Sketchbook Thread of Shapemaster

[Gord-MacDonald]

Good start! Good nude studies - keep it up!

Gord

[razz]

Damn you, just turned 17...Well, great to see you start a sketchbook here. Saw some of your speedpaints in the DSF and really liked them, so it'll be fun following your progress.
For now, only the first lady's proportions look off. Also the foreshortening of the second lady's right arm doesn't look very believable, but ooh, that's just a freakin' hard thing.
Other than that, awesome :D

[shapemaster]

gord - thanks!
razz - could u show me where exactly the proportions are off ... ? i cant seem to find a flaw, is it the right leg?

some master copies i did like 1 year ago:

The first one isnt finished
http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/51/orientalam5.gif
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/8430/mastercopyuo6.jpg
http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/7049/jeromecopy1bd7.jpg

[razz]

Lookie HERE (http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/299/31pz0overpkh7.gif), I did a fast overpaint. I would just make the area between rib cage and pelvis shorter. Measring using bones is better, because it's a thing that doesn't move as much as breasts, navel or chin. I assume you used a ref for that? If so, it might be good to put the sketch on top of the ref and see where you went wrong.

[BNN]

Wow you're 17? I'll be watching your thread man =D


-Yee Long

[shapemaster]

thanks alot! i did a comparison and it really is too long! guess i have to pay more attention next time ...

more studies:
an older and a newer one

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/1240/91633563fc6.gif
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/1053/94019961sb1.gif

[shapemaster]

Hi! thought i post one more sketch ... seems like this thread is gonna die ...

with this one i actually scored a sketch of the week award, dont know why ...

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/3329/blackdreamdg1.jpg


this one is a girl from the world that exists within my head, her names raven and its actually the first time i managed to not get a zombie-like skintone ^^ but for some reason i cant seem to get a realistic look, if someone can point out how to improve please advise ...
http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/7148/20346482ou7.gif

[razz]

Trying going HERE (http://www.furiae.com/index.php?view=gallery) and to tutorials, you'll find some very useful ones if you haven't seen them already. Would surely help in painting faces. Other than that, I really suggest drawing a lot from imagination. You refed worked is good enough I think. So not to get too dependant on references, use your imagination.
Here's a 2min OVERPAINT (http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/8464/20346482ou7pu5.gif) of the face. Hope you don't mind. Just played again with the proportions. It might be just a thing of preference but I find it more attractive this way.
Of course I was too lazy to get my Wacom out, so used a mouse. Drawing on paper today, hehe.

[shapemaster]

hi!

thanks razz, those tutorials are really helpful!

well, i mostly draw from imagination, its just that i dont have a scanner and i do my paintings in ps cuz setting up real canvas and stuff is a pain in the *ss, so ... those are mostly colourstudies u see here. ill see if i can find some motivation to take pictures of my drawings sometime soon.

[anandpg]

Hey taole! Awesome stuff you've got here for a start, man!!!:thumbsup::bounce:... I see the makings of a very inspiring thread here!!!

[shapemaster]

thanks for the encouraging words! so here are some of my pencil sketches. crappy quality though ...

2 studies:
http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/3742/77894361vi2.gif

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/8599/47927383st4.gif

2 doodles i did on the beach last week:http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/7821/95705531oi3.gif

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/4905/55956771is2.gif

[shapemaster]

2 older sketches, like half a year old

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/134/10df0.gif

http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/5494/11zb2.gif

[killermachine]

cool SB. lookin fwd to see more from u

[CgIcecube]

Hi taole:) I really like what you have been doing with anatomy light color...I really dont find anything on which i can leave harsh crits in this thread except for bits here and there but i dont enjoy a perfect art either so...Keep sharing and uploading your sketches:bounce:

[shapemaster]

killermachine - thanks! ^^

cgicecube - well, i might be mistaken, but arent exactly those subtle things the difference that separates good art from average art? i'd really appreciate it if u point out those "bits here and there" ... just trying to improve. ^^

i realized that ill have to do some skintone studies if i want to eliminate the "zombie-look", so here goes study nr.1

http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/5061/12cp4.gif

[SpiritDreamer]

Hi ..Taole ..:)

REALLY enjoying your thread so far..:)
I was thinking that you might enhance your paintings, by using subtle blending, to really establish your value scales from light to dark/dark to light further,...Do this in your underpainting first, ..then go into it with the vigorous energy filled brushstrokes afterwards, and blend some of their edges also...This method will really make your forms, colors ect ..pop...Save your most vital brushstrokes for the very end...use them as accents, to strenghten areas that need to be defined more.
It's kind of like music in a way,...If all of your notes/sounds are equal, your music will sound monotinious/flat.
A combination of subtle blends, combined with high keyed brushstokes in the areas of main interest ...will enhance, and give your paintings greater depth, luster, mystery, ect.
Do that in the backgrounds also...they/backgrounds can become just as interesting as the forgrounds, and at the same time , not distract from your main interest, which in most cases will be in the forground when doing portraits...:)
ANYWAY, ...Keep up the GREAT studies..:thumbsup: .REALLY looking forward to seeing more of your work, and the progress that comes with lots and lots of those studies along the way...:)
TAKE CARE
Glenn

[monicaitt]

HI! I'm loving your thread! The strokes used to create the pieces give them an oil painting feel. Though I completely agree with Glenn in trying the subtle blending. Great work here!:thumbsup:

[anandpg]

beautiful!!:)

[muttonman222]

Really nice paintings. I too love the brushstroke work.

[shapemaster]

thanks!

spiritdreamer: thanks a lot for the detailed reply! your suggestions seem to make sense, but ill need some time to figure out how to implement those, maybe if u could show me some examples, that would be great.
the thing with the underpainting, i dont really do underpaintings, i just fill in the colours and then start to define the forms, so i dont really get this part of your description ...

2 more studies:

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/3637/13gi2.gif

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/6614/14hn0.gif

[shapemaster]

2 sketches i did ages ago (well, 1 year .. ;P)

a coffee cup design i did in school, at a time when i was still very unfamiliar with digital art. (still am) i thought for one of the first digital paintings of mine this ones not too bad actually. also thought id show u the embarassing stuff i do beside my studies ... :blush:

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/9450/15xp5.gif

heres an attempt at mechanical design which i failed thoroughly ... it looks like a toy! :shrug:

http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/182/16mc0.gif

[SpiritDreamer]

JAN. 10, 2008

Hi ...Taole ..:)
I did a quick paintover over of the girl that you posted a couple of post above this one.
I just threw a couple of tints on her, just to unify all the colors.
Put and blended shadow on her forhead, and blended/softened her farthest cheekbone, and that entire edge of her face.
Blended her hair a little, and the background.
Popped in a few highlights, as accents, no blending...brow, lip, nose, and closest eye
Popped in a highlight on her closest cheekbone...blended that one.
Hope this helps you some, to understand what I was talking about above...It's just techniques that the OLD MASTERS USED...Might be useful to you on your journy of explorations, and experimentations..:)
TAKE CARE
Glenn

http://artbyglenngallegos.com/images/SHAPEMASTER_REPAINT.jpg

[CgIcecube]

Very well pointed by Glenn:bowdown:
With your skin studies i too can see that there are very bright highlights and a single tone shadow...it will look great if the light and shadow blends together and there is subtle variation in the highlight and shadow...i mean light and dark highlights and light and dark shadows:)
I find this very useful : http://www.henningludvigsen.com/wordpress/?page_id=23
From step6 of the weblink ->
Now I add the different skin tones, red on areas like the nose, cheeks, forehead, knuckles, knees etc. “Warm” places on the body, or places that are exposed to sun. In some areas the skin is thin and almost transparent, and the veins are visible through and tints the skin in a blue-ish colour, or even maybe purple some places. Some places the skin may look yellow, or even green. Look at the reference photo (or yourself up close in a mirror), and try to sort out the different skin tones and overdo it slightly.

Hope it helps :)

[anandpg]

Hey Taole!! Awesome updates!:thumbsup:... the mechanical design is good.. it just needs details to show scale.

[shapemaster]

hi. its me again!

Glenn: I really appreciate the effort you made, and i'll try my best to pay special attention to these aspects next time.

Cgicecube: thanks for the link. im sure this will help.

anandpg:u think so? ^^ im very happy someone actually likes my design! i always thought i suck at drawing nonorganic stuff.

an unfinished drawing for the OFD 22

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/462/19lz9.gif

another one:
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/318/18xk7.gif

a pair of hands i started but didnt finish

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/3235/20zc8.gif

I need some advice on this one, for some reasons i dont like it , i dunno, maybe its the colours, but i just dont feel comfortable looking at it. what do u say? any input is appreciated.
http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/1092/22tb3.gif

[shapemaster]

hi, ive been messing around in zbrush recently and heres the outcome

i think she looks a little stiff though.
http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/4390/79554258mw6.gif

http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/8400/72094459zs4.gif

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/2995/73622852us7.gif

i have a few questions about the eyes, hope someone can give some feedback.
is it better to put them in separately or make them on the same subtool as the body? cuz it really sucks to try to close that gap between eye and eyelid ...
what are the advantages and disadvantages?

[Intervain]

wow - beautiful 2d stuff! I love your coloured pieces :bounce:

[shapemaster]

hey! thanks, intervain. ^^
litte update on the ofd22

http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/1852/24cs5.gif

[shapemaster]

hi, its been a long break since the last post.
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/4778/25xy4.gif

well, didnt bother to finish this one, but i enjoyed painting it anyway. ^^
http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/3460/26ti2.gif

doodles i did half a year ago, 5 minutes each.
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/6897/27iq2.gif

a mastercopy i started yesterday. its called nymphs and satyr i think, by william boug ... bogureau ?... dont remember the name ... :shrug:

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/4047/28lx1.gif

[shapemaster]

started coloring

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/7982/29xi4.gif

[shapemaster]

a sketch i did for the dsg at conceptart.

http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/7395/30xs0.gif

[Eiki]

hey
nice movement in #31 :thumbsup:
and i really like your feeling for color!
Keep going :)

seb

[shapemaster]

bapke: thanks, well its just a copy ... so if u sense any movement its not because of me ...

i have this book featuring courbet, a french artist. one day i looked at the 'woman in the waves' and thought: how would she look like if she was skinny? so i started to paint a skinny version of the lady.

heres the original
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/4948/courbetwomaninwavesrh5.jpg

and heres my version

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/9633/31oy6.gif
i did this the last summer, and im confident that i could do it better now, but ... sigh ... im lacking the motivation to repaint it ...

[shapemaster]

a little update on the mastercopy

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/9421/32kz7.gif

[shapemaster]

ok, i guess im finished with this one ...
http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/2613/33bh7.gif

[shapemaster]

more pics ... http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/3945/35kf4.gif


http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/7879/36mg3.gif
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/7630/37lg1.gif
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/4096/38qa7.gif

[razz]

I really like what you've done with the OFDW piece. Nice texture on the body. And I think the environment looks good this way, very loose, what makes the viewer focus on the figures. Maybe just the tree could have a clearer form.
Looking forward to an update on the Bouguereau's copy! How far are you going to take it?

[Kanga]

Love the loose style!
With the 3d zbrush piece you need to put the same spontinaety into the sculpt that you have with the paintings. Because you are messing with a different world this is difficult. Would like to see you keep going with it. Dont stop painting though,... they are great:)

Cheerio Chris

Edit: I think the anatomy drawings you are doing are a great way to get really good!

[shapemaster]

razz - thanks for the feedback, i was just wondering if its okay to do the background like that. i'll see if i can bring up the motivation to continue on the tree, cuz actually i already called it an end.
u see, ive got a serious problem with finishing pictures ... if i sit on one painting(or drawing) longer than a few hours i get REALLY bored. if i put it away and look at it the next day i just dont want to continue. so i tend to try to finish it in one session. but, as it is with complexer paintings, its not very likely that one session will be enough. i never really finished a painting which im really satisfied with. and that sucks. I want to see how long im able to sit on one painting till i cant look at it anymore (like without puking ...) that one will be my first try. so ... prepare for countless minor progress pics where u cant make out the difference to the previous one because motivation was drained immediately after sitting down. -_- thats how far im going to take it!

kanga - hey thanks! yeah, im really a noob when it comes to 3d. the software is just too technical, u have to spend months on learning the tools until u can get something acceptable. zbrush is really intuitive compared to the others and still i needed several weeks to get that model done. i enjoyed real sculpting much more than its virtual imitation but i dont have time nor space to do it at home.

i got lazy with this one ... ^^

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/3460/39mk7.gif

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/1679/40rz1.gif

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/3613/41ql9.gif

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/236/42zm0.gif
this is another one for the ofd 22

http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/8119/43bt3.gif

[-voraz-]

Hi, just found your sketchbook.
Great work you're showing. Lots of nice studies.
What I like more about your work are the digital paintings, especially your brushwork.
keep it up.

[nightwoodwolf]

very beautiful sketches

[shapemaster]

voraz - thanks! its funny though, i always thought my drawings were better than my paintings ... guess i was wrong then?

nightwoodwolf - thanks dude!

[anandpg]

Awesome sketches, Taole!!:thumbsup:

[Kanga]

Ah the lady sketches!
Loving them alot:).
If you put the poses (gestures) in a stance and there is gravity (centre line) so they have weight they will be more powerful. Some of the volumes could be fuller or rounder in some places. Look at Bumskee's 100 gesture excersize here and the drawings of the bonedoctor.

As far as 3d goes, I will get shot for saying this. I find sketching and painting more important. I want the life in my 3d models you have in your brushstrokes! :).

Enjoying your thread alot.
Cheerio Chris

[shapemaster]

anand - thanks!
kanga - im happy that u like it. ^^ ive already read a few things about gravity and such but i didnt really get it back then. how do u know where the center is? how to determine the center line? things like that, but i only scanned it really, guess i will eventually figure it out if i give myself enough time to think about it. thanks anyway, i will consider your suggestions!

a tiny little update on the mastercopy.

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/1333/44vx5.gif

[-voraz-]

voraz - thanks! its funny though, i always thought my drawings were better than my paintings ... guess i was wrong then?


Hi, I don't think you are wrong, for what I see here your drawing is strong. But I like the way you paint digitally, its very loose and it looks good. I find it very difficult to do. Painting digitally its very frustrating to me, everything looks too artificial, still wasn't able to get into it...

[Kanga]

how do u know where the center is? how to determine the center line?
Ah,... I used the wrong words. What I meant was centre of balance!

Cheerio Chris

[shapemaster]

voraz - oh well, u havent seen me paint with real brushes and real colours ... i dunno, but i find it very annoying to mix the colors, half of the paint is wasted cuz it dries on the palette ... have to set everything up and then clean up, it just takes up so much time that i cant concentrate on the painting... hehe ... ok, i am lazy, really lazy, bit isnt it true? with digital painting u just sit down and then u can start to do the magic.

kanga - lol, never mind! i was thinking of the same thing anyway ...

[shapemaster]

a concept i did for the dsf, its a miner from mars who's enjoying his lunchbreak by smoking illegally anf listening to his old mp3-player. notice his right arm: a semi-metallic implant used to increase mining efficiency - its a good way to increase your salary but your girlfriend might find it creepy though ... so choose wisely. ^^

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/868/45xo6.gif

[shapemaster]

thought id post some older sketches ...

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/812/trioofhunternq3.jpg

http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/5047/slavebx3.jpg

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/2268/52987995rs1.jpg

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/7396/40034847si7.gifhttp://img71.imageshack.us/img71/8299/undeadpiratehk7.jpg

[shapemaster]

uh yeah ... well, im back from the dead i guess. its been almost 2 months since my last post... so here we go:

somethin for the dsf

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/659/51br7.gif

grayscale study, not reffed

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/5350/52mq8.gif

[shapemaster]

here comes more

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/413/53cw3.gif

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/9135/54ol6.gif

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/1040/55wk6.gif

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/1986/56xj6.gif

this one was originally intended for the dsf, but then i left it in its folder and forgot about it.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/7866/57wn1.gif

[anandpg]

Hey taole!! Great to have you back!! Love the new stuff! :bounce:

[Rebeccak]

Great variety of stuff here! Looking forward to seeing some finished pieces. :)

[shapemaster]

hey thanks!
... its been again 2 months since i posted, it actually took some time to find my sketchbook between all those others :P
well ... i havent been very artistically productive recently, because i had a lot of stuff going on

heres one picture for a start, its the bookcover for a school project

http://img386.imageshack.us/img386/4052/58ou3.gif

does anyone know why there are dots everywhere? i dont mean the big dots in the background, but if you look closely you can see that there are tiny regularly positioned dots, most evident in the hair of the girl. its been bothering me for a long time and i dont know what that is. it only appears when i convert it for the web.

[shapemaster]

hi
so heres a portrait i made for a friend of mine. i think thats my first finished portrait in colour and it took quite some time to get a resemblance. i think now i nailed it, but im curious as to how others think about it, since im biased because ive put effort in it. well ... i hope someone cares to look at my dead sketchbook ^^
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/664/tcportraitsmallqe1.jpg

some other sketches

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/7642/59zr6.jpg

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/6947/60bz7.jpg

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/1012/61vy6.jpg

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/6330/74550668mp4.jpg

[NR43]

Nice work!

Congratz on your portrait it looks really good. Her right boob seems a bit low compared to the other one. I know her right shoulder is lower than her left but perhaps lift it just a tad so you can still keep the curve from the contraposto. I think it will look even better then.

[retardedmonkey]

Beautiful stuff here! I have a new favorite sketchbook! :P

Can't do much other than say how nice they look...more please!!

[shapemaster]

nr43 - haha ... thanks, i didnt notice, cuz i really didnt focus on that part of the painting :) ... but ill keep that in mind for the next time. itd seem a bit strange if gave her a corrected version now ^^

retardedmonkey - thank you! ill try my best to post more frequently ... ill try ...

[shapemaster]

a dude i doodled a while ago

http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/845/611iq5.gifhttp://img106.imageshack.us/img106/2128/612om8.gif

a study of the female figure, obviously. i tried to reach a higher level of smoothness and get a feeling of completion and i think im almost there. still not completely satiesfied ...

http://img370.imageshack.us/img370/2578/28jl5.jpg

[shapemaster]

a sketch for the dsf, topic: queen

http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/4951/queenei1.jpg

[Micah-H]

hey shapemaster,

I really enjoy your style and wish I could share your talent in digital painting. It was mentioned earlier in your thread about your loose style, I agree with the looseness but think it works very well for you because of your ability to work with color tones and shapes of colors, unlike myself who needs to mush and blend. Awesome stuff!

-micah

[JM-art]

Hi shape, the last study of female figure is amazing and you have a lot of realy good stuff here so keep practicing and posting.

Cheers

[razz]

Amazing new stuff, no need to even say that. Nice to see you reaching for a more finished look, you seem to be doing fine, but it looks like it's not you when it's all so smooth and not painterly (the portrait). It's great to see you can go into a tight finish like that. Love the girl on the sofa. Could have a clear focal point though.
On this last speedpaint, I find it hard to imagine her standing with those thin legs and that huge belly, not to mention walking or running. But I do like the idea, looks neat. Look at the work of Carlos Huante (http://www.carloshuanteart.com/) to see how well he does all the folds of skin and all that anatomy stuff very believable. Could make creatures like that more real.
Cheers and post more often!!

[shapemaster]

micah - hey thanks .... and you shouldnt be so pessimistic, its all a matter of practice, so you can do it as well!

jmart - thanks, i sure will.

razz - true ... ive never painted a portrait like this and was really trying hard to find a way to smooth it. finally i managed to do it by using a combination of the smudge tool and low opacity. but this one also had a more serious touch to it, because the friend i mentioned before (its the girl in the painting btw) was moving away and i promised her to give a farewell present.
well, shes a queen after all whose only duty is to lay eggs. but, honestly, i didnt really think about that, cuz there was a timelimit of 20min ^^
thanks for dropping by, razz :)

another daily sketch topic: the swimmer

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/8207/swimmerga5.jpg

[Brigid]

Woah. Your artwork blows me away! I love your colorings and the way you draw bodies. Eveything is so beautiful.

[shapemaster]

thank u, brigid! ^^

daily sketch: the knife

http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/7438/theknifepr6.jpg

[shapemaster]

another daily sketch: go go dancer

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/693/gogogirlit9.jpg

[shapemaster]

an attempt at painting landscapes, im still very new to this and would greatly appreciate any advice

http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/8861/62vg0.jpg

i thought id go a little further with this one

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/4637/63qj9.jpg
(http://img530.imageshack.us/my.php?image=63qj9.jpg)

[wickedsamara]

Looooks absolutely superb

I was so stunned at Queen... really different concept.
the go go girl is damn good, esp the expression on the face. :applause:

The Blue landscape looks very welcoming.... is the place u live have blue land?? :) seriously i like the colors, blue-grey-white.......

[shapemaster]

haha i wished there was blue land where i live, but no, regrettably. ^^ i used a photograph i found somewhere as reference. and, well, i appreciate the positive feedback, thanks!

[shapemaster]

another landscape

http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/71/64dg3.jpg

[anandpg]

WOW, Taole!! Awesome stuff, lately!! I love that reclining figure on #61! Great lighting!:thumbsup:

[shapemaster]

hey thanks, anand! :)
been busy the past 2 days, so only 2 crappy sketches ...

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/8592/65cl2.gifhttp://img411.imageshack.us/img411/9800/66la1.gif

[shapemaster]

leg study

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/1089/67gy7.jpg

[wickedsamara]

haha.... that guys gone for a loooong fall...

lady's profile... very good... very pleasant features...

cute legs... seems to be a very shy... ;)

[shapemaster]

haha ... actually, the legs owner was stripping ... im not sure if shes that shy. ;)

my very first entry for the chow over at ca, topic was "blood moon monk"
i hope i didnt disqualify myself by doing anything "illegal" ... i didnt pay much attention to the rules :)

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/1034/chow23bloodmoonmonkqt6.jpg

[razz]

Ha, it might be a good idea to read the rules, you know. But they're usually pretty clear without reading, no old works and stuff...I think you're good with this.
Great to see you posting more often. I like the hand holding the ciggarete in this monk piece. The wrist looks a little too skinny, but the whole thing looks good.

[shapemaster]

yeah i know ... its just that i hate rules ... and too much to read ^^

hehe, i dunno if i can keep up the frequency ... schools going to start in 1.5 weeks :( but ill try my best.
im glad u like it. it was actually quite experimental ... tried out new brushes and strokes, but i suppose u wont notice, cuz i needed to refine it so it didnt look to sketchy.

and yeah ... heres a portrait ... im pretty shocked though that im able to paint something as ... girly as this :S
ive been thinking about doing a comic for a couple years now, and actually started to collect ideas for quite a while. (well ... 2 years) this portrait is intended to help me get familiar with one of the characters (and as practice of course) ... and since the setting in my story is probably gonna be pretty sad, i thought i could paint her a happy portrait as compensation ^^

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/8392/70zj9.jpg

[Eiki]

so sweet! :)

your latest pics are amazing, very nice colors i think :) :applause:

dont forget to tell us more about your comic! :)

[shapemaster]

hi,

thanks ! :D
i will ... i will ... when the time is right. ^^ its still too sketchy atm.

oh yeah, my monk didnt make it to the poll ... i was dq'd because it was too sloppy or something ... the high expectations really surprised me, next time im gonna put more into it!

it was maybe half a year ago, when i gave up 3D ... it was too darn frustrating. well, now i decided to give it another try, hoping to get better results.
so heres the first model, a dog. i really need help on this, id really appreciate any sort of c&c, what do ya think?

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/7660/71rd3.gif

[shapemaster]

worked a little further on this ... but i dont know what to do next.

should i pose it first and then add the details? how do i put in the teeth?

can someone help me?

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/97/74zq6.gif

[shapemaster]

ok, i managed to model some teeth ... put them in as subtool

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/8726/75ld5.gif

[Kitami]

thank you for looking at my thread. I have seen your thread before but i am kinda just looking around and usually not writing, but your very impressive. I love the expressions in the faces you create, their really great! I also love the variety of what you do, so varied makes looking at your thread always interesting cause you don´t know what you would do next :D I cant really give any serious critique on what you need to do better or whatever cause I have nooo idea

[shapemaster]

hey thank you! i didnt notice the "variety" before, but now that u say it ... i guess my subconsciousness was controlling me ... :)

a hand practice, took me about 3 hours .. and the result really surprised me ... im quite happy with it, but in the end its still just a hand ... ^^

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/77.gif
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/76.gif

and some ideas for the next chow .. i hope ill make it to the poll this time :D

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/79.gif
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/78.gif
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/80.gif

[shapemaster]

i think im starting to get it ... any critic greatly appreciated!

http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/288/81qt0.gif

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/8559/82ob3.gif

[razz]

Well now that you're getting into 3d more, I can only suggest doing studies such as the ones Joel did, that is sculpting individual parts of the body. Would surely help you get better at 3d and it's also good for anatomy. I think you know already how much 3d helps drawing and vice versa. So yeah, my advice is to start at a little simpler things than the whole torso or a dog, just for the start.
Now gotta go and see what's the topic for chow, your sketches look interesting. I wanted to join those a long time ago, maybe someday I will :)

[anandpg]

Hey Taole!! Awesome work on posts #78 and #80!!:thumbsup: and also the sketches on #86.. A little critique on the "girly"http://forums.cgsociety.org/images/icons/icon10.gif portrait.. the eyeballs seem too flat.. a little hilite on the white may help. Great start on the dog sculpt, but you gotta leave some lip space below the nose.. and also, watch the elbow joint on the front legs- usually for 4legged animals, the elbow joint should almost be at the same level as the bottom of the chest, and actually attached closely to the chest.
Keep up the great work, man!!:thumbsup:

[shapemaster]

razz - thanks for the advice. ive looked at joels sketckbook, his studies are quite impressive - so many noses and lips :S.
i already made that observation, and thats also why i failed my first attempt at 3d. i started too high, expected too much ... the first thing i modeled was actually a full human body. it really looked like crap and i gave up eventually after several other models of similar difficulty.
i can only recommend you to join chow ... its really fun and you can push your design skills.

anandpg - i didnt know dogs actually have lips ... :) i did use reference, but its really hard to find something about animal anatomy on the net ... had to rely on some crappy photos of dobermanns ... well, thank u very much for the info.

chow, still wip, cant decide on the colours ...

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/84.gif

[shapemaster]

here goes my 24th century space smuggler! :D
lot of things i want to change, but i ran out of time ... even wanted to include a backview, instead i just popped in a crappy background :P

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/Chow124_24thcenturyspacesmuggler.jpg

a quick warm up

http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/8818/85ji0.jpg

[shapemaster]

a painting i started yesterday ... i have this certain feeling and mood in my mind, but its hard to get it on the canvas. :( i repainted it twice already, but i still havent got it right. any opinions? c&c more than welcome!

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/85-1.gif
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/86.gif
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/87.gif

[Maist]

I think your colors and idea are great, but I guess you are trying to get this lonely feeling on the picture right? I'm not pretty sure though, but you might want to have a look at my thoughts. :D

I think the tree in the left corner is supposed to be a focal point. So perhaps you could darken the background even more and add more intensity (maybe orange/yellow mix sun light)to the light source in the right corner to archieve a stronger contrast. I would even add pure black colors around the tree.

Other than that, your work is awesome! Keep it up!

[shapemaster]

hey, its great you decided to drop by!


i wouldnt describe it as loneliness, but i cant put it in words either ... :\ anyway, thanks for the suggestion, i think the problem might be the values indeed.

why dont u start a sketchbook as well? im interested in your oil paintings ... just shoot some photos and upload them. and im curious about your "adventures" with your bamboo ^^

bye

[shapemaster]

worked a lil more on it ... its starting to resemble the picture in my head now. :)

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/1.jpg

[Maist]

Your new version looks awesome!

I still need to find my camera, it's just gone... :/ Anyway, I will shoot some asap!

And yeah, I have some studies with my Bamboo now, but that won't be enough to start a sketchbook on my own. I will gather some goodies at first and if I feel more confident you will see them soon enough ^^

Thx for reply :D

[shapemaster]

thanks,

you dont have to wait till u have a collection, just post whatever you draw or paint daily ... starting a thread will serve as motivation to draw more as well .. at least it was like that for me. :)

i just found something in the wip forums, its called "daily speed paintings", i thought it looked quite fun, so i just jumped in.
well, the task was to turn a daylight picture into a night scene.

original photo

http://www.bilder-hochladen.net/files/big/79k1-1i.jpg

my pic

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/2.jpg

[Memorist]

Hi Taole

Wow thought i would take a look at your work.
I love how you almost never use hard lines in your work or any lines.

I really appreciate the mood you crated with your tree especially cause it reminds me of when i'm out climbing for the week-end. Sitting up on a big rock at the top of the hill.
You looking down and the sun has just set the storm blowing in from the otherside.
You feel that fresh cool wind as the rain begins to settle that dry dusty air.

It was like i only did that yesterday.

I use to draw alot of those trees when i was a kid.
Usually straight with a pen though. ( Landscape stuff )
I can try and get you some reference if you would like something more. It's easy for me to come by. That's if you would like it. You done a great job on this one.

But awesome stuff would love to get someday to just sketch up stuff like this.

Looking forward to seeing more of your 3D work i know how long that takes.

Looks good. ;) (http://forums.cgsociety.org/misc.php?do=getsmilies&wysiwyg=1&forumid=0#)

[shapemaster]

hi

thanks, it sounds really tempting how you descibe the place you lived in. ive always loved rainstorms and lonely landscapes, but here in the capital of the country with the biggest population in the world its impossible to find a place like that, youd have to drive several hours, and theres still the weather ... :\
id be really grateful if you could provide me with some references, ive already looked all over the internet, but could not find anything usable.
and yeah, im still having major setbacks with 3d... -_-

anyway, im real glad you dropped by and thanks a lot for the feedback. :)

another one for the daily speed painting thread, 40- 50 min

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/12.jpg

[Memorist]

Hey Taole

Yeah i must say that, that's one for the great things living here is SA you don't have to travel to far to get away. And everyone does it.

I'll look for what i have around in books and stuff, the tree that you painted or looks like you painting is actually a thorn tree. That family of trees is called Acacia, there are many diffrent types but look very much the same. I actually have a bonsai of one.:D

I went to google and searched images of "Acacia tree" and found some really intresting ones. Storms and sunsets. Although just briefly browsed through them. So try that out and see if you find what you looking for. I'll still look around and see if i can find some stuff. i'll try get you something before the week end.

As for the speed painting "wow" love how you have been able to capture the gesture and the expression so well.:thumbsup:

[anandpg]

Awesome work, Taole! I love that smuggler girl! :thumbsup:
btw, I saw your query on my thread.. Yes, you can use that image. Actually, I would be very glad to see you make something out of it! :D

[shapemaster]

memorist - wow ... now my tree even has a name! :D it really looks like it, though its a lil scarce on branches ... as for the clouds, its harder to find something suitable it seems. i found this one, which is quite interesting:

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/img_0484.jpg

almost every cloud pic is lit from behind though ... but thank you very much. theres no need to hurry, just get it whenever it is most convenient for you.

anand - thank you! you are very generous! :)
ive started right away after reading your post. quickly laid in the colours, and now trying to make the simple composition a lil more complex.

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/landscape2.jpg


daily speed painting, 30 min

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/87-1.jpg

[sycen]

Wow! look at those clouds. Amazing.
I like the way you use colours. That's cool. :thumbsup:

[shapemaster]

hi

thank you sycen! i appreciate it.

i started a copy of bouguereaus "la charite". i like how he's able to paint the skin with so many complex and subtle colours and i hope i will learn some useful stuff after i do a few copies :)

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/88.gif

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/89.gif
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/bouglacharite.jpg

[shapemaster]

another daily speed painting, 20 minhttp://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/24.jpg

[Maist]

Beautiful speed paint! Warm and cold colors are mixed perfectly! It's your best speed paint imo

[NR43]

That Bouguereau is coming along nicely! The communication between child and mother is there already... in other words, great work on the expressions!!

[Memorist]

Hi Taole

Glad to have been able to help.

Wow that cloud pic is pretty awesome. The colour ranges you can get are awesome.
So i haven't come across anything at home that is any better than i can find on the net.
i'll have to stop by a book shop and see if i can find a photographer we can look up to have some better stuff.

But i'll keep looking when ever i get a chance.

I must say i R ... E ... A ... L ... L ... Y love your work. :)
The texture your able to apply to it.

Your last one makes me miss the mountains. :cry:

[anandpg]

I love that mountain sketch! :drool: You have great technique!
..and the bridge painting turned out awesome!!:thumbsup: thanks!

[shapemaster]

hi...
so i left my sketchbook abandoned for 3 weeks. i dont know why, honestly. okay, for 1 week im excused, i was on a class trip. :)
oh well, i did have to practice for a performance and i did feel the urge to reinstall diablo II after i saw the trailer of the third part, but not really any excuses. ;)

Maist - thanks, but im not really satisfied with this one, its too blank, no "mountain-like" textures. :) i still suck compared to certain other speed painters.
oh yeah .. im still waiting for u to start a sketchbook!

nr43 - thank you very much! your compliment is pleasantly surprising though, my only focus was the colours which are really hard to get, i think i see now why they call him a master.


memorist - you really are a friend! but you really dont have to go through all that trouble to help me. if youve got nothing at home, then just let it be, really. i feel bad about occupying your time with such trivial things. youve already helped me a lot and i thank you for it!


anandpg - thanks! im glad you like my version of your sketch, im not finished with it though. just trying to find time to do all the stuff i wanna do. :(


havent painted anything digitally lately, i have tons of sketches in my drawer, but im too lazy to photograph and upload them. for today only an old master copy i lost interest in after couple of minutes so im not spamming my own thread. ^^

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/90.gif

[shapemaster]

hi,

had a small experiment with colours ... i had no idea which colours to use, just threw in random ones. it turned out quite alright, imo. i think this style suits me because theres no consideration about the stroke placement needed :)

trying to express the fierce energy heard in metal (well, not always, but the good ones)
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/251.jpg

aand a smaller version

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/251_1.jpg

[razz]

Hey, how the hell do you manage to lose interest so fast? You could make amazing studies if you spent some more time on those, those would teach you a lot of stuff. Try choosing a piece that would suit what you like more. Something by Frazetta maybe. You know, something else than the biblical stuff, with more action, girls and nudity, haha. Just a suggestion.
This last piece looks cool. The style works well for the topic. Looks as if he spat all over his hand and the microphone. Any particular band you were thinking about when painting this?

[NR43]

Heh awesome man! :buttrock:

[CgIcecube]

Awesome I like it very much !

[Memorist]

Hey Taole

The use of colour worked well, it expressed the mood nicely.

I really love how well your line work comes out.

Have a great week.
;)

[shapemaster]

razz - lol ... i dunno, i just lose motivation when i think about how this is actually something done by someone else ... you know, its kinda pointless to spend too much time on something that will never be yours anyway. so i just get the composition, the colours, the forms and leave it at that. its probably not the best way to learn from a master. :P

ive looked at some of frazettas works and i must say, his use of colour is just mind-blowing! ill def do some studies from his paintings ... if i find some spare time. :/

well, not a particular band. more like the nu metal genre in general ... its too bad its era has ended. now that the rock and metal scene is moving away from nu metal towards thrash i thought id make a kinda tribut to the crushing rythms and aggressive sing-rapping i learnt to love ... lol i think im getting sentimental. :)
but yeah, im planning to make a series of those, with a complete band.

nr43 - thanks man

cgicecube - thanks :)

Memorist - thank you, you too have a great week!

another study

http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/5205/93fk3.gif

[alenah]

hi taole! I cant believe I missed your thread somehow -
so much different interesting approaches in your work :)
I especially love some of your speedpaints
(looking at them makes me feel like trying out some "speedies" too :),
I love that kind of inspiration :) )
great work here!
a.

[shapemaster]

alenah - thank you very much! :) why not just start painting speedies? its quick and fun.

tried to paint a chopper ... i realize that i suck at painting machines ... dunno, but it looks really stiff and photographic to me. :shrug:
1h in ps
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o158/shape_blaster/28_1.jpg

[shapemaster]

daily sketch .. topic: WACK!

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o158/shape_blaster/29.jpg

[TedNindo]

hey shapemaster, hehe very nice wack sketch. Looks really powerfull. The nude study and the meal picture are very good as well. You keep your work at a very good level.

[shapemaster]

tednindo- thanks!

daily speedpainting, i dont like the result ... its too messy :(

30 min

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o158/shape_blaster/30.jpg

[selphoo]

hey shapemaster!

great b&w pose study, i like the brushwork in this one ;]

very nice oldmaster copy, colours fit well

in last piece- that man is a little bit to flat..and i think that proportions are the imbalance here..

keep it up right man! very impressive sketchbook

cheers

[shapemaster]

selphoo - thank you!
youre probably right about the last sketch ... but i just tend to drop sketches i dont like .. too much hassle to correct them. :) have to remember it for the next one.

a small colour study or whatever, roughly 20 min

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o158/shape_blaster/94.gif

potential painting i started some time ago... im not convinced of the whole thing yet ... might as well scrap it, any suggestions?

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o158/shape_blaster/16.jpg

[NR43]

Have a small critter sneaking up on her?
lol just kidding, I think you may be going for a very sereen mood in this one.
I would try adding a complementary lightsource from bottom left corner onto the figure though. This could help in the composition, if for example you would add a point of interest in the background as well, a building or something. Something that pops out a bit from the forest.
You could lead the eye from the figure towards this 2nd focal point through the reflections of the main light source on the water. You'd have to figure out a way to lead the viewer back to the figure...as I said, a complementary colored light source might do the trick.

Just thinking out loud here... hope it triggers something :)

[sanpaiya]

hey shapemaster. . amazing work . . i had seem your work on the daily speedpaint work . and had seen your SB a while back . . and was blown away ! u have a very unique freeflowing style. . cant wait for more. . i am subscribin !

[shapemaster]

nr43 - hehe not a bad idea ... maybe some perverted pet ... ?
anyway, i already thought so about the background, but i couldnt come up with something sensible and interesting to add. ill think about your suggestions, thanks!

sanpaiya - thanks, glad youve enjoyed looking through my sketchbook ^^


ok, so today i felt like zbrushing after a small pause. nothing fancy, just practicing anatomy and still getting used to 3d. (well, its not like i can do anything fancy in 3d :/)

female torso, i enjoy these exercises quite a lot ... critiques greatly appreciated and needed, especially about the topology ... i have no idea if this is the right way to do it

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/5792/studyfemaletorso2sw2.jpghttp://img146.imageshack.us/img146/6342/studyfemaletorso1as8.jpghttp://img147.imageshack.us/img147/9209/studyfemaletorso3ju2.jpghttp://img171.imageshack.us/img171/9135/studyfemaletorso4gj6.jpghttp://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2797/studyfemaletorso5xq0.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2319/studyhead1ht6.jpg
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/3369/studyhead11cr8.jpg

[shapemaster]

more 3d

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/1764/studyeye1gx1.jpg
http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/4757/studyfemaletorso2bm3.jpg

update on the other one
http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/6690/studyfemaletorso6cz4.jpghttp://img385.imageshack.us/img385/8623/studyfemaletorso7rp8.jpg

[anandpg]

Hey Taole! Great start on 3D!! Your mesh looks ok for the current purpose, though if you are using it for animation, then you'd rather not have 3 edge junctions near joints, for example, the ones on either side of the crotch area.

[shapemaster]

thanks, though i dont share your opinion at all. :S 3d is really complicated ...
and thank you very much for the info ... i always thought youd have to avoid "3 edge junctions" at obvious spots, i.e. the belly, or the back.

just doodlin, tryin out some new brushes and approaches. approx. 20 min
she lives in an extremely rainy country and she sells umbrellas. therefore, shes a very rich woman :)

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o158/shape_blaster/31.jpg

[kasana]

Great ! Great ! Torso is superb.. :thumbsup:

[sanpaiya]

hey shapemaster . . real cool torso . . i love the unfinished surface. .

[shapemaster]

kasana - thanks!

sanpaiya - thank u! real glad you like it, actually, i had trouble figuring out how to smooth the surface ... the rough look is unintended :\

uh ... ya, well its kinda hard to introduce myself again after i havent posted for more than a month again X(
been real busy ... i intend to get a decent "high school" graduation (german abitur actually) so no lazy time for me ... next two years are gonna kill me.
trying to squeeze in some paintings

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/hope.jpg

[shapemaster]

hi its me again trying to catch up here on cgtalk ... but i hardly have any time to draw or for my guitar let alone posting on cgtalk.

2 quick sketches

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/89-1.jpg

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/88-1.jpg


and 2 longer ones

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/womanback800.jpg

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/stilllife.jpg

[JM-art]

Hi Taole, the last post shows a realy nice drawings, you´re doing great.

Cheers.

[aethalin]

Hiya,

Good to see you back , shapemaster. I like your newer sketches. The three gestures are very nice. They have nice amount of character and movement to them. The one figure on the right seems pretty elongated in her torso area. The value gesture is nice as well. I like the technique. I hope to see more from you again. :)

As always take care, be safe, and farewell

aethalin

[sanpaiya]

hey shapemaster. . the back study has come out real nice. . the volume .

[shapemaster]

hey, thanks for the nice words!

a redesign of a character from a would-be-story of mine .. what do ya think?

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/3_1.jpg

[shapemaster]

daily speedpainting, 20 min

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/33.jpg

[shapemaster]

and another one ... being productive today :)

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/amountaincalledmonkey.jpg

[yarabe]

Hi there shapemaster. I just saw your thread. Really amazing stuff! Like your digital paintings they've a great style and a nice mood. A pleasure to look at and inspiring! Keep it up!

[alenah]

interesting new stuff here,
my favourite is the "Umbrella girl" -

btw - how did the "umbrella girl" idea came up?
quote: "she lives in an extremely rainy country and she sells umbrellas. therefore, shes a very rich woman" .. did it just simply come to your mind one day? or is it a part of some story???
love it :)
a.

[shapemaster]

yarabe - thank you! its really great that im able to inspire other people ... never thought of that! i guess another reason to continue posting ... :)

alenah - haha thanks, actually it was mere scribblin, nothin more. i blocked in a random shape and thought "hey looks like an umbrella" . actually, could have been a sword as well, but i didnt want to go mainstream (all i see nowadays are chicks with weapons :rolleyes: )
while painting i imagined what the heck she could be doing with that huge umbrella, and well ... here you go.

another study of the female body (my favourite subject apparently -_- )

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/41.jpg

[shapemaster]

daily speedpainting

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/34.jpg

[shapemaster]

she's soo gorgeous ...really a joy to paint! :) lil over 30 min for the daily speedpainting thread!

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/35.jpg

[aethalin]

Hiya,

Nice work, shapemaster, and it is good to see you back on the Daily Speed Painting. I like the style that you are using. It has a nice chalk/ pastel feel to it. I think that I like your bust the best of all your new pieces. I think that you just captured it rather well. Your last woman is rather nice also, and I concur. She is quite lovely. :) Keep up the good work.

As always take care, be safe, and farewell

aethalin

[Sandpiper]

Hi Shapemaster! Nice work man. You've got a great future ahead of you I think.

As a zbrush user, it was great to see you exploring that realm of figurative study. It's got great brushes for doing quick studies as well as doing finished pieces. I just wanted to encourage you to keep working in these different mediums (I wish I did!). Your hand sketches are very attractive too. Good stuff all around! :)

[Rebeccak]

Hey there,

You know what might be kind of an interesting experiment is if you painted up one of the ZBrush sculpts and treated it in the painterly way that you create your speedpaints...it would be great to see you get a finished piece out of the combination of the processes. :) Nice stuff, I would love to see how you would finish a piece off completely...would be very cool I think. :)

[CgIcecube]

Yupp really gorgeous! What say if you paint more defined strokes on her hair? and add more contrast value to the painting??

[anandpg]

Hey Taole! Awesome stuff as always!:thumbsup: I'd like to see more pencil studies from you, though.. :) (I love the back study on the previous page.)

[Intervain]

shapemaster indeed - love your use of square brushes :) great paintings here:buttrock:

[NR43]

Lovely work idd!

I'd love to see a tad more highlights on her chest, bridge of the nose, lip and cheek

[shapemaster]

woah ... so many replies! (did i do something i didnt earlier? :surprise)

aethalin - thanks man! yah ... the daily speedpainting is great practice and fun, too bad it's so well hidden behind the wip forum.

Sandpiper - thank you! i just wished zbrush was as intuitive as real sculpting, which is still a big hurdle for me. (topology and what not)

Rebeccak - might be very interesting indeed! thank you for the suggestion.

CgIcecube - hm ... lets see what i can do! :)

anandpg - thank you anand! well, my pencil studies are all hidden away in a dark drawer, so i dont need to embarass myself -_- but ill see if i can find some sketches for you that wont destroy my dignity completely. XD

Intervain - thanks!

NR43 - i think i can do that for you! ;) ( i assume you mean the last speed paint yes?)



mkay ... ive been very busy the last few days, so i wasnt able to do anything artistically.
but here's a painting for my dad's 46th bday which was ages ago. smt like 2 years i think. (he loves horses and horse riding)
its my only painting done with painter, strangely i really like this one, but i forgot which tools i used and in which order (doh!). I've never succeeded to recreate the same feeling again and after a few fruitless attempts to understand painter's totally random behaviour i never touched it again. -_-

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/horseracing2.jpg

[killermachine]

this is great work indeed..i can understand your struggle with painter,we are in same boat but you managed this piece so ur better then me :D

tc

[NR43]

Hm... strange... Painter felt really natural to me from the first time I used it.
Perhaps it's because I'm not a PS user.

Love the mood in the last piece!
Please pick up Painter again: Real artists struggle a lifetime :p
LOL


NR43 - i think i can do that for you! ;) ( i assume you mean the last speed paint yes?)


Yep :D

[alenah]

...
its my only painting done with painter, strangely i really like this one, but i forgot which tools i used and in which order (doh!). I've never succeeded to recreate the same feeling again and after a few fruitless attempts to understand painter's totally random behaviour i never touched it again. -_-



.. yes, Painter may seem like it behaves but randomly :)
I do not know which version of Painter you use - and therefore it is difficult to say what exact technique/brushes you could have used (as different versions have different brushes; I assume you could have possibly used some oil/artist oil brushes, combined with a blending feature, that means low Resat & high Bleed settings - or even with some oily Blenders; I can also see some markers strokes with low opacity building-up method, maybe also a few oily clonners, etc .. ) - but -
here is a little tip - in general - that could possibly help a bit:
you needn´t be a Painter expert to be able to use it, you can even use just one single brush - that may look like you have painted with a bunch of different brushes in the end (due to its different settings) - or - on the other hand - if you do not want to go into the "mysterious" settings - you can just - each time you find/set the brush you like - make Painter "remember" this brush/settings to be able to use exactly the same settings for the next time - by saving your own variant of whatever brush you may work with .. which you can later pick with only one click ..
I have no time to go into details now - but - in case you´d be interested, I can do a little quick tut (capture the process on screen) for you - showing how to save a variant of a brush .. just let me know - in case you have not decided to quit using Painter for good :)
(well - btw - that was exactly what I was feeling like when used it for the first time, lol :) ), a.

[shapemaster]

killermachine - lol very unlikely ... its more a product of total randomness, no skills involved :D but thanks anyway


NR43 - hehe good point. well, im comfortable with ps for now. we're good friends, me and ps :)

alenah - you're so generous offering your time to make a tut for some lazy bastard like me! :) well, giving up is not my strength, so of course im interested. but i really dont want to take up your time ... if you're doing it just for me, really really only do it when you're bored to death and not even your mom wants to talk to you okay? :]


well, i was away for a few days, in bali! now im back and relaxed and ready to continue life in general.

worked a lil bit more on that one.
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/35_1.jpg

[WildBrew]

I like your last work. Nice colours and mood. I think you are talented person.

[JM-art]

ALL NICEEE!:thumbsup:

[alenah]

...
alenah - you're so generous offering your time to make a tut for some lazy bastard like me! :) well, giving up is not my strength, so of course im interested. but i really dont want to take up your time ... if you're doing it just for me, really really only do it when you're bored to death and not even your mom wants to talk to you okay? :]


.. haha - yes I´ll have to think about it :)

but seriously - no problem - I have already mentioned somewhere in someone´s (or mine? do not know) sketchbook - I am making those little video-demos pretty often - it´s a part of my work-activities, actually (I am preparing them for various on-line/off-line/dvd tuts of mine, here in CR, etc.);
well - I do not make screen video-recording/editing every day - since I have bunch of other activities too, but - when I do, there is no problem for me (while recording other stuff/tuts of mine) to "add a few more additional clicks" to capture a few minutes more (capturing/editing such a simple tut like the one I was offering/talking about is a question of minutes for me, actually)
so - you do not have to worry, it is not as bad as that :)

(and - btw - you even don´t have to be extra nice to me in return, in giving your crits for example, lol, you are welcome :) )
so -

here it is:
here you can download the little video
on how to save a brush variant in Painter (http://www.ahdesign.cz/images/000/Painter_demo_saving_brush_variant_Engl.mov) (*mov, cca 500 kb)

basic info:
whenever you find/set up a brush, that you like and that you would like to keep/have access to in the future, you can save it as a "variant" ..(each category - oils, pastels etc. - has/may have many different brush variants, with different settings; there is a bunch of already pre-set variants, but - you can still create your own ones) -
(the process of how to save a brush variant is what you can see inside the video/tut);

in case you (or whoever may be interested too) cannot see the movie,
here is a few key sceenshots from that little movie:
http://www.ahdesign.cz/images/000/Keyframes_saving_brush_variant_Engl.jpg

but - note:
even when you save any variant of yours, you still can make whatever changes/setting tweaks to your saved brush variant - and - (this is important) - in general - Painter will always remember THE LAST settings you set/use ..
this is pretty nice thing as you may want to change its settings on the fly - but - sometimes you might want to get back, to the variant you saved - so - instead of guessing what the settings you saved were like - you can ALWAYS restore the settings you saved for the particular variant by "RESTORE DEFAULT VARIANT" command - see below:

http://www.ahdesign.cz/images/000/Keyframe_restore%20default%20variant.jpg
..

but - BE CAREFULL - DO NOT CLICK - by accident - the other line saying "RESTORE ALL DEFAULT VARIANTS" .. as this restores all the variants to the state you had previously saved (which is not a good idea, in case you want to keep the "tweaks" you made to other brush variants) ..

and - one more little tip -
here is how you can easily create your own libraries/palettes, in order to have easy access to the brushes/variants you often use:
http://www.ahdesign.cz/images/000/Keyframes_click_drag_Engl.jpg

hope my English makes sense
and hope it could be of some help :)
cheers,
a.

[KarthikAL]

Hi Shapemaster Nice work man,keep'em coming:buttrock:

[shapemaster]

sweet! thank you so much alenah! I'll try it out right away. X)

WildBrew - thanks :)

JMART - thanks

KarthikAL - hehe thank you ... they're coming dont worry ^^



daily speedpaint 30 min
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/38_1-1.jpg

[shapemaster]

i felt like doing a study again ... so here it is!

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/43.jpg

[vikramvr]

Absolutely wonderful sketchbook..Love the back study . And the eyes in the last speed paint, they are brilliant. Great work.keep em coming.

[shapemaster]

vikramvr - thank you, i appreciate you taking the time to view my stuff and comment on it. :)

here's my contribution to the newest figure drawing workshop!
i failed to convey a resemblance but im having fun painting it nonetheless. X)

still wip

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/42_1.jpg
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/42_1closeup.jpg

[sanpaiya]

whoa !! awesome updates . . the BW portrait is simply awesome. .

[shapemaster]

sanpaiya thanks man!

another minor update.

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/42_2.jpg

[Rebeccak]

Looking great, keep going! :)

[Memorist]

Wow, looks awesome.

Always inspiring to look at your work.

[JM-art]

WTF?! That sea monster is extremely cool. I dont know your plans for the hands...but take your time with them, if you do, you will have a tremendous piece.

Cheers.

[shapemaster]

thanks guys!
ive been busy the past few days, and last weekend i was at Paul van Dyk's concert which was extremely awesome, but it left me completely wasted so i havent got any work done on the weekend either. :P anyway, if pvd ever happens to be in your city, dont miss it!! this man is epic! (haha i sound like im advertising for him)
so today i tried to finish my "selfportrait" ... please tell me what u think about it. :)
any suggestions regarding the background would be nice either.

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/42_3.jpg

[shapemaster]

hi, here's some more ...

survival bunny ... ?
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/44.jpg

i've been playing around with zbrush and here's the result ...
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/studyhead3.jpghttp://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/studyhead2.jpg

tree of tranquility (or something like that :] )
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/treeoftranquility1.jpghttp://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/treeoftranquility2.jpg


as always, c&c regarding 3d greatly needed!!

[vikramvr]

Beautiful sb.You've got some excellent skills.Love your strokes..

[shapemaster]

thanks, vikramvr!
well, nothing much to add ...
here's a lil sketch, we'll see how it turns out.

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/7.jpg


anyway, im attending a career consultation course (i hope that makes sense) over the whole weekend and im really curious to hear what the "experts" will tell me :D ... hopefully they wont tell me to become a farmer or something like that! in that case, i want my money back! so this means i wont be doing anything this weekend except filling out hell lotta tests.

[shapemaster]

i find the subtle color variations of skin extremely intriguing.
its a worthwhile challenge, i think. :)

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1346/14355010.jpg (http://img98.imageshack.us/my.php?image=14355010.jpg)

[AmrutRaju]

Cool works man:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[KarthikAL]

hi shapemaster ur painting r awesome. I really like ur tree of tranquility waiting for the update on this.Keep zbrushing u will get it:thumbsup:

[shapemaster]

AmrutRaju - thanks!

KarthikAL - thank you ... im glad someone likes it because compared to the initial sketch it really sucks...


ive been busy (again) recently, but i had some time to do couple of sketches. and i finally managed to get the camera and shoot some of my sketches.



so here they go:


first some older ones
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/7822/53481793.jpghttp://img106.imageshack.us/img106/5919/41942032.jpghttp://img106.imageshack.us/img106/835/17218559.jpg


few pages from my small sketchbook

http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/1163/104r.jpghttp://img167.imageshack.us/img167/1538/103f.jpghttp://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5717/11591548.jpg

my dad in the airplane
http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/5157/101epx.jpg

[shapemaster]

http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/8792/36007333.jpg

i bought some new materials to experiment with, namely colored pencil, pastel and a stick made of coal (dunno what its called but i love it!)

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/1554/31651594.jpghttp://img255.imageshack.us/img255/3562/100jvb.jpghttp://img212.imageshack.us/img212/4237/105n.jpghttp://img3.imageshack.us/img3/4893/90114705.jpg

[NR43]

:buttrock: Beautiful update Taole!
These show a great understanding of light and form. Just beautiful!

[shapemaster]

thank you very much johan. i like the last 3 too (cant say that about most of my drawings) ... i think i found my perfect sketching medium. btw, i just found out its called "charcoal stick" :P

i discovered a site called dailycolorscheme.com and it offers lots of color schemes. i thought itd be fun to try out some unusual sets ... so here it is.
its quite interesting to try to tell a story based on colors than the other way round.

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/68.jpg

[shapemaster]

update

daily speedpaint
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/71.jpg

[shapemaster]

i did this for a good friend of mine. It's an advertisement for some kind of a translation program. i think the idea doesn't come across too well, but my "client" is happy. its not very "advertisemently"-polished because the deadline was really tight. and you get what you pay i suppose. (in that case nothing :P)
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/50-50adversion3merged_1_1.jpg



I shouldn't leave out failures. a good example is this one ... spent hours on it and i feel miserable just by looking at it. something is off ... probably the values.
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/1284/62766098.jpg


trying to get a feel for the setting of my comic/graphic novel thingy. sigh ... i hope im gonna finish it one day, i probably took a bite thats a bit too big for me.
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/environment1.jpghttp://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/environment2.jpg

[shapemaster]

i forgot those 2
experimenting with new brushes in photoshop

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/69big.jpg
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/4_1.jpg

[shapemaster]

i got fed up with painting the same over and over again. and since i was enjoying these delicious grapes i thought id paint a nice picture of them. now they're dead. :( a wild beast came and took them.

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/74.jpg

[greenpizza]

Hey, you have a really nice SB, love your speed paintings....congrats¡ :beer:

[anandpg]

Awesome work as usual, Taole!:thumbsup: Love your charcoal studies!

[shapemaster]

thanks anand, stridiggio ^^


Neptune's daughter

in some ways, the opposite of her father who is mighty, wild, master of the open sea.
whereas she is playful, lazy and careless.
a little and idyllic pond compared to the powerful tidal waves, Neptune, but perfectly content with her place in the world.
http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/525/60615128.jpg
i need to add some clothes and a person on the footbridge before i start with coloring.
comments and critiques greatly appreciated!

[SpiritDreamer]

Hi..Taole..:)

The top one in frame 183 would make a great Neptunes daugther.
Maybe take that one further,..refine it, and recompose it to fit your theme..Just a passing thought that might be useful to you...:)
TAKE CARE
Glenn

[Deepam]

Lots of beautiful studies in your thread, I like them very much.

looking for more!

[razz]

I always wonder what you would do with real paints, because your digital stuff is always so painterly. I can see that you're comfortable with a pencil. Great stuff, dude! I find it a little hard to understand what's happening in the latest speedpaint. Maybe it's just me though. I see that you have an idea so just keep going with it and maybe I'll have some decent crits later, hehe :) I think your quick sketches are neat looking, just some more work and love put to them and you'll have some awesome finished pieces!

[Aviva]

Hi Taole,

It's been a pleasure to look through your sketchbook. You have really mastered your speadpainting technique, and you pencil/charcoal work is also quite amazing.

I look forward to seeing more! :)

[bkkm]

Hi Taole,

Only now did I get the chance to take a look at your sketchbook, and I must say it has blown me away. I really like the way you handle the digital brush (the picture on post #174 is fantastic, what incredible strokes), and have really enjoyed your two last studies in charcoal on post #178. All in all, very good works. Apart from your concept work, do you work mostly from reference?

Brenno

[NR43]

Yep, I can only agree with the others... mindblowing stuff!

If something is to be improved, perhaps it would be lighting?
Why not do some experiments on that, to try to see how far you can go with lighting? Most of your work has realistic lighting, but could use that little extra, if you know what I mean?

Anyway, your stuff is impressive as it is so I'm really looking forward to see what you'll be posting next.

[shapemaster]

SpiritDreamer - i see where your idea is coming from. im probably going to paint a series on the topic, so itll eventually be useful, thanks! :)

deepam - thanks!

razz - hey thanks for the feedback, its probably a problem with the values and/or composition. ill try to fix that.
actually, i should practice a lot more with real paint ... im having trouble getting the details done ... but its so much more convenient with the computer - no unpacking, no cleaning up. :P

Aviva - thank you, though i think im still far away from mastering speedpainting.

bkkm - thanks man. :)
actually i try to use as little reference as possible to practice my understanding of the human body. unless it is a study, i rarely use reference at all. but im not so sure what your defintion of "concept work" is. ^^ If it means everything else beside studies, than i guess youre right. :D

NR43 - thank you! im always open for ways to improve, but maybe you could elaborate on what you said? sorry for being dumb. :D do you mean going into the abstract?


alchemy tests.

http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/7890/bugr.jpghttp://img2.imageshack.us/img2/2906/idea1.jpg

[NR43]

What I mean about exploring more lighting possibilities is to experiment with more extreme lighting setups.. widen the overall value range of each piece and add higher contrasts near the focal points indicating additional light sources rather than the usual diffuse lighting, which is currently your main lighting setup.
Higher contrasts will increase drama and sense of emotion.
It can also be handy to let certain forms dominate over others...

Here's a few examples of what I mean:
http://www.philipstraub.com/The%20Maze%20Runner.htm
http://www.philipstraub.com/infinite0z1.htm
http://www.philipstraub.com/bleakswamp.htm
http://www.goodbrush.com/
http://okmer.cgsociety.org/gallery/452450/

For example, in your "Neptune's Daughter" piece, I'd like to see a darker foreground plan. It will frame the piece better and it will add more depth overall.
Hope this helps and sorry for being such a redneck... you know you are really far better than I am so I'm really not in a position to critique ;)

[shapemaster]

nr43 - you dont have to be sorry at all! i really appreciate you taking time to explain this for me. i think you're right, i definitely need more high contrast areas. now that i think about it; i am quite hesitant when it comes to applying highlights and usually this results in a small value range. I often have to use the curves adjustment to increase my value range. and yeah ... i guess i could add more interesting lighting. :D
thanks for pointing this out to me! :)

[shapemaster]

tednindo kindly asked me to post some wips of a speedpaint. i figured it would be better to post it here than over at daily speedpainting (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?p=5802915#post5802915) (check it out, its fun and good practice)

1. i choose a neutral background color and quickly sketch down the rough outline.
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/1-1.gif

2. general colors are filled in. i neglect details at this step. oh yeah, i put some texture on the background as well.
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/2-1.gif

3. i add more colors, trying to spot the subtle color variations in the reference picture.
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/3.gif

4. i add some "special effects". ;) and even more colors.
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/4.gif

5. now the details like the red stripes are added.
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/5.gif

Final: i do some final level adjustments and that's it. all in all it took me about 45 min.
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/78-1.jpg

[sanpaiya]

hey taole. . thanx for sharing the wip stages. . was interesting to see how the works come out . . your lines are beautiful . . and i esp liked the confidence in the daps in the second stage. . thanx again

[KarthikAL]

thanx for sharing the wip stages:)

[anandpg]

Oh, cool! :thumbsup:

[Maladie]

Very nice flow...and yet precise...you truly are a shapemaster:).
It looks so effortless, which is like - not fair!

[sycen]

Thx for sharing the wip. :)
One question. How you choose the colours?

[shapemaster]

maladie - haha thanks, but youre exaggerating ... im still miles away from being a master. :| need to put in more effort.

sycen - um ... to be honest, i dont know how to answer that question befittingly. i just look at the reference and see what color suits best, i guess. as for the background, try to determine what the main color is and then take away most of the saturation so the background will be much less saturated than what it would be like if it was exactly like the ref. you dont want the background to stand out more than your subject.


another environment study for my would-be comic ...
http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/environment3.jpg

and for the dsf
"the passenger"

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq356/flesh_dog/thepassenger.jpg

[Junpei]

I shouldn't leave out failures. a good example is this one ... spent hours on it and i feel miserable just by looking at it. something is off ... probably the values.
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/1284/62766098.jpg

Oh, I actually disagree, what I like most about that image is the color palette and I think the levels are fine. Also, it has an interesting sense of depth and I don't know the right word to describe the feeling. It makes me want to try something similar, but my graphics tablet is broken :cry:

[shapemaster]

thanks junpei, i suppose our criterions are just different.
lol thats sad to hear, i hope it will get well soon! ;)



i decided to try some 3d again, and this time it was actually more fun than usual. (and hopefully more successful)

http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/8023/studyhead4.jpghttp://img386.imageshack.us/img386/9914/studyhead5.jpg

[Maladie]

I love the top one, it looks eerie! Were you going for that alien look or is that just how you build up your model? If it's intentional, maybe you could take the alien thing even farther - e.g. defining the nose area or so. Or is this just my wacky mind talking?:)

Edit: on second look it's probably a base mesh for the model underneath LOL! Silly me. Still a cool idea though right?:p

[KarthikAL]

Nice zbrushing i ilke the top one.Keepthem coming:)

[CGTalk Moderation]

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.