Alcazar [Archive] - ConceptArt.org Forums

InFlame

August 31st, 2008, 05:18 PM

hey MJ_Alcazar!

I just wanted to step by because you gave so nice comments to my works in the last round of CHOW! :) thanks for that!

okay, because you want to make progress, I'll try to help you a little bit. I know, the first steps to learn drawing are the most difficult! the rest is just DRAW! ;)

you have the skill to draw, I can see it in your work! but you have to do more anatomy studies and figure drawings! take books or photoreferences and look closely at proportions and size of muscles and bones. in your last image, for example, the upper body of the guy is too large in relation to the breastmuscles. there is too much space between the breastmuscles and his "six pack". ;)

and for animals, go to the zoo! there you can learn a lot about animal anatomy AND about to improve your life drawing skills.

you have a hand for details but you should let them out and concentrate more on things like anatomy, propotion, shape and form, light and shadow...you can add the details later!

at last I just want to say, that I like the way you are pushing yourself in the right direction with those CHOW exercises! don't give up and keep posting! the icarus drawing is one of your best works. keep this way and go on drawing. ;) I'm shure you will improve very fast!

cheers,
rebecca
(sorry for my bad english...I just wanted to help! :p )

MJ_Alcazar

September 21st, 2008, 08:02 PM

Thank you for the direction! I will keep that in mind. :)

Here's some more of my works.

this one's a WIP I did for a CHOW
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0030.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0033.jpg

And here's the final image, first time I tried to paint on the computer.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/chow.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0035.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0036.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0031.jpg

MJ_Alcazar

September 21st, 2008, 08:07 PM

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0001-3.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0002-2.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0002-2-1-1.jpg

I was not proud of the way this turned out AT ALL, but it's part of the learning experience.
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0005-1-1-1-1-1-1.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0001-4.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0002-3.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0003-3.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0004-2.jpg

first try at colored pencils
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0006-1.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0006-1-1.jpg

second try
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0009-2.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0009-2-1-1.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0012-3.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0014-1.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0015-1.jpg

I should probably find the face studies I've done and post them on here too.

MJ_Alcazar

September 22nd, 2008, 02:22 PM

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0018-2.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0016-2.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0017-2.jpg

Some Little Mermaid WIPS that I've done. The first two were initial ideas.
The last one is a "fixed" version of the mermaid. That time I had some references. It's still needs a lot of work.
I'll post a fixed version of the mermaid later. I've fixed her arms, and tried to make her stand out from the rock, but more on that later. When I actually have something to show.

thesadpencil

September 22nd, 2008, 02:52 PM

hey there you're definitely on the right track with everything you're doing here. i think you need to focus more on anatomy and the proper proportions of the human body/face. i also think it would be very beneficial to you, if you enhanced your values more to help give more depth and contrast to the images. just keep on doing what you're doing and dont stop drawing.

MJ_Alcazar

September 22nd, 2008, 04:19 PM

Thank you for your comments! Yes, anatomy is definitely very weak. I have a college anatomy book that I used for my Nursing, I think I'm just going to start doing a study everyweek of a different thing in there.
And, values are difficult for me to grasp for some reason. But, I am reading tutorials on them and I'm hoping to try to get better with them. :)

Here's an updated version of the mermaid.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0019-1.jpg

MJ_Alcazar

September 22nd, 2008, 10:12 PM

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0020-1.jpg
Sorta a self-portrait. This photo from a month or two ago was sitting in front of me, so I decided to draw it. I'm the one on the right.

MJ_Alcazar

September 23rd, 2008, 09:02 PM

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0024-1.jpg

here's a self-portrait I did today. Still trying to get the lines down.
Here's the photo I tried to go from. Doesn't look at all alike, but, you never get better if you don't try.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/rfs.jpg

Pixeltuner

October 4th, 2008, 08:35 AM

Hi there, thanks for stopping by in my little book of sketches. First things first: hey, you're a girl. Funny how the internet always lets you perceive things differently.
With that out of the way: I've been following your progress the last few chow's and your persistence and will to get better is admirable. You're taking a lot of big steps throughout the different rounds with for instance your Sheherezade piece being notably better than the stuff before.

Then again: I think you should try to take a step back once in a while. While your work shows a lot of potential from a design point of view, it's still lacking anatomically and also in tones and portraying of value. Maybe you can try breaking up your figures in basic shapes (blocks or cylinders) and then figure out which part catches light and which part doesn't. It helps a lot to simplify things. At least it helped me a lot the past year. If then the foundation is right, you can go apeshit on the design elements :)

Jaytea

October 4th, 2008, 02:29 PM

Agreed with Pixeltuner; you should work on anatomy. Don't just do a weekly study on a part; do everything, all the time. There's an Ebook somewhere, ah, this (http://www.archive.org/details/constructiveanat00briduoft). It's very helpful, well, for me it is.

I do see improvement here, though, and I like your color pencil work. The teeth and cheeks sort of bother me a bit, maybe work on that. ;] For digital stuffs, I'd recommend not having the pencil work show through, as it's usually very unattractive and the scanner butchers the quality. Instead, put it on a top layer or bottom, whichever and set it to multiply, and use it as a guide rather than incorporated into the finished piece.

madhatter106

October 5th, 2008, 06:17 PM

Thanks for stopping by my sketchbook, thought I would return in kind. :)

I would echo Pixeltuner and Shalite above regarding anatomy. It's definitely something to sit down with and really dig in and sink your teeth into. None of us will ever "master" it, and it's something to constantly be working on and striving toward getting better. It's a case of "the more you know, the easier time you'll have" when it comes to working out your thoughts on paper. Different anatomy drawing books offer different techniques, and some people are die-hard Bridgeman fans, whilst others are in the Loomis camp, or the Hogarth camp...whatever works to get you toward improving is the best, so I'd recommend exploring all of them and discovering which works best to help you understand the human form.

I would also echo Pixeltuner in that I am glad to see you are serious about improvement, and have been coming into the CHOW threads with a sincere and determined effort at advancing your abilities. It definitely shows in the work, both from day to day within a single thread, and from week to week between threads. When you go back and look at some of the truly legendary sketchbooks here on this site that span a great period of time, you can see that some people started off in roughly the same skill set level as yourself, and you can see as the months progress that their talents improve nearly exponentially. I applaud your efforts in the CHOWs and hope that you continue with such a gracious attitude and willingness to learn, expand, and push yourself to new boundaries and goals.

You mentioned several times in the recent CHOW thread for "Sherlock Holmes" something called GIMP - what is that? It seems like it's hamstringed a day's worth of work on your recent picture, so I'd recommend a different path next time, it sounds like more trouble than it's worth! heheheh :)

I appreciate your appreciation of my comments regarding the clothing in that recent thread...with the education and background that I'm from, I sometimes find myself frustrated on certain CHOW topics since they play so fast and loose with period details sometimes. For me, it's the same as being authentic to anatomical detail, especially in a challenge like this week's...no matter how much one can argue against it, you need to have five fingers on the right hand just as much as the left, so when people get "loosey goosey" with period fashion whilst strictly adhering to anatomy, it boggles my mind sometimes. I am glad you showed a willingness to revise and restructure based on my comments and the research photos I posted...it's much appreciated by me, and makes me think the effort to post them was worthwhile.

Best of luck in the upcoming days/weeks/months/years of doing this, and I would strongly urge you to keep up with the CHOWs and the learning you've been doing there...

MJ_Alcazar

October 5th, 2008, 07:01 PM

Pixeltuner - thanks for stopping by. I think I'l try that with the breaking it up into cylinders. See if it helps.:)
Shalite - thanks for the link. I read through the whole thing, good ideas in it.
Madhatter106 - thank you for your kind comments. Someone started me on Loomis, and i liked it, and then Shalite just showed me Bridgeman, I liked that also. So, now on to Hogarth and study that too! :)
Oh, and GIMP is a free photoshop type thing. I'm having trouble with it because it keeps crashing and then saying it saves, and not really doing it. I'm really computer illiterate, so I think I may just try out different traditional things.
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0005-3.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0006-2.jpg

Anatomy studies, tried to see how the bones structure underneath would be and then go off that. I still have a problem of doing one part at a time instead of seeing the whole person. So porportions are off. But, if I don't draw, I won't get better. :)

MJ_Alcazar

October 5th, 2008, 10:47 PM

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0007-2.jpg

Heres just some fun stuff I did.
It's a scene from a story I will (eventually) write. It's set in the not to distant future. The world is at war and split into different factions. Tyrants rule in most of the countries we know of today. I think I'm going to set it in the USA, because I've never been out of the country, and write what you know, right? :)
A girl, still haven't come up with a descent name, is caught outside of the free US, probably towards the East coast. She's a nurse, working at one of the hospitals when the riots start. She stays there for awhile, but when the country is split into free and the part ruled by a tyrant, she tries to leave. She never makes it to the free US, instead finding that she can help as a nurse on the front lines. She ends up helping soldiers of both sides. She has a place and people sort of seek her out for help.
The little oriental girl, Sora, comes with her mother seeking help. Unfortunately the mother is too bad off and dies, and Sora stays with the girl. The two boys are child soldiers. I haven't quite decided whether they fought for opposite sides, or the same side, or if they never say.
Anyway, I'll probably decide it's a stupid idea anyway. But, any advice on the picture would be appreciated. She will have shoes on, but I have difficulty drawing tennis shoes, and was looking for reference.

Tallnskrony

October 5th, 2008, 11:02 PM

im new here to i am hoping to do the same n would love to become a great artist i hope the best for both of us

The Whistler

October 6th, 2008, 11:00 AM

Hey MJ :)

Thanks a bunch for stopping by my sketchbook, I remember you from the CHOW threads too, and what I noticed is that you really get better with every new CHOW. As someone above noted, the Shecherezade CHOW was really a step up from your previous ones, and I like the last one too since it's anatomically pretty accurate. I think it's great that you study anatomy because it helps immensely with character design (of course)

One thing I'd like to propose has to do with your shading - maybe you should tone it down a bit since it often makes your drawings a bi muddy and unclear, maybe try hatching. Since I can't explain better here's a link to John T's sketchbook to see what he's shading like so browse around a little if you want to, he's awesome and a huge inspiration IMO :)

John T (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=64254&page=10)

Cheers!

Clochette

October 9th, 2008, 04:13 PM

Hi MJ Alcazar!
I saw your thread and wanted to comment since you posted in mine and I totally forgot to thank you for stopping by! ^^'
I agree the whistler : CHOW make you improve!
I would suggest you to be careful with the placement of the face features in your drawings. There is something to work there. They look like they were "paste" on the face, don't really follow the skull volume.
And you look so young! (from the photo and self portrait) you have a lot of time to get better! :)
Keep up working!

MJ_Alcazar

October 11th, 2008, 03:35 PM

Tallnskrony - I wish you all the luck in the world! and thank you.
Whistler - thank you for that link. I enjoyed looking at his work. I'm going to try that technique and see if it works for me!
Clochette - thanks for stopping by. I can see what you're talking about, I'll work on that and see if I can improve in that area.

Here's some Watson things I am working on, and a really horrible Sherlock Holmes. On that last Watson one, I think I may have gone a little fog crazy.

Sherlock Holmes, first time I tried to completely digitally paint with GIMP.
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/chow129_mjalcazar.jpg

Sketch of Watson
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0012-4.jpg
Watson WIPS
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/wipwatson3.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/wipwatson4.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/wipwatson5.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/wipwatson6.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/wipwatson7.jpg

MJ_Alcazar

October 11th, 2008, 03:38 PM

Oh, and the Clockwork Heart, too.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/chow128_MJ_Alcazar.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/IDW79_MJ_Alcazar.jpg

MJ_Alcazar

October 14th, 2008, 07:19 PM

A WIP for CHOW, Stilgar
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0013-3.jpg

And, some things that I normally do. Thought I'd show so people can see where all the intricate design stuff comes from, and maybe it will help someone see something that's off with me or something. Yeah, that has got to be the biggest run on sentence in the world. It's unfinished, and unfortunately my scanner's not big enough to do the whole picture.

DigitallyDumbfounded

October 16th, 2008, 02:18 PM

Hey MJ. :)
Wow. That last one is really great.
Like I already said ove at CHOW, you've made such huge improvement. Dayum! The Dr Watson strikes me totally.

I think you add in to much detail in your sketches.
by that I mean lines that make the figures look wrinkly and a little old. :)
You also need to get more loose with the pencil.
I really, really recommend doing gestures from posemaniacs.com. &0 second drawings are awesome fun!
Other than that, ... you're a girl! I didn't know that. Do you have acess to the girls forum? It's secret. :^^: YOu can go to the support section ynd post in the related thread.

Keep updating! Stilgar is coming along nicely.

MJ_Alcazar

October 18th, 2008, 01:27 PM

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0018-3.jpg

MJ_Alcazar

October 18th, 2008, 08:57 PM

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/stilgarwip.jpg

For CHOW, may be my final. It's done with ink and color pencil.
DigitallyDumbfounded - Thank you for your advice. I have such a hard time with speed sketches that I was halfway afraid to do that. :) I get so bogged down with having every line hit the page perfectly that it ends up looking so stiff. I will work on that!

Foofea

October 19th, 2008, 03:47 AM

Hey MJ -

looking through your stuff I can see improvments all the way through :)

I think the thing I'd like to see is more crispness to the pictures, you draw very delicately. I'm not sure how to describe it but Stilgar's left leg has more clarity in colour and definition than the rest of him, that kind of thing.

The anatomy drawings of the dancer are very cool, they look graceful.

Thanks for your pointers in the CHOWs :)

Foo

RevoLverZ

October 20th, 2008, 12:55 AM

hey mate. I saw you posting at chows very often and I thought maybe I must visit your sketchbook.

It`s a noticeable progress since the beginning. My advice is Go deep into the anatomy. The anatomy is the key of success in drawing human figure.
You must study in detail bones muscles and proportions.
And try to stay into the b&w area.

I left my tablet too for a while. Try to "steal" what you can from the best artists from here, and here are a lot of good artists.

I`ll suggest you to draw in pencils with references.
The pencil line must have different intensities. Not just one. The shadows also. Your line must be continuous not so fragmented. but underneath the final line you must exercise the shapes with an h or hb pencil.

Try to put the paper on a very smooth surface because your hashing is a little bit rough.
Make use of contrast. Contrast is the thing that surprises and attracts the human eye.

You push yourself a lot trying to finish some pieces but you don`t have the basics. It`s like a baby wants to talk but he doesn`t know quite well the letters.

I`ll recommend you the tutorials of Kevin Chen and the pencil work of Marko Djurdjevic. I want to see lots of sketches with human anatomy , I want to see you understand how the muscles and bones work.

MJ_Alcazar

October 21st, 2008, 12:42 PM

RevolverZ - thank you for your comments. Yes, I do need to go deep, I have a basic knowledge from Nursing studies, but I would like to go further until I have a pretty good idea how muscles go around bone, how they move it, what it looks like. So, I'll definitely be trying to find a good resource for that. Oh, and thanks for explaining the lines. Several people have tried to explain, and sometimes it just doesn't click. But, something about how you said it, clicked. Thank you.

WIPS for new CHOW, Alia of the Knife. I'm trying to figure out how to make her look like a four year old, but with the actions and mind of an ancient being.
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0020-2.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0021-1.jpg

Life drawing of my mom and some studies of pics found across the internet.

RevoLverZ

October 21st, 2008, 06:04 PM

man , last ones show that you understood what I tried to tell you.
I really like the last two pages.
I see the body anatomy is much better !

MJ_Alcazar

October 23rd, 2008, 06:12 PM

A few sketches for CHOW, I'm going to go with the last one. Been trying to work on Anatomy and all that. Children present a whole new set of challenges!

I tried to go for a foreshortening pose, but it didn't really work out, I think I'll work on it anyway to try to practice the foreshortening.
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0025-2.jpg
Here's an early version of the one I'm going with. As was suggested, I'm not going to do a background at this stage of development.
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0024-2.jpg
So, I worked out some of the anatomy problems, I'm not sure if she looks too old or what.
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0026-3.jpg

MJ_Alcazar

October 24th, 2008, 06:30 PM

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/aliawip6.jpg

added some color to my CHOW piece. I really want to do some more studies like i did a couple pages ago, but Clinicals are starting and it's difficult to squeeze in time. I know, excuses, excuses. I'm going to be so excited when Winter break comes, I'll have two weeks of freedom!

MJ_Alcazar

October 25th, 2008, 05:37 PM

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/aliawip10.jpg
an update on Alia, been working really hard on this one.

MJ_Alcazar

October 26th, 2008, 12:30 PM

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/aliawip12-1.jpg
Another update. Played with the shadows and tried to make her hand look less swollen.

Vorace

October 26th, 2008, 09:30 PM

improvement and dedication yeah!
keep it up, you work hard, always participating to the CHOW, it will pay

maybe try to improve your line movement/quality by doing fast live drawing pose. It could give more energy to your sketches

MJ_Alcazar

October 28th, 2008, 11:28 PM

Thank you for the advice! I think I'll pick up the habit of going to the park or the library or something and do some live drawings. I think that's what you were saying anyway... :)

Here's a sketch I did little by little at school. I need to find reference for him. It's Spike, the Dragon Dentist over at CHOW. Oh, and he will have pants and boots, I was sketching things at school little by little when I could so I just never got that far. :)

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0001-6.jpg
I'm going to throw this one out and start again I believe.
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0002-4.jpg

MJ_Alcazar

November 1st, 2008, 03:30 PM

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0003-5.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0004-3.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0001-7.jpg
Starting to get frustrated. I'm going to try to step back for a little while and then come back and see if this is salvageable.

MJ_Alcazar

November 3rd, 2008, 06:16 PM

Some more stuff. Guys for some reason are a lot harder then girls.

MJ_Alcazar

November 8th, 2008, 05:00 PM

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0014-2.jpg
For CHOW.

Vorace

November 9th, 2008, 02:50 AM

good job on the last one, especially the clothing

more studies!! :P

keep it up

MJ_Alcazar

November 9th, 2008, 03:33 PM

Vorace : thanks! and I will, promise! :)

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0015-3.jpg

AUG

November 10th, 2008, 04:02 AM

MJ,

I had noticed that your CHOW entries have improved with each passing week and after seeing your sketchbook, I can see why your work has become stronger. I wish that I had your work ethic.

I don't know your situation but, do you have access to a traditional printmaking program/studio? I think that your linear style would really shine as an intaglio or lithographic print.

Really nice handling of the details in the clothing on your last piece.

MJ_Alcazar

November 11th, 2008, 08:12 PM

AUG - Thank you, that is such a huge compliment, and I really appreciate it.
And, no, I don't have access to too much really. I looked up the lithographic and intaglio that you talked about, it looked really awesome! I'll have to look into it more. :)

Here's a quick little thing I did of a picture of me in my $2 prom dress and handcrafted mask, it's an old photo and unfortunately I don't have a copy of the original photograph, I'll try grabbing it and scanning sometime, so you can see exactly how far off I am. :)

Hopefully, I'll get some more studies done this week. I'm going to see if I can get access to a skull or a good pic of one. I'm having difficulty with facial structure and I think that might help a little.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0002-6.jpg

MJ_Alcazar

November 13th, 2008, 09:20 PM

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0006-3.jpg

This week's chow. She's a victorian automaton made of bronze, copper, ivory, and pearls. So, the "fabric" will actually be metal.

MJ_Alcazar

November 15th, 2008, 05:08 PM

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0016-4.jpg

Another update. Need to fix her skirt if I can, looks a bit messy.

EDIT: OK, tried to fix her skirt. This will probably be finished version. Depends on whether or not I have some time. So busy!

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0017-4.jpg

MJ_Alcazar

November 16th, 2008, 02:16 PM

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0018-4.jpg
I think I destroyed her face. :( So, I'm not sure if I'll turn it in or not. I plan on getting some more studies done and posted this week.

MJ_Alcazar

November 22nd, 2008, 02:39 PM

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0019-2.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0020-3.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0021-2.jpg

Here's some things I've come up with for CHOW. I'm keeping the bottom one, but I'm going to make a few changes.

MJ_Alcazar

November 22nd, 2008, 04:19 PM

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0022-2.jpg
And, a little bit of progress. Busier week than I thought it was going to be, so this may not be finished in time for Chow. Definitely a good excercise though!

DIMAGYAN

November 22nd, 2008, 04:29 PM

is always good to see your chows. i like your attention to the character design.your characters are interesting.
lots of improvement on this sketchbook.
as an advice, besides the anatomy studies pointed before by other users also try to feel the forms.look at your own body, at the mirror...do some acting. everything that help you understand what you are trying to portrait.

keep the good work and have fun

shannowman

November 22nd, 2008, 06:01 PM

Definately seeing improvement so far. Keep it up!

MJ_Alcazar

November 25th, 2008, 09:28 PM

DIMAGYAN - thank you for the advice. I will do that!
Shannowman - thank you!

Some more studies and a mirror self portrait. My face isn't extremely expressive right now, had a seizure today. Not that my face is ever that expressive. :)

Ummm, is this copyright thing new? I was confused, I hope I filled it out correctly.

Equality72521

November 25th, 2008, 11:24 PM

great stuff MJ, it may help to do individual studies of legs, hands, arms, torso, etc. do pages and pages of the stuff, like Mr. Delicious and Alpenfleger. Mr Delicious especially, he'll do the same drawing of a leg over and over to get comfortable with the muscles and angles. After you get comfortable with those studies, combine them to create a whole figure. This may help you overall in your anatomy. Keep it up!

MJ_Alcazar

November 26th, 2008, 10:41 PM

Equality72521 - thanks for stoping by! I'll definitely start doing that. Hopefully I can get some of those posted soon. :)

Start on my CHOW, goblin boss.
and the finish on my last CHOW.
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0024-3.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0026-4.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/chow136_mj_alcazar.jpg

MJ_Alcazar

November 29th, 2008, 05:45 PM

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0027-2.jpg

More progress on the Goblin Boss.

MJ_Alcazar

December 2nd, 2008, 09:44 PM

Some hand studies! Well, actually I just drew my left hand over and over. Probably referencing my own hands are not a really great idea. My fingers jut out at weird angles which make them look broken, but at least I can get a general idea down. :)
Also, a CHOW that I will hopefully finish this time.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0001-8.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0002-7.jpg

MJ_Alcazar

December 5th, 2008, 05:41 PM

Couple more sketches for the CHOW. I've been SO busy.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0003-6.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0004-5.jpg

MJ_Alcazar

December 6th, 2008, 02:49 PM

I messed up trying to color her dress. I'm going to see if I can fix that.
I also redid the other WIP.
I'm not sure which one to do for the Elizabeth Bathory CHOW.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/elizabethbathorywip3.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0006-4.jpg

daestwen

December 6th, 2008, 03:48 PM

MJ: Just wanted to pop in and say that you've really been improving. I went back and counted all the chows that you did (15 out of the last 17) and saved them all to my hard drive. :P

To be honest I'm really proud of you and you're one of the reasons that Chow is a joy to do every week.

Please keep up the hard work! It's paying off! And Vorace is right, keep up with the studies. :)

MJ_Alcazar

December 7th, 2008, 01:08 PM

daestwen - thank you so much, that means a lot to me. :) And, I promise, more studies!

Some progress on my CHOW.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/ebwip1.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/ebwip2.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/ebwip3.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/ebwip5.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/ebwip6.jpg

MJ_Alcazar

December 8th, 2008, 07:02 PM

My finished CHOW. Well, actually far from finished. But, as much as I got done before deadline. :( It's still VERY rough looking.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/chow138_mj_alcazar.jpg

MJ_Alcazar

December 9th, 2008, 08:23 PM

Work on newest Chow. Just a basic idea. I hope to get some research done and maybe come up with a better concept.
Also, since I'm a little less busy this week. (or I should be) I hope to get some studies done.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0008-2.jpg

Sorknes

December 11th, 2008, 06:42 AM

Hey, you've been doing a great job on the ChoWs :)

Just wanted to drop by after your Bathory one, that one is a huge improvement! It's not as stiff as your earlier work, and the colouring is better. :)

Your colouring is a bit muddy at times though (I know all about that, I'm the mud monster... :P ), so I thought you might find this handy: Bumskees colour tutorial (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=107217) :)

Good luck on the velociraptor one! :D

MJ_Alcazar

December 13th, 2008, 03:58 PM

Thanks Sorknes, and thanks for the link too. That's going to help me out a lot.

A friend died this week, only a senior in high school. Way too young. I'm dedicating my CHOW this week to him.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/jiao-long.jpg

MJ_Alcazar

December 14th, 2008, 02:43 PM

My Final for CHOW. And some eye, nose, and mouth studies. More studies of different body parts to come soon!

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/chow139_mj_alcazar.jpg

MJ_Alcazar

December 15th, 2008, 05:05 PM

I really need some more work on my anatomy. Been doing some studies. Will post later today. Right now worked on some Bettie Page Tribute. My goal this week is to at least have a passing resemblence to Bettie.
First image came from a joke in my nursing class. Couldn't resist putting Bettie in the role.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0018-5.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0016-5.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk153/Seloh_Eft/scan0019-3.jpg

MJ_Alcazar

December 15th, 2008, 06:15 PM

Here's some studies. I'm going to aim to do at least a few each day. Don't know how long I'll last. :)

mollymillions

December 15th, 2008, 06:21 PM

good figure studies, I'd suggest staying away from pencil crayons for the most part though, no matter how good you get with them you'll probably still get better results from paint, just because you can mix your own colours.

l0stinth0ughts

December 15th, 2008, 09:03 PM

AWESOME! i love all the characters and costumes.
nice colours as well, are you going to college for this?

keep it up :rocker:

MJ_Alcazar

December 17th, 2008, 07:34 PM

mollymillions - thanks for the advice. :)
l0stinth0ughts - thank you. I would like to be going to college for this, but at the moment I'm in the Nursing Program. Long story.....

Some work on bettie page.

MJ_Alcazar

December 18th, 2008, 10:17 PM

Started to put colors on the Angel Bettie just out of curiousity. Ended up spending the whole time on this. I think I'm starting to understand the whole digital painting thing. Even if it doesn't look like it.

Note to self: buy a mouse!!!! touchpads are terrible on fingers. :)

MJ_Alcazar

December 20th, 2008, 09:55 PM

Sooo tired. Spent today trying to finish these. I had them pretty much finished yesterday. But, alas, my computer messed up and didn't save them. :(
I still didn't get Page's likeness. I changed the face over and over again.

MJ_Alcazar

December 21st, 2008, 02:17 PM

Ok, I finished.

MJ_Alcazar

December 22nd, 2008, 12:14 PM

Here's the CHOW for this week. This one is my take of Christmas Present. Decided to go with a self-portrait. So, we'll see how it turns out. Should be fun. I'll have designs up for Christmas Past and Yet to Come later on today. Along with some other stuff I need to scan and put on here.

MJ_Alcazar

December 22nd, 2008, 05:33 PM

Annddd, some updates!
First two are CHOWs. I fixed the face on my Present Ghost. And I made up a design for the Christmas Past.
The next one is a drawing I'm doing for a friend. He wanted me to draw him a rogue in a "cool environment". So, this is an initial sketch. Not sure I like it very much.
And the last is a really quick doodle of a toy train I'm putting together. It's not going to actually work, but this will be fun to make anyway. I'll post a picture of the train (if it doesn't turn out to look like crap. :) )

kelly x

December 22nd, 2008, 08:26 PM

Hi and a great start, you work very hard... I like your sketchy style very squiggly -- Just watch the edges, just clean them when you do your final paint as a finishing touch, it will bump up your presentation a lot. Thanks for the visit and nice to see all of this madness going on here!!! Maybe focus on one at a time?? I really like the self p a lot!!

MJ_Alcazar

December 23rd, 2008, 07:14 PM

kelly x - thank you, and thanks for the tip. I'll do that! Yeah I should just focus on one project. I don't have school so I have all this time, and I have all these projects running through my head. And then....I don't finish them. :) But, I am going to try to focus on one thing at a time.

Here's an inked version of the self portrait/Ghost of Christmas Present, one with blocked in colors, and one with some basic shadows.

JailHouseRock2

December 23rd, 2008, 10:01 PM

Hay mate, you've made great progress here .
Really dig the bettie page stuff.

keep up the good work,

matt

MJ_Alcazar

December 24th, 2008, 05:35 PM

JailHouseRock2 - thank you!

Here's an update on my Christmas Present.
and One with a shrunken hand, to make the proportions better.
And a design (finally! I wasn't sure I'd come up with one) for Christmas Yet to Come.

MJ_Alcazar

December 24th, 2008, 11:21 PM

Here's a finished version of Christmas Present. I think....We'll see how I like it after Christmas.

Evxyza92

December 24th, 2008, 11:28 PM

I am not going to lie, your women , are very well done, and look very nice, really nice. Okay they are hot. Lol anyway, I like the stuff here man. I like figure studies , it's always good to do them.

MJ_Alcazar

December 27th, 2008, 03:21 PM

Evxyza92 - thanks.

Ok, still working on this. I need to sort of start on the others too. So, I'll be finishing this up and working on those at the same time I think.

EDIT: blocked in some colors on Christmas Past.

MJ_Alcazar

December 28th, 2008, 01:31 PM

Did some more with Christmas Past.

MJ_Alcazar

December 29th, 2008, 02:33 PM

Ok, so I made Christmas Present's fan glow, it's the same idea as the Horn of Plenty in the book, but I choose to have a fan instead.
AND, some more work with Christmas Past.
Hopefully, I'll get these done AND Christmas Yet to Come finished.

mya

December 29th, 2008, 07:15 PM

Nice work! I like your robotic swordswoman a lot. I'd recommend doing some studies of fabric/drapery, maybe try using statues as reference (Bernini's always good). Keep it up!

MJ_Alcazar

December 31st, 2008, 04:34 PM

Mya - thank you. I do need to do that. I never thought of looking at statues, but that's a really good idea. I'll be sure to do that!

Ok, some more work on Present, Past, and Yet to Come.

ccsears

January 1st, 2009, 12:48 AM

Hey MJAlcazar,

just wanted to wish you a happy new year and lots of drawing and painting. i like the direction you're heading with your CHOW's and the ghosts of x-mas and glad to see you're making a ton of forward progress. keep going!

MJ_Alcazar

January 2nd, 2009, 10:13 PM

ccsears - thanks!

Some work on my CHOW. My computer started freaking out on me, so hopefully it's just a tonight thing and it'll be okay tomorrow.

Past - worked on everything. Trying to tighten it up. Fixed the background. I'm liking it the bg better.

Present - the glowing fan is gone. I tried a lot of different things, but I just couldn't get it to work. So, I'll keep it this way. Tried to work on the background, make it less glaring. Needs to be changed again.

Future - still working on it. Long ways to go. I really hope I can finish these before Sunday!

MJ_Alcazar

January 4th, 2009, 03:51 PM

This may or may not be my final. My computer was acting up, so I wanted to get something up here just in case it completely fizzled out on me. I was so frustrated this morning when nothing would pull up.

Sorknes

January 5th, 2009, 04:12 PM

Happy New Year :)

You Christmas Chow came out great! :) I especially like the Christmas Past, you seem to have strayed a bit and used more imagination there. :)

Can't believe you're doing this with a touchpad! O.o

MJ_Alcazar

January 10th, 2009, 08:53 PM

Sorknes - thank you! Actually, the touchpad situation is getting better, my fingers are forming callouses so it doesn't hurt or anything anymore. :)

I got more votes than I ever have before on that Christmas CHOW. I was so excited! Now, I just hope I can keep improving!

Here's some work on my CHOW. I chose to do Sir Bedivere - with King Arthur from the beginning, had only one hand but was still an awesome fighter, and he returned Excalibur to the Lady in the Lake when King Arthur died.

MJ_Alcazar

January 10th, 2009, 11:03 PM

I can't decide whether or not I like the orange background. It might be a little too much.

MJ_Alcazar

January 11th, 2009, 02:04 PM

Hope I can get this finished before deadline. Still need to study for school and everything.

Vorace

January 12th, 2009, 05:10 PM

you are improving! it's nice to see you in every CHOW! keep it up!

Crit for your chow : beware not to always draw weapons directly facing the viewer. Ive done it a lot of time me too hehe, but it looks better if you think of the right inclinason. I would suggest to work also on your material rendering. We should be able to understand what is metal, what is leather etc only by the way the light interact with.
not sure if what I say is clear uh

MJ_Alcazar

January 13th, 2009, 08:35 PM

Vorace - thanks. Yes, I see that about the sword now. hehe. I'll keep that in mind for the future. And yes, what you say about the textures makes sense. I need to start really studying how different textures look and how to render them.

Here's a new thing for CHOW. I'm not sure if I'll make it through the week. My meds are messing up again, so seizures are coming back. I'm pretty out of it. But, I really want to continue doing CHOWs.

MJ_Alcazar

January 14th, 2009, 02:39 PM

An update on Mr. Cheshire Cat. I'm so tired. I can't seem to get my brain working at all. If anyone sees anything that I need to fix, please tell me. I'm not so sure I'll catch it myself.

MJ_Alcazar

January 14th, 2009, 09:41 PM

Another update. I'm really trying to get something finished. I'm not really sure if anything makes sense. I'm hoping it does. I really wish I could think.

MJ_Alcazar

January 21st, 2009, 06:09 PM

Some updates. Getting the seizure situation handled, it'll take another week or two to see any difference.

l0stinth0ughts

January 23rd, 2009, 04:12 PM

i dont know how you do it, but its looks professional to me. anychance you do horror and macbre illustrations?

love to see more :rocker:

MJ_Alcazar

January 25th, 2009, 12:34 PM

l0stinth0ughts- thanks, but i have to disagree. It'll be awhile before my work looks anywhere near professional. :) But, I do horror and macbre illustrations sometimes. Been too busy to do too much outside of studies and CHOW for awhile though.

Ok, some more updates on my CHOW.

MJ_Alcazar

January 26th, 2009, 08:20 PM

Well, finished it too late.

MJ_Alcazar

January 27th, 2009, 08:35 PM

Awesome CHOW this week, Supervillain Self-portrait.

MJ_Alcazar

January 28th, 2009, 11:02 PM

Update. I really need to think about being more evil....hmmmm. I think I might scrap this and try to come up with something else. We shall see in the morning.

MJ_Alcazar

January 29th, 2009, 11:07 PM

Ok, so I messed around with the colors to see if I could do something with that. I think she or rather I look slightly more evil now.

MJ_Alcazar

January 30th, 2009, 05:50 PM

Another update, but now I have SUPERPOWERS! Mercenary for hire, I accept only the contracts I want. No long lines at the airport or waiting for the subway, I just fly there! And I can actually SMOKE and not be on city property. And hey, I can also whale hunt in Oklahoma! Plus, I can make it look like an accident....or not. There is quite a disadvantage to most cars being electric.

Still have a long way to go.

Novbert

February 2nd, 2009, 06:33 AM

Some suggestions:

- Do more studies besides ChoW. You've mentioned loomis and bridgman, but you barely used them for learning (or you just haven't show). Big no-no! You still have many things to learn about anatomy - do it, man!

- The skechyness: You use too short lines while drawing the lineart. Check this thread (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=83405) and especially this pic (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=56993&stc=1&d=1164991442) - "Big shapes are more important than details, long lines are more descriptive than short ones" Now that's the message. And you don't pay enough attention to line quality. Comic artists have their process of penciling first and inking second - and they do it for reason!! Check this pic (http://diablo2003.deviantart.com/art/Spidey-Cover-step-by-step-44622897) for ref of good line quality, long lines and the difference between sketch and pencilwork and inkwork.

- You also tend to overdo coloring and shading. It can be a good idea to separate two areas when the linework is done: the shady part and the lit part of the figure (the border between the two parts mustn't be blurry at this stage). When you're done with this, you can get into detailwork with much more confidence.

:yayca:

Zeus12

February 2nd, 2009, 07:48 AM

I'm with Novbert look into some Loomis or Bridgman, but you have made great progress keep it up!

MJ_Alcazar

February 2nd, 2009, 02:46 PM

Thanks for the comments guys! I am still doing Bridgman, Loomis and some Hogarth too. I try to do a study or more a day along with the CHOWs. My computer is a little testy though, so I scan very little of it. :)

Thanks for pointing out the lines, I'm trying to work on them. And thanks for the explanation behind and the great links Novbert! I looked at them all and will focus on getting those longer and the shapes bigger.

Also, thanks for the tip on the painting. I'm always trying to improve on that.

Here's the finish of the last CHOW.

MJ_Alcazar

February 4th, 2009, 04:16 PM

Ok, here's some of my CHOW.
I had made her arm too short the first time, and then tried to fix that.
Trying really hard to keep smooth long lines, but it'll take a lot of practice, practice practice. And when I'm done with that, more practice! :D

MJ_Alcazar

February 10th, 2009, 03:08 PM

Ok, some of last week's CHOW and an early sketch for this weeks CHOW. I've been concentrating my studies on hand and feets. I think I should add arms to that more.
And, I completely wrecked the coloring of my CHOW piece. So, this week I'm going to really try hard on that front.

MJ_Alcazar

February 13th, 2009, 09:47 PM

My scanner is working. I actually bought a pen, instead of just picking up random ones off the street. So, I bring you today's studies and some CHOW I'm working on.

MJ_Alcazar

February 15th, 2009, 06:29 PM

My finished Chow for this week. Going to get some more studies done tonight hopefully.

MJ_Alcazar

March 1st, 2009, 11:25 AM

Wow, busy few weeks.

Here's the Sith CHOW.

MJ_Alcazar

March 2nd, 2009, 11:37 AM

Finished this week's CHOW and here's last week's CHOW also.

MJ_Alcazar

March 9th, 2009, 12:19 PM

Didn't get this one finished this week. I hate getting sick. And, then I tried to rush this, and it didn't work out. I liked the brief, so I'll probably go back and correct everything, do it again.

Vorace

March 9th, 2009, 10:32 PM

im in a hurry so I dont have time to do a real crit, just wanna say (again) that it's good to see you working hard, because you are improving fast!! keep at it!!

JailHouseRock2

March 9th, 2009, 11:02 PM

Yeah I gotta agree with Vorace, you are improving very fast indeed, all those CHOW really seem to be helping!

And the CHOW's look like there going real well too, Female sith lord is a big steep up.

Keep up the great work MJ,
matt

MJ_Alcazar

March 18th, 2009, 03:36 PM

Vorace, Jail House Rock 2 - thank you guys! I'm really trying hard, and it's always nice when someone notices. :)

At last! I may have a job. Still tentative, the banking branch I tested at has to send me to another branch where the job opening came up. So, one more interview. Hopefully that goes well. I had to dig around to find money for my last sketchbook, it was sad. I seem to use several of those sketchbooks up every month, it's starting to get expensive.

Deon

March 18th, 2009, 05:41 PM

MJ - I have no idea how you get around to entering every CHOW - It's friggin' amazing - keep up the good work, and good luck with the interview!
p.s - really like that animal in the girl's cart - what is it?

MJ_Alcazar

March 19th, 2009, 01:02 PM

Deon - Thanks for the support!
you know, sometimes I ask myself the same question. But, it's all about planning your time. And sometimes, I just haven't made it, but I do try to get as much done as possible.

Oh, and the little guy was just something in my head when I was thinking of different directions for Mary. So, I added him. He's supposed to be a gargoyle type creature, a protector kind of thing.

And, another update on my CHOW, someone pointed out the length of the leg. So I tried to fix it. Hopefully it looks better.

Giorge

March 19th, 2009, 02:51 PM

interesting dude , but at the same time a not so fast evolution , my personal advice is to lay of the digital for a while and concentrate all your time on pencil studies , or your line quality

MJ_Alcazar

March 21st, 2009, 11:55 AM

flamable - thanks for the advice. You are right, I'd probably benefit greatly by laying off digital and spending A LOT of time on studies. Help with all my wonky anatomy issues. :)

No excuses, I've just been having too much fun with the digital and trying to learn color. Sometimes we all get a little ahead of ourselves. :)

And, as for the 'not so fast evolution', you're right. But, I never thought I'd improve as fast as I did. So, it's a personal accomplishment for me. I am learning to look at things differently and maybe, for me, that's where I needed to start. Just slowing going through it. :)

Here's an update on my CHOW.

drd

March 21st, 2009, 12:01 PM

Oh wow, this last Chow update shows a lot of progress. The lighting is great, the rendering is better than usual; the improvement is palpable.

Very nice.

MJ_Alcazar

March 22nd, 2009, 02:38 PM

drd - thank you so much!

Here is some more stuff.

Some sketches of my hands and feet.
Some alchemy things, I'm trying to figure out how to use it.
What may or may not be my final for this week's CHOW.

Daniela Blanco

March 24th, 2009, 01:22 PM

MJ_Alcazar............I really wanted to spot by here as you made a really nice comment on my sketchbook......:D

I love your drawings and characters...........what I think is the outstanding in your work is the level of details yo put on your line work....(specially on the outfits and acessorys of your characters)....and well......what you should work the most in my opinion is your painting...........you have a good sense of values, light and shadow.....but sometimes it seems a little stained....so....maybe experiment with different types of brushes ???
It's just my opinion.....hope I've helped! :D
See you in chow!

revenebo

March 24th, 2009, 04:17 PM

Looks like your efforts are really paying off. Your Chow entries during the last months show great (and fast!) improvement. Keep up!

strings

March 25th, 2009, 05:05 AM

Page 1 - 5 was a great time lapse of your progression. Seriously, awe inspiring. Will be looking closely.

Luke M.

March 25th, 2009, 05:20 AM

Spend some time learning the specifics of the basic forms of your anatomy (e.g. the hands, knuckles) and also work on your edges, at the moment you seem to be considering your edges only part of the time. Keep drawing, you're well on your way :)

MJ_Alcazar

March 27th, 2009, 06:36 PM

Daniela Blanco - thanks! I'll play around with that.
Revenbo - thank you.
strings - thanks.
Luke M. - I will, thanks. :) And you caught me. I catch myself forgetting and then I'll try to focus on the edges, and then I'll forget again. :(

Here's some this week's CHOW.
And one study.
So happy that it's Friday, this week is over.

MJ_Alcazar

April 1st, 2009, 06:42 PM

Some CHOW updates and a quick study.

MJ_Alcazar

April 2nd, 2009, 01:27 PM

Study I did last night.

NateShaw

April 2nd, 2009, 10:06 PM

Hi MJ_ALCAZAR! I've been watching your work in CHOW lately and I wanted to say you have been doing a great job. Also, I really wanted to thank you for pointing out the arm problem in my Dr. Who. I re-looked at it and realized it was way off, so thanks! I just wanted to echo others and say that your lines are really beautiful. Looking at this week's CHOW and the wips I think I like the second stage the best. When you keep the colors as large simple shapes the linework is easier to read and since they are so nice, its a good thing.

I think you are making awesome progress with all of your figure studies and what I'd like to see from you is some skull studies and then some head studies. I can tell you are really looking at the musculature and bone structure on your figures but you seem to lose a bit of the structure when you get to the head and face.

Keep up the good work.

MJ_Alcazar

April 14th, 2009, 10:12 PM

Nateshaw - thanks! I took your advice and I'm doing skull studies. They look horrid at the moment :( but that's definitely a big thing I need to work on :). Do you happen to know of a good site where I can see really good pictures of skulls? I'm having problems with some of the pictures and defining what is what. :)

Here's some CHOW sketches, working on the Team Chow mostly. So most of the sketches of the past week are dedicated to that and are in Sugah Face's SB.

NateShaw

April 15th, 2009, 04:22 PM

I can't think of any specific sites that have good pics of skulls. I usually use one of my artistic anatomy books. The two that I look at are "The Human Figure" by David K Rubins and "Artisitc Anatomy" by Paul Richer. Both are good but I would definitely recommend the Rubins book. The other is at times overly wordy. (my sketchbook has some drawings I did from AA) I also have a life sized skull sculpture that I made in a life modeling class. Its really cool because I can turn it all different angles and put different light on it to see how it is affected. Neither of those really helps you out this second though so I'll see if I can think of anything on the web for you.