My Road To Mastery

#281

Daniel - Ah, thanks man. But no, I don’t really bring my natural media sketches into PS because I don’t have a scanner. Taking photos means the paper is less than white, so it’s kind of cumbersome to paint over them on an overlay/multiply layer.

I started getting back to work in PS a little more this past week. Mostly just trying to get to grips with painting without a line drawing underneath. I have this drive to go after the things that I don’t do well, which can be really frustrating, but it’s kind of its own reward when you work something out in the end. So here’s some of what I’ve been doing…

I did an american apparel copy again, but without a line drawing, and I tried to be quick about it. This one took about 30 minutes. I didn’t even like the photograph, so I’m not too sure why I chose this picture to copy, haha.

It basically brought to my attention that yeah, I need more work with my brush handling, but also that I can’t paint trees. Haha. We’ll get to those in a minute. First, another quick sketch without lines.

After that I noticed that I don’t have a quick way of turning form (I hate airbrushes for… well, most anything but painting light) so I looked through my old images and saw a copy of a Rubens piece that was well blended… and I remembered that smudge + textured brush = rad. So here’s a Casey Baugh copy that only took like 20-30 minutes:

That worked out pretty well, and it also gave me the idea of using the textured smudge the way I use tissues in charcoal drawings to add accents and merge values. So here’s a head in profile from imagination. No line drawing used:

Valentine’s Day was also my 50 straight days of drawing day, so…

First, I’m really gonna need better perspective skills if I’m going to work in art, so I’ve been reading this perspective book. Here’s a simple sketch with a single vanishing point. It also let me practice shadows in perspective:

Here’s the 50 days painting:

So yeah, the above painting confirmed that my tree painting is really bad, but also my cloud painting… Cartoony is a style I kind of like, but I want to be able to paint in all styles. So I went looking at people who paint trees and clouds in styles I like, and I semi-copied a Bumskee sketch:

That last one felt really nice, cause I never zoomed in… staying out and using big brushes, relaxing… it all feels very nice. It was a smooth ride.

Later!

#282

You know you are so bloody right to keep pushing yourself out of your comfort zone!

My former teach at the academy once said:
A style is the worst thing to have. It’s merely an indication that we have blinkers on.

Keep going buddy!

#283

Johan - Yeah dude. There is no box, right? (I don’t know if they have that expression in uh… you’re in Holland, was it? I’m sorry, I forget. I’ve been there, though… I liked it a lot. Played some pickup games of futbol. :slight_smile:

Forgot to post this last week… struggling, trying to figure out how Robogabo creates the look he has… it’s so rad. If you haven’t been to his sketchbook, check it out at CA.org.

Did some charcoal sketching the other night. 2B charcoal pencil on 18x24 newsprint. 20 minute Henry Yan studies. Newsprint feels so good…

Some more photoshop work from characterdesigns.com

#284

More work from characterdesigns.com, 2B charcoal pencil on newsprint. These are relatively quick poses, and on this page I learned something about planning relative to your tool and time limit. Charcoal pencils are good for structure and line, and it doesn’t smudge half as well as vine. So using value as a main method of drawing short poses is not really a good idea when you’re using a pencil. Before you start your drawing, know what your goal is. Depiction through value, line, or structure. On longer poses you don’t have to worry about choosing so much, because you have the time to combine all three aesthetics if you feel inclined to.

So yeah, I think next time I attack a page I’ll do some thinking before I touch anything to the paper. Art is a language, and they always say to think before you speak… I think that applies here.

#285

You rock, mate! Love the number of works I see here, but that would be nothing if not the quality. Some are better than others, some stand out from the others, overall - greatness!!
I like the fast Casey Baugh study. You’ve done a nice job in a really short amount of time. I was painting a face today and thought I was finished after about 1-2 hours of work on it. But then I flipped. So it came to 4 hours after all the fixes. Some of your faces have features moving around a little, be sure to watch that. Flipping an image is best for that, as you already know I think. Mirror for pieces done with traditional medium, but you know that also so I’ll stop now :slight_smile:
Kepp up with the good stuff. Godspeed.

#286

Razz - Great to see you, man! Thanks for the kind words. Yeah, it’s definitely been a mix of ups and downs, strikes and gutters. I don’t really draw in my comfort zone much because I don’t feel like I’m moving forward at all if I draw purely for enjoyment. I suppose it helps though, that I somewhat enjoy making things difficult for myself, haha. I’m a competitive person.
But yeah, I do the whole flipping and mirror thing when I remember. I don’t generally do it for quick sketches though. I figure if I notice something on the flip I’ll do exactly what you talked about and spend double the time on the image fixing things, which is exactly opposite the point of a quick sketch.
Thanks again for coming by!

A perspective sketch:

And I decided to cut some wood up and build myself a stand for my 18x24 pads. It was just too awkward to lean over them for long periods of time. Plus the perspective gets skewed at the top of the page, so heads end up drawn too small… hard to focus on the drawing when you’re constantly trying to compensate for that. So here’s a picture of the stand.

#287

Make a 4 legged one Jason.
This one might fall over if you have to paint/draw on the top half of your canvas/paper
I actually got one as a present from my mother 2 years ago.
It’s a small easel to put on the table and it’s about 70cm high, 30cm wide.
I think you can buy it for a few bucks
It looks a lot like this one:
http://www.lakewoodconferences.com/catalog/44/985/page2/285010/table_easel.html

check out your local art store, they might have one for less than 10$!

#288

You’re working hard man and it’s easily seen on your improvements. For me, you are one of few people here who motivate me to work. I have desire to paint anytime when watching your thread. Looking forward to more from you >:)

#289

Johan - Ah, that square easel looks really nice! It’s funny, though, right after I made the one you see there my mother walked in with a huge, art-school-grade easel. One of those kind you use standing up. So it was a good experience, building that stand, but I don’t have to use it. Haha.

siiilon - Aw, thanks so much mate. I really appreciate it. Glad you feel that way.

I started doing a Dominance War 4 mini challenge. You have to make a general who looks like he could lead people into battle. I initially just went in and tried to do it the hard way, which for me is to make everything up on the spot, in color, with no sketch.

I couldn’t stand looking at it, so I went to the drawing board and worked on some ideas for a while.

After that I picked an ideas and refined it a bit. He looked kind of communist and intellectual, so I went with a sort of… almost scholarly vibe with his accessories.


After this I took the sketch I liked most and made a bigger file and started blocking in color. So here’s a 3 step of the composition decisions and the first bits of color.

Been doing some more life drawing and charcoal stuff from characterdesigns.com, but I forgot to take pictures of the drawings. Next time!

#290

my mother walked in with a huge, art-school-grade easel. One of those kind you use standing up.

Oh man, I am sooooooo jealous now :cry:
I seriously LOVE those big, heavy H easels from school. They are dirty and some have a tiny problem here or there, but they have a long time of being used for art behind them…
I was looking to buy one last year but they are +400€ new (and those aren’t even that solid).
One day my eye will fall on a 2nd hand one and I will not hesitate then… I can tell you that!
It’s either that or I build one myself!

You’re not gonna like this crit, but your general looks more like a Cézanne to me :wink:

A few suggestions:
[ol]
[li]lower the camera angle to make him look more like an authority.[/li][li]give him a firm, proud, strict expression[/li][li]make him look towards the viewer, dominantly[/li][li]remember that it doesn’t have to be a human, experiment![/li][/ol]Great to see you in the DW Jason (I’m too busy myself but I’m watching the 2D thread)

#291

Johan - Ha. I wish it was an H easel. It’s actually just a larger 3-legged gig I’ve seen in some studios.
As far as the crits, thanks for taking the time. I did experiment with non-humans, as seen on the sketch page, but I ended up wanting to paint an old dude. Also, most of the things you said weren’t really the vibe I was going for. I didn’t want a sort of grumbling, stern General dictator type. If you go to the DWAR thread yourself, on the first page the logo for the challenge is set on top of a collection of portraits. A lot of them are of real generals, and a lot of those guys aren’t looking at the viewer. That’s more the effect I’m aiming at. Sort of a Rembrandt type deal, with the ear getting the central spot in the frame and light pouring in from the side.

From a photo, vine and compressed charcoal on newsprint. I’m not too happy with it, but I did learn something very important that I used on the next page…

I wasted a lot of time on the above image trying to make everything really subtle, just as it was on the actual man’s torso. What I did for this page was 1) simplify, and then 2) exaggerate. Simplify the sketch to get a base up, and then choose an area to overstate, and area to understate, etc. Pretty much that old quote, “Overstate or understate, but don’t ****ing copy it.”

Here’s another process image of the General. I’m much further along in the .psd. I just have to paint the logo and then I’ll upload the final piece.

#292

As always, wonderful figure sketches, Static. I really like that qoute, it’s so simple and direct. I’ve tried to explain that way of thinking to someone in the past, but my explaination seemed long and abstruse, I think they thought I’d been smokin’ dope or something. In any case, I will file that saying into my archives. Thanks!

#293

Daniel - Thanks a lot. Yeah, it’s a good quote to have in mind when you’re drawing. I heard it from Chris Sears over on CA.org, and I think he heard from his mentor Mike Butkus, the inhuman poster comp artist (who now also has a thread if you’re interested).

A couple more steps for the DW4 mini challenge.

And the final submission:
Seems the uploader took all the red saturation out of his face… too bad.

I also started trying clothed figure drawing in charcoal. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. It’s not like life sketching with a pen in a little notebook.

I was kind of upset with myself after that page, so I decided to try a longer pose. Also charcoal pencil on newsprint.

Speaking of newsprint, I’ve come to the conclusion that I can only work on it with charcoal pencil, and there’s no point in trying to erase or blend on it. It’s just not a very forgiving surface. Which is precisely the point, I guess. It’s practice paper. The point is practicing, not rendering.

Anyway, I kind of miss working with value shapes instead of all of these lines, so I might do a long pose on my charcoal paper pretty soon.

Thanks for stopping by. :slight_smile:

#294

Hey Static, I like the last one with the girl smiling over her shoulder. The position and everything makes the viewer feel a little peeping-tom-ish :slight_smile:

That’s an excellent thread, I really enjoyed his pirate sketches. Awesome artist!

Have you ever tried bienfeng paper? It’s really durable and handles many medias. This is the stuff I use if your interested:

http://www.dickblick.com/products/bienfang-graphics-360-marker-paper/

Great updates, man :slight_smile:

#295

Daniel - Ah, that paper looks like a steal. The pad itself looks inspiring, too. I like the design… mm, and thanks for the kind words. The model in the photo actually had a toothy smile, but I measured a bunch of stuff wrong and didn’t have enough room to move the jaw down any further. Hence the closed lips and resulting expression. :wink:

I think I’m getting a little better at making up my own interesting stylistic marks and omissions, when drawing people. All of this practice drawing from photos and life is really helping in ways copying someone else’s drawing cannot.

A long pose in charcoal, from characterdesigns.com:

Short poses in pencil. Kind of for storyboard practice, I guess. Getting shapes and shadows down quickly and accurately was my goal. Making obvious pose and lighting statements with as few strokes as possible.

#296

Damn man I just love how you handle charcoal!
How do you go about creating the forms… smudging etc
While I used to draw too lightly for a long time, I seem to go too dark too fast these days, especially with soft media like charcoal and conté…

#297

Fantastic stuff, Static. The charcoal piece has a really nice sensitivity about it. And, the other three orange studies are great as well. :thumbsup:

#298

Johan - Thanks a bunch. :slight_smile: Yeah, charcoal can get really dark quite fast. A big part of it is your paper. Also what kind of charcoal you’re using, though. You have to stroke really adroitly to get light marks with the compressed sticks. Most soft vine charcoal goes down in a nice grey value, though. Charcoal pencils are really finicky, because depending on what kind of paper you’re using you’re looking at super black or nice grey marks. Smudging and/or wiping are some ways to get nice midtones with charcoal, but some papers (like newsprint) aren’t very good for that sort of thing. So there are a lot of variables when it comes to getting light tones with charcoal.
As far as what I do, it really depends on the tools. In the case of the long pose in question, I was using 70lb drawing paper with vine charcoal, compressed charcoal and charcoal pencils for little details. I basically go over the whole thing with just vine and a paper towel/my fingers for wiping first, then go over dark areas with compressed charcoal and smudge that down to work it into the paper. Depending on how clean your finger is, though, blending with them will work like a charm or actually erase what you’ve put down, so keep that in mind. Clean fingers act like erasers. After putting down darks with compressed charcoal I’ll go back and model in the highlights with a kneaded eraser. “Modeling form” is a huge topic of discussion, so no matter where I stop it’s kind of like stopping in the middle, so I’ll just stop here before this gets too big. Hope it’s of some help. :slight_smile: Please feel free to say something if I missed one of your points of curiosity.

Daniel - Thanks a bunch, man. I appreciate it.

A few more pages of quick sketching.

Also, a page of life drawing I forgot to upload last month.

Dominance War is starting today, I think, so work for that purpose should be coming in soon. I’m also pretty much this close to sending in an application to the Art Academy University of San Francisco, so when all of that works out I should be uploading stuff from those classes. I’m not moving quite yet, but I thought I’d start online to just get something going. I’m not sure if I’m gonna push for this summer or wait for the fall semester.

#299

whatever you choose to do, you’re sure gonna rock the art house.

Love your life drawings - they look rock solid and vivid.

Just a short reminder from me that the lecture of your almost daily updates has become a fixed activity in my day which I am regularly looking forward to.

#300

Mu - Thanks man, means a lot. I really appreciate you coming by and having a look see every now and again. :slight_smile:

Some more objects form life in my spare time:

And another page of people while I was getting Street Fighter 2: The Animated Movie. I’ve got the VHS back in California, but I was just really in the mood to watch it again. It’s so classic… in a Mortal Kombat kind of way. Hilariously cliche script with pretty sweet fights and cool music. Plus it’s the whole nostalgia factor for me. “My beautiful face is ruined!” haha.
But yeah, I’m feeling good about the second half of this page. I started on the left with a mechanical pencil and wasn’t feeling it, so I switched back to a 2B artist pencil for the others. One thing I’m feeling more confident in is stating things in my own fashion. I’m getting better at knowing when to use how many values at what sizes of drawings. Also, another thing that I did in charcoal drawings copying Henry Yan all the time but never thought of doing on my own was leaving the eyelids white. On the left I shaded in the whole eye socket, but there’s nothing there to suggest the eyeball. On the little girl in the center I left a bit of paper showing for her eyelid. That tiny bit of white really allows the brain to create the enter eye structure in the imagination of the viewer.
Anyway, just feeling good about how my progress is coming along for quick sketching. I usually don’t feel or see my own improvements, but I think I’m seeing something these days. Yey me, haha.

Dominance War was delayed to the 15th though, so nothing to do in that regard for a few more days.