***my sb***

[Syle]

Check the last page for the most recent stuff. (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=177108&page=8)

I'm a 28 year old musician living in Seattle WA. Just looking to progress my understanding of art and illustration. Much love and respect to all here. This is, hands down, the best community on the web.

[Syle]

More.

[jordyskateboardy]

Hey man. Welcome to Ca!

Cool use of texture in those balls be sure to not forgot the cast shadow underneath the balls. Now they're kinda lacking that. And you also wanna make sure you're not gonna show us but those balls. Upload some more stuff. Dunno characters and the like or environments.

Keep 'em coming.

[Syle]

Thanks for the feedback jordy. For sure on the cast shadows, I won't be forgetting those from now on. I will be posting actual sketches/figures/etc soon, I just wanted to start slow and work on some basic fundies for a month or so; I am not sure how long I can do just value balls :) so I am sure I will be posting something else soon! Thanks again.

[Syle]

Another sphere exercise. I can't figure out the proper method of diagnosing the proper intensity of color to match an appropriate grayscale value...any tips?

Also, I found myself a paper sketch pad that I am going to start carrying around with me so that I can start posting some real-life doodles and exercises. *WARNING* I am terrible! But, this is all for getting better, and I hope that the feedback I receive from this fantastic community will help me get better. Thanks for looking.

[Syle]

This one took me an overall 15 min to do. The other studies posted took me 30+ min each, so I am making progress in my sense of fluidity with the program. I am going to start doing these once a day now, along with Idiom's next exercise. Trying to get a regiment down. I will be sketching throughout the day now in my drawing pad whenever I can, so I will soon be posting those sketches.

[Syle]

The few sketches/exercises I was able to do accomplish over the last few busy days.

[Syle]

Been gone awhile. :wtf:

I am going to just upload anything and everything I make from now on. Getting embarrassed about how terrible I am just makes no sense if I want to grow as an artist. From hence forth I hold nothing back.

This update consists of an original pencil doodle. Then I tossed it into PS and "symmetrized" it. It's something I like to do (but am slowly trying to work my way away from).

[Syle]

A loose hand gestural thing that I manipulated in PS.

[Syle]

Charcoal. Then PS again.

[Syle]

Started with a pencil sketch up. Then PSed it. Then churned it into a 54"x48" acrylic painting. (Order of pictures here is: PS, painting, ball point pen)

[Syle]

*Update*

[Syle]

*Update 2*

[Syle]

Looking for some feedback on my gestural sketches. I was doing 60 sec posemaniac sets. It looks terrible to me, but will keep it up. Trying to do 3-4 10 min posemaniac sessions a day on top of perspective studies.

[Syle]

Still hoping for some help/feedback on the gestural stuff. Is there a right and wrong way to do it?

[Syle]

*bump*

[Lyno]

Hi Syle, I don't really often do those posemaniacs gestures things :confident, but I think they're mainly used to warm up. On the other hand, I can recommend this pdf, quite much to read but it's so great and changed my way of thinking about anatomy/gesture.
"Gesture Drawing for Animation" (the link is a pdf!) (http://www.floobynooby.com/pdfs/gesturedrawingforanimation.pdf), it's a collection of the handouts of Walt Stanchfield. I should print it out and take your time read it.

Good luck :).

[Syle]

Thank you Lyno! I really appreciate it!

[Syle]

The pear was the first DP I did. The nectarine followed. And then I did the blue bottle/apple today. They each took me 1+ hours.

[Syle]

update: in the market for a scanner to upload pencil studies, in the mean time, trying to get back into the digital realm.

[Syle]

just an update. hoping to be consistent.

[Syle]

11-27-2010 update:

[Syle]

Update, going through Loomis and Bridgeman.

[Syle]

Update 11-30-2010:

[karmiclychee]

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1110007&stc=1&d=1290886798

That is some trippy shit. Dude, I see some excellent progress here. Your lines are getting more refined and confident. Mix up your pencils, push your lights and darks!

[Syle]

Thanks for passing through here Karmiclychee. I appreciate the feedback. I will totally pay attention to pushing my darks and lights. More contrast!

Also, I really dig your website. Those renderings that you did of the bananas were top notch! The first one I thought was photograph! Until I did a double-take I didn't realize it was digital. Very cool.

I saw that you were moving to Seattle soon; I'm in Seattle myself. I would be curious to know which Futurepoly classes and Gage classes you take. I took the Concept Design course at Futurepoly. It was a good course and very loosely (but also very educational) structured.

[OnceDaily]

Hey dude.

Keep it up. Some of your abstract stuff is really neat; I especially like the stuff in post #9. Also, you seem to have a very good eye for detail.

As far as your posemaniacs gestures go, I've just started doing some myself, but I find that the looser my strokes, the more success I have. You're going for feeling, not 100% anatomical accuracy in those 30/60 seconds. Just my amateur opinion on the matter.

[Syle]

This one gave me some trouble. Some of the shadows I feel good about, and the ones I marked with a (?) I wasn't sure about....

Anyways, this was just a quick perspective/light-value study. Going to hammer on these basics for a while; I'll stick with basic geometric shapes.

[Rhoades]

First of all, post #11 is amazing! As far as your figure studies, they are looking pretty good! Hand studies are are also well done. Keep up the good work!

[karmiclychee]

Thanks for passing through here Karmiclychee. I appreciate the feedback. I will totally pay attention to pushing my darks and lights. More contrast!

Also, I really dig your website. Those renderings that you did of the bananas were top notch! The first one I thought was photograph! Until I did a double-take I didn't realize it was digital. Very cool.

I saw that you were moving to Seattle soon; I'm in Seattle myself. I would be curious to know which Futurepoly classes and Gage classes you take. I took the Concept Design course at Futurepoly. It was a good course and very loosely (but also very educational) structured.

Haha, those bananas. Everyone loves the bananas. They're actually both photographs of a banana that I etched with the tip of my pocket knife (like a dot painting).

I'm definitely interested in doing the drawing and painting Atelier, I just have to make it work somehow since it's full time, 7000 bucks, and I'm pretty much broke. I'm not sure when I'll do it (at the same time as Gage or after I've learned the foundations from Gage), but I want to at least take the Digital Art Core classes at Future Poly - digital painting, texturing, and concept design. I might just pick and choose after starting with digital painting.

I suspect that I'd be better off doing Gage first, getting some really solid fundamentals in classical skills, and then veering off into concept design with a good technical foundation.

[Syle]

-OnceDaily: thanks! that's good advice about loosening up with the gesture sketches. you're right, i should really be more conscious of my line control when doing those quick 30 second sketches; i need more fluidity to really capture the essence of the gesture, rather than attempting to be anatomically correct.

-Rhoades: thank you!

-karmiclychee: i bet you are right: Gage first, to get the basic fundamentals down solid, and then move on to Futurepoly to really hone your skills. Not sure what to tell you about being broke :) I am in the same position as you, so you definitely don't want any of my advice!

[Kezhi]

Heya Syle,

Your perspective and shadow casting studies are looking pretty hot!~ As to comment on gestures it seems your focusing on the contours, I think looking more for the movement and pose of the figure yield better results for quick gestures like these. I would say to check out Vilppu's method for approaching gestures, he breaks it down pretty well.

Group is working out pretty good hehe, lets keep up the work :D

[Syle]

Could anyone comment on the shadows I marked with a "?". I am not sure if they are correct or not.

[Pixelwalker]

Hey dude!

Do you know Vilppu? He has some good DVD's on figure drawing.
The first chapters, especially gestures, would help you a lot when you are doing these 60 seconds drawing.
I you can't to draw the figure till end, to "Random Poses", as fast as you can, but then do the figure complete. :)

Greetings, Sil

[Syle]

More perspective + light studies.

[Syle]

will be doing my sunday update here in a few minutes...finishing up a couple things.

EDITR: 2 updates. 1 of these images is an edited version of a recent sketch i posted. i fixed a shadow or two after i took a step back and looked at them. also, i am working on a digital painting to post later this evening/morning.

[Syle]

UPDATE 12-6-2010: Started a digital painting. I know it's not much, but here is the rough outline, I will start blocking in color tomorrow and rendering from there.

UPDATE 12-10-2010: started blocking in color. i think i am starting too refined with my color. i think i need to just slather it on and focus on getting the base colors right before worrying about detail...this mostly goes for the apple, as it's obviously what i spent the most time on so far.

[zien]

whats up man...thanks for the kind words bro.

ive been doing this art thing for about 8 years now...but really within the last year or two have been crunching hard on improving and i gotta say this site is really helping to push me. also, im 29...getting OLD man! :wtf:

i just bought the bridgman's complete guide to drawing from life. $18 at barnes and noble and worth every penny man....go pick it up...wish i wouldve done it 10 years ago. I started at page one and have been drawing every pic in the book...and reading the little bits of wisdom he puts in here and there. he was a genius on breaking up the human form into edible/memorable pieces! the paper i used is a brown toned sketchbook that you can get from UTRECHT. its sweet for using white! and prisma color pencils work really nice on it as well. good luck man...hopefully some of this info helps out.

keep up the stellar work.

-zien

[Syle]

Update 12-10: not getting enough sketching done as I'd like...really busy at the moment. My band is putting out an album here pretty soon, so that is kind of taking up a lot of my time.

EDIT: i forgot to give credit for the original digital painting of that 2nd image. i can't remember the name of the artist here on CA.org, but it really inspired me to pick up the drawing pencil again, so i thought i'd do a quick study of his/her work. i hope that's okay.

[Syle]

UPDATE: my scanner isn't working for some reason. i may have to reinstall the drivers. i will either post tonight when it's fixed, or tomorrow when i have more time to figure out what's wrong.

[George Abraham]

Good work on the still lifes. Keep pushing your observational skills. Allso try to set the habit early to apply the stuff you learn. Like the perspective. The little red box in your still is easy enough to apply perspective, it looks like it might have been done. If you have, good on you.

[Syle]

Thanks for stopping by George. I did keep perspective in mind when I was doing that box :) Thanks for noticing!

Okay, here is my weekly update. My gestures still LOOK terrible, but they are feeling better to draw. Even though it may not look like it, they felt a lot easier, and more loose to draw.

[Syle]

Still life update. It's not much, but I feel that I am making progress. I am going to set aside a 2 hour chunk sometime this week to finish this still life and hopefully start a new one.

[Syle]

Made some progress this evening on that still life. I got to spend a good couple hours on it! I had a ton of fun too! I think I will dedicate 1 more hour to it tomorrow and then leave it be.

[Syle]

Loomis study: Spheres/Human head

Loomis, I love you. Your book is so much more interesting and approachable than Bridgeman. I think I need a year or two under my belt before I seriously dive into Bridgeman. Also, I think I need an anatomy book if I am to address Bridgeman with any sort of authority. Anyone have some recommendations for a good drawer's anatomy book?

[Syle]

More sphere and value/light studies.

[Syle]

This is all I've managed to get in the last 2 days. Been extremely busy...

With the holidays coming up, I am planning on getting a ton of face/proportion, perspective, and observational studies done. So plan on a big update after Christmas sometime :)

Also, I am starting a new DP tomorrow. It's my first attempt at referencing a photograph, so we'll see how it goes. It'll be an enviro-paintingl; also a first for me.

[Syle]

Some value studies. I learned a lot doing that still life. I realized how much impact the background can have on defining a light'ed or shadow'ed edge. It also helped me really rub in some darks to make the highlight areas "pop" a bit more.

I am now going to start my new digi-painting enviro (from observation).

[Syle]

Again, paying extra attention to the relation of edges between the foreground and background. I think I may have had a semi-breakthrough on how value is treated in contrast to lines.

[Syle]

I re-drew a past value study.

[jNeumann]

Hey Syle!
It's looking great man, I can see improvement already. Keep up with the studies!

[Syle]

More from tonight.

[Jamie Romoser]

Great studies man your putting in alot of hard work
my only advice would be to really think about every stroke and why your putting it down. Keep it up dude!
-Jamie

[FootstepsBeckon]

more updates required RAGE. POST MOAR SYLE

[Syle]

Update: figure/value studies. Loomis.

[Syle]

forgot this 1, though it's quite small.

[Syle]

New Digi still life. Sketch up, and blocking in colors. It's hard to refrain from rendering at the start...Trying to be conscientious of blocking in the color first.

[jNeumann]

Heyyy Syle,
That new digital still life is looking great man. I have to get a couple of those going. Keep it up!

[Syle]

No reference/imagination drawing. It was a lot of fun. I kept catching myself and thinking back on the value studies, and then applying what I could remember.

[Syle]

thanks jNeumann! It's still in the infant stage I guess.

[Syle]

I wasn't really feeling anything tonight...I just couldn't see things correctly, and I couldn't move my pencil in the right ways. Oh well, just an off night I suppose...back at it hard tomorrow night.

I returned to that digital still life as well. I cleaned up some edges, and worked the background a little bit to add some depth. I also noticed something in the shadows that I've never noticed before, a little bit of a reflection or cooling effect towards the outer part of the shadow under the apple and the orange. I tried to paint that in, though I don't know how successful I was. But it still felt good to see this and recognize what it was. I feel like through all this studying I am doing, I am really starting to see things more clearly when I look at them...I feel like I am looking with a deeper and more in tune purpose than before, and I am really enjoying it :sungod:

Anyways, back at it tomorrow.

[Syle]

Decided to have a go at some thumbnail enviros. These were SO much fun! Number 3 and 4 are my favorite, and number 2 makes me wish I were never born, lol...

Anyways, any critiques or help to make these faster/more successfully? I know that perspective is king for these, so I will always keep that in mind when sitting down to work on enviros like this.

[ezekrialase]

wow I really like this last landscape update you did, great job!

[zien]

syle

right on man...loving those landscapes. keep doing em. also...keep on those loomis studies...those are going to boost your figurative drawings ten fold. try to draw through the form...meaning think of where the rib cage is in 3d space and draw its contours accordingly...check this out...

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/3383/107nt5.jpg

look at how he draws the s-curve of the spine and wraps the ribcage around it almost...on the figure with its back toward us. it looks like the ribcage is hanging off of the spine there...and then the hip bones but right up underneath it...

draw the s curve and figure out where the bottom if the ribcage line is, then figure out where the hips are...and then draw in the clavicle, and right above that is the jaw bone...and then youre halfway there! with only five lines!

keep it up broski.
-zien

[NeonDuck]

good work so far, but i think maybe you're taking on too much at once? you're doing gesture, anatomy, construction, shading, perspective, values all mixed together.

my advice would be focus on one of the basics, either perspective or figure construction, before you do anything else. if you look at loomis he's got lots of tips on how to build things in perspective using vanishing points and primitive shapes (cubes, cylinders, spheres).

once you're really comfortable with those foundations in a couple of months you'll have a much better chance of tackling the more advanced stuff

[Syle]

ezekrialase: thanks for stopping by!

zien: thanks for the help zien. great advice on the figurative drawing stuff. i will try really hard to keep all that you mentioned there when I do some gestural stuff again. i think i need to do a lot of gesture stuff, my lines are feeling really forced, i think i need to loosen up a bit.

NeonDuck: you could be quite right, i dunno...sometimes i feel a bit overwhelmed trying to adapt everything i am learning into a single sit-down-study-period. I also have about 10 books pertaining to perspective, values, anatomy, gesture drawing, and composition that I am reading through simultaneously :) Sometimes I get a bit anxious and feel like I need to figure out everything all at once...but, I think your advice rings true, and I need to learn some patience with this.

UPDATE: some stuff I did the last couple days. My scanner is busted again, so it's shitty camera pics until then. i did a digital still life of an egg as well. i referenced Matt Kohrs Egg, which I posted last in this update. Harsh critique is extremely welcomed, I need to learn.

EDIT: my digital life study is now the last image in the post, not Matt Kohrs egg (I'm pretty sure that was obvious though...his Egg is awesome, whilst mine is...well, not :) )

[Mr. LuckyLegs]

The duck is right, you do have a lot going on. So do I as well, but I found that focusing on one object/area would help me alot better,than spreading myself thin. I chose to develop my talents in life drawings/human studies. My goal is to be better than Great, and that should be yours too. We'll get there, just got to push each other. Oh, awesome music!!

[Syle]

Update: Some gestural stuff. Getting into Vilppu's method. My gestures are getting a little bit better...but they still feel awful. Going to keep chugging away at them; I obviously need work. I also focused a couple of full pages on just doing circles and wrapping the spherical plane around them. It felt good to retreat a little bit back to the basics.

[Syle]

An imagination drawing with no reference. It was really fun! I was definitely scratching my head several times throughout. Oh well, I desperately need critiques on it, so I can apply any changes when I sit down to do this again.

And 1 other random doodle/shadow/light study thing.

[ezekrialase]

These sketches have a very good sense of form and structure, keep up the figure drawings (believe me they help a lot!) I like your shadow studies; They've made me realize that I should be doing them too! Happy drawing =D

[Syle]

Face/proportions study. From imagination. Was fun! I crossed out 3 faces that my band members drew. I didn't want to take credit for them :)

[jbrown67]

wow! You have some good improvement just in the first few pages. Keep up the good work. don't forget about the enviros! If you forget those, it will come back to haunt you later...I did the same thing just that I spent a year on enviros with hardly any figures...and I'm not equaled out between the two at all right now.

[Syle]

Getting back into it with the start of my 28 week self designed study course (see here (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=212957)):

[Kungfoowiz]

Hey bro, I like your attitude toward your work a lot. You also studying from Loomis and Bridgman, my heroes.. =)

Mmm.. the work is good so far.. hope you don't mind but if you looking for ideas to improve try playing with your lines a bit, sorry for the crap draw but hope you get the idea.. =) Good luck with your next studies. =)

[Lightpunk]

Hey good work here, looks like you are studying all the right stuff and putting in the hours which is sure to pay dividends and there's already a lot of improvement on show. I think NeonDuck is right, whilst its important to study everything, it can be hard to consolidate what your learning if you are doing everything at once, so maybe concentrate on a different area each week to avoid getting overloaded. You definitely seem to be mastering perspective which is pretty much the basis of everything, so that's a great start.

Nice egg by the way! I also really like the more abstract stuff where you have taken the hand drawings into PS and mirrored them, they look great.

Keep at it man!

[4tonmantis]

Syle your studies are progressing nicely!
#62, the landscapes with value are nice. That's an important part of putting together pictures and once we as artists move onto doing full on pieces that knowledge will come into play in a number of other ways.

Your perspective studies are moving along too.. if you get stuck sometimes it helps to view what you're studying through a square cutout in poster or foam board.. if that's not available just make a square with your fingers and close one eye.. I have problems with this and it helps when I actually remember to do it.

On your gesture drawings.. try to keep your wrist stiff and loosen your elbow.. make broad sweeping lines and draw big.. the bigger the better.. when you get good at big reduce. It will be a huge mess at first but it will eventually lead to more free and dynamic drawings. This book (http://www.amazon.com/Drawn-Life-Classes-Stanchfield-Lectures/dp/0240811070) is super helpful and Stanchfield and Glen Keane are both gods of gesture drawing. Youtube has a ton of Glen Keane videos but the quality is spotty. If you watch him work (or his pencil tests) you get a sense for how he is able to capture motion and form with gestural lines.
Check this video.. volume and quality are weaksauce but good info (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5boxhntk3g&feature=related)

[Syle]

A couple of choice excerpts from my studies last week. I am trying hard to see the simple shapes in the figures...I think I need to simplify the shapes even further.

Kungfoowiz: Thanks for the kind words! I hate my linework!!! Yes, I will definitely be paying attention to my lines...they just lack any sort of confidence.

Lightpunk: Thank you very much Lightpunk. You and Neon are correct. Trying to focus on too much all at once was very overwhelming. I've divided the main aspects of drawing into weekly chunks, and I designed for myself a 28 week course to try and work on it all. I can't afford school right now, but I need something "academically" structured in my life to really keep my nose to the grindstone, otherwise shit just doesn't get done, yah know? Thanks again for stopping by.

4tonmantis: Thank you mantis. I have a song that I've started writing, titled "Mantis" :) When it's finished I'll send it your way (if you want, heh). Yes, my gestural feel and my line work are terrible right now...I think it's my weakest skill right now. I may adjust my 28 week schedule to allot a few weeks of strict line studies...I think I would benefit greatly from it. Thanks for your links as well, I will definitely be checking them out.

[4tonmantis]

Hey that foot cast is awesome! Did you get one or is it from photo? If you did was it the Masters one on Amazon? I was considering getting it but didn't know anyone who had given it a chance..

On the song.. that'd be bitchin.. the name is from an Amon Tobin song if you've ever heard it.

[Syle]

Hey Mantis, I just ref'd it off a google image. I searched for Bargue studies. Thanks for dropping by again :) Checking out your SB now!

[4tonmantis]

While I'm not trying to bump spam I thought it would be worth linking the actual casting (http://www.amazon.com/Plaster-Anatomical-Casting-Human-Foot/dp/B000XTYMAM/ref=pd_sbs_op_5) ...and it's only about $30.. not unreasonable really.. and thanks for the comment in my sb :)

[Jeremy Swan]

well look at you working so hard here. try to get a little looser with your imagination and fun sketches. guide your pencil stokes more intuitively, good exercise to stay loose and creative. :D You have a good style going to. I want to help with your digital paints though. You seem to struggle sampling when your blending in your paints. Check out the legendary Bumskee's tute (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=107217) on it.

[bebraw]

You are getting better. :)

A couple of quicky noob tips about gestures. Hopefully they make sense:

Think in bubbles and how they occupy space instead of pure contours. This helped me a lot.
Try to establish some kind of rhythm and flow first (a few, happy S-lines).
Don't be afraid to draw through to get the overall shapes right. By this I mean that there's no shame in drawing things that will get obscured by other shapes in front of them. They'll help with your construction.

[Syle]

Jeremy: thanks for dropping in. yeah, loosening up is my biggest problem right now. I am going to be dedicating some weeks over the next couple months to pure line/gesture studies. Extensive Vilpuu studies should help a lot here. Thanks for the Bumskee link as well. I have read through that thread once before, but have since forgotten most of the advice Bumskee had given! It'll be good to freshen up on it. Thanks again.

bebraw: thank you! I am actually integrating all of your gesture tips right now...and boy is it helping! the "bubbles vs. pure contour" point really got me thinking about how i am looking at the figures when i try to draw them...I never realized how much I was focusing on only the outline of the figures. This causes a lot of problems for me with foreshortening/proportions. But with your advice, I feel like I am really SEEING the form/space a lot better now. I busted out 15 pages of sketches tonight thanks to you!!!

Do you have any recommendations for the duration of time that I should be doing my gestures? Because of my noobness, I am having a hard time telling what best for me, long or quick duration sketching (30sec, 1min, 5min, 10min?)...

[bebraw]

Do you have any recommendations for the duration of time that I should be doing my gestures? Because of my noobness, I am having a hard time telling what best for me, long or quick duration sketching (30sec, 1min, 5min, 10min?)...

Do whatever suits you. Considering it's supposed to be a gesture even 15 secs might be enough. That should be enough time to establish some basics while not worrying about it too much.

Since gestures are fast to draw you'll learn a lot by simply posing your character differently and figuring out how that affects the overall mood and flow.

Glad to hear you got something out of my bag of tricks. Can't wait to see the results. :)

[Syle]

Update. Did some line practice; varying the shape of the line, and the value of it as well. I also did a Bargue cast study. I also did several pages of gestures. They may not look very much improved. But keep in mind these are 30 second gestures, compared to my old gesture sketches that were 1 minute sketches. With bebraw's advice, I felt like I was really seeing the figures more easily. Oh well, gonna keep chuggin' away at things.

[Syle]

just some doodle updating...it has been a dark last few days and i just couldn't find any inspiration to do any "serious" work...but i still managed to get the pencil to the paper.

it's a hand studies week for me, so i am going to be getting to work on some hand studies between now and sunday. hopefully i will be able to post a big update over the weekend.

[Syle]

I have been SUPER busy, so I can't really post all the work I've done the last few months. I have also been going without internet, except for 2 hours on Sunday evenings; hence the lack of updating.

Here is the CoW entry I made this week (my first *oW ever! Very fun!!!). I also am posting a random speed paint of a small town/alley. I just googled a random linework drawing and then painted over it...I am having a hard time letting go of the line work though...I think I need to lay down heavier layers of paint, and not be so timid with it. My problem arises when I go to turn off the line-work layer, and the paint-only layer looks like SHIT....oh well, going to keep up the work, I am learning photoshop pretty well at this point. BIG THANKS TO NOAH BRADLEY! His PS painting tutorial on youtube really helped me out a lot!

[Syle]

BIG update. A lot of doodling in this update. I also churned out A LOT of pages with just line marks (inks and pencils). I probably only posted half of the sheets that I churned out just practicing my line quality.

I also tried watercolor for the first time in that colored/inked image. It was fun, but very difficult!

I'm also currently taking an oil painting class with Diane Reincke here in Seattle. Here is a link to her gallery: http://dianereincke.com/gallery.html I've posted my color reference palette as well as an oil painting replication I am starting. I absolutely LOVE oil painting! It's so much fun getting my hands dirty (and clothes, and table, and shoes...etc etc etc :) ). The hardest part is keeping my cats out my paint!

Anyways, just posting to show that I am drawing every day. Of course it's not as much as I would like to...but, I am sure we all feel that way.

[Syle]

Simple shapes exercises/doodles. I really need to put time into some solid anatomy studies this next week.

[Aryeh]

you're making great progress.

[Syle]

bebraw: thanks. i am scrounging around in my room trying to find the gestures that I did. if i can't find any, I will be doing some gesture work later this week; I will post those.

Aryeh: thank you! i need to break away from simple shapes exercises...i need to really sink my teeth into some solid and more focused studies. i think have some good foundational elements under my belt at this point. time to move on.

[Syle]

Small update. It's values studies for me this week starting today. I am going to combine that with some anatomy studies as well; really work on the lighting over different forms.

[Syle]

Small sketchbook update. This last week I acquired some PVC tubing, some random stuff from Value Village, and a can of Flat White Spray Paint. I've painted up my random basic shaped objects, and I plan on sitting down this next week for some good still life sessions. My goal is to really wrap my head around the basic forms; get really intimate with 'em :)

[Leysan]

Good work with your studies, those shapes look great, and so does the stuff in your last big update.

[Syle]

Thanks Leysan, I appreciate the kind words. I plan on posting a bigger and higher quality update later this week.

[Syle]

Update: I am taking an oil painting class. I've never painted in oils before, so this medium is completely new to me, but I love it! It's so fun and refreshing to get my hands dirty :) But, obviously, I am terrible! Hehe. Oh well, baby steps. I am having fun, learning A LOT, and those are the two most important things at this stage.

I am doing a master painting copy. I don't know the name of the artist or the painting, nor does my teacher :( If anyone knows, please, do tell. Right now, I am only about 20%-30% into it, and most of my time has been spent on the apples and grapes. My teacher warned me to not fixate too much on little areas too much, to work in a bigger/broader scope, to really work the painting as a whole, rather than a collection of little parts. So, I am just beginning to edge into the rest of the painting, but I am kind of stuck as where to go to next...oh well, I'll figure it out once I start laying paint to canvas, I am sure.

[Syle]

UPDATE: more simple sketches.

[Robodrey]

Hey Syle, thanks a lot for the kind comment! Your studies studies are great, they're looking a lot more solid now compared to the first page of your sketchbook. I also like that you're tackling a lot of different things at the same time, your work is fun to go through. I'm pretty sure you're on the right path here, keep going! :D

[dpaint]

Update: I am taking an oil painting class. I've never painted in oils before, so this medium is completely new to me, but I love it! It's so fun and refreshing to get my hands dirty :) But, obviously, I am terrible! Hehe. Oh well, baby steps. I am having fun, learning A LOT, and those are the two most important things at this stage.

I am doing a master painting copy. I don't know the name of the artist or the painting, nor does my teacher :( If anyone knows, please, do tell. Right now, I am only about 20%-30% into it, and most of my time has been spent on the apples and grapes. My teacher warned me to not fixate too much on little areas too much, to work in a bigger/broader scope, to really work the painting as a whole, rather than a collection of little parts. So, I am just beginning to edge into the rest of the painting, but I am kind of stuck as where to go to next...oh well, I'll figure it out once I start laying paint to canvas, I am sure.

Your teacher should demo this to show you how to aproach it. Some areas have glazes in them and you need to be shown how to create a glaze mixture and how and when to apply it.

Why they let you get this far without help is beyond me. Bad teaching most likely. To do a master copy properly you need to know the artist, their palette and their working method. Otherwise how can you make a copy?

If you are just trying to get a copy of the image then first fix the drawing
The drawing is way off. You should start with a good drawing in charcoal. Then block in all the colors in flat poster shapes carefully copying them for tone and hue and saturation. Then develop the details.

Tell your teacher I think you should get your money back or they should step up to the plate and actually teach you.

[Syle]

"Your teacher should demo this to show you how to aproach it. Some areas have glazes in them and you need to be shown how to create a glaze mixture and how and when to apply it. "

I'll need to read about this on my own. She sort of glossed over glazes when she discussed them. She basically pointed at my canvas and just told me specifically where to put down glazes as it related to copying the masters painting, but she didn't explain how to properly prepare the glaze or the general rules of thumb of what a glaze actually is used for.

"Why they let you get this far without help is beyond me. Bad teaching most likely. To do a master copy properly you need to know the artist, their palette and their working method. Otherwise how can you make a copy?"

I'm sorry, but I think I've been a bit misleading when describing this class. It's a 2 hour class held once a week at my local artist/craftsmen store; it's not affiliated with a school/uni/atelier. The first two weeks we spent mixing paint to get a feel for values and color combos. Then we jumped right into this master copy. During class, she basically just walks in a circle and fixes our mistakes as each of us go along, just telling us what to do to fix it, rather than why.

"If you are just trying to get a copy of the image then first fix the drawing
The drawing is way off. You should start with a good drawing in charcoal. Then block in all the colors in flat poster shapes carefully copying them for tone and hue and saturation. Then develop the details."

I agree that the drawing is crap. We transferred the image via white/chalk transfer-tracing paper, and it was REALLY hard to see the master copy underneath because of how dark it is.

So, with what you're saying about using charcoal for the drawing, do I use the charcoal to draw in my subject AFTER I've laid down my background color? Or, do I use the charcoal on the white canvas, paint in my subject, and then lay in my background around everything else?

Also, you mentioning charcoal f***s with me a bit more because this teacher explicitly explained to us that using pencil to sketch in a subject is a big no-no, because it will end up muddying the color....?

"Tell your teacher I think you should get your money back or they should step up to the plate and actually teach you. "

Hmm, I have one more class left, so I'm not sure if I can; I'd sort of feel like an asshole for doing that....or maybe I'm just a bitch and I want to avoid confrontation. I'm going to learn from this experience and I'm going to find a teacher to give one on one lessons.

Thanks for replying dpaint. I remember a quote of yours every time I sit down to do my studies: "Practice is the act of doing something over and over until you can do it right."

[JeffX99]

[I]
I'm sorry, but I think I've been a bit misleading when describing this class. It's a 2 hour class held once a week at my local artist/craftsmen store; it's not affiliated with a school/uni/atelier. The first two weeks we spent mixing paint to get a feel for values and color combos. Then we jumped right into this master copy. During class, she basically just walks in a circle and fixes our mistakes as each of us go along, just telling us what to do to fix it, rather than why.


Yeah, not really worth being confrontational, unfortunately this is a typical example of someone who has no business teaching, and should know better. Basically this kind of thing wastes people's time at best, and at worse can really steer them in the wrong direction, set up bad working habits and promotes a lot of misinformation.

You have to be very careful about taking classes...the number one thing is to check the work of the instructor. If you like it and it is generally in line with your direction then great, if it is crap then don't waste your time, if there is no way to check it then assume it is crap.

Edit: Those are good pages of object, perspective and lighting studies btw.

[Syle]

Update.

[Syle]

I tried my hand on a paint-over of someone else's line work. I gleaned the line work from the "Color Book" thread in one of the other sub-forums. This was a lot of fun, and I started to feel a good work flow as I cruised along.

Again, I repeat: this is not my creation/concept/line work. I just did the coloring for practice.

[Atroxinn]

Seeing a lot of improvement in every post! :)
Good job on the studies and how far you have come from this first post!

Wish I'd have the time and dedication to improve as much as you have :)

But I need to get my act together and do more studies, might copy your 28 week self-designed course, or at least use it as a reference to my own plan :)

[Syle]

Some sketchbook stuff. I also re colored the line work that is not mine. I think I did a much better job this time around. I referenced a chameleon for the scaly/bumpy part. I felt sort of lost on giving values for the hood, but in the end I think it came out looking okay.

Any critique would be greatly appreciated. The coloring this time took me around 2 1/2 hours.

[Syle]

Small one page update I did tonight. I just kind of let my pencil go a-wanderin'.

[Syle]

trying another coloring exercise. again, i did not create the line work. i extracted it from the coloring book thread. i've got about an hour into this one, and i plan on putting 2 more hours in tomorrow.

[Syle]

Coloring update. Not my linework.

I'm starting to get the hang of working in photoshop a bit more now. I stripped things down and am only using a hard round brush; it seems to be helping a lot.

[Saara_]

Wow, nice studies. That's really a great idea with practicing the shapes - hell, I'd like to try that myself! Nice improvement since the first page and great dedication - keep at it and you'll be able to paint the awesome enviros you've always wanted to. Looking forward to it :)

[Syle]

Some random doodles. I think the rocks came out pretty nicely; they were done from imagination. I did that maze for some perspective study/exercising. I started getting impatient with it towards the end, so I started to rush through it; you'll see lots of mistakes in there because of that...

I'm also starting a co-study with Joe777k7 from this website. We are focusing on perspective studying this week. We'll be meeting throughout the week (on Skype) to help each other out, give critiques, and share our work. I'll be linking his SB in my signature.

[Syle]

Still life sketch. 1 hour. And a perspective doodling page.

[Syle]

Some sketches. I posted a close up of a rock that I drew from imagination...I was quite proud of it, haha...

[Syle]

I spent a couple hours messing around in PS tonight. I tried out some random mark making that turned into character poses. I'm going to do a lot more of this; it was nice trying to flesh out forms from just random marks.

I am also working on this alien landscape enviro thingie...it's really bad right now, but it's also really early on. It's kind of got this floating egg/spore vine-like vibe going on...not really sure. Mostly, I am trying to focus on some atmospheric perspective stuff (distance vs saturation, etc). I also thought the clouds are coming along okay...though, I think I may need to make them a bit more prominent by the end of this piece.

[Syle]

Still life. One and a half hours to completion. After scanning it into the computer, and flipping across the horizontal, I am seeing HUGE mistakes...ugh. Oh well, time to invest in a mirror for the traditional medium.

I really enjoyed doing this still life. I really got to know my different pencil grades (I used a 2H, 2B, 4B and 8B). I think I used the 2B the most.

[Syle]

Still life study for tonight. I listened to the Koyaanisqatsi soundtrack while I was studying. I LOVE that music :)

That metal union pipe fitting looks stupid...I ended up losing patience with trying to get it to look right. Looking back, I realize now that that part of the drawing was wrong from the git go; I should have taken time at the start of the drawing to fix it. Oh well, lesson learned.

[AckermannPhilip]

First of all, big thanks for commenting my SB ;)

I appreciate the effort which are MANY of you are putting into studies. I should learn that too. You have done a nice amount of it so far. I hope you can use my critique, which is of course well-intended.

The last picture:
For me, the values are not correct yet. I expect to see way more contrast, deeper form- and cast shadows.
If you just mess up the form, then keep concentrating on a value study. Finish it up.

To your figures and PS painting: Let me give you an advice, but keep in mind, that there are no fixed rules. A few of the greatest out there tried it on their own, until they found their own way of painting digitally and traditionally. I use the hard round only for a quick lay in of shadow/light areas, colors and for creating the final sharp edges. The soft round brush (pressure-sensitive option enabled) is rendering the smoothest transitions ever. But be careful on edges, which shall be sharp. If you work along them with the soft round you will immediately ruin the sharph edge and blur it. Don't forget to adjust opacity and flow. I always keep it that way: Soft round shading - opacity and flow 20-45 % and for the hard round and creating sharp edges just increase the flow and opacity to 40-70%.
But as I said, keep in mind, that there are NO rules. Try it out, judge by yourself.

Your 2nd image in #105 shows very believable creature thumbnails. But you are stumbling with the final rendering using the prefabricated linework. I suggest to look at guys like Frazetta and Carlos Huante and just question light and shade. Study it. Really think about why they did it that way. Buy a little cast figure and experiment with light. You can take a kneadable eraser and apply the texture you did in image #103, then set up the lightning. You will immediately see your mistakes. Then move it around and try to understand. Switch back and forth between master paintings, anatomy books and the cast/wood figure. You will increase your knowledge immediately.

Keep up hard working =)

cheerz, Acki

[Mr. Corlan]

Ah! I can't tell you how happy I am to see you drawing all these boxes and simple 3D objects. It's so important yet nobody does it. Just don't forget them when you go to draw other things. The point of drawing boxes is really not to draw boxes, but to be able to draw everything else three-dimensionally. Keep it up. Your cylinders and ellipses kinda stink right now, work on those. Have you seen Yoitisi Island (http://conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=146)? I feel like I recommend it to everyone, but it is really good. Push yourself to be as accurate as possible with this stuff, don't let yourself get sloppy.

Your rendering is not bad, but do some really nice value renderings of each of your basic solids. Make sure you separate your lights from your darks: the lightest shadow must be darker than the darkest light.

Also, if you haven't already, check out Jeff's measuring demo (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=222777) and Jason Rainville's figure drawing tutorial (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=3098213&postcount=4). I've also got a few things up on the CA wiki (http://www.conceptart.org/wiki/doku.php) under "Studies & Lessons" that you might find useful. Not all the stuff on there is mine of course.

[Syle]

First of all, big thanks for commenting my SB ;)

I appreciate the effort which are MANY of you are putting into studies. I should learn that too. You have done a nice amount of it so far. I hope you can use my critique, which is of course well-intended.

The last picture:
For me, the values are not correct yet. I expect to see way more contrast, deeper form- and cast shadows.
If you just mess up the form, then keep concentrating on a value study. Finish it up.

To your figures and PS painting: Let me give you an advice, but keep in mind, that there are no fixed rules. A few of the greatest out there tried it on their own, until they found their own way of painting digitally and traditionally. I use the hard round only for a quick lay in of shadow/light areas, colors and for creating the final sharp edges. The soft round brush (pressure-sensitive option enabled) is rendering the smoothest transitions ever. But be careful on edges, which shall be sharp. If you work along them with the soft round you will immediately ruin the sharph edge and blur it. Don't forget to adjust opacity and flow. I always keep it that way: Soft round shading - opacity and flow 20-45 % and for the hard round and creating sharp edges just increase the flow and opacity to 40-70%.
But as I said, keep in mind, that there are NO rules. Try it out, judge by yourself.

Your 2nd image in #105 shows very believable creature thumbnails. But you are stumbling with the final rendering using the prefabricated linework. I suggest to look at guys like Frazetta and Carlos Huante and just question light and shade. Study it. Really think about why they did it that way. Buy a little cast figure and experiment with light. You can take a kneadable eraser and apply the texture you did in image #103, then set up the lightning. You will immediately see your mistakes. Then move it around and try to understand. Switch back and forth between master paintings, anatomy books and the cast/wood figure. You will increase your knowledge immediately.

Keep up hard working =)

cheerz, Acki

Thanks for visiting my SB as well, Acki :) I'm sorry I didn't leave any feedback for you...but seriously, your skills are so good that I couldn't find anything to critique! Please keep posting some more stuff, I really enjoyed looking at your work. I also found a new favorite artist because of you...Carlos Huante! He is very very talented.

Thanks for the critique as well. I really DO need to push the values in that my still life(s). I am thinking I need to change my lighting situation (ie, my lamp). I don't think it puts out a very strong light source; it tends to wash everything out and doesn't create very sharp shadows and contrast. I will take everything you mentioned in your critique to heart, and I will begin implementing it. Thank you.

[Syle]

Ah! I can't tell you how happy I am to see you drawing all these boxes and simple 3D objects. It's so important yet nobody does it. Just don't forget them when you go to draw other things. The point of drawing boxes is really not to draw boxes, but to be able to draw everything else three-dimensionally. Keep it up. Your cylinders and ellipses kinda stink right now, work on those. Have you seen Yoitisi Island (http://conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=146)? I feel like I recommend it to everyone, but it is really good. Push yourself to be as accurate as possible with this stuff, don't let yourself get sloppy.

Your rendering is not bad, but do some really nice value renderings of each of your basic solids. Make sure you separate your lights from your darks: the lightest shadow must be darker than the darkest light.

Also, if you haven't already, check out Jeff's measuring demo (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=222777) and Jason Rainville's figure drawing tutorial (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=3098213&postcount=4). I've also got a few things up on the CA wiki (http://www.conceptart.org/wiki/doku.php) under "Studies & Lessons" that you might find useful. Not all the stuff on there is mine of course.

Thanks for visiting Corlan. I really appreciate the feedback. My ellipses and cylinders really ARE terrible aren't they!?? Haha, they are my achille's heel and I know it...I'll put in some extra time rendering those. Sphere's are also pretty tough for me. Under certain lighting scenarios I do alright with them, but other times it's like I am trying to find my ass in the dark.

Thanks for those sources as well. I will be checking those out immediately.

[Julie G]

I've been looking through here and first thing I want to say is good job! You've improved a lot! Post #73 really stood out to me as a huge step forward. You also really seem to have a pretty good handle on the 2D shapes on a plane and have made some really interesting environments from them. Where you seem to have trouble is in constructions of organic shapes and how to fit them together, how to make a person from eggs, cylinders, and rectangles. One thing that I'd recommend doing is trying to draw a person from 4 lines. I know you're looking at this thinking I'm crazy, but it can help. Draw your first line from the head down the spine, to the leg that follows that line best. Then attach another leg to that same spine line, then add two more for the arms. What you'll get is a glorified stick figure, but it will feel connected. Then you can take the shapes you know better and stick them on your gesture frame. I'd also recommend looking at where the shapes push against each other and try to figure out what's going on there (Glen Villpu described the ribcage and pelvis as two basketballs in a bag and it might help you to try drawing them that way).

The other thing I would say is don't be afraid to correct your figure drawing later. If you're head to chest to stomach to hip to thigh to knee, check the position of the thigh to maybe the nose or shoulder and see if it's in the right spot. If it's not, figure out what went wrong. Another thing that I find immensely helpful is just stepping back enough so I can see my model and my drawing at the same time. Suddenly you'll see a million things wrong with it, but you'll also see how to fix it.

Overall you've really gotten better and you're great at nailing the little details (I particularly like some of the designs you've done with them), but you need to look at how they connect a little more. I think that will help you a lot!

[p sage]

Ah! I can't tell you how happy I am to see you drawing all these boxes and simple 3D objects. It's so important yet nobody does it. Just don't forget them when you go to draw other things. The point of drawing boxes is really not to draw boxes, but to be able to draw everything else three-dimensionally. Keep it up. Your cylinders and ellipses kinda stink right now, work on those. Have you seen Yoitisi Island (http://conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=146)? I feel like I recommend it to everyone, but it is really good. Push yourself to be as accurate as possible with this stuff, don't let yourself get sloppy.

Your rendering is not bad, but do some really nice value renderings of each of your basic solids. Make sure you separate your lights from your darks: the lightest shadow must be darker than the darkest light.

Also, if you haven't already, check out Jeff's measuring demo (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=222777) and Jason Rainville's figure drawing tutorial (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=3098213&postcount=4). I've also got a few things up on the CA wiki (http://www.conceptart.org/wiki/doku.php) under "Studies & Lessons" that you might find useful. Not all the stuff on there is mine of course.

Yes, Syle! To ObiWan you listen!

That was a great post by Mr. Corlan. Bookmark it and come back to it often.

[Syle]

Julie G: Thank you for taking the time to critique. I really appreciate it. I am working on figure drawing all next week, so I will definitely implement the method you mentioned. 4 lines?! You're crazy! ;) I'll be jumping into some Vilpuu as well, so I am excited for that.

p sage: /bow Thanks for stopping by. I already bookmarked ALL of the links Mr. Corlan posted. I will be referencing a couple of them this next week when I do my figure studies.

[Syle]

I've done some ellipse practice. Very challenging, but I feel I am already better seeing and feeling the ellipse shape in perspective. For some reason, I never put any practice at all into ellipses...I'm gonna keep chugging on them until they become second nature.

[Lyno]

Very good studies, these will bring you far!

[Syle]

This was supposed to be a figure drawing week for Joe and I....but dammit, I tried my hardest to avoid it, and I succeeded, heh...

The silver lining is that I still managed to get SOME drawing in, even with my busy week. I had some fun creating some thumbnails/storyboard thing (some of the thumbnails are not my own, I referenced someone else for them, so I can't take credit for all of them, especially the character silhouettes). I also progressed in my ellipses studies. I am really starting to feel them.

Next week, my studies revolve around "Anatomy". So, I hope to stick to the syllabus, and I hope to be updating this sketchbook with some better and fresher material!

[yogeshj25]

nice studies mate!really like your perspective work! keep it up!

[Joe777k7]

I see your hiding some things from the dropbox!!! Niceeee studies man, those thumbnails are looking really good as well as those perspective studies. Your moving along really good!!! Keep it up!

[Syle]

Starting my Vilpuu studies. Anatomy this week.

I'm actually looking for a decent way to study anatomy. Watching the Vilpuu videos, and kind of sketching along with him as I go is pretty helpful, but I am looking for something I can go and shut myself away with for hours just drawing.

Common sense says I should just get my hands on an anatomy book...? :shrugs:

[Tom Fenton]

great works so far bro :)

[Syle]

yogeshj25: thanks for stopping by! I'll be checking your SB here in about 30-40 minutes!

Joe: thanks dude. good luck with your studies this week! lets rock this sh*t!

Tom fenton: a big thanks to you for stopping in as well! I will also be checking out your SB here soon.

[yogeshj25]

hey thanks for dropping by! I also want to point out that your thumbnails are sickk! I see that you have gotten really good with shapes and still life. Got any good refs for building perspective? Dude Vilppu is the mann! his videos are great and full of true knowledge. Speaking of, I need to start watching his lectures again! And to answer your question, Iv been drawing since a young kid and I started getting into drawing as a hobby around 6th grade but never took it that seriously. I would only draw here and there, and whenever I would, there was no thought process put into it. It was just mimic work. To be honest I was never intense about it until these past 4 months. I was actually going to college for computer engineering but then decided my heart for art was too strong. So now im planning to go to school for illustration. Im currently 20 and I will say that im fairly new in my journey. How about you??

[Syle]

Some random Vilpuu, and some random doodling/sketching. Nothing special to report about...it felt like sort of an off night. The skull came out okay.

I also just received "Color and Light" by James Gurney! I've only made it a few pages in, but I can already tell it's going to be a favorite. Woot!

[Syle]

"The Watchtowers" - A random/from-imagination environment that I started working on today. I am about 1 hour in.

I REALLY need some help on how to approach it from here on out. The foreground is killing me...I left some boxes in the space to kind of give a compositional sense to that space...I am thinking of tossing in some rocks or a stunted tree or two.

Anyways, just any help at all would be great. Thanks!

[Syle]

Update: 4-5 hours in. Need some help on what to polish next.

[Syle]

Update: I switched up the composition.; I think this works better as a whole (though, parts are still a bit wonky to me).

You have no idea how greatly appreciative I would be for some solid/harsh crits. I feel like this was a big step forward for me in my painting skills/understanding of light and color....BUT, I also became fully aware of how much I don't know and it makes me nervous...haha.

Thanks for looking.:assspank:

[Syle]

"Door to Nowhere"

I had a friend list me off a bunch of random names (as if they were titles of Magic cards or something). I instantly latched onto this title, and then subsequently painted this enviro/subject/whatever.

Took me about 5 hours. It was SO much fun!!! I wish I could paint all day long :(

Any crits would be greatly appreciated.:yayca:

[nickydraws]

Great perspective and lighting studies. What books/sources are you studying from?

[Syle]

Thanks for stopping in nickydraws. I'm studying from a lot of different books. Right now it's mostly James Gurney's "Color and Light". Also, a lot of Loomis and Bridgeman.

[kidult]

Good to see all the hard work going down! keep at it!

[Syle]

nickydraws: thanks! i pm-ed you.
kidult: i feel honored that a leet vet like yourself dropped in to say hi :) I perused your SB; awesome awesome work in there.

here is an updated version of that door. i tried to push the brilliance of the light even further with some light beams and glowing orb thingies. at this point i don't really know if they work or not, i just felt like it was a good exercise at trying out some different techniques. very fun!

[Syle]

The "Demon Trader"

Another concept based off a random name that my friend gave me. This is what came to mind as I was laying the pencil to the paper. No reference. BUT, before I start laying down color, I am gonna gather a bunch of reference for this piece.

Also, I am going to reference some anatomy for the main guy.

[Syle]

"Demon Trader" version 2. I'm going for more of an auctioneer type of a vibe in this one; rather than a demon gatherer/seller.

I think this composition works a little bit better.

[Syle]

A random sketch.

[Syle]

Colored it. Things feel like they are starting to materialize. I find that if I just zone out and let my hands fly, they somewhat take me in the right direction. This is only due to my studies though. I wish I had more time to devote to studies...grr!

[Syle]

Doodle update.

[Syle]

Sort of fixed up the first demon trader I made. I'm gonna try and commit some time this weekend to fixing anatomy, reference some clothing/armor, and also get him colored.

[Layu]

Hey Syle,

unfortunately Im not good enough at drawing to give you
constructive criticism, but what I see looks very impressive,
especially if compared with your first page. Nice progress!

And i know Its hard to focus on Enviros while one want to draw
figures, objects and everything at the same time, i got the
same problem :)

[Syle]

"Shobe's Mine"

Not sure what the story is behind this one right now. It needs something interesting as a focal point besides just being a dirty cave-tunnel thing. Any thoughts?

[Layu]

So if that is a mine, there must be ressources to win. if there are ressources,
there must be workers or machines winning it. maybe the workers left the
mine for some reason (monsters or anomalies). just some ideas coming to my mind...
i really like your setting and perspective and think it needs just very few
addings. like some ore veins, cristals, or maybe left minecarts, wooden braces
or sth like that. or the miner digged out a very old and mystic artefact?
its up to you :)

[Syle]

:painting:

Layu: Welcome to CA.Org! Open up a sketchbook and start drawing/painting! It's seriously rewarding and a ton of fun to boot! Thanks for stopping by my SB, I appreciate the feedback. Some ore veins would be awesome in this piece. I am definitely going to try that out.

Update: "Shobe's Mine" again. I think the monster in the corner is way too cramped...not sure what to do about editing him/her in or out...actually, as i am typing this, i am sort of realized how cramp the entire composition is feeling in general....hrrrmmmmm.

I do like the idea of a roaming cavern creature or something to make it more interesting, but i don't think I placed this particular beast correctly.

I feel like I am getting a good sense of the rocks and the light coming from the mouth of each of the small cave-holes. I am happy about that.

[Syle]

Update: I started rendering background to foreground. I think it reads pretty well as a thumbnail, so I am going to keep pushing this one. Please please please, any thoughts at all, let me know.

[Nihil_]

«Mushroom tree» is pretty solid! I'd advice to remove shape defining lines at the top and express the form with leaves, but I guess lines are the best solution in this situation (plus, this is stylish).

As for the cave, I advice you to stay away from smooth gradient areas (like the tunnel wall on the right which eats a lot of visual space yet doesn't contribute to composition. Try to make it interesting: stalagmites\tites, cracks, rough surface. Make the viewer's brain try to analyze it. -)

[Syle]

Nihil_: Thanks for the critique. And thanks for the kind word on my tree! Good advice on the leaves. That will be the first thing I adjust when I return to that image.

Yeah, that cave is pretty crap. To be honest, most of my time so far has been spent rendering the background (middle ground to background). I was getting frustrated with the foreground, so I kind of neglected it...and it's definitely showing. I'll work some more on it with your advice in mind. Thanks again.

UPDATE: some doodle pages. no time to really commit any serious effort to painting tonight. I've got way too much stuff to do this evening. Cheers!

[Syle]

More rendering.

[Layu]

Very nice studies!
When it comes to your cave... Its not bad but somehow I like
the last one better :> There is something on the left which does
not fit, cant really say what it is. But thats only my opinion :)

[Syle]

Small update. Just putting the pencil to the paper; making sure I commit time to drawing, no matter how little.

[ji-li]

wow lots of great studies!
Biggest weaknesses I seem to catch though are on your females hip areas in front views, it's wayyyy too small and causes shoulders to seem too wide. Those girls are probably gonna fall over with the inbalance there, generally we females have shoulders and hips end around the same area or hips wider, but not hips smaller than shoulder length. This goes for skinny, chubby, and so on kinds of women. I would suggest maybe doing some gesture practices on the female body to see what I mean: this site is one of my fav to do that with http://www.pixelovely.com/gesture/figuredrawing.php
but also do from life if possible.
And the other thing is your eyes, so I can just say you need to do more eye studies to fix that up :) And this was a decent video tutorial I've found compared to most:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ25OngOLts

Not sure how much that means from me, I ain't that skilled an artist, but I have been in art school and about to graduate and even though not an art major I'm surrounded by them all the time, plus a huge supporter of the art community since ever, so I do understand some of what I see.
Keep it up :) I definitely see great improvements!

[Syle]

ji-li: thanks for the reply. you are spot on about the female anatomy mess ups. anatomy and figure drawing are probably my BIGGEST weaknesses. thanks for the resource link as well.

same with the eyes; terrible! haha. i'll work on all of that in due time. thanks again.

here is a watercolor study i am doing. the original is a piece done by someone from this community, but i fail to recall who it is :( i saved this image to my computer when i first joined this site, and i never bothered to label it properly...my apologies to whoever you are. take stock in the fact that your art was probably one of the biggest reasons i joined this site!!!

anyways, some process shots. any help at all would be friggin' fantastic. i am ready to be a sponge, and i will soak up any and all crits/advice/torture you have:

[sourgasm]

man. you've got a real task on your hands trying to reproduce that one with traditional media. he uses tons of photos and general digital tools throughout.

definitely going to check back and see how you do !

[Syle]

Ahh, dammit! Hahaha...oh well, all I can do is try I guess.

Do you know who created this?

[Syle]

Update: man, I have no idea what I am doing....lol. I don't know what I should work on first. I feel like my values are all over the place. I'm having a difficult time seeing the right color combinations to be able to mix my few pigments properly.

i'm also having some slight technical difficulty with getting my colors to stick. i'm finding everything is just getting muddier and muddier because of the nature of water color mixing (on the paper that is). I'm thinking that maybe acrylics are the way to go for me...hmm, i'll take this piece as far as I can go, and then maybe I'll reassess.

[p sage]

I think you're a bit too yellow in this one; the local colors seem to be more reddish, with the golden light coming in from the left and mixing things up.

With the gray-blue sky, I think the color contrast might help the perceptions of golden light... but I've no real idea how you're going to pull that off using watercolors when you've already painted a great deal. (I don't do watercolors)

The shapes look good, though.

[Syle]

p sage: thanks for the critique. you're right about it being too yellow. how does one correctly judge the right undertone at the beginning stage? should a person error on the side of going too dark, so that you can always opaquely add lighter washes over the top?

again, perhaps watercolor is the completely wrong medium to use for this technique of painting (layers of transparent washes). i was inspired to give it a whirl after reading this article:

http://muddycolors.blogspot.com/2011/09/guest-blogger-paul-bonner.html

^ It claims to use his watercolors like other artists use acrylics or oils; I'm not 100 % clear on what he means by this...

[p sage]

Local color is always influenced more strongly by stronger light. Look at the way the colors turn more red toward the shadows. An evening or a morning sun light will be fairly golden yellow.

James Gurney's book (color and light for the realist painter) has a lot of that information in it.

[Syle]

Sketches and thumbnails update

[Syle]

Sketching update:

[Mr. Corlan]

Hey Syle, good work man. The 3D studies, thumbnails, and paintings and stuff are all coming along pretty nicely. That dragon painting that you're copying is by Daniel Dociu, definitely someone you should know about.

http://tinfoilgames.com/

I would not read too much into that comment by Paul Bonner. I think if he meant something really important he would have explained. But why don't you email him and ask? It can't hurt.

I'm not sure what you're worried about with this. It looks like it's going fine to me, and if you mess up, so what? Definitely don't give up on it. If the existing paint is dry, you should be able to paint over it without it mixing. You just have to be decisive about it and not scrub around. Just be careful about your lights, that light on the back you need to preserve at all costs. You have a hair dryer I assume?

Keep it up!

[Syle]

I'm working on perspective this week. Hopefully I will have some time to dedicate to the EoW as well.

Here are 3 out of 9 weekly sketch pages that I am setting as a goal for myself; I am confident I will get more, but it's the short term goal for now.

Mr. Corlan: thanks for returning to my SB. like before, you have some fantastic advice. I think what I took most from your reply, is that perhaps I just need to take a deep breath and relax, haha...who cares if I mess this painting up, right?! With that in mind, I will be sitting down with that water color study either tomorrow or Wednesday to really put some more time into it.

Thanks for filling me in on the artist's name as well. His whole collection of art is amazing; I have a new favorite artist now.

[Syle]

Sketch pages 4/9 and 5/9. I keep trying to sit down and generate some thumbnail sketches for the EoW (Island mech market), but my imagination takes over and I just start sketching thumbnails of anything and everything. It's hard to stay focused :/

[n1frit]

Great studies here! Keep it up, it will give great results)

[Syle]

My first sketch for the Enviro of the Week. Some sort of Mecha-Island/Tradepost/Bazaar. I don't think I'm really capturing the tradepost/bazaar part of it.

[Syle]

Some thumbnails, emphasis on perspective.

[Syle]

Doing figure studies this week; some quick 30 second gesture drawings, and a more detailed helmeted creature/monster/man thing:

[Syle]

Figure studies week update.

[Syle]

Update. Some anatomy and figure stuff.

[Syle]

Updating an old piece. I'm having a hard time the form of the tree canopy. It has TOO much form to it; it looks too solid. I also started adding buildings in the foreground to try and give some more sense of scale.

[Alrap]

Nice studies, keep it up.

[Syle]

Alrap: thanks for stopping by. I'll be checking your sb a bit later.

[Syle]

Small random update. I'm really hitting a wall with my doodling...finding it hard to doodle stuff that is worthwhile. I think I need to start looking at the mundane/random things around me when I sketch, and just try to sketch those things as best I can.

I'm working on color studies next week, which means some painting! Yay! Very excited for that. My values studies this last week fell really short of my goals, so I'm determined to pick things up with a vengeance this next week.

"Learn from everyone, follow no one, watch for patterns, and work like hell." - Scott McCloud

[Syle]

Some speed painting. Very fun! Going to do some more tomorrow!

Also, I'm hoping to partake in Crimson Daggers every morning this week. I can only dedicate 1 hour, but hopefully I can still make some progress.

[Syle]

I was ready to the Crimson Daggers live stream this morning, but nothing happened...

So, instead, I did a 1 hour Sargent Study. Very difficult. This is still a WIP, and I plan on fixing/livening up my color palette because I am obviously way off the mark when you put em side by side.

[ezekrialase]

you've got a good sketchbook here, the perspective work and environments are especially interesting. keep it up

[Syle]

Thanks Ezek.

[Syle]

Round 2 with the Lord Dalhounie. My colors are still not warm enough, but I feel like I am treating my own colors relatively well with one another. I'm going to give this Sargent study 1 more round of finessing before I call it quits.

Things I learned from this piece:

1. Bigger brushes earlier on. Save the detail for later.
2. This kind of goes with #1, but.... WORK LARGE TO SMALL. I need to stop getting distracted from the small shit.
3. Being more mindful of edge quality. Even though my drawing may or may not show it, I really got a good sense of edge importance by doing this piece.

Things I didn't learn from this piece (ie, am still having a really hard time with):

1. Color selection. IF I even get the color correctly chosen for a particular element of the painting, it will still take me no fewer than 5 tries or so before I get it. Is this just something that comes with time and experience?

2. Facial anatomy. I spent a good 30 minutes trying to get his face correctly layered in, but I'll be damned if I couldn't get his proportions correct. I'm supposed to study Composition next week, but I think I may dedicate that week to Head/Face anatomy instead.

[Syle]

Sargent study update. There are still too many mistakes and unpolished areas in this to even count, but still, I feel really good about this piece.

Any critiques would be greatly greatly appreciated. I may post this in the WIP/Critique forum to get some feedback on this.

[Syle]

I noticed some wonky stuff in that last post I made, so here is a slightly updated image.

-Fixed the right (his left) eye.
-Adjusted the planes of the top of the nose.
-Adjusted his beard

[nor]

i like the evolution of your drawings! keep up the good work:)

[Syle]

Thanks nor, much appreciated.

[Syle]

Another Sargent study. This is definitely a WIP. I've got a lot of rendering to do.

[Aryeh]

paint as much as you can with the largest brush you can use.

then once you can paint anymore make your brush slightly smaller.

keep doing that and your images will come out more economic.

-cheers.

[Syle]

aryeh: words of wisdom, my friend. thanks for stopping by.

here is an update for the Daily Sketch Group: "Other worldly winter dwarven outpost"

[Syle]

Finished! Big thanks to the folks in Critique/WIP, they helped me out big time.

[Syle]

Okay, updating this one again :) I saw some things wrong with it still...

also, posting a new one. composition-wise, it's pretty boring, but it was a good color. i wish i would have pushed the cool shadows a bit more; i feel like i held back too much.

[LORD M]

You're doing great, Syle! There's a huge improvement throughout the pages, if you keep it up like this you will go far. :)

[Syle]

LORD M: thanks for the kind words.

here is a small update of random stuff. got my new easel and french companion, so I am getting into the swing of plein air/oil painting. it's really difficult right now, but i've acquired the Cateura/Leffel and Allrich books to get me eased in. Allrich seems a bit more straight forward (which I like at this point), but I feel that I'll move on to Leffel's guidance once I feel like I've gotten as much as I can from Allrich.

i'll start my own oil painting thread in the Fine Arts subforum to get more feedback there on this medium.

in this update are easel/studio/palette pictures. also, a random imagination drawing, and some Vanderpoel toned paper studies. i'll be doing a lot of these types of studies this week as I will be spending a fair bit of time on anatomy studies.

[Syle]

Some more Vanderpoel studies. I really enjoy this medium/study type.

[Syle]

Sword in the Stone enviro thingy.

[Syle]

I haven't updated in a long while. My band has been really busy tracking and producing our latest album, which will be out later this year, so that has taken up a majority of my free/expendable time.

I picked up a few Moleskine sketchbooks, and I have to say that I really enjoy them. Well constructed, nice paper, and the elastic/binding strap is really convenient. Most of this update consists of sketches made within my new sketchbook, which has really helped me take drawing everywhere with me.

Last week I worked on Vilppu/Bridgeman studying of human head. This week I will be focusing on thumbnailing/perspective/enviro studies.

[Syle]

An enviro drawing that I plan on putting into PS. This started as a small 1"x2" thumbnail from my sketchbook, so I am pleased with how it's turning out. I am going to push this sketch with some grey/black markers to further develop the value structure.

[Xamllew]

You've got some nice work here. I enjoy all the landscape thumbs on the last page. That last landscape is great as well.

[Syle]

Xamllew: thanks for dropping in. much appreciated.

Update: put in some marker values for this latest enviro. parts of it work, others not so much. i got a bit heavy handed with the darker markers in parts.

[Syle]

Update to that pencil enviro sketch; I'm naming this one "The Citadel". Out of any painting that I've ever done, this one I am taking to COMPLETION. I feel really comfortable and inspired with this piece, so I really want to push my rendering on this one to give it all it's worth.

I think the composition could do with a little more "storyline" to it...maybe some characters or cultists or somehting walking up the stairs. But, conveying good perspective, form, and color were my main objectives with this piece, so I am not going to worry too much about the composition.

Any crits would be very much appreciated. I am out of town for 2 days after tonight, so when I get back on Sunday, I will finish this piece off.

I'm not sure which horizontally flipped image works the best. I think it reads the best from the originally drawn way, but that may just be my biased opinion...

[Syle]

More sketchbook doodling. Just putting the pencil to the paper, trying to think too much about it. It's becoming very meditative. Whether I am improving or not is a whole other matter, hahaha....

[Syle]

This is a WIP based on the EoW theme: "Glowing River".

I've still got some rendering to do.

[LastGen]

Nice sketches and doodles, cool environments in your sketchbook. Keep up your work, I like what you're doing! :)

[Syle]

Some random sketchbook things. I've got about 5 more pages that I will upload later.

[Syle]

A character concept I am working on.

[Syle]

Did a ton more rendering on this guy. I'm calling him "The Phalanx"; some sort of guardian super hero. Don't know what he is guarding yet. He's also some sort of half breed human/serpent (hence the tail snaking out of his cloak).

I'm realizing that almost every lighting situation I put my drawings in, it's always a strong light source, and it's always coming from in front my the subject, so that a strong cast shadow is being thrown back into the viewer....I REALLY need to get away from that. So, on any new digi paintings I do, that will be a big focal point for adjustment.

[Syle]

I think I'm finished with this character concept. ~7 hours in so far.

I may spend a few more hours on polishing it up a bit more, but for the most part, he is done. I can honestly say that this is the most fun I have ever had making art; truly enjoyable.

[Syle]

Sketchbook doodling update.

[rich4rt]

loving the vanderpoel studies! Your working hard, so keep at it, looking forward to more

[Syle]

Updated the phalanx piece. I made a lot of much needed adjustments to the piece based one the feedback I received from the WIP section. Thanks to everyone who chimed in!

[Syle]

Sketchbook update: this stuff hardly feels like it's worth posting some times. But, it's probably a good idea to keep in the habit of posting as often as I can. It's anatomy week for me, so it's lots of back and forth between Vilppu, Bridgeman, and Rubins. Hopefully I will have some better looking and more improved studies to post before the week is out.

[Syle]

A couple human form studies. My anatomy is way off, but I am seeing the planes pretty well. I've also transitioned over to a mechanical pencil which I am LOVING. Such smooth rendering, and better control of my lines. Though, I do miss the messy and free feel of my carpenter pencil...I may return to it from time to time.

[Syle]

More anatomy stuff.

[Syle]

More anatomy.

[Syle]

Another anatomy/rendering study.

[Syle]

50 figures for the Spartan drawing group, plus some other mindless doodling. All of the figures are from imagination. They turned out pretty well (for me, anyways, haha...), especially when you compare them to any of my past gestural drawings (which were done from reference!).

[Syle]

Updated "The Citadel". I am not sure which of these 3 color schemes I like best...I really want the piece to "glow", and make the eyes physically feel the presence of whatever that glowing liquid may be.

[Syle]

New piece: Medivh's Observatory

[Zazerzs]

Hi Nice stuff you have going on in here.

this image http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1357117&stc=1&d=1320293341

is by Daniel Dociu and he works pretty much exclusively in Ps and uses alot of digital images to create this type of work. Its Concept work for GuildWars. Hes ArenaNet's chief art director.

[AdrianNagorski]

Nice Bridgman studies, i like your paintings as well. More Spartan camp!!!!