van's can o worms! (8.10.2005 - New oil)

[van]

Ok. Here we go with my sketchbook. My Can 'O Worms!

FYI: Make sure to look at the most recent stuff I am posting. I am progressing! This first stuff sucks bull balls! Seriously! I mean it, dammit.

I also have a running thread which has some of the problems I have been working on. I guess I will start making all of my commentaries in this thread, but if you want to see previous problems and thoughts go here:

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12097

The first thing I did was scan some random sketchbook pages from the first sketchbook I filled up when I started drawing about a month and a half ago.

Then I scanned a a few of my most recent studies. From now on I will just scan every night and then post.

Anyway, here we go. Here are some drawings from the first few days I was drawing:

I am remote linking all of my old posts (as of 1-12-2004) to save bandwidth for everyone who is on a slower connection. All of my newer stuff will still be displayed inline. If you want to look at how I started out then click on the links.

NOTE: If a sketch is linked...its probably not going to be worth your time to look at it. Some of my earlier stuff was pretty damn bad. So, just keep that in mind. Now, my recent stuff, while not great, is showing progress. So, I give that to you in full glory. :)



http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065101818.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065101880.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065101909.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065101949.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065102020.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065102087.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065102128.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065102681.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065102743.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065102787.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065102832.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065102885.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065102971.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065103251.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065103284.jpg

Thats all of the old stuff I am going to post. I just wanted to give everyone a general feel of where i started at.

[van]

All right. This is stuff from the past few days to start my sketchbook here off. Lots of head construction drawings and spheres. If you are wondering why there are so many then you probably should read what I wrote in this thread:

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12097

So here is some of the last few pages in my sketchbook.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065103328.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065103380.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065103434.jpg

[van]

If these images are not large enough or the scan quality is not up to par, please let me know and I will fix it.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065103639.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065103698.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065103739.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065103790.jpg

[van]

More...

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065103841.jpg

My very first self portrait was in that last one. I did it standing up, holding my sketchbook while looking in the bathroom mirror. About 15 minutes. The other faces were of my sleeping wife...all done very quickly. Quick for me anyways.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065104085.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065104136.jpg

[van]

That's all. I will update on my progress as I go. For those of you hoping find cool pictures in here...sorry to disappoint. Sometime in the future you will, but right now I am still just learning.

[van]

Ugh. Intimidation. Looks like I am the only noob here. Everyone else's sketchbooks have beautiful drawings and such and mine seems to be filled with hundreds of doodles and scribbles.

Starting today's studies with some sphere excercises.

[van]

I have moved out of the 'Heads and Hands' study and went back to Loomis' figure drawing for all its worth. Doing some example sketches and putting all of that info in mind with what I know now of head construction. I will scan tonight and post what I have done today.

[Sammy]

Man you're really crankin' 'em out! That's effort

Keep up with the perspective stuff - boxes and spheres.. once you get ellipses down you'll be set to start drawin mechanical stuff.

as far as people/organics go, your drawing hand can be deceitfull too ya.. Always remember Less = More ..
draw from some reference pictures and study how you don't actually see the eyes just a shadow.. or how the nose is just defined by the shadows around it... We get caugh up in details and want to draw every nook & cranny when sometimes they can't actaully be seen.

keep it up.. also the cone - cylender - cube - sphere thing is always helpfull.

[van]

Originally posted by Sammy
Man you're really crankin' 'em out! That's effort

Keep up with the perspective stuff - boxes and spheres.. once you get ellipses down you'll be set to start drawin mechanical stuff.

as far as people/organics go, your drawing hand can be deceitfull too ya.. Always remember Less = More ..
draw from some reference pictures and study how you don't actually see the eyes just a shadow.. or how the nose is just defined by the shadows around it... We get caugh up in details and want to draw every nook & cranny when sometimes they can't actaully be seen.

keep it up.. also the cone - cylender - cube - sphere thing is always helpfull.

Thanks, Sammy. You are one of my favorite artists in this forum...so any comments/crits from you are much appreciated.

I have been doing some reading of Loomis' Figure Drawing book and spent some time detailing a quick drawing of the standing nude male form.

Now I am back to spheres, boxes, etc. I will probably keep doing those for the rest of the day. I have a few perspective tutorials bookmarked and I think I will go back through those as well. I will post my results later on.

I will also try to do some reference drawings today just looking at the light and shadows like you suggest.

[Robolus]

You only started drawing a month and a half ago???
Unbelievable! Man, you´re talented! Keep up the good work and the motivation. I will check your sketchbook daily. :chug:

[van]

Originally posted by Robolus
You only started drawing a month and a half ago???
Unbelievable! Man, you´re talented! Keep up the good work and the motivation. I will check your sketchbook daily. :chug:

Thanks for the encouragement! I will have new stuff for you every day to go along with my mindless chatter of my progress. :chug:

[Cashmere]

Van, I think if you will continue in this way, you will have great satisfactions. :chug:

[van]

Originally posted by Cashmere
Van, I think if you will continue in this way, you will have great satisfactions. :chug:

Thanks Cash! I know I am having a great time doing it.

[van]

All right...I am going to spare you guys the agony of looking at 4 pages worth of spheres, cones, boxes, and other misc exercises I did today and just give you some of my doodles.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065150567.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065150673.jpg

[van]

Originally posted by Sammy

draw from some reference pictures and study how you don't actually see the eyes just a shadow.. or how the nose is just defined by the shadows around it... We get caugh up in details and want to draw every nook & cranny when sometimes they can't actaully be seen.

Sammy! Thank you very much for the advice. Upon reading this I grabbed a reference pic and went to town for 20 minutes and came up with this. And yeah...it is that small. I tend to draw a little bit small. The only lines I actually used were to the hair, which I hate, but oh well. For 20 minutes I dont think it is half bad.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065150808.jpg

Note: Newer sketchbook pages towards the end of this sketchbook are posted inline and not linked. I am linking all of my old stuff to save peoples bandwidth, especially since the old stuff is truly awful! So dont give up on my sketchbook, yet. :p

I am about to sit down for a few hours of a drawing session and I am going to tackle some more reference drawings.

[van]

Ugh. Well, last night's session was horrible. I quickly laid down my pencil and opted to enjoy some tv rather than beat myself over the head. This morning I seem to be having a bit better luck. Without warming up I have jumped straight into some reference drawings. I see some problems.

I am seeing the light and shade but I seem to be having a problem determining 'value'.

[Kortez]

i still don't even know what value means!

you're making great progress... but there's no excuse for not sticking by your pencil yesterday ;)

if you feel that your drawings are too small (mine always were when i drew from life or from reference) plan the drawing better. Just draw a line and say "this is where the hairline will be, and then draw another line saying "this is where the chin will be"... just putting it down like that works wonders for me

Just keep at it. Before you know you'll be rockin pretty freakin hard :)

:chug:

[van]

Originally posted by Kortez

you're making great progress... but there's no excuse for not sticking by your pencil yesterday ;)

Thanks for the tips. I actually did that today with my reference drawings so far. :) As for sticking by the pencil...I know I should have tuffed it out. Sometimes it seems like it is doing more harm than good, though. No problem, I will just work extra hard at it today.

[van]

DOne quite a bit of reference stuff and now I am going back to Loomis' figure drawing book to start working on building mannequins. The I will do some anatomy studies. I also broke down and did some sphere/ellipses excercises today as well.

*edited to add*

I am doing a reference study right now that is kickingme in the teeth. It is really dark and its hard to judge the values. I will post my meager results a little later.

[van]

A couple of pages for you. Some quick reference/nude sketches.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065240205.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065240334.jpg

The rest of the doodles I did today were a mess. Mostly excercises. I will spare you. :)

[Sammy]

So much improvement.
I'm glad my advice was of help to ya.
Keep drawin everyday and you'll improve in notime!

[Kortez]

hi again,

I just looked at your newest addition and I would recommend doing shading exercises (just shading alot of circles and such). I think it helped my shading very much.

I would also recommend that when shading you don't do lines, but rather eclipses cause that will make your layers of shading seem more continueus (*sp*) and look overall more pleasing :)

Keep going, you're doing absolutely great!

[van]

Thanks guys! I have been plenty busy doing family stuff all weekend. Taking the kiddo's to the fair, etc. So...no update until tomorrow, at least, sketchwise. I am sitting down for a marathon session right now.

I will do some shading excercises to go with my basic shape excercises.

DRAW!!

[van]

All right! Life is hecticbut I am drawing up a storm. I only scanned a few pages, sparing all of you the pain and agony of looking at my shading exercises and basic shapes. :p

So here we go with todays update:

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065492116.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065492281.jpg

Quick reference sketch exercises. About 10 minutes or less each.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065492332.jpg

And finally...starting to put it all together with some 30 minute or so sketches. If you are wondering what the drawing is with the boy and the mask. That is my son getting a breathing treatment. :) Getting in my life studies anywhere I can.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065492440.jpg

All right. See you tomorrow with more work and thoughts.

[van]

Ugh. When will I stop taking two steps backward when I get ahead. :p My faces are really horrible. I am going to spend some time today just doodling faces. When spending time to do reference sketches of just a face I can do them just fine. But, when I want to quickly sketch in the face when doing a fully body sketch it looks absolutely hideous. I cant seem to figure it out.

But, I will...eventually.

[van]

Another problem I am having is the use of 'whitespace' in my drawings. I have a tendency to overshade. I seem to be using the lightest grey as my initial tone value instead of the white of the paper. When I do use the white of the paper I dont like the look of it. Any advice on this would be much appreciated.

[xia]

Nice studies you have.

Face doodle are really good practice. You should do it, find the ones with strong lighting.
As for your other problem, in my humble opinion, for graphite or chacoal you could use lift out technique. Using soft eraser to life out part of the drawing that catch the strongest light. Or another solution would be switching medium from anything that you cannot get the gradiant out of like pen or chinamarker. It will force you to just read the high contrast value from the figure.

Hope that help,

[van]

Originally posted by xia
Nice studies you have.

Face doodle are really good practice. You should do it, find the ones with strong lighting.
As for your other problem, in my humble opinion, for graphite or chacoal you could use life out technique. Using soft eraser to life out part of the drawing that catch the strongest light. Or another solution would be switching medium from anything that you cannot get the gradiant out of like pen or chinamarker. It will force you to just read the high contrast value from the figure.

I will try some different mediums for my shading exercises and see what happens! Thanks for the advice.

As far as the faces go...

Well, I have been working on faces all day off and on and I am having to knock myself back to basics of the face. I am going to take it piece by piece or a little while and see if that helps. I am having big problems with the nose. From life to cartooning I am having a difficult time constructing good noses, but I have no fear. I will get them!

[van]

Sorry about the lack of an update last night, but I got one of Feng's DVD's in the mail and well...I got caught up watching that. :) I will post some sketches tonight!

[van]

Ugh. Frustration sets in.

My son got really sick yesterday so I still wasnt able to scan. No biggie. Just means I will have a big update tonight (barring nothing else goes wrong).

But, in other news I am getting really frustrated. It doesnt seem like I am advancing these past few days. I have been seeing constant change in my drawings since I started a couple of months ago and now I dont see it. It is killing my enthusiasm.

But, still I go on.... :cool:

*edited to add*

Well, I have just been inspired by Xia's sketchbook so today I am going to be focusing on quick gesture sketches. Unfortunately, most of them will be from photo reference...but we do what we can, eh?

[van]

And here we go with an update. Again, I am going to spare you most of my remedial excercises and just post some pages with actual content. Well, the jury is still out on if its content or not. :p Here we go!

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065744960.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065745074.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065745115.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065745256.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065745293.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065745332.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065745365.jpg

[van]

And more...

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065745409.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065745457.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065745491.jpg

And finally...

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065745529.jpg

Thats all for right now. I can't scan anymore...gotta draw.

[van]

I just decided to put away the books and pictures for a little while...

and draw.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1065848988.jpg

Note: Newer sketchbook pages towards the end of this sketchbook are posted inline and not linked. I am linking all of my old stuff to save peoples bandwidth, especially since the old stuff is truly awful! So dont give up on my sketchbook, yet. :p

[van]

Doesn't look like it matters much, but I figured I would post and say I have been sick for the past few days. I will post a few pages tonight.

[van]

Well, now I guess I can post. I have been really discouraged the past few days and really have not draw a thing. I'm not getting much support from either direction. *shrugs*

Anyway, I will scan tonight and post what I have.

[adien]

van you're improving in leaps and bounds. you keep drawing this much and you'll be Pro in no time.

Don't get discouraged dude, you're doing fine! :)

(yea yea, I haven't posted in awhile so maybe i shouldn't talk. but i just got tired of posting copies of other peoples work. :rolleyes: )

wow, big eyes on the last batch!

[van]

Sorry I have not been around for a little while. Family stuff. We are impatiently awaiting the birth of our 3rd child and the doctors appointments/work/everything schedule is brutal.

But...still I draw.

Here are some of the latest in the past 2 or 3 days. Quick little skectches. i am getting more comfortable drawing figures now, although my anatomy still needs a lot of work I am feeling good. I feel I am making a lot of progress considering I have only been drawing for a few months now.

http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_09_01.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_09_02.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_09_03.jpg

Note: Newer sketchbook pages towards the end of this sketchbook are posted inline and not linked. I am linking all of my old stuff to save peoples bandwidth, especially since the old stuff is truly awful! So dont give up on my sketchbook, yet. :p

[van]

http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_09_04.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_09_05.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_09_06.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_09_07.jpg

Note: Newer sketchbook pages towards the end of this sketchbook are posted inline and not linked. I am linking all of my old stuff to save peoples bandwidth, especially since the old stuff is truly awful! So dont give up on my sketchbook, yet. :p

[van]

http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_09_08.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_09_09.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_09_10.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_09_11.jpg

Note: Newer sketchbook pages towards the end of this sketchbook are posted inline and not linked. I am linking all of my old stuff to save peoples bandwidth, especially since the old stuff is truly awful! So dont give up on my sketchbook, yet. :p

[van]

http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_09_12.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_09_13.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_09_14.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_09_15.jpg

Note: Newer sketchbook pages towards the end of this sketchbook are posted inline and not linked. I am linking all of my old stuff to save peoples bandwidth, especially since the old stuff is truly awful! So dont give up on my sketchbook, yet. :p

[van]

http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_09_16.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_09_17.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_09_19.jpg

Note: Newer sketchbook pages towards the end of this sketchbook are posted inline and not linked. I am linking all of my old stuff to save peoples bandwidth, especially since the old stuff is truly awful! So dont give up on my sketchbook, yet. :p

And this one I actually spent a few hours on. I love spanish style drawings where the characters are sort of flat and I tried to use that as I developed this one. I didnt finish it but it sure was fun!

http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_09_18.jpg

[Signature]

van is back!!! :)
Wow that is a lot!
Respect!

The guy with the sunglasses is hilarious
http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_09_09.jpg

[van]

Originally posted by Signature
van is back!!! :)

Back for the attack! Yup. Its been pretty hectic in my neck of the woods and while I still find time to draw I havent been making time to sit down and scan. What a chore! Ittook me a couple of hours to get all this stuff scanned in.

Anyway, I will try and keep it update. Probably wont do a big dump like this one every day, but I figured I owed you all something since I deserted for a bit.

Thanks Sig. Its good to be back over here!

[lavhoes]

Keep it up, bro, you're doing great.

If I may make a suggestion, I would recommend you pick something you'd like to improve on and make a study out of it. Your overall drawing is getting better, but now you've reached a point where you can focus your attention on one or two subjects for a little while and really improve on them.

Keep up the good work.

[Skank]

wow, your improvement over the last 2 months is amazing, great work!
the chick in black with the knee highs is my fav :chug:

keep at it man!!

[van]

Originally posted by lavhoes
Keep it up, bro, you're doing great.

If I may make a suggestion, I would recommend you pick something you'd like to improve on and make a study out of it. Your overall drawing is getting better, but now you've reached a point where you can focus your attention on one or two subjects for a little while and really improve on them.

Keep up the good work.

Thanks man. Do you mean specific parts of the anatomy? I took it that way, so please tell me if I took it wrong. I have spent most of my break and free time today sketching feet and legs.

Originally posted by Skank

wow, your improvement over the last 2 months is amazing, great work!

Thanks Skank! The encouragement and help really gets me going an inspires me to work harder.

I appreciate that comments!

[lavhoes]

Originally posted by van


Thanks man. Do you mean specific parts of the anatomy? I took it that way, so please tell me if I took it wrong. I have spent most of my break and free time today sketching feet and legs.

Sure, anatomy, trees, clouds, beasts, machine parts, whatever you feel would benefit your creative library, as they call it. The more studies you do, the more you have to draw from when you work completely without reference.

Good luck!

[PeggyChung]

Hey there Van, goodjob, i do see the improvement, have you noticed? just looking from your first post to your last there is a difference. keep it up and update soon!

[van]

Originally posted by lavhoes

Sure, anatomy, trees, clouds, beasts, machine parts, whatever you feel would benefit your creative library, as they call it. The more studies you do, the more you have to draw from when you work comletely without reference.


Thanks again! I will certainly look into bearing down on certain *things* in my drawing and see if it makes a difference. I appreciate the suggestion, very much.

Originally by LadyLioness


Hey there Van, goodjob, i do see the improvement, have you noticed? just looking from your first post to your last there is a difference. keep it up and update soon!


I do! I am very happy with my progress now. I became very discouraged around the time of my last post in this sketchbook before my *break* because I felt I wasnt improving. It seems I spentmore time with my nose stuck in a book than my pencil down on paper.

So, I told myself while it is ok to study I am going to make a concentrated effort to NOT let it take over my art.

I am having a good time and I feel the improvement. Its also in the speed of my drawing. I am able to put things down on paper much quicker now in better quality than that stuff that used to take me 2 or 3 times longer a few months back.

Thanks for the comments!

[van]

Here are a few from the last couple of days.

http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_12_1.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_12_2.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_12_3.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_12_4.jpg

[van]

Page from last nights session.

http://sketchforums.com/van/dec_13_1.jpg

[Signature]

Great stuff again.
It takes a while until the images load but it's worth waiting.
There is still room for improvement but I guess there will always be.
(mouth a little big, nose too flat ... things like that)
The three faces to the right in the most recent image are stunning.
Did they take significantly longer?

The bra thingie in the first one looks totally awesome (and no I don't usually stare there :emb: )
The 2nd face ist just amazing as well.

[van]

And now there are 3!

My newest baby girl was born on December 15 at around 5:15 pm. She was 7 pounds 8 ounces. She is wonderful! Baby and momma are doing wonderful now, so it back to my obsession. =)

Actually I never really left. I have been drawing like crazy I just have not had time to scan anything.

I am really seeing progress in my work. I have been alternating between studies and just fun drawing. When I get frustrated with one I move to the other.

I will scan tonight. At least 5 pages for you all while I get back in gear here. For now I am going to post some rough paintings I worked on last weekend with my Wacom and Painter 8. I am totally new to painting and I have not been using the Wacom for anything so if it sucks too bad...that is my excuse.

Here is one:

http://sketchforums.com/van/priest%20and%20the%20devil2.jpg

Here is a sketch:

http://sketchforums.com/van/evil%20over%20good_sketch.jpg

Doing some painting on that last sketch:

http://sketchforums.com/van/evil%20over%20good.jpg

I wish I had more to show to you guys, but until tonight thats it.

Thanks to everyone who has given me crits, comments, and compliments!

[van]

http://sketchforums.com/van/1-6-2004_girl.jpg

A quick rendering I just did to practice values. On the Wacom and in Painter.

[van]

Another one on the Wacom using OpenCanvas. I am really enjoying working with my Wacom more and more. I think I am going to start painting more. I am seeing progress....thank goodness.

http://sketchforums.com/van/getting%20ready.jpg

Oh, and sorry about the no sketch updates. I still havent scanned. I know....Im bad. I will though! At least a few pages.

[van]

I went ahead and edited all of my older posts in this thread to remote link my older sketches. Hopefully that will save some bandwidth for a lot of you. I am finally progressing so I am not worried too much about displaying those. :)

However, they are all still there if you want to see where I have come from. I can honestly say that I am happy with my progress so far seeing how I have only been drawing for about 5 months now.

And here is a painting I just retired. I really was overworking it so I just had to stop. I fear that I ruined it, but I will post it anyway since I am very new to painting.

http://sketchforums.com/van/girl%20red.jpg

I am getting ready to scan some sketches right now.

[van]

Ok. Here is some various junk from the sketchbooks. I have been burning through them like crazy and there is no way I am going to scan everything.

I didnt just pick the 'good ones' either. I just thumbed through them and played eenie meenie miney mo. Hopefully this will fuel some crits.

http://sketchforums.com/van/jan2004_12_1.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/jan2004_12_2.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/jan2004_12_3.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/jan2004_12_4.jpg

[van]

And a few more sketch pages...

http://sketchforums.com/van/jan2004_12_5.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/jan2004_12_6.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/jan2004_12_7.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/jan2004_12_8.jpg

[van]

Either I really suck and no one wants to say so....or I am so good that I am intimidating. :) I have a feeling it is the first one.

[Signature]

You mean because there are no comments recently?
That's pretty normal I guess.

The improvement is amazing.
The painting is totally stunning!
And changing images to links helped with the time I had to wait!

Keep going! :)

[van]

Originally posted by Signature
You mean because there are no comments recently?
That's pretty normal I guess.

The improvement is amazing.
The painting is totally stunning!
And changing images to links helped with the time I had to wait!

Keep going! :)

Well, at least you are still out here sig. :)

[van]

Here is a quick paint. I had a lot of fun with this one. I used Britney on the cover of Esquire magazine as the initial model for post, clothes, etc. Then adapted a little to my brush strokes.

This is reduced for the bandwidth impaired.

http://sketchforums.com/van/brit_esquire_reduced.jpg

Original size
http://sketchforums.com/van/brit_esquire_orginal.jpg

[van]

Damn! I am proud of that one! Woot....finally! Now back to the grind.

[chudzta]

lol sexy stuff. keep chugging my friend - chudds

[Yiako]

I also feel discouraged easily, man. There are days that I feel that I'm not learning a thing after pages and pages of drawing. It's like reading a book and not being able to remember a thing a minute after.
BUT I've discovered that actually, every time you draw anything, you're learning -even subsconsciously-. Maybe you'll discover it only a week later, when you make a doodle and, voila!, you use a bit of information that you don´t know that you know it. The key is: KEEP DRAWING.
I would suggest you reading Lung's Thread; his last advices are pure gold. Helped me a lot.
You are there. You started to draw again five months ago, so your level can´t be amazing yet, but the progression is there. Just keep it up. :)

[-The Swift-]

just looked at your sketchbook from start to finish!unbelieveable progress!!!!!! i love the black and white one of the girl with nice hair!!!!!!!!!!!!!! your wacom work is really good, been considering getting one myself! how did you find them to use instead on pencil and paper??

anyways! great work, and if i'd seen this earlier would have said congratulations on the new baby, but i wasn't so i'll say it now!

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE NEW ARRIVAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D :chug:

[van]

chudzta: Haha, thx man!

Yiako: Already read Lungs thread. Truly inspiring. I may get discouraged here and there but I love this too much to quit, so dont worry...I will keep on keeping on. I am happy with my progress. No matter how much I might bitch about it. :D

Swift: Thx, swift! The Wacom is amazing. I have always been a technut anyways. I am a software engineer by trade...I write assembly programs for electronics equipment...so I love gadgets! :) The Wacom is more than a gadget, though. Its amazing. Since I actually quit being scared of the thing and picked it up a couple of weeks ago I have found that it is my tool of choice. I can already see my art going more digital than anything else. its just what I like to do and I like being on a computer. *shrugs* You have to go with what works for you. Thats the most important thing...at least, that is what I have found to be true.

Thanks for the comments and crits, folks! You make me want to do MORE!

[van]

Ok. So here is the excuse. I have been working on a couple of paintings for the past week. All my pencil stuff has been boring excercises in perspective and anatomy stuff. Well, boring to you guys anyway. When I was posting that crap no one was giving me a second look. :D

Anyway, so hopefully in the next day or so I will post a painting or two. I am just having WAY too much fun working on actual pieces that I have not had time to sketch anything else.

Look for an update soon and thanks to everyone who has given me advice and encouragement. All the hard work is starting to pay off as I see my work and actually...well...I actually like it.

[van]

All right. I feel bad for not updating so here is a little something. Couple of eye doodles testing out brushes, etc in Opencanvas 3.

http://sketchforums.com/van/redeye1.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/greeneye1.jpg

And here is a sketch I just did that I am going to go ahead and flesh out.

http://sketchforums.com/van/twogirls_step1.jpg

I will save at different parts of the process. And, of course, there will be an event file I can make avaliable. I am finding that I much prefer the Opencanvas environment over painter and adobe. Heh. To each their own, I guess.

[van]

A painting I have been working on...

Well, 1 of 5 I have going right now. :)

http://sketchforums.com/van/twogirls_step3_small.jpg

[Robolus]

Your Sketchbook is getting better and better!
Keep going! :chug:

[van]

Originally posted by Robolus
Your Sketchbook is getting better and better!
Keep going! :chug:

:cool: Well, I will take comments like that from one of my favorite artists any chance I get! Thanks, Rob. I am going full steam ahead.

[van]

Well, I am obsessing so I am calling this one done.

http://sketchforums.com/van/icant_small_640x475.jpg

Opencanvas 3 Event File (http://sketchforums.com/van/twogirls.oe3)

[black_lotus]

oh man, this cant be
you´re improving so damn fast, i wish i would. thats unbelievable. go for it man and you´ll be the best in no time

[-The Swift-]

So much improvement!!!!!! really great work. the paintings are really good, the eyes look really realistic(except that they're green and red!) but you get my drift!

just keep it up!!!! really good work!



:D :D

[van]

black_lotus: Wow. Thanks for the compliment. It really means a lot to me. You all are the greatest....you really keep me going.

Swift: Hehe! Thanks a lot! :) I love using bright contrasting colors like that. I can tell I am going to be a color fiend. I just wish I could be so bold in my paintings.

[van]

Concentrating on value right now.

http://sketchforums.com/van/1-23_girl.jpg

[van]

This was a heap of fun! Another value study...to te max. :)

http://sketchforums.com/van/1-23_valuegirl.jpg

[Yiako]

Hey Van, what are you eating? I want some of it! You're progressing in BIG bounds and very fast!

[van]

Originally posted by Yiako
Hey Van, what are you eating? I want some of it! You're progressing in BIG bounds and very fast!

Thanks, Yiako! I don't think I am eating differently...just getting a lot less sleep because I am always drawing or painting when I am not playing with my kiddo's or my wife. :p Maybe my wife is putting something in the food!

[-The Swift-]

great paintings van, keep it up! like the flames btw:)

[steak-tron]

nice work van, your improvement is through the roof! it looks like you really took off when you jumped on the tablet.

the brittany painting is hot. On some of your faces tho I noticed that the mouth was positioned a little low on the face, this is a very common mistake that I still make all the time, keep in mind some chin room.
hopefully thats not too scathing (it's not ment to be)

lookin great dude, keep posting
-steak

[van]

Thanks guys! Took a day off today. Doodled a bit, but kind of stayed off the computer because I was spending time with the wife and kids. Back to grind tomorrow...will have some more updates in here.

Steak: I love the tablet and I can already see that digital art/painting is the way I am going to go. I just cant get enough of it. :) Thanks for the mouth crit. I still have a lot of construction problems that I am trying to work through.

Practice, practice, practice....thats what it takes!

[van]

Ok. Havent been painting...but I have had my sketchbook in hand all weekend. :) So, here are a couple of random crappy pages just to prove it. Some life stuff, and reference stuff.

And some goofy fingers. :)

http://sketchforums.com/van/jan2004_25_1.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/jan2004_25_2.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/jan2004_25_3.jpg

More paintings to come! I am working on one right now that looks like it is going to turn out really well.

[-The Swift-]

good shading van, sketches are pretty good, it's good to see that you're varying materials too.
not sure about the ears on the first one though, unless they're headphones.......................duh

well keep it up, looking forward to seeing that painting!

[van]

Originally posted by -The Swift-
good shading van, sketches are pretty good, it's good to see that you're varying materials too.
not sure about the ears on the first one though, unless they're headphones.......................duh

well keep it up, looking forward to seeing that painting!

LMAO! Well, the first one is not done. I was doodling on that whilst watching tv with the family. My wife liked it so I ended up refining it a bit. I will scan it later tonight.

[van]

Bah! Been really busy here at work today. But, I did waste a little bit of time of this before I abandonded it:

http://sketchforums.com/van/1-24-2004_girlsketch_part5.jpg

Ugh. Anyway...more a little later. Good ones hopefully.

[van]

Couldnt get my pencil working today. Working on a painting right now. Here are some ugly sketches...one is a revisit that I tried to refine for my wife. Didnt work out too well. :)

http://sketchforums.com/van/jan2004_26_1.jpg
http://sketchforums.com/van/jan2004_26_2.jpg

[buffaloe]

hey van.... wow! Absolutely amazing progress!! I love the pictures where you use lots of value to define the forms rather than line... like in your "Spanish style drawing" awesome! The bikinis on 12/13 look really good.... the one on the left looks like a leather top! And I love the face on 1/6.. mainly the hair and lips. I wish I could make as much progress in just a few months! Keep going!

[van]

Originally posted by buffaloe
hey van.... wow! Absolutely amazing progress!! I love the pictures where you use lots of value to define the forms rather than line... like in your "Spanish style drawing" awesome! The bikinis on 12/13 look really good.... the one on the left looks like a leather top! And I love the face on 1/6.. mainly the hair and lips. I wish I could make as much progress in just a few months! Keep going!

Thanks, Buff! I am keeping on keeping on. :)

I had to put away the painting for a bit and concentrate on certain problems I am seeing in my work. Thanks to the wonderful feedback from here I have been able to pinpoint my major anatomy problems.

Today I have been trying a new excercise in value work. I am doing quick sketches from refs then only allowing myself 2 values to pinpoint the major value points in the sketches. Pretty interesting and I am learning to really *look* at my subject to map the values. Here are a few of them:

http://sketchforums.com/van/1-27-2004_1.jpg

http://sketchforums.com/van/1-27-2004_2.jpg

Not concentrating on details...in fact, I am not allowing myself to change the size of the airbrush which would give me too much control to add detailing. I am only wanting to get better at judging values.

[van]

All right. Just to show you I am doing something...I folded. I went back to painting. :) I cant help it. I love it. Anyway, started sketching this girl from reference and now I am dropping the reference and rendering her out my way...

Here is part one...just got some of the face details in:

http://sketchforums.com/van/1-27-2004_4.jpg

Sorry about the mouse pointer in her hair. I just did a screenshot instead of resizing and all that jazz.

[van]

ugh. Its been a crappy drawing day. Here are some doodles I did on my break here at work.

http://sketchforums.com/van/1-28-2004_sketches.jpg

[van]

About 25 minutes in Opencanvas. Was rushing to do this the last bit of time at work that I had to goof off..

http://sketchforums.com/van/1-28-2004_2_sketches.jpg

[lavhoes]

Wow, man, you're coming along great.

I love that last piece of yours.

[el_kyrre]

Van the Man!

you got some cool stuff going on here!
but you need to do mire pencil stuff i think, because i see some anatomical and perspective problems in some of those paintings you did...
I need to pay attention to that, too. I think that proportion and perspective are the two things that should be right in the first place... because it is the first thing you recognize as being wrong.

Hey but you got some great color stuff going on!
keep it up!

el_kyrre

[van]

lavhoes: Wow, man. Thanks a lot!

el_kyrre: From your keyboard to my eyes...I know. Anatomy and perspective. The two main things blocking my abilility to get what I imagine down onto paper. I have made a commitment to myself to do studies every day of anatomy, perpective, and construction stuff. Even if it means I have to neglect my tablet for a bit. I know that it will pay off in the end. I am getting there...stay with me and keep pushing me.


I want to draw what I imagine and I will do it!

Thanks for the crits and praise!

[steak-tron]

great stuff van,

I can only reiterate what el_kyree said. perspective, proportion etc... I did anatomy studies every day over the summer and it helped tremendously. But the experience is like driving your head into a brick wall - it's frustrating. All you have to do is log the hours tho. And you exhibit an incredible ability to learn quickly.

just keep it up dude, that face on the chick with the pink hair was lookin good.
and don't be afraid to paint, it's something i should do more.
-steak

[van]

Thanks, steak.

I guess my problem is this. I dont know if I am going about my anatomy studies correctly. What should I be doing? I mean...I dont have any classes around here to speak of and dont have the time to get into school. I am doing this all on my own and it seems that I am having some difficulty with the anatomy hurdles.

How should I work on my anatomy studies? Is it just repetitive copying from anatomy books? Do I have to learn each name of each bone...each muscle...each tendon. I am getting kind of frustrated with this.

Maybe you all can lend me some ideas?

[el_kyrre]

these are the two things to remember...

I don´t think you have to learn all bones and all muscles by their names.

I guess you just have to look at people, how they are moving and what happens when they move.

And then you have to relate that to the muscles and stuff.
I left away all the muscles that were not nessecary, because you don´t see them.
And another thing is: break all the forms down to something you can remember!
It is not so much about how other peole see it... it is about how you see it!

An anatomy chart is also very helpful... i allways have one by my side.
It really helps a lot - learning by doing!

http://people.freenet.de/kyrre/anatomy.jpg

hope I made some sense!
keep it up

el_kyrre

[steak-tron]

It's kind of a delicate balance.

you obviously don't have to know every bone and muscle, we're only concerned with surface anatomy. It does help to know these muscles and bones, bones are especially important.

The way I went about it this summer was to begin with the skeleton. draw it over and over but in different poses and from different angles. then try drawing a loose outline around it (wraping muscles to bones etc...)

Books are good for this, but use them as a reference. Lungbug has a good explanation on the pros and cons of straight reference copying but i'll try and put my angle on it. Drawing from reference is good, but it's easy to become too reliant on it. I strongly suggest drawing from reference, then drawing the same thing from a different angle or in a different pose. Or try drawing something that is difficult and trying to figure out what your getting stuck on, do research on that particular area, and try the process over agian.

Understanding the basic underlying structure is pretty essential, what muscles attach to what bones and what bones appear on the surface. This may seem like a daunting task, but you'll be surprised how much it helps once you start to be able to use the knowledge. Try being a little systematic with the approach. Draw whole figures, then draw legs, back to whole figures, then to arms, then back agian, etc... It's like a big algebra equation, once you have a good formula you can "plug" it in to lots of situations.

I would suggest reading Lungbug's (i don't know the url) thread, he has lots of good notes on the actual sketches and well written comments on the process in his replies. I found kchen's thread in the turorial section extremelly useful too, some of my sketches are stratight from it.

there is a book called, guess what, Anatomy for the Artist, by Simblet. and Loomis on Anatomy is good. There is also another book called Artist's Anatomy by Peck thats great.

This stuff does'nt come naturally for anyone, it's pretty frustrating. but it just takes time and effort. just keep it up, be methodical, and keep challenging yourself.

I hope this helped, it's sort of jumbled
-steak

[van]

Thanks guys. I am diving headfirst into more anatomy studies. I have a few books here, plus my wife is an RN so I have her old textbooks to thumb through and draw from.

[-The Swift-]

great progress, again! paintings are great, lookign forward to those anatomy studies.

your a good example

keep it up:)

[jarvis2824]

Van,

Sorry I can't say much more than what's already been posted. Try applying some of your painting knowledge to your drawings to try and improve them. Focus on things like line thickness and variation, as well as blocking in shapes with tone. It might help...

Sincerely,
Chris

P.S. I also await your anatomy studies. I have some of my own in my own sketchbook you can check out here (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12944) .

[xia]

Nice stuff u got going here buddy! Keep them coming. I really dig the muscle anatomy thing u did.
Peace!

[van]

I'm back. Here are few things from today...

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-15-1085432532.jpg

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-15-1085432463.jpg

This went horribly wrong and I got bored.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-15-1085432512.jpg


Something I finished last week.

The initial speedpaint:

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-15-1085076825.jpg

Final:

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-15-1085157561.jpg

[Yiako]

I'm happy to see that you were not posting but you've not stopped drawing. And how it shows!. Your improvement is tangible post after post; I can´t really guess where are you going to be in say six months if you keep it!

[van]

Originally posted by Yiako
I'm happy to see that you were not posting but you've not stopped drawing. And how it shows!. Your improvement is tangible post after post; I can´t really guess where are you going to be in say six months if you keep it!

Thanks, Yiako! I can definitely see the improvement when I look back my first post. :) I am very stoked about that and I am looking forward to the next 6 months and beyond.

As for the absence, well, my babies were a little more demanding of my attention so my net time was the first to go. I didnt draw for about a month while I worked on a music project, but then I picked everything back and have been working as hard as ever.

Glad to be back, but for the most part I am only going to be posting my paints and digital sketches because I absolutely HATE scanning. :) Of course, when I start going digital with my pencil work (painting what I draw) then I will post some pencil sketches.

[metalwinds]

hey man, some nice stuff you got going here.. . that last painting is especially nice. got a couple of crits though... .in places, the figures really flatten out (like the mans arm.. towards the elbow and such, womans rib cage). drawing and painting from life will really help you with this because youll get a feel for form, space, and mass. also, i think i bit more blue in the shadows of the figures could really help to pull out the forms more.

keep studying that anatomy. .i know studies have helped my work very very much. also, paint and draw a lot from reference ... .study the colors and shifts in color and how light falls on objects. the more you do, the easier it will become, and it will also become easier to work without the reference.

[van]

Originally posted by metalwinds
hey man, some nice stuff you got going here.. . that last painting is especially nice. got a couple of crits though... .in places, the figures really flatten out (like the mans arm.. towards the elbow and such, womans rib cage). drawing and painting from life will really help you with this because youll get a feel for form, space, and mass. also, i think i bit more blue in the shadows of the figures could really help to pull out the forms more.

keep studying that anatomy. .i know studies have helped my work very very much. also, paint and draw a lot from reference ... .study the colors and shifts in color and how light falls on objects. the more you do, the easier it will become, and it will also become easier to work without the reference.

Thanks for the crits, metal. The womens rib cage was a problem from the beginning, but I finally decided to leave it as is because I felt I was overworking it.

Those suggestions are exactly what I am doing. I draw from life when I am at home. (Trying to draw little kids while they are playing is a great excercise in *seeing*) And I am drawing/painting with reference all the time. I am finding that my lines are moving a lot more fluidly. I am erasing less and less and in general...moving forward.

Thanks for stopping by...

[Ra Havok]

Hey Van, neat sketchbook you have here. Good progression throughout.
I agree with what metalwinds said. Have fun drawing from life! :)
Also, in your colorworks, I'm not feeling the colors oftentimes. (little variation) .The same stuff about the lifedrawing and observating applies to colors: look around you and absorb the colorschemes. Then you'll be able to apply them in your paintings.

[JackalAnubis]

I know you've already heard it but you certainly have been improving throughout. The last painting really shows growth, and all I can say is to keep going and you will certainly continue to build your skills!

[van]

Ra Havok: Thanks man....Im after it..

JackalAnubis: Yah, Ive been hearing that! :) Hey, it helps with the confidence factor to make sure my brain knows that I am improving.

Here is some Open Canvas doodles from today:

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1085520408.jpg

[SeraphSword]

Something about the one on the lower left says Angelina Jolie to me, but maybe I'm crazy. Good stuff though, and we all need to do hand studies :thumbsup:

[steak-tron]

that painting is great van! your killin a whole lot more towns-folk since the last post. I esp like the shot of the girl's back. Keep it up and you'll wipe out the whole town:D

[van]

SeraphSword: LOL. I actually used her as a ref for that pic. :p I guess that's cool that you and my wife said that. Thanks!

steak: Haha! Are you implying that I am sacrificing townsfolk here and using the blood to make a pact with the devil so that he will grant me my wish of becoming a great artist?

Nah! :)

[van]

SOme pencils...

Man...I dont know what happened but my scanner is scanning crappy. I switched to using copy paper to draw on because I am drawing so much, is that the reason these scans are bad? Is there a better way to scan stuff on copy paper?

FIXED THE SCANNER PROBLEM AND RESCANNED THIS BATCH!

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086279824.jpg

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086279898.jpg

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086279952.jpg

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086279990.jpg

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086280065.jpg

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086280095.jpg

[van]

Ugh. These scans are crappy, but I am sure you can see the gist of the stuff. If I can get some help with my scanner I wil rescan.

[-The Swift-]

hey van! long time no post! great to see you back in action! these lastest are great, i can really see your improvement. don't worry about the scans, they look just fine to me.
i like your sahding on them, dark, but realistic, great work,
glad to have you back.

:)

[van]

Originally posted by -The Swift-
hey van! long time no post! great to see you back in action! these lastest are great, i can really see your improvement. don't worry about the scans, they look just fine to me.
i like your sahding on them, dark, but realistic, great work,
glad to have you back.

:)

Hey swifty! It's good to be back around.

Hehe. Well, about the shading...it's really not that dark...thats the point. The scan is making everything darker. It almost looks like this stuff was inked! And its not!

[Calle_]

Hi dude, great sketches, you have really gotten better since day 1 :D just keep drawing and drawing. and have fun :D

Calle.

[van]

Calle: Thanks!!

Digital doodles from break time here at work:

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1085692325.jpg

[van]

Totally disgusted. Had a great group of digital sketches going and my damn computer crashed. I'm not a happy camper today.

[van]

Trying some new things...a quick digital sketch page during a break here at work.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1085777690.jpg

[lupicani]

digital is the greatest medium for loseing up i dig these. Are you referncing? because that helps me out tons when it comes to " dynamics"-funny bill nye voice. Went from your first page to youre last and loved the transition!!!!!! Yeah!!

[lupicani]

sorry saw the refernce statement i should read more before i ask questions.

[cotron]

hey, your progression from page one to here is great! kep it up, your paintings are looking pretty good.... I suggest trying some real-world painting in oils or acrylics to really help your digital stuff... but keep it up! the drawing at the top of this page of the girl looking over her shoulder is very solid. i'll keep checkin back, i'm interested to see where you'll go next :)

[van]

lupicani: Thanks man! Thats the reason I am not abandoning this sketchbook. I have thought many times about starting a new thread and leaving that stuff behind, but nah...I'm hoping that people will get past the first few dumps...seeing from the votes my thread has recieved (I dont really care about that stuff) I think some folks have not! :) And yes, I am big on reference and life drawing right now.

cotron: Thanks for taking a peek and for the suggestions. Oils are just not going to happen right now. Got nowhere to do it and I am afraid to have those fumes running around with my 3 munchkins everywhere. :) I am pursuing some watercolor stuff right now though. I need something to help get me into color...I am really not getting color these days. :)



I have some trad sketches from my sketchbook I will scan up a little later. Hopefully they wont look as crappy as the last scans. Some people have given me some suggestions to improve the scan quality.

[steak-tron]

delicate handling on the last batch. I assume PS from the lil' lines.

[van]

Originally posted by steak-tron
delicate handling on the last batch. I assume PS from the lil' lines.

Opencanvas! :) I got quite a bit of trad sketching done over the weekend, but Im too lazy to scan! I will try. :)

[spok]

wait a tick....you got some fuckin cool stuff man!
diggin the colors...

[buzzz3d]

Good stuff. Girl against the wall is very cool, wish she had hair though :)

[van]

spok: Thanks man! :)

buzzz3d: Yah, I couldnt decide if I wanted to do a tribal, no hair type thing or something else. :)


I am in a major funk right now. It's hard to get the pencil in my hand. Funny...I guess it strikes all of us.

[elboy]

wow. I read your comment in steak-tron's thread about drawing 4-6 hours a day w/ a full-time job, wife and 3 kids... wow. that's truly inspirational. if you're able to pull that off, I don't think many of us can come up w/ the excuse that we don't have the time or energy to draw. Keep it up, cause you have some nice stuff. I liked what you were doing w/ the green, blue, and red trio of monochromatic paintings (the blue one is great). I like to think that you have to love art to do well in it, and it seems to me like you love it. Yea, I guess people get into funks, but you gotta fight the funk. fight the funk, van. take care.

[sOltan]

van - i've seen your color paintings in the previous 2 pages they're pretty good! the ones I particularly like are the last ones where you seem to have kept the number of colors to a minimum and reused them in careful hues.. as far as I am concerned that is the secret. You are also good with making bright areas bright where necessary, although I felt you kind of hesitate to be generous on the brightness on some pieces. Keep up, love your sketchbook!

[van]

elboy: Thanks, man! I certainly do love it. Besides my wife and kids there is nothing I love more. Thanks for the encouragement...I am fighting the FUNK!

s0ltan: Dude, thanks a lot for taking an interest in my stuff. It's wierd to me actually, because I am use to only a couple of folks paying attention to my sketchbook just to be nice. People are actually responding to it now...so I must be making some progress. Thanks for the crit, too about being shy when it comes to dramtic light. I am trying to break that. In fact, I did a speedpaint today where I tried to use the light side more than the dark.



Speedpainting, trying to break the drawing blues! :)

http://angrygeeks.org/mol/6-2-2004_1.jpg

[TheUbermind]

yes the best way to break a drawing block has got to be drawing chicks in scantly clad clothing

:D theubermind

[van]

Uber: Lmao! Hey, its the truth.

Here are some pencil sketches...got my scanner fixed.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086277401.jpg

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086277421.jpg

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086277441.jpg

And an old page that I scanned and never posted. I'm posting it now to be mean to myself. :) Wow, can you say HAND STUDIES FOR GOD SAKES!

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086277471.jpg

[van]

I fixed those bad scans a few pages back so you all might want to check them out again....or not! :) Anyway, one more page I scanned just to be mean to myself. This is actually an old one from a few weeks ago.

HANDS. HANDS.

HANDS!

The horror of it all! HANDS!

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086280239.jpg

[steak-tron]

wow, that last paint of the girl in the red dress is killer! striking realism on the wisps of hair and the colors are very nicely handled. well done van.:D

[van]

Originally posted by steak-tron
wow, that last paint of the girl in the red dress is killer! striking realism on the wisps of hair and the colors are very nicely handled. well done van.:D

Rock on! Thanks, steak!

[lupicani]

Van,
Are those all sketches from awhile ago? Or are some of them recent? You can tell how much the tablet losens you up!! Your speed paint with the women: you should crop that other one in the background out and make the composition really intimate around the figure in the foreground. then add some of those violet tones into you're yellows maybe also some pale aqua marines around the side of the figure where the light source is reflected most for some lovely charascuro effects!! It would help to pop you're piece!! Because the one in the background does not compare to the one in the forground!!
Yeah you should be pleased!

(If you do do it post it i would love to see...BLA)

[Calle_]

Had to check it out ^^;. I think the forth picture in the second last post, and the girl to the middle left looks really cool, great shading. so have a great day =) draw!

Peace, Calle.

[van]

lupicani: Thanks for checking it out and for the suggestions. That girl was only a speedpaint and I really hadnt planned on finishing her, but I might try it this weekend. :) Oh. And some of those were recent!

Calle: Thanks, man! Keep drawing!

Small update. I fell asleep last night!

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086358217.jpg

[van]

Some quick speedpaints to get my creative side working. I love doing these things and i think I am getting a bit better at them.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-15-1086379003.jpg

[Syrogen]

nice color studies! open canvas?

[van]

Originally posted by Syrogen
nice color studies! open canvas?

Yup, OC3 Plus. Its all I use. I have Painter 8 and Photoshop 7, but I just cant get a feel for them. Too damn complicated for me. I remember someone saying that the tool should work for you, not against you and its seems I am always fighting Painter and PS. So, I dumped em. :)

[van]

Well, 20 minutes of a break here at work is 20 minutes of drawing time. Woot! Digi-break-doodles!

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086383611.jpg

[digitalgannon]

WOW VAN! your thread holds true to your Disclaimer, the quality of your work from just page 1 to page 3 & 4 is outstanding! If you keep progressing at this rate, you'll be a taking on the best ca.org has to offer! Keep it up dude...I have found a new thread to keep an eye on- SO KEEP POSTING!!!

[Calle_]

Neat, all your digital paintings are so cool, dont know how you do it bud, but hopefully i'l be there too some day, keep it up. Peace.

Calle.

[Yina]

sexy babes! cool digital stuff dude~

[troymcoy]

Amazing Van..those latest sketches are sweet.
How much do you draw a day by the way?
You have improved so much, i'm sure you'll be up there with the Cart.org greats if you keep pushing.

[Chris J. Anderson!]

I really like the chick with the black hair and the red dress, leaning over on the page 5. A few others you have a pretty damn sexy. A few of your line drawings with less sketchy lines that show great form with one and a few lines work really well, like the chicks on top of page 5. Good stuff.

[sOltan]

van - big fan of your digital stuff. i see you say it's all OC3.. now i want to try that. is it free? otherwise if it's affordable i'll see what i can do, cuz i do like what you could do with them, very cool van! keep them coming

[metalwinds]

van, you are progressing at a very fast pace.. ..from the first page to your recent works.. .i can see huge improvements in every aspect of your work. not much to say other than continue your studies and draw as much as you can, but im sure you already know that.

interesting to hear that you were in a slump. ..i was in one today. it had been a really long time since i had had the drawing blues, but i managed to continue drawing throughout the day, and i feel like i learned a lot from just working through the problem.. ..i recognized a few problems in my work that i hadnt noticed in the past few days, and when i realized that and started working out the problems, i felt like i improved very much from that small. .yet important. .realization. sometimes its good to take a step back when you are struggling and recognize what the problem is.. .. that way it is much easier to fix. just advice in case you find yourself in another slump, and whatever the case/condition, keep drawing your ass off.

[van]

Wow, guys. Thanks for the encouragement!

digitalgannon: Thanks, man! I really appreciate the encouragement. :)

Calle: I am just trying to do whats best for me, as an artist. I am sure you are doing the same thing! So, see, you do know how I do it...now lets have some fun with it...and draw! :) Thanks, Calle. Your comments and encouragement are appreciated.

Yina: Thanks! Sexy chicks rule!

troymcoy: I draw when I can. With a full time software engineering job, 3 wonderful children, and a loving wife...I am scrambling to draw. :) But, with some effort I usually squeeze in, at least, 4 hours a day. Even if it means 3 hours sleep. :)

Chris: Wow. More and more people are liking that girl in the red dress. I guess I have to take some time out to finish it.

sOltan: Man, its a honor to have you as a fan! Wow...I cant believe I even have fans! :p OpenCanvas 3 Plus is $70. Another reason I think it is just freaking AWESOME. If only I had tried it before spending all that cash on Painter and Adobe. Good grief. Here: http://www.portalgraphics.net/en/oc/oc3/products.html

metalwinds: Man, just tonight I gathered some inspiration by looking at your sketchbook. :) I think I finally shook the blues tonight. I decided to put my pencil down today and just spend some time with my kids without thinking about anything else. Well, tonight I came to my desk and my head was clear...I started into my excercises and had a great time.


All right, this weekend has been a boring sketch weekend, so far. I promised myself that I would do tons of line, circle, and perspective excercises and that is what I have been doing. Hehe, I am not posting pages full of lines and circles. But, before I crash (exhausted), I'm going to do some sketching and will post the results later on today.

Thanks, again, for everything you guys.

[steak-tron]

van, the oc pics are rockin the house. you seem to get better results from the bigger pics. Red dress is still my favorite but the other of the girl leaning into the viewer is quite nice. Keep rocking the skectches man.

[van]

steak: Thanks, man! Yah...I really enjoy doing the speedpaints. :) Im sure I will do a LOT more. But, doing studies for now...

And speaking of that...as I said last night...I was exhausted and tried to doodle a bit. My pencil was laughing at me!

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086550826.jpg

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086550846.jpg

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086550865.jpg

[buzzz3d]

Sure looks like a penis to me ;)

Great work on the faces and the hand.

Cheers!

[Calle_]

Woha, hand studies, wicked. Hope i can learn something from this ^^ hands are so darn tricky. Do you read some book about drawing or likewise? i read "Figure drawing for all it's worth" by Andrew Loomis right now, and its is very nice, but do you have any other tips?
Have fun, peace.

Calle

[van]

buzzz: LMAO. Hehe...I was wondering if anyone was going to catch that. :)

Calle: The Loomis books are great. Lucky for me, my wife is a nurse and she still has tons of anatomy books laying around. I just read, draw, and learn. As far as art specific anatomy I can recommend this one: Anatomy For The Artist. I have learned a great deal from this one.

http://www.barronseduc.com/0764156039.html

It also depends on what you are looking for. I learned quite a bit from this book:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0823024970/104-0304942-0469573?v=glance

It takes a cartoony approach to learning anatomy.

Otherwise, draw from life and reference...draw, draw, draw! :) And, of course, have loads of fun!

[lupicani]

van,

i enjoy the female on you're first page of the most recent post with her arms abouve her head. I like her little facial expression. Also let me just say that you're work is mov'n north star style.

Also thanks for the comment on my painting...you are one of the only people that comment and it helps me fell like i'm part of the big brick-o-cheese.

[dakoscwash]

Thanks a lot for replying in my thread van. You have some amazing progression here yourself.. Honestly, the time and effort you put into your artwork is definitely paying off. Your line and rendering skills have come sooo far. Hopefully I can work as much as you now that summer is just a week away. Keep on working hard and kicking ass man.:chug:

[van]

lupicani: Moving north! That's good...I think! :) And, man, no need to thank me for replying...thank you for posting stuff.

dako: Rock on! Then here is to summer and lots of drawing fun! :)


A quick noodle page, hand study in between breaks of excercises and playing with my kiddo's.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086574472.jpg

[Summer Pudding]

Your loose figure drawings are looking good man. And the skintones and lighting on that redheaded girl are first rate.

[van]

Originally posted by Summer Pudding
Your loose figure drawings are looking good man. And the skintones and lighting on that redheaded girl are first rate.

Thanks, SP. :) I appreciate you taking the time to check in on me. But, if I may ask...heh....what red head? I'm blanking out here. :p

I will have some more speedpaints later today!

[van]

Probably 45 minutes. Spent too much time...started over twice on the face. Ugh.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-15-1086632220.jpg

[Yina]

hey, the last one looks good :D you managed to get the tones down pretty well!

great studies as well.. keep up the hard work :)

[Retinal Haze]

great stuff, i like your style.

[van]

Yina: Thanks, man! Im finally getting some good skintones! :)

Retinal Haze: Wow, man. Thanks a lot. I really enjoy your work, too.


And here is a work in progress. I figure I might as well snap a few pics during the progression of this as it might help some folks out. Anyway, here is the rough that I took from reference. About 5 minutes work here and I am now abandoning the reference and going from the gut.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-15-1086637628.jpg

[dakoscwash]

Wow, your last painting of the woman is great, and that work in progress is awesome. I don't know why this thread has 3 stars... oh well. Keep up the good work man you're definitely improving. You make me even more anxious for my wacom.:D

[xia]

Nice work VAN!!! I see lots of improvement in your figure, rendering skill, and color. U r getting better. I especially like the girl in pink on the previous page.

And the latest one with the palette, I think u r going into the right direction in painting. Having your own palette with the limited color on the side is one of the great tool.:chug:
Keep them coming!!!

[van]

Dako: Thanks, again. The encouragement definitely does work wonders! :) As for the stars....heh...lets just pretend its like golf! The lower the better! :p

Xia: An honor, my friend. I certainly appreciate you taking a look. As for the limited palette...its the only way to fly. Pick your colors early, no more than 4, and stay with that. Otherwise things can get MUSHY. :)



Here is part 2. Little bit of progress. Only got to spend about 15 more minutes on it.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-15-1086641016.jpg

[dakoscwash]

Nice man, it's comming along. Just wanted to post to tell you I got you to 4! Hahah.

[Calle_]

Good work, nice colors and all =) keep us updated. weee. peace.

Calle

[hurricane]

great progress VAN ! amazing

you deserve a beer ! cheers !! :chug:

:) dont stop drawing ! you'll be kickin' ass in no time

[van]

dako: LMAO! Thanks, man! There goes my golf idea.

Calle: Thanks, again!

hurricane: Thanks for the encouragement! Hopefully I can get up there with you and the rest of the great ones. :) And thanks for the BEER!


Step 3: Added more details to the waves. Worked on the lighting...so far...I am happy. And this has been damn fun.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-15-1086643034.jpg

[Nadim]

Amazing progress van and I'm loving the Digi-break-doodles!

[-The Swift-]

love the sea scape van, godd choice of colour. good general progression aswell really, i admire yoir dedication

[troymcoy]

Wow, that seascape great,

and your progression as per usual is amazing - how long has the journey been so far? Since you seriously got into this I mean.. since last year sometime?

[van]

Nadim: Thanks, man! I never get tired of encouragement. Hopefully you guys dont either, because I have sure been spreading it around. :p

Swift: Hey, man! Thanks, dude!

troymcoy: Thanks, man! I worked on the seascape last night and it is not coming along really well. I probably should have listed to my wife and just left it alone after the last update! :p I dunno, I am going to do some cloud studies today and see if it can improve what I am trying to do.

I got serious about drawing last September. Before then I had really never drawn before. I drew when I was a little kid, but it was always me copying cars out of CARtoon magazine. :) That was when I was like 10 to 12 years old. So, anyway, picked up the pencil last September and have not stopped aside from about a 2 month break because my new baby was born and because I was finishing a music project.

So, I guess you could say I have been drawing for about 7 months total and painting for probably 5 months. It took me a couple of months before I bought a Wacom. I knew I was never going do much trad painting. Its just not my style. I am a real techie, geek type guy. Aside from playing in rock bands that is...that saves me from true geekdom!

[Groover McNab]

Hey van. I don't know what you're talking about when you said your seascape wasn't going well (in my sketchbook). That's looking pretty cool. Can't wait to see it finished. Awesome hand studies too! I need to do more of those...

[van]

Originally posted by Groover McNab
Hey van. I don't know what you're talking about when you said your seascape wasn't going well (in my sketchbook). That's looking pretty cool. Can't wait to see it finished. Awesome hand studies too! I need to do more of those...

Ok...here is an example. This is where I am right now and I wasnt going to post it, but hey, I guess I could use some help.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-15-1086713124.jpg

Now where the horizon and trees ,etc meet te sky on the left side is where most of my work was done last night...and across the tree line. All cloud work. Even with the highlights I am having a hard time trying to make those clouds look far away and the ones up top as being more overhead. :) So, thats my frustration with this piece right now.

[van]

Ok, ok...so here is what happened. I did some cloud studies, even went through some tutorials. Well, whenever I came back to this piece everything I did looked like shit. It just wasnt happening. So, I got pissed off and went outside to smoke. I looked up and to my surprise I noticed something. Clouds are not different colors. So simple and yet, something we take for granted.

So, I came in and started reading about the anatomy of a cloud. The reason clouds have different color is because of shadows cast. The reason some appear all white while others are dark is because of moisture. The more moisture a cloud has the denser it becomes thus not allowing light to go through it. This makes the cloud cast very dark shadows. And, of course, the more dense clouds there are the less sun we see and the white we see in the clouds because all light is trapped above them.

Wow. Anyway, so I went back to it...and I am happy with the progress of it. Here is the next step:

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-15-1086723936.jpg

[Chris J. Anderson!]

Wow Van, this has great atmosphere. One thing though, when I looked up at your step before this, I kind of liked the way the clouds looked more soft. In the new one, you used harder paint marks which makes the clouds look like they have an edge. Actually, the more I look at them both, I like the last one you did better because it's more crisp and clear, but maybe soften up the far clouds just a bit maybe. It looks great.

[Yiako]

That's right. The only crit is that the clouds seem almost solid, try to use some kind of paintbrush on them.
I wonder if you had started drawing like... say 4 years ago... :scared:

[sOltan]

Beautiful MOOD! I couldn't have said it better than Chris J. Anderson, ok van, we got your work cut off for you :chug:

[van]

Chris, Soltan, and Yiako: Thanks guys! :) I did a little bit of softening but kept some of it because I didnt want to lose that scratchy brushlike feel. The crits helped a great deal and well, here is beta 1 of the final piece.

Yiako: Yah, I know...I have thought about it, but it only makes me mad. So, I dont anymore. Just got to look ahead. I got plenty of time left to do what I want to do.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-15-1086729381.jpg

I am going to let it sit until tonight and come back to it with fresh eyes. What a fun painting and a great learning experience this has been.

[lupicani]

van i missed this whole thing!!! I din't even take the time to check how bad ass you're atmosphere and lighting is!!! I soo wanna jump on the painting boat!!! Very very nice !!!

[Syrogen]

nice work with the painting! i love the whole atmosphere of the whole thing, very gloomy. the water looks awesome, nice n smooth

[insane visions]

i like it:O)

[van]

lupicani: Hehe, thanks man! And, ugh, this is the first time I have done any kind of scenery painting...so I didnt know if I was any good at it either. :p I am pretty proud of the lighting though so I will take that compliment in stride.

Syrogen: It's so cool to here you say its gloomy while other folks say it looks hopeful, other say it looks sad, etc. You know a painting is pretty damn good when everyone interprets it their own way. That probably why I like using a more painterly approach rather than detailing to death. I know I could probably spend 5 more hours on this thing, but would it benefit the piece? I dont think it would... Thanks a lot!

insane visions: Dude, what an honor. You know I was wondering if your ass was ever going to come and check my thread out. I was beginning to think you didnt like me and I was going to have to pimp smack you around to get your attention. ;) Truly, man, your work is an inspiration to me and it means a lot that you took the time to come in here and comment.


Thanks everyone. Im calling this one done and moving on....

[Yina]

wow, the painting's looking great! good colours and mood to it,, looking forward to the finished version. it would be cool if you introduced some other tones of colours other than green and yellow, perhaps a blueish/peach-ish tint somewhere.. just a suggestion. :chug:

[van]

Yina: That one is pretty much done. I'm afraid to do too much more on it because I feel it would be overworking. I think it just needs to be left loose.

Anyway, didnt draw last night just spent time with my wife! :) But, did some doodles here at work. I'm trying to use Photoshop 7, but it seems to be mocking me!

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086802360.jpg

[JackalAnubis]

nice color choices on that last one. that sea painting also looks very good. I think I almost prefer the first and second stages to the last one. anyways, keep making art!

[S.C. Watson]

Hey van!

I like the camera angle on the girl. Good job there.

On your landscape painting, I know you are going to let it sit for a while, but the thing that jumped out to the most is your clouds in the background have got to be softened - allow them to blur into the background some. This will help distance them out.

back to work, really. :D

Cheers,
~Oreg.

[spok]

that's some fuckin cool shit...

[van]

JackalAnubis: Thanks, man. Yah...I liked that palette, definitely one to save. :) And yah, the seascape is still lingering. It needs something.

Oregano: Thanks! When I revisit the seascape I will deinitely take that into consideration. Definitely needs something else.

spok: Thanks! :chug:


Well, its been a shitty sketching day. Didnt have much time here at work to do anything but excercises. So...I will post a page of that junk just so you know Im working. I think I am going to do some pencil stuff tonight. Need to do some more anatomy studies for sure.

EXcercise Page - No refs! You can tell.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086815614.jpg

[dakoscwash]

Wow, you really work hard man, I admire that. I like the last painting of the girl you did, good angle and colors. Keep rockin' those studies man.:chug:

[Fipse]

Hi Van,

I just wanted to step by and say I admire the work you´re putting into your progress - there´s a huge difference between the stuff you psted first and the new ones.

Keep on your hard work - it´s really showing!

Cheers !

Fipse

[MurkyDreams]

I like your studies a lot. I need to start doing studies like you are. In fact, I just need to get off my lazy bum and start drawing anything for that matter.

[steak-tron]

i drew that same page of skeleton guys. The loomis method really helps when drawing non-ref'ed figures. Your non-refed is looking nice, but has proportion problems. If you don't already i strongly urge you to draw from life. Although i'm out o' school now the local museum still has life drawing after hours (which i missed tonight...) anyways, my point is there might be something like that near you. When you draw big you can really focus on proportion and measurements - i can't stress how important it is. It's a pain in the ass to learn, but it starts to get automatic.

Your making shit-tons of progress (digi painting is still difficult for me) but think about jumping off the wacom sometimes to a big sheet o' paper, i think you'll like it.

keep it real van, your a postin' machine, and dem ladies is too fine...
-steak

[van]

dakoscwash: Thanks, dako! I'm trying!

Fipse: Always good to hear from you, man. Thanks for the comment and the input. I am definitely keeping the progression I have made in mind. It helps to keep away the blues.

MurkyDreams: Thanks! Yup, get off your butt and do em. Thats all there is to it. Although, sometimes I just dont feel very creative. I dont really feel like drawing. I take those times to do anatomy studies, because I am basically just sketching from ref and not having to be too creative. Something to keep in mind.

steak-tron: Yah, I need to go back to my anatomy which I started last night. As far as life drawing goes, I draw my wife. But, I promised her I wouldnt post her here! LMAO. So, I do get life drawing in. Thanks for the tips. I will try to go bigger although its kind of rough for me to get somewhere where I can do that. I have my kids all around me constantly, etc. :) Maybe just a BIGGER sketchbook. I have some of them get pretty damn big.


I did anatomy studies last night, but left my other sketchbook. So I only have this one page. :p But, never fear I sould have more digital stuff by the end of the day.

Oh, and the pelvis here was done without ref after studying the damn thing for a couple of hours. Not, too bad, perspective is a little off though.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086878483.jpg

[Calle_]

keep them coming, you are getting hot man :D

Calle.

[insane visions]

nice pelvis study now slap some flesh on that shit and lets get going soldier

[van]

Calle: I'm doing it, buddy! I am getting there! :)

insane: Slapping flesh is my fav!


Here we go, first speedpaint for the day. I know, I know...eww..ewww..ewww...but bare with me, because I think I might be able to do a lot more with my paints once I get used to PS. This is my second try at something in PS.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086889280.jpg

Hmm, I need to ask some questions of you, Erik...but I think I will email you or ask in your thread. I am pretty happy with the looseness of the strokes and the brush texture in the clothes...but the face, its just horrible to me. I dont think its anatomy, its more with the detailing. Maybe I just go overboard trying to add detail and end up killing a nice loose piece.

Ok, so I guess I just need some input on this.

[buzzz3d]

I hope I can help you cause it is looking mighty fine already man.
The face looks a bit flat in value, a handy trick for testing that is putting an hue/saturation adjustmentlayer above all the layers and moving the saturationslider all the way to the left. You can then check while you're painting how your values are doing by clicking the eye-icon for that adjustmentlayer on and off.

Good work bro.

Cheers,

Erik

[Yina]

woah cool speed! the hair kinda bothers me with the scraggly coloured strands tho, small matter.

[maldrin]

Van -

wow, don't know how I've missed your thread this long - probably because I don't surf around as much as just hit things I've already subscribed to. Well now you're on my sub list because this is great stuff. I linked over from your post on my thread (thanks so much!) and I was blown away, especially by the progress you're making both in sketching and in digital work. This progress of the sunset picture has been a stellar read! I'm loving it!

Your figure work is coming along great, and I definitely have something to aspire to! Hopefully one day I'll have made as much progress as you have. I haven't read it all critically but I'm also trying to learn more about how you learned it and what learning materials (i.e. Loomis) you use. I've not gotten into digital work yet, but hope to learn more about it in Austin!!

I'll keep watching, you keep posting! Sorry there isn't more "critical meat" to my post but right now I'm mostly just blown away!

Thanks for sharing!!

maldrin

[van]

Buzz: Thanks, man! I am going to check that out tonight.

Yina: yah....the hair was not good at all, but i had to stop detailing it so I could ask what the heck I was doing wrong!

maldrin: I will give you some answers, etc later on...I gotta jet right now! Thanks a lot for the encouragement!


Here is one of my little girls. Still trying to figure our Photoshop...seems like I am fighting a losing battle. Or maybe its just me! I dunno. Quick, about 25 minutes overall. Kept having to start over.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-15-1086902898.jpg

[Calle_]

Woa.. you dont rest at all do you. =). good to see that you are dedicated to what you do =). well. just keep it up and have fun. thats all i can say.

Calle.

[van]

Originally posted by Calle_
Woa.. you dont rest at all do you. =). good to see that you are dedicated to what you do =). well. just keep it up and have fun. thats all i can say.

Calle.

Rest? What's that?

[Groover McNab]

Hehe. I was about to say that. I was actually gonna ask if you had a fulltime job, cuz the frequency of your updates is crazy. I wish I could post new stuff as much as you do. Oh and great work on that seascape!

[van]

Originally posted by Groover McNab
Hehe. I was about to say that. I was actually gonna ask if you had a fulltime job, cuz the frequency of your updates is crazy. I wish I could post new stuff as much as you do. Oh and great work on that seascape!

Yup. Full time job as a software engineer. Married with 3 wonderful kiddos! Im pretty busy, but its all worth it. :)

Thanks, Groover! I feel like I am making good progress.

[lupicani]

the rendering on those eyes is absolutly beautifull and so is the kiddo-bgido...you should be pleased!!!

[van]

Originally posted by lupicani
the rendering on those eyes is absolutly beautifull and so is the kiddo-bgido...you should be pleased!!!

I should be! But, I wasnt really...not when I posted. I like the texture that the brush gave to it, but eh, I picked my palette wrong and well, it just wasnt my best.

[dumah]

I am first coming upon this thread and find it inspiring. It is exceptional how you can improve so much. Your drawings and paintings are great.

I am probably not even at the level that you were in on your first post so I find that maybe I can take your tips and shoot for what you're doing.

Thanks for the inspiration!

[lupicani]

van, this is going to be long bear with me:
I think that to help you're most recent paint might be to: look at the eyes in relation to the nose one eye is a little off kilter you could change this in two seconds by having the roation tool select the area of the eye and then use the bandage tool around the skin area that becomes affected by this. Then take a look at the shoulder/back area..it's a tad to much white, perhaps shade it down a bit with some warmer tones similiar to the ones you are using in the face area. A suggestion, try it on anouther layer all by itself and screw around with the opacities like a glaze would be like if you were really painting. I see that you did do some around the chin area. Also the color for the background try adding a few lighter passagesof a color within the same family it woud help to not isolate you're little ones face so much. Also you have AMAZING lighting skills I'd like to see you push it on this.. you can already see some nice light on her nose and upper lip. It's a great study honestly if you still feel like working on it all you have to do is push everything a little farther, perhaps you're at that point we all get to where we go down the negative gogles route, where everything looks yuck...

[van]

dumah: You have given me the ultimate compliment and I thank you. Any questions...just ask. Im working my butt off, so there is your first lesson. Second lesson, Im having fun while doing it!

Lupicani: I see what you are saying! Thanks for the crit and suggestion. It helps greatly. I played with it a little bit, but I am just going to abandon that one for now and move on. I dont revisit stuff very much, maybe that is a problem...maybe not! :) I appreciate your help!


Im sorry guys and gals. Its not been a great sketching day. Im a little down in the dumps. But, Im trying to smile and work through it. Been doing some studies, but I dont think I will post them all. I just picked a page and I will give you that.

Im going for the pencil all weekend! Woooot!

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1086984336.jpg

[van]

Ok, how about a speedpaint of my wife's awesome cleavage. :) When you got the funk...draw boobs!

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-15-1086989154.jpg

[dakoscwash]

Hah what a pimp, I like the last one. You da man van.;)

[Calle_]

Nice studies dude, you seem to be really loose and cool once you have the wacom pen in your hand :p
good thing i just turned 18 so i could watch the porn :p
Looks alittle wierd on the skin tho, maybe some more shading.
Peace.

Calle

[sylver]

more breast pls. lol.

Nice sketchbook, so much better than I could do, agh Im so jealous.

[insane visions]

man youve been updating like a hardworking hooker...good job

[MindCandyMan]

Keep it up van...good job on the anatomy studies. You've got momentum like insane visions said keep it going. :chug:

[TARGETE]

jUST GOT TO THIS BOOK, KEEP GOING VAN i'M LIKING WHAT IM SEEING!

JP

[lupicani]

ha, revisting isn't a bad idea...i think painting sexual items can always turn twords more distracting things...:)...not totally painting related...:)...but reference none the less (nature channel narrator voice comes to mind)

[buzzz3d]

Hey Van.
Like the kid face on the pencil-page.
Respect for your every day commitment.

Like Dory said to Marlin: Just keep swimming, just keep swimming. :)

[van]

Ha! You all thought you were going to catch me without updating for a day. ;)

Wow, guys and gals. You have no idea what it meant to me to come here and see the replies. Definitely the remedy for my blues. You all rock. And I mean that shit, Im not blowing smoke.

dakoscwash: Hehe! ;)

Calle: That speedpaint was very quick. I couldnt get the skintone I wanted so I said, blah! :) Thanks for checking in with me. Im trying to get my pencils as loose as my digital stuff.

sylver: I dont think anyone has ever been jealous over my work! :p SO, I will take that as a compliment. And dont worry, my sketchbook will have a high breast ratio as I continue.

MIKECORRIERO: Wow, thanks man for coming by. I appreciate the support immensely.

insane visions: All right, am I the ho or the pimp...because Im getting confused! :) Thanks, IV. Your support is appreciated.

MindCandyMan: MCM, thanks man! Im going!

TARGETE: Thanks, dude!

lupicani: LMAO! Hey, come to think of it...that didnt lead to anything. That SUCKS!

buzzz3d: Thanks, man! Your support rocks. I appreciate all the help youve given me.


Wow, Ive never typed that many replies. Thanks, again, everyone of you for keeping me going. I will never forget the support I got right here at CA. I talk about all of you to my wife all the time. :)

Anyway, so today...its the weekend! Time to kick back with te kids and pay...and....ANATOMY STUDIES! :) So, I did quite a bit today and last night, but Im not going to post all of that stuff because I dont want to bore you. Plenty of awesome stuff going on in this forum to look at.

I am focusing mostly on the shoulder area and the back. Here are a couple of pages.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1087100729.jpg

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1087100767.jpg

[buzzz3d]

Wow man, that's almost a full page with just replies!
I want a frontrow seat at the next Van-seminar.
Those anatomystudies rock, I should do more of those.

[Ra Havok]

Good job on the anatomical studies, Van.

:chug:

[van]

buzzz3d: At my *next* seminar you will definitely have a seat saved! :p Thanks, man!

Ra Havok: Thanks!!

Well, been playing with the kids mostly today. But I did sit down to watch Krull and figured it would be a good time for life drawing! Im only posting a page of it, because a lot was very messy-trying-to-get-something-on-paper-with-the-baby-moving-all-around stuff. :)

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1087161630.jpg

[dakoscwash]

Whoa, this last page is awesome! I love the baby's face and the dog, great lines. Keep up the good work man.:chug:

[buzzz3d]

Family is important too and sometimes it is a good thing to set your mind on domething else than drawing, for 5 minutes :)

Good work on the dogs, and indeed kids are very very hard to draw when they are not sleeping.

[van]

dakoscwash: Thanks!!!

buzzz3d: Yup, family time is good! We have had a lot of it today. Mother in law came over so I did some sketches of her and the kids.

Here is a page from what Ive done this evening. Not great, but it shows Im working on my life drawings.

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1087178591.jpg

[metalwinds]

continue with the life drawing. .it will help you immensly. at this point, try to be conscious of every stroke. .and ALWAYS look at what your subject more than the paper. studies are good, but dont forget the application. . .thats where you really learn. .. .also, watch the humerus to scapula relationship (scapula is too large and wide). not much else to say. .youre making great progress. i hope you continue at this speed (or speed up). ..never slow down.

peace man

[Retinal Haze]

great studies, i need to update as much as you do :)

keep workin' on it! :chug:

[steak-tron]

nice life studie senior. the baby mug is esp. nice.

I'm glad to see your getting down with the mechanics of the arm and joints too. hard to learn but well worth it.

keep keepin' it real my man. Boobie closeup gave me a hardy laugh:D
-steak

[van]

metalwinds: Thanks a lot, man. Advice noted and will be taken.

Retinal: Yes! You do! :) I love your stuff.

steak: :) I love making people laugh. I bet I end up in the comics industry someday.

[waronmars]

lol van, as a chick paintings of tits aren't my favourite subject...but I'm really fining your sketchbook inspiring. I just want to thank you for supporting my daily, you're encouragement is much appreciated. :D :chug:

[van]

waronmars: Ack! I gotta start drawing dudes for you gals! :) Thanks for checking in on me!


Well, this past weekend was quite hectic. I got a lot of anatomy studies and line excercises. I also drew from life quite a bit. I feel like I accomplished something! But, that really didnt hit me until last night.

Anyway, I just wanted to break the monotony so I grabbed my paintbrushes and some ink and I sat down with my paper. Inkbrush in hand I started laying down lines. It was an amazing experience. It actually FORCED me to pay attention the line I was going to put down. I also used thick, broad strokes so it FORCED me NOT to pay attention to detail!

It was crazy. I dont know how many pages I filled up, and believe me, a lot of it is pure poo poo! :p But, some of it isnt! The biggest thing was that it served as a great excercise which I will definitely continue doing. In fact, I brought a pen with me to work today and I might do some pen sketches.

Have fun!

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1087220618.jpg

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-11-1087220648.jpg

[Josef K.]

hey! i just looked through ur sketchbook because i wanted to critizise u a lil'bit after reading that "you've been black listed" :evilbat:


Man what a great improvement! There is so much progress in this sketchbook!


I enjoyed lookin' at ur anatomy-studies and ur lifedrawings are really cool, as ur paintings are.
Something that confused me was that the line-quality looks better when u draw with the tablett then when u draw with the pencil - maybe im the only one who thinks so ;) . But also ur line qualaty gets better an better!
Question: If u do anatomy-studies do u draw from reference only or do u try to also draw without reference until u really soaked up the whole knowledge.
for example i saw a few relly detailled pelvis studies - but after studying the pelvis could u draw it without ref now?


but after all i really dont know how to give someone like u crits that would really help u, cuz i think ur on the right track and if u go on like this u will kick ass soon :D
:chug:

sorry for my bad english hope u can understand what me wants to tell ya ;)

[van]

kp: Bring it on!

Josef: Thanks for stopping in. First off, several people have commented that my lines, etc look better on the tablet. Cracks me up, because I think my pencils are better. But, to each his own. I am trying really hard to *see* how it is better on tablet. As far as anatomy studies go, I sit down with my anatomy book and draw every illustration in it along with my notes. Then I usually, the following day, give myself a test to see if I can draw it without ref and label the important stuff. I think the pelvic study a few pages back was a test...it was no ref. On the weekends I usually pour through all of my anatomy knowledge at least once before focusing on one area. Thanks for the comments!

[van]

For today's DSG. Done in PHOTOSHOP! :) Woot. Im finally getting the hang of the damn thing, eh Buzzz? :)


"I said moo, Bitch."

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-15-1087240201.jpg

[van]

Woot! Here is a work in progress...

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-15-1087245192.jpg

Well, this is going to be the first of a series that I am actually being paid to do! :) I can't believe it! Its not a big, big deal, but a lady where my wife works wants about 6 5x7 and 8x10 paintings/sketches of various wolves. So, here is the start of that series.

Thanks, guys! Couldnt have gotten to this point without your encouragement and help.

[dakoscwash]

Oh no you di'int.. Man you've been working hard lately. Cool pen sketches and that cow is NICE. The last one is already lookin great. Keep it comming.:chug:

[buzzz3d]

Congrats man!
That must be a great feeling.

You might check these for tips on fur:
http://www.3dtotal.com/team/tutorials/2dstarfinder_fur/starfinder_fur_01.asp

http://div.dyndns.org/EK/tutorial/wolf

[van]

dako: Thanks, man! Ive been working my ass of, but finally it seems to be paying off. I am starting to be more happy about the stuff I am doing. I remember when I hated everything! :)

buzzz: Yah, it is! Of course, its not that big of a deal and I doubt I am going to charge very much. Oh, and I already had those bookmarked. Thanks! :)


So, here is Part 2 with a little more details added in:

http://sketchforums.com/uploads/post-15-1087247804.jpg

[MurkyDreams]

I know what you mean about being more and more happy about your work. Maybe it's cause when you start out, your stuff looks like shit when you compare your stuff to that of others; especially if you look at the type of stuff people have here. :D And although this community is a bit intimidating to newbies, the people here are also always a big help.

Ooooo, purdy wolf there. Well... keep those sketches coming!

[dakoscwash]

Wow, the wolf is really starting too look good.. I can't wait to see how you develop the trees (I'm a tree , you may have noticed.:D ) I'll be waiting for the finished product. Hope you don't mind me posting in here so much, haha. Back to drawing.

edit- Thanks for those links buzz they're great.

[steak-tron]

van, you'll get yours soon. shoowee, I tell you what boy. Man, sheeit. gonna crit that shit. i aint lyin! no sir. shit. hell...

no, i really will write you a critical beatdown once I can peruse your work agian (which i can't do at work). Anyways thanks for writing, I've heard those things you mentioned from others before THEY DIED SLOW! no, i kid. thanks.
-steak

nice cow yo!