wavey:

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Rebeccak]

ASSIGNMENT 4: GESTURE DRAWING FROM REFERENCE


As an assignment, I would choose 2~3 drawings OR reference images of your choice, give yourself 1 WEEK, and post your results here! :) Whatever stage you are at is fine ~ if you are just testing your wacom, that is fine.

>>>Here is a good source of Reference / Master Drawings:<<< (http://drawsketch.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=drawsketch&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.oldmasterdrawings.com%2Fhtml%2Ftours.html)

http://drawsketch.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=drawsketch&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.oldmasterdrawings.com%2Fhtml%2Ftours.html


What I recommend is the following: for each of the Reference images you choose to work from, do 3 timed poses. Start from the beginning with each drawing ~ don't build on top of just one drawing, but do 3 SEPARATE drawings.

So, for instance, if you were to draw from, say, a master copy:

1. Do a 2 minute drawing from the master copy.

Capture the ESSENCE. Draw fast. Get down the essential information. Do not draw details at this stage!

2. Do a 5 minute drawing from the master copy.

Same deal. Capture the most information you can. Think gesture!

3. Do a 15 minute drawing from the master copy.

Again, the emphasis is on speed!

Here is a good example of a Gesture Drawing:

http://www.cwturner.com/portfolio_lg/gesture_girl.jpg
http://www.cwturner.com/portfolio_lg/gesture_girl.jpg


Work in the medium of your choice.


Don't be shy about your efforts! Post your work here ~ we're all here to learn! :)

Looking forward to seeing everyone's work! :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[fredlovebot]

Another 15min, from zhuzhu's ref-images!:)
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/gorgnut/15minzhuzhu.jpg

[Kami Z]

Hello everybody. I am back n_n.

Ms. Rebeccak, I have a question for you. I want to get into art a little bit more but I don't know where to start. I have only a general (maybe less than that) understanding of the human anotmy. I have a hard time posing the drawings and shading them. I don't have much access to life models. What should I do? Are there any books that would be really useful to me that I could buy?

[Rebeccak]

Kami Z,

I think you really underestimate your talents.

Your skull done for the Anatomy Review 003 was beautiful:

http://www.deviantart.com/view/26657686/

And I think you would be ready, if you wanted to, to participate in the Open Figure Drawing Workshops (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showpost.php?p=2602753&postcount=3) ~ ANYONE is welcome to join in, at anytime. :)

For the next OFDW, which starts this Sunday, we will be doing a Master Copy of a William Bouguereau painting from this source:

Warning: slow site:
http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/datab...sp?aid=7&page=6 (http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/database/art.asp?aid=7&page=6)

William Bouguereau (1825-1905)
Dante et Virgile au Enfers
Translated title: Dante and Virgil in Hell
1850
Oil on canvas
110 5/8 x 88 1/2 inches (281 x 225 cm)

I think that this will be a challenge, but this OFDW 012 will be given 3-4 weeks, depending how people feel at the end of 3 weeks, and I think it's a great opportunity to stretch one's wings and try something really difficult, but fun, in a supportive environment. :)

Also, if anyone wishes to follow along with the OFDWs, and wishes to post their work here in this thread, I would welcome that as well. :)

I also recommend taking a look at Erich / El Chief's Anatomy Thread, and seeing the kind of work he is doing:

Anatomy Thread of El Chief (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=297560)
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=297560

He is doing Master Copies from a book I recommended for him:

Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters (Paperback)
by Robert Beverly Hale, Terence Coyle (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0823002810/103-6060487-2648630?v=glance&n=283155&s=books&v=glance)
This is an excellent book which contains the drawings of a number of different master artists, as well as Anatomical Plates of bones and muscles in the back. It's a great reference from which I would encourage anyone to make studies of drawings and anatomical reference.

You should also check out:

Anatomy Thread of Lyneran (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=303591)
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=303591
He is working from Loomis' books, which are sadly now offline ~ however, it's good just to see what he is working on and the approach he is taking.

Generally, check out:

Anatomy Resources : BOOKS (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=257424)
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=257424

And let me know if you have any questions regarding a specific book.

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Kami Z]

Thank you very much for the informations, Ms. Rebaccak. I am going to start at the OFDW first. One of my goals is to learn how to draw and pose human body without referance. But again I don't really know how to acheive that goal. ^^;

[fredlovebot]

I have a question for everyone! I seem to have a problem with "fitting" my image on the paper. Whenever I draw by reference I kinda get carried away and everything seems to need more and more paper. How do you guys do to get down the proportions quick so you dont have to worry about it later? Maybe making some "extreme-points"?

Thanks!

[BBJ-83]

Yes, I learned to draw some extreme points. I think it's a good method to find a composition that fits into your drawing area.

[Mu]

Yea, extreme points.

You can also draw an envelope around the subject which serves as a container for the contour, generally.

But if you work digitally you can always resize your canvas! I did this quite often, before marking extreme points.

[CalvinChoy]

Well, sometimes before i try to draw, i try to get a rough estimation of the proportions, with heads and stuff . . but what most people do with extreme points, or drawing a fixed canvas works good i think, since u dont have to worry with the pose of the figure.

Calvin

[Rebeccak]

Heya, I think you guys are totally right here in your discussion of envelopes and finding the outermost points of form ~ :) ~ I had an illustration of it, but will have to post it later as I think it may be at home. :) But basically, what Mr. Mu was saying is right ~ it's best to draw the envelope of the form, which is basically like a constellation in that you are connecting the dots of all of the outermost points of the major aspects of the form ~ so, for example, you might find the outermost point of the top of the head, the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, thigh, knee, lower leg, foot, and so on, all the way around the figure ~ feel free to mark these points on the page with small dots, and then quite literally connect them ~ forming an envelope which denotes the outermost points of your form.

Cheers, :)


~Rebeccak

[tellaure]

hi. i'm a newbie to all this guesturing stuff and this is my first attempt =D

i think that the hands are too short and stumpy, but i just can't seem to get it rigght. any help? thanks a lot =D

http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/7449/untitled82ev.gif



ice breakers!
i'm 17 this year. currently studying for my GCSE A levels. i've not attended any "official" art course or used any books in drawing or anything. pretty much everything i can draw is by observation. enjoys doodling in free time (manga inspired). i feel that in order to furthur these doodlings i need to learn some formal anatomy so i went to google help for anatomy and stumbled upon this site =D and it seems really useful!

[Rebeccak]

tellaure,

Welcome aboard! It's nice to see you here. :) We’re glad you found us ~ and thank you for telling us something about yourself!

Nice work so far! The thing to note is that learning how to draw is mostly about practice ~ vs. critiques of individual pictures. What I recommend is to do several of these gestural analyses, as the more you do, the more proficient you will become. Post them here as you go, and we’ll follow your progress!

Great to see you here, and looking forward to seeing more of your work!

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[CalvinChoy]

Hi everyone,

Just finished a test at uni today . . don't have mood yet to prepare my next test, so i spend the rest of the day drawing heh:P

This is an update of a previous drawing of mine . . sort of study for shading/lighting. Thnx for the feedback last time rebecca, I removed the lines and added some more intensity to the image.

First drawing :

http://www.c-styled.com/cgtalk/cg_peers.jpg

The new updated version:


http://www.c-styled.com/cgtalk/cg_peers_2.jpg

I still have problems with getting the image/edges sharper . . but im using default brushes in alias sketchbook pro, maybe that's why :S

Thnx,

Calvin

[Mu]

Holy Moses Calvin!

This is a difference like Day and night!

Really amazing progress!

As concerns edges: is the brush you a re using hard edged? You will have a hard time adding hard edges with a soft edged brush. On the other hand that leftmost shadow is actually sharpedged... hmmm. Well, I think I'll leave that to Rebecca.

I think it came out great!

[CalvinChoy]

Thnx for the compliment Mr. Mu, I used softbrush most of the time . . because I wanted to get the nice soft transition, I tried to use hard brush, but had a hard time to get the transition right =/ So what I did is just, what rebecca recommend me, changing the brush size to very small and zoom in, it helped, but im sure it can get even better.

I have to figure out how to use my brushes efficiently in Sketchbook pro. In photoshop I there are tons of options and tools that can help . . but since im only doing black/white drawings and sketches I prefer sketchbook since it runs faster on my computer.

Anyway, thnx

Calvin

[Rebeccak]

Calvin_C,

Really nice work, and impressive improvement! :) The great thing about doing a still life well as you have is that it makes you realize that painting a figure is not quite as hard as you think ~ basically, if you think of the body as a collection of organic shapes, you can effectively think of the body as just a more complicated sort of pear. :) This may sound funny, but the same lessons that you have learned by doing this piece about soft and hard edges as well as values is directly applicable to the representation of the figure in 2D.

Nice work! Do you have plans for another exercise?

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[fredlovebot]

I forgot to thanks for all the tips you guys gave me! Thanks, they worked out!

Now I feel abit intimidated by posting this value and figure study since Calvin pulled it of so great! I like it really much, and its a big improvment indeed! :thumbsup:

All and all this took around an hour I think and now Im at the point were I can't see what I should do to make it better (although it needs improvment ofcourse :scream: )

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/gorgnut/ben1shading5.jpg

[lunat1k]

Calvin_C, that's a great improvement! :thumbsup:
gorgnut, you're off for a good start, keep working.

A master study:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/devalvatora/master_study_wip_02.jpg

Little something I did today:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/devalvatora/a_tree_on_the_hill_03.jpg

[Rebeccak]

Hey, everyone, :)

Some really great work going on here! Can't wait to take a better look later today. :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[fredlovebot]

lunat1k: Thanks for the kind words! Both your pictures are great, I really like that master study!

Here's an update, don't know if I made it better or worse though :rolleyes:
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/gorgnut/ben1shading6.jpg

[Mu]

gorgnut - very nice piece. You gave it more depth in the 2nd version.


Don't be afraid of the face and the hands! Sketch them in and refine them later.
Also, make the left foot as big as in your previous outline sketch. That provided a great sense of balance while this last one seems to small to serve its purpose.

lunat1k - great master study. Do you consider this done? (I am tired - sorry if you mentioned it) I especially like the heel of the left foot!

[CalvinChoy]

Thnx everyone for the feedback :)

Rebecca,

I'm planning to do some more still life's and at the same time I think I have to start practice with figures again, im still not happy with the gestures drawings. If the gestures get's better I will try to apply shading to it.

lunat1k,

You master study looks good, nice drawings to pick as study, can see the bones and muscles structure very good !

gorgnut,

Nice start here, im' looking forward to see the update :)

[lunat1k]

Mr. Mu, thanks. No, I want to work on it a bit more. To see where I can take it.
Calvin, thanks for the reply.
gorgnut, I think you should fix the hands, at the moment they're too cylindrical, straight, a bit squashed. I tried to show what I mean, I hope it helps:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/devalvatora/gorgnut_revew.jpg

Waiting for your update.

[Rebeccak]

gorgnut,

WOW, really impressive work here! :wip: I really like the way you're approaching this piece stylistically, and I hope you continue to refine it...definitely looking forward to an update! :)

I think what I would recommend in terms of the background is to use a mid~gray instead of a black ~ I liked the first version with the lighter background, as the lighter tone allowed the piece to 'breathe' ~ you can darken the majority of the background, while leaving a subtle area of light around the figure ~ you don't want him to 'glow', but you do want to distinguish the figure from the background in terms of value relationships and contrasts. Experiment a bit, and post your results. Great work! :wavey:

lunat1k,

Great to see your work as well! I quite like this approach of shading drawings ~ though the trap you have to watch out for is in thinking that shading is the better approach ~ it isn't really, the drawing is the main thing. It's sometimes difficult to think that you are doing a 'drawing' when you are painting...I know because I often forget! :) But try in your work to think 'drawing' vs. 'painting' ~ and things may become more clear. :)

Also you may wish to try a softer brush ~ particularly for the interior of the body, you don't want a lot of hard edges.

Looking great so far! Hope to see an update. :thumbsup: And nice job on the paintover! :)

Calvin_C,

Great, I think still lifes are a great idea! Try doing something organic and complicated, like a plant with a metal object ~ something contrasting in both value and texture. Looking forward to seeing your work! :)

Keep up the good work, guys! :wip:

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[fredlovebot]

Quick update, nothing really special just somewhat lighter, feels like its more 'true' to the ref. You be the judge, worse or better? :)
Gray background on Master Reb's request :bowdown: :scream:

lunat1k: It's so awesome of you to take the time to do that! Thanks! Although I didn't really implant any of your suggestion in this update, I hope i can get them in there later!:wavey:

Mr. Mu: Haha, you caught me! :D Face and hands (brrrr...) will be what Im going to work on next. I bet it will take even more time than the body ^^

Calvin: Thanks!

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/gorgnut/ben1shadefix2.png

Update-e-do!
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/gorgnut/ben1face.png

[fredlovebot]

I found something even more horrible than face and hands... feets! :D
Here I refined the hands and the underarm and started to go about the feets.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/gorgnut/ben1facenhand2.png

[dines]

Thanks for the Link Rebeccak...


I liked the mini I tutorial in this thread... great I helped me to work on my iris (I mean the one in the picture)...

I would love to improve my skills ... c&c are very welcome

but I do not want to post these images a second time so I hope it is OK to put up just a link...

http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?p=3179423

next time I will post directly in here...

dines

[Mu]

gorgnut - what a progress! Wonderful hand... and you're about to establish a real likeness in the face. Mind the nose It must not get too big! Keep it coming.

dines - sorry if I have overlooked your previous post. Post your pics inline in here. It's all free, you know:beer:

[djtrousdale]

Well hi... um...
I really don't have anything that's remotely related to the kind of stuff around here, like all these realistic human poses...

But I'm here by suggestion, and this is about the best I could find:

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/djtrousdale/mehexjake.png


I also have a WIP that I definitely need help with: http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=304018


In art, I consider myself to be a problem student.
I am extremely stubborn, I like my style, and I hate having to spend excessive amounts of time on something that I feel is a stupid project.

But all I'm looking for are SPECIFIC TIPS on how to improve... things like poses, perspective, color scheme, you know, specifics!
All I've had are people paragraphing at me that I don't know the basics... and that may be true. But I just try to do art for fun... and I want to learn and improve, if only little by little. I've been practicing for years, and I don't want to feel like it's all gone to waste, all because I didn't take any classes or read any books.

Sorry for ranting.

[Rebeccak]

gorgnut,

Wow! Super progress! :wip: Very much like seeing the WIP images, and I think you're picking this up fast...keep going! The main things I would suggest tweaking a bit are the nose and heh, the feet...:D...maybe enlarge the feet just slightly, and reduce the size of the nose a bit and I think you'll be in great shape! :)

Looking forward to that next update!

dines,

You're welcome! Please feel free to post your work here, as I think the beauty of a thread such as this is the group interaction. :) I don't mind double~posts, shhh! ;)

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Rebeccak]

djtrousdale,

Hey there, welcome aboard! Great to see you here. :) Really cute picture! It made me smile. :)

I would recommend just giving some of the exercises here in this thread a shot. They're really useful in terms of helping one understand the basic workings of a drawing of the human body. Even if one wants to work eventually in a cartoon style, it is definitely most useful to have traditional, represenational training and underpinnings. Just think of Bill Watterson (author of Calvin and Hobbes (http://schwicky.net/calvin/images/the_big_sneeze.jpg)), and how beautiful his work is ~ definitely impossible without traditional training. :)

Hope to see you try the exercises ~ you might like them! :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[djtrousdale]

Hmm... where might I find those exercises? All I see are peoples' anatomy threads.

[Rebeccak]

Originally posted by djtrousdale: Hmm... where might I find those exercises? All I see are peoples' anatomy threads.
They're all contained within this thread, and are linked under "ASSIGNMENTS" in the first post of this thread here: :)

http://forums.cgsociety.org/showpost.php?p=2856581&postcount=1

You are welcome to try any of the Assignments in any order, and to post your results here, as others have. Anyone is free to join in at any time. I simply recommend giving yourself 1 week per Assignment, and then posting your results for c&c. :)

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[lunat1k]

gorgnut, impressive! I really love the hands. :thumbsup:
djtrousdale, welcome abord from me too :)

Did this today:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/devalvatora/newton2.jpg

Science needs your help... now!

[Rebeccak]

lunat1k,

Nice to see your work! :) Would you mind if I did a little review of it?

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[lunat1k]

Not at all :)

[Rebeccak]

Thanks, lunat1k. :)

What I've done with your image is to first put a copy into grayscale mode, then proceed to Adjust the levels (Image > Adjustments > Levels > Auto) and then to rework the Composition a bit so that the focus is off to the viewer's right, instead of dead center, which is something compositionally you want to try to avoid. Then I've played a bit with the rubber stamp and basic PS brushes to try to make the figure a bit less detailed / distinct and more proportional to the tree ~ from this distance, you would not be able to see his features clearly, nor the fine details on the fence or bike, so I've brushed them a bit back into the background.

I quite like the near~mystical feeling to your original piece, so I've picked up on that and tried to imbue the tree with more anthropomorphic qualities which make it seem more like a living thing. I also quite like the feeling you've given to the sky, so I've tried to make the tree and the sky sort of interact on that same level.

In terms of contrast, you want the area of most light/dark contrast to exist where you want the viewer's eye to go, so I've reserved the most contrast for the figure and the sky as contrasted behind him. Additionally, I've slightly darkened the outer edges of the picture frame to sort of hold the viewer's attention within the bounds of the frame. You don't want to create a solid border, but some subtle darkening here and there can be a useful device sometimes.

Finally I've just tried to unify the picture with sort of a sweeping gesture that should echo througout the piece ~ taking a cue from your original sky and tree, which I think are really inspiring. :)

I hope this helps ~ bear in mind that these are only suggestions.

I also really recommend for anyone to check out Phillip Straub's excellent Composition Tutorial: (http://features.cgsociety.org/story_custom.php?story_id=3275&page=)

http://features.cgsociety.org/story_custom.php?story_id=3275&page=

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b380/rebeccak5/Beginners%20Lounge/lunat1k_1_giffer2.gif

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[lunat1k]

Thank you, Rebecca. That's helping a lot! You made really good points. To be honest I thought for a moment about the dead center composition, but I was too immerced into the piece and overlooked it. Also thanks for the link, I'll check it out first thing.

[Rebeccak]

lunat1k,

You're quite welcome ~ no problem! :) I think Phillip's composition tutorial will contain most of what anyone needs to know re: Composition...I would encourage anyone to check it out. :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[fredlovebot]

Morning updat-e-do! (Well, morning.. 13:57 :applause: )
I gave the man a hair and a nose job. Feets left now, maybe I should call it finished after that?

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/gorgnut/ben1hair.png

[Rebeccak]

gorgnut,

Wow! Really terrific job here...:applause:...I think you should be participating in the OFDWs now. :thumbsup:

Some minor crits: I think the right foot still seems just a bit small...and the reflected light on his chest is just a little bit flat. But overall, this is just an excellent WIP! :) Really impressed with your progress on this...looking forward to another update! Keep up the great work. :thumbsup:

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[fredlovebot]

Thanks for the kind words and crit Reb! :love:
I did a little more refining on the feets and chestarea as you told me. I don't know really, should I call it finished now? It feels like Im poking away with details and such now, and this was only supposed to be a value study :scream:

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/gorgnut/benfinal.png

PS. Im really spamming this thread with images, hah. Tell me if you want me to link the images instead!

[Rebeccak]

gorgnut,

You're most welcome! Please do not consider WIP images spamming...it's what we like to see here. :)

Nice update on the foot ~ I think it looks a lot better now. :)

Here's a little comparison to help see your painting in relation to the original Reference: :)

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b380/rebeccak5/Beginners%20Lounge/gorgnut_1.jpg

You're doing a great job ~ the one thing I would say is that some of your highlights (whites) are just a bit too bright ~ take a look at the grayscaled version of the Reference Photo ~ notice how there are really no areas that are a pure, intense white ~ most of the values in the image range from a very light gray to the near~black of the background ~ even the background is not pure black, it's a really dark gray ~ almost black, but not quite.

It's up to you how far you want to push your image...personally I think you could take it even farther, but I'll leave that to you to decide.

Great work! :thumbsup:

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[fredlovebot]

:love::love:
Can't thank you enough for everthing your doing :)
About the highlights; I kinda knew that they were a little bright and contrasty and it sorta looked better at some point. However, I toned it down (so easy, just go over with a low opacity airbrush) and now it looks better.

I tweaked the right leg a little bit in this update. I also noticed that the man didn't have any ear :scream: so I gave him one.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/gorgnut/ben1final2.png

[Rebeccak]

gorgnut,

You're really welcome! :) Always happy to help a hard worker. ;) Wow, a lot better! I really thought your last update was really good, but with the highlights toned down, this looks even better ~ much more naturalistic. :thumbsup: LOL, I didn't even notice about the ear ~ it's better! I think you might want to refine it even just a bit further, maybe soften the contrast a bit. Keep asking yourself, 'is there something I can do to make it better?' ~ and you will always find little places which can be improved. You're doing a great job! :)

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[fredlovebot]

Still poking around :wip:
Minor changes in this one, it's becoming hard to see any real diffrence now ^^
Made the dark spots in the hair darker to give it some more depth and some more detail.
Left leg is reworked abit, looks more like the ref now. Hip wrinkles added and some small minor details on the right foot.

Also changed the 'area above the arm'. But I kinda liked it the old way to but this is more 'true' to the reference (I think :curious: )
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/gorgnut/ben1final3.png

Rebeccak: Should I post this in the OFDW aswell?

[Mu]

gorgnut - no crit from me, just a comment:

ROCK ON!

been watching you and your progress.

It's always nice to watch someone work!:scream:

[Rebeccak]

gorgnut,

This is getting increasingly sophisticated...the hair is looking really beautiful. Again, I would say to keep asking yourself if there are areas to improve...when there are no more areas to improve, then you are finished. :)

Really impressed with your progress...keep going until you are satisfied that you are finished. :)

EDIT: I agree with Mr. Mu! :thumbsup:

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[fredlovebot]

If it's signed, it's finished! :p
Im afraid that if i poke on this piece anymore it will be getting worse :scream:

HUGE Thanks to everyone of you for all the comments and crits!
Hopefully you will see my next WIP in my own anatomy thread (If Im not to lazy, that is :scream: )

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/gorgnut/ben1finished_signed.png

[Rebeccak]

Originally posted by gorgnut: If it's signed, it's finished! :p
:scream: I read this and saw the giant signature, and laughed out loud! :scream:

Congratulations on an excellent job! :applause: Really fantastic work, and you made a lot of great progress today. Kudos for working quite hard!

You should definitely try to participate in the next OFDW, which starts late tonight (probably your tomorrow) ~ we'll be doing a Master Copy, and it should be a lot of fun!

I really think you could handle it...you've done a beautiful job with this piece, and I look forward to seeing more of what you can do! :thumbsup:

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[fredlovebot]

I'm definitly going to try and participate in the new OFDW! This WIP has left me hungering for more and it was a great experience!

Now however, Im getting some sleep :p
Went to bed 05:40 last night (morning) and woke up at 11:00 so I'm a little beat ;)

[Rebeccak]

Hehe, no problem! :D Get some well~deserved rest. :)

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Mu]

gorgnut - if this was a roleplaying game you'd see sparkles all around and would find your inventory full of skill points...

...because you definitely levelled up, man! Congratulations!

:arteest:

:beer:
:applause::applause::applause::bounce::bounce::bounce::buttrock::buttrock::buttrock:

[Rebeccak]

Mr. Mu,

I agree! :cool:

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Elaeria]

Hi all!

Here are the first two sketches that I did on the first exercise in this thread. The ref photo used was one from Sarah Simblet's book "Anatomy for the Artist" so until you see it, the pose might look quite odd.
I will try to get a reference photo up for you all to see in the next day or two. (Heh heh...left the book at home and I only have a scanner at work.)

5 minutes:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/meligh/figure1.jpg

10 minutes:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/meligh/figure2.jpg
Thanks for looking! I still owe you all a 15 minute pose...that'll come up soon too.
Hope it's okay that I'm posting for the first exercise so late in the game.
Meredith

[Rebeccak]

Elaeria,

Hi, nice to see you here! Can't take a good look at your pieces atm as I'm at work, but glad you could join in, and it's never too late ~ just pace yourself by giving yourself 1 week for each of the assignments, and post when you can!

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Elaeria]

That's okay Rebecca :)...I'm actually kind of disgusted with myself when looking at the 10 minute versus the 5 minute sketch....I think sometimes speed in drawing anything can make things better. Less time focused on an area of a drawing can sometimes render better results.

One sentence that really stood out for me in this book was about not going over and over a line with your pencil to confirm that you like the shape of it. I have a bad habit of overworking areas I'm pleased with and neglecting areas that could use a little "assistance". Ha ha ha!

Anyways, thanks Rebecca and everyone for looking. I might try that 10 minute sketch again tonight and see if I can't do better.
Meredith

[fredlovebot]

I think sometimes speed in drawing anything can make things better. Less time focused on an area of a drawing can sometimes render better results.

Exactly what I thought at first! But lets say you have 10min to complete a sketch, first think of it as a 2min sketch and stress but still take time to erase and redo mistakes. If you keep it swift and fast you will see that you can get the proportions down AND be able to fit in some anatomy and maybe even details!
This is how I do it, maybe not suitable for everyone but try it!

[mstroeck]

Hi all! The name of this thread sounded quite friendly and welcoming, so I decided to post my fist-ever picture here.

Three days ago, I realized that being completely unable to draw is really embarassing. I turned to Google for advice, and it pointed me towards you guys ;-) So, in three days of reading and following the tutorials here I went from stick figures (no joke...) to the picture below. There are obviously problems, but so far I'm really having fun and I'm seeing lots and lots of progress! Thanks for all the great content here, and I hope I can contribute something to it in te future.

Cheers,
Michael

http://www.stroeck.com/torso.jpg

[Rebeccak]

Elaeria,

Ok, finally can take a look at your work! :) I think the main thing is practice ~ try all of the assignments here, and when you feel like you want to, go beyond the assignments too. :) I think you've got a great start here and just need to do a lot of these fast sketches...these exercises are less about close critical examination than they are about pure mileage. :)

Looking forward to that 15 minute sketch! :wip:

mstroeck,

Welcome aboard! :) I'm glad that you found us here, and I have to say that I'm curious as to what the search term you used :D ~ but at any rate, Wow! That's really impressive for someone with little drawing experience! :thumbsup: What I would suggest trying next is to fill the bkgrd with a midtone gray, and using a low opacity airbrush to gradually build your values ~ using just varying opacities of black, white, and gray. Looking forward to you next update, and glad to see you here! :)

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[mstroeck]

Welcome aboard! :) I'm glad that you found us here, and I have to say that I'm curious as to what the search term you used :D

Actually, I went from Google to an Apple-centric forum where Wacom tablets where discussed (http://www.apfeltalk.de). There, someone posted about cgsociety. So that's how I got here :-)

but at any rate, Wow! That's really impressive for someone with little drawing experience! :thumbsup: What I would suggest trying next is to fill the bkgrd with a midtone gray, and using a low opacity airbrush to gradually build your values ~ using just varying opacities of black, white, and gray.

Wow, thank you for the praise. Incidentally, all my first sketches looked like crap. Then I read your piece about opposing curves, and it just made a lot of sense to me. While I don't really have it down, now my figures are easily recognizable and much more natural. Unfortunately, I can't find anything about that concept in any of the drawing books I have been able to locate so far, but then, that aren't so many :-)

I have actually already "coloring" the drawing, but I it's much more difficult for me than the line drawing, can't seem to get it right... I'll keep trying :-)

[Elaeria]

Thanks Rebecca! Will do! :arteest:

BTW, The ref (since a while ago you mentioned that you bought this book) is on page 92. I'll try to post it tomorrow.
MSTROEK: Great work! From what you've said you really seem to be making leaps and bounds into drawing the figure! :thumbsup: Can't wait to see more of your stuff!

GORGNUT: Thanks for the tip! I will give it a try, for sure. :D Hmmm...now how can I kick my fiance out of the house for a while so I can get some quiet drawing time in...hehehe...

Meredith

[Rebeccak]

Originally posted by mstroeck: Actually, I went from Google to an Apple-centric forum where Wacom tablets where discussed (http://www.apfeltalk.de (http://www.apfeltalk.de/)). There, someone posted about cgsociety. So that's how I got here :-)
Wow! That's nutty ~ very cool! :thumbsup: Thanks for telling me that! :)

Wow, thank you for the praise. Incidentally, all my first sketches looked like crap. Then I read your piece about opposing curves, and it just made a lot of sense to me. While I don't really have it down, now my figures are easily recognizable and much more natural. Unfortunately, I can't find anything about that concept in any of the drawing books I have been able to locate so far, but then, that aren't so many :-)
You should check out a good thread here which might help:

Anatomy Resources : BOOKS (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=257424)
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=257424

Let me know if you have any questions. :)

I have actually already "coloring" the drawing, but I it's much more difficult for me than the line drawing, can't seem to get it right... I'll keep trying :-)
Try checking out the following links:

TUTORIALS - Shading Techniques - by Various Artists (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showpost.php?p=2606755&postcount=10)
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showpost.php?p=2606755&postcount=10

In particular, take a look at:

TUTORIAL - Digital Figurative Painting from OFDW - by Rebeccak (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=275436)
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=275436

Hope they help! :) Post your WIP here, and we can help you with pointers. :)

Originally posted by Elaeria: BTW, The ref (since a while ago you mentioned that you bought this book) is on page 92. I'll try to post it tomorrow.
Heh, I'm sorry, which book was that? :D I recommend several different ones, so forgive me in my early onset Alzheimer's! :scream:

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Elaeria]

Heh heh...too early for Alzheimers Rebecca... :P

Just kidding...no the book was Anatomy for the Artist by Sarah Simblet. I think you had mentioned somewhere in another thread that you recently bought that one. At any rate, the ref is pg 92 of that book. *grin*

And can I just add here (because while I was hoping to draw tonight, I ended up spending most of it on the phone...) I NO LONGER WANT A WEDDING, I WANT TO ELOPE!!!
Okay *phew*...just had to get that out. :twisted:
Yah, I'm nutz...forgive me. :P
Meredith

[Rebeccak]

Elaeria,

Hahaha, thanks for the book title reminder. :D Re: eloping...LOL! :scream:

Cheers, ;)

~Rebeccak

[sturmkim]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c86/sturmkim/shadingEx01.jpg

hi guys..

finally i end up here.. i'm focusing on shading on this piece now.
warm critique and comment please.

best
sturm

[Rebeccak]

sturm,

Wow, really nice! I thought I was seeing double there for a minute...that plus the early onset Alzheimer's...:D...I think I need to take a nap! :scream:

Seriously, though, really lovely work...will you be finishing the rest of the body? :)

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Mu]

Wow, really nice! I thought I was seeing double there for a minute


Me, too. I was like... "So what, that's just the ref... hang on, did he copy paste that arm?":scream:

really great use of precise values, sturmkim!

Elaeria - thought I'd like to squeeze in that I really liked your 2min sketch. You might also try to do manymanymany of those in a row. Makes you not think about what went wrong so much. Just no time for idle contemplation:scream:
Unfortunately, Rebecca is right about the mileage. The more you do the less you are disgusted with your own pieces... god I so hate it when she is right about a thing which in the end means work for you:scream:

mstroeck - wonderful torso! Seems you have hammered opposing curves home to yourself! Looking forward to you WIPs (Work-in-progress) of your values studies...

[Rebeccak]

Originally posted by the Mu: god I so hate it when she is right about a thing which in the end means work for you :scream:
Haaaaa!!! My neighbors heard me laughing! :scream:

[sturmkim]

aaack... 10 min two finger typing is gone....dang.


thanks rebecca and mr. mu

see you guys at lunch time

best
sturm

[Elaeria]

Mr. Mu: Thank you so much for your comments on my 2 minute sketch! *BIG GRIN* I have to say that I am a little proud of that one. I definitely like it better than the sketch I did after it...hehehe :P
I am going to burn a hole in the cover of my sketchbook tonight practicing the quick figure drawings as you suggested. :)

Also, here (finally) is the reference that I have been working from. Heh heh...took me a little while to get it scanned as some people here at work didn't seem very pleased about the content of my book choice today. *rolls eyes* It wasn't until I showed them the title of the book that they stopped looking at me strangely...BUAH HAHAHA!

PHOTO REFERENCE:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/meligh/reffigure.gif

Cheers,
Meredith

[Elaeria]

Here's a 15 minute from tonight...I'm sorry I seem to be a little all over the place.
When I sat down at painter tonight and picked a reference from my anatomy book (yeah it's really good for reference pics...hehehe) things just sorta happened....after about 5 minutes I asked my fiance to let me know when 10 minutes was up. HAHA!

So this is where I got after 15 minutes:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/meligh/pg174.jpg

*sigh* Why oh why is it necessary to WORK to earn a living...can't I just paint all day? I need more practice time!! :scream:

Night everyone!
Meredith

[Rebeccak]

sturmkim,

Sorry to hear you lost your post...I periodically copy and paste my text to Notepad / Wordpad just in case. I know how that feels, sorry. :(

Meredith,

Really nice start and feel to this latest piece! Is this from Reference? :)

Nice to see your original Reference photo...feel free to take images from the 15 Minute Sketchathon as well and to post your studies here...looking forward to more updates! :) And I agree about wanting to be home all day to paint! :scream:

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Mu]

Elaeria - (I always feel drunk when typing this nick - too many vowels:D )as Rebecca posted, use the refs from the sketchathon thread, but I would also love to see the above 15min sketch given the treatment of another 15 min, because the hip rocks! (does this expression take on an unwanted undertone? Damn, that's the bad thing about trying to use colloquial language - you never know before you end up making a fool of yourself:scream: )

[Elaeria]

Rebecca: Thank you! Yes, I was a little pleased with myself last night with this last one. The reference was from the "poses" section of ...yep, you guessed it...Sarah Simblet's book. Page 172 I think??? At any rate, I'll be attempting my 10 minute sketch again on the previous reference pic this evening before I work on this again. I do intend to continue with this one though. :D

Mr. Mu: Haha! Don't worry, you aren't the first to have trouble with that name. It originally came from an online RPG that I was involved in. I haven't done it for a while, but I just continued using the name. :)
And don't worry, I understood what you meant about the hip. Hee hee! I happen to like it myself. I will do another 15 minute session with this one and see how much further I can take it. I think I will try to focus more on the torso and leave the hip alone.

Cheers all!
Meredith

[Elaeria]

Heh...sorta wonder if I'm spamming this thread. :P

Here's another 15 mins on the figure sketch as promised. I am really finding that Painter makes for a much less stressful figure practice session than Photoshop...hmmm..might have to start using it more...:p. This one I've only used the palette knife brush in varying sizes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/meligh/PG174figure2.jpg
p.s. Damned hands...GAH! Both of them are going to be right frustrating to finish up, I can feel it...Hee hee! Still having fun though!

Happy painting all!
Meredith

[Rebeccak]

Originally posted by Meredith: At any rate, I'll be attempting my 10 minute sketch again on the previous reference pic this evening before I work on this again. I do intend to continue with this one though. :D
Great! I'm impressed that you can focus on drawing with lots more important plans going on ;) ~ kudos!

EDIT: Lol, I think we posted at the exact same moment ~ just saw your last post. :D

Really nice progress! You're spamming with WIP, how could I mind? :) I really like the softness of the transitions on the lower torso and legs ~ that area's really shaping up nicely! With respect to the hands, I would suggest working at a large resolution ~ printing resolution, 300 dpi ~ so you have enough area in which to zoom in and really attend to the small details with ease. If you are working at screen res, 72 dpi, you will likely have a harder time painting those pesky hands. Mr. Mu was having a good deal of success with hands following his use of Burne Hogarth's books. Hogarth has an excellent book, Drawing Dynamic Hands (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0823013685/qid=1138247760/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2_xgl14/103-9086190-9210200?n=507846&s=books&v=glance), which I would recommend to anyone. :)

Keep going with this, I think this will turn out quite well with a bit more time! :thumbsup:

*time for me to go do chores!* :D

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Elaeria]

HAHA! Funny meeting you here Rebecca!

Thanks for the comments. :D I'm really enjoying working on this one. It isn't hard to get in a groove when I sit down at my computer and as I said earlier, working with painter allows me to focus on the actual picture. For some reason I've been getting a mental block when I sit down with my sketchbook...it seems intimidating when I look at the pencil and the big blank page...does that make me a looney? ;)

Re: Finding time to paint: I made a pact with myself that if this is uber important to me then I will FIND time every night or every other night to do at least my 15 minutes.
My fiance even told me tonight that he will stay out of my hair until my practice time is up each night...hahaha! He's so good to me ;).

I would like to see if I can finish this by the weekend. Wish me luck!
:arteest: Meredith

[Rebeccak]

Originally posted by Meredith: My fiance even told me tonight that he will stay out of my hair until my practice time is up each night...hahaha! He's so good to me ;).
:scream: hahahahaha! ~That is so funny and sweet! :scream: Glad he's supportive! ;)

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak *the procrastination must stop...later!* :D

[jFeige]

Hello everyone :wavey:.

I finally got the courage to post some of my works. :)
I've been painting for several years now (I'm 17 years old, male, student and living in Germany :)) but just out of fun and without putting too much thought in it. But I decided to get a bit more serious about Anatomy and Figurative Art now (but I'm really just at the beginning). :rolleyes:
Here is the work of the last 2 days (tried to keep Rebeccak's article about opposing curves in mind, when I did them):
http://www.blank-grafix.de/sketches33.jpg
http://www.blank-grafix.de/sketches34.jpg
http://www.blank-grafix.de/sketches35.jpg
http://www.blank-grafix.de/sketches36.jpg
(I hope that there aren't too many pictures .. would be kind of embarassing in my first post here. :rolleyes:)

[Jakob L.]

I'm not sure if I got this right |: if this how you're supposted to do?

first work with my tablet ever;

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d30/jacobwiberg/Sketches/1kopi.jpg

photo refference;

http://www.aadrawing.com/americanartist/photos/2005/07/0507rubens1_300x450.jpg

=/ ?

[Rebeccak]

Jacob Wiberg,

Hey there, nice to see these! :) I think you are doing just fine ~ give yourself some time to get used to the tablet and to the concept of Gesture ~ and most importantly, do several of these exercises, from as many master drawings as you can. :)

I quite like the 5 minute sketch ~ I think what you will find is that the faster (shorter time limit, like the 2 and 5 minute sketches) are the most fun ~ you have to automatically react in order to get everything in, and speed helps you to internalize the process of drawing and make it a partly subconscious act.

Let's see more of these! You are definitely on the right track. :thumbsup:

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Rebeccak]

jFeige,

Just so you know, all new members have to post 2 text only posts before they can post images ~ since I'm subscribed to this thread, I got a notification saying that you had posted, but you'll notice that your post doesn't appear ~ if you post a reply to this message here, with anything, something like, 'ok, I understand!' then you should be fine, and eventually (maybe not right away but a little later on) we'll be able to see your images. :)

This is just how CGTalk as a website works...everyone has to do the same thing. :thumbsup:

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[jFeige]

Ah, thanks for telling me Rebbecak. :blush:

I should probably listen to those people who tell me to RTFM. :rolleyes:

[Rebeccak]

jFeige,

Yep, that did the trick! :thumbsup: I can now see your post...really nice work! I see you're working from "Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist" (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195030958/qid=1138291983/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/104-8685283-6121526?n=507846&s=books&v=glance) and "Anatomy Lessons From The Great Masters" (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0823002810/qid=1138291916/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/104-8685283-6121526?n=507846&s=books&v=glance) ~ great books! :thumbsup:

I think your handling of form so far is really quite good...the key thing is to do as many of these Master Copies as you can, and if possible, to attend life drawing Workshops, or alternately to participate in our Open Figure Drawing Workshops (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showpost.php?p=2602753&postcount=3) here. :) We're currently on OFDW 012 (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=312150), and there's a lot of great work going on! Anyone is free to jump in at any time. :)

Someone's thread whom you should check out is Erich's / El Chief's:

Anatomy Thread of Erich Schreiner (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=297560)
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=297560

Toward the end of his thread, he has done a nice series of Master Copies from the "Anatomy Lessons From The Great Masters" book ~ definitely worth taking a look at! :thumbsup:

Glad to have you aboard, and hope to see more of your work. :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[jFeige]

Thanks for the kind welcome Rebbecak. :)

Unfortunately, I don't have these books. The one I got the references from offers a short text+drawings of some masters, but it's just a small part of the book.
But thanks for the links, I'll definately have a look at them.

The books I currently work from are "Figure Painting for all it's worth" by A. Loomis and "Die Gestalt des Menschen" by Gottfried Bammes (I only know the german title and I'm not sure if it is available in another language at all).

I already did a sketch for OFDW 012 but I'm not sure if I'll be able to finish it.

Thanks again for the kind words. I'll definatley stick around here in the future. :)

[Rebeccak]

Originally posted by jFeige: Thanks for the kind welcome Rebbecak. :)
No problem! :)

Unfortunately, I don't have these books. The one I got the references from offers a short text+drawings of some masters, but it's just a small part of the book.
But thanks for the links, I'll definately have a look at them.

The books I currently work from are "Figure Painting for all it's worth" by A. Loomis and "Die Gestalt des Menschen" by Gottfried Bammes (I only know the german title and I'm not sure if it is available in another language at all).
Great! I've heard that last book is amazing...and Loomis is quite popular around here. :)

I already did a sketch for OFDW 012 but I'm not sure if I'll be able to finish it. Thanks again for the kind words. I'll definatley stick around here in the future. :) Great! No worries ~ do what you can. :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[Rebeccak]

Gals 'n Guys,

For some great examples of Gesture Drawings, take a look at this:

Anatomy Thread of Bobby Chiu (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=313788)
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=313788

He's working digitally, but has basically used the same concepts as you would use traditionally. :thumbsup:

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Monster_General]

Here I start again ... I am not good on human drawings or things like that ... But I give it a try with designing this portrait ... :)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/legend_general/Portrait.jpg

[Rebeccak]

Monster_General,

Welcome aboard! :) Nice to see your work here. :thumbsup:

I really recommend trying some of the exercises posted at the beginning of this thread, in the first post. :) They are really good gesture exercises which I think will get you going in the right direction. :) I would also recommend taking a look through this entire thread, to get a sense of what people have been working on ~ some really nice work has been done, and some nice progress made so far ~ what I recommend is just giving yourself a week for each of the exercises, and then posting your work here for constructive comments. :)

Looking forward to seeing your first exercise! :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[Monster_General]

Thanks Rebeccak , I will try this ... My problem about gesture , ermm , I am embrassed to draw nude things ^_^ so I not try it by much ^_^'

[Rebeccak]

Monster_General,

Lol! No worries about the nudity thing...the best thing to do is to use images from here:

I5 Minute Sketchathon - Thread 1: Reference (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=298699)
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=298699

The majority of the photos there are clothed. :) Just substitute any images of your choosing for the nude reference here. :)

The above is a thread here on the Anatomy Forum from which I encourage people to do 15 minute drawings. :)

For the exercises here, what I encourage you to do is to do, per each reference photo, 3 drawings, where you start from the beginning with each drawing.

So in the end, from 1 Reference photo, you will have drawn 3 new images:

A. 2 minute drawing
B. 5 minute drawing
C. 15 minute drawing.

I hope this makes sense. Let me know if you have any questions. :)

Okay, I'm off to lunch...will try to answer any questions when I get back. :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[Monster_General]

Ah I understand , and if I do studies on it , can I post it to here or I need to in another topic ? I will start from now on , and will post where I need to later :) Thanks for your great suggestions and help Rebeccak :)

[Rebeccak]

Monster_General,

Hey, no problem! :) Nope, you just post your work here, even if the reference comes from other sources. :) I think the great benefit of this thread is that you will be posting amongst other beginners, who are very supportive, and whom can offer their suggestions. :thumbsup:

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Monster_General]

Ah and one more question , Can I study on 3d arts and such things like that ( characters from games ) or it would be real just ? ^_^'

[Monster_General]

Here I try one :

Original :

http://malestars.codserver.com/cnt/jackie_chan/photos/8.jpg

Sketch :

[Rebeccak]

Monster_General,

Great work here! I'm impressed! Your exterior linework is a nice contrast to the interior shading. :) Let's see you try another one! :thumbsup:

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Monster_General]

Thanks a lot Rebeccak ! :) I will try some ones tomorrow I think ... Those are really funny to do ... :buttrock:

[Rebeccak]

Monster_General,

Ok, sounds great! :thumbsup: I think the 15 Minute Sketchathon Reference photos are really fun to work on ~ look forward to seeing more of your sketches!

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Monster_General]

Ok . I currently stock them ^_^ and would do some of them tomorrow ... too lazy to work now because time in here is 2:00 am XD ... :scream:

[Rebeccak]

Have a good night then. ;) Dream of 15 minute sketches! :thumbsup:

[Monster_General]

Lol , yea I will :) Maybe inspiration come in dream :thumbsup:

zz

[Kelob]

Hello everyone,
I've been posting on the 'Drawing on the right side' thread with my exercises but I've got a few other sketches and doodles I've done recently that I thought I'd show.
TBH I never thought as little as two weeks ago that I'd ever even begin to approach a standard where I'd feel comfortable posting sketches on t'Internet but I've persevered (although I've still not done nearly as much as I should do) and I can feel that I'm progressing a little (a big part of this is the inspiration I get seeing all the fan-bloody-tastic artwork on this site!).
So...

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e366/Kelob/Right%20Side%20Pix/loomis_copy3.jpg


This was a speed sketch did from a picture in one of the Loomis books. I was racing through some of the pages the other day choosing pics at random to dash out. The first several were awful but when I began to start getting into it I'd spend a little more time on them. This was about 3-5 mins work And the next...

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e366/Kelob/Right%20Side%20Pix/loomis_copy2.jpg


Was probably about 7-8.

I finally got into the swing of things and did this one in about 15 mins. It only looks vaguely like the original but I was pretty pleased with it. The eyes are too small and the neck is wrong but I may use this pic as the first concerted effort to use my new tiny A6 tablet on something other than browsing this site :-)

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e366/Kelob/Right%20Side%20Pix/loomis_copy0001.jpg



I also knocked up a quick copy from a Promethea trade paper-back the other day. I need to sort out the face...but they scare me!

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e366/Kelob/Right%20Side%20Pix/Promethea.jpg

By the way...my shading is terrible and not meant to be looked at lest you go mad!
I guess it'll come with time and practice though.

[Rebeccak]

Kelob,

Great to see these images, and it gives me a totally different perspective on where you're at than the work you've posted in the Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain thread. :thumbsup:

I really like the second and last drawings especially (though I like them all) as they show a lot of emotion and careful observation. :)

I think your drawings show a ton of potential, and I would really recommend doing the same as what I would recommend anyone here to do ~ which is to try out the exercises that are posted at the beginning of this thread. Feel free to either use the provided Reference that accompanies each exercise, or to draw Reference from the:

I5 Minute Sketchathon - Thread 1: Reference (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=298699)
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=298699

thread, or to choose your own Ref. :) The only limitation that I would ask that you impose on yourself is to give yourself no more than 1 week for each exercise. :)

Looking forward to seeing more of your work! :thumbsup:

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Elaeria]

Happy Birthday to me! My wonderful, supportive fiance got my entire family and his family to pitch in and buy me the 6x8 intuos for my 29th!! WOOT!:bounce::eek::bounce:

The downside is that with everything going on this weekend celebration-wise, I didn't get any time to draw! *cries* Until now...:twisted:
So I grabbed a ref from the 15 minute ref forum and did a timed stint to try out the new tablet. WEEEEE!

I want to continue this one too, but here is how far I got tonight. EESH! Big difference between my trusty graphire and this intuos, man!! Wowie!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/meligh/balletsmall.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/meligh/refpic.jpg
Hope all is well with everyone! Loving the latest posts in here. Good work everyone! :thumbsup:
Meredith

[Rebeccak]

Happy Birthday, Meredith! :bounce:Lol, your posts always crack me up...Congrats on the Wacom! :thumbsup: It was very nice of your fam to pitch in for that ~ extra brownie points for the loved ones! :scream:

This piece is working out well! The one thing I notice is that you may be spending more time on the background than is really necessary...it's just a suggestion, but with so little time (just 15 minutes) I would try to spend more time on the refinement of the figure's linework...which so far is going quite well! :) Maybe add a bit of fluidity in the arms, and lengthen the legs just a bit. Otherwise, you're definitely on the right track! :)

I hope you enjoy what remains of your birthday! Again, congrats on the cool present!

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Elaeria]

Thanks Rebecca! :D And I love your new avatar. Hee hee! When I first logged in I went looking for that hysterical woman rolling in the snow and then realized that it had changed. That rocks!

I agree about the background thing. I think I really enjoyed working in greyscale with the last one and wanted to start with the black background again. I find it more comfortable and easier to sketch out the figure shape. Perhaps next time I will just start with plain black and work from there. *sheepish grin*

Tomorrow nights mission: FIGURE FIGURE FIGURE! I'd like to aim towards getting the shape chiseled out. Heh heh...oh...and wedding florist...can't forget to call the florist...hrm... :scream:

Thanks Rebecca! Off to enjoy my last few minutes of birthday madness! Mmmm...birthday madness....*drool*
Ciao,
Meredith

[Rebeccak]

Lol...rock on, Meredith! See you when you post your next update thingy! :thumbsup:

Florists, figure drawings, weddings, oh my! :scream:

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[sturmkim]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c86/sturmkim/drawing/torso2min.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c86/sturmkim/drawing/torso5min.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c86/sturmkim/drawing/torso15min.jpg


nice to see you guy again.
here is my humble 2.5.15min work (mmm torso is getting fatter,,,dang)

rebeccak; i miss your old avatar (well get familiar with new one too)

elaeria; happy birth day, ( you will stop counting your age very soon)

kelob: i like your second sketch, ( i almost hear what she say,,,) good work

monster_general; nice to see you here. keep working,

best
sturm

[Rebeccak]

sturm,

It's great to see this! I can see a lot of progress from your first to your last piece...some really nice work here. :thumbsup:

The Belvedere Torso is the statue I used for the original opposing curves tutorial (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=255700) ~ here's the demo from that thread ~ I think it's probably the most efficient in terms of explaining how to create pairs of opposing curves to create a sense of rhythm in the figure:


http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a35/rebeccak4/CG_Talk_Anatomy_Workshop_II_OPPOSING%20CURVES/torso_demo_300dpi_small_FUL.jpg

Figures B. and C. show OPPOSING CURVES in action – the NUMBERS indicate the sequence in which the OPPOSING CURVES might be drawn, and they also show how the eye moves from one side of the form to the other and from one curve to another. The COLORS indicate the FORM which is being created by the OPPOSING CURVES.

As mentioned before in the previous lesson, NEVER use Parentheses ( ) curves to indicate form – you will end up drawing a vase, not a leg, as human form is organic and rarely perfect in its symmetry. Instead, use OPPOSING CURVES, or OFFSET CURVES, to generate FORM.

Figure D. shows how one might DRAW Opposing Curves on the page. These need not be drawn in a certain order – but the point is to THINK AROUND AND ACROSS THE BODY instead of down one side and then another.

~~

Hope this helps and isn't too confusing. Let me know if you have any questions. :)

Sturm, one thing that might help would be to fill the bkgrd with black or a dark / mid~gray from the very beginning ~ then building your linework and values from there. :)

By the way, I still have my old avatar...I'll probably be restoring it at some point or other. :D

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[CalvinChoy]

Hi everyone,

I see that a lot of people joined the beginner's lounge :) Nice to meet you all, and welcome :D, nice drawings by everyone ! I can't wait till my tests are over, first thing I gonna do is get my intuos and draw all day, a lot to catch up :p.

Rebecca,

I wanted to ask, when you are drawing the sketch/curves, are you always drawing the outlines of the final figure or just the flow of the figure? Because I got a lot of problem drawing the right size when drawing parts of a figure . . . sometimes the torso is not big enough . . or if it is big enough then the legs are to thin etc.... the height of the figure is usually ok . . it's the width i think, distance between the oppositing curves. Hope you understand what i mean, im not sure if that is a proportion problem or not.

Thnx :)

[Monster_General]

Hey Calvin_C , I cannot answer to your question exactly becasue I am a beginner aswell ^_^ so please mercy me I post my excersize work before you get your answer :)

[Rebeccak]

Originally posted by Calvin_C:
I wanted to ask, when you are drawing the sketch/curves, are you always drawing the outlines of the final figure or just the flow of the figure? Because I got a lot of problem drawing the right size when drawing parts of a figure . . . sometimes the torso is not big enough . . or if it is big enough then the legs are to thin etc.... the height of the figure is usually ok . . it's the width i think, distance between the oppositing curves. Hope you understand what i mean, im not sure if that is a proportion problem or not.

Thnx :)
Heya Calvin_C, that's a good question! :) Rest assured that I never get the exact proportions right from the start ~ depending on what type of drawing / painting it is, the process of refinement and tweaking is of course the whole challenge of doing a figurative drawing / painting. Digitally, the luxury is that you can constantly refine, no matter what stage you're at in your piece. Traditionally, you must be more cautious and careful from the start to visually measure things, but I always start out with a loose gesture / flow of the figure, before ever adding details ~ there's a difference between the MAJOR opposing curves of the body (big picture / loose gestural curves) and the MINOR, minute opposing curves ~ I would say that in the demo I posted above, the curves that are being outlined are somewhere in between ~ you could draw even more general opposing curves ~ something like the average of all the lines on the one side of the torso and all of those on the other side, etc. ~ or more specific, smaller opposing curves. It all depends on how detailed you want to make your drawing / painting. :)

Bear in mind that it's not necessary for a fast gestural drawing to have tiny, minute opposing curves ~ what you're after is the most GENERAL form of the head, the neck, the torso, the pelvis, the legs, the arms, the hands, and the feet. You're aiming to get a feeling of one flowing form.

I hope this makes sense. I'll try to post more visual explanations later. :) Thanks for your question!

~~

Monster_General,

Wow, I am really impressed with this sketch! :thumbsup: Keep going, you are doing a great job! :)

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Monster_General]

Thank you :) ... There isn't any error ? :deal:

Here another one :

[Jakob L.]

hello again, I'm not quite sure if I improved or not since last time.


http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d30/jacobwiberg/Sketches/2.jpg

..=P ?

[Rebeccak]

Monster_General,

Lol, no error ~ another great piece! Let's see more of these! :thumbsup:

Jacob L.,

To me, your work looks quite nice! :thumbsup: Remember to be patient...it takes a lot of drawings to get better...and you're definitely doing a good job! Keep up the good work. :)

Looking forward to seeing more great stuff! :)

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[JohanGold]

this as quick
http://www.geocities.com/hellooohell/Image_5.jpg

[Monster_General]

Thanks Rebeccak :love: I wish I could draw those , with my imagination oneday :wip:

Here another one : I found the image from Google and like it but I am not glad actually from this one :sad:

[Rebeccak]

MIX3XIM,

Hey there, :) do you mind if I merge this thread with the Beginner's Lounge? If you say 'yes', I'll put your post in the Beginner's Lounge, where you will be able to see it. :)

Let me know. :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[Rebeccak]

Monster_General,

Awww, very cute! :wip: I think the thing to look for in Reference photos, though, is movement...:)...so you may be better off using Reference from the 15 Minute Sketchathon thread, in which all of the Reference photos are lively. :)

Keep up the good work! :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[Monster_General]

ah thanks ! I will try one of them again next time , I understand , I just give a try to an animal :)

[Rebeccak]

Monster_General,

Hey, no problem! Actually, there are animals in that thread, too. :) If you want to find your own Reference, which is totally encouraged, :) just google something like "dog" + jump or "dog" + run and you should get more active poses than just googling "dog". Hope that helps. :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[JohanGold]

(((((((((yes))))))))))


that's good

[Elaeria]

*squirms in her seat behind her desk at work* Ohhhh....must draw...can't take it...any...longer...NEED TO DRAW!!

*picks up a piece of paper and examines it, then notices a pencil on her desk* HEY! I CAN draw at work! Heh heh...yes...the wacom will have to wait...*rubs hands together evilly*

MUAH HA HA HAAAAA!

(sorry, just a burst of late afternoon craziness...)
Meredith

[Rebeccak]

MIX3XIM,

First of all, welcome aboard! :) It's nice to see your artwork ~ it gives me a good idea of where you are coming from, and what you want to learn.

Secondly, I am going to say verbatim (my apologies) the exact same thing that I said in response to Kelob:

I would really recommend doing the same as what I would recommend anyone here to do ~ which is to try out the exercises that are posted at the beginning of this thread. Feel free to either use the provided Reference that accompanies each exercise, or to draw Reference from the:

I5 Minute Sketchathon - Thread 1: Reference (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=298699)
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=298699

thread, or to choose your own Ref. :) The only limitation that I would ask that you impose on yourself is to give yourself no more than 1 week for each exercise. :) Post your exercises / work here, and we will review it!

Looking forward to seeing more of your work! :thumbsup:

Meredith,

LOL, you remind me a lot of my good friend Ava Ann...she's hiliarious! :scream: Let's see that drawing, chica!

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Monster_General]

Other one : :) I missed some details ^_^'

[Rebeccak]

Monster_General,

Looking good! Keep going! :thumbsup:

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Elaeria]

Whoa Monster General! You're churning these things out like butter! Nice work!

Rebecca: Heh heh...thanks! And unfortunately, the gymnast I was working on got an arm and a leg before I got called to help with a computer issue...so much for drawing at work when you are in tech support. :shrug:...:)

Here's my latest 15 *cough*25*cough* minute session on the ballet dancer. I am not sure if i made it better or worse. I think I fixed her rear end a bit...I suddenly realized that the movement in that area just wasn't jiving with what I thought I was painting. I think the curve of her spine has improved though. I will work more on this though cause it....well it really needs more work. HAHA! :scream:
In fact, I might just cheat and do more tonight! Heh heh...just try and stop me!:twisted:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/meligh/ballet2.jpg
Meredith
p.s. I started to work on her face and made myself smudge it out to force myself to focus on the figure...aren't you proud of me?? :P

[Mu]

*picks up a piece of paper and examines it, then notices a pencil on her desk* HEY! I CAN draw at work! Heh heh...yes...the wacom will have to wait...*rubs hands together evilly*


lmao!:scream:

You might have noticed that I even posted some of the things I drew on my statistics sheets at work!

btw, your dancer is really getting in shape and shade. Wonderful.

I would love to see her other hand, though. Does your software support resizing the canvas so you have enough space on the left side?

You see... we will never stop you... we're here to shove and push you:scream:

[Monster_General]

Elaeria ,

Thanks for the opinion , and your dancer looks cool aswell :thumbsup:

Here another one :)

[Rebeccak]

Meredith,

The dancer is looking really good! If you're liking your progress there, don't worry about the 15 minute thing ~ just continue with it if you feel you're learning from the piece! :)

I would suggest toning down the bright highlights by adding a layer of low opacity gray over top of the areas of greatest brightness on the figure, as you've run out of value range toward the lights ~ reserve your brightest brights and also your darkest darks for key areas, for emhasis. :thumbsup:

Monster_General,

Good progress, and great to see your enthusiasm! Looking forward to seeing more updates from you. If you feel like taking any one piece further, also feel free to do so, though you certainly don't have to. The gesture's the important thing. :)

Originally posted by Mr. Mu: You see... we will never stop you... we're here to shove and push you:scream:
Exactly! :scream:

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[Monster_General]

Rebeccak ,

Thank you :) , its easy to work iwth references but when I work without them , I can't do anything orderly , I think I need to work on those reference images more until I learn :wip:

[Monster_General]

Here gesture example , this is probably my first trying :D

[leonard-davi]

Well I'll start posting.. I know that the arms proportion are wrong and the torso is too large... I still working to get better with reference to try something from mind ...so is it... cya..
http://usera.imagecave.com/leonart/Sketchbook/DSC00016.jpg

[Rebeccak]

Originally posted by Monster_General: Thank you :) , its easy to work iwth references but when I work without them , I can't do anything orderly , I think I need to work on those reference images more until I learn :wip:
Definitely working from reference images will help you...people make the mistake of thinking they should be able to draw from imagination without a proper foundation in drawing from life, from reference, from something they can see. :) The more you draw from life and reference, the better able you will eventually be to draw from imagination as well. :)

leonard_davi,

Hey, welcome aboard, and I'm glad you've decided to post your work here. :) I think you've got a good start, and that trying some of the exercises posted at the beginning of this thread would be really useful...try the 2 / 5 / 15 minute format and see how you like it. :)

Looking forward to seeing more of your work! :thumbsup:

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[tizianoadmirer]

Here's my sketch for today... more like 45 mn than 15, to tell the truth...

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/7654/scorpio1xh.jpg

[mystikaal]

Hello all. :D I'm new to the forum, but definitely not new to drawing. I have been drawing (dabbling, really) off and on for the last few years. I took a drawing class, a sculpture class, and a painting class my senior year of college (many moons ago :eek: ), though I don't know how much I took away from them. lol, my art was horrible when I got into drawing 3 years later. Probably not the best time to pick up beginners classes....senior year is hectic enough. Anyway, there's a little info on me - now I'll stop rambling.

Here is some of my art:


This is the last thing I did that I considered 'finished'. I just got to a point where I thought doing anything else would make it worse, so that's all she wrote. I know there is plenty that could be fixed. Used a magazine ad for toothpaste or something as reference.

http://mystikaal.com/fantasy/images/eoxyr.jpg


This is something I am currently working on.....about a year and a half between the two pictures. Based on a picture of Goran Visnijic, though I'm not trying to make it look like him. Just thought it would be a good exercise for me to learn how to render the planes and shapes of men's faces. Trying to advance ye olde pencil skills. oh, and don't mind the logo thingy....I added that when I found out that there were sites that hotlinked to images posted in livejournals.

http://mystikaal.com/temp/lj/secretsmile.jpg


Adventures in digital: I got a wacom a long time ago and have yet to figure out how to make it obey me. This is my first fully digital drawing done in Painter Classic. The scribbliness was not intended, just what the tablet decided it wanted to do...lol.

http://mystikaal.com/temp/unnamed%20demon.jpg


And finally, I just decided that I am going to learn how to use Photoshop for cg cause I want to add some color into my artistic endeavors. I am following an eye tutorial by Linda Bergkvist....I'm about halfway through. I know the eye is a bit mishapen, but I decided to leave it as is since I'm really focusing on technique more than anything. I have actually done more work on this, but it's looking ten kinds of crazy, hehe. Oh, and I am doing this with a mouse because of the whole disobedient wacom thing. ;)

http://mystikaal.com/temp/Eye11.jpg

If any of these are too big, let me know and I'll post a smaller version

Edit - erm....didn't realize this thread was in the artistic anatomy and figurative art forum - I followed a link from another post. I don't really think these would qualify. Should I delete this post and start a thread in the general wip forum? Forgive the clueless newbie. :D

[tizianoadmirer]

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/5489/backlit6ra.jpg

about 2 hours, paint shop... I'm soo slow...
-TA

[Rebeccak]

mystikaal,

Welcome aboard! You are more than welcome to keep the work which you've posted here! I've only been able to take a brief look at your work, but will definitely take a better look later on! Thanks for posting here, and I hope you'll be able to benefit from trying some of the exercises at the start of this thread! :)

tizianoadmirer,

Great to see your work here, and I think this is a really great piece! I'll have to take a better look later, but I think this is quite nicely developed, and I hope you as well will try a few more of the exercises that are at the beginning of this thread.

Looking forward to seeing more of everyone's work!

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[mystikaal]

Hiya Rebeccak!! Thanks for the welcome. :D I have to admit I have been feeling intimidated and overwhelmed here, but you are so nurturing (I've noticed on my lurking sprees). I just looked at the assignments.....gah....the time limits. I've never drawn anything that looked remotely viewable in so little time, lol. Quite the challenge, I'll have to stick my toe in and give it a try. ;)

Elaeria - I really like how your dancer is starting to take shape. I agree about the arm...my eyes want to see the rest of it too, lol.

leonard_davi - A very nice start. It is looking really good, with a little fixing of the proportions on the extremities, it will be great. I'm hoping you will continue with it.

tizianoadmirer - I know the feeling, I'm notoriously slow myself. I like she shaping you have done in the latest sketch. The rest of the body looks a little out of proportion with the rear (yay for the bubble booty! lol). You have an interesting technique. Keep up the good work.

Looking forward to see updates from everyone!

[Rebeccak]

mystikaal,

You're quite welcome! :) Thanks for telling us about yourself...and I'm glad you've come out of the shadows and posted your work! :thumbsup:

With respect to trying the exercises, what's to lose? :) You need only commit 22 minutes to the 2/5/15 minute exercise ~ very simple to do. :) Let's see you try just one set ~ chances are, you will become addicted. ;)

Looking forward to seeing your work! :)

tizianoadmirer,

I quite like your drawing! I really recommend, if at all possible, to buy a small wacom tablet ~ it is nearly impossible to paint with a mouse (I think I remember your saying that you did on the 15 MS thread) ~ not only is it tedious and like 'painting with a brick', but ergonomically it can be damaging, and the last thing you want is carpal tunnel. If you absolutely can't get a tablet, I recommend working traditionally, as that is less stressful to your hand and wrist, and just as useful if not more so in terms of learning the figure than the digital medium. :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[Elaeria]

First off, thank you all for your encouraging comments on the dancer pic I've been working on. It feels good to have pushed myself into something like that and do better than I expected. It also helps to have Rebecca cracking that whip on me too! Ha ha! (that's a good thing Rebecca, no offense meant)

Secondly, I'm sorry there have been no updates lately. *looks around her desk* Hmmm..let's see, I've booked the florist, the cake, the minister...started writing the wedding ceremony...hmm yes yes...now what don't I have done? Oh wait...ahem...that would be MORE UPDATES ON MY DRAWING!! *CRIES A LOT*

I haven't had any time lately to work on these pictures!! WAAAHHH! :sad: I've only been able to do some reading on Bougureau (which I admit, I am REALLY enjoying :buttrock:)
Oh well..tonight I've managed to squeeze in some drawing time...so without further ado...
*takes a deep breath and plugs nose before plunging in* Commencing drawing Captain Rebecca K!! *salutes*

Cheers!
Meredith

[Rebeccak]

Originally posted by Meredith: Secondly, I'm sorry there have been no updates lately. *looks around her desk* Hmmm..let's see, I've booked the florist, the cake, the minister...started writing the wedding ceremony...hmm yes yes...now what don't I have done? Oh wait...ahem...that would be MORE UPDATES ON MY DRAWING!! *CRIES A LOT*

I haven't had any time lately to work on these pictures!! WAAAHHH! :sad: I've only been able to do some reading on Bougureau (which I admit, I am REALLY enjoying :buttrock:)
Oh well..tonight I've managed to squeeze in some drawing time...so without further ado...
*takes a deep breath and plugs nose before plunging in* Commencing drawing Captain Rebecca K!! *salutes*
Marriage jitters, honey? :) *sympathetically* :D

[Elaeria]

HAHA! Thanks Rebecca. :) I appreciate the sympathy. Nah, don't let me do that, I'm just whining. I don't think I've been able to touch my wacom for a week now. *pouts*

I'm good though. :scream: I've just been very busy. *big grin*
So, as rusty as I feel, here's what I got through tonight. I'm looking at this and thinking that her legs look too short... I also think her right arm is too short. I am planning to expand the canvas though, as a couple of you guys suggested. I think the dancer would appreciate having two hands, don't you? hee hee!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/meligh/ballet4.jpg

Laters!
Meredith

[mystikaal]

Rebeccak, you asked for it!! j/k, I was going to do it anyway. As I said, unpretty things happen when I work quickly. ;) Still trying to get the hang of drawing with my wacom. I actually did them as three seperate drawings...interesting to see the differences between them. Though, I'd thought I'd have something better with 10 mins, but it's amazing how the times flies when I'm trying for find the shape of things.

I finally figured out why photoshop was sucking the color right out of my drawings when I saved them. All three were done with the same color scheme....too bad I didn't save psd files of the other two versions. I want to fix the anatomy and turn this into a painting since I really love the pose. Maybe I can get started on it this weekend.


http://mystikaal.com/temp/cgtalk/leap.jpg http://mystikaal.com/temp/cgtalk/leap2.jpg

http://mystikaal.com/temp/cgtalk/leap3.jpg


Congratulations on your upcoming wedding Elaeria!! Oooh, shading. :D You're softening it up quite nicely. I think you're right....the upper part of her left (viewer's right) arm needs to be lengthened a bit, though the lower half is perfecto! The legs could use a little lengthening as well, but the rest is rocking. Glad you got to pick up your wacom tonight.

[tizianoadmirer]

Sketched from a nice B&W photo found on the net...

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/358/bath26qk.gif

Rebecca: thanks for the comments... yes, I intend to get a wacom one of these days. Speaking of which, does anybody here knows the Trust TB 3100 ? Is it any good ? (http://www.trust.com/products/product.aspx?artnr=12579)

[Rebeccak]

Meredith,

Looking good! I think the arms just need to be a bit more elongated and 'flowy', if that makes sense. :) Keep up the good work! :thumbsup:

mystikaal,

Great to see your sketches! :wip: I'm particularly partial to your 10 minute sketch. :) I would recommend trying to get the whole figure on the page ~ with PS, you can easily resize the canvas, so no excuses not to get the hands in there! :D

I do hope you decide to work on this to a more finished level ~ if you're inspired to do so, go for it! :thumbsup:

tizianoadmirer,

Looking good! Especially considering you are working with a mouse ~ that makes it understandably much more difficult, so I admire you for getting such a nice result! :thumbsup:

With respect to the tablet you mention ~ I ran a search and can find nothing about it on the boards. You may want to post your question in a thread here:

General Discussion: (http://forums.cgsociety.org/forumdisplay.php?f=2)
http://forums.cgsociety.org/forumdisplay.php?f=2

But beware, probably the first thing that people will say in response is, 'run a search!' It's a bit of a nutty crew, but if you explain that you've already run a search and didn't find anything, then likely someone will be able to help. Once you've created your thread, just asking if anyone can offer advice and that you've not found anything on these boards related to that particular tablet, then I suggest subscribing to the thread so that you'll know when someone has replied.

Hope this helps! :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[Dreamy Kid]

i'm back :scream:, it's a nice feeling to finally back & spending some quality time with my pencil. for some reason my hands are kind of stiff becuase i havent drawn for a while. dont know if you guys ever felt the same way, when i havent drawn for quite a while i alaways have an ubearable itch to draw whatever i saw hehe. I was in the church on sunday and i made a quick gesture sketch of people who sits around me lol ..bad...bad. Anyhow i manage to do some warming up sketch today, just to get my hands get used again.

ah yeah i've been telling you guys that i've been working on my 3d model of human anatomy lately, well here goes. it's not perfect, a lot of parts still need to be touched/ sculpted, but i think i got the major shape. the whole process laying down geometries and keeping them flowing like the real muscles has been a great learning process for me.

Becca, hows the cg workshop going on? :) i know you've been busy but yet you're still here checking the forum. thanks ^__^

first attempts,
http://img270.imageshack.us/img270/4461/feb94mv.gif

second attempt, i think it's slightly better after my hand been warmed up ^__^
http://img270.imageshack.us/img270/1403/feb928rt.gif

and here are the 3d models

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/5501/anatomy9cy.th.jpg (http://img145.imageshack.us/my.php?image=anatomy9cy.jpg)
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/4225/anatomypanel2rs.th.jpg (http://img248.imageshack.us/my.php?image=anatomypanel2rs.jpg)

[Rebeccak]

Dreamy Kid,

Welcome back, and it's good to see your new work! :) I totally agree that it's tough to get back into the swing of things if you've been away from drawing for a while...but you're doing fine, and I hope to see more of your drawings. :)

One thing to note on the last drawing is the relative shortness of the arms vs. the rest of the body. Take a step back and consider their size ~ they should be significantly lengthened, I think. :)

The Workshop is going great, a lot of talented and friendly folks, so I am really excited! :) Thanks for asking. :)

Checking back later...;)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[CalvinChoy]

Hey guys/gals,

HAvent been here for a while too . . also see that it's been quiet here lately heh. I thought i would have some more free time after the test . . but the thew semester started, and it is getting worse lol. always till 7 pm at school, and back home i've to do homework and stuff . . . after that it's sleeping time lol. I've been sculpting lately in Maya and Zbrush, so i did do some study on the human anatomy . . hope it will help me next time i start drawin again :)

Well, just wanted to say hi to the new people joined, and u guys/gals are doing some nice drawings :) Hope to post soon again.

ciao~

[billrobertson42]

Questions about cheating on anatomy.

Hi. I'm working on some 3d figures that I want to use for rapid prototyping which will stand about 30-32mm tall. I have the basic shape of a male figure done, but here is the problem. If he were that tall, his wrist and ankles would be too slim and fragile (as well there are other difficulties).

So I have to cheat and thicken them, and then other parts of the body too so it looks a bit more natural, and I don't have enough knowlege about "the rules" to break them.

I have a sample of him in that matches a more natural size, and also a sample of him in a thickened state (which is still in progress). Is this a good place to post pictures of them and ask for advice? I don't want to misuse this great forum.

Thanks

[Rebeccak]

Calvin_C,

Looking forward to when you can post here again! ;) Thanks for checking in. :)

billrobertson42,

That would absolutely not be a 'misuse' of this forum! :) Please feel free to post your work here.

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[billrobertson42]

Thanks. I will prepare a few images. Should I start a new thread or use this one?

[Rebeccak]

billrobertson42,

Hey there, :) given the nature of your images ~ 3D ~ I would recommend creating a new thread, Anatomy Thread of billrobertson42.

I'm shortly off to dinner, but will try to take a look at your work as soon as I can. :)

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[1uka]

Hi... newbie

(sorry about my english)
I must say, that all of your work are so good, wish I could be able to do anything like those. Please take a look at drawings and tell me if I have any chances in drawing. :shrug:

These are some quick sketches
http://www.shrani.si/pics/quickskxng23_thumb.jpg (http://www.shrani.si/pics/quickskxng23.jpg)

drawing...:rolleyes:

http://www.shrani.si/pics/femaleak166351_thumb.jpg (http://www.shrani.si/pics/femaleak166351.jpg)

Any chances?? Well I don't like any of my drawing painting whatever...help me please.:sad:

[Rebeccak]

1uka,

I quite like your drawings, and firmly believe that anyone who puts in time and practice into drawing and painting has 'a chance'. :) Really, getting better is a simple formula, which goes, time + practice = greater skills. :)

I would encourage you to try some of the exercises posted at the beginning of this thread. :) I think that they can be enormously helpful, and really, the purpose here is to learn, so don't be shy about posting any of your work. :)

Looking forward to seeing your exercises! :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[ah.heng]

hi, i'm from singapore. will be joining an arts school in japan next year. these are some stuff i've recently done.

this was sometime last week. was practising drawing of male faces, referenced off a magazine.
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/7412/guy012nj.jpg
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1091/guy022ql.jpg
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/8324/guy035qp.jpg

this was about a month back, also off a magazine.
http://www.project-h.per.sg/files/00046.jpg
http://www.project-h.per.sg/files/00047.jpg
http://www.project-h.per.sg/files/00048.jpg

this was done in december.
http://www.project-h.per.sg/files/20051224061228.jpg
http://www.project-h.per.sg/files/00035.jpg
http://www.project-h.per.sg/files/00034.jpg

and some simple animations.
http://www.project-h.per.sg/img/anime/chocxuanmarch.gif
http://www.project-h.per.sg/img/anime/headspin.gif

[Rebeccak]

ah.heng,

I've just seen your posts! Welcome aboard! :)

Nice to see your work! The thing that I recommend is to go to EDIT POST, and copy and paste the URLs of each individual image into the small yellow square sun / moutain icon in the Text Editor ~ that way, we can see your images, instead of links to your images. :)

I also recommend trying some of the exercises posted at the very beginning of this thread. I think they are highly useful for getting warmed up and practicing Gesture! :)

Looking forward to seeing more of your work!

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[ah.heng]

rebecca, i tried doing what you said, but they still remained as links. but isn't that what everyone else is doing?


oh nevermind, i just didn't enable picture viewing in my options. but my pictures are rather large, i hope i won't be much of a nuisance.

[metacom]

my name is kevin, im new to this, happened to run into the forum...so i decided to jump in on the fun. im not even sure if this is an active topic anymore or not. so heres a little about me.... i go to school at the art institute of houston, in march i should graduate with an associates degree in computer animation. ive loved to draw all my life, at the school i had 3 drawing classes which helped me out alot,... but i still have alot of trouble capturing the faces and hands, for some reason i can never draw them very well. maybe if i keep up with this i will get better. so here are some of my drawings...looking forward to hearing critiques...so fire away.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c369/metacom/drawingforum/nude2.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c369/metacom/drawingforum/life1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c369/metacom/drawingforum/life2.jpg http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c369/metacom/drawingforum/nude1.jpg

[Rebeccak]

metacom,

Welcome to CGTalk, the Anatomy Forum, and the Beginner's Lounge! :) My apologies ~ I'm going to be a bit slow on the draw these days because I'm in the midst of teaching my CGWorkshop ~ but I am always happy to see new people here, and hope that you will benefit from the Exercises in this thread, and the other threads in this Forum! :)

I recommend poking about here:

Tutorials, Workshops, Anatomy Reviews & More ... [links within] (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=273525)
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=273525

I think you might like participating in our bi~weekly free Workshops:

Open Figure Drawing Workshops with Hong Ly and Rebecca Kimmel (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showpost.php?p=2602753&postcount=3)
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showpost.php?p=2602753&postcount=3

We are currently at the tail end of OFDW 012, and should be launching a new one in a week or so. :)

With respect to posting your work, try copying and pasting the URL of your image into the EDIT POST sun / mountain icon ~ this way, your images will appear instead of links. :)

Glad to see you here, and hope that you will enjoy looking around and participating in the Anatomy Forum!

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[metacom]

i'll definately get in the other projects that are coming up! just wanted to say thanks, and that your work is more than amazing...and is an inspiration.

[1uka]

Rebeccak,

Thank you for all, I'll do my best on my future exercises, drawings... Oh, and thanks for encourage me! :)

now if you excuse me, I must go do some exercises :)

[tizianoadmirer]

OK, the right arm is obviously too stiff... but I had great fun drawing these feet :)

http://img354.imageshack.us/img354/4397/runner1lt.jpg

[IambicPuA]

I made a post over in the 2d WIP section, but somewhere I heard about this thread and figured It would be a better place for me.

My thread's over here, http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?p=3250865#post3250865

And my recent work is:
http://i1.tinypic.com/nwheyv.jpg
And
http://i1.tinypic.com/nx3vqs.jpg

[Rebeccak]

metacom,

Thank you for the compliment! :) Glad to have you aboard! :)

1uka

Looking forward to seeing your posts! :wip:

tizianoadmirer,

Nice to see your new work, and lol, glad to hear you enjoyed the feet! :D

IambicPuA,

Welcome aboard! :) It's nice to see your work, and I am quite liking the 15 Minute Sketches you have posted! What I recommend to folks who are new to this thread is to try some of the Exercises which are posted to the beginning of this thread. Give yourself one week for each of the Exercises, and post your results here! :)

Looking forward to seeing your first exercise!

Note: If all of you guys could post your work as images instead of as links, it would be helpful. Just copy and paste the url into the sun/mountain icon in the EDIT POST text editor. Thanks!

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[SupRore]

Sorry, mispost.

[IambicPuA]

I've had that happen to me. :shrug:

I started the GESTURE DRAWING FROM REFERENCE assignment, and finished my 2 minute drawing of this image (http://www.uc.edu/groups/sabha/pose.jpg)
http://tinypic.com/nz0qrq.jpg
I don't really like anything about it. I feel I failed to draw in the proper style, and did a terrible job of placing her head and right arm.

5min:
http://i1.tinypic.com/nz0z6r.jpg
I don't like this one either. I think I did okay with her skirt, and her left leg. But that's about it.

13 minutes on this one. I didn't want to mess it up any more.
http://i1.tinypic.com/nz1vnm.jpg
It's actually my favorite of the three. I really had trouble with everything above her waist in all of them.

[tizianoadmirer]

Playing around with forms and shadows while waiting for my wacom :)
http://img465.imageshack.us/img465/8954/couch3yn.jpg

[Rebeccak]

SupRore,

Did you still want to participate here? :) What was your post?

IambicPuA,

I agree, the last one is looking quite nice! Don't be too hard on yourself with these, it takes a bit of time to get used to. ;) It took me more than a few of these to get comfortable working so quickly with the wacom. One thing I might recommend is reducing the size and opacity of your brush. Then you can make several lighter strokes until you feel comfortable committing to a single stroke or set of strokes. :) The key with these is to do a LOT of them. Worry less about individual pieces, and just keep going ~ there is a saying that you will likely do a lot of bad drawings (hundreds really) before breaking through and really drawing well. This has certainly been true in my case! ;)

tizianoadmirer,

Nice to see your stuff, and I greatly look forward to seeing what you can do with a Wacome tablet! :)

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[freshmint]

hi, i played around with photoshop a little today.
this is the result.

http://250kb.de/u/060220/j/t/8c41413b.jpg

[LiQuiD12]

Hey nice thread you got going here, only just noticed it, my bad.

Life drawing from a monitor, if u can call it life drawing. Reference's used, free samples from www.female-anatomy-for-artist.com/ . Decided to practice painting skin tones over top of my drawings, do you think i am going in the right direction for the skin tones? Im new to painting and drawing still so im kinda bad at the moment. Im not going to bother painting #4 as i screwed up the drawing, the arms and torso look far to big.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/LiQuiD12/skintone_practice_01.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v146/LiQuiD12/eyes.jpg

Thanks for any reply in advance.

[paperclip]

Hey, how long does it take to get used to proper values? I suppose it depends on the amount of time you put in, but in general?


Bah, I'm just impatient. Please ignore me. :)
http://www.technogecko.com/images/b-imnot_solo.gif

[Sagii]

Hello,

About a year ago and ahalf ago I decided to become an artist. I have focused most of my time trying to learn the software: photoshop, maya, and all the goodies. I know realize that I cant just skip the basics. I will never advance as an artist if I dont learn the basics first. I have to learn the fundamentals, drawing, anatomy, perspective etc. The best way to learn this is to start sketching, doing tutorials and participating in forums like this. So im in!

Rebeccak I never really paid too much attention to all the great stuff you have in this forum. It is an incredible resource and I a huge effort on your part. First I wanted to apologize for not showing more support and participation. I have decided to become active in the anatomy review forum as a beginner. I have been too much of a coward to show my work and have it open for critique. I have been doing doodles only for myself but I cannot learn without feedback... what was I thinking?
Therefore I have joined the: Drawing from the right side of the brain thread. I posted there already.


Here is some of my best work... most of it comes from the daily sketch group. I will be doing the assigments later :)

This one was made for the DSG, the topic was World of Warcraft. I used a reference of course and spent over 3 hours on it. Dont you just want to hug him?!
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/inesdonovan/warcraft.jpg

Windsurf
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/inesdonovan/winsurf.jpg

For the daily sketch, called queen of hearts. I know the shirt is messed up :D
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/inesdonovan/queen-of-heards.jpg

This one was also for the DSG, called choas or something, its kind of dark and hard to see.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/inesdonovan/chaos1.jpg

All these I used references for, no paintovers. When I first started a year ago, I did do some paintovers for practice, but I was told that it was not a good way to learn. What are peoples views on that? To use paintovers not for finished pieces but as a way to practice and get the hand used to making those shapes... then toss the file and draw it again using references but not painting over?

[paperclip]

I did that a few times, it seems to be a pretty good way to practice matching colors and suchlike. Although I would do other things as well so as to not get stuck into that rut. Above all, look at other peoples' stuff. I copied a few pics here in CGTalk for practice (esp. duddlebug's stuff, I love it!)

[Rebeccak]

LiQuiD12,

Welcome aboard! :) It's nice to see your work here ~ I think you have a good start! :thumbsup:

The main thing that I would recommend would be to eliminate the white bkgrd as soon as possible when starting a painting. Background and foreground colors and values will affect one another tremendously. By painting the bkgrd a darker color/value than the figure, you will allow yourself a fuller range of values to be expressed within the figure ~ not to mention that you will have to work less to make the figure stand out as against the background. :)

The main bit to pay attention to when painting anything is not just Color, but VALUE structure.

See this post regarding Color and Value from the Color and the Figure thread here on the Anatomy Forum:

http://forums.cgsociety.org/showpost.php?p=2926349&postcount=3

Take a look, and let me know what you think. :)

Ines!!

Great to have you aboard here! :) I am going to preach my sermon of Values to you as well. ;) I think the main thing here is not to critique existing work, but to get started on some new exercises. Give yourself one week, and try at least 2~3 of the Gesture exercises posted to the beginning of this thread. Drawing is all about mileage, and the sooner one starts, the better! Looking forward to seeing your work. :)

P'Clip,

Why not join in here and do a few Gestures? :) (Though I realize you're not a beginner ;))

Cheers, :)

~Rk

[Sagii]

Ines!!

Great to have you aboard here! :) I am going to preach my sermon of Values to you as well. ;) I think the main thing here is not to critique existing work, but to get started on some new exercises. Give yourself one week, and try at least 2~3 of the Gesture exercises posted to the beginning of this thread. Drawing is all about mileage, and the sooner one starts, the better! Looking forward to seeing your work. :)



Will do! :) Its homework time for me.

[paperclip]

P'Clip,

Why not join in here and do a few Gestures? :) (Though I realize you're not a beginner ;))

Cheers, :)

~Rk

Oh, I am! Very much so! That's why I'm here, remember? :D

[Rebeccak]

Go Ines and Clippy! It's your birthdays! :D

[paperclip]

*deleted overly suggestive picture*

real-quick pic that I did for roberto's birthday, thought it might suit this thread??

[Rebeccak]

Well, Clippy...that's a bit suggestive. :D

[paperclip]

......you're right. down it comes!

[Sagii]

hm.. i missed the picture.. dang it :D

[paperclip]

It's in my anatomy thread, you can still see the censored pic, lol. :twisted: To be fair, it was a gesture pic that I 'prettied' up for Roberto's birthday, but I can see how it would be considered suggestive....

[Maladie]

Hello everybody! and hello Rebecca, since you seem to be this thread's manager:),

Today I finally dared to register on CGtalk, after weeks of closely following it.
Last year I graduated from art school in the field of creative writing. For the last few years, however, I've been more interested in visual arts and tried to squeeze it in between the writing whenever I got the chance.

This year I've been trying to figure out how to direct my creativity (next to being an enthousiastic writing coach:) ). Not filming, not webdesign, but what?
Next thing I discovered an art school course in character animation (for which I'm currently applying), got into drawing again, and discovered this forum: WOW. Feels like I've come home...

I don't know yet whether I'll be doing 2D or 3D, animation or character design, but I do know I want to combine my love of stories and characters with CG. I am totally dedicated to learn the basics of basics.

Is this a good place to start?

Would love to learn about anatomy, colour, composition etc. etc. Also have loads of time and I already started with some exercises from the first page. As soon as I'll find a scanner I'll post some timed gesture sketches (though They Suck:eek:).

Lastly, I've never posted on a forum, don't know how to do avatar-thingie and all the cool abbreviations, so hereby apologize for all future clumsiness.

And paperclip, just took a look at your tourist-series and was really inspired, I love the style!

I'll check back when I've been classified 'harmless' by the webmaster,

bye!

[Rebeccak]

Maladie,

Welcome aboard! It's great you've found the forum and really like it ~ and I look forward to seeing your work! :)

You will have to post 2 text posts before being able to post images. If you have never posted an image before, check out this thread which will explain one way how: :)

http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=267088

I'm a bit swamped today, but will try to take the time to respond more a bit later. At any rate, I enjoyed reading your post, and hope that you will find this place quite useful! :)

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[paperclip]

Hi Maladie and welcome to CGTalk! Glad to have another member around to share the love. :love:

You've come to the right place. Start up an anatomy thread, participate in the DSG and join in the next challenge and before you know it, you'll be hooked! :twisted:

I really appreciate your kind comments about my stuff, thanks! :thumbsup: Can't wait to see your stuff in the (hopefully near) future.

[Maladie]

P'clip, I just posted my first ever wacom sketch in the OFDW14 section, so if you like check it out!

Also you'll notice I'm asking for help...*hint*:)

[Rebeccak]

*bump*

***+++***

[Maladie]

Hello again!

I hope 'beginners lounge' means I'm welcome to ask questions about my beginners work, too? If not, or if I have to go elsewhere with my question, just tell me...I wouldn't wanna scare people away:)...other shy beginners..he he.

I started this piece yesterday, just experimenting with colours, composition etc. The story is that this guy is a little 'vagabond', belonging nowhere. He should turn out to be cute, but also a little grim. Maybe he has an important message for someone. He's always hiding from other people, but at the same time wants nothing more than to belong with them.

My question is: what is a good way to develop this further? Particularly the background gives me trouble. I just can't seem to 'see' in my head the shapes of it. So it ends up very vague. But my challenge would be to make a good composition of the bigger picture, not just the character. C&C very much appreciated. Here come's:

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e334/rava1981/Bertje/bertje.jpg
By the way right now his name is Bertje:). Sorry Bertje.

[Rebeccak]

Maladie,

Of course you're welcome to post your beginner's work here, it's what the thread is for. :)

With respect to comping, I think a great way to go about doing so is to work either zoomed really far out in a large canvas, or just to create a small canvas and work on a thumbnail say no larger than 4 inches wide.

For example, here are some of the comps I'm doing for the Journey Begins Challenge (which I would encourage anyone and everyone to enter, just for the fun of it) ~ working this small allows me to work out the composition quickly without wasting time or hard drive space:

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b380/rebeccak5/Journey%20Begins/small-comp_03.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b380/rebeccak5/Journey%20Begins/small-comp_04.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b380/rebeccak5/Journey%20Begins/small-comp_05.jpg

The last color sketch is just the grayscale sketch with a layer on top with the blending mode set to "Color" and on which I just painted color information.

If I am happy with the sketch, I can blow it up enormously, to print resolution and a larger size in terms of inches, and then begin to render from there. Or, if I am not happy with it, I can just toss it and easily start over with a new one without having wasted too much time.

I think the problem I see frequently is that folks (myself included) focus on a character, render it, and think, 'now what?' ~ this problem can be solved easily at the thumbnailing stage, where you are forced to think about the big picture and the piece as a whole, rather than, say, the rendering of hair or an eye.

Hope this helps. :)

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Maladie]

You're right about focussing on a character, I think I'm doing that with the 'vague' lady too...background seems boring to do...but that's because I don't SEE it yet:)...

Thanx a lot for this tip! I'll try and then get back here.

[Rebeccak]

Maladie,

No problem! :)

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Maladie]

Hey Rebecca, (or anyone else on this thread)

I gave your advise a quick try and I really like it. I know it still looks very clumsy, but at least now I'm able to see this character in a scene, a world of his own, which makes him come to life so much more.

I think I would like to go and try to render this background a bit. I want to make a sharp contrast between the 'fields of gold' in the background (it is around the dead of noon) and the cool of the (corn) field below. The farmer is returning to the fields. The character is contemplating whether he will go up to the little mountain village or not.

Before I give this a try, do you see major things you would wanna correct? The perspective is weird, too, but I don't know how to make a good perspective. Anyone got any tips on that?

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e334/rava1981/Bertje/compingbertje.jpg

[Rebeccak]

Maladie,

I am admittedly not the best person to ask about perspective, but there are several resources available to help you in that particular area.

Check out:

Art Tutorials, Theories, and Book Recommendations (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=226083)
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=226083

There are perspective links there, as well as many other useful links related to art in general. :)

Regarding color, check out:
[/url] Color Theory and The Human Figure - NUDITY (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=226083)
[url]http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=303793

I think that you could afford to work on an even smaller scale for your initial comp ~ you don't even want to necessarily work out the details of the various figures, but just try to get basic shape, scale, and value arrangements down in an interesting way.

Check out the Composition links in the Art Tutorials links above as well. I think that you can really have a better end piece if a bit of legwork is done in the initial stages of the painting. It really beats having to move stuff around at the end / getting stuck with a composition that is not really working on a basic level. Take a look at the thumbnails for the Challenge:

http://forums.cgsociety.org/forumdisplay.php?f=191

THAT is the scale at which your work should 'read'. You can see the best compositions from these tiny thumbnails. :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[Maladie]

You're right, I have to work a little bit harder:). Wanting to get on to the 'fun' part...but ofcourse it's much more fun if your efforts on the basics start paying off!

I'll check out all the links and try to incorporate the things I learn there. Giving myself a timescale: I'm getting back here with an update tuesday.
Thanks for all your help, I appreciate it:).

[Rebeccak]

No problem, Maladie! :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

[sturmkim]

humm.. looks everybody busy with new challenge now..

hi guys. this is 20min. lighting study sketch. i want have warm and very bright(little bit of over exposure it will be) background and enviromental.
so i just focus on bg.
any suggestion will be very helpful..
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c86/sturmkim/drawing/lightstudy_15min.jpg

[Rebeccak]

sturm,

I think the thing you might try is working out some very small comps to figure out color and value relationships on a small scale.

For example:

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b380/rebeccak5/Beginners%20Lounge/sturmkim.jpg

Working at this size allows you to make changes and test things quickly. If the composition isn't working on this scale, it certainly won't work on a larger scale.

Also, I wouldn't leave any area of the canvas bright white. Reserve bright white for the smallest areas of highlight only.

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Maladie]

Hello,

I had another go at making a composition for 'Bertje':cool:. This time I paid more attention to the composition of all the patches of colour and the lines. I also zoomed out more. I hope it's got better. I'll update more tomorrow.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e334/rava1981/Bertje/compingbertje2.jpg

[sturmkim]

sturm,

I think the thing you might try is working out some very small comps to figure out color and value relationships on a small scale.

Working at this size allows you to make changes and test things quickly. If the composition isn't working on this scale, it certainly won't work on a larger scale.


Also, I wouldn't leave any area of the canvas bright white. Reserve bright white for the smallest areas of highlight only.



Thanks for tip. i'll working on that...

[sturmkim]

hi Maladie. i just steal your work and little bit of suggestin on your layout.

A.http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c86/sturmkim/drawing/compingbertje2_fix01.jpgB.http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c86/sturmkim/drawing/compingbertje2_fix02.jpg
at A. i just brifly draw horizontal grid, always find (or make) vanishing point first. I assume from green field to yellow hill are far enough from foreground character, and has slope(spell?). which is not bad so far. except one thing.

at B. i retouch up character's guesture 'cause keep bugging me was yellow hill and 'folk' has parallel line. and try give him a weight. redefine yellow hill's outline(hope it has more dynamic look)

just my opion as this thread's one of family, don't take too seriously(not a profesional on layout neighter.... i also learning on drawing)
keep it up:)

[Maladie]

No, it's great that your helping me! We beginners should help each other indeed!

So if I understand you correctly, the only thing you think is off, is the farmers position and hayfork-alignment? That's great, because I haven't paid any attention to his anatomy so far, that will be easily fixed. I will sort of swap the weight of the hayfork and the little house in the background, then.

Good tip on the vanishing point. That is one thing I didn't get so far.

Rebecca, if you have time to spare (if you don't, then don't bother!!) I would love to hear what you have to say about all this.

[Rebeccak]

Strum,

Thanks for the great tips! :)

Maladie,

I recommend checking out those perspective tutorials, but also the easiest way to check what a similar perspective / composition might look like is to find reference on the web. I would just google something like 'field' or farm and then find something that looks similar to what you want to do.

The other thing is to work on value relationships, and breaking up space. You want your image to be interesting, not just generic, so brainstorm several comps, not just one. :)

Looking forward to your progress!

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Maladie]

Rebecca, you're right...as always:).

I'm getting a little depressed now, though. People always used to say I was good at drawing and if I work something out in detail I know I can make it look good.
However if I get back to these basics everythings looks totally clumsy, like the work of a four-year old...

I'm going to try again, I already read the tutorials but I somehow just don't know what something looks like until I work it out in detail.

Hmmm...I'll try harder.

[sturmkim]

No, it's great that your helping me!
Thanks for your kindness..

Good tip on the vanishing point. That is one thing I didn't get so far.
vanishing point makes RIGHT prespective on your scene. i using ref pic.as mentioned by rebbeca. or using 3d programe to setup my scene.

You want your image to be interesting, not just generic, so brainstorm several comps, not just one. :) ~Rebeccak

Here WE go (include me...)

[Rebeccak]

Rebecca, you're right...as always :).
Ha, I'm not nearly always right, but thank you. :D

I'm getting a little depressed now, though. People always used to say I was good at drawing and if I work something out in detail I know I can make it look good.
However if I get back to these basics everythings looks totally clumsy, like the work of a four-year old...
Yeah, these beginning stages can be painful, I know. But I honestly think they help the final, rendered product look better. Psychologically if it helps (I know I play a lot of these tricks with myself to avoid getting bummed) render a tiny area, just show you know what you are shooting for in terms of the finished look ~ maybe even do this is a separate document. That proves to the part of you that's getting depressed that you are good at rendering, and allows you to continue at the comping stage without erroneously thinking that you 'can't' draw. ;)

I'm going to try again, I already read the tutorials but I somehow just don't know what something looks like until I work it out in detail. Hmmm...I'll try harder.
Why not try a detailed comp, just small? :) BTW, all of these are only suggestions. We all work best in our own ways, so none of what I am saying is something which you have to do. :) Don't let me interrupt your process as you are the one who knows how you work best. :)

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Maladie]

Soooo...I'm really proud of myself because I gave it yet another try. I did what you said and kept it gray to 'see' the light and dark better. I hope you think this has improved a little bit:).

I am now facing the same brick wall as in my writing: sometimes you have to do things you don't know how to do and therefore seem boring...but I know I just have to keep going.

By the way this is hilarious: my boyfriend thinks my last update is a fantastic naive painting, like 'something symbolic is interrupting a chliche rural scene'. I explained to him I'm aiming for something else...HA HA.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e334/rava1981/Bertje/compingbertje3.jpg

[nomadicrain]

Hello all. I am wanting to improve my drawing skills. I have never really done any 2d art. Done some 3d modeling. I used to draw landscapes and houses 15 years ago or so. People were never my strong suit. I am wanting to improve my skills to help my abilities as a modeller and to have something fun to do when without a computer.

So here is my first post in this thread with a 2 min/5 min sketch. Have not done the 10/12 min yet. Will post that when I get a chance to do it.

http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/2352/sketch0hy.th.jpg (http://img391.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sketch0hy.jpg)

[Rebeccak]

Maladie,

Try to divide the space on the left of the picture plane more interestingly ~ the key with composition is to break up space. You want shape contrasts as well as light and dark contrasts ~ right now, the composition is really divided in thirds.

Take a look at this great Composition Tutorial by Philip Straub:

http://features.cgsociety.org/story_custom.php?story_id=3275&page=

He's got a lot of great rules and tricks to use to compose a really dynamic composition. :)

nomadicrain,

Welcome aboard! :) Your sketch is looking good ~ I think the key with drawing is doing a LOT of it. I recommend trying some of the exercises posted to the beginning of this thread, or to do Daily Sketches on a regular basis ~ using the 15 Minute Sketchathon Reference and sticking to that short format. :)

I'd like to see more of your drawings here ~ you'll definitely see your improvement if you continue to do many of these. :)

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[sturmkim]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c86/sturmkim/claire_drawing.jpg

like the work of a four-year old...
i wish i can draw like 4yrs old......... my daughter's recent work..

[Maladie]

Yeah, I agree, that's better than mine LOL:applause:.

I'll try yet again. Rebecca, I know what you mean about contrasting shapes. It's just that I only ever drew figures and characters, and spent all my time working out their proportions and details. In highschool already my art teacher accused me of 'drawing dolls':hmm:. I think it's time to move beyond that...or so I will try.

[tizianoadmirer]

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/7186/wall7ph.jpg


Still done with a mouse, my local store was out of stock for wacoms :(

[Maladie]

Tizianoadmirer, welcome here! Your colours look warm and beautiful. I think her right buttock is a little high though. But I didn't see the initial ref.

Sturmkim, I took a look at your 'journey' thread and your sketches are so funny and alive! I thought you were into realism because of what you posted here, but I liked your cartoony style even better!

I started on something new yesterday. I was about to kill the guy in the hedge. It was too difficult to pull of for a first try, I think. So here comes: the battle between forest-beings! I know the comp isn't GREAT yet, and the colours are vague, but I will work on that.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e334/rava1981/Centaurfight/centaurcomp1.jpg

Closeup on the face:

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e334/rava1981/Centaurfight/centaurgezicht.jpg

[Maladie]

PS. Rebecca, do you think this is good or interesting enough to start a WIP thread of my own? I don't want to take too many liberties here...it's all a great gift!

[tizianoadmirer]

Maladie (err, creepy name....), here is the ref:
http://static.flickr.com/23/88580584_4885737a8f_o.jpg

[Maladie]

Okay, I've done it after all because I guess you have to start somewhere...I started a WIP thread! I will continue working on this piece in that one. Here's the link:

http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=326940

I will be checking in here too! Everybody good luck and thanks for all the help so far!:arteest:

[sturmkim]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c86/sturmkim/drawing/lightstudy_update.jpg

little bit of vaule touch_up.
fall in love with horse. next time i'll try horse itself.
good luck everybody and have fun...

[Fusioniz]

nice drawing there.... hope i could be like you but i tink i suck...

[Dreamy Kid]

hey everybody, it's great to see you guys have improved alot :thumbsup:. Bec, i've been working hard nowadays hehe doing practice from my book collection and dvd's. I mainly focus on the figure, shape and proportion but i must say that i'm tempted to learn about some other things such as perspective and light. I did learn about them ocassionally when i'm taking a break, just for variation :scream:. wow never thought that light, shades and perspective could be that complicated, it takes me a while to get the hang of it and keep the courage to learn about them, but i'm sure that it will pay off one day hehe. some of the learning material that i've just got are hogarth's Dynamic light and shade ( I was so happy when i found this book in the nearby used-book store, never seen this anywhere else ), and fortunately my friend is nice enough to lend me his vilppu dvd about direct and indirect lighting. :rolleyes:so yeah, in between of my hectic job hunting process:eek:, i try to do at least 2-3 hours drawing work-out everyday. thats my update, thought you might want to know haha. I will scan some of my sketch & works later on this day and put them together to be posted. cheers :love:

[Maladie]

Hello everybody, I've been working on my 'centaur vs snake-thingie' painting. I've tried to make the figures more dynamic and the composition more interesting. Let me know what you guys think!:)

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e334/rava1981/Centaurfight/centaurcomp3.jpg

[Rebeccak]

sturm,

Nice work with the values! :)

DK,

Good to see you back, and I'd like to see your work! Best of luck to you with your job search! :thumbsup:

Maladie,

Below is a paintover movie which I hope helps. I think you really need to focus on Gesture, and the best way to do this is to try some of the Gesture Exercises posted to the beginning of this thread. :)

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b380/rebeccak5/Beginners%20Lounge/Maldadie_BL_Review.jpg


Hope this helps. :)

Cheers,

~Rebeccak