Back to basics of Art

[anjyil]

I really am cracking down on myself and decided to go back to the very basics---portraits/shapes/colors/values--things you expect from Art 101 courses and whatnot. I found some great exercises on this site under peer mentoring projects in the mentoring community. So here is where I am at.

First, I have two sphere practices where one is just sitting on a table and the other is a series of skin-toned balls. Just tones.

Then, I have 20 sets of greyscale/tone practice. Yes, it took me that long before something in my mind clicked about darker colors versus lighter colors. God, I have a lot to learn. They are all in order, so it would go something like Tone 1 Grey 1, Tone 2 Grey 2, etc.

I am only posting one of each assignment on the forum here: http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=76955

but this thread here is going to be a documentation of my long, hard journey. Who knows--maybe it will be inspirational or daunting to another newbie...

[The man with no name]

Nice start to your SB :) , It's good to master the basics so your art is then built on solid foundations (of which I know nothing about) (yet :P) keep up the good work :)

[anjyil]

Thanks! Yeah, stopped serious drawing for about four years--even then, I took only one college class and one class in high school. The highschool teacher put me off classes for a long time because she would draw over things you did (which I hated--digital paintovers are fine, you aren't doing anything to MY piece, but a traditional paintover is permenant and makes the piece no longer mine). I really want to reach those pro levels with the beautiful art like Henning of Diane....some day :)

[anjyil]

So after that looooong ordeal with greyscale versus color, I decided to take it to the next step and do a still life that I setup at home. I first did the composition in greyscale, trying to see if I could match the values. And then I colored it. Then I took the colored version and turned it to grayscale (easy in photoshop). The color-turned-grey version is actually pretty close to the original greyscale. Of course, the big question is on the original. I did take a picture of the setup and I will post that when I am able to upload it to the computer. I don't have the little gizmo for that right now :(

To get a white background, I too old sketchbook and propped up the back of it so that it would form a floor and wall. Then I took a lamp and placed it to the right of it. The whole setup is on the floor, so I was kind of looking down on it. It put some objects at weird angles (the battery charger).

Items used:
Japanese pear
Metallic funnel
Cup
A pair of rolledup socks
Battery charger for digital camera.
Rings of the sketchbook binding.

[.:WoLf:.]

If you want to learn basics (anatomy, perspective, composition, proportions,..), start with simple lines (pencil/pen - traditional, 2px-5px hard brush - digital).
Then start with rendering (lighting, shading, coloring, details..)

[anjyil]

Thanks, WoLf. Yeah, my lines have never been steady and even in art class I always struggled. My hand just doesn't like straight lines haha. As I said in my first post, I am using :class like exercises: I find. In this case, the Peer Project in mentoring. I'm just following those exercises and then doing a cumulative to see where I am at. I think I saw a thread or two about lines, but I can't find it again so I will have to look. I want to finish this peer thread first and then move on to it. A little out of order, I know..but it feels comfortable for me...go figure :P

[anjyil]

These exercises almost killed me--too much percentage and math! Ahhh!!! Haha but I tried and did okay. The first image was the third exercise, and I think I did all right on it. (I'm not going to explain the exercise, any one can go and look at it on the thread. It is stickied.)

The fourth exercise was a pain!!! My thoughts as I did this? Shoot me!!! Ah!!! But I do understand the point of it. Light affects objects differently in a given piece, and sometimes the affects can be very dramatic. This can really impact a piece--say if I want a red post but am using a blue light. This is actually really good stuff!

So I did the exercise first one my own and tried my best to understand the dynamics. My mind wanted to shut down with all the math numbers and percentages ,but I still gave it my best. Then I scrolled through all the posts to find examples of others and feedback, and finally found the post with the key. I got about 40% right--if that. I made corrections in the second one by going over the original, so you c an see blurring on the ones I corrected. Some of them just needed more of the hue and I count that as being pretty close. As much as I really wanted to bang my head against a wall on this one, this was definately an assignment that I really appreciate and will never forget.

As soon as I finish up these Peer Tutoring Exercises I am going to hunt around for similar exercises on line and perspective. I found Loombergs book as PDF (that wasn't his name...ugh...he is really famous for having great guides and stuff). But they focus mainly on form and figure more than lines.

[.:WoLf:.]

There is A LOT of e-books on net about drawing. Some are free, some not.
I suggest you Andrew Loomis books and Perspective Drawing Handbook by Joseph d' Amelio.

Also, if you'll have time, read this: http://spoonbard.deviantart.com/art/How-To-Draw-v1-3-40590655


and after that, start looking for books for rendering. But most important are LINES.

[anjyil]

Loomis!! that was the name!!! Thanks, WoLf :) I haven't heard of D'Amelio before--I will look for him.

And I have an account on DA, but you just saved me a long search :) You are awesome!

[Sukizan]

Nice studies, I need to work on my coloring too.

[anjyil]

That peer tutoring thread has some great exercises to practice with color. I highly recommend it :)

[IvoM]

Nice studies eh! I'm having trouble figuring out colour myself; so I'll be trying some of those exercises myself today :D

[anjyil]

I once asked someone if my lines were that bad. I can answer honestly--yes. Yes, they are....

I actually am finding this very VERY fascinating. I am using two sites for this study. The following exercises below are from an outside site:

http://www.drawspace.com

(highly recommended) In my next post I will show the other exercises I did from conceptart.org.

In any case, I am lefthanded--but a good artist can probably tell just by looking at these sketches. My vertical lines are not too bad, I think--all things considered. Horizontal and vertical--ack! Between these exercises and the ones in the next post, I have already spent one hour on this. I am merely posting to give me a break.

One thing I noticed as I did these is that just using the wrist to move, even on a tablet, is not good for lines. But also, neither is just moving the whole arm. There are a couple that turned out fairly well and it was because I coordinated the wrist and arm movement just right. But then...I couldn't always repeat it. Just doing these exercises, I now understand why "Start with lines". Though, I don't understand why it matters if you start with color versus lines, etc. I think both are good for starting out, but I definately definately need to work on my lines. So I will do these two websites exercises for a while, then go back to color, then go back to lines, then do a combo.

I always do cummulative projects. For lines, it will probably just be line art of various objects/imagination/etc.

My one one question is....how do you get good at drawing lines!!?!?!?! I know..practice...but it seems like just practicing drawing lines isn't going to make me draw them straight :(

[anjyil]

Can you believe I didn't get bored of this yet? One hour of only drawing lines....

Anyway, these exercises are from this website:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=116199

The star I think was pretty good on the first try, but then started to get more and more sucky haha.

Wow, the next several posts are going to be very very boring most people, I think. Sorry people...but as I said..back to basics. Can't get more basics then this, and I hope those out there starting art or are like me and going back to it may find this helpful.

I realized I didn't post the rest of the exercises from the color work I was doing. I will do that next, then break time is over haha. It will break up the line posts I guess.

[anjyil]

These are the last few exercises on that Peer Tutoring thread.

The first image was more of that "How does the light affect the object". I really REALLY wanted to tear my hair out on some of these...at least he didn't use too many percentages, though I actually found those a little helpful. Not even sure how accurate they are...

After that, we went to finding color! I kind of had fun, until I realized that we were given the HB or S for photoshop..then I realized I became too dependant on the numbers provided and only looked at the colors after I used those numbers. I will probably take the templates and erase the numbers, then practice it again at on and off stages so that I don't memorize them. I noted the ones that I used the eye dropper and the one that I found gave wrong numbers, too.

The last one was working on material and how light affects it. Clay, matt, and metallic. I just couldn't use buttboy haha. This is another one I will probably revisit later. Anyway..back to practicing lines!!

[nipa]

You can really see the improvement on the shadows, and it's great that you have the patience to do so many of them! by the 3rd circle i would have gone like F THIS!!, anyway keep going!! i'm sure you'll be awesome in a bit if you keep going like that :)
also there's a site called gigapedia.com or .org i can't remember, anyway you can find great complete free e-books of anything, i've found soo many anatomy books in there

[anjyil]

Thanks for the tip--you were right, gigapedia.com :)

Yeah, once I get interested in something nothing puts me off from it. Drawing is the one thing that I can do for me and only me--it isn't for anyone else. S o I guess for that reason, I am able to put 100% into it without even blinking an eye. Kind of selfish when I think of it...

[nipa]

nah it's not selfish, you're passionate!!, that's a powerful thing....

[anjyil]

Maybe...but I can't seem to put the same passion into teaching...I love teaching and all, but I really do put more effort in my art than my teaching...it's kind of sad.

Don't get me wrong--I put effort into my teaching and I do have a passion for it, but I just do moreso for my art haha....

[anjyil]

Told you it would get boring. I waivered between using the attachment manager like they suggest in the sticky thread or just using image attachments from photobucket. The attachment manager is a pain in the but, really--only one at a time and all that info you have to fill out. Ah, I know. I will try the other upload one.

Going in to hour two of line studies. Well, actually this time it was only about 30-40 minutes...but whatever.

I started holding my tablet pen more to the center and using my pinky finger as a propt and guideline. This seemed to work fairly well for diagnols and horizontal and angles, but impedied the vertical lines. So for vertical I tucked the pinky. I used full movements of the arm, kind of like sweeping gestures, and varied the speed at times. Sometimes quick. Sometimes slow. There is actually a huge difference already in the lines. It is really awkward to hold the pen so high, and I had a case of carple tunnel once long ago that renderd my left hand useless for a month, so I will have to be careful. I try to pick my wrist up, but it just wont stay up on it's own. I remember an art teacher telling the class to never EVER let the hand rest on the paper but I was never able to break that habit :/

Oh, and this is the last batch that I will upload. I realize now that I am probably going to do many many more exercise sketches. The next upload for this study will be the cumulative project and maybe one or two of new things I pick...like when I go to curves. ::listens to the huge sighs of relief that echo across the forum::

[.:WoLf:.]

Ok, i see you didn't understand me right.

When i wrote "start with simple lines" i didn't mean "draw 5000 straight lines" (if you can't draw vertical lines well, rotate paper for 90 degress and draw horizontal). There is no point for beginer to draw perfect straight line, perfect circle or any other shape.

Check this thread: http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=97046&page=78
..this is how you should start.

Draw from life. Look at object, study it and draw it. Draw it with simple lines. Watch the perspective. Don't shade, detail,...
DO NOT i repeat DO NOT draw from imagination at begining.

PS: i suggest you to start traditional.

[anjyil]

Hah I know that you didn't mean that--it just happened this way. I actually picked up some things from it anyway. It just suddenly was really fascinating stuff to me--I'm weird that way.

If by traditional you mean sketchbook and pencil---it's the same to me. I know because I have bounced back and forth the last couple of days. My hand and eye doesn't react differently in any way I can detect. Because money is tight and supplies limited, I reserve my sketchbook for going outside on nice days and special projects. I honestly don't understand why people keep saying "You have to start traditional". Even when they try to explain it to me, it makes no sense--a tool is a tool and skills seem, to me, to be transferable. I truly believe that there will come a time where people won't say that anymore...but ah well, that is just me. Thanks, though.

EDIT TO ADD: And no fair linking to such an awesome artist!! Haha. I don't know if I consider myself beginner so much as I just want to return to basics. I hadn't thought or d one anything with lines and whatnot for a long time. Besides that--I am very bored, so small things tend to amuse me.

[anjyil]

Well, not too sure about this. I was going into Loomis and just started randomly sketching some lines to start on perspective and stuff--and this just kind of came out of it. Nothing was intentional or anythinng, either. It was a lot of fun and not something I normally do---I tend to avoid landscapes like the plague because of lines and stuff hahah. So meh, whatever--I thought in the end it looked kind of cool.

[.:WoLf:.]

Here is thread about color theory: http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=17837

Don't use 100% black for shading
If object is far away, you won't see so dark shadows like on objects closer to your eye.



http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/4695/36145954.jpg
this is stil faaaaaaar from good, but a little bit better

hope you don't mind overbrushing

[anjyil]

hehe, no I don't mind at all. Looks really cool but it doesn't have the same feel...but then..I have no clue what that feel is. I was just playing around.

But you are right--of c ourse (hey, are you my mentor now? You are really good!) I either A) use black and too much contrast or B) Don't use enough contrast.

Oh, and I don't know if those were originally going to be stairs or not either b ut now that I see the brushover, it looks really cool as stairs! :) Thanks.

[anjyil]

These works are about 6-8 months old in some cases, but still pretty recent. This is all stuff before I got my WACOM. I minorly practiced some anatomy, but nothing serious. It was all for fun and because I wanted to get those images out. Some of them I will most definately redo after I do some more reference work.

Yeah yeah...I`m done playing around. I finished with the interesting basic basic exercises. Now I am going to places like posemaniacs and there was another that was lifeposes--can`t remember the name. Anyway, my first step is to do quick sketches of just the skeleton as I can see it. Basically the lines and dynamics of the pose. After that, I will add muscles to it, and then from there will go to actual person haha. That is what I did with portraits. Coloring and shading and value will just have to come with more practice and watching, I suppose. I will probably set up another still life, too. The weather is still nice and I will have more free time, soon, so I plan to take a walk and draw outside. Not much to draw around here...but I can`t imagine not going outside at least once during the day.

Oh, these are open for critique but there isn`t much changes I will do to them directly. As I said, I won`t redo anything until after I have gone through some more studies. This is just kind of laying the ground work of where I was versus where I will be at some day haha.

1. The first image has some reference work for the pose and fiddle--that was hard! It is at an angle because my drawing space was very cramped, so I was drawing from a weird angle.

2. This one is all imagination. I mainly just wanted to draw the dragon haha and the girl wasn`t well done. no reference on this one.

3. This one was actually a free-hand copy. I was using an actual image of Jin that I had found online and tried to match the colors. Sadly, I can`t find the original. I am sure I could google it...

4. This one is actually a panel of a story/comic I was working on. No, not to sell--just for me. I love to tell stories. I really wanted to capture a mood on this one. My husband looks at it and says that it really creeps him out---I did something right! ;)

5. This is just an original character sketch. No reference.

6. Another character sketch. Again, no reference on this one. I mixed in some charcoal.

7. This is a self-portrait. I did some modelling work a while ago and took that image and drew it. (shhhh--don`t tell my husband! He might get mad that I posted this one haha)]

8. This one I drew a lineart and had this image in mind. I used some cheapo watercolor and then went over it with some cheapo colored pencils. Haha. I will definately recolor this one after I understand color better.

9. This one I did allllll the way back in the late 90s. I utilized mostly charcoal and graphite. Anime was a heavy influence that time in my life--more so than the works above.

Anyways, when I feel ready I will do a side-by-side of a portrait from imagination that I did several months ago before this whoooool fiasco, and then one I did from imagination after a bunch of studies. But that will be after a lot of reference practice so it may be at least a year--if not longer...who knows?

[anjyil]

So this is my most 100% recent WIP. I am using this as a marker of everything I need to work on because this piece is kind of important to me. It isn't a self portrait but a portrait of a character from a book that I strongly relate to and used as inspiration during the harder times of my life. I got stuck on the hair because one way looks better to me, but most people suggested the other. So it is a good reference as to how in the middle I am on a lot of things and how much training my eyes and knowledge needs. There are a million problems with this piece--but as I said, it is just a marker. Why?

Because I was lucky enough to find a mentor! I am so excited! Now I have a set path of study to improve my art. So future posts will be of the exercises from the course I am taking. I am so happy :) No more guessing and flying all over the place. I feel so at piece.

Thus, here is before. And some time later...months? Years? Will be the after. Oh, and all the steps inbetween :) Hm..maybe I should start a new sketchbook with this as the first post.....

[anjyil]

This was a hard exercise. My eyes aren`t too good, I need new glasses I think... (haha). Still, I began to develop a sense of when something was off in the image I was drawing when comparing it to the original. Something I couldn`t do before. I still can`t always figure out WHAT is off, but I am closer. Not bad. So, I will only post my third attempt at the exercise with the overlay. I tried this one a total of four times. 1 freehand, just to see how accurate it really was; 1 with the paper too small; one before I darkened the lines to make them easier to see...and was standing further back; and this one.

For this one, I stood about three feet away. The exercise was to use a string to measure and determine angles and copy the picture as accurately as possible. I am still not accurate enough, so I will try this one again...but I don`t like this technique. It is training my eyes...but it is also very frustrating because the thread blurrs, or my thumbs tend to get in the way or something happens.

I would really like some feedback or suggestions on how to best utilize this technique so that it isn`t so painful to think about doing. Standing closer and darkening the lines did help...but...Well...it is still teaching me something, so that counts for something :)

[Pigeonkill]

Nice and steady win's the race. Keep up the work and you will have a nice skill set to work and create what your heart desires.

Here's a neat tip on color. As long as you have the right value, some what realistic lightening the color used will still snap in place and still be readable. Knowing color temperature is icying on the cake.

"how do you get good at drawing lines!!?!?!?!"

A lot of industrial designers warm up their hands just like what you are doing. Depends on what type of line work you want. Locking your elbow and using your shoulder to move your pencil is good for board line work, good for figure drawing.

For more precise drawing you want to use more of your wrist and pivoting your elbow. Many other subtle factors too, the grip and angle which you hold your pencil. When you draw you are basically rubbing dirt on textured surface.

Basically it comes down to muscle memory. Eventually you will find your "natural line." It's the angle which your arm likes to naturally gravitate to. Nobody has the same natural line because everybody arm is different, in weight, length etc.

When drawing, imagine going from point "A" to point "B" then go a head and actually draw the line. Feng Zhu(former concept artist who worked on Star Wars) has one method called "ghosting" where he would swing and hover his pencil over the paper, doing a mock line stroke without actually touching the paper. When he was comfortable, he would then land his mark on the paper. Sounds like a lot of work, but the guy blazes at drawing concepts like no tomorrow.

Hope this helps.

[anjyil]

Wow, thanks. I can agree that a lot of this knowledge is just going to come with time. Doing just line work, I have found that I really don't like moving my whole arm...but then, my surface (whether sketchbook or tablet) is pretty small, so I don't have the luxury to really explore that. I am sure if I played with it on a larger surface, it might be more comfortable

Ghosting sounds like a good methdo! I tried it a couple of times on the last exercise with eyes because I can't get comfortable using string comparisons. It helped a lot, but I didn't do it often. I will keep plugging at it! :)

[anjyil]

So here are some exercises from the course. First was a still-life of a box. Actually, it was very fun because I am trying to study perspective for the next unit. The fact that I had a long rectangular box instead of a square one made much more interesting perspectives. I found it quite a challenge to render the shape accurately without the aid of shadows, but I think I did a pretty good job. Some angles were harder than others, that is for sure. The funky line is due to the fact that this box had a lid on, and the box was slightly squished hehe.

The next set of exercises was more string-copy work. The second try on this, I actually didn`t use the string at all. Towards the end I was rushed as my time was almost up (I share a room). Also, the template printout had some lines too faint to print, thus some look unfinished. Even though, according to the paper I was using there were no lines :) heh

My biggest problem is moving on. I would do those string exercises over and over again, trying to perfect it--even though I don`t care for the method, it won`t be used much longer in the course, and I would probably not use it again unless I had to haha. It is a very exhausting method. My feet hurt by the end, my shoulders are stiff, my eyes are strained....but...It is definately worth it. My eyeballing accuracy is almost the same as my string accuracy, which is a lot of improvement. Especially if you look at the freehand/eyeball eye practice I did before. My accuracy in copying overall has only marginally improved, I think.

[AlexEh]

Keep it up you have been persistent with these sudies which is good. I hope to see more :D

[anjyil]

Thanks :) It is the one thing that gives me complete happiness and a sense of accomplishment. i love art in that it is so personal, yet you can actually SEE where you need to improve rather than rely on outside input (though that second or third pair of eyes is always helpful :)

[iphigen]

really good studies you seem to be really patient. I'd love to see more :)

[anjyil]

gotorightway123: You are welcome :)

iphigen-- you will. I am uploading the exercises/homework within a day after I do them. My struggle is that my scanner is at one location 40 mins away, and my drawing takes place at home. Haha. that will change after this weekend. As for patience...um...I don`t think I am very patient. I just don`t realize how much time I am putting into this haha. Thank you, though :)

[Lotta]

Nice studies ;D
keep trying to find new subjects to study, that would really help you loosen up. Also, do some drawing from life with a pencil. Some good old fashioned still life. It would be nice to see stuff like that :) or something that is not a study altogether. (I'm just curious:P)

[anjyil]

Lotta-- Thanks! :) The box and soon-to-come cylinder exercises are from actual exercises around the house. Right now, lesson 1 focuses on real basic basics and I want to stay consistent with it. After that, I get to go into persepctive!! Woot!! haha. Then I get to play more, I think. If I need a break, I will definately do some still life (though I am very tempted to do some drawings of pictures that I have of some rooms and buildings to work on perspective more :D)

[Krato]

Draw from references life/online/books.. don't do any imaginative stuff yet unless you use allot of refs, also when coloring something before you even do anything think about your darkest dark and your lightest light, those two are to be used in the extremes. You have allot of mid tones in your pictures.

[anjyil]

Very true--color is a bit of a challenge, but it is not until later in the course for me. Having an experienced artist guide me through tones and colors will probably help alot :) (I am also very afraid of extremes hehe)

[anjyil]

So I am now moving on beyond lines and circles (though still practicing them) and doing some work in perspective! I haven`t actually gone on to the course exercises. I am just following examples in the book I am reading on perspective. I did these two in coral painter to spare some of the paper. I am running really low and am not sure when I can get more, so I have to be conservative (this is why I don`t like working traditional...that danger of running out :P)

I started to actually work in detail and had to remind myself that these were supposed to be quick sketches to get a feel for perspective--not finished work. haha.

[Krato]

it doesnt look like your doing perspective right. Look up some examples online of 1,2, and 3 point perspective.

[anjyil]

You are probably right--I just started reading the book and haven`t really gone past the first three examples that it outlines. Unfortunately, "it doesn`t look like your doing perspective right" doesn`t really help me in figuring out what I am doing wrong...Is the horizon on the wrong level? Is the vanishing points skewed? Are the guidelines of the houses conflicting with the main focus of the image? Is the ground level too high or too low?

Well, I am sure I will figure it out as I go into more detail with the book and look at more examples. This is just a start.

[anjyil]

So now I am practicing one point perspective. The books don`t really lay out an exercise program, and some of the ones I am looking at don`t really talk about these things--so I am doing this on my own :P

The first image is just playing with boxes and trying my hand at the square in the circle thing. - -; That one is really hard.

The second one, I tried to focus mainly on the ground plain (plane? it seems weird to spell it like plane because I think airplanes.)

these are all just quick sketches in photoshop, took me all of 5-10 mins. I used the grid tool to lay out the horizon and vertical line, then turned it off to draw as it seems to interfer with the pen flow.

What is kind of funny is that whenever I walk outside or look around, I try to identify the VP and see the lines that would lead to it, or see if I can find both if I am looking at something like a building. hahaha It think I am becoming a nerd, and I am still too new at this to really be trying to do that I think :geekg:

[anjyil]

Perspective is definately an interesting read. I have been through various websites, looked at various books and previews of books and have eventually came to some understanding. I will be doing the actual assignments on paper, but this is the practice I have done. And here is what I have learned.

Picture Planes (PP) are literally the canvas or paper you are working on. In learning about horizon and viewing real life, it is the imaginary canvas between artist and image. The horizon line is always at eye level--but the center of vision (CV) is where you are looking! I found that interesting. So, if I am standing and looking down, the horizon will rise up. If I am standing and looking up, the horizon will drop. In several of the books and websites, they referenced various images to explain this. You can usually tell where the artist was in relation to the horizon, regardless of the center of vision. There was one image of an artist sitting and painting, and the horizon cut right through a woman`s head whom was also sitting. It really gives a feel for the painting.
The ground plane (GP) is where the object rests. Where it is standing or sitting.

Parallel lines that recede toward the horizon will always converge at the CV, but parallel lines running perpendicular to the horizon will extend infinitly.

Diagnoal lines, I have found, are very helpful in determining even spacings. They help you locate the midpoint, and thus recreate that midpoint on a horizontal or vertical line (depending on what is appropriate.)

There are upward to about 6 points of perspective. One point is the simplest but not always the most accurate. I have found that when drawing a cube for one point perspective (as will be seen soon) it can be extremely easy to adjust it to a 2 point perspective just by angling one or two lines only slightly. When I was following a photograph of a building, thinkig it was 1 point..I soon realized that it was actually two point, but that the VP was set so far out that the receding of the line was hardly noticable. I believe that a truly 1 point perspective is one in that an object is being viewed pretty much dead on.
3 point perspective is very fun, and can create interesting dynamics. In utilizing the bird`s eye view, the horizon will rise greatly to the point of not even being on the page at times. Worm`s eyeview is just the opposite.

4 point perspective is the famous fish-bowl perspective, where images are distorted as if looking through a mirror. I am really stuck on what, exactly, a 5 point perspective is at is looks almost exactly the same as a 4 point. The difference is that it iutilizes all points--1,2,3, and four. However, when making guidelines to try and draw cubes it looks very much like four point. I would think, however, that when making something spherical like a planet, 5 point is more appropriate than four point. I did an image of a house when looking through one of those corner-view mirrors, thinking it was four point...but as I drew, I realized that there was a central point as indicated from the path to the warped door. Very interesting.
6 point, to me, was much easier to understand. It is literally a 360 degree view of the environment or object. Basically, front and back, or mirror view.

There is a lot about estimating size. If I draw a box that is 6ft, then the lines used to establish it are automatically at 6 feet. Anything built on that line must adhere to that estimation. So if I draw a 5 foot box just behidn it on the same line, that box will not touch the actual guidelines but will be somewhat below. Kind of common sense, but it is important to realize.

I think I am developing a decent understanding of perspective, but I have only read a little. I realize now that the points of perspective are not the only thing that are important to know--just as the hirozon and CV are not the only thing. Perspective is highly complex! But can really create a beautifully dynamic piece!

All sketches are just quick ones, no more than 10-15 minutes as I was learning about laying down--not working on master pieces hehe

For the last image, I actually found a corner-view mirror image of this room and noticed that the path seemed to extend to the central VP on the horizon, making me think that maybe such an image is actually 5 point rather than 4...

[anjyil]

So I decided to do the exercises for the actual course and move on. It was really fun to draw these--I`ve never been able to get this far because I was always uncomfortable with scenary and buildings. Not bad for the inexperienced, but I still have a lot to learn. One thing I learned---don`t use slippery, old computer paper for drawing no matter how tight you are on supplies! wow, the glare was horrible! hahah

Anyways, I tried to leave the guidelines virtually in tact though I doubt it was necessary. These are definately images that I plan to flesh out in the future after we get further into the course. The assignment was to draw 1, 2 and 3 point perspective of something from memory. 4 point was optional, so of course I tried! The image itself I think I saw from a video game or an illustration in some book or something....can`t remember where, but it was fun to do. Since it was supposed to be from memory, I didn`t use a reference. I checked one or two images when I was really stuck on something, like the door...but other than that, from my head like the teacher said.

These are in a sequence..kind of like a story. Walking through an archway-type structure along a path. Approaching the temple/building/whatever. A bird`s eyeview of the building. For 4 point, I tried to imagine it as reflected in...well...an eye. Fish-eye perspective, right? (or was that 5 point hehe). so you can see the tracings of said eye.

[anjyil]

So I loaded up in PSe and reworked this using the grid tools, rulers, and a template for 1 point perspective that I found. I also added shading, wanting the light source to be at the end of the pathway. I know the shading isn`t right. I plan to redo it after I do the unit on shading :) I realize the spacing isn`t right on some of the pillars...will have to tweak that. Kind of looks like the walker is coming around a corner...and I kind of like that feel. We`ll see.

[anjyil]

Here is a rework of the 2 point perspective assignment. I utilized photoshop tools again: grids and template and a ruler. This one, I think, looks much better than the original. Having the guidelines helped me to visualize some corrections that I needed to make to the image to make certian features stand out a bit better such as the stairway from the door. I will definately be reusing this template to workon shading, grayscale and color as those units come about :)

[Pigeonkill]

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=792914&stc=1&d=1254455333,

Some of the shapes and windows don't really follow the perspective lines. But I understand it was a quicky 15mins.

Great perspective practice keep pounding away. The fish-bowl perspective is the weird and fun one to do. I like how you had the subtle perspective on the clouds on the last one, most people miss that.

[anjyil]

Yeah that one was a toughie. I am going to definately spend more time on perspective and utilize the pictures I took while walking around the neighborhood. It is really hard for me to see things as shapes, but that is probably what will help me. I am excited about perspective because it opens up a whole new world of possibilities :)

[anjyil]

I just don`t give up, do I? :D

So I redid that 2nd point yet again, trying to adjust the pillars and stairs mostly. wow...stairs are hard! I also redid 3 point. I really focused on building shapes and 3d cubes this time, then adjusted to make it more like the image in my head. It helped some. I got majorly confused on lines for doing the stairs, mixing up the 2nd point on the horizon and the 3rd point below. It took mea while before I even figured out which one I wanted! haha. So I found some other pictures of houses, buildings, cities, landscapes (I think landscapes are the best for 1 point, for whatever reason). I plan to do some more line art practices of 1-2-3 before I go back and retry the 4. I see how they build off of each other, so I think it will help.

[anjyil]

I found this beautiful picture of mount rainier on deviantart.com---http://marcadamus.deviantart.com/art/Magic-Mountain-58688914

Anyway, I decided to try recreating it utilizing the one point template. Here is the lineart and the greyscale version. I have yet to read on greyscale--technically, I am not supposed to worry about that yet in the course. But I found that without trying it, there wasn`t much depth with the lines. Even with the greyscaling, I think it doesn`t have nearly as much depth as it could. I tried going over the farther parts with a very low-opacity eraser (like a kneady-eraser effect) because I thought the dark colors were too strong. Don`t know if it helped or not.

I kept think thinking about if 1 point was appropriate placement. I tried to imagine two point perspective, but it didn`t seem right. There wasn`t anything that was really oblique to the viewer. So I think I made the right choice for template. When I converted the original picture to greyscale, I found it all even-toned, with a lot of the greys mixing together. Ah well.

[anjyil]

Okay...so first I want to apologize. It was one of those days and I just became very very depressed. But I also wanted to practice. So, the result was this image: Did You See Here?

It is 2 AM in the morning here and I should have gone to bed, but once I started I knew that I would never be able to finish this one because I would never be in the right mood for it. So here it is. I utilized the 2 point grid on this one, and I did hunt down a picture of a lamppost. I honestly don`t know what I was going for--just an emotional thing. I do feel better after drawing this picture, so that is good :) That is why I love art--it is a great way to let go of emotions. I haven`t gotten into anatomy yet, but I did try to utilize perspective and boxes on the shadows layout and the girl as well. I still have all the layers, so if you want the uncolored just to see it that is fine.

Oh, and I was listening to all the depressing songs while doing this to haha. Linkin Park, Some Alanis, A bit of Gackt, etc.

[nevermindjoker]

are you an emo?

[Gokce]

The last one's perspective looks a little warped but the previous ones are pretty good. For digital painting, you could maybe use harder brushes on the edges of objects. This sketchbook will grow to be inspiring hopefully :)

[anjyil]

nevermindjoker---umm....no. I am a person and people get depressed for various reasons.

Gokce--yes, the main thing that someone pointed out to me in another sketchbook was that the lamppost was on the wrong perspective. It probably throws hole image off, so I will have to fix that. Also, I noticed the girl is too big for the size of the rest of the images in the picture...

[p sage]

Here's a secret.

"Basics of Art" is all there is

Seriously. Everyone studies basics. Even the professionals study the basics continually. There are only basics. Everything in art and drawing comes from basic tools.

Vilppu says there are only a certain number of marks you can make, and only two of them are found in nature. The arc (curved line) and the point.

Everything else about art comes as a result of understanding what it is you're drawing.

I would pick one thing and concentrate on it for a bit, and not get distracted. There are a lot of helpful voices; just decide which direction to go and go with it. I see you're doing perspective ATM. Well that's all well and fine, but you won't be any closer to making great drawings by knowing it. It's just a tool. It's like saying you're closer to becoming a master craftsman by mastering the hammer.

Learn enough to use the tools (like line/volume/perspective) and then learn to observe these things in nature.

[Metal Fingers]

I second every single statement here that has been made about drawing from life. Perspective grids and fancy shading can only get you so far without having a decent handle on life drawing. Line weight to emphasize form and shape, etc... just draw draw draw anything and everything you see, you will notice the difference when you go back to apply it to your digi works. Are you using a pressure sensitive tablet? I'd suggest turning on the pressure sensitivity functions on your brushes so you can start working witih line weight in photoshop. Most importantly, just keep drawing. Cheers.

[anjyil]

Thanks, P-Sage. I do agree with you. I was struck one day while I was walking, when I realized everything in nature is very...well, for lack of a better word, curvy. all man-made structures are very stiff. I am under a mentor who has a setup very class-like, and I am following that curriculum. It is work at your own pace and I choose to focus more on the perspective at the moment because of several reasons. The biggest one is that I have always avoided backgrounds and scenary because I was uncomfortable with it. You are right that it is just a tool, but I have seen how it connects to other aspects of art in such a way that it can really impact a piece and how well it is presented.

Metal fingers-- I think there should be a fair balance between drawing from life and drawing from the mind, as well as utilizing tools and so forth. I wouldn`t call shading fancy (especially not mine! I try it, but I am not focusing on that yet). Learning to draw, to me, is like learning anything else. You need a structure to build a foundation and from the foundation you can go forward. Doing anything and drawing everything without a set course ends up putting someone all over the map, and it is often very difficult to know where to start. Following this course, I am already seeing differences in my approach to drawing as well as my actual technique. It may seem small to most people, but it is big to me. I do have a pressure sensitivity on my tablet and I have turned on the pressure functions as best I can (I am still trying to figure out what does what as the titles and everything are in Japanese...;P)

[anjyil]

So tomorrow I get to go window shopping with my sister in law and get some new sketchbooks :D (and new 2h/hb and F pencils as mine are about the size of my pinky finger now :P) To celebrate, I did this sketch of my room that I share with my husband. Yes, it is that small! I kept most of it one 1 point perspective. There is something wrong with the desk near the back leg, probably the position and how it falls on the lines. The corkboard on the far right is actually at an angle that points higher than the original VP, so I gave it it`s own. The lamp-head is tilted up, so it got it`s own point as well. It was really tough figuring out where to place the VP and get the lines right so that I could draw what I was seeing. I did a lot of erasing and adjusting of the lines and VP and boxes and squares before I started actually rendering the shapes.

[nevermindjoker]

I have checked the perspective on your last picture and they all lined up except for the base of the table, and i do noticed the crooked picture on the right side wall which i guess it was intended to be crooked though it doesn't follow your perspective. if you don't mind PO of your picture which i guess it will more describe what i am saying. hope it helps...cheers! glad to know you're not an emo ^_^"

[anjyil]

thanks for the overlay! You are right, I should have brought the bottom of the corkboard down more. But the angle is accurate, it is really crooked like that . I am glad to see that I got that much right. that darn desk...even with the PO, I can`t figure out what is wrong. I just know that it is wrong. Next time I lay out my bed I will take a quick picture and compare it. Maybe flattening it will help.

Nothing wrong with Emo :) Depending on the definiation and location, it can be several things. One is a person who listens to Emo music. Another is someone who wears a certain style. I have heard about Cutters, but those can be emo, prep, goth, jock, or whatever. I did a study on social groups a while ago. Very interesting stuff.

[Zorcron]

you have a grasp of this crazy skill now use it and go explore the world with it !

keep it coming

[anjyil]

Crazy skill is a great word for it haha. If tomorrow is nice, I plan to go for a walk. There is a shrine nearby that I have been wanting to draw.

[Zorcron]

do it up !

[anjyil]

I want to :) It`s been a clear blue sky all day today, and it looks like it will carry through to tomorrw. Here`s hoping! :)

[anjyil]

Here is a still-life I did. A video tape case, a little aquarium for some pixy shrimps that died, a weird-shaped tape measure, and a statue of a little buddha (I think.) This time, I found a white shirt to use as a backdrop. It was very wrinkly lol.

Ah, I just noticed I can still see some of the guidelines...ah well.

[Zorcron]

Good work, still life is a good way to study form and value i think you could keep searching for the small different changes in the value

some landscape would be good it really helps with Line and atmospheric prespective

also composition

keep it up!

[anjyil]

On the note of landscapes, here is the shrine I was talking about. It is only the lines portions. I was sitting out there on my little backpack (no chair) for about 3 hours and only got this far. I finally had to go to the bathroom so decided to come home.

[anjyil]

Well, I haven`t done drawing the last couple of days because I was waiting--I really do have a great husband :) He hunted down an art store for me and went with me to get some charcoal! yeah!! Poor guy was absolutely baffled that charcoal was...well...charcoal. He was expecting something like a graphite pencil. It was kind of cute.

So I had this image in my head and wanted to use charcoal for it. I wanted to also try 3 point perspective again. It doesn`t look completely like the image in my head, but I didn`t find any images to reference either. It is not really an original piece, but I thought it was a good first piece for charcoal. I used a little bit of graphite in it, but I think it didn`t mix well. I really don`t know much about charcoal ;P honestly, I am not pleased with the piece but I think that at this point, this is the best that I can do.

[meds]

I wish i could offer a critique, but I do not know enough about perspective yet. I am still at the very basic stages of the lessons. I do like the charcoal and the overall atmosphere of the image.

[anjyil]

Thanks :) It looks like you have a good handle of perspective so far, but 3-4-5 point are real challenges. Meh. I will keep trying :)

[Pigeonkill]

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=795900&stc=1&d=1254797467

Good. This one has the more interesting angle the the other two studies. Only comment is I think the corner stone facing the viewer is slighter taller than the other two at the sides.

[anjyil]

You are probably right. I haven`t figured out heighth like that yet. :)

[extremeillustrator]

YOUR WORK IS GOOD AND GOING TO BASICS WAS REALLY A VERY GOOD DECISION . I FOUND THAT U HAVE SOME PROBLEM WITH RELATING SHADOW AND CORE OR SHADOW IN YOUR DRAWINGS. SHADOWS ARE NOT THERE WHERE THEY SHOULD BE. I ADVISE THAT U GO THROUGH SCOT ROBERTSON'S TRAINING DVDS OR BOOKS IT WILL BE OF WONDERFUL HELP.

MY SKETCHBOOK
http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=171543

[anjyil]

Thanks, extremeillustrator. I haven`t gotten to shadows in the course yet, and I don`t want to jump all over the place. But I will keep Scott Robertson in mind. :)

[anjyil]

Ah got back to some drawing. I took a step back and decided to try a simpler house. This is the house of a character for a story I have on the back burner. What surprised me the most is that, though lineart, the basics are exactly as I imagined them I`d probably loose something of that if I started refining it and adding shadow/etc. Still, I thought it was good enough to do something that keeps nudging my mind.

I first did a straight on one point. Artists don`t always do that, and I can understand why. But I played with some things on this one, mainly using diagnols from one end of the box to the other to help me position the window and door, among other things. It also was just an image I had in my head--basically, like someone walking up to the front door.

I then went ahead and did the side view with the tree. The character uses the tree to climb up onto the roof to think, be alone, etc. Almost a PollyAnna thing hehe. So I wanted the tree to be somewhat close to the house.

I then swung around to the garage side. The window closest to the viewer is supposed to be a bathroom window, so I did a light sketching of the frosted glass--though if I refined and finished the image, it would not be lines but colors I am sure.

Then we do a big long loop to see the backyard and top of the house, where she sits. I only wanted to give a faint indication of the neighborhood and didn`t want the eye to be drawn there too much. I figure if I sketch less details on objects that I want further away or less noticable, then I am less likely to color or shade a lot of details on those same objects.

It is starting to feel easier to pinpoint how to setup for the vanishing points and get an appropriate view. There are times when my lines get slanted or skewed funny, and as I refine more and work on it more it will straighten. This is just a basic outline of the home of the character (and some scenery/perspective/shapes practice). I need to work on the back balcony a bit more, too... :P Though this was mainly from my imagination, I did look out the window at the houses across the street occasionally, or made note of some features while walking around the city yesterday.

[anjyil]

Yay! I finished it Okay--I like to mix media, even when I don`t know what I am doing If I just stayed consistent, it would probably be okay (IE the foreground in graphite and the background in charcoal as it tend sto be darker) but this still turned out okay, I think.

I did the charcoal dust thing, too That was fun! And it wasn`t as messy as I thought, but I also did it outside.

Some background on how I started. I drew a box, then put a circle in it. From there, I drew rectangles and drew circles in them for the eyes and mouth. I drew a box in 1 point for the neck, body and arms. It actually helped a lot for placing the light and shading. I tried to stay consistent with that, as well. The hair I did with triangles and squares and then fleshed out with the strokes. This picture would probably have looked really awesome done completely in charcoal, but I am still uncertain about how to mix and utilize the charcoal and white charcoal. I have am starting to realize that extra soft, soft, hard, extra hard, and the pencil-like charcoal all have different shades--but only slightly. The white mixes in well with them, and can be lightened by smudging. I haven`t read that book yet, though...just testing stuff and seeing what I see.

I look at this one and compare it to a similar manga style from earlier, and I can defintaely see a difference. So I included two examples from earlier--one I did in 1997 and one I did about a year or two ago. In the last one, the old one, I was consistent in what was what. Charcoal was specifically for the city in the background, her hair was specifically graphite. I need to keep that consistancy. Still, I can see improvements!! Cool!!

[anjyil]

long time no post! Well, I have the first one here that is a practice. The cabinets are upstairs, unused, and just lined up together like that so I thought it would be good practice and I used charcoal! Also, I had an idea about using 1 point boxes and circles to try drawing flowers. Sure, from imagination, but I was just curious. I have flowers downstairs that I am going to use in my next still life.

Now, the three images after that are something all together different. It is almost time for the new year, and I started a tradition last year of drawing my own New Year cards for the students of my school, family and friends. These three pages are idea sketches of possible poses for the two characters. It is the year of the tiger, and I have this image of a beauty and the beast kind of thing. I really like the one where she is riding on the tiger, but as I was doing various quick sketches to get a feel for the form and brainstorm ideas, I saw others I liked! ARgh!!!

So, does anyone have a favorite?

All of them have their challenges, I know. The color I have imagined is a little scary because it is so vivid and beautiful and I know that it is beyond my level, but I am still going to try (kind of have to). I like stepping beyond my ability sometimes, and I think I can do a fairly good job. I will be doing the actual image in photoshop as I will have to print it myself, and so forth. Still, this is the beginning. Quick brainstorming sketches in graphite :)

[anjyil]

Here is the outline. I skimped on some details, but wanted to get the form/anatomy and pose together, as well as some guidelines for the clothing. Starting out with boxes really helped me plan out the positioning of the girl and the tiger. Interestingly, the face was actually the hardest for me because of the angle and tilt. This is my third new year card I am making---my second for the school, but I always like to give something to friends and family of my making.

So before I move on, I am of course looking for some critique/comments. I have the girl and the tiger on seperate layers so it is easier for me to make adjustments as needed. I figured get the lines and anatomy started and up to snuff, then I can work on color. Just getting the lines took me about 4 hours haha.

[anjyil]

Fixed the face--mentor gave me a few images of skulls to work from (though I have practiced this angle once before, it is a tough one to do!) Gonna also make a post in WIPS and see if I can get some critique. I am liking this so far, though :)

[anjyil]

Made my own ref pic! using that, I tilted the knees more toward the viewer, and also moved the line of her face up and adjusted the arms. I think the line of the hips near the legs might be too hard, though.

[anjyil]

I think I am almost satisfied with the lineart. I adjusted the foreward paw and lessened the jagged fur-lines. Shifting the paw made the pose look more like a crouch, which means probably a little more stable for the girl hehe. I shrank the girl---I think that really looks better, too. I also played with the jawline of the tiger. I will start the greyscale coloring this weekend to get a feel for my values, then commence coloring. I have only about 3 weeks to complete this. Any suggestions before I jump into that? Last chance :)

[anjyil]

Here is the greyscale version of my new years card :) Gonna keep the background simple for text and whatnot

[Pigeonkill]

Your new year card is progressing nicely and I seen some improvement on the characters face. You are taking some tough perspective angle.

My only suggestion on the tiger is the add the missing claws. Here are some helpful tiger face reference:

http://mittelpunkt.deviantart.com/art/Tiger-37291119
http://lordmeltdown.deviantart.com/art/Tiger-69097443

I have no idea where the light source is?

[anjyil]

Thanks! Yeah, the claw-thing is a tough call. You can and can`t see, depending on the angle and position. Between whawt I remembered of my pet cats, some other tiger pictures, and so forth, I keep bouncing back and forth between the two options. I`ll try taking in the face a little and see how it will look if I add the indication of claws, too. Thanks!

[anjyil]

So the first one is a redo--I adjusted a lot of things on my card. The tiger face and the background, mainly.

Also, I did some more practice runs on drawing random stuff from the house. Just quick sketches to work on some comfortable techniques to help me find perspective. I had one of those "Duh!" moments when I realized that just because I am using perspective, doesn`t mean I have to be looking at a specific angle at an object. By playing, I found 3 point was perfect for drawing a waste-basket that tapered down toward the bottom but was wide on top. :) Yeah I know, it is an obvious thing...that`s why it was a slap-the-forehead duh moment ^_^

[anjyil]

Did a still life--I was only supposed to work on lines, but I felt like trying a little shading. I think it is time I ventured into values and shading. The acts of perspective, I now understand, are tied to almost everything.

The still life was at an odd angle, and I was sitting at an odd position, so it was kind of skewed. It was a lot harded to capture that distortion from an upclose angle than drawing a regular, normal view still life. A good practice, I think. I still got the VP to line up, and I could have stretched out the VP to a further position--but then that wouldn`t be drawing what I was seeing, given my position.

[anjyil]

Well, it has been a fun couple of weeks :) I have been doing random sketches around the house of anything I could find, using the items to work on both shading and perspective. There is a definate change in my strokes, and it is getting easier and easier to see things as shapes and lines, and to get my hand to translate it. I find that, a lot of concepts I understand but I can`t get my hands to translate. It is slowly changing.

I also snuck in some quick sketches of the family when they weren`t looking---made for a real challenge since they didn`t know and would sometimes move every 5 seconds instead of every 3-5 minutes lol.

I also did a city street scene from memory. It was very difficult because it was the day after, so the details are really foggy--but it was a beautiful view and I wanted to see what I could do.

[anjyil]

continuation of the previous post :)

[BlackDelphin]

DANG! You're really good with perspective :D :D

I really like how you draw the same subject form different angles, like the house and flower for example.

What can i really say..study from life, take care of your values, and try a few contours to have more confidence with your lines.. and don't stop :meow:
Best of luck~

[anjyil]

And because I like to be consistent..here is the final of my new year card. Not pro, but not bad. I will take suggestions, but I am printing it out this week some time so I don`t know if I will be able to tweak it any more.

[BlackDelphin]

It looks really nice, your new years card :teeth:
But i think you shouldn't call it finished yet..the fur and the snow could use some retouching in my opinion. :)

[anjyil]

Thanks, Blackdelphin. I know I can`t say finished finished. I only say finished because I am at the deadline for it. If you can give me an idea by what you mean of "retouch" I will see what I can do before I have to start the printouts :)

[Pigeonkill]

The soft colors are nice. I'm kind of iffy on the black contrast behind the tiger in the far back. It helps the characters pop out. At the same time though if the viewer is look up top, it look like some sort of hole they came out of. It wouldn't make much sense.

Just some suggestions on the background. Paw marks in the snow, forest background with snow, snow covered log, some leaves, grass come out of the fresh snow. Falling snow flakes. These are just extras.

[anjyil]

Thanks Pigeonkill :) I almost went all white---saves on ink, and helps for any writing I would have to do--but then it would have given it a float-in-space feel, and I wanted to avoid that, so I tried to find a middle ground. The image here is bigger than what it will be like on the actual card--which is post-card size. Also extra details would make it difficult for any writing I have to do. Part of the Japanese thing is to have persona writing. I like the ideas though...A forest in the backgroudn would be killer. I may tweak for fun after I finish sending the cards out :)

[BlackDelphin]

Well...retouch as in add to the tiger some fur, use a custom brush perhaps?
And that snow for example could use some more green tones near that part of her kimono for example..more sparkle, and perhaps try to define that highlight better..adjusting that would really make the characters pop out;
You used pure black or something very close to that at some point to.o. Try to avoid that, and try a very dark blue instead. It seems more natural.

But then again it is your style, and perhaps adding to many details would not make it look any better. So i was just pointing those out, in case it would be of any help.

:D

[anjyil]

I completely spaced on the green--you are right about that :) I did previously use pure black and only kept a small bit behind her, like she was emerging from something. I will adjust it and use a little tone to it. I tried to texture the fur in with strokes, but since I used mostly white, it ended up getting lost and then I abandoned it. If i have time this week, I will definately try to work in that kind of detail. I am trying to get myself to do more detail--I tend to avoid it if it feels tedious :P I am so lazy haha. Thanks blackdelphin

[BlackDelphin]

So sorry for not replying to that comment of yours earlier!
And yet, here i am again, and i do not see you having any new updates!!!! WHERE ARE THEY!?!?

That aside ;)
I think what you said about the merging thing would be more obvious if you'd lover the level of details in the background. If you want to make it more mystical you should leave space for the the mind to wander in, no?
And about the laziness bit, well, i can't help you with that, you are your own (maybe worst) enemy. Good luck. :meow:

[EneCola]

Hello!
I just saw your sketchbook and thought I really should write something!
At first: It's amazing how you practised and what you can draw now!

Your pencil-works are impressive. I like them very much, my favorites are the many houses.
But the computershading I would do completely different. I suppose you used soft brushes. What about using harder brushes? I think some hard shadows would make your charakters look more alive. Soft shadows are also important. So what about trying it out?

Sorry, I just joined a few hours ago, so I'm not used to how all the people at conceptart are helping each other.

[anjyil]

Blackdelphin--
Thanks for the tips on values and contours. I am starting to feel more confident in trying those, and I found one book so far that works on textures and values/bending. JD Hillberry (the horseshoe practice lol) I will definately keep at it ^_^

Also, sorry for the looong time on update. Holidays and stuff make you a bit busy. But I have a couple more to upload. ^_^

Enecola--Thanks! Yes, I do use soft brushes. I have yet to really like using hard brushes in photoshop, but I am slowly getting my feet wet with them ^_^ I haven`t been able to blend with them in a satisfactory fashion, and I like th softness of the soft brushes. I think it looks like a smoother blend. I know there is a technique similar with hard brushes....sigh...bad me :P

Oh, and welcome to conceptart!!


And now, on to the somewhat-knew stuff. I wanted to use some textures and values with my perspective practices, so I moved up a step. Right now I am doing a combination of working with JD Hillberry and Loomis. So the first is Hillberry. I like the fabric and stitch work used with indentation. I think it turned out okay. The horseshoe, though...ugh. First, I did it WAAY too small. Bad move. I was trying to save space :P I increased the size and it turned out much better. However, I don`t have frisket or anything to make home-made frisket out of. So I tried a combination of non-adhesive tape (well, not none, just doesn`t leave residue on the paper) and a stencil outline. Pain in the butt. Next time, I will skip the background and just work on rendering the subject and values. At least until I can get something descent ^_^

The loomis is the first part of his figure book--so just outlining the proportions. Nothing fancy. I couldn`t copy him directly...didn`t like how he drew the guy (prefer lithe and tall tee-hee) so I drew my own and lined up the proportions. Need to use a ruler for that next time ^_^ It was a quick sketch, no anatomy practice so there is a lot wrong with it haha. Next time, I will try using head meters to line up and work from there. I just have a habit and routine for drawing people, so it is hard to go back down ^_^

Those are the most recent. I also included my values and blending cheat-sheet. It has the values for my hardest charcoal up to my lightest pencil. Items that I use for blending include: Q-tip, stump, toilet paper, paper towel, dry swiffer-wipe, some weird spongy-fabric thing I found, pape,r tissue, gauze, felt, a paint brush, and my finger (hey, there are some textures you just can`t mimic!) I am hoping to find some chamois here somewhere in Japan..what a pain.

Also, I have some cylinders and stroke practice! The cylinders are also JD Hillberry. I started out blending charcoal and graphite, then went back a step to just graphite. The final product is the middle-bottom, and is graphite and charcoal together. Finally figured it out :P Those stroke practices are cross-hatching, straight lines, and circular.

Oh, and hands! The first one with the real hand next to it is my own. The flash killed the shadows--but the size is almost the same. Yes, my hands are that small :P The second hand picture is still the same from above, and then another I did on just lines from a picture on DA.

So yay, I am not slacking ^_^ I think that is all of them.

[anjyil]

Oh, and just for final consistancies. This is the final New Year Card. Already sent out. Took Blackdelphin and some other`s advice. So, I took out the black background and made it a soft bluish purple. I furred up the tiger, adjusted some highlights, and voila! I think I did some other stuff, too...

[jackpot_anjr90]

I admire the hard work! You should practice more anatomy and gestures...do some value studies too. Get your values down and your colors will look a lot better.

[anjyil]

Thanks jackpot ^_^ I am moving into value, but I am holding off on anatomy and gestures for just a little bit longer. I am still getting comfortable with shapes, dimensions, and perspective.

[JailHouseRock2]

Good stuff:)

Very pleased to see you on loomis, keep those up. Studying him will help a lot!

Nice stretches too, good shading and line. The perspective on the last hand drawing is a little off though.. many the little finger.

Keep at it!
matt

[anjyil]

Thanks, Jailhouse ^_^ You are right---the little finger and the back of the hand as it curves in to the wrist are off, as well as the index finger in the background. I did that one from a photograph rather than my own hand. I was curious to see if there was a difference.

I was bouncing back and forth between loomis and bridgman. Since a lot of people under my mentor are doing bridgman, I decided to do loomis first ^_^

[anjyil]

Got something done today! So here is a self-portrait. I am extremely happy with this one. I know--the nose is off, I lost the jaw line a little bit when it came in toward teh shadow, and there are some other stuff wrong with it. But this is a level up from where I was ^_^

Oh, and I didn`t use a photo. I used a mirror ^_^ I worked a little with some of the techniques from Hillberry, too.

[BlackDelphin]

Now doesn't that feel much better!? :D
Glad to see you update, and i too think you made some nice progress with your values!

Your New Years Card seems to have more atmosphere to it now too!

Your self portrait looks great too!! :D
You used a mirror and that is great. Usually it's great to draw from life (witch i had neglected for a while haha) so more of those!

The hand study really captured my attention, and thank you for showing us the reference as well. hehe The little finger though seems a bit strained, a bit to curved..like he had a tough time posing for you, so perhaps do more sketchy hand studies and try not to worry so much about blending.

Merry Christmas! :meow:

[anjyil]

Thanks BlackDelphin (I might end up calling you just Blackie ^_^ ) It definately feels better. I am pleased with my progress---but I want MORE! Seeing how far I have come, I am really pumped to dig in. When my family asked how long I had worked on it, I said 8 hours and they just laughed. I had totally forgotten about the time, too and almost missed getting ready for a class. hahaha

I hadn`t done a self-portrait since..wow...high school....

In regards to the hand and the pinky being strained---did I draw it too strained, or did he (or she....didn`t look) strain it.... But I am doing loomis, so hands are coming soon. Right now playing with proportions. ^_^ I like providing the references because sometimes you draw it how you see and people say it is wrong--but it really isn`t! well..hands are hard...there is always something wrong with them ^_^


To one and all--Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Cool Kwanza, Super Solistice, and Wonderful Winter Holidays! (because I don`t know them all ^_^ )

[BlackDelphin]

Ahahah well i have Christmas, and thank you :)

Everybody calls me blacky so go right ahead!
But be sure i'll come and spam your sketch book if you don't update more from now on!! :D
Oooh you can be sure of that!! POst everything you do, ok!? No matter how little of a doodle it may be, even if it is on toilet paper, you take a picture and you show us! :teeth:

And at first i wasn't sure why they laughed haha, 8h will become pretty natural and yes, they will go real fast when you're working on something more detailed. :)

About the hands, i don't know about you, but bridgman is what i would do. If i am not mistaking, in every book he has written a little bit of info about hands.
But that aside, he has been recomanded to me a lot of times, from bridgman, loomis and hogarth, he it definitely a must i say, and some big people even called it a bible.
So yeah, definitely have a look at his books. :)

[jordyskateboardy]

Heya, You're on the right track. I like the selfportrait a lot.

Try and be less smudgy though. Instead of smudging your pencils around really try rendering them with little strokes. Look at wesburt or some artguru like him who has really nealed that. Makes you way more in control of your values.
As for your digitals. I kinda think you're a bit to airbrushy. SPice it up a bit with some hard edges and bigger blobs of colour. And you should for sure get away from the dodge and burn tool. They make it look very superficial.
But yea keep up the studeying those cillinders look really good.

[Izer]

Lots of great studies, and nice improvement with the graphite, i saw some Loomis up there somewhere, keep going with him, but try not to get stuck in it, experiment a little with what he's saying, find things you need and some things will be able to be skipped (i don't mean pages in the book), just keep it up and stay focused on what you want, it'll all come.

[anjyil]

Thanks Izer! ^_^ Hope you had a happy new year!

[anjyil]

Somehow, I managed to do some more drawing practice--but I got hit real hard with a high fever over the winter break, and I have been in a kind of drawing-funk since then :/ My husband got me an easel, though, and we finally FINALLY found chamois! That is what they call persistance ;)

So here is some more loomis. In my deranged, sick state, I couldn`t figure out what I was doing wrong--and then I realized that I was counting one line short, so I was always one head short and messing up the proportions. So I went back through all my practices and fixed them. I am not posting all those mess ups hehe.

Also, I did some hillberry--this time I used my own quarter. Not bad. My lines are really improving, you can definately see more clarity of shape.

[anjyil]

Update! ^_^ First one was a still-life setup in my little cardboard shadowbox. I wanted to make it looked a little like a city-scape---success...meh...but I think the perspective and shading is really good. Maybe 65% there? tee-hee


And then there was a weekly drawing assignment--a castle. I really tried to find references, but no luck....ugh. Still, I think I hit it pretty spot-on for what I was aiming for. I wanted to use dark upfront and use lighter for the background, especially because the main source of light was there. I also tried to work with the grain of my paper rather than cover it up. It is really cheap stuff, but until I am good enough, cheap is fine ^_^ Anyways, I really like this castle. I added the person when my husband looked at it and thought the balcony was a ledge--haha.

[anjyil]

Another update---Loomis this time. Still playing with proportions. I find it interesting, the whole head-height thing, but he only did the normal/ideal/fashion/hero for men! So I decided to find out the comparison between both the men and women. I chose 2.5 cm for the guys and 2.2275 cm for the girls. The only the guy head is an arbitrary selection. I took what loomis noted in his book, converted to CM, found the difference between the two, then converted it into percentage. From there, I took the percentage and somehow figured out what to subtract from the male head to get a similar female head. Yeah. I know..I must have been reallllllly bored!

And thus, the results. The whole 2 2/3 wide, etc stuff started to get very frustrating and so I eventually just ended up eyeballing that part of it. Stuck it under observation because I was observing loomis...but a lot of it was also in the head, I guess...too much math...ouch... XP

[Pigeonkill]

Keep up those loomis and proportions studies. Eventually feel right at home with them and discovery which ones work for you.

[anjyil]

Thanks Pigeonkill ^_^ I am bouncing back and forth between perspective and loomis now. I think it is a good balance--especially because he has you use those perspective rules next. I am enjoying the proportions. It opens up a world of ideas for characters ^_^ Especially more than one :D

[jackpot_anjr90]

Ahh Loomis...I need to get my hands on his books one of these days XD Great studies on those proportions! Keep up the dedication :)

[anjyil]

Thanks Jackpot! ^_^ I think Loomis is public domain. I know their are lots of PDFs of his books, which is what I am using (getting English books is really hard in Japan--at least in a tiny town like this...and postage is killer :/)

[anjyil]

Okay--I have a few to upload. First, I will start with Loomis--yeah, I did more! This time I took each of the head heights and did the three views. Being the person I am, I had to do one page of heros both male and female, then fashion the same, and then normal. I skipped ideal because I already did it earlier. You can also see my notes and math-work scribed up at the top as I tried to figure head widths for the body and stuff. lol. I found it easier to just use the same measurements for all figures--male head at 2 cm and female head at 1.8. The last figure, normal, was difficult to figure out the head width for the female, so I added two together then rounded down to get 3 cm. It looked better than some weird figure I had before lol.

And now the perspective work---first one is a building I saw while we ate out at a restaurant. I couldn`t take a picture, so I spent the entire dinner staring at it, memorizing the lines and details, etc. Then my dear hubby introduced me to the wonders of google earth! That was really helpful. The building is called Kasugai Shimin Byoin. You can google that to see the building, or you can google the kanji 春日井市民病院
I am actually still working on it--not to make it look like the building in question, but to make it an awesome modern castle for a dominating corporation ^_^ so WIP

The second is a redo of the first assignment for perspective after reading. What can I say? 100% different! BUT! I did set up the scale exactly as before and was sitting in the same spot. The only difference was that I used the easel. as you can see, I started to get detailed...but then decided I needed to do a few quick sketches. I spend so much time completing a work that I don`t take time to just do quick renditions. Those are good for practice, too :P

[anjyil]

I am on a role! I really REALLY wanted to spend another three days on this and complete it--but I am going to try and go a few days on doing some lines and sketches and NOT completed works. The last page of this sketchbook, I will do a portrait ^_^

This image popped into my head. I want to curve the path near the top more and do a million other things to it---but this is a basic outline of something I will probably return to later ^_^ The forestry is inspired by my hometown, Washington state... I miss those mountains...

Quite honestly, looking at this work and what I have done before, I can finally say that I have moved up a level! Only 100000000000 more levels to go and I can consider myself as talented as those pros I drool over ^_^

[anjyil]

MORE!!!!!!

So first up, I redid the perspective one AGAIN. This time, I used photoshop to check the lines and VP, corrected on paper, then checked in PS again (something I did for the building up there and the path, but for some reason didn`t do for this one :P) I need to work on cylinders. Circles and cylinders are realy hard for me.

Next--Loomis--again! ^_^ Child proportions. I only did the boy version because up until puberty, they are pretty much the same. By 16, most girls have stopped growth changes and so would use the adult female proportions for ideal and normal. Now, every time I see cartoons or my favorite trailers of FFXIII, I think--oh, he is a hero proportion, and so is she. She is ideal, blah blah blah.

[anjyil]

Okay, I hit the last page of this sketchbook and as I promised myself, let me do a portrait of the person I am drooling over. I really want FFXIII Versus...noctis is just soo....yummy! I hope I did him justice. The image was a challenge because the deep shadows eat up a lot of the details, and he is wearing dark clothes hehe. I took the image and cropped up to the part I wanted to draw. Then I laid out a grid over the image and setup my paper. Now, my paper is really rough :P So I spent an hour flattening it out with the metal round end of a pen I found (it took time because it hurt my wrist to work the paper...weak wrists). After that, I outlined a box so that I wasn`t drawing all the way to the edge (I found that does more harm than good most of the time), then I setup the grid to match the one on the image. From there, I sketched away. I utilized charcoal and graphite for this, as well as reference books from Hillberry and one of my artist idols, Daisy ^_^

The lips were a challenge. I had to redo them a couple of times, and it shows a bit. I also had to adjust the eyes a bit, but that doesn`t show too much. The hand was also difficult because so much of it was lost in the shadows. I eventually let it go and tried to allow the shadows to swallow up the hand like it did in the image.

[Pigeonkill]

The thing that always got me in perspective is having to plot off the line waaaaay of the paper. Photoshop is such a blessing for that.

The last drawing does remind me of the Final Fantasy franchise. I like the dark values but his right hand looks more like a mitten than glove to me.

[anjyil]

I completely agree with you on that, Pigeonkill ^_^ I am going to start doing more perspective practice in photoshop. I do notice that if I don`t focus soo much on laying all those guidelines, the perspective tends to flow a bit better. On a lot of my better ones up there, I did less focus on the lines while drawing and merely checked and adjusted in photoshop after I had the shapes down.

I touched up the portrait in photoshop to make it darker and it does look better--I will upload it later. I agree about the glove, but darkening it helped a lot ^_^

[anjyil]

Did a lot of practice over the last few days...mainly loomis and perspecitve ^_^ I know I said i would do photoshop practice with perspective, but I kinda just started random sketches. I am trying to see if laying the lines roughly rather than focusing so hard on VP/horizon/etc helps. It seems to--too much thinking clutters the mind? Oh, and the touchedup portrait I did, too ^_^

[jackpot_anjr90]

Loomis is our best friend :) Great studies! Nice drawing of Noctis too...I could tell it was him as soon as I saw it. I still think it could use a lot of improvement though. A tip I picked up from my art classes is to start with light construction lines while constantly comparing lengths and widths. Horizontal and vertical lines work well too to figure out placement. Keep it up :D

[anjyil]

Thanks Jackpot ^_^ I am working on another one of him just for fun...I have been doing so much loomis and perspective practice that I wanted to do a couple of full works to loosen up and give a change of pace.


That being said, here are some more loomis practices lol. I have as mall sketchbook in my classroom that I use between classes. I am starting to combine the loomis mannequin with the perspective practices to create scenes and stuff--very cool practices. BUT they won`t be on this upload. I have to bring the book home and scan it in...and that is a looooot of pages to scan in lol.

So here are some copies from the book and a page of my own ideas.

Also, I will upload a value exercise I did from my mentor. The boxes on the left are graphite and the ones on the right are charcoal. I found for the charcoal that I had to use a Q-tip to apply the charcoal and chamois to help lighten it to get closer to the values I needed to match. Graphite was also difficult because even with the ebony, I couldn`t get to pure black. Darn shine and stuff haha.

[Pigeonkill]

The drawing of the desk drawing looks nice crisp, nothing fancy but the perspective is good.

[anjyil]

Thanks, Pigeonkill ^_^ I probably will end up drawing that desk alot--it is right there infront of me and about the only thing of interest in this room haha.

[anjyil]

Long time no update. I took a small break on loomis to start working on the shading--and more perspective work, too. My mentor and I did a lot of work on a sphere digitally because my first attempt royally sucked haha. I am not posting all those attempts--only the first sucky one, the finished digital, and the followup charcoal/graphite. Also I did a couple of still-life practices with my home-made poster-board shadow box and some home-made 3D shapes and pingpong balls that I painted for various degrees. Fun!!! ^_^

Yeah...only artists would say this is fun ^_- Enjoy!

So it goes---umpteenth attempt, digital sphere

still life of shapes/pingpong ball using charcoal on the ball and graphite on the rest
3D shape practice in graphite
and a quick sketch of a cement-flag block I was looking at while waiting for karaoke to open ^_^ Didn`t get to finish it, but it was fun to sit there and draw on the street for a change.

first attempt (graphite/charcoal) sphere
redo of graphite sphere
redo of charcoal sphere

[Myllys]

I just checked out through your entire sketchbook and I have to say you've made a remarkable progress from the beginning. Very cool and inspiring. Keep practicing and keep posting.

[anjyil]

Thanks, Myllys ^_^

[anjyil]

Another update! Took a break from shading and went back to do some loomis. I really dislike the format of how the book is setup, and I will admit I skipped a couple of pages to get to the anatomy section. Just wasn`t in the mood for the manneqiun. I WILL go back to it, though. I just want to learn about some of the structures here. So here are a few mannequins and my first loomis anatomy study ^_^ I also plan on skimming through some Ebooks and another book I have that has some anatomy references in it ^_^

I think it is interesting--in my small classroom, I have little whiteboards and I sometimes do really quick, funny sketches. I am noticing that even THOSE are starting to look better than before. I am also seeing images in my head that I want to draw and paint out that are so detailed, crisp and clear--the values and everything are beautiful...but I don`t have the skill yet to reach what I see in my head. Still, it is a plus that I am thinking in those ways--even if I can`t yet match them yet. I am so excited about that! ^_^

[anjyil]

Another Update! Did some more arm-bone studies, this time using the Japanese book I bought. It has more detailed images than loomis--though they kind of look similar, huh ^_^ just shows that he influenced the whole world!

After that, I went for a walk because today was just a beauuuutiful day! I started on sketching this cool tree that I see when I drive by. As it is, I spent so much time on details and trying to match the tree perfectly that the sun moved and so did the shading. So I stopped and told myself that when outside, it is best to finish blocking in first quickly and work on the details later. Also to not sit so close to the subject when it is so big...though there really was no where else to sit.

I moved on to the small bench beneath it and this time just focused on getting the basics in and the shading. The perspective is off, and since the firmest thing I had to work on was my knee, the lines skew a bit and drift down. Ah well. It was nice to get out ^_^

[anjyil]

Update! Firstly, a loomis study on muscles. That was fun! Gonna do the next eventually...but I have the next assignment to do with my mentor. Honestly, I got really frustrated with it because it is that string exercise. It`s a love-hate relationship :P

Anyway, with so much studying and assignments, I decided to relax and do something completely from imagination--no references at all. Just something to let the pencil flow and to relax before I tried to tackle the assignment again. I ended up producing a personal character of mine named Oran. It is a very simple portrait. If I had been doing it seriously, I would have agonized over the eyes, the elongated neck and face, among other details--but in the anime/manga style, it isn`t half bad. And in comparison to previous no-reference images, it is tons better. Even my own husband said he could see improvement and that it is completely different from my work last year! that is a huge thing--he normally doesn`t make comments like that! It took me all of 4-6 hours on this portrait, and mostly graphite though I used some charcoal in the hair and clothes.

Well....wish me luck on that assignment...dun dun duuuuuuun.

[anjyil]

Glad this week is over. Had a baroque plate/string exercise and I must say..I am thrilled to put it behind me. I can use the technique once in a while, but for a whole drawing? I wanted to throw the sketchbook out the window with the string tied to it. meh. Different strokes for different folks. After I put in the shading, I started tweaking to the tracing rather than the string. I know...cheating...At this point, I don`t care :/ I know it helps see angles and stuff, but the cons are so great on this technique that it isn`t worth it t ome.

Anyway, after I finished it--I immediately cracked open loomis and did some muscle studies. Actually, I did all of his muscle studies in the figure book ^_^ Gonna check out the muscle-studies in the Japaense book I have. It goes into more details, including showing muscles in flexed positions/etc. Very neat. too bad I can`t READ it :/

I am also going to be doing a flower portrait this weekend! Been a while since I worked in PSE, and I miss it dearly! My in-laws have been bragging about my drawing (though I don`t know why...) and one of their friends wants a picture from me. So I will be doing an orchid with a simple composition. I have done several studies on orchid, choosing the type most appealing to my eye (yeah through pictures, can`t find a store that has them.) I have outlined some ideas and have decided on a simple one. The details in my head are great...don`t know if I can do what I see in my head, but I will aim for it! ^_^

[anjyil]

More updates! ^_^ I am so on a roll right now and loving it.

So I moved on to my other book on artistic anatomy--or whatever. This one really goes into details of the muscles, using drawings from the artist, photographs, and master paintings. Here are some quick sketches of the neck muscles in general. I am just focusing on bones and muscles now and will start implementing them later on.

Also, I went outside today--it was sooooo beautiful! I started to do a sketch of one scene..but found that my experience was limited and the detail too intensive. It would probably help to have an easal and chair...:\ some day.

I did a quick sketch of a cute little bird that just hoped around on the other side of the river right in front of me. Seemed to want to be sketched, so I did a gesture of it. A crow landed nearby and was still enough for me to get a quick quick gesture before taking a bath in the river. hehe ^_^

Then, I picked up a nice little leaf and worked on detail. The values of green and brown seemed very close, so I darkened the green parts a little. It was nice to put the leaf right on the book and draw what I saw with as much detail as I could.

[anjyil]

Wasn`t going to put this up, but figured what hey. It was just a quick fifteen-twenty minute sketch while waiting for the karaoke place to open. I really focused on the neck, and then just covered it with hair lol. No real reference. I was really feeling down and out and wanted to sketch something that showed how I felt. Felt better after sketching it. I probably could have turned this into a finished piece, but meh. I will just leave it as a random quick-sketch.

[p sage]

Hey what's up?

Basics, huh? You probably already guessed that basics are all there is to drawing.

You're right the latest spheres look better than the first ones... do you know why? Because the shadow wraps more around the form in your later attempts. In your first attempts, the shadow doesn't wrap around the form ... it stays completely inside the circle... so they all read as a circle.

The 3D projection of the sphere and the one of the pitcher are very good and are the right way to go about learning more basics. Anatomy study is a little premature right now... really study how light and shadow fall on simple three D forms, because that's what you will use when you move to the figure... your knowledge of that. It will transfer.

[anjyil]

Thanks for the comment, P-Sage. Someone pointed that out earlier about the title--I just didn`t feel like changing it ^_^

I am finding it is easier for me to see how the shadows wrap around the object---using those pingpong balls was much more effective than studying a picture of a sphere to help me see that.

I honestly don`t think that studying the anatomy is premature. It isn`t my main focus, either--it is my break from shading and values and is my true interest in drawing. Like I said, I got frustrated with one assignment because of the technique and doing something completely opposite really helped cool me down. Seeing the structure of the body is also helping me to imagine what it would look like as a full 3D object, how things wrap around and and how their form looks.

I do plan on going back to my shapes this week, though. A breather is always nice and refreshing and I feel like I can see more now that I have stepped back ^_^

[Pigeonkill]

anjyil, have you ever considered creating isometric backgrounds as practice. In games like disgaea or fantasy fantasy tactics?

http://i.neoseeker.com/p/Games/Playstation_3/Strategy/Turn-based/disgaea_3_image_kmuyk5bWTydF4vw.jpg

http://www.bookofhook.com/Images/Isometric_Images/diablo.jpg

[anjyil]

I have thought about it only recently--I used to be scared to death of those kinds of things, but now I am very curious about giving it a try. Thanks for the link examples ^_^

[anjyil]

Okay--first here is the digital practice exercise. I prefer the digital :P but still dislike this exercise. Ah well, it`s jsut like those vegetables I used to hate as a kid. Still off in many places, but it is all right I guess.

While working on it, I would take breaks and work on a "Treat" sketch--something fun that I could enjoy and relax with. I just bought a big sketchbook with smoother paper, and was eager to try it. Still not good quality,but good enough for now. Once more--fan art, Noctis of FFXIII--man am I sadly obsessed :D I combined charcoal and graphite for it, and couldn`t find many references for the pose or the chair--that chair was hard. I really had to try and imagine how what I could see would stretch around to places I couldn`t see... Still, I am pleased ^_^

[anjyil]

One more update--or just upload. I went to a small art exhibit and afterward did some outdoor sketching. One was a potted plant. Then a couple of quick sketches of a guy playing tennis. It got too cold, so I went home. Rest of the week is rain...sigh...

[anjyil]

Worked on a still-life today. I find that I am really comfortable with using 2H, H, and 3B. It gives a nice range of values, especially when you don`t need to go too dark. Since everything in this setup is white, it worked out nicely, I think.

My cylinder still needs work--that is really tough to do. The pentagon is also a little awkward and will take practice. I think the rectangle is okay, but the perspective lines is still slightly skew. Not as bad as the other two, though. I like the pyramid ^_^ I wasn`t about to do something boring ,and I think that putting it like that gave it a nice touch. The way I set it up makes it look the rectangle and pentagon are looking up at the Pyramid--like it is giving a speech or something. I was a little hesitant about the negative space, but I think it actually adds to the sense of a crowd gathering and wanted to keep it.

I made the pentagon too small--even though it is a little behind the rectangle, they are roughly the same size when put together. The cylinder I ended up making too fat, though I started with that one to use as a reference cor sice of the others. I should have started with the rectangle because it is in the foreground and everything would be leading back from it.

[anjyil]

I did a couple of charcoal still-lifes of shapes. I won`t list everything wrong with them--too much is wrong. Part of it is how I am handling the charcoal. Another part is how I am rendering that darn cylinder---sucks.

[anjyil]

I went through the whole video on perspective...I was so surprised and soaking up every minute. The tips and tricks were just...wow. And I could do them--well, not professionally, but more than I thought I would have been able to. It was all inspired by that darn cylinder. I think I understand a lot better about how to draw it and am eager to try another still life before checking out the shading video.

And my camera plus the lighting sucks so the images aren`t great. But since they are sketches, I am not going to split hairs over it. I started on my own before. After that, it is all with the video. It was only a two hour video, but it took me all of 4-6 hours because I was drawing with him, stopping it, checking what he was doing, and then doing several of my own samples. I did not photograph all of what I did, but here are some.

[anjyil]

Some shapes and shading practice using some gnomon video clips for guidance. It really is better to see what people are talking about and walk with them as they do it than to read about it--at least for me.

[anjyil]

Did a couple more, this time focusing on spherical/round shapes. Right now I am just getting some information and practicing. I plan to apply this to some still lifes so that I can directly observe. Still, my cylinders are looking better and I can see that the sphere cast shadow and core/highlight are not lining up properly. I couldn`t see that before ^_^

[anjyil]

Did some more shading practices--this time on more complex shapes/curves. I recognize teh concepts, but it takes a lot more planning to get it just right. I really want to do a full-out project--or at least a still life of some kind....maybe later. I have been blowing through these videos at an insane pace and need a bit of a break ^_^

[Limewax]

You've almost got the hang of perspective... just dont forget that it applies to everything! You are definitely progressing... keep going :D

[anjyil]

Thanks! Practice makes better ^_^

[anjyil]

Last update for today. Working on curved surfaces is a challenge. My boxes are much stronger, even my cyldiners and spheres. But the curved surfaces follow the same principals. So now to practice with real-life objects what I have learned! ^_^ That last one in this update is wrong on the shadow. Though I followed the radiates correctly, the ending values placed the light at a different angle. I tried to erase to adjust--but too late. ^_^;

[anjyil]

Thought I would post this here, too--gonna be busy so can`t start much today. Did this yesterday. Anyway, I think I am much stronger in using pencil than charcoal, but I enjoy charcoal as a supliment. I still haven`t decided if I am going to darken the background, leaving everything charcoal, or if I will go over it with graphite, or leave it as is. I am thinking of moving on to more every-day objects for still lifes, too.

[anjyil]

Quick update. I had a little time and did a small still-life of a metalic mug and a book. I was surprised that I got the sizes right when you compare the two. There are still some issues with the shadows and cylinders, but not nearly as bad as they used to be. I am really tired---headache. Acckkk... I should go to sleep and not draw...but I finished it, so ^_^

[p sage]

Whoa, look at that. Your linework just jumped up a few notches. Congratulations :)

Keep looking at value relationships; they will continue to help you. And you'll want to keep the edges of cast shadows soft and undefined.

[anjyil]

Thanks, P-sage. I would keep the shadows undefined if that was what they were doing. Since these are getting from observation, the light is actually pretty close and strong enough to create defined edges and shapes. Some of the shadows that hit the back of my little make-shift shadow box fuzz out a bit, and I try to capture that when it does happen.

[JustinBeckett]

Keep up the studies, they really help!

[anjyil]

Yes, they do. Thanks, Justin ^_^

Update.

Warmup today was doing ears. I found a bunch of pictures of various ears in as many angles as I could (Why do people think ears are only seen straight on? There are so many other interesting angles!!)

I also did a still-life today of a tsubaki flower bud, a necklace and a box. The bud turned out...crap lol. I had instinct telling me to do it light, but I second-guessed myself. Then it was too difficult to lighten. Lesson learned :P I like the necklace, though. not perfect, but I like how it sits and just how it looks.

[anjyil]

Spent the last two days on this still ife, wanting to use charcoal only. I really spent a lot of time trying to get the blocking right--especially those letters on the book. Didn`t succeed. Lack of charcoal pencils or charcoal with a fine tip kind of thwarted me ;P

[anjyil]

Another update! Yay!

Well, even though I had almost none of the tools he used, I checked out a video and working with charcoal to draw a portrait and gave it a try. This is the result. I didn`t try to copy the model he used, though. Instead, I worked on utilizing the methods (or as many as I could) and using his model only as a guideline for the shadows and whatnot.

So this may be a "well, duh!" thing, and I knew that you had to start as light as possible, but I never thought to do as he did--using the sock-method and charcoal-dusted stump along with the kneady eraser to start out a drawing. It makes perfect sense and is much easier to work with the charcoal, getting the shapes you want. Out of the whole video, I think that was the most important and helpful thing I got out of it. There was a lot of good tips and techniques, but I don`t have the ability to mimic them as I don`t have over half those tools. Still, it was really cool.

[anjyil]

Update--again. Nothing really fantastic. I did another still life playing around with a couple of techniques that didn`t work. I also found some black/brown conte, and some shades of carbon (I was so thrilled!!) especially red. So I am playing with red to move a step up from just black and white---well, just playing. Throwing in that extra value kind of threw me off, so I am not sure how to work with it yet.

All of the ears were done off of pictures ^_^

[JustinBeckett]

Thank you for your comment. I like what your doing in here all the cube/light studies...its good, but I suggest branching out a little more, don't just stay stuck doing just these. :) Keep it up!

[Evolvana]

Nice work on the perspective! it's not easy. Still-life is interesting to do, but did you do life drawing? of course it's hard with animals because they always move, but if you find life drawing classes, it's really good to study anatomy ^^

[anjyil]

@justin--thanks. I am working with a mentor and go at the pace that he prescribes. If not, I would be all over the place and not making much progress ^_-

@Evolvana. You are telling me about perspective ^_^ I would love to take a life drawing class, but I have had no luck finding any. I have had to rely on my husband, since I am in Japan and don`t know the language. We live in a small factory town, and the big city is about 30-60 minutes by train. I am almost ready to study some anatomy more seriously, but I will have to make do with books and pictures :P

[Evolvana]

I tried with books and pictures, but it's less natural, I never could learn easily that way. But I know, it's hard to find life model classes, especially "not too expensive ones", because sometimes when I check the rates of evening art classes, I see very high prices and I cannot afford that x_x

I was lucky there was in my town a group that gather and pay a model, so there's no teacher but it's cheaper for everyone, because we share the price. But I'm not in that town anymore... good luck for finding something in Japan, I lived one year there, but I could speak Japanese so it was easier ^^

[anjyil]

Thanks, Evolvana. Yeah, I can speak it but not well. I can`t read, especially Kanjji--and so far, I have had no luck finding a community group like that. I have been trying, though. Working with shapes is helping a lot though, and the human form is about breaking down shapes.....well, we`ll see ^_^ If anything, I can ask my inlaws to pose--even if with clothes on lol

[Eddieee]

Keep up the hard work and studies. It's paying off! :)

[anjyil]

Thanks, Eddieee ^_^

[anjyil]

Update! Well, I am still working on forms and shading, but I was given permission to start looking more seriously into anatomy. I see that it all comes together, and I am excited to finally move on to that step. I am also trying to figure out how to work with charcoal/conte on toned paper. Well, red carbon. Haven`t had much luck with finding conte in red--found it in black and brown, though! I think I am thinking too hard about it and that is why I am struggling with it. I wonder if chalk would work instead of conte...


Anyway, here are a few studies of anatomy from my japanese book. I want to just look at the muscles and bones for a bit before continuing on with loomis. I also have found a few other more illustrated ebooks and a video I want to check out ^_^ This is the time when the family starts giving me weird looks and wonder when I am giong to come at them with a machete lol.

I haven`t had any luck finding a Life class of any kind in this area :( It is really frustrating because I really want to do it! I told my husband that I am more than happy and willing to take the train all the way to Nagoya if necessary. He says there is probably one somewhere around in Nagoya, but he isn`t sure where yet. Sigh....

[Pigeonkill]

Keep up the anatomy studies. One suggestion is to do the studies and then a second set from memory right afterwards. So things stick.

[Evolvana]

I wonder if it's really necessary to draw all the bones and everything? I mean, it's good to know the general shapes of the bones, but maybe you could improve faster if you spend more time on the general shapes than on details. Like this, you can make more sketches, faster. Unless you want to learn how to draw skeletons or zombies for example ^^

[anjyil]

@ pigeonkill--Thanks for the tip. I was thinking of doing that, but I get so caught up in the book sometimes lol.

@Evolvana. It may seem like it would be good to skip this part, but I have already found that it is greatly affecting my figures by knowing the bones and muscles--as well as helping with understanding how shadows fall. There is a huge difference between what I used to do before I studied anatomy and what I am starting to accomplish now ^_^

[anjyil]

A little behind. I have some updates. There were some outdoor sketches when the weather was nice, and then I also did some nose studies and some new skull studies, using more Loomis style construction. I had found out some pieces of what he did on my own from earlier studies, but there was a lot I didn`t know about as far as techniques. Learning on your own is fine, but sometimes seeing a master at work helps ^_^ I am so glad I got a mentor to coach me through this, too.

Anyway, here is my update..small as it is. ^_^ The skulls were from imagination, everything else from observation. I had also done some quick gesture sketches at the park along with the tree--but you can barely see them. People just won`t sit still for more than five seconds!!! Grr!!!

[anjyil]

I think I am up to date---so here is some stuff I have been working on this week ^_^

Here`s a skull that I did, front view only. Still working on it, so I didn`t darken the lines too much or shade. I am using a picture that I found that looks anatomical, just not doing the colored sections ^_^ I think it is okay, but the top of the head really bothers me. You can see where I started the original circle, and I raised the top a bit because it looked too short by the time I finished. Not sure...hm..

Then I did some hand-bones ^_^ In bone-form, hands actually aren`t so hard lol. Oh, and I skimmed through the car video! The tires are waaay bad, especially proportion-wise. But now that I have a basic understanding of construction, I can apply it to life models that are outside my window lol.

The last one is a set of skulls I did from a book prior to just focusing on one view.

[anjyil]

A small update---just a skull, this time using an actual photo reference rather than the weird anatomical drawings that tend to flatten it in funny ways. Lesson learned ^_^

[anjyil]

::yawn:: I think so far I have spent 30 or 60 hours on this thing over the last week. I am almost ready to say done, even though it is not. I can see the mistakes in it--the shading in color is off, the eyes are too far apart (going to move them in a bit), and the feet and hands are a little funny...but I thought I would get a fresh pair of eyes.

So this is what I want to enter for that angel contest ^_^ Critiques are welcome, though I think some things are just out of my knowledge right now, even if I can see them :P

Oh, and I am also uploading the original that I did in charcoal/graphite. This one took me around 20 hours or so....

[Berguts]

Hi!
Good job with the charcoal. Shades look way better there. While coloring, you lost some details, some light areas. If we can not see the water with this light, we shouldn't be seeing the angel this clear. And the stone in the water was nice, you should add this in your coloring. This way we would get water feeling better. I can't see it, though maybe it's because of my old monitor, it plays games with me sometimes :) You should add some dark shades to both the girl and to the surroundings, especially places near the girl. The nearer to us, the darker it becomes. And you certainly should have some sparks on the water, where it meets girl's foot and the rocks. You also should choose the light source, and be accurate with it. What color is it, where it comes from, things like that.
Well, this is all I can say for now, I'm sure you will do a better job with working on it some more :)
I hope this was helpful

[anjyil]

Thanks, Berguts ^_^ I did keep all those in, but I toned them down. I am really timid of the shading as I am not sure how to translate the shade from b/w into color. Everytime I try something, it looks wrong -_-; I am thinking of trying to saturate the original colors, then take them down a shade and see if that helps with shading--especially the skin :P

How about the composition in general? I have heard some people say that it doesn`t flow. Flipping it looks toppled, but I like it (may just be my untrained eye)

[Berguts]

You are welcome :)
Since you have a lineart with all the shadings in it, maybe it's better if you create a "color" layer over it (from the layer blending options) and put the colors there first. It will not look that good first, but creating other layers (normal or multiply or overlay chosen this time try any of them to see which one gives saturated colors, especially places near us far places would be unsaturated) after this and doing the coloring again and again can do the trick.
The idea is nice, but I think you would do a better job with an open surrounding. A cave like place is hard to paint. It would look good, if you could handle it. However, shiny areas and using the light source is hard, if you are not experienced. You can assume the light source is inside water, for example, and faintly give it to nearby rocks and the girl, another light source would be that thing over girl's head (don't know english word for that)
There are some anatomic problems, and you already know that. Flipping would show these problems better to the eye. Once you solve these problems, toppling will be reduced when you flip it.
That's all I can say for now, good luck :)

[kmoeini]

Hi anjyil,

Nice to see someone else who is in Japan. Way to go, I see lots of progress in your sketchbook. What Gnomon videos are you watching?

[anjyil]

Berguts-- Thanks for the input. I did exactly as you said--but as you noticed, I am not experienced with using color. I`ve used graphite and charcoal my whole art-life. Pastel and colored pencils were rare for me, even though I wanted to learn them. I am thinking of scrapping this one and trying something simpler, more within my current scope (well, not scraping..I still love this one ,but I will use a different one I think). And the thing over her head is called a Halo ^_^

kmoeini-- Thanks! I have been perusing the Scott Robertson ones for shading and shapes ^_^ It`s nice to know someone else is in Japan! It is so lonely here! ^_^

[anjyil]

I went out to draw today! It was nice to take a break and get my head on straight. I feel like I can tackle anything now ^_^---well, as long as I ignore all the mistakes and errors. All of these were somewhat quick sketches. I spent maybe an hour or two on each (less if I sat in the sun). It is hard to shade on your lap, but at least I have a comfy chair ^_^

First was from a nearby park. Japan loves flowers, and at some parks they have a tree grown to wrap around a pole and then spread out over a wire\metal frame. Very pretty. Someday I will do a watercolor or pastel--but only after I get some practice with color ^_^;

Next was a little shrine near a baseball field. I did this one all in charcoal, so it went pretty quick. I don`t do nearly enough quick-sketches in charcoal.

Then, I moved in close and sketched out a flower that was placed in a vase on the little shrine. Very pretty flower.

I took a small break for food and water (very important on a hot 30 celsius day), then headed out again. I found the perfect shaded spot and sat to sketch the house. As I was working, some people came to work on the hous! how embarrassing!!! i could hear them talking about me, too and I could actually understand most of what they were saying when I did hear the words. As they were leaving, one of them walked behind me to see what I was doing. Blush times a thousand!!!! haha

[anjyil]

God bless vacations--lots of drawing time ^_^
Anyway, here is a couple of color spheres. Since I struggle on colors, I thought I would break it down as simply as possible.

The skin sphere was working with a swatch. It gave me the idea of trying to think of the values on two bases. First, the original base, and then the shading base. I don`t know if that makes sense.

And then I did some work on toned paper trying to apply what I was thinking. So the toned paper is the first base, and I added the secondary color on that. Then, the toned color became my second base and I focused on only adding the darker part onto that. It`s hard to explain -_-;

On the viewer`s top left, it was done with my two Supracolor pencils. Black and sepia. This was not a smooth blend, so it forced me to really focus on my pencil work and light touch.

In the middle was my carbon pencils- light red and sepia. This didn`t go on well. I had to blend because of the pencil form. I wonder if they have solid carbon pencils rather than wood-wrap, or maybe just carbon blocks....

Below that was my conte pencils--black and brown. I think block form would be better--the pencil form is really rough and doesn`t sharpen well. But it blends easily.

All highlights were done with my chinese white penicil.
Blending was done with my finger and Q-tips. I also used a trace for the circle so that I could focus on the shading and toning rather than shapes.

[anjyil]

Here is a first-draft of the lineart for another idea I had for the angel contest. My lineart in photoshop is very messy...but I just can`t get used to that yet. Ah well. The hands are a main point of struggle--I haven`t been able to find a reference in that pose. Any other way just doesn`t look or feel right. I`m thinking of making the moon/planet thingy smaller and more off to her right, as i don`t want it dead-center...but I also don`t know if it will throw everything off balance or not.

I will try and smooth it out and repost, with more details. But any critique or advice is encouraged, welcomed, and hunted for ^_^

editted to resize. Sorry about the large pic ^_^;

[anjyil]

Today is busy, but here is a quick skull study before I get to work. Photo reference used.

[anjyil]

Did some more toned work. I think I am finally starting to figure it out--but still needs work. I did a sphere first in graphite, because I am most comfortable with it. Then I followed up with one in red and black. Finally found a site that showed how to sharpen obstinate pencils!! It goes on a lot nicer now ^_^

Then, because I thought I was doing a little better, I decided to try an ear. No reference on this one.

[anjyil]

here is the second draft of my illustration for the contest. Still tweaking it, so critiques are welcome.

[anjyil]

it helps to upload the picture :P

[Berguts]

This one looks much better for the angel contest. The pose is really nice, environment is better :) Good work!

[anjyil]

Thanks, Berguts! I am still fine-tuning it. I think I am finally starting to get my whole brain to agree about taking time to plan it out (before it was only half my brain, and it wasn`t the stronger half lol)

[Kamber Parrk]

Hey anjyil,

Good for you on all the ear studies!

(Ears are always conspiring to destroy my figure and head studies. . .)

[anjyil]

Thanks, Kamber! Once I figured it out, ears are actually kind of fun to draw ^_^

[anjyil]

small update---skull study, from reference.

[anjyil]

Did some more work on the lines---I only have another week to tweak the outline, then I HAVE to start coloring it, or I will never make it in time for the contest. I am still not very happy with the face....but I like the wings ^_^

[anjyil]

So, major upload here. I went out the other day to the city and got conte in both block and pencil form! (good kind). they also had charcoal pencils ^_^ Very happy. Outside of a fun festival going on, I did a lot of sketches--both long and quick--and I went to the museum. I don`t know why people think Japanese artists only do anime or the traditional ink-and-silk. There are tons that do similar paintings to the ones on that site you gave. Such stereotypes...

So the first setup is a statue in the park near the festival, then a fountain. I wasn`t able to capture the fountain as well--I really need an easel and several hours--but it was a good sketch out that I think I will apply to a landscape scene when I start working on those again. It was just really cool. I also got some quick-sketches at the shopping area and on the subway home ^_^

I also some practices with my new pencils/conte. I decided to use a simple study on one of the artists I found on some museum/art site that shows a lot of the famous ones. I am starting to see how they are allowing the color of the chalk to go over the toned paper, but allow it to be seen through. I tried to mimic it as best I could, using just the red and a little brown (first one was in the two pencils I got) and then with just three shades of the red (conte blocks). I only added a little white in what looked like key points.

I can`t wait to get my new camera. I finally see that this one exaggerates and kills the contrast. For example, in the skull above it lightened the values completely. The shading on the far cheek is much better on the actual paper. On these toned ones, it brightens the red and makes it more of a glare than the actual image. Sigh...

Oh, I only gently blurred with a Q-tip. The paper doesn`t take to the conte well, so not only does it go on rough, but it doesn`t lighten smoothly. I want to get expensive paper! haha

[anjyil]

Managed to get some work in on the angel. I added more feathers, lengthened the second row. I also re-did the head and face. I am liking it a bit better, but am not happy with the lips. The nose needs some tweaking, too...maybe the eyes. (might as well just say the face still needs work ::)

I also turned her back-leg a little to add to the twisting motion of her turning.

[anjyil]

last one for the evening. I changed her face and am this time only blocking the wings. If there are any suggestiosn for changes, now is the time. I want to catch the errors before I get detailed and get it right this time! I am already thinking of lengthening the inner feather block closer to her hips...

also tweaked the back leg a bit more.

[anjyil]

Some stuff I have been working on. A master study, and then two blockings of possible wiings for the angel. Though the blocking needs work, I want to choose the general form before I fine-tune ^_^ The master-study I did about three times, but I am only uploading the latest.

I got a new camera! So happy! Now I can take pictures of my work and they actually look descent!

The study is from http://www.artrenewal.org/pages/artwork.php?artworkid=14764&size=large

The angel wings, first one, are from a master painting http://www.artrenewal.org/pages/artwork.php?artworkid=9561&size=large
The second blocking of angel wings is from a picture of a swan I found.

[anjyil]

After some critiques, I went with the Elijah wings and started adding the feathers. I shrank the wing a bit, and also redid the braid.

[anjyil]

Worked on the angel again today. I really took my time on laying on the pattern of the feathers this time, taking it layer by layer...whew that took time. after I finished the front wing, I re-laid out the back wing by matching up arching points from the front wing and applying some perspective to it. After that, I did feathers layer by layer again. I also adjusted the forward shoulder and covering--it was really bugging me the way it lumped up like that.

Going to lengthen the bottom back feathers on the underside that curves in to the back later.

[anjyil]

Today was sooo busy... I am soooo tired...but I still tried to get a little bit done. Anyway, I actually stepped away from the previous design and thought about the image I was drawing. She really had kind of a playful/innocent turn and look to her, so I thought I would change the wing layout and see what happened. It was really quick--maybe an hour. And I didn`t erase anything the wings might be hiding because I don`t want to have to redraw it later lol. I will have more time to devote later---gonna get some sleep now

[anjyil]

Finally line upload of my angel ^_^ I HAVE to start coloring this or I will never make it to the contest.

Also, a study of some mucisian. This is the one I settled on--I did a couple of practice runs and some false starts before I got to this one.

[anjyil]

Started coloring the skin. I moved the lightsource to the front as well--made it simpler (kind of). Honestly, the hands are worse for coloring than drawing! grr!! lol that is okay . Gonna get the skin right as it will help me line up the rest of the shading. Even with my guidelines, I get lost ^_^;

[anjyil]

Sigh...I have so much to learn. Well, I revised the skin and blocked in a basic palette as a guideline.

[Evolvana]

You should use softer colors for the background. You dark purple clouds are too contrasted and attract the attention too much, I think, we should more focus on the character :)

[anjyil]

Thanks Evolvana, I was thinking that, too. I am sooo not used to colors. Wish I had more time :(

[anjyil]

Been working on this almost allllll day...started at 8:30 and it is 3 now. Time is up for today, but this is what I got so far. Wings still need work, haven`t gotten to the background yet, either. no shading or highlights yet, either. Just getting the bases down and adjusting as I need to. Several things I am eyeing, but I can`t work on it again until Friday :(

[InCOUM]

..nice evolution of you last work, but i think that probably it would improve a lot if look for a sky/earth reference^^ ..and maybe be careful about the shadow of your character, i think that it looks stronger the shadow in ground than the shade of her body :B

and sorry, for commenting randomnly here in you SBook, i hope to be "helping" you with my words^^


Regards!



- Claud

[anjyil]

Thanks, Incoum--no apologizing. That is what sketchbooks are for ^_^ I agree, the back and land are far too busy. I plan to work on it Friday (too busy today and tomorrow)

[InCOUM]

I'm glad to hear that, now i'll feel more relaxed to give comments..and stuff like that^^
During the day i'll upload some recent stuff :B!

Thank you! =)

[anjyil]

You`re welcome ^_^ can`t wait to see what you got :D

[anjyil]

T minus 3 days and counting. ;D

Man, I feel like I am only half-way on this, yet I have to finish it so soon. Ah well. I am really starting to tweak and refine it a bit--smoother out the background and last bits. Thinking about making the petals a lighter color and adding more saturation to the horizone forward. The earth seems a little bright, and I worry it is probably fighting with the angel for dominance...but then again, I also think that it might really emphasize the communication from the angel, and what she means to say.

Still haven`t added the shading yet. It`s lunch time and I want to get some feed back first. I know I really need to buckle down and get this finish.

Ack, won`t let me upload! Will try again in a bit :P

[anjyil]

Almost time for sleep, but I got a little more work in on the picture. I only have tomorrow and sunday...sigh...if only I had planned this out better. Ah well, it is still probably my best work.

Not saying much, I guess lol

[anjyil]

Down to the last day...So I would like to hear any suggestions so that I can work on it for the last time tomorrow. Man, I have learned so much from this project. I am anxious to get back to my studies now and really work on my forms, shading, and other things....

[anjyil]

Down to the last few hours ::)

I`ve been playing with different layers for more contrast. I have a small japanese class to go to (yay! more practice with Kanji, finally!!) then I will work on it some more when I get back. So I guess that makes this the last working draft to post. I also added some clouds to the sky--it just seemed so...stark? Boring? I don`t know. I just felt it really needed something subtle and appropriate.

So please, be brutal at this point! I will try and make what reasonable adjustments and changes I can and then i have to send it off. Not a winner (probably) but I am actually feeling happy with what I was a ble to accomplish, and more so with what I learned.

[anjyil]

All right-- I think this is it.

Also, just for fun, I tweaked the previous one. No reason--just because. Both of them are beyond saving ,but meh ^_^

[InCOUM]

I think that the final result looks quite good^^
maybe i would tried adding some stars in the sky? and a little of "displasement map"(?) for her shadow.. but well.. it's just an idea :B!

I like it a lot the reflects in her right foot, and the soft light of the feathers :)!
It really improve a lot in every new "step" that you have added :)!

Havefun! ^^



- Claud

[anjyil]

Thanks, Incoum! I had a lot of of feedback and help with this one, especially from my mentor ^_^ I`ve already sent it off, so I don`t feel right making any changes (unless I lose...then I might). I tried adding some stars, but I just didn`t like it felt like too much. I am not sure what a displacement map is, though...

Even I will admit that the Earth and the wings are my two favorite parts ^_^

[anjyil]

Did some loose thumbnails and presketches today to get ideas flowing for a few projects I want to do. Some of them are hard to see--my cheap paper that I use for this kind of stuff is really thin and doesn`t take to light very well, and I also used somewhat light strokes. You can see it more clearly in person I tried to adjust contrast on them, but it didn`t help, so I am only uploading the ones that are fairly easy to see.

[anjyil]

So here is the beginning rough-draft of the skull pile. I am doing it lightly in pencil. You can also see the indication of shadows. This is for the page of skulls in all directions. Just doing skulls seemed kind of boring, so I thought, "Why not a pile of skulls"? Just to make it interesting. Also, I find I do better when I focus toward a finished piece. There were several poses (mainly the skull looking up, the back of the skull, the back/profile, and the looking down) which were difficult to find. People like to take pictures of skull in profile or straight on :P Sometimes 3\4 view. HAHA I think I got them all. The furthest back is supposed to be a bottom view, but I still need to find a good reference for that, too.

Also, here is a quick 5-10 (I think? No more than 15, I am sure) sketch of an artistic nude photo I found. No life classes yet---will know for sure in July if I can take them. Till, then, I am hunting down good photos with either interesting or descent lighting.

On the plus side, I am starting to be able to tell good skull shots and figurines from bad. Looking at pictures on DA and other sights, I rejected many photos because they looked wrong as a true skull. They were missing details, or the details were over-exaggerated. I remember a time when I couldn`t notice those things ^_^

[anjyil]

That skull pic was too small, so here is a bigger one. Also, some quick sketches I did after Kanji Class while relaxing in the lobby.

[Norris]

Going back to basics is sort of what im trying to do ... keep it up and nice work!

Take care
Norris

[anjyil]

Thanks, Norris ^_^ I have found out that basics is all we can do ^_^; It all ties to good art! :)

[anjyil]

Skull study--I was supposed to do a page of skulls, but I wanted to make it somewhat interesting, so I did this. I ended up doing lots of practice/presketches before this so I think I still got good practice in lol

[anjyil]

Some gesture practices. Trying to get a feel for exactly WHAT gesture drawing is...it is very uncomfortable but I kind of like it ^_^ I find putting on some music is helpful lol

[Kamber Parrk]

Hey anjyil,

Likin' the pile o' skulls! That'll pay dividends. Checked out Norman Rockwell's "How I Make a Picture" from the library. He says that his teacher, George Bridgman, made him "draw hundreds of skulls." It's a proven way to get good at heads.

Gesture: Nicolaides is the man. Read what HE has to say in The Natural Way To Draw.

Keep drawin'!

[anjyil]

Thanks! And I have that book ^_^ I will look through it

[anjyil]

Here are some more gesture-sketch practice. I did the first in pencil, the next two pages in charcoal pencil, and the last in conte. I am starting to get an idea of what to do and what the lines mean. I noticed that there are different ways to go about gesture, as I see many different types of gesture sketching. The thing is to find the ones that work for me. I wrote "face" next to the two that I thought were the best out of the pages. Only two lol. Those two seem to have a good flow and sweeping of lines. I can feel the action in them, as opposed to the others.

I also did some sketch practice on birds in charcoal. I used the same method for the two I liked in my gestures to get the form and then follow out some minor details. I guess the main difference between a quick sketch and gesture sketch is the attention to details...it is the only thing that makes sense, anyway.

And I also did some conte value practice.

[anjyil]

I thought I would just upload two practices I am doing. I am trying to get comfortable with conte---and it is going so so. The only image I am proud of here is the hand---and maybe the skull attempt. The others I want to hide my face in shame---but I am learning, so I guess I can forgive myself :P

I am finding out that a little conte goes a looong way, and that strokes are very important. Moreso than with the graphite. Trying the study of one of Da Vinci`s skull really helped click some patterns. Also, seperating the sphere into stripes the way I did helped me see how it was supposed to work with the paper. I hope to get more mastery of this medium and will keep trying...but oh ,the shame!!

the first was from sometimes yesterday afternoon. The last I just finished ten minutes ago, so approximately 24 hours apart.

[anjyil]

Got to sketch outside after kanji class. It was nice getting back in touch with my old friend, Graphite. ^_^ I only did one or two in-depth. The rest were quick sketches and gesture sketches.

[anjyil]

Some more skull practices.

[anjyil]

I am still alive! I have been doing lots of scribbles lately---literally. Trying to figure out conte and strokes. I took a break of that and did a self-portait. Much better than the last one I did of myself, but that jaw :/ man, I look weird haha

Really wish I used a picture...I could never look in themirror with the same pose haha

[anjyil]

Finished the first master study from the list of three ^_^ I really really took my time on this one, especially at the beginning with the blocking. After i got the lines, I went over the image with my powdered charcoal and then brought off the excess with chamois so that I could get a little bit of tone. As I was working on the lines, I started to notice lots of things about how he used the medium and I also considered the feelings and impression I got from the image. This image makes me feel very sad, like the weight of the world is on this girl`s shoulders. All of the strokes make me think that. He uses a lot of down strokes and gentle curves, as if he carefully put each line. Her eyes down-cast and the curve of the lip also help to give that feeling. I also noticed how, even though the white of the turban is glaring and the face is almost the same tone (maybe silghtly darker) than the background, your eye goes to the face. It is because of the white surrounding it. He wanted you to see the expression and go directly to that face. So when I started to shade and tone, I started thinking like that and trying to feel those same emotions. I tried to put that emotion into the stroke, too. Not sure what medium he used on this one, but I used my charcoal pencil, my white conte, and a Q-tip. Unfortunately, the camera doesn`T show the white as well (and I couldn`t get a descent enough tone out of the charcoal.)

[anjyil]

Okay---this was my attempt on number two. A study of Mucha Alphonse "Portrait Of The Artists Daughter Jaroslava". This one was really difficult, and as I was working on the lines I realized that I wasn`t sure what my focus was. I kept being drawn to her expression--it gave me the hint of "oh, really?" like she was challenging someone to prove their case or something like that. Or like "I`m waiting..." As I got to color, I realized that I wasn`t going to come close. My tones are completely different--paper, conte, everything except for the white. Also, my print out was wrong as it lacked the color and vibration of the original image. At that point, I decided that I would either have to scratch it or finish it. I decided to finish it and my next challenge came in trying to at least get a close match to the textures--especially of the turban. It seemed that, even with the face, the turban was a great detail. It looked like silk or satin in the image, and I think that the scruffed background and wavy lines for the cloth added to that feel. So as this shows, I had a fight with the medium and materials---and lost. Ah well ^_^

[anjyil]

Quick five-min head sketch after kanji class.

[anjyil]

Been spending a while on this one---about a week, I think...not sure. Anyway, I really could have focused more on the lost lines that Mucha used on this piece. As it was, it was very difficult to compare and match up. I could never get in the same position, so everything kept moving lol

[Joe777k7]

Thanks for the constant support!! I like your studies alot. YOu are really getting down with some foundations. I been real lazy lately but trying to get back on track. ARe you taking Pat's class as well. Those three drawings are part of the weekly sketchgroup. I only did the one with the angel looking thing in the background. Keep th eposts coming!

[anjyil]

Hey, joe! Thanks ^_^ Yes, I am taking the art course with Pat---so it was no coincidence. I hunted you down through one of your posts. :D

[anjyil]

I started a WIP of a city/scape type thingie idea I had. I was inspired by an Emily Devenport book, and by yaki-niku night! ^_^ Anyway, nothing solid on this--this is just the first preliminary stages. Gonna tighten up the lines when it cools down abit as my hand is sticking to everything. Evil heat!

[anjyil]

Now I am slowly starting to get serious on this city ^_^ I played around with a couple of gridpoints and I am liking this main focus on one point--only a couple of buildings are tilted. I really am doing this based off of what I have seen walking around Nagoya. I already know my main focus. I know that dead center is usually bad, but I think that this is a case where I might be able to get away with it. Making the lines a little more solid but loose enough that I can adjust as I need to. No details yet. Too early ^_^

[anjyil]

Here we go---that fiveminute head sketch haunted my dreams and turned into some kind of meaningful piece sent to me by my subconscious lol. I dreamed of everything I needed to do and how to do it---and I still barely came close. Ah well. Experience is the best teacher. I kind of like the piece, though.

[anjyil]

Another one today. For some reason, I am really wanting to do environments and scenary. Not sure why. Anyway, I did this all in charcoal. Literally---no pencil marks first---all charcoal Took me about an hour. It wasn`t meant to be a full-out sketch, but during classes I sometimes do really quick sketches on the whiteboard while waiting for students. I always did this entrance thing, so i decided to take it a step further.

[anjyil]

whew---busy busy busy day! It was well worth it, and I learned a lot. My original place for city-scape sketching was closed today :o but an even taller building was available! So instead of sketching from the 11th floor (which probably would have been better) I got to sketch a beautiful scenery from the 21st floor! It is a very light sketch--and one thing is certain. Detailed cityscape sketches are not best done in pencil. So many little details. It was a clear day, beautiful (and muggy and hot!). I could see every little detail as the city stretched below toward the horizon . Since it is all flat, I got a perfect view of a natural horizon without obstruction. On the plus side, I can go to the same spot in the exact same position as it was a small window sill that I was sitting on. I spent almost an hour and only got that far--no ruler, either. Flimsy sketchbook, too lol. Any advice on how to tackle this one?

Oh--so the first one is in order-- Subway, cityscape, and a couple of building pieces from the same spot. I could look down and get a nice almost-three point perspective, so I tried to use it.

second is in order, too---my thumb! Playing with conte and whatnot . I tried to tone the paper with conte. Ultimate fail. Working with the white worked better, I think ^_^

[ThomasM]

hey man nice progress you are making here! I like these latest hand studies. I would crit however that the very tips of your fingers are not quite right in terms of shape. If you find yourself a Bridgman book which covers the hands it explains the key shapes of the finger quite nicely...

Keep up the hard work!

[anjyil]

Thanks, Thomas. I think I have a bridgman somewhere---but what do you mean by tip? The nail? Or the way the skin curves under the nail? My thumbs are pretty slender and almost come to a point in profile, and I hadn`t clipped my nails at the time.

[anjyil]

Another sketch after kanji class. I doubt I will be able to get the cloud behind the building again, but I can work on the building itself perodically until it comes back :D

Challenges included---super-hot day. I had to hold an umbrella in one hand to keep the sun from scorching my back, balance the sketchbook on my lap and use my free hand to draw and move the book around. haha lots of fun. If it wasn`t so hot, I would have stayed longer. As it was, I only focused on getting the details on the first floor since they copy down. That gives me a little leeway to work on it away from the site if I choose.

[anjyil]

Life Class was great! After getting over our initial nervousness, it was pretty smooth. My Japanese is better than I thought :D It`s pretty similar to American life courses--the model poses, you draw and the teacher gives you some pointers as you go. Still gonna work on it on the next class, but this is what I have so far. She demonstrated selection of hard/strong lines versus soft, mainly in that places with bone (cheeks, elbows, shoulder) should have a stronger line and places with muscles/fat should be more weak/thin. I am so happy to finally find a nice little class to sit in ^_^

And I also tried working on that cityscape again--but I am not liking it so I am going to scrap this one and start over. Yay to perfectionism!

[anjyil]

I revisited the baroque plates for eyes---actually, I just finished eye one. The first is the eye that I did in conte---it has the least amount of adjustments because conte is a bit unforgiving. It gets a lot closer to the line thickness, though.

the second is the same eye in graphite. I got up to about 70-75%, and then I just could judge the lengths or distances anymore. they were too close, so I used the photoshop overlay to see the problems, then made the adjustments onto the actual paper. Moving on to eye two tomorrow.