Spartan Training Camp #100 - 50 gestures + Optional study of "A fantasy character"

[Mindbendermind]

Since Anthis is away this week, I thought I'd jump in and set the ball in motion this week. Seem to becoming slightly addicted to these gesture/figure-drawing camps :}

Spartan Camp #100 - 50 gestures + Optional Study of "A fantasy character"
The aim is to produce 50 gestures by Sunday the 16th of August.

- The gestures can be of anything, human, animal, cavorting capybaras.... You can draw full figures, but you can also go for heads, arms, eyes, or anything specific. All media can be used, both digital or traditional. Coloured or black/white. Quick scribbles or long studies. Imagination or referenced. Clothed or nude. Specifics are up to you!

- In addition to this, participants can choose to do an Optional Study of "A fantasy character", in any medium.
Additional notes on this weeks’ Optional Study: You can use reference or draw from your imagination, the character can be an existing character from the fantasy genre or an original character of your own making. Colour, medium, time frame, any specifics are also up to you!

50 poses is a challenge, but don't hurry or stress yourself reaching it! Focus on drawing, as practising is the main goal of this exercise.

Critting each other is highly encouraged!! Share constructive criticism, reference and resources!! Let's help each other get better!

Come on soldiers! Flex those muscles!!

[bakadoodle]

Decided to do a bit of a force study. I really should use refs, just seems like cheating to me. I'm an idiot.
trying out the attachment manager here.. hope it works
[edit]
fantasy character doodle - pencil, scanned, adjusted

[bakadoodle]

pencil/sharpie doodles I did today while power was out

why do you guys wait till the end to post? Post as you go so we can see what you are doing :)

[adamp]

wow great stuff baka. Good point, I have been grouping all of my gestures for the end. I'll see about doing things differently this week :)

[Joshua Reimer]

Thought I would participate in this. Some random sketches from posemaniacs.
http://joshuareimer.com/art/sketch/img013.jpg

[bakadoodle]

Hi Joshua. Welcome. :)
Nice set, I've always found Posemaniacs difficult. If you don't mind my saying, it looks like you were trying to focus more on the silhouette than the structure and your proportions suffered for it. Maybe try to imagine (or even draw in) the bones. Personally I find it is more important and I learn more when I try to understand why something is shaped the way it is, what causes the lines to curve or deform in a given position. Keep them coming, the more you do it the easier it gets. <<goes back to doing it a million more times>>

[adamp]

Hi Joshua, nice angles on those poses. Keep them coming!

Here's my first batch...
http://gesturebox.net/img/09/spartan100-1.jpg
http://gesturebox.net/img/09/spartan100-2.jpg

[Mindbendermind]

Great to see your posts, guys. Welcome Joshua.

Reason I wait is that I want to fill two pages in my A5 sketchbook before I scan - too lazy to scan too often :-D

EDIT: After doing a 30 min sketch for an IFX thread, I'm ready for my first post of the week. No refs used - 30 min sketch of Gandalf vs Balrog in LOTR. That bald char and the "stick figures" are practice from Loomis' "Fun with a pencil". Figured I'd work through his books from easiest to hard. Have realized that caricatures and goblin/orc/strange creature drawing has a lot in common. All about distorting the standard features :-)

[bakadoodle]

OooOOer adamp, excellent set, so much energy in those poses. Were they referenced? I'd love to see 3 and 4 rendered. Thanks for the inspiration, was getting a little burnt out on gestures, but those make me want to capture that dynamic.
[edit]
Forgot to ask Mind, what program are you using to scan your pages? If it's Photoshop I can show you how to adjust the levels to make them darker... and you just posted :) and it looks fine.. :) SEE!!! look how good your stick figure is! The humorous bones are a bit long (upper arm) The elbow should come to about the bottom of the ribcage. I'm going to go check this IFX thing out :)

[Armobot]

bakadoodle - The figure in the center of your first page looks great! I can really feel the stretch in that pose. I think you can exaggerate some of the other poses more. You can consider using different line width/darkness/thickness for specific parts of the body in a pose, to help show tension and energy.

Joshua - Nice drawings, keep it up!

adamp - I like #13 and 17 most, good stuff.

Mind - No reference? Why not? A lot of pros use references most of the time to make their art works more convincing. Using references doesn't mean that you're copying. References are there to give you information and direction to help make your work more believable. So consider using refs more often, I think they could help you improve faster.

This is my first set of characters, I'm not sure if I have time to make all 50 of them, if not, then I'll use posemaniacs to make up for the rest.

[Mindbendermind]

Great characters. I definitely use references - more often than not. However I try to do two unreffed pages at the same time as I do the two with reffed gestures. Soon ready to post my unreffed ones of the week as well. :-)

[Angel SHIN]

First time participating, as well as my first post. Girlfriend introduced me to here.

adamp: good poses. Everything has a nice flow to it.

Armobot: nice quick paintings! how long did each one take you?


---

Here's my stuff. All poses were referenced. From #1 to 6 I was trying out a new way of sketching out, but it didn't quite work, so I from #7 to 15 I switched back to my normal way.

[Mindbendermind]

Welcome. Got some really nice dynamic poses here :-)

[Rafael kokiri]

I've made some.
A few based on posemaniacs and others from random, but all referenced.
Still trying to get used to the tablet, I started to use it this week, so it's a little weird yet.

[adamp]

Armobot: Awesome characters! I like your color choices.

Angel SHIN: I am envious of your proportions! #1, #3 and #5 are my favorites.

Rafael kokiri: Welcome! I've been using a tablet for a while and I'm still not used to it. Keep those gestures coming!

All of these poses are referenced except a few. I'm trying to find more rhythm between the masses and overall pose. I'm revisiting Glen Vilppu's drawing manual - the chapter on gesture drawing because it's helped me in the past.
I also threw in a page full of foot studies (referenced, of course). It feels like I can draw them easier, but only from reference. I think that means I need to make more!

http://gesturebox.net/img/09/spartan100-3.jpg
http://gesturebox.net/img/09/spartan100-4.jpg
http://gesturebox.net/img/09/spartan100-5.jpg

[bakadoodle]

Great stuff everyone!
adamp Man I love your poses, they all seem so alive. Great job on the foot studies too. You're getting better by leaps and bounds. Would love to see you render one of these out a bit more.
Raphael - I've had my tablet for almost 2 years, and still haven't gotten it set up just right. I have the Intuos3 12x9 which was a mistake on my part to get the big one. The 6x8 is much easier to use. The biggest problem I have is going back and forth from traditional pencil/paper to the pad. I rely so much on turning the sketchbook to get a natural arc of motion with my wrist that it's a shock not to be able to do so with the tablet. Nice gestures, the skull on the sitting guy is awesome. Keep posting :)
Angel SHIN - Yep, what adamp said...
Armobot - Think I'm going to have to hate you. :P Amazed at how you get so much out of so little. The colors, the forms, the gestures, the characters... all amazing and all from just thumbnails. I bow to your greatness. :bow:

[Mindbendermind]

Adding some reffed ones - primarily from a book with movie scenes - as well as some more unreffed Loomis faces. Much Loomis this week - studies as well as faces and stick-figures inspired by his "Fun with a pencil".

Also a 30 min Frazetta study from last night and some RL sketches (pen sketch from this morning)

[Anthis]

Rusty already after 1 week of vacation. So everything from ref this time, but from now on I intend to mix in more figures from imagination.
Optional is a Frazetta study, original work can be viewed here (http://www.aumania.it/fa/frazetta/081.jpg). And this (http://www.aumania.it/fa_frazetta1.html) is the rest of the gallery.
Enjoyed it immensely and I think I learned a bit from it too. Will be doing more of those!

Crits up next.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Anthis_/spartan%20trainings/100-1.jpghttp://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Anthis_/spartan%20trainings/100-2.jpg
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Anthis_/spartan%20trainings/100-3.jpghttp://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Anthis_/spartan%20trainings/100-4.jpg
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Anthis_/spartan%20trainings/100-5.jpghttp://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Anthis_/spartan%20trainings/100-6.jpg
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Anthis_/spartan%20trainings/100-7.jpghttp://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Anthis_/spartan%20trainings/100-8-1.jpg
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Anthis_/spartan%20trainings/100-9.jpg
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Anthis_/studies/frazettastudy.jpg

[Anthis]

First of all - thanks to everyone for participating and keeping this thing going. As long as people find this activity to be useful, and continue sharing advice and knowledge, it will live.

bakadoodle; Good idea on the 'force' poses. I understand your view on using reference. I used to have the same opinion, and I used to only draw from imagination because I wanted to do this 'on my own' and 'without copying'. But I think for me, there was very little improvement during that time. As soon as I started paying attention to reference, and doing studies, I could see progress. Now this is just personal experience, but I think it will apply to most people if not everyone. The human body is incredibly complicated. Drawing a realistic figure takes knowledge and experience. Anatomy and referenced studies WILL help you gain this. None is born knowing everything. To finish this rant with a cheesy oneliner.
I think you're doing good on these figures though. I can see you're really trying to add this feeling of tension to the poses. One thing you'll notice when trying these poses out yourself, is that most of your body will be tensed. Even your head/neck will be positioned differently, even though they are not directly helping to push that wall (top-left poses). Hope that makes sense. Think you're doing a great job on body construction. Nice optional!

Joshua Reimer; Welcome! good stuff. Also, bakadoodle has some good advice. Posemaniacs is a nice source of reference, and you've taken a couple tough poses too. Good job on taking some poses with foreshortened limbs, or overlapping parts. You seem to have drawn these very carefully, with small repeated strokes. Some simple construction, like a few lines, blocks, circles, can help you establish a good sense of the pose early on. It allows for easier analyzing!

adamp; Great job. It's always good to see construction, keeping the masses and form in mind. Some very controlled studies! I think your weight distribution and balance is getting better too. Remember it's not just the placement of the feet and legs, but it works all the way throughout the body! Just take a look at a girl wearing high heels, and notice how the entire figure changes (which, undoubtedly, is the aim). Even up to the shoulder/neck area. You seem to struggle with head shape. I find heads tough as hell. Just never neglect them, it can be tempting to just add an oval shape once you're done with the rest of the pose. Very strong workflow!

Mindbendermind; Thanks for posting this weeks' activity! And great going too. Loomis is inspiring as always. Have to admit I didn't pay much attention to 'fun with a pencil' yet. You're doing great with all the different studies. You're certainly not easy on yourself. I really have the feeling that conscious drawing like that is really helpful. I think erin bronkovitch and the pose next to her are standing out. They're somewhat rough still. But the shapes by themselves, the sense of a balanced, real figure, are really working. They don't look uncomfortable, if you feel what I mean. Good stuff! Good idea for an optional by the way. I'll think of something for next week.

Armobot; Don't worry, 50 is not mandatory. Just a goal to get you going. Nice figures, character designs actually. Middle right I think is strongest. Mainly because you can feel there is a strong figure below the armor and clothing. Pose looks stable and balanced. The foreshortening is not always working, especially in the other 3 of the middle row. The entire figure should follow perspective. Like top right and middle left - just one large arm or leg won't do the trick. Nice going on picking some interesting poses for your concepts though. Good stuff!

Angel SHIN; Hi and welcome! You seem to know a thing or two about construction and anatomy. Nice exploring new methods. Always keep experimenting. You can see that as soon as you go back to drawing construction lines again, the poses get better instantly. I notice the same for myself. Not sure if you can ever 'get rid' of those, perhaps some form of construction is always good. Arms and legs are exaggerated occasionally. Some interesting reference, by the way. Got a good source? Nice going, keep it up!

Rafael kokiri; Welcome, and congratulations on your tablet! You'll love it. But it feels awkward in the beginning. Simply playing around with it, trying settings, and experimenting will give you a better feel in no time. It's also advisable to look at other peoples sketches. Like in the sketchbook section. Often, in the sketches and unfinished works you can see how they use their tablet. Trying to shade or add shadows with a small brush may be uncomfortable :). Nice figures though, I recognize the reference. Good stuff!

[Outis]

Tried to make it to 50 this week but it didn't happen.

I've moved onto the next chapter of Vilppu so I'm working on conveying some roundness and mass in the figures. The gestures are all pencil, using Lois Greenfield photos for a reference (I needed a break from Posemaniacs.) The dancing ones are semi-referenced- I tried looking at the reference, but then drew from memory.

The fantasy study is a Succubus demon from Barlowe's Inferno.

Welcome Joshua Reimer, Angel SHIN, and Rafael kokiri! A lot of great stuff! I really like the look of the white on the grey background. And Armobot, I really was impressed by those quick paintings. I take it that you use a tablet?

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_iSDCULVn510/SoiZRz5MkOI/AAAAAAAAANE/K26ipw6z37c/s800/PencilGesture1A.JPG
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_iSDCULVn510/SoiZSFi1t-I/AAAAAAAAANI/rMW8u8SX5gE/s800/PencilGesture2A.JPG
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_iSDCULVn510/SoiZSK1XalI/AAAAAAAAANM/e8m1buASuCk/s800/PencilGesture3A.JPG
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_iSDCULVn510/SoiZSe6rQfI/AAAAAAAAANQ/7_xglMFwvYE/s800/PencilGesture4A.JPG
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_iSDCULVn510/SoiZSSJO-sI/AAAAAAAAANU/_NyM3QLAoro/s800/PencilGesture5A.JPG
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_iSDCULVn510/SoiZR589PiI/AAAAAAAAANA/gMObM1aakIU/s800/BarlowSuccubusStudy.JPG

[Joshua Reimer]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome.

bakadoodle - Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it. I'm currently working through some Loomis stuff as figures are currently very weak for me, I'll try to apply your advice next round.

Anthis - I'm the type of person to take on the most challenging stuff head on. Trial by fire if you will. Thanks for the advice, and input. I really appreciate it.

Here is my final 40, taken from various sources. No time to do the study I'm afraid, maybe next week.

http://joshuareimer.com/art/sketch/img014.jpg

[Outis]

Joshua Reimer: Great gestures! Your proportions seemed to improve as you went along. Very nice lines as well.

[Armobot]

Anthis - Wow, very nice figures, you seem to capture the poses very well. I like the softness to your lines a lot, they really help bring out the essence of the poses. You're right about the perspective and foreshortening about my characters, that's something I must work on. Thank you so much for pointing that out!

Outis - Looking good! There's a lot of flow and movement to your drawings. One thing you could work on is the folds and wrinkles on the figures' clothes. Maybe Burne Hogarth's "Dynamic Wrinkles and Drapery" could help you understand them a bit more. And yup, I use a tablet.

Joshua - Good stuff! Try varying the darkness to your lines a bit, that could make your poses stand out more.

Bakadoodle - Nawww I still have a long way to go, but thank you for the complements.

Adamp - Thanks! I definitely feel more rhythm in your drawings this time. Maybe you can try to draw with as few lines as possible but still try to capture the pose, that could be fun to play with I think.

Rafael - Good drawings. It takes time to get used to the tablet, since unlike drawing on paper, there's very little friction on the pad.

Angel SHIN - Thank you! Each character took around 30 - 40 mins, designing characters is definitely not easy for me, so it still takes me a while to come up with good ones. I think your drawings #5 and 6 are on to something. Keep on experimenting.

Mind - The one on the bottom right corner is my favorite!


So...I didn't have time to come up with more characters, but I did drew some people while I was outside:

[Outis]

Armobot: Thanks for the kind words. I'll definitely check out the Hogarth book.

Amazing output, by the way. Quality and quantity.

[bakadoodle]

Outis - I like how you are really trying to capture the body line, or action line. I notice when I look at art from the "masters", it is very common for them to use those lines to draw focus to particular aspects of the composition. So it's probably a very important skill to develop. Way to push! :cheerleader:

Joshua While looking at your figures I was trying to figure out what resolution your working images were. By that I mean it looks like you are trying to draw them small. Normally I try to find a comfortable screen size to work at, say 4x5 inches onscreen at 300dpi, do each gesture in a layer then resize them and move them about to fill in the page. This way I'm not trying to draw teeny tiny little hands and stuff. It seems to help me. :shrug: Nice set, lots of variety!

Anthis - Those greyscale ones are blowing my mind. I have GOT to try that. Looks like you rushed a bit on the Frazetta study, it's outstanding, personally would have loved to see you put in another hour or so :)

Looking forward to the next round! Let's keep pushing each other, I know it has been a big boost for me. Thanks everyone!

[Joshua Reimer]

The last set was drawn at a resolution of like 5000x8000 or something like that so I could scroll easily to my next sketch without worry of layers or dealing with resolution.

Whenever I ran out of room I expand my canvas by another couple of thousand.

[philzero]

i swear i posted these yesterday, maybe i didnt hit submit or something. oh well, here they are

[bakadoodle]

philzero - So glad you posted. I don't know what it is about your sketches, but I always learn something from them. You can really see the process of how you got there, and the "trick" to pulling it off. Like in this set, the V shape at the elbow, I always forget that the bicep tendon connects below the elbow and just a lot of little things I see and go "oh yeah! I get that now".
Maybe it's better to learn from someone not so impossibly beyond your skill level as it is easier to relate with specific trouble ares. Anyway I really appreciate your posts, thanks.

[Anthis]

Outis; Semi-ref is a great method, I often use it too. I feel you need challenge your memory in order to learn things. Careful with the long, strong lines. Shapes in the human figure are almost never that straight. In general it may be a good idea to save those hard lines for the strongest cast shadows. Great studies, clothing can make it so much tougher.
Joshua Reimer ; That's perfect. You will not learn if you go too easy on yourself. I believe it's the right attitude. Great going man.
Armobot; I rarely draw from life but from what I've heard, it's the perfect exercise. You can see in your studies we're dealing with real people, not stylized by fasion. Which can be a pitfall. Nice going!
bakadoodle ; Thanks, value is important as hell, I need many more of those studies. Agreed some more time on Frazetta would have done him more justice. But I'm kinda short on that lately.
philzero; Yea, odd things can happen around these forums. Some strong figurework in there. You've noticed some of the finer shapes and anatomy and seem to be using that actively. Good diverse studies, nice going. A rule of thumb I've often seen: "space for one eye between the two eyes".

[Mindbendermind]

Messed up quotation, quoting Anthis:
Mindbendermind; Thanks for posting this weeks' activity! And great going too. Loomis is inspiring as always. Have to admit I didn't pay much attention to 'fun with a pencil' yet. You're doing great with all the different studies. You're certainly not easy on yourself. I really have the feeling that conscious drawing like that is really helpful. I think erin bronkovitch and the pose next to her are standing out. They're somewhat rough still. But the shapes by themselves, the sense of a balanced, real figure, are really working. They don't look uncomfortable, if you feel what I mean. Good stuff! Good idea for an optional by the way. I'll think of something for next week.
---
No prob, hope you had a great vacation. Funny we both did "Vampirella". Frazetta studies are indeed enjoyable. Thanks a lot for encouragement.

[philzero]

baka - glad to hear my sketches helped some. great figures this week, i can really see the force flowing though them.

anthis - your value studies are really fantastic. I like seeing the construction lines in your gestures, gives me a great insight into your technique.