Just draw ffs! CRITIQUE WANTED! (26/12/2010)

[kingkostas]

just brilliant.You are definitely on the right track and also on the track of learning with speed improvement.
Keep up exactly what you do.

[kingkostas]

(EDIT: what the fuk, lately i have a lot of double posts...sorry for that)

[LORD M]

Hehe thanks kingkostas! :D I will surely keep it up!: yayca:





Colour studies, trying to understand how to use the hue and appropriatly mix colours and make it looking good. Not there yet. :P And I included a quick life colour study from some clouds.

[kingkostas]

great study, this gonna be very helpful.Keep up :)

[LORD M]

Thanks yet again for coming back, kostas! It's really awesome having your support. :D




I decided to finaly post last weeks life drawing session, had another really great model. It takes hours to scan and edit in photoshop though, this shitty scanner takes a couple of minutes for a 180 dpi scan, and leaves orangeish discolouration at the edges of the scans which goes even worse when editing in photoshop. Enough ranting, all I need to do is getting a new scanner, anyone knows any good ones they can recommend (but not to expensive plz)?

[LORD M]

Some stuff I did yesterday, read about a method for creating organic lines called Opposite Lines. Found it here: http://tsofa.com/?The%20Forums

So here's some stuff from head using this method, although the watermelonhead guys torso was a study of Dpaint's Aztec Warrior. Check his sketchbook out! :)


Any critique, suggestions on what I should study is more then welcomed! Please be harsh! :D

[Alex Baer]

hey LORD M you have some pretty nice pose drawings. i like the shapes you get out of your studies.. especially on curves, i feel like have trouble with that. some of your figures tend to be a little elongated and out of proportion though, but your clearly working your studies. keep it up !

[arttorney]

Study what you like to study. As you get to where you can generally do exactly what you meant to, then start to do other things. Do the other things until you also have control and then move on again.

Re: clouds. I thought you nailed the top color which I always think of as "leaden ultramarine" but the undersides of that kind of cloud have more impact if you shift the reds toward the hotter end of red.

Sometimes you seem to make the lower body bigger, or stouter, than the upper body and maybe it will help you if you make a little vertical measuring guide down the middle with head lengths marked off so you can take care in size relationships.

[LORD M]

Alex Baer - Thanks for checking my sketchbook out and thanks for the critique! :) I fully agree with your crit, if I am not using any kind of measuring system then I get really strange proportions, mostly my ribcages are way too small and the hips way too big. But ye, I guess more studies without using the measuring system will fix it.

arttorney - Hey glad you wanted to come back to my sketchbook! :D Yeah maybe it is best to not have a "study-schedule" and instead just study what I feel I need to study. And thanks for the critique on the clouds and the anatomy, those are some really usefull advice. :)







Some stuff from recentlyposted now, been extremely bad with the studies. But now I have decided I will atleast make 100 or more headstudies untill next sunday, I really must become better at heads, - and do other studies inbetween. I want to find that pace of studying I had some months ago, like when I did the hands. Although I want to think "quality before quantity" when it comes to studies.

Btw I need to get myself some new paper, the paper I bought recently is way too rough and I don't like the texture of it and the way the final result turn out.

[LORD M]

Done head studies, but too lazy to scan. Posting another thing instead. The shading and rendering is horrible, should study how to shade because I can't shade at all I realise.

[Johann de Venecia]

Your studies are paying off, man. You're doing a great job. BTW I love, love, love the mechanical horse/dog design!

[LORD M]

Haha thanks a lot, Johann de Venecia! :D Really awesome of you to visit my sketchbook. And I'm really glad you liked the design.



Ok been busy with new course and busy with drawing heads. I gotta get my shit together and start studying as I used to, and now I have started studying that way again. :P Here's head studies from the last 2 days (photoref, hogarth, da vinci) and one statuestudy aswell as something I felt I wanted to draw, some kind of battle.

And I feel I really want to develop my rendering a lot, both with pen and digitaly, I just have to figure out how to. :teeth:

[LORD M]

Another thing from today. Practising rendering and character design especialy. :)

[kingkostas]

these are interesting studies you do mate.You worked on a lot of aspects with all this variety.Very nice.
So i see you already danced with the line with the curves :)
And you also studied to do a bigger piece.Very nice hard work
keep up mate

[LORD M]

Will comment later on the reply kostas, gotta run quick to life-drawing lesson!!! :)





Some more headstudies from the last 24 hours. Trying to really observe every curve in the face and get it proportionaly right. My friend suggested me to study the face of african people, I can see how I can benefit in that because the lips I draw in my "default face" from imagination are really narrow and the nose is bad aswell which looking at africans will help a lot. The curves in their faces are much more pronounced then in caucasian peoples faces.


And last one is an imaginary piece I did before I posted this, testing what I have learned so far from my face-studies. :)

[LORD M]

kingkostas - Big thanks for your continued support! :) Yeah I feel I want to experiment more, do more challenging stuff, things I haven't tried yet and get out of my safe-zone. I read something from James Gurney that he said he draw everything he sees, whatever the object. I know I should do this aswell, and I'm gonna give it a shot, seems lots of fun and challenging. :D



Some digital stuff from today, did a bit traditional aswell which I will post when I can scan (lazy). First one is something I made inspired by the current C.O.W., amphibious giant warbeast. The second one is just fooling around experimenting and having fun with colours and trying out new stuff. :)



http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=940539&stc=1&d=1269651670

[Pigeonkill]

I like the portraits. Some have a slight characterture feel to them, they are more expressive and slightly larger eyes than normal.

[cdejong]

Hey Lord M, you've got some really good stuff going on in here since I've been gone. I'm back and updating daily again, so hopefully I can keep up with your hard work! Just keep attacking the problems head on like you do, you have the right mindset as always. That's a really cool monster too. I've been doing that thing that James Gurney says, just drawing everything and anybody in a little sketchbook I keep on me at all times. It's a great way to study at a moment's notice, I've actually learned more about drawing faces from that little sketchbook than I have from studying faces from photos. Keep it up dude.

[Sean McClain]

Wow great job with the studies! gotta do some of that too:)

[Asterisks]

woah those are some really great hands studies you've got here. Keep at it!

[kingkostas]

very nice mate!!!.The face of the craeture have very nice design so far.
Nice experiment.
Keep up the good work

[LORD M]

Pigeonkill - Thanks for visiting and thanks a lot for your critique. Yes my faces need LOADS of work especially on the eyes I feel, I should probably flip the image a lot more then I do and then I should discover the errors more often. Gotta be less braindead.

Hey welcome back, cdejong! I missed you dude. :) I need to get myself a sketchbook so I'll look more discrete, people always look at me when I take forth my drawingpad and then I feel I shouldn't draw people, I want to blend in, be the guy in the corner noone notices, be a shadow. Then I can do more studies of people, otherwise it feels really awkward. :S

Thanks for returning to my sketchy book, darknight! Yeah you do those studies! I wanna see what you'll do. :D

Asterisks - Thanks a lot! Yeah I kinda consider my handstudies my most intense and best studies so far, I haven't found that studying passion I had when I made those 3 months ago. I don't know why but maybe it's just a phase, hopefully.

Haha thanks kingkostas! :D






Today I did nothing but cloud studies and got a lot of help from my friend insanetk by understanding how clouds work, I did these drawings from mind and not from any photoreference, it is VITAL I understand this by not looking at reference and copying it. It is really shamefull, I have studied meteorology and I didn't understand how clouds function when it comes to light. And I have shaded clouds like they were an object like a stone or something like that, which they are of course not - they are affected by subsurface scattering, just like waxcandles or Jello. Clouds are of course different in thickness, density. And depending on the density of waterdroplets the light shining on a cloud goes differently deep into the cloud, big density and it blocks out a lot of the light and is darker then a cloud with low density where much of the light goes in reflects upon waterdroplets which can in turn reflect the light to the other waterdroplets behind them and thereby the light can shine up the whole cloud and make it a lot brighter then a high density cloud.

I need to do more of these aswell as colour studies.Damn, almost at 3 stars rating, I have to ake that as a sign I need to become a lot better. :^^;:

[LORD M]

I don't think I will post my lifedrawing session drawings here, they are horrible and they take loads of time to scan and correct in photoshop. Currently it feels like my anatomy is going backwards...

So here's some shit from the last days. First a mummy I drawed in a museum, 2nd a dumb head study from photo, 3rd a Snakeman from imagination, 4th renderingstudies, 5th an unfinished barbarian, 6th skeletons from memory.

[LORD M]

Finished the Barbarian, took a couple of days. Critique and comments on it is very appriciated. :)

[Sean McClain]

nice look'n SB Lord M !I really like those Cloud studies.:)

[Zeitwolf]

some nice ideas and studies here!

[LORD M]

Thank you darkknight and Zeitwolf. Anything you think I should study particulary more on? I will continue doing cloud and colour studies, right now I am doing shadow and perspective studies, mostly from Loomis, I got a very frank qritique from my friend which made me realise that I don't know much or even anything about shading and how light hits objects.


Don't get me wrong, I am very glad for the compliments but I would also love to get very frank critique. :)

[kingkostas]

no worries mate.About the stars i already think you deserve more than that.Again i will say , soon you will run ahead on full speed.
You have achieved a great level of detail in the barbarian, so the thing he misses is anatomy issues and such.These will be fixed soon.
I like your cloud studies, and you are a scientist in training? sometime i may ask you some questions in msn, about something
keep it up

[LORD M]

Thanks a lot. kostas. :) I realise I shouldn't worry about something like the stars, I'm just being silly, but big thanks for saying that.

Thanks a lot for the critique on the barbarian! Yeah I gotta work that anatomy, maybe bridgeman will help me understanding it all better, I realise that if I study the function of a muscle, what it does and how it acts, I will remember it a lot better.

Hehe yeah I am a scientist in training, Evolutionary Biology and Entomology is my speciality. :P Feel free to ask anything you like, I'll be happy to try and answer! :D




Here's something I did quick today, just fooling around doing cloudstudies, tried lotsa brushes and found one I liked the result of which I could work further on. Then it looked a bit empty so I added some planes. :)

[SMILEFACE]

HAHA RIGHT ON FER THE FIRST COLOR STUDY AFTER PHOTO aN THE PENCIL DRAWING IN 259 THE FIGURE WITH THE RIFLE AN THE MONSTER 266 RRRRROOOCCCKKKKKKKKK WICKED STUDIES BROTHER

[Emil_J.]

Nice barbarian. Perhaps you could push the values a bit more in a few places. Otherwise no crit. Keep it up!

[LORD M]

Haha thanks Grandma! :D

Fumble - Thanks for the comment and the critique. :) Ye, I should do value studies so I learn how it works.



Here's some stuff from the last days. First an digital tasty apple study from life, 2nd a bit more work on the airfortress pic, 3rd another cloud study, and then a study after a photo. I have finaly gotten back on track with the anatomy studies, currently Bridgeman and doing stuff from memory, will scan my stuff asap. :D

[Krato]

bottom on looks flat, the face above looks flat, and the lower ship in the top piece doesnt look that cool, the ship above that one though looks neat anyway the bottom plane looks too bubbly, to many round edges.

[LORD M]

Thanks for the critique, Krato! :)


Some stuff from recently. Some still life, some stuff I drawed seeing aoutside, some memory, shadingstudies and then another crappy statuestudy. Should do more, I am so god damn lazy...

[LORD M]

Crap, everything went wrong with this one and I gave up on it so it is kinda unfinished, but I'll post it anyways.


http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=957676&stc=1&d=1271555895

[Pigeonkill]

I'm digging this spaceships in the clouds.

[Jasper_]

Hey dude thanks for the words in my sketchbook, I appreciate it! I actually kinda like this last one, love the way you handled the torso. I think you may wanna check out some more anatomy reference on the shoulder/bicep area, there are a few times where it's looking a little off. Keep at it man!

[LORD M]

Pigeonkill - Haha thanks a lot man! Glad you like it. :D


Jasper - Thanks a lot for popping into my sketchbook and for returning the favour! :D Thanks for the kind words, and big thanks for the critique. Yeah I gotta get my shit together there man, study that area more. And I think I will actually redo the Police Suit, I kinda liked the design of it, I wan't to do a new drawing that will kinda give it more justice.


Ok this statuestudy is some days old, I remembered that I had drawn this statue in january, so I looked back to see how I was back then. I actually got suprised. I didn't think I had progressed this much at all! Very pleasant suprise which makes me wanna draw a lot more! :D Currently I am busy doing colour studies after things lying on my desk, right now they're too bad to post. :P

[LORD M]

Been doing still lifes. Here's a still life of a moth (Noctuidae) that I cought 2 years ago and put on a pin. Of course I sedated it so it died falling asleep, I wouldn't dream of doing something as cruel as pinning them alive on a pin, but then again it always feels a bit in my hearth when I sedate them - ye I do for bugs aswell as bigger animals. Krato helped me point out the values I originaly had was too bright, which caused the image to be all flat and look like shit. But now it is a bit better, thanks to Krato. :)

2nd one is some crap I just crapped out of mah brain, noticing now how bad the arms in particular are.

[Krato]

thanks man quick paint over to get point accross

[kingkostas]

oo mate you got really nice values in the planes.Nice volume there,
Everything is going really nice.
Keep up the good work

[ThomasM]

awesome sketchbook - like the moth and the cloud stuff above is really nice too! your work ethic is inspiring so im gonna stop writing now and go outside to draw from life!

[LORD M]

Love ya, krato. :D

kingkostas - Hehe thanks a lot man. :) I was kinda inspired by Miyazakis movies when I made the planes. Both the design and the way I wanted to paint them. Big thaks for your support!

ThomasM - Thank you for your kind words! :D Yeah! Draw from life everrrry dayyyy of your life, otherwise it wouldn't be called drawing from life? Haha I dunno. =P Also, yay for Darwin! High-fuve.



Here's a quick one I think I will continue on, kinda like it so far. The brave little Squirrel Mage is fighting some evil menaces, also, return of bird-man!

[Eddieee]

Keep up the hard work man. My only crit would be to watch the perspective in your still lifes. There's no vanishing point in that little ink bottle thing. also, your pics are kinda big, makes it hard to scroll for me :(

Other than that, you're doing the right stuff :)

[SMILEFACE]

SSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAZZZZZZZZAAAAAAA AAMMMMMMMM LORD M = rrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOCCCC CCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKK THEM PLAINS ARE AAAAAAWWWWWWWWEEEEESSSSSSOME XDXDXD

[AestheticMachine]

fun sketchbook to look at :D i like how the recent two airships look like they have faces in particular.

[Janos]

Definite improvement. Good Job Lord!

[kingkostas]

heheh thats very interesting work mate.Nice story
keep up

[krel]

Nice progression Lordy (Y)

[Craz]

Hey. I was attracted here by the quote in your signature. Beksinski is my absolute favourite artist. Speaking of which, are you familiar with this website? http://www.dmochowskigallery.net/ It's a must-bookmark if you're a Beksinski fan.

Regarding your anatomy, you seem to have the shapes the bones down fairly well and there is a sense of strength in your skeleton drawings. I think you should apply this to a truckload of quick gesture drawings. Stay completely pulled back, looking at the whole figure, and draw only long enough to get the proportions and the gesture right. Limit the time of these gestures. The goal is to learn to see an entire figure as you're drawing it, so that you know how to build up a reliable, expressive and accurate frame for more involved drawings.

[Krato]

last peice is cool :P HOW them studies coming along? :)

[Wr00m]

Yeah, the last one is pretty neat.

[LORD M]

Hey guys, really a lot of replies you have given me. Thanks a lot for showing intrest, I will visit all of you to repay the favour. :D

I haven't drawn much at all for 2 weeks because of university which needed my full attention. I now really feel I wanna draw a LOT, been without it for so long!

But one week before my art-drought I studied Bridgeman, statues from life, self-portraits and more. Here's some, all Bridgeman and statue studies I made.

[LORD M]

And some more... I need to study lips, ears and eyes particulary more on faces - and learning how to place them correctly. :P

[Norris]

Loving the sketchbook, you have some great work in here ... keep it up.

Cheers
Norris

[kingkostas]

these studies are looking really great mate.!!!great construction.Keep up the good work

[Eddieee]

Loving the construction man. :) You're doing great!

[Nettle_Mountain]

your stuff is nicely weird, even anatomy is starting to get together, nice
more longer digitals would be fun to see at

[LORD M]

Sorry for the late replies, guys - I will return the favour. After all I have now summer break and I will start studying a lot more. I haven't hardly drawed anything at all the last 3 weeks and I feel shit about it, I have forgotten so much about anatomy, like I feel I have really forgotten about the bones for example. I feel almost desperate to get back into rythm again, but it is hard. I am so unproductive it buuuurns! But fuck yeah, I'll do it.

Replies from previous page to this one:


Eddieee - Thanks Eddie. Yeah I really need to do a lot more perspective studies. I think that maybe drawing objects and buildings from life might be the fastest way to practise this. Not sure though.

Grandmassa Mr. Spect - Thanks Granny. :)

AestheticMachine - Haha thank you, glad that it was noteable. :P

Janos - Hey thanks dude!

kingkostas - Yo thanks, always happy for your wonderfull support! :D

krel - Thanks!

Craz - Hehe yeah I am very familiar with his website. ;) Hm, your suggestion are really intresting. I will definetly try this out. Thanks a lot!

Krato - Thanks! :D

Norris - Thanks for visiting. Really glad you like my stuff. :D

kingkostas - Efkharisto. :) Will keep it up! (I hope I didn't make an ass out of myself lol)

Eddieee - Hehe thank you. :)

Nettle_Mountain - Thanks a lot for coming back again and thanks for the comment. Yeah I really must do more longer digital ones, only been drawing traditional lately. Been having some ideas that I have tried to put down in digital, but no good so far.



Here's a quick (~2 h?) crap I crapped out before my Painter got all bugged out and prevented me from drawing any more, I have to restart my computer to fix the bug and I am too laaaazzzyyyy - as I am with studies. :/

[Krato]

ahhh studies : D they all look good, but the values on almost all your statues are too light, once again you need to put in some darker values ;P keep doing them studies find some time for biology and art.

[urmb]

Hey guys, really a lot of replies you have given me. Thanks a lot for showing intrest, I will visit all of you to repay the favour. :D

I haven't drawn much at all for 2 weeks because of university which needed my full attention. I now really feel I wanna draw a LOT, been without it for so long!

But one week before my art-drought I studied Bridgeman, statues from life, self-portraits and more. Here's some, all Bridgeman and statue studies I made.

Really great bridgemen studies. love the sketchbook.

[LORD M]

Krato - Thanks for the continued support. :D Ye, I must do more valuestudies to understand how it works, I don't realise it is this light when I am drawing.

urmb - Hey thanks. :)




Bought Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life, man this book is amazing. Done studies from it last week, here are those studies aswell as three digital things I did yesterday. The eyes on the man are completely fucked up positionwise and doesn't seem to belong to the head.

Somehow I feel a bit bad since I am just copying Bridgman's drawings, like all the lines are already there, I don't know how to express myself really but it's not an analytical way of studying when one is just copying.

[kingkostas]

post 309# is yay!!!! and it contains a lot of achievements!!!
can share some more like this?
very good piece really
keep up the improvement!!!

[knut-]

As kostas wrote, 309 has the best shading on all of your prev sketches. Reaaly an improvement of its own! Do not afraid to do harder shadows. I think you have to sharpen a little bit the shading. Keep up man, really good!

[LORD M]

kingkostas - Haha wow thanks! :D I thought it looked pretty good, but I didn't know it had that as you said. I don't have any more at the moment but I now surely will do more! Thank you, king! :)

knut- - Hey thanks for visiting and thanks for your kind comment! :) Yeah now when I look at it and compare to my older ones, it does look better then them and yeah it needs harder shadows - good point. This really pushes me into doing more studies!




I discovered that I have really neglected my studies, I realised that I didn't remember how to draw a pelvis! I tried to do one from memory several tmes over but constantly failed, so I had to go to Mentler's Book Of Bones (I recommend it to everyone trying to figure out the foundation of the body: the skeleton). So after one study and talking to my friend insanetk I felt that it started coming back and the frustration eased a bit. I mustn't do this again, it's really discouraging to realise that you have forgotten how to draw something that you studied intensly before. But then again, since I didn't remember how to draw it, it means that my studies weren't intense enough.

So... I want to draw the skeleton as often as I can aswell as do muscle studies and more. I wanna master the skeleton!



I also had a discussion with my friend about how to study and he told me about his non-copying policy. I really agree with this because when I studied Bridgman the last weeks I felt that something was wrong when I copied his drawings, I saw the lines and simply copied after that and I could FEEL that I didn't learn that much. SO now instead I will start studying Bridgman in another way: I can only look at his drawings 5 times when I have to and then no more. By this way I will have to look long at his drawings to understand the lines and form better and memorizing it. I think this is a better way to study then simply mindless copying which I feel really bad about.


And now some inspiring crazy music!

DXQ2lvgpHiE&playnext_from=TL&videos=2F1x6hqxLSA


Here are two skeleton studies, first is from Mentler's Book of Bones, the second one is from memory, I am going to add the rest of the skeleton to it and then ut on the muscles. I want to make it into a fully painted piece.

[Krato]

i like allot of your studies but your falling back into that worthless skeleton 1 muscle thing.. stop doing those.. if your going to spend 5 hours doing a study focus on specific muscle groups and see where they connect do some study/recall studies of them.. not one painting and just the front neck muscles.. also the hand a ways up is wonky. dont do renderings of them just get everything right, and do quick lines to mark the depth.. your could do what kingkostas does with the circles or find some other way to show depth and form without rendering with color or bw. NO MORE SKELETONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!! the guy sitting at the end of your last post he is really too edgy his muscles are all tensed and his color bone is not good ... so... STOP DRAWING SKELETONS AND BONES!! get the figure and form down dont do this hyper analytic stuff its slow and unneeded! how many artists draw the bones then muscles on top of them? not many.. i cannot think of any.. they draw the FIGURE then if its a zombie or some shit they will draw some bones.. its just too much work.. its like... erm... cutting the grass in your lawn with scissors then after 1 million hours of painstaking work your go out and get your lawn mower and cut the grass with your lawnmower.. pointless.. ok theres my crit STOP DRAWING SKELETONS LEARN MUSLCES FIGURES AND BE LOOSE :S

[JeffX99]

I discovered that I have really neglected my studies, I realised that I didn't remember how to draw a pelvis!... I mustn't do this again, it's really discouraging to realise that you have forgotten how to draw something that you studied intensly before. But then again, since I didn't remember how to draw it, it means that my studies weren't intense enough.

So... I want to draw the skeleton as often as I can aswell as do muscle studies and more. I wanna master the skeleton!

I also had a discussion with my friend about how to study and he told me about his non-copying policy. I really agree with this because when I studied Bridgman the last weeks I felt that something was wrong when I copied his drawings, I saw the lines and simply copied after that and I could FEEL that I didn't learn that much. SO now instead I will start studying Bridgman in another way: I can only look at his drawings 5 times when I have to and then no more. By this way I will have to look long at his drawings to understand the lines and form better and memorizing it. I think this is a better way to study then simply mindless copying which I feel really bad about.


I'll just chime in with Krato a bit. Unless you plan on going into scientific/medical illustration you probably won't ever draw/paint a pelvis (unless you decide that is a "motif" you are interested in and you head toward fine art with it). And there is not a lot to learn from copying Bridgman - or anyone esle - read the beginning bits that Bridgman shares - that is the stuff to try to understand/practice.

The thing to study is the way light falls across form - from life. This is what it all comes down to - at least at the more accomplished levels of painting and illustration. Sure there are plenty of "styles" that head off in other directions but the pinnacle is an understanding of light on form. The reason this is so crucial is because everything relies on that - light on form is value, planes, edges, cast shadow, form shadow, highlight, accent, texture, etc. - everything except composition.

Anyway, Krato is right and I just thought I'd agree and support that. Don't waste time/energy and get distracted with technical study - learn to observe, understand and interpret - for yourself, not through others.

Also remember, Bridgman drew life-size if not larger - from life. Those little reproductions in his books are very misleading - they are life-size.

[LORD M]

I really agree with you, Krato and JeffX99. I have really becomed snowed in when it comes to skeletons and I see now why it's not good to become like this and what I should study instead, studies I have really neglected.

I think that one of the reasons why I gotten a bit snowed in when it comes to skeletons is that I have always found them fascinating, they're the foundation of the whole body and I am really wowed by how all the bones when comparing animals can be so alike and trace back to a common origin (that's my evolutionary biology going nuts over these kinda stuff :P). And I guess I paniced a bit about not being able to draw the skeleton as good as I could some months ago, heh silly me. But yes, I will stop drawing skeletons and more muscles - and being less distracted by the echnical bits.

And thanks for clearifying about Bridgman. I felt a bit lost, but now I feel more on track. :)

BIG thanks to you guys!




And now for something I did today, a 5-6 hour study of an ld souvenier I had laying at home, so far my fifth digital life-study - gotta get that count higher!

[Krato]

looks good

[Ivan Turcin]

Man, you are doing some crazy amount of studies. And it keeps getting better and better. Post #312 shows such a good understanding of a rounded form. Have only one suggestion. Try to do some more eye studies. I think you could benefit a lot from it, as most of the time you are doing a lot of variations in figures, but eyes stay the same. It could be a good experience, just to see what you can get. Keep it going!

[LORD M]

Krato - Hehe thank you. :)

Ivan Turcin - Thanks a lot for visiting my sketchbook and for the kind comments! Very good observation on the eyes, I fully agree on what you say now when I take a closer look - eyes I have infact hardly done any studies of, I have prosponed it which is stupid enough by me. Will do eyyyyeees! :D




After I did the armour study I started on this thing yesterday, wanted to do something fantasy-ish, it will only be a fast thing so I won't spend that much time on it. This one is completely from mind right now but if I get into trouble I will look up reference or do some study. - like cloth I realise I need to study because this looks horrible Critique and comment higly appriciated. :)

Also I gotta become less analytical Krato said and recommended that I should take a look at Algenpfleger's sketchbook , and I browsed through it and oh man I got inspired! That guy surely is something special.

[BluezAce]

Wow, kudos on your study, Lord M! Those big guys hits pretty hard, but they got it right to the points! I have to thank them too, because I learned something from their comments. Thank you for mentioning Algenpfleger's SB too. Keep going, Lord M! :D

[Janos]

Gorgeous stuff in here. I like the naked man sitting and the big head especially. One thing that might help you is not drawing every line, especially aroudn the features too harsh and similar. Try softening some edges!

[ArtisticGuy]

I love the study
portrait of a woman. Not to insult but I'm new to the digital meduim. Do you start by working over the top of original image file untile in a new layer or mask then eventually ignore the underlying original??

Also, at risk of sounding ignorent; I'm stull wondering what the Gladiator ratings are. Is that an artistic achievment on this site set by yourself or the ratings of others.....Or are you all gamers who play the same popular game?

Lastly, I'm a traditional fine artist and have a portrait business. If you want to earn some extra $ on the side, I think we could work together if you can duplicate that same levels of acuracy from photos of my cleints.

Love to see something figurative in an impressionistic or realism style. Feel free corrispond or to send images off line to Artist.Fort@Gmail.com

Mark Fort,
Principal Artisan, "Heirloom Portraiture"

[Xamllew]

Amazing work Lord M. I remember seeing some of your finished pieces on FP. Truly entertaining work.

[LORD M]

BluezAce - Haha thanks man! Ye you can say they hit pretty hard, but then I gotta be a machosist because I love it when they hit hard. :P

Janos - Thanks for coming back. :) Yes that is a good suggestion, I have thought about this but never made it into reality. Probably because I am so used to drawing every line, but I realise I need to get out of that safety-box of mine. Edges I MUST study more, saw a good thread by Elwell (I think it was him) on edges. Must check it again.

ArtisticGuy - Thanks.

Xamllew - Thank you, glad you like. :)




I usually wait to comment untill I got something to post with it, but I have had computer problems lately so I havent been able to use it for some time, and I need to buy a new scanner aswell. This old one from 2001 isn't working that good any longer. :P

The good thing about all of this is that I have gotten a lot more time over for drawing, the last days I have done more drawing in a day then I do in like 3 or 4 days, so something good came out of it all. Damn internet can be so distracting some times. NEED DISIPLINE! Now I'll be going away for ten days to a remote location in the wilderness of northern of Finland, no internet and hardly any TV there - so hopefully I will get a lot of drawing done there! (Although I do bring a laptop lol).

[kingkostas]

Nice mate, use the time there to improve a lot more!!!
I think you know the skeleton more than all of us here cause of your deep studies in the earlier pages.Also because i know your works, i know that you can simplify and start mastering the figures.You already know a lot about the body so just relax and think how to approach it.Make a series of small figures (not only quick,but small can help you not losing the proportions and you can see the overall figure better), if you find a figure problematic do the same figure again and again while trying to find out whats wrong.also by keeping it small you will be able not to be tired quickly.
lol enough words, i believe in you skills and dedication mate!!!
keep it up

[IanE]

Those are quite some studies! The heads are getting a bit skewed and stretched out vertically at times, but the hands are looking good! Keep working!

[LORD M]

kingkostas - Always makes me glad to see your posts, motivates me even harder to have people like you and Krato around! :D Hehe, yeah I might have exagurated on the skeleton a bit, but atleast that will come to use in the future other then knowing about the wireframe of the body, like drawing The Grim Reaper or something with bones in it.

Those tips are really intresting, I will definetly try them out. :) And thanks yet again for your continued support!

IanE - Hey Ian and thanks for the comment and the critique. :) Very good point on the faces, I had hard to see that I made them this elongated, how embarrasing. :P

Thanks again!






Ok, I don't have a new scanner yet so I cannot put up the studies I made on my vacation, which were mainly focused on the face - studied after Vanderpoel and varius magazines and other art books I brought with.

I have been laaaaazzzzzyyyyy lately, took some time off from drawing to play Mass Effect 2 - but I feel it was worth it. I have never been this inspired to draw sci-fi before, I have only been intrested in fantasy but sci-fi is much more intresting now, but better yet one can combine the two if you want to. :P

After this break I felt an URGE to draw, I just had to do something so started on something I will colour. It is from mind but I must admitt I used a reference to see the alignment of the muscles and the shape of the upper arm closest to the viewer. I am kinda satisfied with the face though. Please tell me what you think. :)

[LORD M]

Wanted to share some of my choise of music. :)

4esGXmuz4Qg&playnext=1&videos=PHro7_UlekM



Update on the woman, changed a lot. I had to look around in some anatomy books and photos so I could understand how the new posing of the legs worked. And by sitting myself in this pose also gave new light on how to tackle the problem. Other then that everything else is from mind, trying this to see how much my studies have given me. :)

Critique and comments are highly appriciated.

[kingkostas]

well if thats from the mind i wanna say i really love its natural irregularity and flow.Actually thats really a great piece of figure work
keep up the lovely work!!!

[Nettle_Mountain]

Hi there
I feel the neck might be slightest bit too long and maybe head is a slightly bit too small? it might correct itself though when neck is shortened. Maybe a buttock get little squashed when one is sitting on top of them

Othervice i feel your studies has helped you clearly, nice job there !

[LORD M]

kingkostas - Haha thank you! :D I somehow find faces that are a bit irregular very fun and intresting to draw, that might explain a lot of strange faces I have cooked up before heh.

Nettle Mountain - Thanks for the critique on the neck and the butt, note taken. I
widened the neck a small bit and lowered the head and it looked better - haven't fixed her butt yet though. :P But then again I am wondering a bit how long a neck can be, because some people can have really long necks above the average. Big thanks for your continued support! :)


Something I have made lately now. Here's a sci-fi armour concept that I just started and that value study I promised kostas (it's unfinished though lol). :)

Tried to use a lot brighter colours then I usually do, kinda like it. Must experiment more.

[Mose]

oh gosh that last render is really something. You've done a good job with the values, and you actually got the negative space right! Yay!

[SMILEFACE]

haha IM GLAD TO SEE YOU KEEP'N UP THE GOOD WORK AN SOME OF THESE STUDIES ARE AMAZING YOU RRRRRRRRRROOOOCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

[LORD M]

Mose - Thank you! :) I didn't actually think about negative space tbh, I just felt the areas were too big and would be too time consuming to work on so I just did this instead. :P

Grandma! - Hahaha thanks dude! :D That means a lot coming from the king of rocking!


Ok, added some music aswell I find extremely inspiring. :)

kWCMyeBPyTQ&playnext=1&videos=QfZ9fL-QbnY




Here's the woman I have been working on from my mind, after the valuestudy in my previous post I felt I got a better grip on how to put on the values from mind - after this I just slapped on some colours quick with an multiplay layer and gods I am tired now. Haha I stay up all night and draw nowadays, I guess I have becomed even more passionate about it because it feels like there's no stopping. :P

It feels now like I have accomplished something anatomy wise - although I know I have LOADS more I must study heavily in particular (arm and legs I have been bad at in particular), I feel I actually want to do cloth studies now, look at draperies and study from life so that I can start giving my figures some clothes so they wont freeze their asses of as they almost all have done. :P

[Lang Oulk]

Really great stuff in here! Love the red armored guy. Can't wait to see more.

[LORD M]

Lang Oulk - Thanks dude! Glad you visited my sketchbook, more is to come. :)




I realised I have been doing nothing but drawing faces for the last month, not real body or limb studies at all - which I haven't really done seriously for half a yeat to be honest. I think this must be the reason why I have gotten worse and forgotten a lot about anatomy and how to pose. The last piece I feel that I did a good pose with good anatomy on is that lizard woman, after that it has just deteriorated and I just have to get back.

Just felt like writing this here and also having at as a reminder to stop being so stupid.

[Reutte]

Wow, I was looking through your book and you've got some awesome stuff. I'm amazed by how well you adapt forms to drawings, like the hands and hips on page 5.

[LORD M]

Ahhh what the hell am I doing, this is horrible. I can hardly draw any poses from memory, and the anatomy have gotten really bad. MUST GET BETTER AT ANATOMY AND POSING!

[kingkostas]

These are great studies Markus!!!The values are definitely getting better and aiding your sketches.Dont worry a lot and keep up.Anatomy is good even when you think its not.Its just your inner self telling you that you can do better, and you have to :D
keep doing this value over lines training on the side.
keep it up :D!!

[LORD M]

Reutte - Thank you! :) Glad youl ike it. I really need to do more studies that way.

kingkostas - Hehe thanks, I guess I worry too much and making art a chore, big misstake. You're always a great help and a cheer-me-upper. :D



Slacked on the studies...

Crap from mind. I realised now that the arm is screwed up.

[LORD M]

Gotta buy a scanner so I can post my traditional studies, I think I got like 100 A4 pages from the last 2 month I need to scan. :P

In the meanwhile something I did before bed. :)

[LORD M]

Ok, I think I have gotten the hang of drawing again, first coloured digital drawing I have worked on in a while. Lotsa shit needing correcting, first and all I gotta change head on the bird.

[Krato]

studies someday?

[SMILEFACE]

haha #343 FOR THE WWWWWWWWINNNNNNNNN HAHA THAT RRRRROOCCCKSSSSSS !AN I REALLY DIG THIS LAST ONE CANT WAIT TO SEE IT FINISHED

[LORD M]

Krato - Yep, one coming up. :)

Grandma - Hahaha thanks a lot, Granny. :P



Facial expressions is something that I know I gotta study aswell as anatomy in order to one day create believable human beings. This is a fast study after a photo from the French neurologist Duchenne de Boulogne who was a French neurologist who revived Galvani's research (the experiments with electricity on dead frogs legs) and greatly advanced the science of muscular electrophysiology. The era of modern neurology progressed from Duchenne's understanding of the conductivity of neural pathways, his revelations of the effect of lesions on these structures and his introduction of muscle biopsy. Duchenne's electrical experiments on the facial musculature exerted an enormous influence through Charles Darwin's The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals.

More info here plus lotsa great photos to do studies after. :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchenne_de_Boulogne

[Pigeonkill]

Interesting design #333. My thoughts were that the armor might be a bit top heavy the rest of the body is just covered in blue spandex and not as protected.

[LORD M]

Pigeonkill - Thanks dude for visiting again! Ye you're right about the armour, but what if it is an powersuit? :P Neh, just a dumb excuse. I'll take this in consideration. Thanks! :)






no logo 4 hourrrs time just flew away where are you time

[Eddieee]

The still is nice bro! I don't care for painting the logos either, I think it's more important to pay attention to lighting, forms, and plane changes. Keep up the studies and the chars are looking cool, the bright experiment was pretty cool. :)

[LORD M]

Sorry guys for not replying to your sketchbooks in return yet, been really busy lately. Will reply asap!


Eddieee - Thanks dude! Ye logos are a pain in the ass and other things need more attention, but I will try making them.


Studies from today, they look horrid but FUCK YEAH I got them done.

[LORD M]

Found a good scanner that I'm gonna buy, Canon 6500F for a good price. Don't know if I should scan all the stuff I made for the last 3 months though or just the most recent.


Desk study from life, focused on shape and values, got lazy on the text. Otherwise then this I have been very lazy and bad, not been able to get into the rythm I lost some months ago. Hopefully I will. Lately I just haven't felt like doing much, like losing the spark almost. Oh well.

[kingkostas]

nice mate, i am glad seeing u using your anatomy in more complex things to train it better with all things like value and stuff.
Also nice figure studies
post 349# great execution, good job.
post 347# o nice do it again if u like and check it better, i think its a good piece for training.The contrast makes nice shapes there.If u semi close your eyes everything can be more visible in its abstract form.The original is more desaturated.
Nice confident work in 344#.I like the depth very much, i actually wanna stay there and relax for a while(where the warm meets the cool :) )
Keeeep up the good work, we both will find our rythm soon :)

[badass]

post 351= pure awesome! keep up the hard work :)

[HugeHarHar]

Your last few posts show some great improvements in anatomy and some cool color use. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished image from post 344.

[Falchion]

You sir, are awesome. *Uses work as reference for my own crap*

[LORD M]

kingkostas - Haha thanks for coming back and thanks for the nice comment! :) Really good advise as usual, I will really start semi-closing my eyes more since I can see how usefull it is. Ye I got some other from this serie I think I'll do some studies on.

Hehe yeah I gotta finish post #344, dunno why I stopped on it. But it is almost done though last time I worked on it.

And I think I have started getting back my rythm a bit, I started doing Bridgeman studies from some of the books he structured up. The Complete guide I read wasn't structured by him and thereby could be found confusing, as I felt I became. The other books like Human Machine and Constructive Anatomy I find a lot easier to go through now.

Hope you'll get the rythm going really soon aswell! :D

badass - Hehe thanks for the encouragement! :)

HugeHarHar - Thanks! I gotta push the studies! And yeah I definetly gotta finish #344, currently the bird got a new head. :P

Falchion - Wow thanks! I never thought anyone would use my humble crap as studies. That means a lot to me, so really thanks! :)





Did lotsa studies lately (back in rythm yay! :D) from both anatomy books and from life drawing class and so, but can't post because of lack of scanner. :( Instead I'll post 2 fishermen I did today from mind. The colouring on the right dude I did after looking at how some masters painted skin and the different tones they used in it. Noticed afterwards how badly posed the right guy is, he is falling backwardsssss!

[zou]

nice progress mate !

your studies and master copies are very good !

if you're keen to take advice: try to life sketching. you know: quick little sketch of people in streets, stations etc... and if you can make life drawing from real models , go on !
you structures are good enough so try to loosen your lines and pay attention to the flow and rythm (not you haven't them of course but the more the better)

take care

[zou]

nice progress mate !

your studies and master copies are very good !

if you're keen to take advice: try to life sketching. you know: quick little sketch of people in streets, stations etc... and if you can make life drawing from real models , go on !
you structures are good enough so try to loosen your lines and pay attention to the flow and rythm (not you haven't them of course but the more the better)

take care

[kingkostas]

Nice mate i am glad u found the energy again !!!The colors looks good in these chars but the lines need to be rendered in order to see it properly :)
Construction is very good.
Lovely stuff, keep it up!!!

[LORD M]

zou - Thank you for the visit and for commenting! :) Great advice which I am currently following, my university got life drawing class 2x3 h per week free for all students - and I am not even an art-student so I am SO taking advantage of this! But I haven't yet drawed people on the street, I used to have an excuse that pulling forth a sketchbook would rise a few eyebrows, but now when I got a more book-like looking sketchbook I really should do this. Still feels a bit embarrasing though to draw people without them knowing it. :P
Take care you too! :)

kingkostas - Yeah! Thanks, I am really glad aswell I finaly got it back. :D This is no excuse about the chars, but I simply got lazy. Was first only going to add underlying colour beneath the lines to see how it looked like and one thing led to another. You are completely right. Really glad for your support dude. :)







I saw this thread containing Drawings from Charles Bargue which is highly used by art students. I will do these studies aswell, while following tips from Dorian and MindCandyMan's threads about Bargue drawings. http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=166289 After finding this I feel 100% more motivated to do studies. Felt I should post it here just in case someone who might have missed it and looks though my humble sketchbook sees it. :P

Thought I would post an update on the Bird Rider which people seemed to like, don't know what to go from here now, been trying my best to get everything as good as I possibly can make it. Critique very appriciated. :)

[Howie]

bird rider is looking cool, i like the composition and colors a lot. I'm a little confused about the light source, based off the sand is clearly coming from the lower left side so i would expect to see more light hitting the side of the rider and a more intense light on the bird. If the sun is a little higher up try showing the cast shadow from the umbrella onto the rider. Also i would break up the shapes and add more hard edges on the rider's armor more, right now it feels a little soft for armor

[LORD M]

Howie - Thanks a lot for the feedback on the bird rider. I had imagined the sunlight coming in a 45 degree angle so you are fully right when you say they need to be lighted up a lot more. I put the cast shadow from the umbrella on top of the riders head, as in if it was coming from the side of him. I agree on the hard edges, I tried some and it instantly looked better. Will post an update when fixed more. :)

I'm really glad you could stop by. :)






Did some studies today on SubSurface Scattering - SSS. With the help of my friend insanetk who showed me some 3D he cooked up for me, I think I finaly started to understand it, how light goes through skin and what colour and value it will get depending on the density of the flesh. Here is the only study I was satisfied with.

[knut-]

I think that sometimes you are blending the traditional anatomy with elements that don;t match really. On the sketch with the 2 men, the faces seem a bit more cartoonish than the rest of the body. Great pose though, especially the first one's. I like the values on the charcoal box, really great. Don't be afraid to play with the lighting more. Also, great woman figure studies. To me seems a bit weird the colours of the shadows on the #361. Keep up and take care!

[Eddieee]

Hey man, the subsurface scattering experiment you did is pretty cool. Not sure if you have, but you should check out James Gurney's blogs for his posts on that, I think it's under the "lighting" subcategory. The painting at the top of the page is nice as well, nice use of compliments, though I think the sky could have been less saturated because it's competing with the foreground element for attention :)

[zelda_geek]

Nice sub-surface scattering experiment. It's a really cool effect. Thanks for commenting in my sketchbook btw.

About the Bird Rider, I know it's finished, but I want to share some compositional thoughts if it's okay. I guess you already know this, but I'm just poining it out.. Right now the bird rider is facing the left, which leads the eye out of the picture. Because the viewer tends to look where the character is looking. Therefore I think it would be better if the bird rider was flipped the other way, facing the right and leading the eye in to the picture.
Also, the bird is standing very close to the edge of a very steep hill, and seems to stand pretty solidly. This makes the surface appear solid, when the sand in reality isn't, and would give in on the weight of the bird. I suggest making the hill less steep and make the legs sink in the sand as they would in real life. And flip the bird and rider. I did a quick paintover to show what I mean.

[AndreRuben]

greetings! keep up the good work! and maybe try to draw some more directly from life

[LORD M]

knut - Thank you for visiting. I do agree on that my faces does look cartoonish sometimes, even though I don't intend them to. I just haven't been able to break through to being able to make them look realistic, hopefully it's a matter of time.

Eddieee - Yeah you're right now when I look at it. Waaayyyy too saturated. I check out Gurneys blog now and then, but I didn't know about that he posted on this. Thanks a lot for telling me! :)

zelda_geek - Wow that looks freakin amazing, love what you did with the light and how the sky reflects on them! Yes you are right about the composition, the sand and, I didn't think it through as I should have had. I realise I start detailing WAY too soon and then I feel I don't want to ruin it, although as Hemingway said: "You gotta kill your darlings sometimes". I really appriciate you taking the time to do this, a lot. :)

AndreRuben - Thanks a lot for visiting, and yeah I really need to draw a lot more from life, trying to start with waterolors but haven't really dared to do it yet.




Here's an extremely failed try at subsurface scattering, blargh, the creatures doesn't look gelatineous at all which I first wanted them to look like. I don't think I got the colours right either. Yellow objects that got SSS properties shouldn't turn into green - I don't know what I was thinking lol. Oh well, gotta keep trying.

[LORD M]

For DSG 1581: Fantasy Weirdness • FREAKISH GNARLED TREE-TRUNK IS INTERTWINING MUSCULATURE. A try at colors.

[LORD M]

Life study of a pommegranate, placed it on a white paper and had white paper behind it aswell. I only focused on colours and values when I did this, no details whatsoever, something I haven't done before. I don't know if you'll understand this, but in my eyes I relaxed the internal (ciliary) muscles which change the shape of the lens for fine-tuning the focus - thereby I can make my vision appear all blurry and thanks to that I can see the main colours of the object and no details or small colour variations what so ever. Was going to eventually detail it but after a couple of days later the pomegranate was too ripe and had changed in appearance. Lesson learnt: don't take too long when working with fruit. :P

[LORD M]

Super fast crap for DSG 1582: Sci-Fi • EXTERNAL VIEW OF A ONE-PERSON HI-TECH FLYING CRAFT'S COCKPIT.

[Dana_T]

Cool sb! I really love the study you did of how light goes through skin. That's something very useful to know when painting. Keep posting

[LORD M]

Dana T - Thanks a lot for stopping by. :) Ye, the SSS are superusefull and I feel I have already learnt a lot from doing that study.






I gotta start studying anatomy serious again, been bad at it for a long time now I must admitt and I only have myself to blame for getting worse. I just haven't felt energized about drawing... I have to get in touch with digital art again aswell, I feel so damn rusty when I draw. :P

A value study from an old black&white movie, Faust from 1926. Great movie, I recommend it.

[tehmeh]

It's a good study but a bad reference, there is too much invention to be a succesful study when their isn't that much detail.

The monochrome life studies are fine, but ones with a couple of objects of different local colours affecting each other is what will really help with colours in your original stuff! Keep it up!

[badass]

that painting in post 361 is crazy awesome!

thanks for stopping by my sb and keep working hard :]

[LORD M]

tehmeh - Thank you BIG times for the advice, I now realise that it wasn't the best ref to study from. Going to use better refs from now on. :P

badass - Hey thanks a lot! Really glad you like it. And thank you for stopping by aswell. :)



Not done much lately at all, feeling a bit uninspired, but here's a colour study I did, trying to get perspective with the use of colour. Still confused on how I should use colour in general.

[LORD M]

A quick photostudy, felt I learnt a bit about colors from this one. especially how the shaded areas are supposed to be coloured in a marine environment. Not using color picker because I wont learn from that, only using it to look when I don't know how to proceed, took 1 hour.

[LORD M]

Tried out a new way of building up figures from mind. After warming up for some time I got into it, and these two are the only ones I feel I can show.

[Krato]

"It's a good study but a bad reference" DUDE MARKUS THATS EXACTLY WHAT I SAID come on dude...

[Nettle_Mountain]

hey LORD M! terrible gentleman squirtle lord.okok, i have to say i actually did get inspired from Super fast crap for DSG 1582: Sci-Fi • EXTERNAL VIEW OF A ONE-PERSON HI-TECH FLYING CRAFT'S COCKPIT.

I think it would need really more love, like make a value thumbnail for it and maybe go for a longer digital painting based on that sketch, i think it has potential to turn out really nice! anyway whatever you feel you want to work right now just work on, only suggestion from friendly stranger...

[kingkostas]

YOU ARE DOING REALLY GOOD!!!
Damn that fruit study mate, so awesome.U played awesomely with the concept of edges and whatever.I fully love it
ABout the other things, i find them very good and i am glad to see you researching and understanding things like that.
Keep it up markus!!!

[kingkostas]

YOU ARE DOING REALLY GOOD!!!
Damn that fruit study mate, so awesome.U played awesomely with the concept of edges and whatever.I fully love it
ABout the other things, i find them very good and i am glad to see you researching and understanding things like that.
Keep it up markus!!!

[Hyptosis]

Great stuff Lord M, glad to see you're still kicking butt and taking names! I've been forgetting to comment, I get so busy, but just wanted to encourage you to keep it up, etc etc ^_^

[LORD M]

Krato - Ye I know, I posted it before I talked with you though. :/

Nettle_Mountain - Hehe thanks, squirtle lord indeed. :P Really glad you liked it, I don't know if I will continue on it. Maybe make a new one. I'm always glad to get suggestions from friendly strangers, so please don't stop doing that. :)

kingkostas - Thanks pal for your cheering up words. :) I'm very happy you liked it, it turned out better then I had hoped. Although I really really gotta get back to the analytical way I used to study like, when I didn't copy as I do now and thought more of what I was doing.

Hyptosis - Haha thanks dude, glad you stopped by. No problem, I'm glad you remembered about little me. :)





Ok here's a study that took 6 hours. I shit you not, that's how slow I was, probably a new record in snail-speed. Although I learned a bit about the chest muscle I feel. Started of WRONG with shading and detailing before form was laid down, I thought I had learned this lol.

[LORD M]

Crap for DSG 1586: Open-Ended Sci-Fi • ROBOTIC MAN HAS HIT THE WALL. Experimented using only the same brush with same size.

[JeffX99]

OK - I haven't been on here in a long time but just wanted to share something. You seem to be working really hard but you're going about it in the wrong way (imo). The key to improving and developing as an artist is to get a firm grasp on the fundamentals first - this is best done through study and observation from life. Right now it seems you're trying to learn everything all at once - start simply and focus on composition, drawing/perspective, value, form and the way light illuminates form. Get that down. Then move to color and pay attention to the way color and light work in the real world - not through a camera.

Working digitally is bogging you way down and killing your development - study and MASTER the fundamentals through a traditional approach first - then your digital work will have the strength and interest you're after. Every minute you spend trying to "make art" before you understand the fundamentals is a waste of time (I know because I did it for 20 years and now have to catch up). I realize this may sound harsh but I hope it helps.

Good luck!

Jeff

[heix33]

Some movie stills and posters are a great study i think, especially fantasy movies. also, i think you should put more attention to color and value..
Keep it up.

[Nutella]

Damn... 6 hours on a study? I really respect you for that :P I haven't moved to muscles yet myself, so I look forward to spending just as much, and much much more time on muscles.

I really love looking through your thread here.

That Faust value study got to me :)

[LORD M]

Sorry for replying so late to you guys and I am also sorry for not replying back to you awesome guys sketchbooks for some time too, I just feel I don't want to update my sketchbook if I don't have any drawings to post. Been a bit poor on that front for a month, both because of school and lack of intrest. But now I have gotten the intrest back!

JeffX99 - Thank you, a billion times over, I recognize myself exactly when I read your comment. Although I don't agree to stop doing digital work, I must also learn digitaly I feel - just as long as I do traditional aswell just as much so I can incorporate what I learn traditionaly into my digital work. But yes, fundamentals I have REALLY been ignoring, I thought I had some grasp over it but ye I have always been hesitant about many things so I guess I haven't got a grip at all. :P

I have been drawing much more traditional now, I have gotten my scanner now so I will start posting that work soon. :) I also found "Famous Artist Course" which I have heard is a really good serie to build up your fundamentals with, so I'll be going through that now.

I am really glad that I got this harsh critique. Thank you, Jeff! :D

heix33 - Thanks a lot, and ye I gotta study more values and colour - after I have gotten the fundamentals down. ;)

Nutella - Haha thanks! Ye we gotta spend as much time as we need on something we feel we really need to learn - untill it is learned! Once you get into "obsessed mode" you'll spend a long time studying something. :P

It really makes me happy you like my little thread over here. :D





Here's a drawing trying to build a good composition. Made for DSG 1589 : Fantasy • OLD WOMAN ATOP HER STEED.

[kiwigarbage]

Ooo is that a harpy? awesome! :D

However I think you could make the composition more successful if you angled the wing upwards creating a triangle, which always makes that which is in the triangle imposing. Your granny would become even more badass.

[JeffX99]

Hey Lord M - I'm glad you found that critique helpful and were open to it. Just to follow up a bit on the "why" it is best to learn through traditional media and approach. It is really very simple: traditional media are portable, allowing you to study and work from life - anywhere, any time. Traditional media is also faster than digital allowing you to explore more ideas, concepts, compositions, etc. Traditional media teaches you to really see and draw very directly without a cumbersome interface, drawing small, and all the other limitations of working digitally. Learning to really see form, shadow and light is extremely difficult and takes years to begin to understand - it takes tremendous focus and concentration - working directly with a piece of charcoal on a piece of paper - no interface, no distance between the artist and the work. The last main advantage is that traditional media teaches one everything they need to know about the fundamentals of making art - and it does it faster and in a more direct way.

In the end digital media is great - I love it - you can do a lot of really incredible things that you can't do with traditional media - but you have to know what you're doing first. You have to keep in mind it is only a tool - a different medium - and it actually has some serious limitations which make it a poor tool when trying to learn how to really see, draw and paint.

Anyway, I hope that explains some of the "why" behind my earlier advice. Famous Artist Course has some great stuff. My highest recommendation (if you really want to learn the craft) are just two books: "Drawing Essentials" by Deborah Rockman and "Imaginitive Realism" by James Gurney. I know you're pretty serious about improving so just keep at it!

[Pigeonkill]

I like the strong contrast and angle of the last piece. It doesn't really read to me as "old woman" It feels more scary like death chasing people on top of harp.

[LORD M]

kiwigarbage - Hehe ye it's one o' those harpys. Nasty creatures. :P And ye you got a good point there, triangling the wings would have been awesome. Oh well I gotta think of that till next time, but thanks! :)

JeffX99 - Yes I exactly see your point, I recognize a lot of the limitations of digital media you speak of and I agree with you. I have to admitt I have always been a bit irritated over what takes a short time to do traditionaly takes quite a while doing digitaly, but I am not as "adapted" to digital yet though. Since I want to improve as fast as possible I maybe should take a break from doing as much digital studies as I used to and focus to do the studies more traditonaly.

Oh and it seems I am in great luck, I bought myself a copy of "Imaginative Realism" some weeks ago. :D Although, I haven't had much time to look at it because of university. Gotta have a look at "drawing Essentials" as well since you recommend it.

And ye I am super serious about improving and I will keep at it! Thanks a lot for taking the time to talk to me about this! :D

Pigeonkill - Thanks man! Glad you enjoyed it, and yes I agree with you that it looks a bit more like death then an old woman, Maybe it is his mother.





Finaly I got myself a new scanner, and it was a real beast one! CanoScan 9000F - totally sweet! Compared to my previous 10 year old scanner this one takes 7 seconds to scan instead of 2 minutes, and you hardly have to tweak any in photoshop aftrwards.

So I thought I would scan some horribly-uneven-lines-crap I made the last 6 months till now, but it was way too many drawings so I chose the one I liked best. Oldest at top, freshest at bottom.

[Jamie Romoser]

Wow! great studies man improvment is evident on this page alone!
As for harsh crits cant say much man your doing all the right stuff so its only a matter of time. Maybe thinking more about each stroke would help?
Keep it up looking forward to seeing more
till next time
-Jamie

[kiwigarbage]

Great! The master's studies are showing through already!

I'd do uhm...some life (or nicely lit photograph) boob studies...they often seem misplaced or oddly shaped to me. You're already aware of your facial mistakes. But I think that where you're having trouble is in the distortion of 3/4 view around the brow bone. Do some isolated studies of that area of the face and everything will come together nicely!

Great work :D

[LORD M]

Omerta - Thanks for checking out my little sketchbook! :) I will think more about my lines, gotta find some way to train myself to get better strokes.

kiwigarbage - Hey thanks for visiting again kiwi! Ah I didn't notice how horrible the brow bone area were untill you pointed it out to me, how embarrasing - and yeah I will do some isolated studies of that area, self portraits should be a good way. And I will do more boob-studies aswell, thanks! :P




Been absorbed by the "The Dark Tower" book serie by Stephen King lately, reading more then I should be doing. :P (WARNING SPOILER FOR DARK TOWER READERS!) Just finished the third book and thought I would paint a scene from the book: The deranged Blaine The Mono leaving his cradle in Lud for the last time. Something I felt I just had to draw, plus 3 bodies from mind.

[LORD M]

I was going to enter Dominance War, but school got in the way (sorry kostas). But I thought I might finish it anyways without entering since it is too late.Here's some stuff I did for Dominance War plus a quick thumbnail for a potential scene I made today.

[lennon]

Keep working the figure, you're getting there, but there's still some road left. Try to flip the canvas after you end up with one drawing. Try to get more critic with the proportions, to get them as clean as possible, this is the most important thing. Don't make everyone with those muscles so thigh, try to see the flesh hang more, the weights and masses accordingly with the pose.
At this moment, I think that you're pretty close to nail the proportions, focus in that before moving foreward. In post 393 there is a construction drawing with black ink, it looks great, but you should do more of this, focus in this before jumping to more superficial subjects. Try to make this kind of stuff with a loosen hand, with quick lines at not a lot of effort (it's important beacuse the faster you make it the cleaner the lines will be and the easier it would be to jump into other details that give character to the drawing).
After you have made a thousand of this ones, work with the balance and the poses, then try to integrate hands, head and features into that, then render. Each of this steps should take several months and you always should came back to them for a couple of months again, don't jump into rendering if you can for at least a year or more.
The figure is very hard and nobody has it completly worked out, but it really pays.

[Parsakoira]

wow thats one bigass update! keep it up, youre doing good! and thanks for stopping by at my SB!

[FrozZT]

Hey man! Awesome effort! I liked your studies on the past page, I think you should have pushed them for perfection a bit more, noticing the fine errors you've made and correcting them is essential in training your eye. See the slight changes in value, distances, angles, colors etc.. You could take your old studys, compare them with your refs and make markings and notes about the differences and errors you've made then start a new set of studys in which you can push to copy. When you are better at seeing it's much easier to study light, anatomy and such. Keep up the great work!

-Niklas

[LORD M]

lennon - Very good points, when you talk about how I always make the muscles too tight I realise I have never done any hanging flesh studies at all. That will have to change!

I agree on that I should halt the rendering for some time, and focus on fundamentals like proportions as you say. I will do more of the construction and build up, as in post 393. I think studying and reading Mentler amongst other will help me with proportions AND hanging muscle masses. As JeffX99 also said, I gotta study the basics - and I plan to do that for some time now, and try to avoid "doing art" as I have done so far (except sometimes I need to do something small to keep myself sane lol).

Big thanks for stopping by! I will repay the favour! :)

Parsakoira - Haha thanks for popping in my little sketchbook and for your kind words! :D

FrozZT - Hm I haven't thought of writing down my errors and what to improve on. I will definetly do this! Thank you! :)




Sum inspirin music!

7bHC8XEfEYk



Something fast (not really) for DSG 1591: Creature • GLISTENING BLACKISH BEAST SEEMS LIKE COMBO OF SLUG & DRAGON. Didn't turn out as black as I first planned to make it.

[ThomasM]

nice last post there! Thanks for stopping by on my sketchbook by the way.

You are certianly posting a huge volume of work. I would suggest doing a few more master studies if you have the time/chance. Just look up some figure drawings from people like Prud'hon or michelangelo (doesn't really matter) and do an exact copy. It will help loads with values and even linework.

Hope that helps!

[ladyknowles]

You sir are incredibly badass

[Sivonja]

This SB is simply amazing and it deserve 5 stars from me , i just love to see when is someone talented as you are :) keep posting :)

[LORD M]

ThomasM - Thank you and thank you for returning the favour! :) I am trying to do master studies whenever I can, it is such an amazing way of learning - to see how they proceeded and how they were thinking. For example I found the studies that Bougereau made for his "Nymphs and Satyr", really worth taking a look!
--->http://grandcentralacademy.blogspot.com/2009/05/bouguereaus-working-methods.html

ladyknowles - Hehe thank you.

Sivonja - Wow thank you so much! 5 stars, never thought I would get something that high for my humble scribbles! And thank you for your kind words! :D






Been studying the fundamentals as JeffX99 told me to; values, form and light etc. Drawn from life a bit too. God it is so horribly amateurish. :P

Most are studies after photos, but the 3rd last one is from life (used the worlds cheapes model) and the last two are from mind.

Critique very welcomed. :)

[Untouched24]

I'm really liking your dedication. Keep it up!

Only thing I'd say is perhaps gesturing out your figures more could benefit you. I'm not sure, maybe you already do, but it seems like sometimes your proportions are a bit odd in certain areas. I think lightly roughing in the figure, and really looking at the negative space, as well as how all the shapes relate to eachother in terms of proportion, before defining the lines, could help out. Also thinking of each thing/figure/limb you're drawing as a mass that fits into another mass may help too.
I see improvement in the last update and definitely do see drawings where it looks like you kept in mind the stuff I just mentioned, so keep at it. Also, the fat kittyman is pretty sweet.

Anyway, you're doing what you need to do, just thought I'd throw that out there in case it would help. Good work.

[LORD M]

Untouched24 - Hey thanks mate! Yes you're right, I realise I am doing some guesswork when fixing the proportion down, which I need to stop doing and measure more from mind. I need to imprint it in my mind!

Haha I'm glad you liked the fat kittyman. :)





Fast crap today, approximately around 2 hours. Was inspired by kingkostas when browsing through his sketchbook again and tried out his method for building up poses, first with a superquick sketch then fleshing it out with cylinders and spheres and at last adding muscles etc.

Tried out values and practising shading on this one. :)

[LORD M]

Fast one for DSG 1593: Creature • FURRY ALIEN'S EYES ARE FLESHY PERFORATED PLATES

[kingkostas]

Makrus awesome updates!!!specially post 393# U are totally improved. Love all the studies
Keep it up mate, u are doing really great!!!

[That fat kid]

Heya

After taking a look through your sketchbook, I'd say there's definitely been improvement in your work over the last year. I just bet it isn't as much as you expected which I put down to your ability to intepret what you're seeing and translate it onto paper isn't up to par with your ability to see what's in front of you. That gap is always going to be there, no matter how much you study.

And, after the thread in the Art Discussion section, the speed at which you study has an affect. I'm of the personal belief that spending a significant amount of time on a single study is more beneficial than a dozen short studies. If you can go through a study and pick out all the mistakes and errors in color, proportion, value, edges and what not and then do your best correcting them, the next long study you'll already have the mind set to pick out the mistakes earlier so then you won't have to correct them later. Plus, as you correct mistakes, you won't be basing decisions on mistakes while your developing an image.

~Andrew

[LORD M]

kingkostas - Hey thanks man! Glad to have your support. :)

That fat kid - Thanks a lot for commenting Andrew and yes I do agree with you, but I have to admitt if I am going to be 100% straight that I have been quite lazy and depressed about art the last year. And I haven't either been self-critical, its first now I get it thanks to a friend who made me realise that.

Longer studies would probably be a lot better, I should have spent more time at home studying anatomy the days I didnt go to lifedrawing-class. Ok I will do long studies, thankfully i life drawing class we recently started with 3 hour poses, so hopefully I learn something from that.



Wow 2 monts almost since last post. Well at least I have been drawing nsince then, but then I realised I took "study the fundamentals" too litteral and studied things I already knew. Studied the wrong way. But I have tried to correct that.

I have more and more realised I want to go into digital art then mostly doing traditional in the future, if I ever get a job in art that is. There's more opotrunities for work if you have a good digital, aswell as traditional, base to stand on. I have got to hear this from a lot of people.

Here's something I crapped out by fooling around in photoshop creating brushes and just raping the hell out of the canvas.

[kingkostas]

thats also a great experience so its good to see you playing and knowing better the digital tool.Creating custom brushes can be really important in reproducing textures and stuff
keep up mate :)

[dan liimatta]

Underbara uppdeteringar - o all anatomy! o resultaten när du ritar utan ref ~ ah, skönt att se.

Gillar också technomage konceptet och snigeln ~ jobba på, ser riktigt bra ut.

kärlek, Dan ~

[Rain Walker]

i almost cried after seeing ur last anatomy update.. and i thought i did good and lots of anatomy work... ur anatomy is art by itself..its not a study its great great peace of art...

amazing.. just amazing...

[LORD M]

Been a while now since last time I posted in here but I will still reply. :)

kingkostas - Yeah the brush-creationing is great fun, and you learn so much from just messing around. :P

dan liimatta - Tack så mycket, Dan! Jättekul att se dig i min lilla tråd. Jag ska jobba på tills jag e gammal o grå och inte längre kan gå. :P

Rain Walker - Hey thanks, Rain! Very glad you like my old studies. :)



Just drawed today. Still life, too many hours - gotta get faster! Maybe to set a timer next time.

[LORD M]

Just drawed 2 buttons that fell off my army jacket. :( Oh well, good motifes though. :)


http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1263269&stc=1&d=1309017204

[Trefle]

Wow. What more could I say.. O_O Those are very beautiful, and your lines are very very clean. XD

Keep drawing, as per usual. :)

[p sage]

You're showing improvement just in this last page, which should be really encouraging. It's cool to see it happening.

Demand discipline of yourself; demand excellence. I think you have the ability to move up quite a bit if you are a bit more precise with your methods, a bit more meticulous in all that you do. For instance, if you draw a circle, really make it the best one ever. If you draw a line, demand excellence and nothing less.

Little refinements like that will really help your mindset when practicing, too.

Proportions are getting better; keep working on those. And conception of the third dimension is coming around. The Cambiaso study was good and more studies of 3D shapes would help as well.

Have fun as always :yum:

[dan liimatta]

Sköna studier - främst tangentbordet :)

[LORD M]

Trefle - Hey thanks man, will always keep drawing. Although breaks sometimes needed for foodstuff.

p.sage - I read your post 2 days ago and man you are so right, I really must demand more from myself and not finish till I am thourhoughly satisfied. I have had this mindset now and I think it might be taking effect since I redraw stuff all the time till i get it good. Fun is just the start of it! Thanks!

dan liimatta - Tack som fan, Dan! :D


Some bits from todays studies. Focusing on building up the figure, Mentlers thread Book of Bones is very valuable for studying how to draw figures from mind in any pose - which is one of my main goals within art (that and becoming totally awesome and a legend in history of coz, doesn't everyone have that goal?).

One thing I realised from a friend is that I don't look at the subject I draw from long enough. My friend had problemsd drawing feet, so he spent a lot of time just looking at Charles Bargue's drawings of feet - and from just looking he then became a lot better at drawing just feet. This is something I will take up and adopt to myself - and also throwing it out her just in case someone reads this uncoherent rambling I am tired what is the clock holy shit way too late I gotta go sleep gnight bai bai must become a lot better

[LORD M]

Studied tools of photoshop today, with the help of Matt Kohr's videos on his site http://www.ctrlpaint.com/ I amongst other learned how to use the pen tool to do selections instead of the (what I now realise) hideous selection tools. Very worth to check out, guys!

Here's a fast usage of the pen tool I did on one of Zdzlaw Beksinski's paintings and then just tried to make it into color study or so to see how colors can clash to make contrast.

[Charmer]

Hey LORD M!

You became a lot better the last time. Really appreciate your studies (especially) from page 14! Recently read a post you were talking about stuck in your process. I know exactly what you mean. But looks like you are just expecting too much from yourself. I like your stuff. Keep that up!

[LORD M]

Charmer - Thank you for your kind words, and I am very happy you like my studies! :) Maybe I am expecting too much of myself, but I have been so extremely lazy for some time now to be honest which resulted in less progress, drawing each day isn't enough almost. One of my friends and Noah Bradley's thread "Stop whining! Just Draw!" helped me understand what "Just Draw" really means, something I thought I did but didn't even though I might have said I did in previous posts. Worrying about what way to be the best way to study yields in no studies and no progress - something everyone should avoid!


Some studies from today. Too few. Need to get better at tablet liiiiiiineeeeeeeeesssss ASAP, they're so scribbly! vIf I am doing something wrong, please tell me, I am still very unsure of how to proceed. It feels like I neglected a lot of the amazing critique I have gotten through my depression stage that lasted almost a year. SO I am really sorry about that everybody.

[LORD M]

I think I realise now that I wasn't better before, which I have been believing for some time now. A good friend of mine asked me, "show me an older drawing that is better then the current ones you made today" and I realised there is none. Then he went further and told me I delete all the crappy drawings I made and only posted all the good ones before - which was also true. So that means I got to be improving! I know it sounds silly, but I feel very relived after this.


Fast Daemoness from mind after several studies I made today.

[LORD M]

Just for the case of posting, something from today's studies, from mind and a test from when I created custom brushes. Lol I gotta stop the 3/4 view and do more intresting poses.

[GoGoJojo]

Haha, my brother adores Beksinski's work:) I really like the eyes on your latest lady, the lids are lovely, they definitely give off the look a smile!

[kingkostas]

Mate you are doing really great!!!great construction
keep up

[LORD M]

GoGoJojo - Haha yeah Beksinski was something really special out of this world, shame we will never see more from his genious. Thanks for the kind words. :)

kingkostas - Thanks mate!!! :D


Blergh, dsg1614 before bed causing me to stay up way past bedtime - tired now.

[Jesus Food]

that robot ladys got big titties, is she a nanny? i think most dancers were be off balance with double d milkers like that

[LORD M]

that robot ladys got big titties, is she a nanny? i think most dancers were be off balance with double d milkers like that

Hahahaha! Oh gods I didnt realise they turned out that big, I wanted to create some sort of foreshortening but I realise now thery're bigger then her head! Hm, that is a good question about balance, but I guess since she is an android she would be able to calculate how to move in order to not come crashing down because of the ginormous size of her titties.

Thanks for pointing that out Jesus. :)

[dan liimatta]

Reminded me of the nuclear/bomb bikini from Tank-girl and Fallout 3, the breasts of the android.

Was nice to see you in the DSG and I hope to see you return :P

& I really like the face in #424

& Jag drog mig tillbaka för 3-4 veckor sen och inte postat aktivt på ett tag - men du har gjort mycket nytt och gott sen senast & jag kan se kampen i det du gör vilket är skönt (även om jag antar frustrerande; eller du verkar vara på väg mot en ny platå och dina verk håller nytt och gammalt och det syns, det ser ut som om de är frustrerande för dig för att din vision har börjat springa förbi din teknik, men det känns som om de kan finna varandra snart om du fortsätter som du gjort).

[Pigeonkill]

Nice perspective shot on the robo-girl. Her breast look like scary missiles though.

[SMILEFACE]

RRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH HAHAHAyou need to FINISH THESE PLEASE nah I XDXDXDTEASEXDXDXD I AGREE THE PERSPECTIVE IS AWESOME AN POST 424 IS BLOOM'N MARVELOUS

[p sage]

Yeah 424 is cool... easy to see the volumes there. It's pics like that that teach me things :) Thank you.

[LORD M]

dan liimatta - Hey thanks for returning man! :) Haven't seen tank-girl, so I will check it up haha! And yes I will return to DSG! It is too much fun not to return.

Ah jag förstår, finslipat antar jag? ;) Yes If I am going to be honest it feels extremely frustrating atm, but I need to learn self-critique still since I have problems seeing what I continue on on in circles and what I am improving on. And yes you are spot on on that my visions are running away from my skill-level, I won't give up though - but I need to understand which ways are most efficient in studying because I feel it is too slow compared to what I see for so many others. I just don't do enough studies and seem to do the same study over and over instead of going somewhere new.

SO next stop is feet which I haven't studied much at all.


Pigeonkill - Haha thanks, it's dead-sexy, isn't it? :P

SMILEFACE - Grandma? Is that you? :O Really missed ya dude, checked out your new sketchbook and OMG you improved like mental! Glad you came back!

p_sage - Thanks, sage. :)





Here's some crap I spent tooooo long on. A cockpit which would include a character but the lightning I made on the character totally screwed up so it isn't included. I feel the colors are too saturated, it stings the eyes and don't harmonize with eachother. I really need to get my shit on light, color and shade together. Reading James Gurney's book Color & Light on the subject for the moment. Trying to get better, but I got critique from a friend that I never experiment, especially not with color and shading, so I gotta do that very much - afterall experimenting is what leads to new understanding. Only problem is I have trouble thinking outside the box.

[LORD M]

Blargh. Another fast one from head before bed, came out a bit weak, need to understand color better. Oh god I hardly ever study colors nowadays - too occupied trying to understand anatomy I forget! :P I should do some photo studies too.

[Pigeonkill]

The cockpit line work is pretty killer.

The landscape study is a bit confusing for me. I'm not sure if I'm viewing a frozen ocean or snow covered plain. The top of the painting I'm not sure if it's a green cloud or tree top since I see no branches.

[LORD M]

Thanks pidgeon! :) Yeah the landscape is confusing I realise, it ws supposed to look like mud but ye I haven't studied colors enough yet. :P


I got to study the most complex and hardest color studies I can find, I've been studying the easiest so far and I want to go further.

One from mind and then one more complex photo study I made today.

[Mary Rucker]

NEWER STUFF IN THE BACK OF COZ!


UPDATE 01/11 2009 - Ok, I have to take the bull by the horns. I have started realising now that I have been an ignorant fool. I have been too lazy with studies, that's the reason why I haven't progressed much at all (got a rant about me being pathetic on page 2, I will leave it be so I can learn from it). I have to start over from square one. So this is the date, from now on I will study as hard as I fucking can!

Please, bash me, trash me, I want to get better and reach my goals and there's no other way then study and not being lazy as I have been so far. I want to improve and get good at drawing!







Hello, I am 23 years old and I am currently on my fifth year studying Evolutionary Biology at my local university. I have always loved to draw since I was a kid but it have only been a hobby, something I do at the side of my studies. I am hoping that I might after my Bachelor's degree (or Master's degree) that I will pursue 3D and art because if I am going to be honest to myself then there is nothing I would rather do, biology fades in comparison to the world of art.


Right, I guess you want to see some drawings, so here are two I made recently.

The first one is a study I made on Robert Campin's Portrait Of A Woman from the year 1430 which I did with the mouse (original: http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/3847/2094108097b98720cc96.jpg).

The second one is a sketch of an idea I had on some small creatures with masks that have looted a matchlock rifle.


I hope you enjoy, and I would very much appriciate any critique, comments and advise you post. :)



...the better you will get.

[Mary Rucker]

Ok I hope you got that last tag. I learned that I was making the same stupid mistakes over and over again so I started looking at other artist and tried to copy{that's right copy} them to break me out of my pattern

[LORD M]

Mary Rucker - Yes I understand your tag and yes you are 100% right about that. :) Studying other artists are always a great way to get new perspective on things, and also importantly new styles! I will get to that in the future! Thanks for visiting mah thread!


Small update, another gradient study after photo (boy this is hard, but educational) and to be honest I am really a beginner when it comes to studying colors, plus a space-zombie! Should have spent a bit more on the gun so it wouldn't look like a toy, but I was a bit inspired by 50's sci-fi.

[p sage]

Yeah man that saturated yellow in the cockpit is pretty saturated :D

From what little I'm learning about color, artists tend to hold off on a whole lot of saturated color and rely on color contrasts to make their neutrals look more vibrant. For instance, if the yellow had more grey in it (it wasn't so saturated) and the main color in the cockpit were a variation of violet-red (not too saturated either), the yellow would look more yellow. Then the highlights could use the saturated colors. Something like that. I'm still learning too :P

Excellent design, tho. Ever study Scott Robertson's videos?

[ThomasM]

nice stuff here in this sb, and good to see you're back to posting pretty regularly! Keep on doing what you're doing

[LORD M]

p sage - Ye, sooo saturated it gives a headache. :P Been studying color lately (reading Gurney's book Color & Light) and yeah you are very right about it, I must do

ThomasM - Thanks! Not sure I can keep posting regulary, I do try and study each day atleast but I won't post all I do. :P


As people have been telling me I am trying to do more stuff from life, even if I can't draw I try to observe and study that way. Haven't drawn much lately, have exam coming up - but I still feel guilty for not drawing lol. I must get better.


DSG 1619: Enviro • LARGE GRATINGS KEEP UNDESIRABLE OBJECTS FROM PASSING OVER DAM EDGE

[samthemule]

nice to see you progress.

your quote braught me to your sketchbook...

i'd like to see some ultra finished pieces from you :)

be well!

[LORD M]

samthemule - Thanks man! The quote is from an artist I look up to a lot, it speaks exactly the way I feel and what I one day want to achieve. :) I'll eventually post something that is super-finished hehe.



Haven't posted in a while, but I still have been drawing almost each day, won't ever stop that haha. First up is a fan-art piece (Ye I like ponies, so what! :P I usually never do fan-art but the show is too good!), made back in september and looking at the colors I chose I kinda shudder since I know I now could choose better colors and values. Then two things from mind for practicing values etc, last one is for DSG 1626 (Creature • CREEPY FACELESS BEAST HAS TATTERED, RUSTING, FLESH) though.

Critique as always welcomed! :)

[Detlef]

I love your stuff, especially the silent hill monster, the colors and rendering is amazing. Keep up the good work!

[LORD M]

Detlef - Thank you! I am flattered, very glad you like it. :)

Update on the monster, fixed some issues and tried to push the textures to really look like the materials I want them to represent.

[Xelar]

You can really see huge progress here!
Anatomy is getting a lot better even though your faces from imagination look a little weird. I feel like you tend to draw noses too long and cheeks often are lopsided in 3/4 view.
You might also want to control your colors and saturation levels more.
The colors you chose show very limited interaction which gives it a cartoony look. You also want to avoid creating drama through high saturation where it's not needed.

Keep up the good work!

[witcrack]

Hello there! :)
Really good sketches! nice amount of studies and quick paints. I reallly like what I see. I've watched several of your early pages and wow, what an improvement! At first I believe I'm seeing the wrong SB (I have seen your works in the DSG several times) :D

Well, eager to see more updates from you :)
Keep it up keep it up!

[Syle]

Dude, you're getting better and better. Keep pushing and working hard. You and I both know it will pay off in the future.

[LORD M]

Xelar - Thank you for the critique! I admit the faces look strange still, I think I need to do more studies after photos/life for them. And you are right about colors, I have to work and experiment more on it since yes I always feel they got a sort of cartoony look to them. Since I have James Gurney's book Color & Light I am going to go through it extra much. :)

witcrack - Hehe thank you for the kind words, witcrack. :D

Syle - Thanks mate! And yes you couldn't be more right, every minute of what one do now counts in the future. :)




Here's sparts of the stuff I made the last 2-3 months, I think. Mix of studies from life, photos and imagination. Oldest at top, newest at bottom. Gah I need to pick up the pace, this isn't nearly enough studies. :P

[Lumens]

Damn the last update is awesome! and such a large body of work.:hatsoff:
Nice improvement too.
However if you push yourself even harder you can easily do this in one month.

This is coming from a dork that has a free schedule 24/7
every one is different of course.

[Dark_Eyes]

5 stars! Merry christmas! *****

[LORD M]

I will comment back to everyone's sketchbooks, for everyone who have commented the last months I am really grateful - so I am sorry I haven't for some time.


Lumens - Thank you! Yes I MUST push myself harder! And I am also someone having free schedule almost 24/7 - so it is a bit embarrasing I don't haha!

Dark_Eyes - Wow! Thanks a lot, that makes me incredibly happy! And merry Christmas to you too! :D



Here's a quick life study before going to bed, 1 hour. It was extremely hard, but just what I need to push my lazy ass!

[Pigeonkill]

I like the tight and polish squid painting.

Happy Holidays!

[telohs]

I'm liking the lo-key setting on the newest one, although I feel it misses some more to read, other than that, pretty cool stuff you got here :3