Sketchbook

[Shybird]

Hello not much to write here. Various things from my sketch book or that are unfinished. 475729

[Shybird]

Older studies first. Sorry but most of these were taken with a digital camera. My scanner isn't really in a good place for oversized images

The dog was one of my only tries at using digital. Looking back, I'm not sure why I decide to show fur as individual hairs.

Someday I really would like to figure out how I want to combine pencil, pastels and ink

[Shybird]

Still older things. Hopefully I can look at these and think I have improved

Cloth painted with an inky stick and life drawings from a model. Consistently messed up the head sizes on these. Proportions before details >.< I think these may be from my first life drawing class but not sure. Prior to this I had never really drawn humans before.

I hope to find a workshop I can attend to work from live models once again but no luck so far with my work schedule.

[Shybird]

Still old~

These are studies from David Rubins' The Human Figure. We drew the skeletal studies on normal paper and then the muscle ones on tracing paper that was overlayed the bones.

I learned that ribs are evil when they were drawn individually.

[Shybird]

These are more recent after more or less not drawing for several years. So it feels like going backwards sometimes. Done over the course of a few months, many doodled at work.

[Shybird]

Save as above

[Shybird]

And last set for what I currently have scanned. The studies are from Bernini save for one from Rossetti. Thanks for looking and suggestions are welcome :^^;:

[Shybird]

Various things. So much scanning and still more to go :scribble:

[Shybird]

My scanner seems to dislike my pencil, yet it will pick up shades of grey on white sketchbook pages. I sketch pretty light I guess so sorry if I had to darken everything to get the lines to show.

Wanted to draw various dancing poses. I have a project in mind that involves a dancer and figured I could use the practice since I'm not strong with humans. I wish I could work on large size newsprint since I'm not comfortable with smaller (8.5x11) paper, but it just isn't practical.

[Shybird]

Computer has been broke and scanning / uploading takes forever.

Here is another batch of work sketches. These are from Bridgman's 100 hands book

[Shybird]

More Bridgman

[sinneart]

Am I really the first to comment here, or am I blind?

Anyway... It's nice to see all your studies here - keep it up! I'd like to see more tonal/shading used - but overall really good stuff here so far! Keep posting.

[Shybird]

Sinneart: Thanks :) I like the latest oil you have in your sketchbook. There is a nice softness to the figure that gives the painting a dream-like atmosphere. Do you do a black and white graiselle before painting? I'm still trying to learn oils so I would love to see your steps.

And because I don't want to post without an update, a quick thing I did for my co-worker as a card. :^^;:

[Shybird]

The Bridgman fest continues. Getting tired of these but I hope something sticks.

Would anyone know a good place to check to find life drawing workshops? I'd like to try working from an actual model on occasion.

[Shybird]

So lazy about scanning

[Shybird]

Bridgman :scribble:

This set was pretty hard for me. More accustomed to drawing women so the musculature messed me up

[Shybird]

:scribble:

The paper of this sketchbook smudged really easily for some reason

[Shybird]

The Bridgman just goes on and on. And I feel kind of bad for having to put so much information on the file manager just to upload boring anatomy sketches :(

[vantid]

Hey at least you are doing the Bridgeman drawings! Are you reading what he has to say as well?

[SixPrism]

Great momentum going with the anatomy studies! Would love to see some works from imagination incorporating what you've learned about building up the form from all the bridgeman practice. Looking forward to more!

[Shybird]

Vantid: No actually I did not read the books. I'm pretty bad at visualizing things in space and I get better sense working it out by drawing.

Sixprism: Thank you I lost momentum a bit when I finished the books. Kind of, well now what do I study :^^;: I have done some more detailed studies that I haven't caught up to posting yet



These are the last of Bridgman. I tried doing some of his full figures, but it just would not mesh for me.

[Shybird]

Just one because this takes longer than sketches. Night Mood from Bouguereau. The scanner did not seem to like the shading on her body for some reason

[kuroart]

great studies and progress. keep it up.

[Shybird]

Another from Bouguereau. I think maybe, since the scale changes so much from his original, that simplifying the value changes might work better in the future. Also I think that I might need a new scanner.

Happy Holidays all :^^:

[Jaytea]

It makes me cringe as I scroll through this sketchbook, to see studies I attempted, and how you've pulled them off. Wonderful studies and poses here. O_O

[Shybird]

The first is Barberini Faun I believe. It was pretty fun to do. The others I just wanted to play with some toned paper and try using a white pencil. The orange paper was kind of annoying in how bright it was. The white pencil is a little soft and I'm not always quite sure how to use it. Those life drawings come from a book I found called Language of the Body. The last is The Dying Slave.

The hands are part of something else I need to finish up and the tree is practice at how to depict them in ink. So if there are any critiques on that or the hands I would appreciate it. Hoping to start a larger project with an ink tree soon :scribble:

Some day I will figure out how to do color studies.

[Shybird]

Laocoon is not a happy person

[Shybird]

Dear god I'm just leaving the background plain next time I mess with something like this. It is sad to see this in grey without Caravaggio's lovely red though.

[Shybird]

Playing with watercolor. No real idea how to use them, but it was fun to scribble with

[scorpion007]

Wow, nice toned studies! Very nice, in fact.

Your figures seem quite well structured. Must be the Bridgeman practise :)

Perhaps you should practise some faces too?

And the watercolor looks good for a "not having a real idea how to use them".

Oh, by the way: Next time your scanner makes your pencil shading look too faded, try: Image -> Adjustments -> Auto Levels in Photoshop :)

[Shybird]

Re Scorpion: Probably :) But I am worse at anatomy so I try to focus on that more

Work and studies in non art fields doesn't leave much time for drawing. Nothing to do but continue as I can.

I miss the texture of paper working digitally.

[Shybird]

Semester is finished ^^ Now to play with drawing

This was my Christmas card this year, save I had gold ink to make a star in the lantern on the finished ones

[GoGoJojo]

Aww...I wish I had the patience for such beautiful hatching and texturing. Boo, your making me feel inadequate! How did you get the stippling so evenly spaced? did you do it in small groups, like a gridwork?

[Shybird]

Hello

Jojo: Um for stipple what I usually do is kind of do a larger area with scattered marks and then I more carefully place dots that are going to be adjacent. It lets you correct any patterns you may have been making and helps to prevent you from clumping the dots.

So slow with scanning. Bernini Persephone study #2. And yes, I was totally lazy about Hades' hair.

[danlucas]

Great SB, Your improving fast because you are doing lots of observation drawings and life drawing. Are you in an art class? I like the hand and bridgeman studies too. Keep up the great work.

[Shybird]

I haven't gotten around to scanning other things, so here is the project I've been messing around with at work. Nile river from Bernini's Four River fountain :wip: I had to redraw this so many times for some reason


Re Danlucas: No art classes

[Shybird]

Little Painter study of a partridge. I haven't figured out many brushes yet

[Shybird]

It's a goose in Painter. And I didn't feel like drawing individual feathers.

What size / resolution do people work in for studies? I've been told 300 dpi for print, but do people use the same scale for something that is a study?

[Shybird]

I really like this self portrait painting by Courbet. I messed up in quite a few areas, most sadly I failed on the expression, but I think it turned out okay for what it is. Painting something this complex on my computer without a pencil sketch was pretty difficult. But now on to something else

[Shybird]

Got sick so now need to get back into a work flow. Portrait of my Grandmother in pastel pencils

[Blondebeard]

Excellent SB! Keep it up!

Really liking the animals stuff you've done.

[Blondebeard]

Excellent SB! Keep it up!

Really liking the animals stuff you've done.

[Shybird]

Tiny hummingbird watercolor for your amusement.

[Shybird]

Another watercolor hummer. This one a female broad-tail

[Shybird]

Another watercolor hummingbird. This one has the name of Shining Sunbeam

[Shybird]

Almost a break in theme as I go from hummingbirds to a western tanager. It looked cute and puffy.

[Shybird]

I was having issues with this so I don't think it is going to get any further than it is right now. So my start on a study of Lamia by Waterhouse.

[Shybird]

First stage of a watercolor project I was working on. Blergh

[Tom Fenton]

good use of media i love drawing birds to, with the bridgeman stuff. take a look back at the book, close it, and have a go at drawing from memory!

[Shybird]

Re Tom Fenton: I probably should. I don't think it is something I would be good at

So far I learned that I can ruin paper by going over it too often, that you cannot erase pencil lines once you paint over them, and that rose over cadmium makes a far too neon of a peach.

[Shybird]

Finished pic is 12x16. I learned a lot from it, but still a lot left to learn. So much left

[glaudarien]

Hi Hartsong, i think that your anatomy studies are very good, the only problem i can see would be the proportion on some of them. For example the torso being too large for the lower body, head to small in comparison to the body etc. But these are only subtle so if you just double check the anatomy sketch before had you shouldnt have any problems, keep it up!

[Shybird]

Glaudarien: You are correct :) Those are studies from long before I started a sketchbook, so I try to be aware of my habit of changing proportions during the transition from loose sketch to finished lines.

More forays into watercolor. Glass is always interesting to depict. After this, though, I found my circle template.

[Shybird]

I posted these in a crit thread hoping for some feedback. Still interested if anyone has some to offer. More watercolor, more marbles. Forefront marble more muddy on scan for some reason

[Aleio]

The watercolor marbles are very nice. In fact, I think I might try to do the same subject in color pencil. :) Good practice in the play of light and shadow.

[Shybird]

Re FyreWire: Yes they are an interesting subject.

Last one

Some of the lighter shades didn't come across, but close enough

[Shybird]

Guess I should post in this sometimes

Intent of this was to practice feathers. Then I decided to try and see what pencils over watercolor looked like. Pretty dull but oh well. It kind of makes me think of hard candy wrapped in cellophane.

[qlotzan]

cool nice sb mate i like the last update

cheers

keep it up

Qlotzan;)

[richart]

Strong traditional stuff, keep studying mate!

[Shybird]

As a testament to my laziness about scanning, I chose to upload a digital speed study I did last night rather than the months old watercolors I have laying around. Hurray

Waterhouse's Ophelia, 1910

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/GhostPhoenix/Digital/Speed-Digital_Waterhouse_Ophelia_02_pic-1.jpg

Now I should get back to work

[insanelight]

Nice anatomy studies and watercolours.
Thanks for sharing!
I can't see the latest posted image (maybe it's just a temporary issue)...

[NeonDuck]

nice studies, the hands are kickass!

a lot of your work has kindof a 'traced' look to it tho, are you constructing them properly or just copying what you see?

[The_Flying_Dutchman]

Nice work, good to see so many studies. Keep posting!