Umbus -SketchBook-

#141

another one today:

#142

Ah thanks Mathew, its really interesting to see this. Did a good job too he really feels part of the scene.

Also, i like the way your drawing is very solid, the hard edges are very well placed, i noticed in some of your pieces you use some textured brushes to help with the softer edges, very successfull when you do that. I think playing that up more might be helpfull for your soft and lost edges. Makes the transitions very soft and quiet in the darker areas without looking airbrushy and pop the hard edges even more because of the contrast.

Thanks again for describing your process.

#143

Hey Mattias, wonderfull updates!

I love the volumetric light in post #138, and the clouds, damn, the atmospere is simply overwhelming. The post #140 is again wonderfull and in post #141 you have gorgeous body language and equilibrium.

I would like to use this opportunity and ask few question about your own work while you remember your thoughts while painting them : in post #140, I see two dark brown blobs of color in top/right and bottom/left. I understand it compositionally (at least I think (: ), but what would my thoughts be if this “sketch” was mine, how to continue? What should those blobs turn into? They have to become something particullar, right? They are not the focal points, so keeping this overall level of detail in the image, it’s good when it is as it is. But, if you realize to go deeper, and to solve those blobs, how would you probably progress. The same as with the cross within the circle in the same image (the statue above the roman soldier), I see you add lot’s of variety in value and shape to make it more interresting. As the matter of fact, it is much more interresting as its grayscale predecessor. How would you probably change the design of it to make it more particullar (supposing it’s a focal point, while now it seems to be the inscription on top of the pedestal, and partly the roman soldier). I know, as you suggested before, the abstract shape could become anything that fits in the scene, somtimes simply darker matterial, sometimes shadow. Sorry for annoying you too much, I just think this part of the workflow is hardest, once I have something striking in blobs of color, how to turn all abstract into exact? Thank you dude in advance and I am looking forward to next ones :wink:

As for my broken computer, it’s a kind of renaissance, few steps back and rethink all. I needed that, but I was unable to stop myself, I guess it was a divine intervention :slight_smile:

#144

siiilon, Your questions are certainly getting more and more difficult to answer but I do appreciate it and it also makes me reflect more over my own stuff, not sure I can help out that much though as I have said before.
Abstract shapes keeps you more opened to change the whole and your canvas further into the progress and as you develop certain things you are then able to change things that currently were not that important.
You gotta understand that with color every color tone that you add will affect another color, grey tones quickly becomes cold or warm depending on the color you put beside it.

These shapes, keep in mind what they could be when you develop further. In this case above it was the sun cross symbol and yes a roman soldier which according to me is quite funny looking too that they cruzified christians. Well that not funny but the irony of it. However he was holding a spear when I started the sketch. :slight_smile:

Anyway regarding your questions I started to work a little more on that sketch to see where it could go, perhaps some of the abstract shapes makes more sense in this one, or maybe not.
Tell me what you think.

Otherwise it is all about fleshing out details, that takes a long time to learn.
…To understand how to detail something is really difficult.
I am not that good with it myself.
In my opinion you have to find a balance because too much detail kills everything if you ask me.
Damn I write too much.

#145

Thank you very much for trying to help me understand, I appreciate it a lot.

I don’t want to go too far, 'cause I don’t know how many bullshits I’m gonna to say, so let’s just pinpoint something.
The previous version has a good focal point and I love the background of the cross there, the roundy like arch. I guess, if you cut the lower part only a bit, so the left lit soldier’s calf disappear, the whole image seems to “calm down”, become less busy. The eye is no longer attracted down.
And on the top of all, I love the ornaments on the right wall.

In the new version, hmmm, I thought so hard to realize at least something (you are right it’s difficult, I am kinda assuring myself that I am not complete noob when struggling with it so much :P). You shifted the focal point back to a cross, 'cause the figure stays so still and parallel to other components of composition, and wear neutrall colors, so it became almost invisible - in a good way though. I think extending the frame to the left could bring more air to breathe, but yeah, not producing another focal point. I guess, that the left side of the cast shadow of the figure confuse me a bit trying to comprehend the light direction. The cast shadow behing the cross bugs me, I though and I guess there is no simple way how to solve it and still have the contrast there. Wether put the background back in shadow and make the cross of a lighter material, or make the cross shiny(some brass or something).

Please don’t treat this as a critique, in no way I feel good enought to give you some, these are just my thoughts and I am in a tension to see your comments on this :slight_smile:
I am a bit depressed about this, 'cause it seems like neverending pushing and pulling, too many contradicting factors leaving sometimes no alternatives and other time just too many.

And thank you Mattias for this source of learning, I can’t imagine myself having a better chance.

CU dude

#146

See if I can noodle on it some more tomorrow…

Funny thing with detail is that once you start adding a lot of detail things are starting to become recognizeable by the eye, which instantly needs to be more detailed to be interesting. Then you loose the interesting idea with the abstract shape, because this detailed shape needs a lot of detail or correction in its material.
Also it gets compared with things in real life.
Hmm hard to explain.

Siiilon - You have good comments so don’t feel like you cannot critique me, just keep them coming.
ok gotta go to bed. :slight_smile:

Thanks again guys for feedback
/Mattias

#147

awesome sketchbook. love the composition in pretty much every piece. great! also, you remind me of how much i need to work on that stuff.
best!
J

#148

absolutely stunning work mate! the abstractness of it still fascinates me in evey piece!
youre also very strong compositional wise… 136 and 137!
and i’m really with you, what you said about the abstract shapes, recognizable forms and detail. took me a long time to get this… uhm, three years? :smiley:
but i’m still at the beginning, you’re much better in this :slight_smile:

hrhr and i love the sniper! :smiley:
keep them coming!

#149

Your compositional skills in these last few pieces are just top notch, Im Loving your recent color choices too and learning a lot from your words, and the input of all you guys, appreciate it;)

#150

oh my oh my you guys are too kind. :blush:

I haven’t thought about that I am necessarely that good with composition, have always thought about it as balance and not composition.
But yes painting is difficult, what surprises me every time is that how the brain thinks one way and the reality is another.
Especially materials like rocks and concrete, damn I always keep thinking those are dark in its tone when perhaps the grass around it is more dark.
Hmm.

Apprectiate the feedback guys, keep up the good work all of you. :slight_smile:
Todays became strange, yea that’s the right word for it lol.

#151

Lovin your work mate. It has such a beautiful quality to it I can’t really describe.
I think you have what I, and many others are jealous of - is your ability to lay down what seems like very little brush strokes yet you achieve this life like representation. And your dedication is remarkable to be honest. A true inspiration. And please…for me…send me some prints!!

#152

mattyuk, yea I remember you asked me before, I don’t work that big though.
Got limits with Gimp on my pc. This one below I have as 2800 pixels width if I remember correctly, (however that is big for me, usually it is like 1700 width or height).
Appreciate your words thank you, good to see a fellow Sijun’er. :slight_smile:

Might work a little more on this one.
As always though I like clean slates for some weird reason, lol I am screwed.

Thanks again guys you are too kind.

#153

Post ww3 and the girl returns to the theater where she once performed as an actress.

Still needs a lot of detail, we’ll see. :slight_smile:

#154

Matthew-S: Wonderful topic, I love postapocalyptic sceneries. The color scheme of the first one suggest the true postapocalyptic atmosphere, although, the ruins look more like factory than theatre. The color scheme of the second one and the more regular and repeated shapes resemble more theatre interior. The design of the first one looks more coherent in shape language, but second one has less aggresive shapes, calmer, more like theatre. I have an idea how to solve this ( I would like to make something like that myself once I will have my computer again), and that is trying to approach this inversely. First trying to make the interior of the theatre from the past, when it’s all working and busy. And then, try to crash it and burn it and dust it and so the postapocalyptic look.

Looking forward to your updates buddy, cu :slight_smile:

#155

Hi Matthew,

Just dropped by to say I really enjoy your abstract future cityscapes. Looking forward to see more.

Cheers,
Thomas

#156

Just realized I spelled Theatre wrong, lol I guess low force in the english.
“remember the failure in the cave” haha

siiilon, wuw you sure got a lot of good ideas, sure appreciate you continuing support. :slight_smile:
Hope to see you back in the digital soon. How’s it going with the laptop?
Was actually thinking the same about the theatre, hard to solve it though because if you think nuclear I guess everything gets rammed down. Perhaps ww2 had been a better idea?
The thinking about the piece is her old town was miracously saved… lol well not sure if I will continue on the piece.
thank you

Pringle, Sure feels like old times when you guys appear in my sketchbook, good to see you. Snooped around you site, we are aging the same way u know …77… good year eh? :slight_smile:
Thank you. I made this one for you, I messed up though. :argh:

#157

Hey Matthew, i love your style man! Looked through the last few pages and you always seem to push these strong compositions. Even if unfinished, each one has bold perspective and strong mood. Very powerful stuff i’ll keep an eye over here =)

#158

Rabid1, Appreciate the words. :slight_smile:

todays:

#159

Wonderfull collosus piece!
Do you feel the same temptation to make the canvas wider?(I have the same feeling in your colossus piece, which is double weird, since you have gorgeous composition there). It’s ridiculous, I always end up with the same boring layout, I should sometimes be more brave and ignore some rules and not calm down everything. Like you threw the question in your blog : “Maybe balance sometimes is bad too?” I guess yes, balance should be more like moving force and not end point. Balance as the final state seems to me more like a death, hmm. Anyway, I think it always depends … .

As for my previous digital age, I appreciate this pause, since I have time to calm down, I get the Nicolaides’s book and start practicing contours and gestures and rethink all the basics all over again. I’ve been finding peace recently and sooner or later I get back to digital, I am pretty sure it’s gonna be a different season.

Keep posting those gorgeous images Mattias, it’s always like a reading of a great book for me :slight_smile:
CU!

#160

siiilon, appreciate it siiilon, you will get there. …Just embrace the learning phase though and remember you will learn from your mistakes, eventhough perhaps you see some of your pieces as a failure I would like to remind you that they are not. …Otherwise, How would you learn?
You know the composition that I do… It is perhaps balance in the composition; but other things do get lost, especially in characters.
If you do wide pieces you get further away from the characters.

I am going on a vacation, will be back next week. :slight_smile: