Hello everyone!
I decided to make my own thread so I could get some C&C’s on my life drawings that I do every other week or so. Plus this June and July I will be taking an anatomy and figure study class that I’m really looking forward to. Hopefully there will be an improvement. Thanks alot for visiting.
-Christian
This week we had a very good model, Naomi. The first sketch is a 15 min. pose and the second is a 30 min. pose. I did both with a 4b pencil, but copied them in photoshop to get a handle on sketching in PS. Please Critique.
Thank you.
Hey xiannc
Great start man - welcome aboard. First thing though is to just post images in such a way that one does not need to click to see.
K, work on your shading some. Try not to map out shadows, but try building them up - lay in the major darks first, but not the darkest so you have room to go darker. Remember that we do not depict shadows, we use them to depict - as Mentler says. In other words, use your shading to explain forms and space.
Good start man - keep us updated.
cheers,
xiannc,
Welcome aboard! It’s nice to see a new person on the boards. It would be nice to know something about your training and background. It’s great that you will be taking a class, and I look forward to seeing your work here! Be sure to check out the following thread when you get the chance:
Life Drawings - Post Your Life Drawings! From Class or Workshops
I hope you don’t mind, I did a paintover of one of your drawings ~ hope this helps!
[left]Looking forward to seeing more of your work!
Cheers,
~Rebeccak
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Thanks a lot for the replies guys.
Demented: After thinking about it for a bit, I’m pretty sure I understand what you wrote. Instead of outlining where the shade will be and then filling it in, I should start from a dark area and work outward and leave the edges of the shade less defined? I will try to work on that. Hopefully the text link to the images problem was a one-time glitch.
Rebeccak: You can overpaint my sketches anytime. Definitely ok. Im at work right now and want to take more indeapth time to study it once I get off tonight. I might have some more questions. I was going to wait to post to that other forum till I had more work posted on this thread.
Thanks again,
-Christian
Rebeccak: Thanks again for your overpaint. I get what your saying about the legs. But I do have a question about the right arm. Whats going on in the upper arm under the left breast? it seems like it cuts to low? I really need to study more anatomy construction and the way light works so I can continue to working on the sketch after the pose is through.
My background sounds like alot of other guys on the forum. Ive been around for 25 years, I drew all the time when I was a kid. I won some prestigious middle school awards for my art.
When I got into highschool I took one drawing class but then moved on to other forms of art… guitar, poetry, acting. Sketching got pushed to the background, never dissappeared, but wasn’t a big part of my life.
Before college I thought about art as a major, but was not sure where to even start with a portfolio. I studied art history instead. Close but not quite.
Now I have graduated and in December of 05 I dedicated myself to art again. I realized that all those other arts were just to impress the ladies. Art has always been for me, and not to impress others. I have been reading tons and cruising these forums seeing all the amazing work which really encourages me. If I can get to a point where I can help others in their art like you have already done for me, then that would be a good start.
I started a new project tonight similar to Rebeccak’s digital figurative drawing. This will probably take a couple days. I am using a ref from the 15 minute sketch reference page. Here are the first WIP’s.
Thank you very much YMS. I am getting help from a grid. My goal is to be able to get thr proportions right without a grid. Henning Ludvigsen has some very good tutorials that I read through for making a peice like this. He has some awesome work. The face is one part I was struggling with last night. I know it needs to go a little darker, but Im nervous about going too dark. I’ll keep working on it.
Originally posted by xiannc: Thanks again for your overpaint. I get what your saying about the legs. But I do have a question about the right arm. Whats going on in the upper arm under the left breast? it seems like it cuts to low? I really need to study more anatomy construction and the way light works so I can continue to working on the sketch after the pose is through.
xiannc, I’ll have to take a look at that later tonight ~ am in a bit of a hurry atm, but will get back to your question later.
My background sounds like alot of other guys on the forum. Ive been around for 25 years, I drew all the time when I was a kid. I won some prestigious middle school awards for my art.
When I got into highschool I took one drawing class but then moved on to other forms of art… guitar, poetry, acting. Sketching got pushed to the background, never dissappeared, but wasn’t a big part of my life.
Before college I thought about art as a major, but was not sure where to even start with a portfolio. I studied art history instead. Close but not quite.
Ah, thanks for that! It always helps and interests me to know about peoples’ backgrounds.
Now I have graduated and in December of 05 I dedicated myself to art again. I realized that all those other arts were just to impress the ladies. Art has always been for me, and not to impress others. I have been reading tons and cruising these forums seeing all the amazing work which really encourages me. If I can get to a point where I can help others in their art like you have already done for me, then that would be a good start.
That’s great! I think that most people with a real desire to do art will do well in it if they work hard enough. It is possible to advance quickly digitally, whereas it really takes a lot longer to progress traditionally. I am glad that you are out of college as this means I can encourage you to do digital work.
I think you piece is coming along quite well so far, and I look forward to your updates! You are also welcome to join us in OFDW 017, which runs through June 18th.
Open Figure Drawing Workshop - Sorolla, Zorn, Leon Master Copy - with Rebeccak 017
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=360025
Cheers,
~Rebeccak
Have to make an early night of it. So this is it for tonight. Digital is definitely the way to go. I am trying to get better at sketching with a graphite and charcoal… but I wouldn’t even know where to start with oils and watercolors. Although I do admire a good oil painting.:shrug: Maybe when I retire and can afford the paint.
I will see if there is an OFDW peice that inspires me tommorow.
xiannc,
Looking good!
I hope that this Tutorial might be of some use ~ I’ve since become more methodical with my steps, but this might give you at least some help along the way with your piece:
TUTORIAL - Digital Figurative Painting from OFDW - by Rebeccak
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=275436&highlight=OFDW+002
Also of great use in Grayscale paintings is the Grayscale Slider in PS:
[left]Though I think it’s a good idea to lay in the initial values with varying opacities of just 3 swatches (white, mid gray, black).
[/left]
Cheers,
~Rebeccak
Thanks Rebecca,
I did not know about that grayscale slider. I have been getting all the shades by just mixing white and black and then sampling the mix for a new gray. It works ok, but sometimes it would be good to go straight to the gray I want. I will be posting more tonight when I get home from work.
Hey Xiannc
great progress man - posting reveals alot and is almost always a good idea.
I think it is important to layin the initial vlues with a large neutral (no distinct texture) brush - this should get rid of the slight scratchiness. Also remember you should not paint a this patch black or that part grey - you are painting this part of the form and that part of the form. Of course it all comes down to “line and tonal value” - but that’s the end result: how you approach what you draw determines the “line and tonal value”. What I’m really trying to say is don’t copy this tone and that shade - recreate them in your own drawing.
mmm - not sure that makes much sense - if not just shout and I’ll try to explain myself better. right now i’m too tired to be try and be preachy:Dhaha - thanx for sharing
cheers!!
I’m on the homestreatch for the grayscale.
Demented, surprisingly I understood exactly what you were saying. Although at first I was saying “what???”. After I thought about it I think you are saying… Think more about the form you are trying to create in the peice rather than the step by step gray bits on the computer monitor. Yes? Thats what I got out of it and it is a very useful tip. Thanks.
Two more wips for tonight.
Exactly right xiannc - sorry for the vague explanation.
This type of approach has really helped me before but of course there are many ways to skin a cat. I think it helps to approach something the same way you want to communicate it - art is after all a language and must communicate.
The wip is coming along excellently - great work. Would add some reflected light to the bottom of the ribcage and stomach even if it’s not like that on the photo - just a small minuscule highlight would explain explain the form of the torso.
great work - update us soon,
ciao
So, this will be the last bit for the lady. I learned alot doing it. That was what I was going for,… but now I want to move on to something else. I might do the OFDW,… but I will probably do some studying in color first. (Not that Ive learned all I need to about shading yet.) So here are the last two WIPs.
-Christian
I know I said I was going to do some color work. But I got stuck on what demented was saying about building the forms. So I did this peice really quick. It took 40 minutes or so and was super fun, so I hope you like it. I used my hand as a reference. Please critique the lighting. I’m still learning.
:3 looks very good… and it looks like your not afraid of using…shadow… but also…dont be afraid of using highlights… :3
keep up the good work
