Sketchbook Thread of David Forest

[BlenderFan]

Looking good. I can't offer much help on the drawing or anatomy (if you look at my thread you will see why), but I really recommend Loomis. Reading any of his work is so inspirational. Besides that, the instruction he gives is sound. All his works can be read on www.scribd.com, since they are out of print. The book I am currently reading is good. It is called The Basics of Figure Drawing by Glen Vilppu. I haven't even gotten past the first chapter, but it is already great. The only drawback is that it is independently published and took longer to arrive than standard Amazon orders. Still very much worth it. Wish you the best on your artistic journey. Canada seem like a great place for CG artists right now.

Cheers and God bless.

[Frotze]

Thanks for the reply! I had not realised Andrew Loomis' book was so hard to get. I might just check it online and search for an other one. There are a lot of Vilppu's books at work that I can rent for free, and they got the DVD's as well so I'm starting to check 'em out. If they feel like a helpful resource, I might very well make a purchase for myself.

And yeah, I guess Canada is a nice place to be right now. There aren't THAT much jobs in Montreal in the moment, but Ubisoft, for one, is growing fast and will probably hire a lot in the next years. Plus it just opened a new studio in Toronto.

Anyway, thanks for the input with the books. I see ya in your thread! ;)

Cheers

[Rebeccak]

Hi and welcome. :) Sounds like you have a good plan. I believe ubisoft has life drawing sessions, are you and collings (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=200&t=531955) friends? I believe he attends their sessions sometimes. Looking forward to seeing your thread develop!

-R

[Frotze]

Hi Rebecca, and thanks for dropping in!

Unfortunately, I actually got no idea who collings is. Ubisoft is a massive place. I did a research and I think he is working in games (i'm in the cinematics department).

But those life drawing sessions seem like something I might be interested in! I didn't even know they existed, so thanks for the tip. I asked around and was told that they stopped for the summer, though. It should start again this fall, so I'll definitely take a look. I kinda miss those sessions from when I was still attending school.

[maozao]

Hey thanks for your comments back on my thread

I too tend to scribble a lot of unnecessary lines before i draw, i'm trying to quit that habit also. Keep it up, make a commitment, draw everyday fro real and you'll improve so much and so fast. You'll see.

Keep it up, post some more doodles so we can check them out.

[Frotze]

Homework #2 right up! I think I'll try scanning the next ones. I realise now that photography may not be the best way because of all the distorsion I get.

I started reading Andrew Loomis' book today (PDF version), and I gotta say it's a WONDERFUL source of knowledge. I'll definitely try to get my hands on a physical copy someday. I've also borrowed Drawn to Life from Walt Stanchfield. Great read so far.

OK, so all the following sketches are inspired from photos I find in the newspapers, just like last time. I didn't count, but I think I may have spent more than 5 minutes on some of them (especially the last one). They're still meant to be quick studies though.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/P7100005.jpg
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/P7100006.jpg
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/P7100008.jpg
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/P7100009.jpg

[Frotze]

More sketches using reference from the newspapers. Couldn't get hold of the scanner so it's gonna be cheap photos this time again, sorry. I just posted the last two pages this time, the first ones were not that good. I find I really start to draw better over time, even if it's just an hour session.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/P7110010.jpg
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/P7110011.jpg

[Frotze]

Since I can't get free newspapers during the weekends, I did something different this time. Using a small book I have called Anatomy for Artists (Leonardo Collection), I copied a canon of proportions of the human male. I had a hard time getting it right, and I did a few mistakes along the way, but I'll make my best to draw more of these regularly so that, hopefully, those basic proportion laws become second nature someday.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0010.jpg

[Frotze]

The next sketches come from a book I had not looked at for a long time : Superheroes: Joe Kubert's Wonderful World of Comics. I copied a few drawings in an attempt to better develop my sense of perspective.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0011.jpg
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0012.jpg

[Frotze]

Only Andrew Loomis material this time. I really want to start focusing on getting basic proportions right, so I worked a lot with his mannikin. I'll try drawing a batch of these from memory each day and hopefully I should start having a fairly good 3D representation of the landmarks and masses printed in my mind by the end.

This time I didn't use reference for some drawings, and it's probably going to be more and more the case, so I'll just write REF or NO REF in the upper left corner from now on.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0013.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0014.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0015.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0016.jpg

[NR43]

Great sketchbook!
Not much to crit, really. Your linework shows a steady hand.
I know these are just quick studies, but since you use lines to depict form, why not think about lineweight while you're at it? Just a quick "accent" here and there can bring a whole new dimension to such studies (imho).

[Frotze]

Hey NR43, thanks a lot! It's true that my line doesn't have much personality "accent" wise. I'll try to work on that. Your own sketchbook seems to be pretty loaded, I'll try to keep up with your amount of dedication too. :)

---

Ok, so I've started watching Vilppu's DVD on gesture drawing and I was amazed at how a few simple curved lines could bring the best out of a pose. It really motivates me to focus more on what each line I trace brings to the whole and, while I'm at it, why the heck I'm even tracing it. Can't say it's gonna be an easy task, but I'll work on it... slowly.

I'm trying to draw more from memory and imagination too. Loomis' mannikin begins to feel natural without having to look at a model, and I'm beginning to look at how the muscles wrap around.

I'm also mid-way through my reading of Drawn to Life by Walt Stanchfield, and I gotta say it's a great help as well. I highly recommend it. It's about animation, but gesture drawing is such at the core of the subject that my guess is that any artist would rather enjoy it.


http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0017.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0018.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0019.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0020.jpg

[Frotze]

I've been too busy the last evenings to post anything, but that doesn't mean I haven't continued filling my sketchbook. In fact, I'm starting to really feel a shift in the way I understand gesture, and I now find much easier to draw interesting poses from imagination, which has always been one of my main weaknesses. Vilppu's lectures have been a great help in that area.

Some gestures from a few days ago, no ref used:

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0021.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0022.jpg

[Frotze]

Bone and muscle studies from Loomis' book.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0024.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0026.jpg

More poses from imagination.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0025.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0027.jpg

[Tonik]

Hey David, the flow of your lines is looking a lot more confident and you seem to have a good eye for proportions. You're definitely getting there - make sure you keep your pencil sharp though ! It's easy when you're in the swing of drawing to forget.

[Frotze]

Thanks Tom, I appreciate it.

*sharpening dangerously my pencil and getting back to work*

---

Continuing to draw from imagination. I try doing a mass of these each day, it keeps the creative cells working. Here are a few pages from today.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0028.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0029.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0030.jpg

Another study from Loomis. I really need to work more on understanding the muscle structure. I think I'm at a point where I can build a relatively correct human form, but struggle to properly detail it with muscle lines.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0031.jpg

[maozao]

Hey David, good to see you're progressing everyday. It's looking good, the lines are a better and you get the proportions really well in my opinion.

keep it up

[Frotze]

Hi Gabriel, thanks for coming by! I'm glad not to be the only one seeing my progress. It's fun to now be able to rapidly sketch something without having to constantly erase because of wrong proportions. Practice starts to pay off, I guess!

Allright, so I won't abandon the quick sketches from imagination to warm up, but I decided today to tackle some more serious matter, like understanding the arm muscles. I'm no where near being able to memorize every single muscle, but writing them down repeatedly helps, and I'll continue until I can draw and name every single one.

All the following are from Andrew Loomis' Figure Drawing For All It's Worth, except the first one, which is from George Bridgman's Constructive Anatomy. Both are found freely on the net.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0032.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0033.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0034.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0035.jpg

[Frotze]

Hey guys, I'm back with more goodness from Bridgman. I didn't really like his style at first (for a learning purpose), but then I gave it a second try and boy! is that man a genious. I find it way easier now to figure where bones are and where muscles stand in all that puzzle.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0036.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0037.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0038.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0039.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0040.jpg

[Frotze]

More drawings from Bridgman. I did all there was for the arm in his book, but I still feel I need to continue studying and get a clearer mental picture of the whole. I'm getting there, though.
Thing is, I'll be away camping this weekend, so I'll have to take a small break from anatomy. I won't forget my sketchbook, though, I wouldn't want to miss a chance to hone my observation skills.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0041.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0042.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0043.jpg

[Frotze]

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0044.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0045.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0046.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0047.jpg

[maozao]

good jog mate, keep it up. I don't have much to critique though, just keep drawing.

I will be out on a camping trip myself this weekend, good idea to bring along my sketchbook, well have fun and thanks for the feedback on my thread.

[batte812]

Good studies man! You could try to add some more contrast to your linework, maybe by using a softer pencil? Keep going!

[Frotze]

Thanks guys. I doubt I'll be able to continue posting everyday, it takes too much time scanning, cropping, posting, etc. I'm pretty much just practicing what I learned in the last weeks anyway, so it's more of the same, really. I'm reading my way through Dynamic Figure Drawing by Burne Hogarth at the moment, and continuing with vol.2 of Drawn to Life to keep me inspired.

And you bring a good point batte812, I think I'll try something softer than HB for a while to see where it gets me.

[Frotze]

Wow, it's been way too long since I last posted! That's partly because I decided to join the 11 second club animation challenge this month, so I spend my evenings on that instead. I still continue to draw regularly though, and actually, I'm done with my arm studies (FINALLY!). I can name everyone of the muscles by hearth now, and know where they connect and to which bone. I'd still need a reference to draw the muscles very accurately, but they're not those obscure mess in my mind anymore.

The following was kind of my exam. I used what I knew and various other drawings I did to recontruct a 180 deg. rotation of the arm. That'll be easier to refer to in the future instead of the dozens of sketches I did.

I'll probably be attacking the muscles of the torso next.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/sketchbook/sketchbook0048.jpg

[Frotze]

All right, I'm back from the dead and ready to post some more work! I've been working on a lot of new stuff lately so I had to put aside the "draw every day" resolution. BUT! I'm now attending two life drawing sessions (one every two weeks at Ubisoft, and another one once a month called Dr. Sketchy), so it gave me plenty of opportunities to fill some more my sketchbook.

First ones are 2-min poses, and they get longer up to 20-min for the last ones.

Comments much welcomed!

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/Image1.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/Image2.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/Image3.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/Image4.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/Image5.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/Image6.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/Image7.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/Image8.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/Image9.jpg

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj279/frotze/Image10.jpg

[anandpg]

Hey! Nice studies on the last post, David!.. especially the 2nd through 6th images. :thumbsup:

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