Siskol P's sketchbook... 5/1 Update

[siskol p]

some newer stuff...
http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-03-17/life%20gladiator%20copy.jpg http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-03-17/life%20king%20copy.jpg
this is a WIP, i'll post it again when shes finished..
http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-03-17/carli%20copy.jpg http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-03-17/jim%20&%20friends%20copy.jpg


http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-03-03/narcissism-2.jpg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-03-03/325-baby.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-03-03/Kate-matrix.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-26/don't-front-sara.jpg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-26/self.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-26/2-figures.jpghttp://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-26/tanya.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-26/ariel-ski.jpg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-26/me-an--big-boi.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-26/mookie-bleh.jpg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-26/samson.jpg



C-n-C MUCH APPRECIATED....

[S51]

First off, let me say you've got quite a spread here. I really like the idea of redoing some of the old FF classes, but the style you've chosen doesn't really work that well. I think if you defined the forms just a little bit more those pieces would be much stronger. Your "Mid-Ranking Knight", for example, is done in a much more effective style. Of course this is all my personal opinion, but it might be something to think about. Keep it up.

[PencilPunx]

Y'know, immediately upon viewing these I said to myself "this looks like it's heavily influenced by the dude who does the Metal Gear art." After typing your influences into Google I saw that Yoji Shinkawa is exactly who I was thinking of, I just didn't know the name. So yeah, if you're going for a style similar to his you're definitely achieving that.

I agree completely with everything S51 said. While your style is cool, it's difficult to make out any real detail. Pieces like the Mid-Ranking Knight, Red Mage and Ninja are a lot easier to read and therefore much more effective. I think adding some finer detail and varying your values (more grays and less black/white) would help out a lot. From what you have here it seems like your anatomy is good and you have a feel for clothing so all you really need to do is refine what you're already doing. This is good stuff though, so if you're going for a less defined look then by all means ignore my blabbering.:D

[siskol p]

yeah i agree, they're really loose, and at the same time, i like how loose and gestural they are, but they really come off as more "artsy" than informative, i'm still trying to pin down my brush pen tech. to the calibur of shinkawa (gonna take a while) to where i can make a sqiggly line and you'll look at it and say oh yeah, thats a leg holster with 2 gun clips in it. so i guess what i'm after in the brush pen doodles is conveying the information with as little as possible.

as for the pencil stuff, its the exact opposite, i've really been trying to buckle down and render the hell outta my pencil stuff and get lots of detail, i've got some more stuff that i'll throw up here soon,,

thanks for the crits, keep 'em coming

[metalwinds]

dude, i completely missed this thread. great to see you posting in a sketchbook, hope you keep it updated. the ink sketches are cool, but the forms are too ambiguous. recently i have been doing a lot of life/reference drawing, and i think it is helping my work a lot. i feel more confident with my lines and i have started drawing much faster than i did before. anyway, its just a suggestion to help.. .maybe try doing studies with the ink as well.

also, im jealous that you have class with wes burt

peace

[siskol p]

heres this weeks musings... and some older stuff as well

these first two are studies i did from a book on Bernini's sculptures at the beginning of the year, i didn't continue with them, but looking at them now i think i should...
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/David.jpg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/Saint-Teresa.jpg

[PencilPunx]

Hey now, very nice! Your sculpture sketches turned out very well and your other work is solid too. I'm sure the brush pen stuff is what you're really interested in, but doing basic life drawing and studies such as these can only help you improve with that style. I'd say that last piece you posted, the one that looks like a samurai, is your best to date, so you're obviously making an improvement. Good work man, keep it up.

[siskol p]

yeah i've got a lot of life drawings up from my class, i've just got to take them off the walls and pop 'em up, that'll be the assignment for next week ;)

but yeah i really do love working with the brush pen, and i think i'm on my way to, i guess finding my own niche with it thats not directly based on shinkawa. i'm really liking what i'm doing and i've got a lot more of 'em to do.

[siskol p]

LIFE DRAWINGS GALORE!!!... (and some stuff from my head as well..)

http://www.nickface.org/newkid/class-doodle.jpg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/life-doodles-1(2).jpg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/life-doodles-1(3).jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/life-doodles-1.jpg
http://http://www.nickface.org/newkid/life-doodles-2(2).jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/life-doodles-2(3).jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/life-doodles-2.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/life-doodles-3.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/life-doodles-4(2).jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/life-doodles-4.jpg

and now for the stuff from the head..

http://www.nickface.org/newkid/Sword-Captain-2.jpg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/Main-Characters1.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/Main-Characters2.jpg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/sword-captain-color.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/the-major-major.jpg

[siskol p]

its been a while, but now i'm back in work mode and ready to post... this is some of the work i've been doing in my figure class along with the rest of the brush drawings. next week... SKETCHBOOK..
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-08/figures-2.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-08/figures-1.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-08/figures-12.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-08/figures-22.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-08/figures-3.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-08/knight.jpg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-08/redmage.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-08/mimic.jpg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-08/Barbarian.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-08/Blue-mage.jpg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-08/Ranger.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-08/black-mage.jpg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-08/druid.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-08/samurai.jpg

[Josef K.]

wow really sweet sketches :)
interesting style
keep rockin'

[Main Loop]

yeah, i see noticeable progress as i go down the page.. your use of values to define shapes gets stronger and stronger... good stuff

[siskol p]

thanks for the com's guys,


main: yeah i felt that way when i was looking at all of them together myself. i really do feel like i've gotten a lot better, esp. with the brush, i tried to implement more detail, and such without going to overboard. i think the pinnacles of the brush drawings are the top 3 and i've been trying to absorb how wes draws in class, so i feel like i'm really improving...

thanks again and keep 'em coming everyone, ME= LOVE FEEDBACK :D

[Valcon Jet]

FUCKING HELL YEAH dude I love your brush inks those are fucking amazing!

[siskol p]

thanks valcon,

i was really going after a shinkawa-esque feel (Metalgear solid) with the brush drawings, i think i got that outta some of 'em (the knight) but not others ( the mimic ). but i duno
what does everyone else think?? which ones do you like the best, i'm applying to a school in italy to study abroad and i'm in the midst of selecting my portfolio, opinions would be great...


thanks :D FEEDBACK=GOOD

[siskol p]

these are all my drawings from reference/ life in my sketchbook, i'll get up my non reference stuff next week
uzio from the last samurai
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-12/uzio.jpeg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-12/fashion,%20life.jpeg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-12/asian%20love.jpeg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-12/chicken,%20aoki.jpeg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-12/lee%20van%20kleef.jpeg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-12/herr%20leixner.jpeg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-12/life,%20leutner.jpeg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-12/life,%20lost,%20prayer.jpeg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-12/samanosuke,%20aoki.jpeg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-12/new%20portrait.jpeg
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-12/the%20ski%20club.jpeg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-12/xorn.jpeg

[siskol p]

Two more i forgot to put up..
these are 2 facing pages of my book, no ref used on any of them..
http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-12/avant%20garde.jpeg http://www.nickface.org/newkid/2004-02-12/fashion.jpeg

[siskol p]

new stuff at the top...

[klid]

nice sketches, u go to cleveland state, with pete as the teacher? cuz that one model looks familiar...

[siskol p]

no, i go to cleveland institute of art, but the models go all around town though...

[xia]

Love your cha-design on the Brush ones...they are my fav. Pretty loose and free...nicely done.

[siskol p]

thanks xia, i just got a really big roll of this glossy paper that i was doing the characters on, so now i can actually do a big drawing of them

[siskol p]

new junk for leap week

[siskol p]

one more...

[siskol p]

newest stuff up top y'all Crits PLEEZE

[siskol p]

new stuff,

http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-03-24/NY-drawings.jpg http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-03-24/carli-angel.jpg
this is the updated version of last weeks WIP
http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-03-24/new-carli.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-03-24/knight.jpg http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-03-24/samson-doodle.jpghttp://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-03-24/cowboy-&-samurai.jpg

[metalwinds]

youre definitely getting better. keep drawing as much as possible, but i would also recommend studying anatomy. .. it always helps. also, when you are doing your figure drawings, i am getting the impression that you are thinking about it too much.. . .just feel the pose. let your intuitive mind form the drawing. ..dont think about what youre doing. a teacher of mine told me that this semester, and when i started really getting what he was saying.. .i could tell my drawings were getting a lot better, and my lines were much more confident. as for the rendering of the figure drawings, try putting down your middle grey tone first. then, take that value and block out 3 more darker values. then, put in your lighter values, but make sure you keep everything simple.. .dont build your large masses around your smaller ones.. . put the smaller masses and details on top of the larger masses. i hope i explained that well. .. .

as for your brush pen work.. .have you ever tried using ink and a brush? with a brush you can get a more expressive line, which can add a lot to a picture.. . something shinkawa does very well. also, shinkawa is very good at making a quick impression in his work.. .he is able to place the values in such a way that the mood of the piece is expressed perfectly. in the first couple of seconds you look at one of his pieces, it makes and impression, which is something many artists need to learn.

anyway, just a few suggestions.. .hope they help some. keep postin, man. ..and dont get too discouraged when people dont respond to your work.. ...i definitely know how that feels. just keep drawing, studying, and working as hard as you can.. .before you know it, youll be kicking ass.

[PeggyChung]

hey siskol, nice stuff here nothing much to say but push your shading! your stuff has potential of being better and more eyecatching with shading as dark as night!
never the less, i love your style *drool* updating soon?

[siskol p]

metalwinds - thanks for the suggestions man, i'll try the value thing, i have a real problem putting down value differetiation on paper. like i SEE it, but then it all makes its way to midtones some how, i'll try the 3 shades on either side deal, sounds like it'll help, itd probably help if i used different pencils too... ( i pretty much just draw w/ a .05 mech pencil HB lead)

and yeah i've tried brush and ink, i actually used it in a couple of the brushpen drawings,

but thanks for the words guys, iappreciate 'em


i'll post more soon

[Main Loop]

your stuff is looking better.. you're looking for planes of the face, which is always good.. try to follow the form with your strokes more closely.. you sometimes do, but then a lot of times you dont.. like metalwinds said, keep the values simple.. right now they look really patchy.. it helps to have a focal point, that way you know where the attention in your drawings should go.. keep drawing, and have these things in mind..

[siskol p]

i hear you main,

i have a problem with pieceing together my drawing rather than looking at continuity of value as it goes across the form, it think its from painting and profs drilling me with NO COLOR IS EVER THE SAME..MIX AGAIN!! so i end up thinking that way in my drawings, (but it should probably be the other way around.

but these last couple days i really feel like i've been making some headway in my problem areas i'll post 'em and lemme know if you agree.. thanks again man,

peace,

siskol

[siskol p]

newest stuff this week,

http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-03-31/INTIMIDATE!!!.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-03-31/carli-doodles.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-03-31/mark-poses.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-03-31/scribble-knight-2.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-03-31/skeleton-&-scribble-knight.jpg

[metalwinds]

awesome, im already seeing improvement. a couple things though. . .i see on the third piece, with the male model, you are still being influenced by the dominant accent (turning edge). try to avoid this.. . .block in your large values first, then once you have done that, add the smaller details.. dont build your larger values around smaller ones. i know this is basically what i said before, but it took me a while to REALLY understand my teacher when he was saying it to me.

also, on the "intimidate" piece, i think it would benefit from some stronger values. because it is supposed to be intimidating, strong contrast would work well, in my opinion. try to set the mood of what you are trying to say, just dont copy what you see.. .something i also need to work on.

good work though, keep pumpin out as much stuff as you can.. . and post it

[siskol p]

yeah man, i hear you on the copying thing.. i've been doing so much of it recently i totaly forget about mood and stuff

[siskol p]

http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-04-22/fat-guy-page.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-04-22/kaine-page.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-04-22/knight-page.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-04-22/mohawk.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-04-22/samson-blinded.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-04-22/stripe-guy.jpg

[metalwinds]

yeah, thats right buddy.. .i can see definite improvement in your work. the main problem i have with this update is the inaccuracies in the anatomy. .. .with some studying and such youll see some drastic improvements in your work. thats all the advice i have for now.. .keep it up man

[siskol p]

http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-05-01/big-hand-zombie.jpg
http://www.nickface.org/users/newkid/2004-05-01/mind-conrolled-guard.jpg

MW,

yeah, the inaccuracies, some of it's me forgetting what muscle goes where, other times its me trying to pull a michelangelo and just add or rearrange, or enlarge anatomy. like in the last one, where the abs are HUGE, i like excessivly large abdominal muscles, i duno why, i've been doing it for a while, i like to lengthen my forearms some too. its just my aesthetic i suppose...

thanks for the crits though, i am trying to pay more attention now that you've brought it to my attention.. (that was redundant..)

peace

[maldrin]

these last two are really nice. top one is really cool, I love the arm / gun... nice details in the second one. the second one seems a lot more accurate and is really a nice composition - i'd love to see it fleshed out to a finished piece, or at least a wider range of tones. very interesting ideas, man!

keep up the good work!

mal

[Main Loop]

your values are starting to come together better.. still gotta think more about large shadow masses and shadow shapes.. also, think more about texture and surface.. you use the same shading on everything.. if you look at good concept artists like Marko, there is good attention paid to the true surface of things, and it makes it more convincing.. for metal, instead of choppy strokes across the form, maybe a broad stroke of shade down the surface instead..