Arthe's Sketchbook ~ Now with Nudity!

[Arthe Xavier]

Greetings. I haven't posted much on this forum, but I have been browsing a lot and enjoying the fine art on display. :) Now... It is finally time to share my own doodles, and alas, this thread shall be the place.

Hope you like what you see. Requests / observations / critique / comments - all are welcome. :)

I've been making these with Corel Painter X - which I am only learning to use ( in other words this is my first evening with it. I have also had a long pause from my small Wacom-tablet, which is screaming for an update... ;o ).

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/2649/sketchoh8.gif

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/8421/sketch3jx9.gif

And just for the heck of it, a couple of my portraits ( which aren't 'fast sketches' by any means, though ):

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/2324/bruisedbyartieficialsp2.jpg

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/1261/wentworthay9.gif

[Arthe Xavier]

Update:

( Quick sketch on Corel Painter X ):

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/4707/85989374on3.jpg

[sandeepbarot]

amazing

[Ohaeri]

Pretty much what the last guy said. XD I have a lot to learn!

Love the portrait of the girl especially. :)

[Arthe Xavier]

Thanks for the comments, you two. :) Oh, I can't wait to scan a couple of my latest works here! ^__^;

A little background about me:

I am 21 years old, and I study acting ( in the Acting Academy of Finland ). I have drawn since I was a toddler - sometimes more often, sometimes less frequently, but it has always been with me. I have never studied it, and I have - only recently - gotten ambitions to start really learning the 'art of drawing', since I, if anyone, have a *lot* to learn.

I would love to learn more anatomy, drawing scenery, painting... Who knows - I might apply for an art-school once I finish my acting-studies. :)

Anyway, here's a few more:

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/826/50centww3.jpg
A quick caricatyre of 50 cent - just because I love drawing those... x)

Here are a couple of older pieces:

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/1887/asketchofasternwomanbyalz1.jpg

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/6633/natalieportmanwipbyartids3.jpg

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/3816/valkyriesmallerversionbpo3.jpg
This is, actually, my first drawing with a Wacom. I have a small tablet, and would love to upgrade it someday.

[Arthe Xavier]

Hum - here's one more before I go to bed:

http://img462.imageshack.us/img462/6843/sketchesssscy2.jpg

[JellevdVegt]

nice portraits man, maybe you could draw more figures? if i may ask you: do yo want to be an concept artist later?

EDIT: the same moment i posted this one, you have updated figure drawings hahahaha lol! what are the odds!

[Arthe Xavier]

Yes, I am really interested in becoming a concept-artist, but that is exactly what I have to work towards. In the past, I have drawn portraits rather exclusively, so I am really trying to break that ( and do things of my own, rather than draw from photographs all the time ).

[Arthe Xavier]

And some for the day. I was feeling a bit grey, so... :D

http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/7295/greypk6.jpg

http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/2800/grey2gs8.jpg

[Weetbix]

Wow your pencil portraits are amazing, I want to see more!

[Arthe Xavier]

Wow your pencil portraits are amazing, I want to see more!

You will, in the near future. :) I have to buy a new scanner to do them any good, though.

At the moment I'm concentrating on 'sketching', but thanks to the lack of a decent scanner I can't scan and upload my 'pencil-sketches', unfortunately. Only digital at the moment. ;(

[Arthe Xavier]

A sleepless night means more sketching...

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/9273/frowningva8.jpg
This was drawn from a reference-picture, but it isn't a very close copy. Just tried to emulate the shadows.

[Arthe Xavier]

And another...

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/1866/oddtf8.jpg

[Demo]

Really liking all the pencial drawings but they all just look to finished for me show us some quick sketches and other doodles and ideas uv got keep em comming

[Arthe Xavier]

Really liking all the pencial drawings but they all just look to finished for me show us some quick sketches and other doodles and ideas uv got keep em comming

Yeah, I'll try to do more that in the future. :) Here's a few quick ones from the morning:

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/2655/quickonesvg9.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Hum... Don't like how this sketch turned out. Ah well. :)

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/8670/medicalmachinegn5.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Even more, just random stuff:

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/2972/randmook2.gif

[zenarion]

Hello
I notice you are doing quite many very good portraits from photo reference.
They are on a totally different level than your own drawings. I dont really know if this will help, but try taking the same techniques that you use for the portraits from photo ref, and using them for the people you draw from your head, or from life.
When doing digital sketching, you seem to be using the same technique to render as you would do with a pencil. Experiment a bit. Get a bigger brush, and block in big shadows, large highlights and so on. Really a different approach to drawing, and should be tested, since it is really fun.
Good luck, post more.

[Arthe Xavier]

Thanks, Zen. :) And yes, I haven't experimented yet - these ( along with the 'Valkyrie', which is more a complete work than just a sketch anyways ) are just about my first sketches with a Wacom in a long time, so basically I'm very new to this. :)

I'll try to experiment more. Oh, and I'm definetely getting a bigger Wacom-tablet. My current one is the smallest they sell. ;o

[Arthe Xavier]

Ok, here's a more 'serious' attempt / experiment ( drawn from the head ). In fact, this process really inspires me to test the wacom out even further. Once I get practice, practice and practice, I could even become good at digital art someday. :)

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/607/facefaceuc6.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/9421/handkk9.jpg
A hand study... I only had the patience to do the thumb in detail, though.. x)

[Arthe Xavier]

Here's a quick ( cartoony )figure-study sketch:

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/3395/bodiesoj6.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

I wonder why nobody is commenting... :E

Anyways, here's the last one for the day:

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/1056/hurths5.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Something for the day:

http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/2572/75701005xg6.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

+

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/9213/knightbl6.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

+

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/2954/41769539di1.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

A bit silly, this... Bird-person.

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/6012/37417698wn7.jpg

http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/5819/45481647wj1.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Here's some fast sketching I did today.. Haven't drawn in a while, so this is a late update.

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/9026/36028087kj8.jpg

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/2300/16135942pe6.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Sketch of a human face. Done without reference. Perhaps my kind of dream girl. x)

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/7099/95457543nv4.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/2607/23198353yx6.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Here's a new update - haven't done those in a while.. Still trying to learn the ropes with Corel Painter X. x) Tips / tricks / suggestions are welcome.

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/5875/jkjkq9.jpg

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/9295/jjjem9.jpg

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/5382/77556125lg3.jpg

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/6613/58755082tj1.jpg

[gkrit]

awesome protrait shots of the actors and actresses. they r like perfect lol.
with some of ur other faces u shoulda spent a lil bit more time on them i think.
bu really nice work.
post some more

[Arthe Xavier]

gkrit: Thanks. :) I tried to fool around with Nat Portman in Corel Painter X - I drew ( well, doodled ) this from a photo. It took me a while too, since I tried different approaches. I am not completely satisfied with the result, but hey, it's a doodle:

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/2346/natud6.jpg


This is a.. well.. a very quick scratch:

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/4416/kkre7.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Small update:

Argh - I'd love to upload some of my pencil sketches, but my scanner is at a different place at the moment, and I can access it after christmas at earliest. Here's my latest wacom-sketch, however... Just a witch-doctor and a random female from a tribe:

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/7435/witchdoctorel1.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

I did a little 'coloring-test' with the Witch-doctor... Tried to paint it over... Bah - I still have a lot to learn regarding this. I am not very happy with the result, and I would love to get some helpful comments regarding the test ( to improve it ).

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/474/witchdoctorcolortesthr2.jpg

[Hannes]

hmm... I think you should try to colour it more simply at first and then start adding variations and details in to colours. Like put some light base colour over it and then give it form.

[Brun]

sup dude,

i see that u have drawn allot from pictures of actors, to learn stuff about the face, but i can only tell u that u will learn much more if u draw yourself in the mirror over and over again, or somebody else, u can learn much much more from real live.

u're ideas are nice, but u lack the knowledge of a few things, (anatomy, colour, line, etc) i would suggest that u take a sketchbook and spend u're days drawing things from reallive, go to a bar and draw the things u see around u, look at how people/things interact, try to get te essence of things on your paper.

and most of all don't give up, keep doing this and your bound to get their in the end :)

i can see you are motivated, keep that up

cya

[Arthe Xavier]

Hannes, thanks - I'll definetely try that. :) I haven't really grasped the basic mechanics of digital painting yet, and I'm currently searching for tutorials on the subject.

Brun, I haven't drawn much from life, but yeah, that's another aspect I'm definetely going to study soon. My passion towards drawing has finally reached a point where I just can't ignore it, and I'll definetely do my best to get better. ^__^;

[eminkey2003]

Everything is on the right track. All I can say is study anatomy, foreshortening, painting, color, light, shadow, form, lines (inks too), design, texture, and everything else. Draw from life, that's the best way to do it. If you can draw from observation, you can do absolutely anything, and you'll always have life drawing to rely on when you're feeling unskilled in drawing from your imagination.

The way I see it, there are 5 ways to draw:
- Draw from imagination
- Draw from memory
- Draw from photos and other references (i.e. a painting or drawing by someone who's not necessarily a master yet, but still really talented)
- Draw from master drawings (check out artchive.com, particularly renaissance masters, plus artists of the 1800s, look in the art-book section of your local library)
- Draw from life/observation (still lives, nudes, friends, family, gestures, portraits and everything else that you can see and touch in real life.)

[Arthe Xavier]

Everything is on the right track. All I can say is study anatomy, foreshortening, painting, color, light, shadow, form, lines (inks too), design, texture, and everything else. Draw from life, that's the best way to do it. If you can draw from observation, you can do absolutely anything, and you'll always have life drawing to rely on when you're feeling unskilled in drawing from your imagination.

The way I see it, there are 5 ways to draw:
- Draw from imagination
- Draw from memory
- Draw from photos and other references (i.e. a painting or drawing by someone who's not necessarily a master yet, but still really talented)
- Draw from master drawings (check out artchive.com, particularly renaissance masters, plus artists of the 1800s, look in the art-book section of your local library)
- Draw from life/observation (still lives, nudes, friends, family, gestures, portraits and everything else that you can see and touch in real life.)

Thanks - this is really helpful. :) I'd probably enroll in an arts academy if I wasn't already studying acting, so this all is something I do in my free time. And as such, if there are any art-books / authors you could recommend, it'd definetely come in handy too.

I haven't drawn much from my imagination either - and I haven't drawn that much to begin with. I'm 21, and my 'passion' towards getting better at drawing began about a year ago ( although I haven't really done anything to improve myself until recently ). Prior to that, I very seldomly drew, and if I drew, I drew faces ( from photographs ).

The good thing is, I have the rest of my life to improve... :D Oh, and this site - in general - is just superb.

[jangsa]

i like your drawing of the " face" very much,your line is very bold, and if you improve on human structure, i believe you will be better and better. keep on it.

[Arthe Xavier]

i like your drawing of the " face" very much,your line is very bold, and if you improve on human structure, i believe you will be better and better. keep on it.

Thanks jangsa. :) I recently bought an anatomy guide for artists, so I'll study that a little deeper.

Here's something random I did late last night:

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/8841/ladyay0.jpg

[Hannes]

Although it's not as good as you're other realistic drawings this one has more spirit than all of those good pictures together. I really like those lips and if that orange light would have some consistency, I would think that she had set fire to something.

[Arthe Xavier]

Although it's not as good as you're other realistic drawings this one has more spirit than all of those good pictures together. I really like those lips and if that orange light would have some consistency, I would think that she had set fire to something.

Yeah - I kind of like it too. :) It was a very fast sketch, and I think that the 'roughness' gives it some spirit. I have been way too clinical with my approach to art in the past I quess.

I'll try to photograph and upload one portrait of mine ( which, to date, is my most successful work by far ). I like it not because it resembles 'photo-realism', but because I managed to capture something...

[Arthe Xavier]

Here's a sketch I did this evening - took about 15 minutes:

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/4287/sketchyqf6.jpg

[kveye]

all in all everything is going smooothly:)

but i think the best think for you right now would be putting away that wacom thing and taking a pencil&paper. Forget aboud "undo" and try working on your lines, strokes. Try doing them more "thought of" yet try to keep them as loose as possible. What is the meaning of random lines and brushstrokes anyway, right?:)

[Arthe Xavier]

all in all everything is going smooothly:)

but i think the best think for you right now would be putting away that wacom thing and taking a pencil&paper. Forget aboud "undo" and try working on your lines, strokes. Try doing them more "thought of" yet try to keep them as loose as possible. What is the meaning of random lines and brushstrokes anyway, right?:)

Yeah - I am much more 'confident' with pencil & paper anyway. x) Perhaps I'll take a short break from Wacom altogether, develope the basic skills a lot on paper, and then come back with Wacom.

I'll go back to Helsinki ( to my student-apartment ) soon, at the beginning of January, and then I'll have access to my scanner, so I can get this thing really going.

Thanks for all the feedback, people!

[Arthe Xavier]

Hmm.. I am not ready to completely ditch my Wacom yet, no matter how hard I try to stick to pencil & paper. :D I just like it so much - the possibilities are endless.

Here's just a quick test - I tried to keep the line-art as clean as possible, without break-ups. It isn't sketchy or anything; just a test.

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/1366/lineartoj8.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Here's another quick line-study ( I'm trying to approach it by thinking about the line before I actually draw it - it's quite fun, actually ):

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/8168/linestudy2qs2.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Here's a quick color-sketch:

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/4966/facestudyus4.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Here's random scribblings:

http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/3186/random2oo5.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Here's another color-study from a photo-ref. I'm pretty happy with it - it's my best so far, at least.

[Arthe Xavier]

Here's a couple of quick sketches ( drawn from imagination ) before I call it a night:

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/6710/sketchfacesy0.jpg

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/3761/sketchbodyfp1.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Here's a charcoal-sketch I did last night because I couldn't sleep:

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/7646/scarlettjohanssonky4.jpg

[Andrew Marks]

Your portrait drawings are really good, my only complaint about them are that they are from photo's. Drawing from photo's can leave the image flat compared if you were to actually draw from life. I would suggest that you do self portraits of yourself , draw some of your friends, or just go to a mall and draw people at the food court or something. Or if you were to draw from photo's I would suggest that you take them yourself. When you draw from someone else's photo's you dont really know what was going through their mind at the time or they might have altered it, it least if you take it you know what to look for and know how to really bring it to life.

Your drawing from imagination is on a different level from your portrait drawings.I would suggest to get some anatomy books if you havent already, I recommend any of the drawing books from George Bridgeman, Burne Hogarth, and Andrew Loomis (which are free online and you can find them at http://www.placidchaos.com/AM/index.php?title=andrew_loomis&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1) and study it as often as you can. The way I go about it is to draw a figure from imagination, then reference the parts that you made errors on from the books, then try it again and repeat this process until you get it down.

But draw as much as you can, thats the only way you will make progress. Hope to see some amazing stuff from you soon:)

[Arthe Xavier]

Your portrait drawings are really good, my only complaint about them are that they are from photo's. Drawing from photo's can leave the image flat compared if you were to actually draw from life. I would suggest that you do self portraits of yourself , draw some of your friends, or just go to a mall and draw people at the food court or something. Or if you were to draw from photo's I would suggest that you take them yourself. When you draw from someone else's photo's you dont really know what was going through their mind at the time or they might have altered it, it least if you take it you know what to look for and know how to really bring it to life.

Your drawing from imagination is on a different level from your portrait drawings.I would suggest to get some anatomy books if you havent already, I recommend any of the drawing books from George Bridgeman, Burne Hogarth, and Andrew Loomis (which are free online and you can find them at http://www.placidchaos.com/AM/index.php?title=andrew_loomis&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1) and study it as often as you can. The way I go about it is to draw a figure from imagination, then reference the parts that you made errors on from the books, then try it again and repeat this process until you get it down.

But draw as much as you can, thats the only way you will make progress. Hope to see some amazing stuff from you soon:)

Wow - thanks for the link and feedback. :) I'll definetely try to draw more from life; photos have just been a way to practice the eye. I mean, I can draw a portrait from a photo pretty fast and accurately these days, so naturally the next step should be 'drawing from life'. It'd be so much easier to do in an art school, though. x) I'll ask if my father is up to it, to be my first 'real-life' model.

[Davio]

This is a really good start, I would say that if you are going to draw from life try to get a large newsprint pad and some charcoal and do gesture drawings that is the kind of stuff that you would do in drawing one in an art school. you will learn alot about the form by doing those kind of exercises. Have fun.

[Arthe Xavier]

Thanks, I definetely will. :) I just got a set of charcoal-pencils as a christmas-gift from my mother, so all I need is big paper now.

Here's a self-portrait attempt. Took about 15 mins., and it sucks, but alas.. One has to start somewhere, right?

( Oh and apologies for the horrid 'photo' - my scanner is still 500 kilometres away )

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/7144/joseub6.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Here's a new portrait ( from a photo again - but I enjoy making them, and they don't take that long, so I kind of use them as 'fill in drawings' ). Apologies for the picture-quality yet again - so much is missing since I had to take the photo with a flash. Ah well - it gives you a general idea:

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/6351/randomgirlrf9.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Here's a quick sketch of the female body, as seen by the 'sexual ideals of the modern media-raped society'. Pretty deep, eh?

The sketch, however, isn't deep, is drawn from a photo-reference, and is full of flaws I just don't have the energy to fix right now... Gotta catch some Z's, you know. x)

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/7262/femalebodkw8.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Ah, ok. One more, then I'm calling it a night. This is a digital painting I did a couple of weeks ago... I consider it 'unfinished', but I just don't want to paint it any further either.. Annoying dilemma. :)

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/534/lllct3.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Here's something random for the day:

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/5952/rand1aj5.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Another drawing which started very randomly, then at some point I got this idea of 'Pulbert ( the man ) in the Land of the Giants'.

If I'd draw a comic, I'd probably draw that.


http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/3668/landofthegiantsgz0.jpg

[ArtisticSchmidt]

You definitely have some good stuff going on in here! The realistic pencil portraits are especially well done. You have the head and basic structure down. As far as studies go I would do some rendered full body drawings that show form and anatomy. Also, Do some hands and maybe some feet.

Try using a bigger brush to draw with your wacom. I've noticed the more cartoony images in here lack structure. Take a picture from the internet or a magazine and copy the basic forms but add your own character to them. Give the person different clothes, a strange haircut, some crazy boots, whatever comes to mind. Have fun with it!

The main thing is keep on doing what you have been! Good job so far.
~JCS

[Arthe Xavier]

You definitely have some good stuff going on in here! The realistic pencil portraits are especially well done. You have the head and basic structure down. As far as studies go I would do some rendered full body drawings that show form and anatomy. Also, Do some hands and maybe some feet.

Try using a bigger brush to draw with your wacom. I've noticed the more cartoony images in here lack structure. Take a picture from the internet or a magazine and copy the basic forms but add your own character to them. Give the person different clothes, a strange haircut, some crazy boots, whatever comes to mind. Have fun with it!

The main thing is keep on doing what you have been! Good job so far.
~JCS

Thanks, man. :) I shall try that - I love drawing comical characters almost as much as I love drawing portraits, so that is definetely an area I want to improve upon.

The only reason why my portraits are 'structurally' somewhat correct... Well, I've drawn them the most. A couple of years ago I was a lot worse at them, but I've improved bit by bit by just observing and drawing. I hope that the same will happen with other areas in time - although it is great to get some direction from you guys. ^__^;

[Arthe Xavier]

Here's a very quick painting - took me about 5 minutes. Just out of sudden inspiration; the key phrase was "The Land of my Dreams". Go figure. x)

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/4633/landofmydreamsho3.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/5161/ohheytherecw7.jpg

[joaKimArt]

Hey, Good start. Maybe you should start doing some anatomy studies some hours a day like me :^^:. If you have the time. Keep on posting mate.

cya

[Arthe Xavier]

Hey, Good start. Maybe you should start doing some anatomy studies some hours a day like me :^^:. If you have the time. Keep on posting mate.

cya

Yeah, I *definetely* should.. x) I'm currently reading books by Andrew Loomis, and they're giving some nice advice on how to approach the subject. I have a book on anatomy back home, where I'm going in a couple of days, so I'll use that as reference.

Oh, and thanks for the comment ^__^.

[Jiang.YiFan]

hey arthe~i really love your face studies,My suggestion : Spend more time in every picture.
sorry my English very very poor

[Arthe Xavier]

hey arthe~i really love your face studies,My suggestion : Spend more time in every picture.
sorry my English very very poor

Hey, it's ok! :) Thanks for the comment - I will try to do more concentrated studies / works in the near future. ^__^; I'm fiddling quite quickly at the moment - so it is with my next sketch as well:

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/3738/yayyyyaz1.jpg

[JPC]

I like what i'm seeing, but since everyones goal in making a sketchbook here is to improve by getting advice, here's mine: Be sure to check the little things in your roughs before you proceed ( things like proportion, stiffness, one eye lower than the other etc...), this will save you time and heartaches later..I should know, I always forget to check these things too..lol

[Arthe Xavier]

Here's a work in progress ( I'm determined to give it a lot of time in between other drawing-related studies ). Drawn from a photo-reference - mainly to see how well I can replicate a face on wacom. Will perhaps experiment with colors later, once the black & white version is complete.

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/429/ooni8.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Ah! Finally I got my old scanner working. :) It's not the best in quality, but it'll do for now. I might upgrade it later.

Here's a few semi-old sketches ( I'll scan and upload new sketches which I produce from this day onward ):

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/1234/balewf1.jpg http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/2715/houseou0.jpg

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/2615/bladeqt9.jpg http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/6525/babeur8.jpg

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/1272/johnnywc9.jpg http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/5276/linklz0.jpg

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/4440/modelnq4.jpg http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/2893/monstahdz5.jpg

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/9081/randomsketchnv8.jpg

Now it's time to really dig deep into the Anatomy book for Artists which I have... See you with anatomy-related sketches. :P

[Arthe Xavier]

Something quick and random before I take a break...

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/6005/randomiajoofz9.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Study of a hand - had to use my own as the model. :P Darn scanner for hiding most of the mid-tones and over-emphasizing some of the darker lines, though!

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/7782/handki1.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

A charcoal sketch of Jack - took about 40 mins. Scanner made a bit of a mess again, though. ;(

http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/7274/jackhl6.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Random, referenced sketches from the Anatomy -book. I actually ordered Bridgman's "Complete Guide to Life Drawing", so I'm kind of waiting for that before I continue further with my studies. :p

So yeah, just for fun:

http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/8594/referencedsketchingxz3.jpg

[IanE]

Hey thanks for checking out my sketches!

The only things I noticed with yours are simple fixes everyone's learning how to master and understand. On your Dec 16 post, the arm's foreshortening is a little wonky, and I think the upper arm may be too short. As for your portraits, the transitions from one tone or value to another are a little hars still (I'm having the same problems), still drawing actual lines to separate values. Render a bit more! We all should!

Keep it coming!

[Arthe Xavier]

Hey thanks for checking out my sketches!

The only things I noticed with yours are simple fixes everyone's learning how to master and understand. On your Dec 16 post, the arm's foreshortening is a little wonky, and I think the upper arm may be too short. As for your portraits, the transitions from one tone or value to another are a little hars still (I'm having the same problems), still drawing actual lines to separate values. Render a bit more! We all should!

Keep it coming!

Actually, they seem harsher than they are because the scanner doesn't pick up the mid-tones ( for some reason ). ;( But yeah, there's always room for improvement.

Anyway, thanks for the comment, man. :)

[Arthe Xavier]

Here's another charcoal-portrait that I started... I am experimenting with more smooth shading, with extreme contrast. I need to get some white chalk, and I definetely need to fix the nose a bit, and move the position of the mouth a bit to the left. It's still a very much work-in-progress:

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/8918/charcoaldrawingii8.jpg

[Sickbrush]

hey xavier, i've looked through your thread and i must say your portrait work is doing pretty well actually.
you render them nicely but still you should be very careful about the proportions on some. also, try more line sketches of portraits, even only elements such as eyes. just 30 seconds poses, really quick stuff to get you going.
keep it up man, cheers.

[Arthe Xavier]

hey xavier, i've looked through your thread and i must say your portrait work is doing pretty well actually.
you render them nicely but still you should be very careful about the proportions on some. also, try more line sketches of portraits, even only elements such as eyes. just 30 seconds poses, really quick stuff to get you going.
keep it up man, cheers.

Yeah, I've been doing that more lately. :) Just picking the outlines of the features - and while there's a long way to go before I can get them *just* right, I have actually noticed a slight improvement on them. Just means that I have to do more of that, and more often.. x)

[Lege1]

Your sketch work is stunning. I can't get over how much detail you put into your drawings with all the little lines for shading and such. I thought the Link character from the Legend of Zelda was super awesome on your 3rd page. =)

[Arthe Xavier]

Your sketch work is stunning. I can't get over how much detail you put into your drawings with all the little lines for shading and such. I thought the Link character from the Legend of Zelda was super awesome on your 3rd page. =)

Thanks, man... Currently I'm trying to break free from that, though.. I usually spend too much time on my sketches - it's good every now and then, but I'd love to learn to draw quickly - to grab those outlines and shadows in 30-60 seconds. :P

Thank God somebody linked me to the posemaniacs-site - but the thing is, those quick drawings still suck so bad that I'm a bit ashamed of them.. x) I'll post some of them later on, when I have the courage. :)

[Harsh]

Very nice pencil/charcoal work. With such control and vision, I see no reason why that would not translate to a Wacom/digital media. Good stuff!

You have a good eye, the will to learn, and from what I can tell, when you concentrate your artwork is amazing.
You are doing well for yourself by doing studies, working from reference, structure exercises. All you lack is experience, and not much at that.
As for conceptual design, the key there is not so much skill as design finesse. Can you come up with original concepts that no one else has done yet? Can you put them down in an interesting and captivating way? That's about it, really.
Keep at it, man. I'm impressed. :)

[Arthe Xavier]

Very nice pencil/charcoal work. With such control and vision, I see no reason why that would not translate to a Wacom/digital media. Good stuff!

You have a good eye, the will to learn, and from what I can tell, when you concentrate your artwork is amazing.
You are doing well for yourself by doing studies, working from reference, structure exercises. All you lack is experience, and not much at that.
As for conceptual design, the key there is not so much skill as design finesse. Can you come up with original concepts that no one else has done yet? Can you put them down in an interesting and captivating way? That's about it, really.
Keep at it, man. I'm impressed. :)

Thanks, man. :) I got this wonderful 3 DVD set - How to Render Matte Surfaces - and I'm currently studying the influence of light on an object. It starts from very basic stuff, but it's great! I'll upload my 'rendering sketches' later on.

I also went and bought a lot of material from an art-shop - more charcoal, bigger paper, a stand, and some pastels and pastel-paper. I've never used those, but it's an interesting experiment. :p

The Bridgman book hasn't arrived in mail yet, but I can already imagine in my mind's eye... That added to the Matte Surfaces -dvd will do me wonders. :)

[Arthe Xavier]

The charcoal drawing is nearly complete now - still a bit of work to do in her hair, forehead and upper torso. I purposefully highlight the eyes, and blur the sides a bit, and I am quite happy with her stare. :)

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/4440/charcoaldrawingnearlyfixn2.jpg

[JPC]

Hey Man, love what youre doing with the portraits, now for my comments on the pic above....i noticed you fixed her nose ( compared to her original nose a few posts up) but I think the problem with her nose is that it seems to be "looking" in another direction, it seems to be angled in a way, while her eyes and mouth are looking straight at the viewer...( i make the same "shy noses" all the time too)

[Arthe Xavier]

Hey Man, love what youre doing with the portraits, now for my comments on the pic above....i noticed you fixed her nose ( compared to her original nose a few posts up) but I think the problem with her nose is that it seems to be "looking" in another direction, it seems to be angled in a way, while her eyes and mouth are looking straight at the viewer...( i make the same "shy noses" all the time too)

Oh my.. It really does that. x) Hmm.. Fortunately I bought this 'charoal rubber' today, so I'll perform a surgery on her nose soon enough. Poor girl. :P

[Arthe Xavier]

I think that it's a *bit* better now... Not sure if completely fixed, though.

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/6695/noseoperys3.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Here's the finished version. Not much change to the latest work in progress, though.

I took it with a flash, so the light reflects a bit oddly from it, but I don't have a scanner big enough so this is the best I can do for now:

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/4005/womanversion2bq7.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Just some random doodles:

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/8544/randomdoodlesjl9.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Here's just something utterly odd and stupid:

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/1719/utterlyoddandstupidqy2.jpg

[smuli]

Impressive portraits, you seem to master the facial features very well. Occasionally there's some small placement errors though, could be as simple as lens distortion on the reference but you could get rid of those by starting with a simple framework for the head. Loomis teaches a great way but if you're going to read Bridgeman, I'm sure there's something useful for that there too.

Looking forward to seeing how the book will affect your figures too. Many of them seem big-headed but that's always better than the other way around. :) Keep them coming!

[JPC]

hey, the girl's nose is definitely better now!

[Arthe Xavier]

Smuli, I actually started a portrait of Brad Pitt by just outlining his features.. But I still have to correct them a bit as I go along.. x) It's a commission for a friend, so I'll try to make it as good as possible.

JPC, yeah, I managed to make it point forward. :P

Here's a random doodle for the day ( the Brigdman book still hasn't arrived ;o ) - done without reference:

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/3369/hmmmkh9.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Posemaniacs, 60 second studies. I still very much suck at these.. But, you know, practice makes perfect. :P

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/5959/posestudiesle5.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

One more before I call it a day:

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/644/sexyassassingg9.jpg

[Euthyphro]

Hey Arthie, nice book you have going here. I see you are wanting to improve your gestures, you might consider checking out the spartan thread in the community activities. Just a thought. I'll stop back in when I have more time for a crit; keep it coming.

Vale-

[Arthe Xavier]

Hey Arthie, nice book you have going here. I see you are wanting to improve your gestures, you might consider checking out the spartan thread in the community activities. Just a thought. I'll stop back in when I have more time for a crit; keep it coming.

Vale-

Thanks - I shall. :) Waiting forward to your reply, Euth!

[Arthe Xavier]

Two back-studies from reference:

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/8831/poseva7.jpg

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/6364/pose2ma7.jpg

[JPC]

back studies..nice
ass study on second pic above...very very nice!
wish I could just do studies in tones and values like what you did...I am too "line dependent"..

[Arthe Xavier]

back studies..nice
ass study on second pic above...very very nice!
wish I could just do studies in tones and values like what you did...I am too "line dependent"..

The paper which I used is much better for 'tones' than it is for hatched lines - hence the shading. The paper is rougher, I think. :)

And you know... It's always nice to do those studies. ;) For me, the arch of a woman's back and neck are very arousing, while the butt is a distant third. So much beauty out there... Now only if I could get a live model.. x)

[VilleK]

Your lines almost look like real pencil, but I think there lies the problem. However you look at it working with wacom is always inferior to real pen and paper. So you might as well forget the lines altogether and try working up from silhouettes and shapes. At least that is how I do it.

[Arthe Xavier]

Your lines almost look like real pencil, but I think there lies the problem. However you look at it working with wacom is always inferior to real pen and paper. So you might as well forget the lines altogether and try working up from silhouettes and shapes. At least that is how I do it.

Yeah - they are so, but on purpose. :P I mean, I've been sketching like I would with pen and paper, but if I were to do a larger work, I would probably start the way you said. :)

[Arthe Xavier]

Here I'm just practicing blocking the shades and contrasts / basic shapes first. The original picture is a lot bigger - it's Jack ( from Lost ) again. A work ( and study ) in progress:

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/1981/jackwipwb3.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Double post :E

[Arthe Xavier]

A 30-minute digital test in Photoshop CS3.

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/5715/ginmp3.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

I've been doing some Brigdman studies, but I'll scan and upload them later. This is my latest portrait - I did it as a commission for a friend - of Brad Pitt. Apologies for the lazy quality of the upload, but I had to use my digital camera.

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/6933/bradpittcz9.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

I made a 'quick' drawing - took me a little over an hour.

http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/4913/emilieuj8.jpg

It's not very good, but it's my first one with 'natural charcoal' - not charcoal pens. So it's very much a practice-shot...

[Arthe Xavier]

Yes! I've finally found a great brush-preset on Photoshop CS3, thanks to the ConceptArt photoshop forum.

Here's just a quick sketch - I will study the brush further later tonight. But all I can say is.. That I LOVE it. So flowy, so good....

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/1364/mygoodnessdt1.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

Here's a couple sketches from today.

This one I did as a color study - took me about 40 minutes.

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/4610/beautifulgirlqq3.jpg

Here's just random stuff:

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/5572/randomshiatfe9.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

My cellphone... Took me about 45 minutes to get this far. I don't know how some people do much better digital paintings in much less time.. It's still painfully slow for me. :P

It's basically a WIP, so I might continue it and post updates in the near future.

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/9113/cellphonerw8.jpg

[Arthe Xavier]

A quick concept... Just because I don't do these enough:

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/8684/secretgategu2.jpg

[smuli]

I really like the smooth look and strong values on that one-hour charcoal portrait. I think you inspired me to try out the medium myself. :) About those digital speedies, I think you should try starting with a coloured background. Having so much white around takes away from the depth of the piece and gives a graphic look, whether wanted or not. I've actually even heard an advice of never using absolute white and black, so that even the brightest and darkest spots have a hue and saturation. I've found it works for me but it's a subjective thing of course, seeing many awesome artists use loads of black at least. On your coloured portraits, they seem to have very grey shadows and that usually gives a kind of plastic look. Why not try using dark brown instead of black for shading the darkest areas.

Keep up doing the good ref studies and your finished charcoal renderings shine - gosh that Brad Pitt looks real. :)