Spartan Camp #164 - 50 gestures + Optional "Different Media Study"

[Anthis]

Spartan Camp #164 - 50 gestures + Optional "Different Media Study"

The aim is to produce 50 gestures by Sunday the 2nd of January.

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

- In addition to this, participants can choose to do an Optional Different Media Study", in any medium.
Additional notes on this weeks’ Optional Study:

This week, the optional study will focus on using different media. Produce versions in different media of a single anatomy study. For example, you could take any reference image, and do both a pen and pencil study. You could also use several media in one study, if you prefer. You could also incorporate this in your 50 gestures, by using a different medium for each bunch of gestures. The objective is to try out some media and explore their uses and strengths. Examples of media include pen, pencil, ink, markers, digital, paint, you name it. You could also try out a range of pencil leads (2b, hb, ..), types of pen, paint, or programs (PS, painter, sai, ..).
As always- reference advised, not obligatory. Colour, medium, time frame, any specifics are up to you! Have fun! And feel free to ask questions!


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

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

Come on soldiers! Flex those muscles!!

HALL OF FAME - SPARTAN CAMP #163

shiNIN:star:
BlackDelphin:star:
surus
Iarchist:star:
Anthis:star:
Sharon J
skMOP:star:
J@n!t

[Tyea]

1132454
1132455

[Ceinwen Fang]

Bethany K - Great studies, the proportions are good as far as I can tell, and they're very suggestive of bulk and solidity. The only thing is they aren't always very committed, if that makes sense? (It's late) maybe experiment with using some more defined lines, and darker contrasts to bring the shapes out of the page a bit more.

Mine are really, really not good this week. For a start I did them really reallyquickly, a matter of seconds on each one. And for another, it was faces, which is a weak point for me. Did 100 exactly, without meaning to!! So at least I passed the 50 mark easily this week

The study is my boots. First in pencil then photoshop

Interesting challenge that was.

[Anthis]

Bethany K. - I like how you have a little construction in there, but only use it as a foundation. I often use the same approach. Also found this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXSyagaarU4) video that's interesting because the artist focuses a lot on the flow in his gestures. With the last drawings, in which you are applying the shadow and values, I'd advice to try and rationalize it. I recognize the reference, which has a tough light source. It is useful to try and understand (not saying you didn't though!) how the light works, and where the photographer put the light source. See where the reflected light comes from, etc.

Iarchist - to be continued!

Some girls from Loomis, then random gestures with a lone Bridgman arm in there. First 3 scans are HB pencil, last scan is with a 0.5 mechanical pencil (also HB lead). Got a lot of pencils with different leads lying around here, not quite sure what works best.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Anthis_/spartan%20trainings/164-1.jpg
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Anthis_/spartan%20trainings/164-2.jpghttp://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Anthis_/spartan%20trainings/164-3.jpghttp://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Anthis_/spartan%20trainings/164-4.jpg

[JR McGee]

i would think gestures is more about loose exploration while capturing movement/rhythm so critiques is lax. but whatever, everything relates. so what we do here carries over into more serious projects right? here's a noobs attempt at helping lol....

Bethany -hey hey. i would say try to start seeing the relationship between the upper torso/rib and how it connects wit dat hip/pelvis region. simplifying them wit basic shapes then building up maybe. i also find myself always thinking geometrically after puttin down some quick 2-4 line gesture/rhythm of the figure. helps me when there's alot of twisting and lines wrapping around the figure. Number 1 really shows u got some of all this in mind. just keep it up. :)

larchist - dude the boots in pencil....awesome. i would say when it comes to faces, theres some general proportions and each part of the face relates to one another. of course nothings written in stone but i bet if u understand the face geometrically it'll become alot easier. turning eyes into spheres, nose into pyramid, the mouth region into a small hill knowing where they fit, and how they sink into or protrude from head. then adding the lil details after all the pieces are put in place. if just drawing the face (like from life or photo study) , consider the exterior contour and how it contains everything within. if that doesnt work or look right then the face will look pretty off regardless. just keep at it.


http://conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1133665&stc=1&d=1293897509
http://conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1133666&stc=1&d=1293897579
http://conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1133667&stc=1&d=1293897716

didnt realize the images would be this big lol. sry. got some figures from imagination thrown in. did animals for once too. hands to make up for absense last week.

i'll do different media later.

[J@n!t]

I'll try a little critique; hopefully it will be helpful...

Bethany K: think about the presence of the sternum in your torsos. It should be a solid place but appears to be missing and thus the other body parts flow and push across where it should be holding things still.

Anthis: In some of your frontal views, the legs appear to exit the body a little low. I like the way you modernize the Loomis style, you make it work well.

larchist: The boots in pencil are well done!

Jr McGee Lots of power and movement, your gestures have a superhero feel. Looks like you could work on drawing animals with the same confidence.

I chose to do my gestures in different media: Charcoal, acrylic, art marker, sharpie. I find myself working on not analyzing what I'm drawing & going with the flow, yet it is still hard to just try to capture the gesture. Half of the time, the result is just the result of not thinking :P But I'm getting there, gradually.

http://attachments.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1133304&d=1293843412

http://attachments.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1133303&d=1293843370

http://attachments.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1133305&d=1293843430

http://attachments.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1133306&d=1293843456

http://attachments.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1133750&d=1293912988

http://attachments.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1133308&d=1293843517

http://attachments.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1133307&d=1293843492

[intruderz]

Hello everyone!

This is my first-time art challenge. I decided to stick with eyes for now. The ones below are drawn using mechanical pencils, several ballpoint pens and one pigment ink linear. The first piece is an eye-like thingy from my imagination done with a medium graphite stick.

Anyway, good job everyone! And thanks for organizing this challenge, Anthis. I'm looking forward to the next ones.

Also, I'd love to hear your crits, for I'm only at the beginning of my journey.
Thanks and good luck everyone!

[shiNIN]

Hello :)

It was a bit chaotic weak and I mainly drew skulls but here are some very sketchy messy figures. Some of them so tly not copied (I looked at an anatomically not correct drawing for 3 seconds because my imagination is zero if it's about gestures) therefore kinda ugly. I wasn't patient either.
They reveal what I already knew: head/body scaling and attachment is one of my weakest points.

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1132257&d=1293728785
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh287/shiNIN666/gfx/sc164.jpg

On the second thought, I have some "not figures but they will do on SC" drawings...
I drew the camel on the second pic 3 times, I copied it once and then I drew 2 sketches from memory.
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh287/shiNIN666/gfx/camel1229.jpg
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh287/shiNIN666/gfx/camelsketch1229.jpg

A not really good doodle:
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh287/shiNIN666/gfx/lazysketch1230.jpg
I used the posemaniacs handviewer's head:
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh287/shiNIN666/gfx/head1229.jpg
Referenced noses:
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh287/shiNIN666/gfx/noses1229.jpg

Here are some pretty (ast least the originals were that) vultures. I can't comprehend how a member of the species homo sapiens can say they are ugly. They have wonderful long wings, curvacious beaks and many wonderful little details. Eh, humans...
(and I'm into mammals, not into birds. Next week I will draw some hyenas)
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh287/shiNIN666/gfx/vultures.jpg

But I like seahorses too.
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh287/shiNIN666/gfx/seahorse_sketch.jpg

[aprat]

Bethany K. - I like how you describe the form by rendering with lines across it, but i think you need to keep a closer watch on proportions sometimes like on #6 .

larchist - You managed to show a lot of expression and cohesion for such simple and fast sketches. The shoe looks great.

Anthis - Wonderful. I especially like the lost details in the shadowed areas.

JR McGee - Nice action and the portrait is quite appealing in it's simplicity.

J@n!t - The hands look a bit unhinged. The ballet dancer is nice, it brings to mind Matisse

shiNIN - The rendering is a bit spotty on the noses so the shapes are kind of hard to comprehend. The vultures are very nice.



I drew a couple of thing twice; first in graphite, then ink and pen.

[skMOP]

I didn't get to 50, not really any excuses just lack of focus.. Had fun doing these though :D

Actual size is about 3000x6000.

Adult Male Figures in Motion (from ref)

[Anthis]

Iarchist - Those heads are nice. It can be tempting to stick to front and side views, so I like the diversion you have, especially with the different angles. But since you'll have to take perspective into account, you may want to draw the whole head ( or an outline ), and not only the face. Great pencil boots.

JR McGee - You're probably right with your remark on gestures in general, think there's always options for critique though. So here's some from an amateur as well. There's quite a difference between some of your gestures, as if you used different approaches. The first bunch is less focused on smaller details but has good proportions. The later figurers have much more anatomical detail and shadows at the cost of some of the proportions. (like the short chests. Love the foreshortened poses though, always tough). I'm trying to get into a habit of sometimes 'taking some distance' and review the pose overall to not lose track of proportions. Great hands!

J@n!t - Thanks for that. Actually I was focusing more on the pelvic area, but this somehow slipped my mind. I did get the location wrong.
I also enjoy the 'go with the flow' approach. Been changing back and forth from really 'anatomy constructing' and more organic drawing. I suppose these are just different elements that need to blend together at some point. I'd say the flow in all your poses is really nice. The charcoal ones are almost only side/front/back views. The jumping charcoal girl is slightly rotated and charcoal seems to be a difficult medium to handle the anatomy with. Perhaps simplification of the forms and shapes is key there. Gotta admit I don't remember using charcoal before. I like the sharpie ones - never heard of sharpies either.. need to do some research.

intruderz - Welcome, no problem, and nice eyes! The eyeballs feel 'round' which is a strong point. Also you seem to have a good feel of the shape of those eyelids. (those typical curves!) Remember that the cornea of the eye affects how the lid covers the eye. In other words, the eyelid may bulge in a certain way because the eye is looking in a certain direction. tell me if this makes no sense to you. Love all the different eyebrows!

shiNIN - If you have trouble with poses/gestures, you may be overthinking things. Try some loose, playful sketches and see how things go. As a warmup, or just for practice. You could also draw 'as you go', without a predefined plan. These gestures don't always have to be 'functional'. You make good use of some landmarks (fixed ones, like the crevice just above the sternum, and not nipples and such). Nice animals. Went to the zoo last summer to draw(dutch sketchmeet), I remember we also spent a lot of time on the vultures.

aprat - I think the portrait is fantastic. And you did not overextend yourself on the shadows. I believe you can approach hair -roughly- the same way as anything else; it's mostly large forms. Smaller strands and single hairs are... details. Must have been a big change to pen! I like the different approaches.

skMOP - Very dynamic and proportionally strong! Video reference? If the neck is causing problems, try and remember its function (or check your own!). It extends from the spine, is slightly arched forward, etc. These figures have a very natural feel about them thats hard to describe. Perhaps it's how all the anatomical details and muscles and all that are toned down and not too apparent. This is not a 'classical model' either. Great gestures!

[Ceinwen Fang]

Anthist - Larchist, not Iarchist sorry, I should'a capitalised it lol. I love your second page of gestures, the lines curve what looks like a haphazard fashion and yet describe the shapes perfectly. I feel like you're more comfy with male figures than female, the soft shading in the first page of gestures doesn't really do anything for the depth, I can see you were going for soft and smooth, but it looks a little forced. Not sure that's the right word, I can't think of a better one right now....I just mean, I like it more when you're working with more spontaneous, quick-loose pencil lines, than the blending.The hatching in the last page is much better to my eyes, more understanding of form is shown. I reckon if you tried to shade deeper over the top of the hatching, you'd have better results than going straight for the softness. Gosh I really feel like I'm rambling now just to get a simple point across, sorry, basically I like it and will like to see more and more experimentation and practicing. (Can't comment on anatomy sorry, mine's still so bad) :)

JR McGee- Thanks, I am hoping to work on face structure way more this week, so your comment's very helpful. It may just be the photo but your drawings seem a bit grubby. Are you resting your arm on the page while drawing? Or blowing pencil sharpenings across, or something? Bit of a side issue but yeah hehe. With the gestures I feel like sometimes you're drawing how you imagine things to look, and not how they really are shaped - partly I say this because I recognise some of the references and they are different to how I remember the photos, ie more symmetrical or perfectly rounded in places lol! Obviously I like your horses and admire your sense of perspective, something I can't get a grip on. Horse rib-cages (barrels we horse geeks call the midsection) are a little longer than you think, though. I don't mean the entire middle area, but the round, 'tummy' area is thicker and reaches further back before tucking in just before where the hindlegs start.

J@n!t - Gorgeous shapes, I think you have a good eye for that. Especially shown in the hands. Your lines in charcoal are quite thick, but I know that can be the general charcoal style. It makes the drawings a bit more clumsy for me though. Charcoal is a tricky thing so keep practicing and you will discover all sorts of different techniques, I've seen people do amazing things and always envy them their skill. My favourite page of yours is the last one, is it sharpie? I don't even know what that is, it looks a bit like ink to me. Your shadows are very nicely done here.

intruderz - Did you use references? What bothers me is that the iris and brows are shaded, but the eyeball and eyelids are blank and flat. The expressions are well caught though.

shiNIN - The geometric shape thing is a good idea, I might try that. Your edges are very soft. Try using a smaller brush to make the figures stand out and not look so blurry, or maybe a pressure senstive brush with hard edges if using a tablet.

aprat - beautiful texture and shading, the hatched drawings are just lovely and I think give the most lifelike effect. Always makes me think of someone sculpting in 2d, linework like that.

skMOP - the poses are just right but they're lacking anatomy detail, which makes them look a bit like mannekins to me. Maybe a few less straight lines and more loose, expressive strokes would help.

[shiNIN]

Anthis: I totally overthinking things. Anatomy, perspective, gesture, how was I supposed to do everything right? :D You're right, I know what you wrote but it's not so easy to be playful :( At least I couldn't do it in my last years when I was far from being alive. It starts to be better now, yesterday I doodled figures with pencil and I "felt" something instead of struggling and being lost. It's great :D

larchist: In the past I never used boxes but it seems it works for me better. Bridgman knew something ;)
I do use a pressure sensitive hard brush for lines. I know they're thick but my thin lines becames very wavy, I become upset and stop :( I don't give up but I need time or being more brave and playful or something :( I was able to draw with quick thin lines a few times already :(

useless post but I had to reply :(

[skMOP]

larchist & Anthis

Lots of thanks for the crits!
Wanted to reply to say that these aren't from video reference though, I used this site:
http://www.scott-eaton.com/category/bodies-in-motion

Hopefully someone will find this link useful.

[JR McGee]

love the interaction. seems livelier than i've seen b4 lol.

Anthis THANKS. Im really fresh to this so I'm sorta just doing different approaches hoping to realize what i do and dont do. Until i really come into my own style or commit to some thought process i think i should just explore...unless theres a better way lol. but crits like this are golden. makes me realize what i'm actually doing lol.

Larchist dude i'm SLOPPY lol. honestly i dont do enough pieces that require care so i have't really had good practice avoiding the messiness. i'll do better lol. (its a side note but important to consider nontheless.)

and sir i sometimes forget to focus on what i see. Too often we get on a roll and start drawing symbolic. putting on paper representations of whats in front of us instead of zoning out and only putting on paper what is real. gotta remember not to do that.

thanks everyone. stuff looks great.

[J@n!t]

What a fun week! Thanks everyone for the feedback, it is invaluable. So nice to see more people participating, I feel like I'm learning a lot.

I mistakenly did not match my media with my photos-- to clarify, Sharpies are just permanent markers and my Sharpie page is the orange gestures. The one that might be confused with is the last one, in black, which is just acrylic paint on canvas paper (I have an old pad of paper which has a canvas-like texture.)

Nice work everyone! Can't wait for the next camp... :)