DSG 424: Character: Dark Cowboy

[dsg bot]

Today's topic is: Character: Dark Cowboy

[beeglebug]

Here's mine, I'm really pleased with this one today. I think I captured the grim mood pretty well. I know it's not really a 'character' study, but I couldn't resist doing a whole scene...

http://www.updownleftright.net/DSG/DSG424.jpg

[xbiten]

Here's a quickie....
http://members.lycos.co.uk/xbiten/2D/dsg's/dsg424.jpg

I'm not happy with it so I'll do another one later on.
beeglebug: that's just fantastic...real nice. yeah I think you nailed the mood. keep up...

[CoolkatCasey]

hey kids, been layin around and i figured id have a shot at this one as well.

i used to hate westerns, and cowboys. but i recently watched sergio leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West" and completely changed my outlook on the genre. the movie is amazing. Alot of my inspiration came from that.

anyways here goes.
http://images3.deviantart.com/i/2004/116/1/f/dsg424___dark_cowboy.jpg

[EDIT: hey, if that doesnt work, will someone let me know? if it doesnt you can find the image here http://www.deviantart.com/view/6807913/ thanks]

[ZeFFe DucKiSlatE]

http://www.free-webspace.biz/IH8U/kopojjk.jpg

[Osmus]

who says a dark cowboy can't be color coordinated? i think.
( WWF inspired )
http://img7.photobucket.com/albums/v18/osmus/darkcowboy.jpg

[Marvin5]

Hes aiming for you

http://w1.855.telia.com/~u85555958/cowboy.jpg

[artistanbul]

beeglebug nice job.
five minutes contribution. sorry.

http://img38.photobucket.com/albums/v116/artistanbul/kovboy2.jpg

[Jebus]

Heres mine

http://img3.photobucket.com/albums/v12/sigma_atf/cowboy.jpg

[GiR]

http://img17.photobucket.com/albums/v51/marker/tested.jpg

[DV8]

quick sketch, quick paint. more time than usual- (its cloudy and cool oustide today) :)

http://www.mikephillips.ca/dsg/dsg_424_dark_cowboy copy.jpg

[plaf]

http://www.skjoldbroder.dk/gfx/24bit/cowboy.jpg

[Railboy]

I've been asked for WIP images a couple of times, but I can't spare the extra storage, so I'm going to upload this one at a really early stage. That way anyone who cares can see it progress throughout the day.
Step 5:

[edit] Okay, poor timing for a WIP sketch... I've only worked for about an hour total, but I've got to call it quits for today... blah.

http://www.atomicagedog.com/art/dailysketch/darkcowboy.jpg

@beeglebug - That sky blew me away! Awesome.

[Virg]

tried something =P

http://www.geocities.com/whitec100/darkcowboy.txt :beer:

[JBX]

here is mine for today. 15 min sketch plus 1h30 PS. not very dark, but I like it ! WhiteC, he looks like Joe the indian from Tom Sawyer to me, very dark, I like it ! Beeglebug, great sky. Railboy, good stuff, i've seen the first two steps for the moment and I think it will be a great one until it is finished. Keep it up !

http://81.56.81.188/jbx/art/dark%20cowboy72.jpg

Sorry for my not so good english

[Virg]

hum,... someone knows where i can host my pics.... i use geocities right now and my links always get broke when to many people load the picture.

JBX the style remind me of the game XIII pretty nice

[beeglebug]

WhiteC, while I don't use it personally (I have my own hosting), I know a lot of folks around these parts use a place called photobucket (http://www.photobucket.com/). I don't know much about it other than it's free, but it seems pretty reliable. Maybe you should check it out.

Thanks to everyone who's praised my picture today! There's a lot of cool stuff in this topic, I particularily like JBX, WhiteC, and GiR, they are all nice, unique looking styles...

See ya'll tommorrow then pardnurs!

[ArtoriusRex]

http://home.comcast.net/~andrew.l/images/DSG424.jpg

i'd love C&C, but it doesn't seem to be the norm on the DSG, so I won't break down and cry if no one does. I need help with composition, and I'm still not used to using color. But I can only get better with practice, right?

:D

[beeglebug]

ArtoriusRex, i'm not the best person to be offering crits (maybe thats why no-one does it much, no-one thinks they are good enough), but I can offer one bit of advice that really helped me when I heard it.

When adding a color to the canvas, always use it in more than one place. Make sure that every color is reflected in mulitple parts of the picture, however subtely.

In your picture this would involve adding a bit more brown to the hat, maybe a bit of gray to the skin tones, a splash of orange elsewhere.

The only other thing I can think of specific to that picture is maybe you should add a few darker tones for hard shadows, perhaps under the brim of the hat, or around the stripey bit, to make it sit on the hat more.

I hope some of that helps! I know how frustrating it is when you want some help and advice and no-one offers any! :)

[JABAJAWOOLU]

none from me today i think. swamped.

Antorius rex... beegle is on a roll with this. if you look at the hat, you have some spots where the light is hitting it causing it to be a lighter colour. on those spots i would make a thinner line of a lighter colour to make a hilight and then blur it a bit since fabric isnt really reflective. i would add some darker colour under the band to make it really seem like it is sitting on the hat rather than a different colour part of the hat. also i would make the shadow across the eyes (made from the hat brim) a bit darker to help the composition seem to be more dark or "grim." possibly take down the glow on the eye a little more, or just make the edges of the eye a darker hue of red. also it kinda looks like a gangster rather than a cowboy just b/c of the size of the brim. i would probably stretch out the brim a bit more to look somewhat more like a cowboy hat. just a little opinionated but it might help out. didnt mean to tear it apart if thats what it seems. it looks good right now, just needs a little refining. :D

[BRANDISH]

http://img36.photobucket.com/albums/v109/Brandish/cowboz.jpg

[Railboy]

@ArtoriusRex - I did picture similar to yours a long time ago where the cowboy is metallic, so all the reflective color stuff is really exaggerated. It demonstrates some of what beeglebug and JABAJAWOOLU are talking about. BTW, cowboy hats are really hard... they should be used in art drills... I recommend using a reference.

http://www.atomicagedog.com/art/dailysketch/steampunkcowboy.jpg

[dagreengo]

good stuff so far, i like alot of them today brandish is my favourite though

i worked on colors more this DSG, and mostly i drew it as a way to destress and unwind

c and c appreciated
http://img52.photobucket.com/albums/v159/dagreengo/dsg424.jpg

[WoodenWorkhorse]

in the end, it kind of reminds me of something yoshitaka amano would do... http://www.amanosworld.com/html/Frameset_4.html

http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~cflanaga/Down/concept/dsg%20dark%20cowboy.jpg

---beeglebug - you set a clear mood, and create a strong narrative, nice job.
---xbiten - that shirt makes him look a little park-ranger-ish maybe if he had a gun belt, bandoleer, or a more cowboy-like hat? its often useful to have references, even if you're doing something imaginative.
---osmus - same as xbiten, you're guy looks a little piratey, but i think that's ok. i could still picture him walking into a tavern and playing cards or shooting someone or something.
---marvin5 - very cinematic, i just want to see the rest of him! i like the focus on the eye, it works well/carries the piece.
---artisanbull - nice as usual. the first thing i notice is your choice of color/style, wich is a tiny bit distracting. but your character does seem to express deep emotion. he seems really sorrowful.
---jebus - your basic setup is good, and i think your outfit/muscles/cards really set up the character. the pose establishes a devil-may-care attitude that also works well for you. the wrist i think is bent too far, even if it's relaxed. the style overall is a bit cartoony, but despite that, i think you did a pretty good job of establishing where the shadows belong.
---GiR - great quickie, you really establish all the important elements (the characteristic sunglasses, the confident pose, the blistering sun) with minimal line and shadow. if the sun is directly behind him like that, i might expect the front of him to be more in shadow (belly, face). good stuff.
---DV8 - looks like someone lone-star would fight. not sure of anything i would change. seems successful. right now he seems really demonic with the blank eyes. if you wanted him to seem more human (but still evil), you might add pupils, but that would be a design choice. nice work.
---plaf - hmm, i like your style and the way you captured warmth and light, but this character doesn't seem to have much that makes him a cowboy...? sideburns? oh, i get it, its a bandana or something around his neck. well, i guess its not important if you just wanted to give an impression of the character, but if you want him to read more as a cowboy, you might add a cowboy hat or pistol or something. its always cool to see someone bring in a totally new style, props.
---railboy - looks to be coming along nicely. i like the zombified kindof look you're getting with the skin texture. also, nice perspective.
---whiteC - oooh! i like! great lighting. i like the heavy-set face, as its a real departure from most of the rest. way to activate the entire area of the sketch.
---JBX - one downside of the blocky animated-looking style you're using is that it flattens out the character a lot and makes your pose look a little stiff. but besides that, i like the dynamic pose and color palatte.
---ArtoriusRex - that eye certainly glows, well done on that effect. the hat is a little small in my opinion, and the background color is a bit distracting/dull? bold choice for an extreeme closeup.
---Brandish - woo-hoo! i love that style you've got going there, like a divinci cartoon or something. translates well, sketchy quality works in your favor, not much to crit.

[webgirly2k]

This is my first attempt at DSG. I just got a Wacom tablet an d Painter 8, so this gives me a good chance to mess with it.

Traci:eek:


http://img58.photobucket.com/albums/v176/webgirly2k/dark-cowboyfinal2.jpg

[artistanbul]

here is another. good stuff everyone..
http://img38.photobucket.com/albums/v116/artistanbul/kovboy3.jpg

[Thrash]

http://www.chaingunstudios.com/ArtGallery/dsg/slides/DSG424ThrashDarkCowboyWeb.jpg
Cool stuff today!

[gekitsu]

fun topic!

http://www.polycount.com/cottages/gekitsu/pimp/dsg_darkcowboy.jpg

[ninjataotao]

Pencils and PS7.
Tried Helzers advice on avoiding the airbrush which was quite tricky cos its my main tool in PS.
BTW Helzer thanks for advice.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/pjg/IMG/Art/cowboy.jpg

Good stuff everybody!

[auden100]

I feel pretty good about this one. I'm not sure if the focal point is his eye or his chin. Oh well, both are pretty evil.
http://members.fortunecity.com/auden100/Evil.Cowboy.jpg

[xbiten]

I'm happier with this one. I think I've found a new favorite brush in the acrylic dry brush....:D
around 20-30mins.
http://members.lycos.co.uk/xbiten/2D/dsg's/dsg424-2.jpg

damn...there are some pretty darn good contributions today. I can honest put five stars out of five possible on all the contributions.

[nBT]

http://www.mattijsart.com/dsg/dsg424darkcowboy.jpg
whatever i at least got rid of some frustration

http://www.mattijsart.com/dsg/dsg424darkcowboy1.jpg
artrage, nice program

[Venardhi]

First time participating in one of these thingies, figure I should start setting goals for my drawing. gonna try to do at least two or three a week.

http://www.venardhi.com/temp/lone.jpg

[S.C. Watson]

Pencil Sketch for today's...

http://img9.photobucket.com/albums/v25/Oregano/Sketchbook/darkcowboy.jpg

Cheers,

~Oreg.

[InterruptingSheep]

Great work everyone :)
nice pencil sketch oregano..

http://img52.photobucket.com/albums/v159/dagreengo/DarkCowboyyy.jpg

[Helzer]

http://www.blitzdesign.net/dsg/dark_cowboy.jpg

There's so many nice pieces today. Really good contributions from everyone. Special notes to:

Artistanbul
Gir
Railboy
Gekitsu

[YeeWu]

Behold! The Dark Cow....boy?

http://www.effloresce.com/sijun/april_25_2004.jpg

This is all I can do today. My computer is too bogged down with rendering, and the lag between brush strokes is too crazy for me to continue. Anyway, a tribute to the monk statues that have entertained Chinese children everywhere :D

His left foot should be rotated different for that kind of kick, but man is my computer slow right now =P

*That's supposed to be a cow, not a horse*

[JABAJAWOOLU]

thrash... i think i like urs best. that gun is friggin massive!

[Ideaspark]

Artistanbul, that kicks a LOT of ass, I have to check out everyone's but I also have to see if i can put something together once the sun goes down.

[Gumdrop]

No time left to participate today which is a shame as it's my kind of topic, but a great turnout again. I'm too sleepy to comment on them all but...

DV8 - I like the mute colours on this. the hat looks cool.

BRANDISH - As with DV8's, the colours really fit the topic. Good character.

artistanbul - Haha... I guess you posted too late and ended up with the lighter gray background. No worries... love the strong shapes - particularly the gun and hand.

Thrash - I guess I'm a sucker for these mute brown tones. Nice to see the back of a character for a change. I like the big gun.

auden100 - Sweet angle and lighting. His eyes make him look truely sinister.

Oregano - Great twisted sketch. Now come on... let's hear what was going through your mind. ;)
Helzer - That's mule-stompingly good! The textures are great, and the simple lines used to define the horse are killer.

Lastly, extra prop's to WoodenWorkhorse for his crit's.

:chug:

[artistanbul]

thanks people. gumdrop, that in fact is a coincidence. Didnt try to match the background. weird..

here is the last one.

http://img38.photobucket.com/albums/v116/artistanbul/kovboy4.jpg

edit: this too :P

[Sheldon]

Here's mine:

http://www.sandturtlecreations.com/art/dark_cowboy.jpg

[SABRE]

Nice jobs guys!

http://img6.photobucket.com/albums/v19/SABRE/CONCEPTART%20ORG/cowboy.jpg

But my favs today are

@Helzer: Amazing
@BRANDISH: Wow, him looks like "Jhonn Constantine -Hellblazer-"
@Thrash: Nice design
@JBX: I love this one!


AU REVOIR............................

[Sheldon]

Here's my critz!

Helzer - nice piece...i love the texture you got. Simple lines but you nailed it all around. My only crit is the black border--too plan too thick; maybe a thinner one? What did you do the pic with?

Oregano - Nice sketch, lots of cool detail. Doesn't 'smak' of cow-boy to me, i think you could have gotten more cow-boy-ish stuff in there, but i love the concept. The pose is very nice, fluid, not too stiff.

Nbt - your second dsk shows promise, you style is pretty loose. You could benefit from doing some studies of real life and attempting to recreate in your art program. However; getting frustration out is a great success when drawing!

xbiten; First one: Nice and quick? Not bad. Second: looks great--but it doesn't feel 'cowboy ish' to me... looks more like 1920s darkie mafia enforcer... but good job on the highlights & blend to black.

beeglebug - love it. Looks great. Only crit is that it looks like a midget and a pony. don't know why!! but i love the composition etc. Good job!!

Artistanbul - sorry?! SORRY?! nice work buddy. Man. Wish I could bang something like that out in 5 min. Yours kicks mine's ass, and i spent the leaf game doing it.

GiR - great pose!! Pretty round abdomen, but other than that, loving it. Looks sort of kid-rock ish. :) great job, nice and loose.

DV8 - watch your stuff all the time; love it. This is no exception... my only crit is i wouldn't have curled the hat...but then again, looks like 'horns' making the cowboy more evil.

Rail boy - this is my fav of the day. Great job, freaky, disgusting, lighting is just awesome. And it's only step 4!

JBX - great job ... sort of minimalistic, vector style. Very clean looking, great lines; the gun/hand area is my favorite..you nailed the gun perfectly, and did it with two colours. Nice.

Brandish -- like the style... like the 'malboro man' type image you decided to tackle. Issue with the hair--doesn't look like hair? scarf? some sort of wrap? hat fits good, gun looks a little long, but cool.

Thrash - great job! Left arm is messed, but for theamount of time you likely poured into this, you banged out a strong character with great shadows. I like the leather jacket design, spurs, you got it down real good.

[hjhornbeck]

http://hjhornbeck.homelinux.org/dsg/dark_cowboy__large.jpg

An attempt at philosophy. Is this a "dark cowboy" because of the cowboy with dark paint on his face? Or does it refer to the dastardly cowboy who'd dare use paint in a gunfight?

The mind reels...

(I love artistanbul's style and effort, he's my favorite showing today)

[dagreengo]

I had time and energy for a second one
still experimenting with colors
seriously any advice is welcome!

http://img52.photobucket.com/albums/v159/dagreengo/dsg424b.jpg

[DV8]

DV8 - watch your stuff all the time; love it. This is no exception... my only crit is i wouldn't have curled the hat...but then again, looks like 'horns' making the cowboy more evil.


Thanks man! much appreciated. I was gonna curl the hat down (subliminal frown) but decided to go up to match the grin :)

so what part of Ontario are you from? I grew up in Barrie, Ontario, but came down here to the USA to work- started in animation, now in video games... been living down here in MD for the last few years.

anyways, thanks again bro, hope the weather starts getting better for you soon :)

[GiR]

thanks for the feedback guys..
sheldon - really nice linework and shading, i like :)
woodenworkhorse - cool, looks like a weathered mercenary, nice horsey too, i couldnt have drawn one to save my life :p
..
other than that lots of real good stuff..
my favourites being :

helzer
railboy
artisanbul
gekitsu
brandish
auden1000

( hope i got your handles right, im really tired :p )

..some of you are actually the reason why i make a point of visiting the dsg daily. anyways.. thanks for all the great artwork everyone :) g'night..

[Venardhi]

one more, wasnt happy just posting a sketch, so I tried to compose something with a bit more . .. umph.


http://www.venardhi.com/temp/oldgunman.jpg

[Commander Obvious]

Damn, Helzer! Nice textures. Care to share how or is that a trade secret?

Here's mine. It isn't supposed to look like him, but it is certainly an ode to Jack Palance, the ultimate dark cowboy. :D

http://img28.photobucket.com/albums/v83/Russell_Collins/DailySketchBook/DSG424_DarkCowboy.jpg

[Wolverine]

http://gallery.cybertarp.com/albums/userpics/13624/movi%2015.jpg

[Helzer]

Here's a slight variation of the former.

I've been getting quite a few enquiries concerning textures. I'll just state it here instead of PMing people.

I use Photoshop and I experiment a lot. I use filters (evil) but through a process of creative deconstruction (erasing with several types of brushes, liquifying, excessive layering and overlaying, mindless tinkering, I usually get an interesting result.

In short, it might be more of an approach rather than a technique:

1.Deconstuctionism

2. Abstact forms that suggest reality

3. Strong Values...no brush at 20% opacity. I generally work at 90%. Because, in reality, texture is generally, opaque. So it should reflect that in the digital medium as well.

note: I do work at lower opacities in the beginning stages. Once I have my values established, I crank up the opacity to achieve that textured look, again using filters and various brushes.

I hope this helps for whoever is interested. Thanks.

http://www.blitzdesign.net/dsg/dark_cowboy2.jpg

[S.C. Watson]

From: Sheldon;
Oregano - Nice sketch, lots of cool detail. Doesn't 'smak' of cow-boy to me, i think you could have gotten more cow-boy-ish stuff in there, but i love the concept. The pose is very nice, fluid, not too stiff.

*What* da HECK d'ya'll mean he tain't no cowboy, there, son? He's gotsis six shooter, his double barrel shotgun, his COWBOY hat, his scarf, his injun feathuh, an' 'is ammo belt, plus TWO sherrif stahrs! What th' bloody blazes more d'ya want? A COW?

Cheers, y'all

~Oreg.

PS: Gumdrop: I was hungry.

[Jeff Gran]

well i guess it's a cowboy anyway.

http://jboy.menlofarms.net/sketchbook2/sketch24.jpg

[eygji]

ok, some experimenting with various brushes... still sketchy, getting used to this tablet thingy... (i think i prefer actual pencils still)

http://home.comcast.net/~c.longfellow/darkcowboy.JPG
(if you can't tell, he's leaping off the ground dodging bullets and stooting to the sides...) it's an odd angle... i'm not really sure about it myself..... oh well. :) )

[nephilim]

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/6830687/

this time my image better pop on the screen or else... ill try it again

[keto]

http://www.thesoulkeeper.com/DisplayImages/Keto/darkcowboy_keto.jpg
greetings, fun with smudging.

[lpetty]

http://www.leepetty.com/forum/evilcowboy01.jpg
http://www.leepetty.com/forum/evilcowboy02.jpg

I spent about 45 mins on the pencil sketches, and about 30 min on the photoshop rendering.

I would've liked to do a more detailed full-body design, but I didn't have as much time to spend as I would've liked. I'm trying to get in the habit of doing these forums a bit more.

[Ideaspark]

After a few sorry attempts i finally put something out i'm happy with, stil has some errors. but yeh...

Ipetty i love the way that turned out.

http://photos.imageevent.com/pipmoo/stripshit/musashi/cowboy3-4%20copy.jpg

"Cowboy Dan's a major player in the cowboy scene, he goes to the reservation drinks and gets mean,
he goes to the desert fires a rifle in the sky says
God if I have to die, you will have to die...."
The perfect Modest Mouse song to listen to while doing this topic.

[BRANDISH]

so many cool works today!
my favourites are: artistanbul's , thrashes, keto's, railboys.

thrashes: that`s cool, it looks like a tabletop wargame miniature.

keto: what? after some trys i thought the smudge tool was evil! will thave to think about it again. what settings do you use?

sheldon, you're right about teh collar and hair.
thanks for feedback everybody!

[Engine Man]

Wow, guys. Everyone is kicking ass today except me. Good work all over the board!

Nowhere near finished, and the latest in a series of false starts:

http://home.comcast.net/~paranormalbob/cowboyWIP.JPG

Here's a detail:

http://home.comcast.net/~paranormalbob/cowboydetail.JPG

Critiques welcome; I really don't know if I should keep trying to finish this.

Have a good night, everyone. :)

[Ideaspark]

This is what I had at first and I still kind of like it...it's just not "dark" enough

http://photos.imageevent.com/pipmoo/stripshit/musashi/cowboy1.jpg

[nephilim]

hey this timne its gonna work i know it
http://img61.photobucket.com/albums/v185/sirfrancisdrake/darkcowgirl.png

[nBT]

holy ***
stunning work by everyone
thats how i like to see dsg, great work, pros teaching the noobs

sheldon, thanks for the comment. ill be getting life drawing either via the local art group or ill take life drawing classes myself. the workshop has set me afire. yeah my style is loose, and i refuse to do standard stuff. wich is also frustrating at times. fun how working fast and rough reveals what you really know about anatomy/light/medium. lastly: the fast and furious things are fun so ill be doing a few more.

[nephilim]

hey engine man

that cowboy looks pretty good. i like his facial and hand structure but whats happening with the rest of the body is ambiguous. Is he holding his hat down from the wind?

aristanbul, that dudes chin is prodigous. some cowboys could have a gunfight on it. Its a great chin

\good qork all

[Engine Man]

Thanks, Nephilim.

I'm still trying to work out that arm situation, but basically I started out with him reaching up to hold his hat, but then I started to get the idea that he should be holding his pistol up there (just to make it weird), so my underdrawing has traces of the hat-holding and the pistola combined.

I may just scrap that arm entirely and draw a new one (I really only made progress on the guy's nose so far). I appreciate the help!