Maximunki's You-Know-What

[maximunki]

Well, time to de-lurk and start my own sketchbook. I've been a bit nervous about starting one, not because of the crit (which I welcome) but because I'm not usually that great at posting regularly. But plenty of ass-kicking should help with that. ;)

A little info about me: I'm from the UK; I have a degree in art & design with a specialisation in Illustration, which I completed back in 2004. Despite that I spent the rest of my twenties not doing what I really wanted to, which is making a living from art. I'm 31 now and it's time for me to make things happen! In the last year I've taught myself 3D modelling and worked a lot more on my 2D art. What I really want is to find work in the games industry, starting out as a modeller or texture artist and moving up to more conceptual stuff. But I still have a long way to go. At the moment I'm taking some time to learn or re-learn some of the basics of drawing and painting.

Anyway, enough words, now for the pictures. :)

These are some skin tone studies I did a couple of weeks ago. I'd never really tackled skin tone or even proper blending until this point (stupid I know) but I soon got hooked. The portraits are of the singer Chara, and the hand is mine. All from photo refs.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v142/filthybunny/Charaskintonepractice.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v142/filthybunny/Charaskintonepractice2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v142/filthybunny/Hand.jpg


Quickie portrait of a Balinese woman, again from photo ref. Roughly one hour.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v142/filthybunny/BalineseWoman.jpg


In the past week I've started following Form's awesome Environmentoring classes, because my perspective and environments needed serious work.

Lesson 1: I won't post all the drawings of perspective boxes because they're far from thrilling, but this is my interpretation of the 'Missile Silo' brief, using three-point perspective. Since I'm not wildly excited about missile silos in general, mine is kind of a silly one. ;)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v142/filthybunny/Silo.jpg

Lesson 2: Quick photo studies looking at atmospheric perspective. I did these yesterday.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v142/filthybunny/RefStudy01.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v142/filthybunny/RefStudy02.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v142/filthybunny/RefStudy03.jpg

I've also been doing a load of posemaniacs sketches, but I'll post them tomorrow once I've scanned today's lot in.

Thanks for looking, crits and advice most welcome! :teeth:

[jeremymoore]

Hey its nice to relate to someone who is in a similar boat. Its time for us to get our asses in gear! That cornea on the first image is Beautiful. I can't wait to see more!

[maximunki]

Thanks Jeremy! :D We shall prevail!

Nothing very exciting today; first few are 90 sec Posemaniacs from Tuesday, next ones are 60 sec poses from yesterday, then finally a self portrait I did today. It's a reasonable likeness but I did what I ALWAYS do and let one eye drift too far away from the nose... I really need to do some head construction practise and stop doing that. >_<

Probably won't be able to post over the weekend as I'm heading over to my boyfriend's, where internet is painfully hard to come by, but I'll try to work hard and have something to show for it by Monday. :)

[Seage]

ooo! Lovely start! Really love the potraits and the hand up top! They really look nice.

[maximunki]

Seage - Thanks a lot! And thanks for checking out my dA page too. :)

Quick post before I disappear for the weekend. I was frustrated at not doing more last night so I did a quick photoref painting followed by another self-portrait (first time trying a digital one). I'm really not keen on the SP, but hey I intend to post everything warts and all. Guh and I must try not to look so damn miserable in the next one I do! XD Then finally a WIP of Moria, a bellydancer. I think I need to rework it with bigger brushstrokes rather than trying to keep such neat edges on everything.... Any thoughts are much appreciated!

[wakoes]

wow:D nice start good luck:yayca:

[maximunki]

Thank you wakoes! I saw you over at my dA too, thanks for dropping by. ^_^

Here's what I did over the weekend: some nudes from photoref (took a good while over these, roughly 20-40 mins per study); some crappy stuff drawn from imagination; and head construction studies from Burne Hogarth which were surprisingly fun. :D

This week I'm intending to get on with the Environmentoring tasks, do more digital painting, and hopefully start some concept work. Feel free to KICK MY ASS to get on with it!

[Donna]

Found you! :D I love, love your sketches, the Hogarth studies look great. Heads are so hard to draw! :[

My favourite is the Moria painting. I think you could do some neat designer-y things with her jewelry, perhaps leaving it 'flat' and simple.

[Junpei]

Woa, I love the bunny silo, that's so creative, I wish I would have thought of that. :D

[maximunki]

Donna - Thanks hon! Really good to see your new sketchbook too. :) Yup, heads are a pain in the ass to draw, but I must say they've got a whole lot easier since just doing a few pages of Hogarth's book. So I'll definitely keep going with it. As for the Moria painting - hmm I might try that, I need to do SOMETHING to kickstart that piece because I haven't worked on it in a couple of weeks now.

Junpei - Thanks so much! :D I had good fun painting it.

Sooo I haven't posted in a few days, bad me. I'm ill this week and have been struggling to stay productive; also I got sidetracked trying to do my first ever CHOW and ended up hating the results and stressing about it (cue emo artist fit :rolleyes: ). So I doubt I'll finish this week's, but I am determined to do one soon.

Below:
more Burne Hogarth heads; people and environments from imagination; more environments from photo refs; digital enviro painting (from ref); sketch for my CHOW idea; self portrait for the mask on my CHOW character (hence the absence of hair - but hey I managed to look happy in this one!); WIP of my CHOW (which isn't good but also isn't as dreadful as I thought yesterday - damn cold making me grouchy).

I had a much better day's drawing today, despite dying from zombie plague, but I'll post the rest up later. :)

[andres333]

I like the bellydancer you should finish it

[maximunki]

Thanks andres333, I'll definitely try to get on with that painting. :)

Here's my drawing from yesterday: 60 second posemaniacs, followed by a few pages of drawing from imagination, all in pencil with touches of colour added in Photoshop. I was listening to Bobby Chiu's videos while I drew and it was a real inspiration (thanks Donna for the link. ;) ). The first drawing on the first page (the old man in the top left corner) is based on what Bobby was drawing in the first video, but then the rest is my own.

[Donna]

FFFFffffffff you're really going crazy with sketches :D I love that. Bobby sketches are my favourite, they look almost meditative :]

[maximunki]

Thanks Donna. ;) I often find that when it's going right, drawing feels like meditation, and it did on that day. I'll have to learn how to get into that state of mind more often.

Work from yesterday:
- 60 and 90 second posemaniacs
- photo study of rock formations. I was really struggling to paint convincing rocks and needed to do some more studies. ROCK IS HARD. :frustrated: No pun intended. I couldn't get anywhere with the colour study so I just worked on tone and it still took me forever. O_o But it was a very useful task.
- two much quicker studies of clouds, from photo refs.

[maximunki]

Stuff from yesterday and today: sketchdoodles for this week's CHOW, some tree silhouettes from partial ref, and today's posemaniacs - I tried doing more gestural drawings and found it MUCH quicker way to get the information down. :)

[maximunki]

Not much to show for the last few days. :/ I didn't draw anything at all on Friday (FOR SHAAAAAME!) and over the weekend I just worked on my CHOW entry. I'm really glad I finished it this week. :) Theme was 'The Seasons' and I chose Spring, but I had ideas for all four and I'd love to paint the others some time.

Below: Burne Hogarth heads, CHOW WIPs, and my final entry.

[maximunki]

Updaaaate: some random creatures I drew yesterday, and a load of sketches from photoref done today. First four pages are from a book on Bali and the others are from Fruits/Fresh Fruits. I wanted to draw clothed people as I haven't done that in a long while (and doesn't it show >_<). Seemed to take me forever to get my groove on today.

I notice my sketchbook is getting very monochrome, must do some colour studies soon. I'm struggling to find a good balance for my day to day tasks: there's so much to practice what with anatomy, observational and imaginative drawing, b&w and colour, trad & digital, figures & environments, fundamentals etc etc etc.. *splodes* Seems like as soon as I practice one thing I've grown rusty in another! I'd love to get some advice on this, hear about your drawing schedules, etc. :)

The rest of this week won't be hugely productive as I'm in work a lot and then I'll have pumpkins to carve, baby! Wanted to do the sea monster COW for Halloween too but I doubt I'll get chance.

[Donna]

You really took your time to study those people, they look amazing :D You're progressing so fast.

Can't help with schedule, I'm in the same situation - so much to do and I often end up doing nothing because I can't choose what to do D: It's so annoying. Maybe do a lot of one thing (ex. faces) one day and focus less on other things (environments, figure, etc). Do sketches from imagination, see your weaknesses, work on that. (Easier said than done, I know)

Have you tried Alchemy (http://al.chemy.org)? It's small, super easy to use and great for creature sketches and brainstorming. I warn you, though - there is no Undo button ;)

[maximunki]

Thanks Donna. :) I'm glad you think I'm progressing, I never feel like I am. I'd been meaning to look at Alchemy for ages but then you reminded me, and I had a really fun session trying it out. :D

I've been baaaad and have hardly done any artwork in the last two weeks. D: Got ill again and I've been really feeling the winter blues, and altogether that sucked away my motivation. Time to get back to work!

Here's what I've done since the start of November: self portrait for SP Day on the 1st; first time trying posemaniacs in pen; experimenting in Alchemy (damn that program is so much fuuuuuun!); a skin tone painting I started ages ago and did some more work on last week; sketches of armour and horses from yesterday, research for this week's Jousting CHOW.

[Marian Rowling]

Hi maximunki just had to say great SB I really like it all. Love the humour with the bunny silo and I think your working on a wide range of subjects. I noticed your comment about looking miserable in your first self portraits and had to smile to myself as I recognised the look....I call it hard concentration :). Please keep sharing.

[Jeff Lai]

some great work here!
I really dig the photo ref studies, esp the one of your hand!
keep on studyin!

[CKLamb]

Hola! Those top photo reffed pieces are beauts! I think your pencil work and structure analysis is looking pretty strong. My only critique is that your color leans to the chalky side, you might want to work a bit more saturated and watch your tonality. Great work though, I'll be keeping my eyes out for more!

[maximunki]

Marian Rowling - thank you! Haha yes it's hard to shake off that frown of concentration when drawing a self portrait. :D

Jeff Lai - many thanks for stopping by. :)

CKLamb - thanks so much. :) I definitely see what you mean by the 'chalkiness' of the colours, I'll keep working on that. I've been trying to play around more with different painting modes in PS to get colours to 'pop' more, still lots to learn.

Here's what I've been working on the last few days: some figure sketches from imagination and photo ref, and the latest CHOW - '2706 AD Jousting'. Unfortunately I didn't get to finish the whole image for the deadline and I had to leave out the STEED, but I plan to finish it later. If you like it... a vote would be nice. :P

[thegrayslayer]

Nice sketchbook! Love the quick line drawings of many poses / gestures - you get the point across with just a few lines. Look forward to updates.

~ Slayer

[walnut]

Looking good, nodding approvingly at your pencil skills here. For the digital stuff, i'd push the lighting situations more, don't be afraid of laying in some shadow. That latest CHOW piece for instance would really shine if you picked a consistent lightsource for it.

[maximunki]

thegrayslayer and walnut - thanks so much for visiting guys! Walnut you're right, I definitely need to work on lighting. I'm okay when working from ref but I need to go back and learn the principles properly so I can apply them to whatever I do.

Again, not much to show for the last week - been ill yet again and having kind of a crappy time in general, but I must try not to let my artwork slip.
* thumbnail doodles for practising composition/balance
* a couple of assignments from Seedling's awesome Concept Art 101 (http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=81332) thread. First one - draw an object from real life, then re-draw it with an twist from imagination. Second one - similar thing but with a self portrait. Fun exercises!
* a digital painting of the most excellent Ben Linus from Lost, which is a Christmas gift for a friend.

[Donna]

Eeee! Love your last update :D I'll have to check out Concept Art 101, it seems fun. The self-portrait is amazing :)

Jordy is in for a wonderful surprise, I see! :D