looking for pointers

[dorkoi]

Just curious about the things I should improve upon.

I haven't taken any art classes, I've only followed some things my friends have told me about.

sketching for the sake of sketching:
http://members.lycos.co.uk/onedisaster/art/sketch1.jpg
http://members.lycos.co.uk/onedisaster/art/sketch2.jpg
http://members.lycos.co.uk/onedisaster/art/sketch3.jpg
http://members.lycos.co.uk/onedisaster/art/sketch4.jpg

actual attempts to properly sketch: (the shading IS darker, I just kinda got these pictures up by using a digital camera)
http://members.lycos.co.uk/onedisaster/art/sketch5.jpg
http://members.lycos.co.uk/onedisaster/art/sketch7.jpg

Hmm..I guess I have a lot more, but only from the few weeks since I've started a drawing I class. My teacher is dumb..and bad. He said he needs to keep my sketches longer.

These are my inky doodle drawings. I have notebooks full of these. I'm thinking about doing illustration--
http://members.lycos.co.uk/onedisaster/art/ink2.jpg
http://members.lycos.co.uk/onedisaster/art/ink3.jpg
http://members.lycos.co.uk/onedisaster/art/inkling2.jpg
http://members.lycos.co.uk/onedisaster/art/inkling3.jpg
http://members.lycos.co.uk/onedisaster/art/inkling5.jpg

Some silly paint/pastel stuff I did a while ago:
http://members.lycos.co.uk/onedisaster/art/footfungus.jpg
http://members.lycos.co.uk/onedisaster/art/kinglizard.jpg
http://members.lycos.co.uk/onedisaster/art/flowers.jpg

Well that's it I guess. I have a lot of photography/computer imaging stuff...but I'm only interested in improving my drawing skills right now...
so yeah, help...me?

[Kenson]

Very nice sketches, dorkoi. The first one has a very nice flow to it. The only things that come to mind is how your drawings tend to come off as a bit flat in form. That's not necessarily bad, but you may want to try and flesh out the characters with more light and darks.

Maybe it's just the camera you used, but stronger contrast would really bring out these illustrations. Some of your drawings would look really great just by making those darks darker and the lights lighter. The chicken and tennis shoe in particular.

You said you were thinking about doing illustration? I can't say I know very much about starting a perfessional career in this specific field, but working toward developing and fine tuning your own unique style is a good idea. If you want to just improve your drawing ability in general then studying from life is a good way to start.

I strongly recommend, if possible, to find a place in your area that holds workshops where you can draw live human models. This will help you greatly with the various, skeletal and muscle structures of the human form.

If not then get an anatomy book ("Atlus of Human Anatomy for the Artist" by Stephen Rogers Peck is fairly good) that will help you with proportions.

Hope that helped at least a little. If you have any other questions feel free to ask. Good luck!

[dorkoi]

ah yes lighty darky. i'm not as good with that as I'd like to be...
thanks for the help!

[AnarchyAo2]

Are you going to do like cartoony illustrations? Well, if your looking to get into that, you may want to check out this forum: The Drawing Board (http://www.sketchbooksessions.com/shanesboard/)
Its got a whole bunch of people who do cartooning and animation. Its got a section for illustrations also.

[dorkoi]

oooh awesome...thanks for that link!