Dazz78's sketchbook...

[dazz78]

Hi everyone, after looking and commentating on other people's work thought I'd stick my head above the trench and do a sketchbook. I know its a cliche to say that the work by somepeople on CA is outstanding but some of it really is.

Haven't done any art work in a while, but after looking at some of the work on here it finally gave me the push and the excitement to get back into it. Wish I'd done it sooner!

[dazz78]

Some ideas for a childrens' story involving dinosaurs and giants...

[Verehin]

sooo idiotic characters)))...in good meaning)))...hahahahaha, very fun...keep it up!

[dazz78]

Verehin: Thanks man, yeah they pretty much are much idiotic characters!

Couple of quick charcoal drawings...

[Black Spot]

I love the dino in the red wellies, and a fair few of the others.

[dazz78]

Thanks for your comment Black Spot!

[dazz78]

Some work I have done over the last couple of days...

[Black Spot]

The zombie Teddies are terrifying. Nice cross-hatching on your latest batch.

[dazz78]

Thanks again Black Spot!

Some quick doodles for today...

[dazz78]

My old driving instructor...

[dazz78]

A bit of colour on The Terminator type sketch (background in tea)...

[dazz78]

Some new stuff for today, drawings on brown paper....

1) The Joker

2) An East End gangster in comic/cartoonish style

3) A general type figure.

[dazz78]

The same drawings but some experimentation with colours, don't have a tablet yet and I am finding it hard by mouse but I will keep practising until I get the hang of it until I can get a tablet...

[maddie]

hey dazz78 nice style! I kinda like the portrait of your old driving instructor...looks weird ^^

[Fabz]

well I like the dinosaurs, is a good infantile style, but joker and cokegangster dont like me, is not my style. general like me

[dazz78]

Maddie: Thanks, my instructor was weird also, well, mad, to say the least!

Fabz: Thanks for your comments.

This is was a drawing of Leatherface done in fine liner and watercolour pencils. Didn't turn out as good as I hoped but figured to add everything on here as some sort of progress comparison type of thing. Might go back to it at a later date.

The second picture of the woman with the rose is watered acrylics with fine liner...

[madhatter106]

Great stylization throughout - you should try your hand, if you haven't already done so, in the Super Stylized monthly challenges (I think posted in the Community Activities board) - that would be right up your alley I bet.

Love the color scheme on Leatherface, but he seems too short - I think he might not be enough heads high to get that real sense of menace. He looks a bit squat and stunted to me...

Keep up the good work :)

[dazz78]

Madhatter106: Thank you for your comments. I will check that thread out, still pretty new here and still finding stuff all the time to get involved in! Yeah, his head is too big and squatty, I will have another go at it later on. Also checked your sketchbook out, super stuff going on there.

Haven't done much for the last couple of days, haven't been well, but managed to get a couple of things done today...

Going to try more pencil stuff and maybe colour the mutation sketch see where it goes...

[bakatron]

i just love the way you use negative spacing to give things form.

[SaiVix]

I am lovin the Joker!! Plus your colrs are amazing, with only a mouse 2?!!! Makes me not worthy 4 havin a Wacom....

[dazz78]

Bakatron: Thanks man, checked your SB out as well, some great stuff going on there!

SaiVix: Would you like to swap your Wacom for my mouse? ;) Seriously, thanks for the comment, I am getting by it by drawing on paper and scanning then using the mouse but when I get a tablet I would like to draw straight from that if I can! Thanks again...

[Farvus]

Hehe. I used to draw with mouse too long time ago. Nice sketchbook. I like some of your ideas.
Try to work a bit more on proportion. Some characters seem to be too short (unless it's fully intended stylisation).

Keep it up, man

[SaiVix]

SaiVix: Would you like to swap your Wacom for my mouse? ;)

Ahahah Uhmmm... I'll keep my tablet. I am sure when you get yours, your art will be so great that you will laugh at the times you had with your mouse.

[yinteck]

Hey pretty nice style u have there.
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=431399&stc=1&d=1218126263 This one the torso is too short, if u compare to his hand and leg.
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=433901&stc=1&d=1218383570 For this becareful of the propertion of his torso.
Other then that, great work. Keep posting !

[dazz78]

Farvus: Thanks for the advice, yeah deffo need to work on my proportions.

SaiVix: I'll get a tablet soon, everybody mentions the wacom ones, seem to be the one to get, thanks!

Yinteck: Yeah, it seems to be a problem I am having is scaling of my figures. I think my mistake is instead of roughly pencil sketching the whole form first I work on the head in detail and carry on downwards from there, messing up the scale. I'll keep working at it, maybe go back to doing life studies for a bit, thanks a lot for your advice, really appreciated!

[dazz78]

Nothing much done this week but did this today...

[RichKid]

haha, there are some really fun shapes in here. and in this last post and the one of the heads before it, you are starting to show a lot more thought about the object in 3d. keep up with the thought process behind these 2 and it will help pop the lighting one your characters and make them a lot more believable

keep it up, these are fun

[DaStreets]

I like your cartoony and strange characters. I also like those odd looking men or monsters, a decent concept. Ur use of color is also good. Keep posting (comment my page if u can)

[dazz78]

Richkid: Thanks a lot, yeah some of the earlier figures look a bit flat and I am trying to use my shadows and lights and textures more, thanks for your comment richkid.

DaStreets: Thanks man, I hope to get some more up soon.

[Lakka]

You definately have a style of your own, which I dig.

I guess you could try to put some more depth in to them, try to make the mass pop out.

About the tablet.... you will feel very, very good when you can ditch that mouse of yours, haha :D

Keep it up, nice style.

[chriskot]

I really enjoy your style with the exaggerated features. The Joker and the driving instructor in particular. The children's book illustrations are also excellent.

Keep it up. I'd love to see more.

[dazz78]

Lakka: Thanks for the advice, yeah I have noticed that sometimes they look a bit flat, I will deffo work on more depth, maybe get more life studies under my belt. Yeah, I really can't wait till I get a tablet, just saving up at the moment.

Chriskot: Thanks a lot, glad you like 'em!

Been a bit lazy lately but managed to do a couple of colourings of earlier sketches, just practising photoshop really...

[dazz78]

Some new stuff...

[dazz78]

Some colourised versions of two of the previous sketches, just messing about again with colours.

[Rumi]

do you use a tablett or do you use the mouse for coloring? i realy like your sketches just because i can see every line you did in the shadows and it looks so perfectly in which direction you set them. want to see more of it.

[dazz78]

do you use a tablett or do you use the mouse for coloring? i realy like your sketches just because i can see every line you did in the shadows and it looks so perfectly in which direction you set them. want to see more of it.


Thanks Rumi. I am afraid I use a mouse at the moment, saving up for a decent tablet at the moment. Colouring with the mouse is not too bad actually, I just select the colour at a low opacity and build it up and up in circular motions. I find it hard though when doing finer details and also mixing colours, so deffo worth getting a tablet.

[SaiVix]

Sweet updates!! I just love your characters. And you compose them very well. It is very easy for the eye to see everything. I love your use of whites in your sketches.

[dazz78]

Thanks SaiVix, glad you like 'em!

Some recent sketches...

[dazz78]

Some more sketches, thought I would have a go at backgrounds for a change, hence the dungeon sketch.

[dazz78]

Some more, including a couple of pencil sketches.

[dazz78]

Another zombie bear idea, will try and colour it this week if I get the chance!

[M-Croft]

Firstly, I love your face sketches with distorted portions. Your heads all have a very nice flow, and I think that the rest of your drawings could benefit from that flow. Some of your body poses seem somewhat stiff, especially in the positioning of the arm and how the feet tend to only be at frontal and sideways views. Do some feet studies, and most importantly, get loose before you draw! Maybe try some gestural lines- I dunno! Also: Watch arm length. Arms: When let down, the hands will be positioned balls-level.

Keep drawing, I love this stuff! Try some more monsters, now that we know you can handle the human form!

[dazz78]

M-Croft: Thanks a lot for the advice, really appreciated. Yeah, I deffo suffer on the bodies, i really need to get some life drawing classes or get a decent life drawing book (if anyone can recommend one?). Thanks for the advice, must remember balls-level!! Glad you like the faces, I will work on the advice you gave me, thanks.

Some final sketches for now, including a tyrannosaurus that looked good when I sketched it but on reflection looks like he ate too many pies...

[Oakseed]

Great Work ^^ I love your grimm style in your sketches. You have got a good line going there. :) More please :)

[Rockhart]

you have a definite style and your pen work is awsome too... my only crit would be that you need to invest in a tablet. :)

[SEVANS]

Love your pen hatching and the exagerated faces alot.

With your slightly more realistic pieces, you need to watch your proportions more, as areas seem to slip back into the caricarture/cartoon mode.

Love to see your use some reference and 'play' with that. Such as a few caricartures of famous people or full anatomy shots from reference.

Still, fun style and some interesting stuff. Will check back later.

[dazz78]

Oakseed: Thanks, glad you like my style

Rockhart: Thanks! Yeah, saving up for a tablet then my computer croaks on me, so have to get that sorted out, and now my car is playing up, arrghh!!

SEVANS: I deffo need to start using references instead of 'in my head' drawings. Going to get my self a good reference book maybe see if I can get on some still life still drawing classes. Thanks for your comments and advice.

[dazz78]

Finally decided to start doing some sketching using reference points, so I can gain some more experience at doing hands, feet and proportions...

[dazz78]

A few sketches for today...

[Oakseed]

Thanks for stopping by my sketchbook :) Your recent studies are fantastic. Also On your coloured pieces, are they done traditionally or on Painter? The canvas looking background is throwing me. Keep it up ^^ I love looking at your work.

[dazz78]

Thanks for stopping by my sketchbook :) Your recent studies are fantastic. Also On your coloured pieces, are they done traditionally or on Painter? The canvas looking background is throwing me. Keep it up ^^ I love looking at your work.


Thanks Oakseed. Most are done in photoshop, a couple are coloured pencils (the dino ones), 'fraid I haven't got round to trying Painter yet.

Lol, the canvas looking paper I liked, drawing on it in biro instead of drawing pens then using white water colour pencil for lighting. Ran out of the paper and can't find it anywhere to get it again! Plus it was the only paper that scanned well on my scanner, the white paper pen drawings come out fuzzy/blurry for some reason with some finer drawing lines gone missing in the scan, it makes the drawings look more scruffy than the actually are (well, that's my excuse!)

[Grafguy]

nice sketchbook, your sketches are pure eyecandy :D
but if you color em in, the seem simplistic as if you color in 1 color and leave the shading and such to the original linework.
maybe you should practice that (if youve got a tablet by now :) else i understand its hard to paint with a mouse)
keep it up! ;)

[dazz78]

nice sketchbook, your sketches are pure eyecandy :D
but if you color em in, the seem simplistic as if you color in 1 color and leave the shading and such to the original linework.
maybe you should practice that (if youve got a tablet by now :) else i understand its hard to paint with a mouse)
keep it up! ;)

Thanks Grafguy, yeah deffo need a tablet to progress, its hard colouring shades with the mouse, but I still need to learn colours anyway, deffo one of my week spots! Thanks again for the advice.

[dazz78]

A couple of sketches for today, hopefully I will get round to colour them soon.

[forgeman]

Cool style, very creative. As much as I like your stuffed animal work, it would be something that would make my daughters poop in their pampers! Keep it up!

[dazz78]

Thanks a lot forgeman!

A quick colouring of the armed cyborg sketch using photoshop, done in two hours.

[dazz78]

Haven't done any drawings for ages, finally got some time now. Some done in the last couple of days.

Still haven't got a tablet yet either, my car decided to fall apart piece by piece and had to spend a small fortune getting the rust bucket through its MOT, but until then...

[3vil]

I Love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep It Up!!!!want More!!!

[dazz78]

Thanks 3vil, really appreciated!

Finally got a tablet, the cheapest wacom there is (I think), but the difference is brilliant. The only problem now is learning to use it properly and to use it as instinctively as a paint brush or a pencil. Colours are still a bit primitive but I do think it is progress, if small progress anyway! What took an hour with a mouse takes a few minutes with the tablet. One day I hope to get an expensive one but until then this will do just fine.

The zombie bear pic is not that great, only put it up just to show my first work on the tablet and I hope to look back on it as a standard for my progress at a future date.

The other pics are zombie pics for an animation of a zombie film. Starting to get sick-to-death of zombies to tell you the truth - 'scuse the pun...

[dazz78]

The rest...

[Black Spot]

I love your SB - it's so interesting.

[dazz78]

Thanks Black Spot...

Some sketches done with pen and graph paper...

Hopefully I will be able to put more time in to my work in the next few weeks (fingers crossed)!

[Pnyx]

very nice work on the last one especially. Love how you did the hair :)

nice work
keep it up! :)

[dazz78]

Thank you Pnyx.

Some more tablet work...starting to get a bit better at it and can do things a lot quicker and it is a lot more enjoyable using a tablet than a mouse!