Empyrean´s sketchbook

[.empyrean.]

Hello there,
my name is Max, I´m 18 years old and from Germany. For the last years I have been trying to get better, but always failed at my laziness.
Inspired and stimulated by conceptart.org I now begin to improve my skills.
But there is a long way to create gorgeous pictures, landscapes, cityscapes, creatures and persons.
What can I improve?
Where can I start?
Is human anatomy a good start for me?
I try to update my sketchbook every day, but can´t promise it.
Aah, sorry for my ghastly english and the dumb title^^
The heads, hands, feet are sketched from sketched reference
Here are the pics:

[.empyrean.]

Are there pages in the internet with proportion studies, anatomy, body poses?

[rodent]

youve definitly got the spark , but have you got the staying power to turn yourself into somthing.i liked the finger in the bottle , it was realistic and creepy , i liked the shading on it too, and the reflections

[Anathema6205]

it always rough at the start, just because you dont know where to start and theres so much out there; but it will get alot better.
the best thing to do is find one thing that you really need to focus on, then really try to master that.
one thing at a time.
take a look at this website: it covers everything i learned in college drawing classes...but for free.
http://drawsketch.about.com/
its a drawing encyclopedia. ^^

oh, and anatomy is one thing i have to continue to look for-theres some really nice books out there, try skeletal and muscular books, but theres a whole ton out there.

heres some basics that are extremely useful; in the artworld, proportion is god.
http://cedarseed.deviantart.com/art/Big-Guide-to-Drawing-the-Body-15014442

[.empyrean.]

Hey, thanks for your words!

I think this:http://www.amazon.de/Menschliche-Anatomie-K%C3%BCnstler-Gy%C3%B6rgy-Feher/dp/3829022956/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230494945&sr=8-6
is the best anatomy book ever. Every muscle, every bone, demonstrative sketches, wonderful!

1. Trapezius. Don´t get the muscles look well.
2. Began Enviromental. The Steps aren´t that good.
3. Bone and musclestudies of arm.

Greetings,
Max

[nancy_kelpie]

You draw hands pretty good ! :) I also like the ink finger.

A good website for poses is www.posemaniacs.com

[Asatira]

I think you're off to a good start. Your hands, especially from, are rather good. The face (third image in first post) is an example of what most people have to get over, which is drawing symbols and not what is actually seen (for example, the eye). Don't worry, the more you draw the better you'll get. I also like the building/street environment.

Check out Posemaniacs, look at the resources on the forum, and keep at it. I look forward to your progress.

[.empyrean.]

@nancy_kelpie Thank you!
@Asatira Thanks, what do you mean with drawing symbols? Should I paint the, um, effects on other parts of the face, for example, the wrinkles (crinkles?) of the eyes, thus the shades of the wrinkles, and not the eye itself?

What is better? Painting parts of human bodies and try to get it perfect as possible or painting many different parts in different perspectives the whole piece of paper?
What should I paint and what disregard to get the skills to paint human characters and faces right?

Greetings,
Max

[.empyrean.]

1. Musclestudy
2. Try...
3. Hands

Max

[Fumble]

Hey .empyrean. good studies, keep it up!
As for the approach to figure drawing: I find it helpful to draw poses from posemaniac.com - that way i get the overall feel for the different muscles and how they sit on the human figure. I then combine that with studies of the individual muscles groups as the ones your doing now.

[.empyrean.]

1. Wicked Thing
2. Another wicked thing "concept"
3. Legs and a foot
4. It´s very hard to get that look like a sunset...

@Fumble Thanks!

Greetings Max

[.empyrean.]

So, let's start again. Now I really have to practise, next year I gonna take 'Art' as a kind of 'expert subject' at school, and will do exams for my graduation.

Hope you like that one....

Greetings Max


Edit: Oh f*ck, pic is a little too big, hope you don't mind.

[.empyrean.]

Update:

[.empyrean.]

Once again: UPDATE

Please guys, critizize me! I want getting better!

1. Some quickies from Observation (i guess you don't even realize what it shows :\)

2. Doodles

3. 30 sec Posemaniacs

Greetings, Max

[.empyrean.]

Come on guys, pleease.

Little update today

Greetings Max

[.empyrean.]

Update for today

Greetings Max

[.empyrean.]

Posemaniacs for today

Greetings Max

[.empyrean.]

Update

[.empyrean.]

Update:

Max

[Asatira]

Hello. Just dropping by. I see some improvement from the last time I came by. If you don't mind, I'll answer your question from last year. When I said symbols, I was taking a little bit from Betty Edward's Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, where she explained beginners will sometimes use the "symbol," a visual shorthand for something, in the place of what is actually seen. The example I pointed out was the eye you drew in your first post; it was an oval outline with a perfectly round iris. By now, you know that the eye isn't a perfect oval and the iris isn't always seen completely nor always perfectly round. Judging by the anatomy studies, you are learning to draw what you actually see, especially in the Sept. 7th update.

It's good to see you're doing gesture studies, but, even for Posemaniacs, they seem a little stiff. Try to be looser and better capture the general action. You may want to check out this article by Vilppu to get an idea of how to do it (keep in mind, this one of many ways to do gestures): http://www.awn.com/articles/tutorials/vilppu-drawing-online-gesture

[.empyrean.]

@Asatira: Thanks a lot :yayca:

Finally got a Wacom!

First try:

[.empyrean.]

New piece, hope you like it (coloring is sooo hard to get right)

Max

[ZenzybaR]

Hey nice sketchbook. Your observational skills look good.
With the posemaniacs i found it's good to try and capture the flow of the body and how the upper body and waist place to each other.

Sorry if my critique is bad. (Your my first one lol.)

Keep up the good work.

[.empyrean.]

How can I get the lightning/color better, especially the smooth skin? By using other brushes? More contrast?

Max

[.empyrean.]

Detail on "Brainman" (working title).
Max

[.empyrean.]

New Things
1. Selfportrait (Tempera on paper)
2. Portrait (coal on paper + tempera)
3. Studies (ink)

[.empyrean.]

Did a rough sketch for a skyscraper (idea taken from gary tongues book) and realized, that working digital isn't that easy I thought it was. For today I'll return to my real pencils :yayca:

[.empyrean.]

Entry for EOW:

[.empyrean.]

Started a environment today, returning to acrylic for more practise.

Max

[.empyrean.]

Two little ink sketches

Max

[Pixie Trick]

Well, you are most definitely off in the right direction at great speed! Anatomy and perspective on the first page! Woot!
My main advice is to draw from life, draw from life, draw from life. Anything, everything. Also picking up a marker that is just one size too big for your comfort helps a lot in making your lines smoother and more valuable.

Keep at it. :sungod:

[.empyrean.]

@Pixie Trick
Woah, thank you, that elates me massively! And thanks for your advice, I'll do it.

Update for today, selfportrait inspired by the work of Mark Riddick.