Sketchbook Thread of Schneesturm

#1

Hi! This is my opening picture for here. It’s done in live drawing class. It took about 2 hours, the backround is done afterwards. It’s done by charcoal. As you can see, the hands are very difficult for me. But I know they are not easy to anyone. I just have to practice.

I’m 23-year old boy from Finland. I’m studying business in university, but it’s not for me. I’m really not happy there. I hope I could somehow get my livelihood from arts someday. (I know hope is not enough, I’m ready to do the work) Novadays I’m just planning to change the school, and practice drawing and painting as much as possible.

I have done couple of little “picture drawing projects” for small companies. That’s the way how digital painting came in. Before spring 2006 I have not done anything with Photoshop or Illustrator.

I will appreciate any kind of critical advice and comments. I found this is a great place for advice and discussion. I have already enjoyed and learned much from others works here. Hope I have something to give for this forum. :slight_smile:

#2

Hi Schneesturm

wonderful drawing.

looks to me like you are constructing the longer lines from rather short ones…
Are you drawing on large paper format? Try drawing from the shoulder more… search for that “swung”… it’s hard I know I’m also looking for it… but after a lot of practice it is there.
What works well is to do some speed exercises before starting a longer study.

I hope I’m not scaring you off or anything… if you’ve seen my thread you’ll understand I’m quite novice… but it’s something I am working at a lot lately, so I thought I’d share what comes to mind when observing your drawing.

I hope I’ll see a lot more from you… I know I can learn from it :slight_smile:

#3

Schneesturm,

Welcome! :slight_smile: Good to see you start a thread here, and to hear about your background. If you like, I can make a few suggestions for your drawing via a paintover. Just let me know. :slight_smile:

I think that doing master copies is a great way to supplement one’s abilities in drawing from life. Have you seen the Anatomy Lesson Series Workshops? Take a look at them if you get the chance in the Tutorials section. I recommend trying master studies before or after each live drawing session you go to - it will teach you a lot about what to look for when you go to draw before the live model. :slight_smile:

Cheers,

-Rebeccak

#4

—for NR43:—

Hi NR43! Thanks for support. That’s true, the longer lines are constructed from shorter lines. It’s still hard to get natural long lines by one stroke. Especially with charcoal. Paper size is about 75x55cm in that drawing. I noticed the shape of shoulder, but I failed to draw it good enough. Maybe it would help if I know the muscles of the shoulder. I have no idea now. Speed exercises are very useful for me to, always before drawing. But in those classes there are always only that one pose all the time. Anyway I do my own little speed exercises first.

Haha, you aren´t scaring me off, nothing like that. :slight_smile: I’m always really satisfied when someone could say something what I can do better. Even better when they say how I can do it. Really. You know when you show your drawins to yuor friends, only words are always: “cool”, “good” or “it’s ok”. Those doesn’t improve me. Anyone agree with that?

You are “quite novice”? LOL! Quite good sense of humour instead :scream: . I was visiting on your sketchbook thread, it was very interesting. You have done so much work with those, and improved a lot. Really cool stuff! :bounce:

—and for Rebeccak:—

Thanks! Of course you could do paintovers. Anytime you want to. Maybe it is the best way showing things in drawins. I’m so happy that you have time to give advice. :slight_smile:

Sometimes I have heard something about drawing from master studies. I haven’t take it seriously before. I have never done that. But now I think I would really try. It would be really useful practise. I checked that “head drawing” workshop. I think it’s good idea for training head anatomy. It’s one of my weakest areas. I will draw those heads when I have time to do that. I’ll show the results here, of course.

-Schneesturm-

#5

Schneesturm

you seem motivated to learn, which is the best thing for an artist to have! even the pro’s that have been drawing for many years are still driven by this hunger for improvement… it’s the key to success (in every meaning of the word) I think

Anyway, I wasn’t really referring to the way you had drawn the shoulder of the model when I said “Try to draw from the shoulder”, but referring to your shoulder :wink: 75x55 is large enough to allow you to do that… drawing lines while moving your arm as a whole rather than keeping your arm still and moving your hand. The latter is called drawing from the wrist and is more of use when the big shapes are set on paper already and you want to add details…

for example: thursday I had an extra class and I did about 40 sketches on small, cheap A4 paper (just printer paper actually) of simple every day objects: a bowl, a lamp casing, a globe… stuff like that. I was not focussing on the accuracy of my drawings but more on how I was drawing… searching, experimenting with different ways of moving my arm to get a particular curve on paper…
Ofcourse the sketches look very rubbish but it taught me that finding this “swung” is going to be a longterm queste, only achievable by drawing many years…(now you know why I call myself novice as my first drawing was in december last year :wink: )

All this to avoid a misunderstanding, because I think maybe you thought I was saying you’ve drawn the shoulder of the model badly while I was referring to the manner of drawing.

anywayz,
hoping to see more studies from you soon

take care,
43

#6

NR43

Yes, I strongly agree what you said about motivation. In my opinion, most people think that “the only thing” is how good you are at this moment. I think that motivation is much more important. It affects how fast you are improving.

Hahahaa, now I understand! What I was thinking? :smiley: FROM the shoulder, of course. I wasn’t precise when I read that. I know what you mean. I have read that from many books, and I have noticed in real life that’s significant. Sometimes I just forget that, and you could see the result. It’s always when you try too hard, you’re not enough relaxed. Then lines are not so natural or “living”. I really have noticed that drawing the big shapes is much easier when moving your arm as a whole. ( :lightbulb Similar in badminton; using your whole body is much more efficient than just using your arm.) I have to focuse for that much more.

Hey, that “40 sketches for cheap paper” was a good idea. And take printer paper, so you don’t have to think the cost :slight_smile: I’m going to do that too! I think a ballpoint pen is best for that. Don’t have to think even sharpening. Just focuse on drawing, and that arm moving.

Little less talk and little more action, you will see more soon… :wink:

#7

I did these in February this year (2006). These are done by Illustrator. I had a toy as a model, so I haven’t been designed these kangaroos. I think I could do these better now. Because of vector graphics, there are little limitations of course.

Own crits; 1. Lines and curves aren’t smooth and/or natural. 2. One more shadow tone. 3. Not so hard shadows. 4. Shadows in Front view are too light. 5. There are different colours in Front and Side views. :hmm:

-Schneesturm-

#8

heya! here is another ‘sturm’
nice meet you here:)

cute kangaroo.
–chainging color isn’t difficult in illustrator ( select obj._to change colour and use eyedropper to sampling from what you want to have)

Just quick comment on kanga is _ always think where is keyLight come from… your shadows are bit off

good luck

#9

Hi sturmkim! Nice to meet you too. :slight_smile: Schneesturm means snowstorm, in German. I have no idea what sturm means in English. And thanks for advice. I think I wolud do whole new version of that kangaroo, but there’s so much other things to do too :hmm: .

-Scneesturm-

#10

Pencils, A3. Took about 4-5hours, I think. Reference picture was photo from a magazine.

I didn’t spend so much time for the face. I have to study face anatomy for bigger size. I’m not very satisfied with the hair and hands. Maybe next time better…

#11

Hi…Jaakko…:slight_smile:

I like the face on that last one you posted…:slight_smile:
Besides what Rebecca said about doing master copies, along with your life classes, I think you might benifit from the books and teachings of Burne Hogarth a lot at this point in your journy into anatomy. His teachings will give you a much deeper insight into the figure that you are seeing in your life drawing class, which in turn, will allow you to decribe the figure in a much more selfassured manner, because you will be able to figure out what’s going on with the figure at the first glance when you see it, which is the key to great figure drawing…:slight_smile:
Just a thought and suggestion that might help you in your study of anatomy…:slight_smile:
Really looking forward to seeing your progress, and hope to see more of the work from your life drawing class…:thumbsup:
TAKE CARE
Glenn

#12

Hi Glenn!

I’ve been looking for a good anatomy book. I have already Jenô Barcsays Anatomy for artist. (I’m not sure that book’s name, because my book’s language is Finnish.) There’s so many awesome drawings, but I don’t think it’s best possible for practise. So thanks for advice. I will check it out.

For me anatomy is very interesting. It’s not long time ago when I noticed that. There’s some kind of magic: when you understand anatomy of some part, suddenly you can draw it faster and better. And that everything isn’t done consciously. And it’s true, you need both, life drawing and studies from books, when you want to improve.

Thanks for the kind words and advice. I will post more as soon as I draw something new.

-Jaakko

#13

Hi Jaakko :). I really like your charcoal. I can’t really critique much, but it looks great! Just wanted to pop in and say welcome and that I hope to see more from you. :thumbsup:

#14

Thank you ha-dou-ken! Nice to know that you are watching :slight_smile: I haven´t post anything for a while, but now I have something new.

-Jaakko-

#15

There´s a new one. From live drawing class. Charcoal, 75x55cm.

#16

These are from my sketchbook, size is A5. Made by rollerball pen.

#17

Hi Jaakko! Welcome!.. and HAPPY NEW YEAR!:scream: Great start! looking forward to more.

#18

For A4, pencils.

#19

The last few posts here are wonderful!

Not much to crit really… just wonderful :slight_smile:

#20

Hi Schneesturm, your sketches aren’t bad at all! The skeleton one of the legs is especially nice, although I think maybe the foot bones are too short…could be wrong though.

And the bunny you did in illustrator is really cute. I love the colors and shadows-even though the shadows may not be correct, they still give it a nice look having 2 values there per color.