Jester's Sketchbook

[golgari]

yip, especially the right pirate looks a little strange to me. hmm. don't know if it's a perspective issue, though.

very nice shading. the pen was just the right tool for this... and you handled him pretty well :)

[jester]

I think it's due to the strange sleeves and the way he is holding to the yard. I'm going to post my ref pic tonight, maybe this helps you to spot where my main mistake lies - cause I can't see it.

Jester

[Hermchen]

Don't you stop posting your art, please?

[jester]

Hermchen, what makes you think I would? :confused:

Sure I won't stop! :D

Here's some more from the book project:

The first is meant to be an ape-like creature, with very short legs and long arms (it's just a pre-sketch to get a feeling for the anatomy after the description in the novel). Though it has its flaws I'm quite proud of it because I didn't use any anatomy references and tried to do it from memory.

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0360.jpg

This is the sword as described in the novel, rather for tearing and slashing than for normal sword fighting...

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0361.jpg

And a creature which after the description must either be a snake or very snake-like, perhaps with some legs like a leguan. It is wearing a robe with a ring in it at the bottom, to give it a perfect round shape, it also wears a hood and a face guard. First sketch to get it right. After asking the author he mentioned that the robe doesn't have sleeves, not even fake ones - so I did a second version:

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0362.jpg

For those interested, here's my reference pic for the two pirates:

http://www.jester.de/gallery/photo/references/bild-001.jpg

Jester

[Jeff Gran]

Jester, about that first creature: I thinkhe needs to be a lot thicker from the side view, apes have big bulky barrel-like ribcages. And in the front view, yes the legs look very short, but the arms don't look that long because they hang to the crotch at the wrist, which is normal. I think you should shorten the torso, and make the legs *slightly* longer, and have the arms hang down lower on the leg, maybe almost to the knee. also, maybe having him kinda bent over with knees very bent would make him look more ape-ish.

sword: ooh, that would hurt.

snake-creature: hmm, cool idea...but not a very interesting shape, huh. maybe designing the mask really creatively would give it some more personality.

[jester]

Jeff, you are absolutely right, I'll re-do that ape-like creature soon.

This is from a children's fashion magazine:

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0363.jpg

I think this unfinished Pirates drawing quite charming. What do you think, should I finisih it or leave it as it is?

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0364.jpg

Jester

[Fipse]

Hi Jester,

nice ones. The pirate-hype in the last time must struck deeply your carribean heart ;).

I see with your figures some problems with your noses. I think we can work this out in our next drawing session (whenever this will be). I´ve got some probs saying this in english, so: Du zeigst die Nasenlöcher fast immer frontal. Wenn Du mal genau guckst, sieht man Nasenlöcher bei normaler Ansicht fast nie. Um sie zu sehen mußt Du eigentlich von unten nach oben gucken. Hast Du nicht Hogarths "Drawing the human head"? Check das da mal ab.

Hope I made sense.

Fipse

[jester]

Hi Fipse,

you are right - it's mostly due to the small scale I'm working at - but if you've got some advice I'd be glad to listen!

Still fighting to get the anatomy for those ape-like creatures right. Oh God, I suck when I try to draw from mind and have no exact reference...

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0365.jpg

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0366.jpg

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0367.jpg

Jester

[Iiori]

I think the apes look good, though Im not to much help there, but I really really like the pirate drawing. I really think you should keep going with it.

[jester]

Ilori, I'm glad that at least they somehow look like apes - but I'm not satisfied at all. Anybody who can help to make them look better?

As for the pirates... Pirates of the Caribbean just started in Germany and be sure that I'll watch it this weekend! Deep in my sould I'm not a marketing-consulter but a swashbuckler! :evilbat:

:D

Jester

[golgari]

hey jester...
those children look nice. maybe you should have worked a little bit more on the faces, though? they seem a bit "rough".
that pirate sketch looks great. what i find especially interesting is the left one's hair. it doesn't really fit in the picture because of it's textural qualities, but i think it would be interesting to do a whole picture with such a texture. hmm... don't know how far it's unfinished, though - the whole sketch. to me, it looks kind of finished. anyway, it looks nice, so leaving it as it is can't be bad :)

you can see a progression with those ape pictures from the first to the last. the last looks great, the other too look a little bit strange. maybe try to use the third one as a basic and then try to convert it into a picture with perspective.

hmm, tell us how the movie was after you've been there :)

[jester]

Thanks, golgari, yes I also think that the third ape is the best - however, in order to get this project finished at least roughly in time I decided to move on when problems occur. The book has 17 chapters and I want to make one picture for each chapter. Once I got that I can try to do more. But... I just finished a picture for chapter 4 and the birthday is on the 30th September :( - so I'm not even sure whether I'll make it or not.

So here's the picture for chapter four: the main character was being held prisoner in the dark for several weeks when suddenly the door opens and he sees the shapes of two men.

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0368.jpg

As for the pirate drawing... I think I'll scan it again in a higher resolution, so just in case I muck it up I have a version I can work on digitally...


Jester

[Hermchen]

Hi Jester, your picture makes me feel the mans pain when suddenly exposed to the light. Nevertheless I'm still able to see some "flaws". The man on the left is holding the opened door but is allready standing inside the door, wich would be impossible considering the width of it. Furthermore the shadows cast by the men are wrong in perspective. They would fall perspectively aligned to the door's shadow.
Perhaps you could blur the men's shapes as if effected by the light? I think that would increase the illusion of brightness.

[jester]

Yeah, I see the mistake with the arm. Also thought about the "blurring" but had no idea how to realize it without loosing the bright effect. I think I'll fix the arm. Stupid me. Thanks for the comment, Hermchen (I like your new avatar! :D)

Jester

[golgari]

hermchen already said it - the incident with the arm was the first thing that hit my eye, too.
some other things you might consider are...the door is pretty detailled, the blinded character can only see the shape of the men, though - and he isn't able to see anything but white behind them. so i don't know. you're sure he's able to see the door in such a detailled way?
and the right guy has a veery edgy head. especially the right side of his head looks really strange, because there's a totally straight line...

[endregan]

cool b&w looks like markers ;)

[behemot5]

the problem in your last pic , i think , is that it's hard to open the door and to be yet in the room....
look the "level " of the 2 guy's feet....

[Cashmere]

Hi Jester
your last pic is really dramatic and theatrical. Full of suspense. Adjust the perspective and the pic will be perfect.
Is the birthday on the 30th September ? Don't make drawing full of details or complicated perspectives. Use more references. Work more. You can do it!
This task is like a Dragon but you are a Dragon Slayer! ;)

I've just seen your pirates, I like Monkey Island's game (do you know it?) so I like all the pirate's world. :chug:

[jester]

Tried to fix the mistakes in my last one:

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0369.jpg

I hope to find some more time for drawing tomorrow - evenings are busy with networking at the moment.

Jester

[Cashmere]

Perfect :thumbsup:

[Iiori]

Oh wow, I like that last one. I agree its an improvement from the first one. ^^ Nice work.

[Fipse]

Hi Jester,

have you thought about putting some light on the figures?
/Switch to german/
Was hältst Du von Streiflicht auf den Schultern und Armen?
/Switch off/
Could make the figures more 3D and not just silhouettes.

Fipse
(Bin durch den ganzen Hauskrempel gerade etwas in Versenkung)

[jester]

Fipse, any idea how to realize highlights (yes, that's "Streiflicht", I looked it up! :D) in such a tight b/w drawing? How is your house-project progressing?

golgari, endregan, behemot5 and Ilori, thanks a lot for your comments!

Cashemere, yes I was a fervent player of Monkey Island I and II but gave up on III. :)

Today I took a walk in the park and here's my booty in chronological order:

Some tree studies:
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0370.jpg

Ducks! Ya know how much them buggers are movin' around...
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0371.jpg

Some more three studies:
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0372.jpg

People! Ya know how much them buggers are movin' around...
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0373.jpg

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0374.jpg

Jester

[Cashmere]

I'm studying your third tree drawing... I like particularly the technique you used.

[jester]

Thanks, Cashmere, I just sort of applied Guptill's pen and ink technique to pencil. While drawing I tried to spot the shapes and volumes of the "leave-bundles" and then to shade them in order to give them volume. Thus I avoided drawing and even indicating individual leaves.

Hope this helps!

:)

Jester

[Cashmere]

I like the volume you gave at the trees, the result is really very good. I'll try to apply that technique, maybe it can be useful non only for the leaves but also for hair or clothes...
Thanks to you! :)

[jester]

You're welcome, Cashmere! I use a similar method for hair in so far as I try to "group" strands and even leave white parts to indicate highlights.

Some more scribbles and sketches for the book project (which I'll certainly not make in time!)

A dragon badge:
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0375.jpg

A captain's cabin (which I drew wrong, the things to be on starboard I drew on backboard - thus the double arrow for me to indicate that the final version has to be mirrored).
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0376.jpg

One of the "bad" characters steering a ship through a storm. I know, this lacks drama - and there's no mast behind the men.
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0377.jpg

A kind of mermaid (they don't have fish-tail!):
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0378.jpg
I want to do this one with my watercolor pencils and add water to make it blurry as seen underwater.

Some herbs mentioned in the text:
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0379.jpg

There's a watch-tower with a wind rose and arcane symbols on top. Tried to invent the symbols and the rose before drawing it in perspective. Very rough and small scribble of the tower at the bottom left.
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0380.jpg

Abelas is a sort of apple spirit like calvados and is mentioned to be shared by some characters on top of the watch tower. Since I will not be ready with the present (the illustrated book) I think of buying some calvados and to fill it into a small nice bottle as a sort of wildcard-present - with an abelas label on the bottle.
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0381.jpg

Here I used Burne Hogarth's Dynamic Figure Drawing to get some poses for the mermaids and merman I want to draw.
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0382.jpg

Comments are always welcome.

:)

Jester

[golgari]

the trees are awesome. it's very interesting how you managed to simplify the leaves. that's the part i always have problems with. maybe i should get that guptil book, although i'm usually not working with pen so much...
the duck looks very good too. damn, they are always moving soo fast. how did you manage it to make it in those small time units they stand still?

the dragon badge is a little too simple, i'd say. try adding more fancy things, or maybe try giving it more volume by shading it or something...just don't leave it like that, it looks like only a bunch of lines that way.
the cabin is nice. it's perspectively screwed, but after all this is supposed to be an all-messed-up captain's cabin, right? nice one :)
be sure to check the anatomy of your mermaid again before painting it with water colours. especially the shoulder and the arms look strange

[jester]

Hey golgari, I was struggling with reducing this large amount of information since I restarted drawing three years ago - so it seems finally I'm getting there (still don't have the feeling that I arrived at where I want to get).
How I managed to draw the duck? Well, it's several ducks... Once one was gone I was looking for another one in a similar pose near me. A few minutes before I started drawing a little child had been feeding the little raptors... ;)
You are right on the badge and on the screwed cabin - I had no reference for the cabin and it's really just a scribble.

So here are my three stages of drawing the mermaid/merman creatures. I wanted to get as human as possible (because that's how they are described)

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0383.jpg
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0384.jpg
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0385.jpg

And a sketch page I did while enjoying the Indian Summer sun on my balcony.

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0386.jpg

Jester

[endregan]

ooo some good stuff showing up. I like your studies :) id like to see you paint too!

[morbidhumor]

I've been lurking through this tread for a while and have to say I'm enjoying the steady improvment. Good stuff.

[metalwinds]

not much to say except keep doing what youre doing. keep studying anatomy and values and such. you may want to take a stab at charcoal too.. .it really helped me with values and tightening up my pencil work. not sure how much life drawing youre doing, but that helps a lot too. keep em comin

peace

[Kortez]

Looking mighty good, these last pieces look fabulous.

P.s. is that self portrat from life?

:)

[jester]

@endregan, thanks!

@morbidhumour, thank you for lurking ;) and coming out of your hiding place! :D It's always nice when someone who can draw well recognizes one's efforts.

@metalwinds, I don't like charcoal that much because it's so messy and unstable (even when I fix it). But when I see your drawing with char I get the urge to try it again. I try to draw from life whenever possible (eg. at the zoo, in parks etc.) I used to attend life drawing classes (you can find them earlier in my sketchbook, in case you are interested) but apart from the sad fact that I can't afford them at the moment I'm usually very annoyed by the teachers here, since they are very dogmatic in their ways - the style as it is teached in the US isn't highly appreciated here, they always want parallel hatching for shading, cross hatching, or applying large areas with the side of pencil or coal are no-nos. :(

@Kortez, thanks, yes it was from life, the reflection of my mug in the window, that's why I didn't finish it, this was all I could see.

Jester

[buffaloe]

these are looking great, jester! Hehe, I wish I could discipline myself to draw as often as you.... you've shown a steady improvement that comes from practising all the time... Nice work!

Also, I wanted to ask you what kinds of techniques your teachers generally emphasize? You were saying that they don't really like the way the US teaches drawing... can you explain a little about the German style of sketching? (I'm always up for learning new techniques) ;)

[jester]

Thanks, buffaloe. Well, I explain the differences quite detailly elsewhere in this thread but I promise to re-post a few drawings which show what I'm talking about in a few days. For today, here's a bunch of sketches I did for the book illustration project:

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0387.jpg

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0388.jpg

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0389.jpg

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0390.jpg

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0391.jpg

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0392.jpg

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0393.jpg

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0394.jpg

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0395.jpg

Jester

[roger]

Wow, 15 pages already, you're dedication is quite inspiring! Nice to see the improvements. :)

[jester]

Another one for my book-illustration project. Problem is, I quite like it as a portrait but it's not what I wanted to show. This is meant to be a more than a 100 year old woman. Problem is, I only found a ref pic of this, let's say, attractive 70 year old woman. Since I have no real knowledge on how to make someone look really older, I'm a bit stuck. I don't want to ruin this one, though.

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0396.jpg

Jester

PS: Metalwinds, I just bought charcoal today.
PPS: And I got a new pen brush from Pentel with refill cartridges, yippee!
Last PS: Our crazy friend (for which I'm doing that illustration project) has invited my and my partner for a day trip to London to visit the LOTR exhibition!

[Jeff Gran]

Ya that portrait is great so far, I always like that style of black and white on grey. Basically just add more wrinkles and make some deeper and some barely visible. You should be able to find a ref of someone with tons of wrinkles, and just take ideas for where and which direction to draw them. The LOTR exhibition will be awesome! dont forget your sketchbook. :)

[golgari]

great portrait!
i'd also say, just continue with it and make sure that you that all the skin of that woman has some kind of texture. try to find as many wrinkles as you find on your reference, as tiny or light as they may be on your reference photo and try to draw all of them, maybe making seem partially more visible than on your photo. just be sure to have no "smooth areas" at all, and she'll look pretty old, i think...

[jester]

I was trying to develop a label for an apple spirit called Abelas for my book-illustration project. Our friend's birthday is tomorrow and since I didn't make it in time she'll get a bottle with abelas as a wildcard/joker present.

I'm not sure yet which one to use:

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0397.jpg

Jester

[Signature]

I like #13 most. It just looks a little like "Abelxs".

[Nold]

Haven't looked at your sketchbook for quite a long time now. Good work, keep it up. Concerning you age problem: In the portrait drawing book of burne Hogarth is a complete chapter about aging from birth to 80 years.
According to this, at the old ages flesh and bones are shrinking, making the forms of the skull more visible (the hole of the eye for example). The facial features, especially the nose appears more... bony. Nose appears enlarged too. The mouth collapses and shrinks (especially when the teeth are lost) and there are some vertical wrinkles at the lips, the lips themselves appear thighter and more compressed. The chin gets more prominent. The eyebrows appear bigger and confused. The upper eyelid droops markedly. This is a short summary of the most important things. And don' forget wrinkles. vertical ones between the eyebrows, the ones in the corner of the eyes and the hanging ones in the lower area of the face.

I made a quick sketch, using Hogarths book as ref. The head is more than a bit too wide, but I think you will get an idea.
Hope this helps.

http://www.nhoch2.de/images/daily/20031006age.jpg

[MindCandyMan]

Great lettering jester...looks really cool! I like number 12...keep it up...great stuff!

[endregan]

great works jester. I really like your sketches! do you paint at all? id like to see some painting soon too, just for fun ;).

[jester]

At last, today I found some spare time in the evening to draw and put some more work into the book project (luckily our friend doesn't mind waiting for her present, I know that customers aren't that friendly).

So here's the bottle of Abelas, we gave her as a prelim present already two weeks ago:

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0398.jpg


Here's another attempt at that age-old woman, I think I did better now - I took a newspaper foto of a 107 year old woman of my town as reference and merged it with what I learned from my last one and your valuable advice.

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0400.jpg


Here's the pre-sketch of a sloop (took some research time on google to find a sloop which isn't too modern!)

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0401.jpg


And finally an overgrown weathered roadsign (no ref was used, just my pure imagination... I admit that it has a lot of uncertainties and other issues, but recently I really manage to get at least a hint of what is forming in my mind on paper - probably because the descriptions in the novel are so clear)

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0402.jpg


Thanks everybody for looking and commenting, I highly appreciate your help!

Jester

[jester]

At last! After about a week without drawing I finally made it again. Both pics are from reference, from the wonderful site Fipse mentions in Erik's "medieval" thread.

Proportions are a bit off, shading and highlights too rushed but I'm glad that I finally put something on paper again. Once I get going, hopefully there'll be more.

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0403.jpg

I started a new sketchbook with brownish recycling paper:
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0404.jpg

Jester

[MindCandyMan]

Very cool stuff looks awesome!

[jester]

MCM :D Thanks!

Here's another one for my book project, a sloop, which takes an important part in the story:

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0405.jpg

Jester

[Signature]

I really like your pieces.
I'd like some of them more if you'd either go for lines or values.
Does that make sense?

In this one I like the background a lot:
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0403.jpg
I think the lines of the figure at least shouldn't be so strong.

In this one I like the lines:
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0402.jpg
AMAZING.
No crits.

[jester]

Signature, you make perfect sense - I should check that my pictures are more coherent in their rendering. Thanks for pointing this out! :)

Last night I needed some non-fantasy stuff for a change and so I drew those little froggies from foto reference (GEO-Magazin):

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0406.jpg

It's black fineliner/brushpen and copic marker plus Tipp-Ex white out (the one which comes in a handy pen) plus Prismacolor pencils/Watercolor pencils.

Jester

[Fipse]

The frogs are one of the best things I´ve seen from you, yet. I really like them - good technique and execution.

CU later

Fipse

[MindCandyMan]

I agree...awesome jester

[jester]

Thanks a lot, Fipse and MCM, this was one of the rare occasions that I was quite satisfied myself.

Jester

[Cashmere]

I can touch those frogs, they have a real 3d effect!

[roger]

Yeah, those frogs are awesome! Great use of mixed media.

[jester]

Same technique but not quite the same success... but it looks like a road I'd like to travel for a while.

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0407.jpg

Thanks for looking, Cashmere and roger!

Jester

[MrMojo]

Very nice. I like the style of the last two.

[Main Loop]

ooh nice @ last 2.. i might hafta try out that use of media...

[jester]

Since this technique has such success (thanks a lot, MrMojo and Main Loop) I did another one (also from photo reference):

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0408.jpg

Hope you like it as well. It's immense fun!

Jester

[MindCandyMan]

That's great! Love the new technique...keep it up!

[jester]

Those are done with a brush pen from photo reference:

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0409.jpg

http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0410.jpg

Jester

[MindCandyMan]

Nice jester! I love the guy in the upper right of the first pic...great update!

[jester]

Thanks again, Jon.

For those of you following this thread - I'll be on vacation from 1st to 8th November. Hope to see you all soon again!

Happy Halloween!

:)

Jester

[metalwinds]

damn jester, youve been training your eye very much with those reference drawings. i can definitely see you improving. those brush pen drawings are lookin good, and the new technique you are using is working well. ive never heard of these brush pens before (ive been using ink and a brush, which isnt all that portable), but i want to check them out. keep em comin

peace

[Signature]

That's definitely the right track.
The whole page 11 (it's page 11 for most people, right? Forum default!?) is amazing.
Keep it up.
Maybe you can write something for the middle class when you have time ...
about the materials and techniques?

Happy Halloween and good luck! Have fun! :chug:

[Cashmere]

Hey Jester, where are you? I'm waiting the updates! ;)

[Fipse]

I think Jester is working the time up she spent with us guys gaming and drinking :D.

CU later!

Fipse

[jester]

Exactly, Fipse! :D

I have managed to do a few sketches but no time to scan and upload. Hopefully by the end of this week I'll update. Thanks for asking, Cashmere!

:chug:

Jester

[jester]

This is all I managed to draw in the last four weeks. Not half as much as I would have liked to do and not half as good as I think I can do. But I was very busy during the past weeks and so terribly exhausted in the evenings that this is the best I could produce. So I should stop whining and let my drawings loose for you to criticise. Cross your fingers for me that at least after Xmas and before the new year I'll find the spare time to draw again.

random doodles while watching TV
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0411.jpg

random doodles while watching TV
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0412.jpg

random doodles while watching TV
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0413.jpg

our friend Peter
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0414.jpg

that's Fipse
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0415.jpg

view from the living room at our holiday domicil
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0416.jpg

thumbnail for the book illustration project
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0417.jpg

thumbnail for the book illustration project
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0418.jpg

thumbnail for the book illustration project
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0419.jpg

a young bear, photo ref from GEO magazine
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0420.jpg

view of a town seen from the see, photo ref used
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0421.jpg

Eowyn, photo ref used
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0422.jpg

this was interesting: while watching the news all the faces I saw on the screen went into this drawing. I was trying out a square chunky graphite stick
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0423.jpg

and some rock formation, phot ref from GEO magazine
http://www.jester.de/gallery/sketch1/jester-0424.jpg

Jester

[Cashmere]

Jester, I can see you love the drawing, I know, you can't stop to sketch everywhere you are and that is the most important thing.
Hey, your sketches are nice but that mushroom is beautiful! ;)

Work more on the perspective: during the day, look the objects around you and compare they with the idea of perspective in your imagination. If you can't drawing on the paper, you can do it in your imagination.

However, I hope you will find the spare time to draw again.

:chug:

[jester]

Tonight I found some time (at last) to draw! But being creative is difficult when so many things are on your mind, and so I decided to learn from copying. So for those of you who recognize your drawings and sketches, please do not feel ripped but honored, because that's what I had in mind when I took to your works. I found them inspiring and didn't want to do any harm. I hope you can live with this - if not. please let me know!

I reworked last week's sketch with a brush pen:
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0425.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0426.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0427.jpg

Jester

PS: Cashmere, thanks a lot!

[Cashmere]

That butterfly is poetic !

[jester]

Yeah, Cashmere, unfortunately that's not my own idea. But I liked it so much I had to try it. metalwinds, Lukias and Targete are the artists who inspired me. The butterfly is from Targete!

Jester

[MindCandyMan]

Good to see you drawing jester...keep it up! ;) Studies of other work is so fun!

[jester]

After a long break from drawing I tried to get the hang of it again by ccopying stuff. Since I'm a great fan of dragons I did copy these from various sources:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0428.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0429.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0430.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0431.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0432.jpg

The geckos were taken from cire600 - check out his sketchbook if you haven't done before - his are more lively than my humble copies.

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0433.jpg

The folds were from Ron Lemens very instructive tutorials on drapery:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0434.jpg

And finally, my first approach to my Thunderdome battle with Cashmere (if this figure reminds you of Jack Sparrow you are absolutely right... :D )

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0435.jpg

Have a Happy New Year everybody!

Jester

[jester]

Yesterday I went to a day-trip to London to visit the Lord of the Rings Exhibition. It was a very exhausting day but exiting and good fun, too! we got up early at 5 am, took a plane at 9 o'clock, arrived in London at 9 (different time zone!), then travelled by train into the City, did some small shopping at the London Graphics Centre near Covent Garden, had a pint of beer at a pub in Covent Garden, then Lunch at Punch & Judy (good and fairly cheap place to eat and drink in London). Then we hurried by tube to the National Science Museum just to pick up our tickets in time (they were timed for 13:30, we arrived at 13:20...). Then we spent exited two hours at the exhibition and started our journey back to Stansted Airport to get the plane at 19:10... flight was delayed (seemed everybody travelled home yesterday...). Landed after the pilots second attempt to find the landing area (!) at about 23:00. Then another hour driving home through windy and rainy weather. After two more beers we fell asleep at 2 in the morning. What a day!

I managed a small sketch at the airport at half past seven while waiting for bording:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0436.jpg

[golgari]

wow, sounds awesome. you should have done some sketches at the LOTR-exhibition, too - though you probably didn't have the time for that ;)
how much did it cost you? did you manage it by getting one of these lowprice-special-offers?

your last pictures look nice, i especially like the pirate and the female swordfighter. your stuff relies on lines pretty much, though. maybe try to do some experiments where you pay more attention to whole areas of value or shape.

[jester]

golgari, it was awesome. and demanding - I managed to catch a severe cold afterwards, which kept me "entertained" over the weekend (deeling a bit better now).

How much it did cost me, well, not very much actually, since I was invited by a very dear friend. She paid for the flight (Ryanair - 2.99 EUR single, plus taxes it summed up to app. 40 EUR per person). Additionally cam the Travelcard for the transport from Stansted airport north of London into the City and travelling there (which was 16.50 GBP). The exhibition was pre-booke dvia internet as well and was 10.95 GBP. So that's what she paid for - I only had to pay for my shopping (arts materials...) and what I was eating and drinking that day.

The exhibition itself was packed with people. Also you were not allowed to take bags with you - and thus I literally forgot to take my sketchbook out before handing it in. :rolleyes. However, the rules were very strict that you were neither allowed to take cameras and cell phones (also because of the new camera phones, I guess) with you - and I can imagine that they would have minded me sketching, too - I read something like this by el coro I think, who wasn't allowed to draw in a museum not too long ago.

Since I'm the proud owner of all three "The Art of..." books of LOTR, it isn't that much of a problem - though it would have been nice!

Here's my contributions to form_n_focus' middle class assignment:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0438.jpg

Jester

[MindCandyMan]

Sounds like a ton of fun jester! This latest drawing is nice as well!

[jester]

Pre-sketch fo rmy Thunderdome project of doing two pirate characters. No references used.

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0439.jpg

Jester

[chudzta]

Nice veggies

And i think its time for a nother run thru some thunderdome competitions.. those always are so interesting.. anxious to see what u guys are up to. - chudds

[jester]

Thanks for looking and commenting, chudzta!

Here are some of my Thunderdome sketches. My main problem is that when trying to make them three-dimensional I seem to get them all smudgy and boring. Earlier stages often look more interesting. However, I don't seem to find the right point to stop the sketch and over-render it. I'm still not half way where I want to get in my sketches and am very depressed because of this. This time the plateau doesn't seem to end and the next step isn't even in view. :(

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0440.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0441.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0442.jpg

Jester

[MindCandyMan]

You're hitting a growth spurt! This always happens to me before something clicks in my head. Keep pushing and find out exactly what is wrong and then try to fix it...find out what you need to practice and keep doing it. Keep pushing!

[jester]

Thanks, Jon! I also felt that I have to go to the basics to understand 3d on 2d better and thus did some books studies and a view of my telly:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0443.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0444.jpg

Both were meant as a loose approach to sketching. I did them in order to get a dimensional feel while drawing again. It's always good to get back to live drawing. Drawing from photo reference is nice sometimes, but misleading, too!

I'm looking forward to my illustration class starting on 3rd February.

Jester

[jester]

Hi folks,

I just finished my portfolio website (http://www.zwergenhalle.de/) - if anybody of you wants to look, you're welcome!

Crits are highly appreciated. And please don't worry because it's a German site - it's mostly pictures anyways and I translated the most important parts.

For those of you following my sketchbook on a regular basis: this is all well known material to you.

CU!

Jester

[MindCandyMan]

hey jester you're portfolio site looks great! Those studies of those books stacked up are so hard aren't they! That seems so easy when you think about it but when you try it...it sure is difficult! Hey you gonna go to the workshop in amsterdam...if you go there is a possibility I may see you!

[catterpillar]

big kudose to you for much improvement and dedication to the cause! :D keep it up!

[jester]

Thanks a lot, Jon. The books were done by loose eyeballing, I didn't really measure. I felt very stiff that evening and tried to loose my hand. But considering the result, I'll work with more diligence on this again.

What workshop in Amsterdam? Problem is currently: no money, no time anyway. :mad: It's a pity, to know you'll be so close and no chance to meet you. But hey, once my financial situation has improved I'll come over to the US! :cool:

Thank you caterpillar - it's replies like yours which keep me going! :)

Here's the first half of my Thunderdome entry, the Pirate Captain:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0445.jpg

Jester

[Cashmere]

Hi Jester, I saw your portfolio, it's full of interesting works.
Each drawing express your wish to improve, each of them is a brick of your creativity.
You make great drawing of animals and nature in general, do you apply the same technique when you draw the human body?

I like your picture in color :)

[jester]

I managed to catch another cold last week and am pretty busy so I didn't find the time to update although I did draw (at least a little).

From "Hook"
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0447.jpg

The oven at our sauna place
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0448.jpg

All these I did today on a 14th century event organized by my friends:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0449.jpg http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0450.jpg http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0453.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0451.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0452.jpg

Hope you like them.

Jester

[Neireth]

Nice update Jester. I hope you'll find some more time to post, would love to see more from you.
And I really like your sketches/paintings from life.

Keep it up! :)

[jester]

Hey spellshaper, thanks for taking a look. Yes, I'd love to update more often, too, but alas, the time!

Jester

[stormy]

I've been going through your thread and saw the most amazing thing. When you took a picture of your art supplies, I saw your epure (is that spelled right?) rubber (I guess that's what they call them in Europe?). I purchased two in a package when I was visiting England, but have gone through the oval one completely, and lost the triangular one. They're the best erasers I've ever used. Do you know of an online place I can find them?

[jester]

I'm not quite sure whether they will ship internationally, but I purchased them from Boesner, which is a large German artists supplier. You can find them online here (http://www.boesner.com/) . I also saw them a few weeks ago in London at the London Graphics Center (http://www.londongraphics.co.uk/) .

I like them, too, though I'm a great fan of the Sanford Magic Rub as well (which I have problems to get here...)

Jester

[stormy]

lol, I feel like a jerk for only getting excited about the erasers. You seriously have improved VASTLY from beginning to now. Your hand studies actually inspired me to get back into trying desperately to unlock the secret of drawing hands from memory rather than reference. Think I'll open my own sketchbook and see if it somehow records some progress too.

btw, a friend of mine from England and I used to engage in chocolate/gum swaps. He'd send me good english chocolate, and I'd send him a specific flavor of chewing gum not available in the UK. That said, if you think an art supply would be in order someday, somehow, just let me know. I'm still looking for a distributor that'll ship to the US, but if I can't, I'm willing to get abit more extreme to get them. (Have I mentioned that I love them? they just fit perfect in my hand and have a nice thin edge for getting in and lifting up highlights and precise removal......anyway).

*edit - I found them...woohoo. They have em at http://dickblick.com (go figure..I've been looking through a catalog from there for three weeks...they're not in the catalog tho :eek: ) :D

[jester]

Storny, glad you found them. And thanks for your feedback. Lately I felt that the plateau I reached would never end or only lead downwards.

This morning I finished the first oil painting I did in 20 years... here you are, I just tried to get the hang of colors and brushed again. Not a masterpiece, but a start. What do you think?

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0454..jpg

Jester

[stormy]

I LOVE trees. I dunno why. They just fascinate me..and yours are excellent. They're not...hmm...well.... They look alive. Love the colors too, although I'd probably add some violet hues in there some how to balance out the orange. Well, I personally would add some blue hues somewhere, but I tend to over color. I like your autumn theme. The more I look and think..I think if you added some violet to the sky and perhaps abit to the tree tops, and maybe hints of some kinda green (notta bright green), the whole thing would be absolutely fantastic. It's very serene.

I'm hoping to get into a painting class this summer (and a basic drawing class too). Any preliminary advice? and do you use a charcoal sketch beneath your paintings?

[golgari]

nice oil painting, jester. what bothers me most about it is the left tree - it looks almost too similar to the right one and it's root somehow seems strange - almost as if it would be just floating in the air. maybe it's also just too huge, considering it's supposed to be further away. nice calm atmosphere throughout the picture, though.

[jester]

stormy, thank you. Actually there are some blue and violet hues in the trees' shadows but they don't show in the digital photgraph. I am considering to emphasize them, though. I don't want to put in green - I just wanted that monochromatic look. And I still have a limited palette. There are lots of hues on my birthday wishlist :D.
I used a charcoal prelim sketch because I have read of this before. However, the charcoal was smearing into the background - which I didn't like and is wasn't that visible once I painted over it. But this may be due because I didn't dilute the oils enough. Don't know.

golgari, thank you, too. The similarity was intended, as a "reflection" of the nearer tree. The tree's root or foot is meant to disappear behind the hill - probably I could improve this to make it clearer. As for size: Why shouldn't the tree in the background be much larger than the one in the front? But you are right, a bit smaller would have been better.

Jester

[endregan]

good to see you still going at it

the painting turned out awesome.

[jester]

Thanks a lot, endregan. Your portfolio looks good - please keep us updated!

Last week a very good friend gave birth to a baby girl and thus I made a sort of birth certificate. I wanted to have a fresh and child-like pic. What do you think, should I outline the letters even more or leave them as light as they are?

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0455.jpg

Jester

[stormy]

I'd outline the letters at the top abit more, and the frame at the bottom and maybe add a very little shading to the bassinet. It's really cool lookin' tho.

[jester]

Thanks, stormy.

Here is the update. Tomorrow I'll take it with me as a present. :)

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0456.jpg

Jester

[jester]

I went to the zoo yesterday but only managed one sketch - I had forgotten to take my transpotable stool with me and all the benches were at places that offered no real view on the animals.

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0457.jpg

However, I took quite a lot of photos, which I posted in the reference section - they can be found here (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2150)

Last week I went on a day trip which led me to several art nouveau places in the area. Reference fotos can be found here (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2424)

Jester

[davidheijl]

Hey Jester,

it's great to see such progress... I remember checking out this thread way back when you started it...

MCM: You'll be at the workshop too? This is getting better and better! See you there...

[MindCandyMan]

Nice camel jester! Actually I won't be at the workshop...I can't afford the plane ticket and also the tuition...stinks but nothing I can do :(

[2kre8]

jester keep at it, your stamina is inspiring

[jester]

Time for an update. I was pretty busy the past weeks because finally the customers I've been looking for seem to have gathered at the next corner and all came at once... :D Cross your fingers for me that this continues. It's bad for my art but good for my bank account :D.

This study I took from Feher's Encyclopaedia Anatomica:
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0458.jpg

Now try and guess what I got for my birthday...

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0459.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0460.jpg
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0465.jpg
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0463.jpg

From a newspaper fotograph:
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0461.jpg

From a book Fipse was so kind to borrow me. If you are looking for perfect medieval costume reference, this is the book for you (btw, it's by the re-enactment group John Howe is a member in:
Gerry Embleton, Medieval Military Costume - Recreated in Colour Photographs, ISBN 1-86126-371-6, U$ 22.95
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0466.jpg

These are from Donald Graham's book Composing Pictures which I can also recommend. For all the Germans around: There's exactly one copy in Germany (in public libraries that is) and it's located at the university library of Siegen. I got it via "Fernleihe"...

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0467.jpg
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0468.jpg

And finally a gouache I made this evening, the first serious gouache I ever made. Of course reference was used.

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0469.jpg

I hope that I can find the time to update more frequently and to read more on CA. I miss you all!

Jester

PS: davidheijl, MindCandyMan and 2kre8 thanks a lot for your encouragement!

[Fipse]

Hi Jester,

just wanted to step by and say hello. Unfortunately we´re living 10 min by car away so we seldom can see us :D. Good that your business is starting - I´ve got too much business as usual ...

Hope we can meet somehow in the next time!

BTW nice update, getting back into theoretical background gain? Nice Gouache - isn´t it a practical medium?

Fipse

[jester]

Hey Fipse, yes, sort of we are living too close... :D. Gouache is nice, just left 65 Eur at Boesner today... :rolleyes: It dries a bit too fast for my personal way of painting but I think there are mediums which can be worked in to let it dry slower. I have to take a look for that.

Jester

[st0ned]

awww..I like the NEMO...:]

[endregan]

wow those sketches are getting so good. They have come out so clean, and you have been trying different things :)

I love your painting

[jester]

@st0ned - as you liked the Nemo (thanks) you'll probably like the next two, too. Done with gouache and still steep learning curve!

@endregan - thanks, your progress is impressive, too!


http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0464.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0470.jpg


Jester

[jester]

Awww, I havent't posted here for ages! But I'm still alive. However, at last I found the customers I was so urgently looking for - and by now business is rolling. Keep your fingers crossed that this will continue!

Side-effect of this is, that I hardly find the time for drawing -and even less for posting. To add to my time troubles, I changed the provider for my webspace - expect to find red crosses in the earliest posts of this thread. I try to update the broken links but it will take some time.

Thanks for dropping by and reading this - I promise I'll become more active soon and take a look at your threads as well!

Jester

[jester]

At last, I made it to scan my lated drawings/paintings and even found some time to upload them. Here you are:

Just a few doodles to warm up again:
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0471.jpg

At the Chinese garden of the Ruhr-University Botanic garden (watercolor and ink):
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0472.jpg

Same place, different technique, marker and whiteout on brown paper:
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0473.jpg

And again: marker and whiteout on brown paper:
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0474.jpg

I took more photos than did actually find time for drawing, however, I'll get back to that place.

Jester

[Signature]

You inspire again! Wow that one is stunning:
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0473.jpg

The others are good, too.

[endregan]

Yes jester is back and posting!! Finally. Those marker ones are amazing... I haven ever tried that technique before. You do it very well!

Keep posting :)

[jester]

Since I'm still online I better answer immediately - never know these days when I'll find time again.

Signature, :blush: you are humbling me! I inspire? Wow. Never expected this. Thanks a lot!

endregan, thank you very much, too. Markers somehow work like the stuff you used as a kid - but they are way better for making layers.

Hopefully I can post a few photographs of my botanic garden safari later this week.

Jester

[MindCandyMan]

Glad to see you back!!! Those sepia tone drawings are great...keep it up I would love to see more! Take less pictures...draw more hehe!

[jester]

Thanks, MCM, I will! Even managed a gouache tonight, of a place I'd like to visit one time in my life: Tuscany.

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0476.jpg

Jester

[Fipse]

Hi Jester,

on your last pic I like most the far away hills - I think you captured the atmospheric perspective quite well. In the foreground I think there are some perspective problems that distract a bit from the overall good painting.

I think I have to test the Gouache you and the rest of the bunch gave me thi weekend - when I don´t have to sew and build things for the Störtebeker video ;)

Fipse

[jester]

Funny thing, Fipse, I see the perpective issues myself but I swear! they weren't in th epre-sketch! It must have to do with the application of color.

Here's the new one from tonight:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0477.jpg

Just like short holidays...

:D

Jester

[jester]

Ok, gouache is the thing at the moment:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0478.jpg

and a scribble from a magazine:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0479.jpg

Jester

[Cashmere]

Hi Jester :)
I'm looking your latest posts and I note an enhancement of 3d effects on these drawings. Specially the dragons and the April 29th' pics. (Nemo is delightful).
Interesting that "conventional and non conventional perspective". (Now I'm waiting three books on perspective... these days I got a perspective-mania eheh).

Gouache, is a technique not simple as a computer painting, so my compliments for your gouache. :)

[hito]

you can keep a little spritzer handy to keep the gouache wet while you're painting. once the paint is dried on the paper, you can bring it back alive with a wet brush. Though its easy to make your colors muddy doing that if you're not careful.

Ron Lemen was gracious enough to post two tutorials painting with gouache. Don't know if you've seen them or not.

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=23421
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=23526

[jester]

Hey Cashmere, thanks for dropping by - I'm looking forward to see the results of your perpective studies.

hito, thank you ever so much for pointing out those two demos by Ron which I actually missed! What's a "spritzer" by the way?

Jester

[jester]

I updated my second Tuscan gouache following nikia's hints. Here is what came out of it:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0480.jpg

Also, I'm working on another Landscape, an English garden. It's a real challenge and might take one or two more sessions to finish.

Jester

[MindCandyMan]

Great update jester! It's good to see you doing some still life's and landscapes. Keep pushing. I've never used gouache but it looks very intriguing! Keep it up.

[jester]

My latest in gouache. Same problem w/ perspective again, have forgotten to use masking fluid or tape... :rolleyes:

Jon, try gouache, it's cheap, versatile, and comes quite naturally after a few attempts. It's a nice choice when you have not time for oil to dry.

Jester

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0481.jpg

[jester]

For a change a pencil drawing. I was filing through my The Art of the Lord of the Rings books looking for reference for my book project (yeah, still working on it) and came to this marquette of the Stone Troll. I found the distribution of shadow and lights quite interesting and tried to capture it.

Jester

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0482.jpg

[Vader]

I forgot about your work jester, i loved all of your earlier work and the updates are brilliant. Its just a shame you dont have much time to post so often.#

Rufus

I was just checking out your website and realised your work is simular to Beatrix Potter(peter rabbit)

[jester]

Hey vader, thanks for posting! Beatrice Potter? :) I only know a few of her drawings, never realised a similarity to mine, but I'll check that!

BTW - I searched all of CA and despite you having posted in many threads, you never seem to post any of your works. Come on, get some faith and pos your own stuff in a sktechbook like this!

Jester

[jester]

For the book project (remember, I started this in early summer 2003, for a friend's birthday present), I made this painting. It's meant to show a fireball getting up some 200 ft into the air, showing the moment immediately before explosion. Technique: gouache, my new found favourite.

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0483a.jpg

Jester

[jester]

This one is sort of a master copy of one of Android's great self portraits. I loved this one from the moment he posted it - and only a little while later I read a passage in that book I'm illustrating and I thought, "that's it!". This was about a year ago and I knew then that I wouldn't be able to do that. Now I gained more confidence and though it's not really Andoid's face (which wasn't intended anyway, it was just meant to be a face young and old at once, of a god), I'm quite content with the result. However, crits are definitely welcome. Gouache, as usual at the moment.

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0484a.jpg


Jester

[jester]

Hiya, I found some time to paint again, both from reference.

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0485.jpg

Nordic landscape, step 1:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0486.jpg
(I just scanned it because I feared I'd muck it up when doing the tree, now I think that the effect of the bare landscape compared to the finished one is quite interesting)

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0487.jpg

What do you think?

Jester

[luna2]

hey jester its good to see you are still arting it up, keep going

[jester]

Hiya luna2, seems you actually left lurking mode just to comment on my sketchbook?! Thanks a lot! :)

Jester

[Signature]

Hehe you have taste! Great master painting study.

I actually love the Nordic landscape with the tree a lot.

[jester]

Hiya sig, nice to meet you again! :) Yeah, it's much better *with* the tree, isn't it?

Currently working on a seascape with ships, hopefully to be finished tomorrow. And I just surfed through artkitty's sktechbook, which is real eye candy, even if one is not normally an anime and critters fan.

Jester

[Signature]

Just been there too ... saw that you replied there on the index page of the forum.
That sketchbook has 4 stars? Some people are mean or blind I guess.

I tried to vote there, but there was an error message:

According to our ... yadayada ... you have already voted ...
Saaad!

Well ... I hope I don't miss your seascape update.
But ... maybe I'll discover it in a month if I do.

[jester]

Just been there too ... saw that you replied there on the index page of the forum.
That sketchbook has 4 stars? Some people are mean or blind I guess.


Yep, it's definitely 5-star.


Well ... I hope I don't miss your seascape update.
But ... maybe I'll discover it in a month if I do


Never mind, recently I have enough problems myself to keep up to date at CA - it's gorgeous what's going on here! Hope to see you posting here some time again. :)

Jester

[MindCandyMan]

You've really been kicking things up a notch lately. These recent ones are looking so much better...it's awesome to see you experimenting.

[endregan]

your painting has progressed greatly. Keep up the sketching too eh Painting is one of my long lost favourite pastimes :D

[O D T]

I really like youre nordic tree one! it seems very lonely without the tree (in a good way), but even better with the silhouetted tree!

[jester]

Jon, thank you! It's only because of the high standard here at CA that I'm really able to push myself. And also my business is running more smoothly now (it's not perfect and I can only live from it hand-to-mouth, literally) - so my mind is much more free to deal with art again.

endregan, funny you say that: went to the zoo today to make a few animal sketches (see below). :)

O D T, yeah, nordic landscapes can be pretty lonely - Britain has a lot to offer in that field, too! See, I studied English and love to stay in the UK, great places all over! Never been to Birmingham though.

So here's the seascape I promised to post yesterday. Any advice on how to improve it? It's highly inspired by Erik's beautiful works:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0488.jpg

And that's my sketching booty from the zoo. Unfortunately many other people went there today, too. It was what in my area in Germany you call "Polackenflachrennen" *, which means that it was extremely busy with annoying people. However, I popped in my MP3-player ear-plugs and was happy: Santana was the right music for a nice and sunny day.

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0489.jpg
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0490.jpg
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0491.jpg
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0492.jpg
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0493.jpg


Jester


*(I know you English speaking people cherish our long compounds - saw another great one the other day: Estrichlegermeisterbetrieb :D )

[Signature]

It is great! (Hehe, didn't miss it)
The contrasts, colors and composition are good. And personally I like the way the waves are rendered.
Maybe the far boats could have less contrast than the closer one to suggest depth?
And the boats are all very similar. I guess if there was more difference it would be more interesting ...
as if the sea was in charge more.

The way you have it I'd kinda interpret it as "a victory of mankind over nature" or something like that.

Great animals. I especially like the confident lines in that one:
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0492.jpg

[jester]

Hiya signature - yay, you made it :D

Thanks for the hints - it is a scene of the book projects, that's why the ships all look alike. However, to blur the farther away ships is something I'll definitely do.

I did a quicky from reference before going to bed now. The face isn't one of my best - I'll certainly give is another try:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0494.jpg

g'night

Jester

[jester]

Well, that book I'm working on to illustrate has many dragons - and I think I can't get away illustrating it without at least one dragon illustration in one of the 17 chapters. So tonight I started to do some research and do my first humble attempts on those majestic creatures. Interestingly, I hadn't seriously drawn with a ball pen for several years, but it felt good!

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0495.jpg


Jester

[endregan]

Awesome. I remember d rawing the giraffe, Very fun, long!! It goes right off the page they are so long :). Drawing at the zoo was fun but definitely not the greatest atmosphere with other people constantly interrupting and not to mention the animals rarely sit still :P.

You got an illustration job ! congrats :)

[Robolus]

Your sketches and gouache studies are improving. Very good Jester.

Bei Gouache arbeite ich von Hell nach Dunkel. Mein Farbauftrag ist anfangs sehr lasierend. Ich spare die hellsten Stellen (Papier - weiß) aus. Nach und nach erreiche ich dadurch sehr feine und genaue Farbabstufungen. Meine Farben mische ich anfangs mit einem hohen Wassergehalt, zum Schluß arbeite ich pastos. Mit dieser Vorgehensweise hättest du die Wolken und Wellen noch natürlicher und mit mehr Tiefe malen können.

Mach weiter so, ich bin gespannt.

[jester]

endregan, thanks, that's exactly what happened to my giraffes - although I had drawn them before and actually planned where to put them on the paper - still, the neck was tooooooo looooooong ;)
The moving animals are not that bad as long as they keep doing the same repetitive movements again and again. You just have to wait until they repeat that movement. Works fine with birds cleaning their feathers, or animals feeding. Most annoying can be onlookers. I don't mind them standing close and looking what I do, but some (especially children) are talking to me constantly. Since I seem to be a right hemisphere person when drawing, I can't talk when I draw.
As for the illustration job - it's just a private project. See, the man in my life is an aspiring author (just this week two of his stories have been published in an anthology and he is currently working with a literature agency to publish his first novel. However, this book illustration project is a very belated birthday present for a very good friend of us. I started last year in May or so... but my job (that's my own business I'm trying to establish) came in the way. The book/novel has 17 chapters and I was planning to make an illustration for each - never expected this to last so long and to be sooooo difficult (kudos to all the illustrators who earn their living with this!) since mostly my skills don't match my imagination, yet! So I had to look for scenes which are interesting and easy enough for me...

Robulus, thank you ever so much for the advice on working with gouache. Actually, and as you probably saw immediately, I used to work not exactly vice versa, but almost. Normally I start with washes for the sky and the main elements of the picture. Then I spot the darks and start working opaque and only afterwards apply the lights. I find it very difficult to start with the lights first (in order to leave them white) and then work into the dark. I tried masking fluid but it's too thick for me and I usually mess things up (including rubbed off paper). For the seascape I bought some masking tape (huh, expensive!) and cut out the ship in the foreground and worked with both the positive and the negative shapes I had cut out. This suits me more. Thanks for the encouragement, I too feel that I acquired enough game points and managed to get onto the next level. :) But still a long way to go.

Jester

[killing.people]

hi jester :confident just walk'n by.

i wanted to say that i think you are a real sweet-heart :heart:

you really stand out in this crowd of dark and twisted conceptartists. i find your approach and passion for art fascinating.

[jester]

killing! :D I'm feeling embarrassed! ;)

It seems that I can only draw cuties... What the hell, make a method of it - just changed my avatar because of this...


Jester-One of the most optimistic people at CA- ;)

[jester]

Ok, not one of my best shots of the last days. I don't know really what it's exactly, is it missing contrast? Shapes? Light direction? All of it?

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0496.jpg

Jester

[O D T]

i love the tuscan gouache! your vibrant colours are definitely the best thing about your work! I agree with killing.people...youre paintings really do stand out here on CA! theyre so natural & free...not all the artificial photoshop finish that a lot of the coloured pieces have here!

[jester]

Thanks, O D T, I start to appreciate my approach... :bashful: any more fans around? ;)

Jester

[jester]

We went to Fipse's place on Saturday - and of course I took my small sketchbook with me. I managed to do quick sketches of Pedda and Fipse. For those of you who know them - both are constant movers while talking...

Pedda looks like a mixture of Peter Jackson, a hobbit and himself on this one:
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0497.jpg

I think I managed to catch the main characteristics of Fipse - what do you think (for a few of you know him personally by now)?
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0498.jpg

Jester

[endregan]

Hey jester!

Love that you are getting together with other artists and familiar ones to the site, always fun to relate to the conceptart experience, share ideas and just sketch. The Fipse sketch definitely resembles him from the pictures I have seen.

[jester]

Hiya endregan, well, Fipse is an old school friend of me - I think we know us for almost 24 years now... Actually it was me who told him to come to CA :D

But you are right, it's always a good thing to meet people in real life, especially if they share your interests. Fipse, Pedda, my partner and some other guys (plus Fipse's wife, not to forget!) have a middle ages project called "Godendag" - and that's why we were meeting on Saturday. There's going to be a museum's night in Dortmund in two weeks and they'll be part of it, re-enacting a small 14th century troop in a re-built tower of Dortmund's fortifications. I will definitely go there and take photos!

Jester

[steak-tron]

Nice pages Jester! I really like the marker and whiteout near the top. You're improving alot, these paint comps are daring and Your having much success with the landscapes. I like that dragon eye too.
-cheers :)

[liam.c]

yah up there that tree you added changed the whole picute reall nice lota progress here :) keep goign dont stop heeh well take bathroom brake :)
do u do thumbs ?thay are ncie cuz you limit your information .. sorta make it easy on your self and get to the hart of the matter ... use liek 3 or so values give or take play with the shapes for comp .. can use the tone as compistion too without picture .. then jsut do them quick dont think about htme much go for the form .. is verry fun and can go from ther and try couler thumb or what have u

i think alot of time when we work on a "picture"its some what over whleming <is for me at least> and you can get caught up in some aspect of the picture thats maby not the most important thing ... not so with the thumbs :)

[MindCandyMan]

There is a lot of improvement in all of your recent updates jester! steak is right you are becoming much more daring and I love what you are doing with a pencil now...you seem more comfortable with it...at least that's what it looks like.

[jester]

steak, thanks a lot. :)

liam.c, thank you as well. I rarely do thumbs. Funny thing is that I'm currently started doing them for a dragon picture I'm planning. This is Two dragons with dragon riders landing on the two towers of a city gate and putting their heads together in order to let their riders talk to each other. I'll post them later.

Jon, thank you very much, as I wrote in one of my recent posts, I feel that I have gained enough points again and reached the next level (at last!). It's a good feeling! :D

Jester

[jester]

Update of the stuff I created the last few days:

got inspired by a give away I bought for my customers:
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0499.jpg

dragon sketches, trying to get a feeling for the anatomy, plus thumb
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0500.jpg

humble attempt at drawing from mind. I suck at this!
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0501.jpg

From reference:
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0502.jpg

Jester

[I_am]

I really like you animal sketches, they have tons of life in them. The gouache paintings are really nice also, especially the little seascape that you posted with and without the tree. I like that one alot, I would put it on my wall. Looks better with the tree BTW, at least in my ever so humble opinion.

I don't have much advice to give, but I think you should draw more people. Your people don't have as much energy and life as your animal sketches.

BTW, on that last one with the guy standing against the car, is that from a magazine or something? Because it looks SO familiar for some strange reason.

Good stuff, throw us some more updates. ;)

[jester]

I_am, caught me! It's a FjällRaven ad...

:bashful:

Jester

[jester]

Ok, finally found some spare time to draw and paint again.

Just to warm up:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0503.jpg

and a gouache from life:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0504.jpg


Jester

[jester]

These three apples took longer than I expected. Managed to mess up the left one in between and had to correct it. Then put my finger on the still wet shadow of the rightmost apple... grrr!

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0505.jpg


Jester

[jester]

Oh my, seems like this gets to a bi-weekly update sketchbook!

Anyway, here's what I managed today:

A sea-horse from reference:
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0506.jpg

Animal studies from reference
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0507.jpg

doodle from mind
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0508.jpg

doodle from mind
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0510.jpg

I'm quite glad that I found the confidence again to let my pencil wander over the paper and see what's coming out of it.

Jester

[Hermchen]

Hi Jester,

long time no see. So I decided to pop by and tell you: Some serious improvement you achieved!

Your Gouache especially makes your afford shine. The last three pencils don't that much thou. I would love to see a new, more worked out picture of yours, please :teeth:

NICE!

[jester]

Since my last post I had found some time for drawing but not for scanning, so this is gonna be a large update.

Hermchen, first of all I want to thnk you for dropping by. True, long time no see! Thanks for your crit! I took it seriously and started to copy some animal drawings from Bammes' book in order to get a feeling for pencill again. Seems like painting comes to me more naturally than drawing, especially when trying to render shapes and not to use lines to define form. Probably it's just because it's faster... and I'm a lazy person.

Here we go then, all are taken from reference photos mainly from NG and GEO magazines:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0509.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0511.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0512.jpg

I think I have to explain the following lions series: I'm not a cat person, but I enjoy lions and tigers at the zoo very much. Therefore I have quite a collection of lions' photos. These I want to tackle next. Then, probably next spring, it'll be off to the zoo again to do some life drawings. Therefore I started by learning their anatomy and general shapes from Bammes by copying.

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0513.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0514.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0515.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0516.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0517.jpg

Jester

[Burning Eyes]

I totally know what you mean about being to lazy to render with pencil.. Im so lazy, I just like usin photoshop and OC now because at least i dont mind the rendering.. caus its quick.. Anyways my rambling, this new stuff looks great, and Lions are awesome!

[Pichuerca]

These animal studies are so great! thanks for sharing this knowledge.

Pich

[jester]

Burning Eyes, yep, to rush things can be a pain in the a..., thanks for dropping by.

Pich, you're welcome! More to come! :)

Jester

[jester]

I promised more studies, here they are:

The first two pages are from Bammes again, the third page from reference from a NG magazine.

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0518.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0519.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0520.jpg

Jester

[jester]

After having gained some confidence with drawing the lions I thought I'd tackle people again and - am absolutely frustrated!

I can't get it! I apply the same techniques as when drawing animals from reference but my persons just look humble and stiff and just urrrghs! :vomit:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0521.jpg


First I tried to get the main shapes and shadows/lights values. Then I tried to understand the basic forms and constructions. However, both look awful (and I'm not talking about the face, that's another chapter...!)

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio1/jester-0522.jpg

Anyone who can help? I'm going to post this in the helpful sections, too. I feel that I'm just an inch to the solution of my problem, but I don't see it!

:\

Jester

[liam.c]

i dont think thay look as bad as you think .. i think that you are really starting to see things diffrently so your a bit more critical on your self
next thing with the basic shapes gig is .... start at the big shapes /forms .. and start to see how thay interloc/enter/overlay the other shapes <thay wont be quite as basic now insted of jsut a cilender for an arm start adding the shapes of the muscle and such >now when you go to apply the light to it think about the surfaces
and the relation ship to the light .... rember the angle of incidence is = to the angle of reflection .. that saying the angle it hits some thing its the same angle it comes off some thing

try and bounce a billard ball on a rail a couple times and you will see it hiting at a 45deg angle will come off at a 45 angle

if the light is bounced away from the viewer that surface will be darker then the one were the light is bounced into the eye /if some thing blocks the light from hiting the surface entirely then of corse its the darkest bit
the big diffrence form animals to people is i think we see our self all the time and really know waht we look like so its verry easy to be much more critacal ...of drawings of humans look at the human head pretty basic shapes for inital construction but ... look at the face .. theres sooo many surfaces soo much subtle varriation on even <espectialy on thin peoples faces >but dont beat your self over it just keep going and eventaly you will build up a visual memeory /vocabulary and wont have to think about it soo much any more

hope that helps some
i think you are makeing great progress even though you might be frustrated a bit ... alot of times we are getting better and we dont evne realize it till much later
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/liamxN/jester-0522.jpg hope that doesnt mess ya up ... it really helps if you pick where your light source is so you can have it in mind when trying to apply light .. put a mark down for where the light is for a while

[Darkside]

no, do you have the "große Tieranatomie"? fuck, I want to have it :) keep posting, I´m really tense in seeing what you learn from it.

[O D T]

your lions are looking stunning! very "voluminous". i must pick up that bammes sometime...seems to work wonders!!

[jester]

@ liam.c - thanks for your encouraging words. I think it is good to strive for more and never to be truely satisfied. But from time to time it's really nice when there are people (and especially if they are not family!) who tell me that it's not that bad, but that I am improving. I completely forgot about light source and just concentrated on the shapes and their values. So I'll keep that in mind, too!

@ Darkside - no, it's "Tiere zeichnen" (expensive enough, though!) but well worth it. Bammes has a constructive approach to anatomy that helps me a lot. I see too many details, his view helps me to get to the main forms and shapes.

@ O D T - Bammes is expensive but very good. Many of his books are on my wish list for Xmas!

Jester

[I.was.ink]

Hey Jester. I haven't been to your thread in a while. It's great to see your explorations. I really like your basic break down of form especially when you emphasize the planes. Those animal studies are looking great. The only one thing I can suggest really, is that you slow down a bit. When you do, i.e those animal studies the form reads a lot better.

Cya around. :)

[liam.c]

hay now ..... its been a bit too long i think for update ... give us a little some thin :)

[jester]

I.was.ink, thanks for your advice, you know that it's highly appreciated.

liam.c, thanks for your interest. Unfortunately our grandfather died on 1st November (after being in intensive care after a cancer operation the previous Tuesday) and all things were a bit upset then.

I managed to draw though and took to some good advice on turning to Loomis again to get over my figure drawing problems. I still suffer from short leg syndrome, but this may be because I have rather short legs and I have the theory that people draw according to their "inner feeling" for proportions - as long as they are not very good at it, at least.

So here is what I have produced:

some mushrooms I had in my fridge:
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0523.jpg

the following are all copied from Loomis:
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0524.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0525.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0526.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0527.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0528.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0529.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0530.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0531.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0532.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0533.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0534.jpg


my own humble attempts:
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0535.jpg

and another one:
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0536.jpg


Do you think it shows and it's worth doing this?

Jester

[endregan]

Hey there j

Good to see you sketching away..

Love the snowman one, brings the feeling of Christmas all over again!
:)

[liam.c]

sorry got hear about your grandfather my friend :(
i think the exersizes your doing are good mate the loomis skels are exelent tools .. now the question is do you feel like your geting some thing from it ?:)
some times it takes a bit for the things we learn to become internalized ... evne now after 10 years doing things some thing some one said might hit me in a way that i never thought of .. or i might realize oh of corse thats waht thay were talking about .. that type of thing hehe
keep going mate you got it now play with it !:)
best wishes to you and your familie @@!

[jester]

liam, thank you. It was a sad thing.

However, due to grandpa's death, my striving business and a bad bronchitis I managed to squeeze in a few figure drawing exercises, some from my mind, trying to apply what I learned, some from several sources, mainly Loomis and the first three Draw! magazines, Brett Blevins' tutorials. I guess you'll easily recognize which are which... :S

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0537.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0538.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0539.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0540.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0541.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0542.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0543.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0544.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0545.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0546.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0547.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0548.jpg

Jester

[xia]

Hey Jester! It's been a while, isn't it?
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0544.jpg
these are really really nice, those gesture study turned out well too.
Keep it up!

[jester]

xia, yeah, thanks a lot, time budget is rather tight atm.

Jester

[fakeraaven]

time has passed since i last visited this one.
No need to say that the animal studies are great, you seem to be working well with the Bammes material which i find very hard to use in a profiting way.

Keep up the Loomis ones and drawing in general.
;)

[jester]

From references and a few from my mind.

@fakeraaven - thanks for dropping by - yep, I find Bammes very helpful and easy to understand (especially in contrast to Bridgeman).

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0549.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0550.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0551.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0552.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0553.jpg

Jester

[jester]

Xmas present for my business partner who is addicted to frogs...

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0554.jpg

Technique is gouache and I have seen a similar motive somewhere.
Half a bottle of red wine was also taking part in the process of this picture.

Jester

[jester]

Xmas gnome, gouache on canvas:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0555.jpg

Any suggestions how to improve this little guy?

Jester

[jester]

I managed to kill my Win2k system on Friday afternoon and had to rebuild it from scratch... >:{

But today I got my 2Mbit/s broadband connection... >:D

Anyway, I tried to keep in mind what Dave in the Helpful Section said. See any difference? Better?

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0556.jpg

Jester

[MindCandyMan]

Nice to see you updating jester...hey quick question do you water down your gouache a lot? I've never used it and I'm curious how to go about it?

[jester]

Hi jon, well, it depends... I like to use them rather creamy, just like oils or acryl but this doesn't work well on all surfaces, especially not on paper. But on canvas or canvas-covered boards this is quite fine. I also work lean to fat, that is I spread thin layers on the lower levels and then build up. Mostly it's similar to oils but dries a helluva lot faster. I use watercolor media like ox gall, gum arabic and a special stuff by Winsor & Newton to retard drying. Hope this helps.

:)

Jester

[jester]

From the last two weeks app.

Memories of a great holiday in the Scottish Highlands...
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0557.jpg

My first humble attempts at coffe art (kudos to akhua!)
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0558.jpg

Inspired by stock photo from the new Alexander movie
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0559.jpg

Two different studies of the same rock (got bored in the process...)
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0560.jpg

You can't deny it: Xmas is cool!
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0561.jpg

Jester

[jester]

I spent most of my last weekend's waking time watching the Special Extended edition of ROTK. It had to break out some day. Today was the day.

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0562.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0563.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0564.jpg


Jester

[jester]

Not much today, just a doodle page from yesterday:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0565.jpg

and some reindeer-sort-of-gestures, drawn while watching a documentation on TV

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0566.jpg

Jester

[kgb]

Great Loomis anatomy studies. Keep it up Jester.

[jester]

Thanks, kgb, and definitely more to come after the holidays!

Jester

[jester]

A merry Xmas to you, kind visitors of my sketchbook!

Best wishes

Jester

[jester]

I had planned to start some color charts a few weeks ago and finally found some time to do them:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0568.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0567.jpg

And here are some photos done in the process:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/foto1/cchart01.jpg
preparation of the chart

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/foto1/cchart03.jpg
finished first row

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/foto1/cchart04.jpg
finished second row. The amazing thing was that the differences between genuine yellow lemon and genuine yellow light are very subtle.

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/foto1/cchart05.jpg
Also very subtle difference when in the third row genuine yellow dark is used.

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/foto1/cchart07.jpg
That's how far I got. The reds made nice browns mixed with blues and greens.

My main problem was to mix only the tiny amount of paint needed for my small half inch squares. Also, sometimes a lot of liquid came first from the tube, very annoying. You can see this in the zurquoise paint blob at the top of the right row:

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/foto1/cchart06.jpg.

So what did I learn from doing the charts yet?

a) that it's quite ambitious to try to mix all 29 colors I own with each other. The chart up to now took me more than four hours with no break!

b) that it's difficult to mix only tiny amounts of paint and to try and have the same amount for both of the paints to be mixed

c) that red and blue not necessarily make violet

d) that it's important to plan you chart beforehand - seeing that I build up a diagonal white space - I'm not sure how to fill that logically, yet.

Let me know what you think of this exercise!

Jester

[endregan]

ahh colour charts
useful info :)

Did you find some colours will give you a totally diff colour then you want or expected? Pthalo blue makes a nice grass green but ultramarine makes it really dull and so on.

That looks like you are learning a lot. You may want to watch your paint application, it looks a bit streaky here and there and will not give the same effect if it were pure flat colour.

Have good holidays!

[SirRon]

Oooh... color charts. My 2d design teacher made us to tons of those. Yes, you're going to have to mix A LOT of paint so you have enough for all of the swatches. My friend and I used almost four tubes of paint just to get this first column of red and green so we have enough for everything else. That's two tubes of red and two for green. 60ml per tube.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v215/Sirron/colorchart.jpg

The brand of paint also determines how the colors turn out too. I'm assuming you're using acrylic? My teacher had us buy Grumbacher. Better than the cheap stuff at the college store, but cost a bit more. But the violets it make are much more vibrant.

Color charts are time consuming, I recall this chart taking about 8 hours. But it definately was a learning experience and an appreciation to traditional media. Digital consists of just clicking ;)

Keep on going!

[jester]

@endregan - yes, I did notice such effects (as I said in c) in my list), I was pretty much surprised to get browns instead of violets from cadmium red and several blues.
Also, I intentionally applied the paint a bit streaky, to get an impression of how the color differs with much or less water.

@SirRon - I used gouache. Thanks for posting your chart!

And here's for something completely different: since shortly before Xmas I started studying the head with the help of Loomis, Bridgeman and Bammes. As seen at garboartpage and some other people around, I took notes on my thoughts directly next to my sketches and studies.

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0569.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0570.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0571.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0572.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0573jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0574.jpg

I got a charcoal set from Cretacolor (Black Box) from my Mum for Xmas and was just doodling around and testing how each stick reacts and smears. Thought it looked quite interesting...
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0575.jpg

This one and the next two were drawn with a so called NERO pen from that charcoal set.
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0576.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0577.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0578.jpg

And back to my beloved Faber Castell technical pens .7
http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0579.jpg

Hope you all arrived well in 2005!

Jester

[IanE]

I really like your sketchbook, especially pages 5 and 6. Your animals and creativity are both very fine tuned. Great job here.

[jester]

IanE, thank you, I also like your sktechbook.

I haven't been posting because I've rather been drawing...

So here's a big update. Mainly perspective and anatomy studies (both Bridgeman and Bammes) and a few pieces from reference (magazines).

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0580.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0581.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0582.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0583.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0584.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0585.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0586.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0587.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0588.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0589.jpg

[jester]

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0590.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0591.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0592.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0593.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0594.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0595.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0596.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0597.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0598.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0599.jpg

[jester]

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0600.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0601.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0602.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0603.jpg

http://www.zwergenhalle.de/folio2/jester-0604.jpg

Let me know what you think!

:)

Jester

[Qxzi]

Jester,

Love those brigdman studies, from noses to mouths.But
where have you been for like..11 months :(

[jester]

Qxzi, thanks a lot for dropping by and leaving a message. I'm still alive, I'm still around and I'm even still drawing - though not very much actually. You have probably followed some of my comments around here - I started my own business as a marketing consultant almost three years ago. After a slow start I'm pretty busy for the last one and a half years or so. Since my customers pay my wage, they always come first.

I have had no chance to get a pen to paper for drawing for more than eight weeks and only recently (last week actually) started again. Unforrtunately not time for scanning and uploading - BUT! I promise, I'll keep you all updated. I love this community and want to be part of itstill.

Jester

[afgal]

I really like you sketchbook and love the variety of stuff. I'm learning a lot just by looking through your sketchbook and seeing how you did those color charts is cool too.

[blanquish]

great improvement, good to see your getting into the studies

[Mag-Neo]

-... nice sketch... I like all of your environments stuff. They're looks like quite good... keep posting... GOODLUCK... :yayca:

[jester]

agfal, blanquish and Mag-Neo,

thanks a lot for taking a look. This thread isn't dead, it's just sleeping... I'm too busy with daily life and my bread job (marketing consultant) to post what I'm drawing in my rare spare time, but I drop by from time to time and I appreciate when droppers-by are leaving a short note! Thanks!

Jester

[2kre8]

I have been on this forum for a long time, mostly lurking but I am glad that you are still posting, your one of the first threads i started following. Please keep up the good work.:O

[TheBeast]

uh i read the hole treat now......i am deeply impressed by your progress. your evolution is quite impressive. hope you found more time to draw in the futher.
please travel to japan ore china, and do som lifedraws and perspektiv studys there, i love the one on brown paper^^

greets, da beast

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=88367

[MindCandyMan]

Come back Birgit!!!