August Self-Portraits!!

[Blackhawk]

Kind of a weak one to start off August with, but oh well. Let's kick ass this month everyone.

http://images.snitzerart.com/spod/spod284.jpg

[Mindflaw]

I hope it shows that I put hours into this one. :frustrated:
Any crits on this one are very appreciated.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Mindflaw/Selfportraits/njasp.jpg
To all: Hope this month gets even more sp:s posted, last month was great I couldn´t even make time to make comments to all. Keep going strong <3

Blackhawk: well thats in the eye of the beholder, anyway you got to start off the month :tihi: I hope you have more time to do sp:s this month.

[Jens]

drawn straightaway with inkpens, then painted with ecoline paint, and a little white gouache

http://users.pandora.be/NO1/Jens/sp184.jpg

bh: the nose is nice :p

mindflaw, much better than your last one, still it lacks some structure and depth. Shape of the eyes doesn't look correct to me. About the proportions, you have eye-eye-eye-eye-eye while it should be something around 1/2 eye-eye-eye-eye-1/2 eye. Then the mouth seems to small as well

[Marcatili]

Hey everyone,
it's been a few months since I've posted any SPs- I got a new job and I barely have time to get online anymore...last months SPs were great and I hope this month I can find some time to post some stuff...

Blackhawk- It may not be much now (which is arguable) but it could be the start of something pretty cool if you took it further...

Mindflaw- Don't forget that the shapes of the head are caused by the structure of the skull...it seems like you might've forgotten that in some places. Even though the shadows might be in the right place and the right shape as when you were drawing, they still may not necessarily describe that form completely accurately- thinking of your face as a 3 dimensional 'landscape' (for want of a better word) might help you out...or maybe you already know all that...
one more thing, when you draw hair, make sure you look at it...what does it look like? For example, your beard is all pretty dark in tone, even where your face is well lit. I know that when I had a beard it looked dark except when there was light on it and it looked more ginger...the hair is lighter in areas where the light shines on it...maybe someone else can explain it a little better cause I'm not doing too good a job...

anyway i hope that helps

jens- that colour adds a whole new dimension to your sp...i guess that dimension would be colour (duh) anyway it looks great

[Mindflaw]

Jens: Thanks,the depth is my biggest problem just don´t get it right, and about the eyes I have looked in the mirror again and I did do those spaces a little to wide. About the mouth I got a little mouth I have checked it a thousand times with the same result I guess I´m the opposite to Mick Jagger mouthwise anyway. Thanks for the help

About your sp I think the gouache highlights was a nice touch that added to your sp

expat:Thanks, I know what you mean about shape just can´t make it happen. My beard is really dark (even surprised my friends when I grew the beard, my hair is much lighter). I think I captured the hair quite good, but it I guess it can be done much better. Thanks for the crits.

[strych9ine]

http://www.codytilson.com/Sketchbook/9ine-Sp0801.jpg

Blackhawk: Nice nose portrait. :wip:

Mindflaw: Looking good, I remeber some of your old SPs and this one seems to be a step further in the right direction. I would suggest to pay more attention to the symmetry of your face and features. One eye is a little droopy and the top edge of your beard on the right side of your face looks too low...

Jens: Good stuff, I like the loose paint strokes and rendering.

[dCepT]

strych9ine: I like you style! Your right side (our left) looks a little squashed in, though. Your linequality is real nice!

jens: solid as ever. It's cool that I really don't have to check the name to see who made it..hehe. Great colorchoices! Your eyes look very much alive.

mindflaw: Looks good.If I was to crit anything else than what has been said, I guess it would be that your hair/beard shouldn't be rendered with a whole lot of lines. Don't try to draw every hair, try to look at it as lumps, sort of. If you define the shaded/darker and the light parts with a little detail, the hair would look better. I think :)

Blackhawk: I like it! Could do with a little more detail.. for example some indentations where the teeth go in..a crack or two.. to go with the mood in the picture, wich is really cool!

Here's one I made the other day..any crits/comments are very welcome!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/dCepT/SPMask.jpg

d-C

[jetpack42]

pencil 4-5 hours


http://www.mlentz.com/sp21.jpg


dcept-cool, throw a couple real hotspots in there

stretch-getting alot solider...if thats a word. Is that chest hair i see? lol

jens- you are doing some really great ones as of late, keep doing what your doing.

mindflaw- don't forget about eyelids. also, don't forget to shade the eyeball. a harsher light will help you see the forms better.

blackhawk- cool concept...i bet you just got lazy though. i can picture you, sitting at your computer thinking "ahhh....i've drawn the nose and an eye...i'll just rough in a skull and call it done"...regardless, it looks good.

Only Crit: Add a lensflare.

edit: dcept- you are right, the hair is garbage.

edit: good crit mindflaw, though IRL my nose is slanted to the side...I'm asymetrical! the mouth and nose are in roughly the correct relation. the eyes are too close to the eyebrows, and you are right about the ears and my head. i think i turned a little when i drew the one ear, and didnt turn when i drew the other. and their relation to each other is off as well...Thanks for pointing these things out!

[dCepT]

Jetpack: thanks! There are brighter highlights in the original... my scanner kinda flattens the image, it would seem.. I'll try to get a better scan, and update the post.
My crit for you would be the hair..both the eyebrows and your your..well..hair. Don't use a whole bunch of lines.. Describe the volume/shades/highlights... Other than that, it looks real nice!

d-C

[Wizard of KOZ]

Hey guys, it's been quite a while for me. I've been a bit busy I guess. Glad to see everyone still rocking away.

Well here is my latest.

http://landofkoz.com/Paintings/self_reflective.jpg

[Mindflaw]

some crits

WOZ: Maybe work a little more with the shape of the cheeks?

Jetpack:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/Mindflaw/Selfportraits/jet.jpg

I put in some lines you know how they works
* check out ears length.
* When I compare the ears your it shows that you have your head turned slightly to the right meaning that the inverted part of the lines at the eyes shouldn´t be the same lenght they are now the same length the if I´m not wrong of course.

* Mouth could be right if you`re "pulling" your mouth sideways.

* Your hair if I remember right from one of your previous avatars is blonder, if so it might be useful to use a harder pencil to get the right value. Try to spend more time finding the right direction of your hair.

* Eyebrows same thing here try to find the direction of the hair it changes and try to show the shape of the scull you probably get the eyebrows more "S-shaped".

I think you got it rendered good and it seems like its a better sp than your previous sp:s

dCept: I had the same comment as jetpack about highlights about scanning this might help even if its about pencils. It´s in the tips and tricks scanning pencil (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=23440&highlight=scanner)
Its seems like you changed the contrast on the assumption that lower left corner is lighter irl, then this would work scan it 72 dpi to photoshop then duplicate the image and put the new layer in multiply thus the white stays white and dark gets darker and then change opacity levels to get it like irl. Maybe you could work a little with building up subtle highlights by using kneaded rubber i htink its called in english or like they did in the old days by using soft white bread in the same manner as with kneaded.

Otherwise I cant think of anything.

Strychnine: Your are right about the eye the in my sp there shouldnt perfect symmetry since I´m have my head turned slightly in one direction affecting it all but since it so little it doesn´t show that much. In your sp it seems like you have moved your head slightly when doing some of the features just a little but still anyway its´a nice sp.

Oh yes and if any you find my crits to be wrong please tell me and why, good way to learn :)

Probably have a new sp in the end of the week keep going dudes

[Marcatili]

Found some spare time to actually get around to posting something...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/expat/conceptart/sp5.jpg

I kinda rushed this one, there are quite a few problems with it but I appreciate any crits anyway :)

[shadoman]

A quicky while watching TV...
http://www.shawnadomanis.com/images/sp/sp_080304.jpg

Blackhawk - I wish you would have finished that. I love the smoothness and values. Keep 'em coming.
Mindflaw - I definitely agree with what Jens was proposing. Check the shapes and proportions. Also, it seems that you are in need of more values. More darks and lights. Use a more medium tone paper and then use pencils for all of the rendering and then use a light-colored medium to bring out the highlights and you will notice the depth.
Jens - Good as usual. I like the touch of colors and looseness of this one though.
strych9ine - I really like this one. It looks like it could be comic-book quality. Also, it looks like you're about to kick some ass...
dCepT - I like the idea, but I think that you really need some lighter tones and some more details.
jetpack42 - Good one, but one thing to keep in mind. Keep your strokes going in direction of the form. If you keep it going in all one direction, it kind of flattens the portrait.
Wizard of KOZ - That is badass!! The brush strokes are very nice. I need to get some lighting tips from you.
expat - I think that it is a strong drawing. My only comment is that your nose either looks out of perspective or it was broken (not trying to make fun, but without seeing you I just don't know).

[strych9ine]

Wanted to see what I'd look like when the inevitable hair loss sets in. Christ, it's gonna suck.

http://www.codytilson.com/Sketchbook/9ine-Sp0803.jpg

[|NTeRN]

wizard of koz: damn your self portrait looks a lot like wes

here ya go :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v63/lilman85/sp4.jpg

[|NTeRN]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v63/lilman85/sp5.jpg

another one. el coro inspired... :S

[Skank]

blah
i did this while taking a shit...i had to crane my neck up to see in the mirror..so my view changed everytime...so thats why theres about 10 different angles on this sp..oh well... :D
i used a blue ballpoint pen

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Skank/medumpcopy.jpg

[Marcatili]

haha...yeah shadoman, you're spot on...
actually when I was drawing it I was looking down at the mirror so I've either translated the perspective into more of a straight-on looking perspective or maybe i moved while I was drawing...i dunno.

[Upstart]

Hey guys, guess I'll throw my mug into the ring. Here is a self portait I made for my print making class recently. Ran out of the semester, and the facilities, to really work it to its end, but I'm pretty happy with it. Don't know why I look kinda pissed, a lot of my self portraits end up that way.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/UpstartArt/Self-Portrait1.jpg

[shadoman]

http://www.shawnadomanis.com/images/sp/sp_080404.jpg

[Marcatili]

I had the day off from work today and I ended up actually doing some drawing.
Here's what I came up with...

This one kinda scares me...I'm sane, really.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/expat/040804spscream.jpg

Probably my favourite SP so far- I was slouching when I drew it, hence the double chin.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/expat/040804splookup.jpg

Not sure about this one...lotsa problems but I think the mouth worked well.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/expat/040804spshadows.jpg

Comments-
dcept- it took me a while to see what it was covering your face but it is a gas mask right? It's nice and atmospheric but I think some more highlights and contrast would make it a little clearer.

INTeRN- I really like the pencil one...nice sense of form, looks pretty accurate, no real problems as far as I can see. If I had to nitpick I'd say your ears are different sizes...but then maybe that's just you!

Upstart- there's a bit of weirdness going on with your fingers...the perspective on them makes them look like they're bending backward. I do like the forearm though, feels fairly solid. The other thing is I think the hair would look a bit better if you were able to render it a bit more like the rest of the print- at the moment it kinda looks like Lego hair, big solid pieces.

shadoman- that's a nice one. It reminds me of some kind of Asian god/spirit type imagery, not sure why. The only real crit is that the eyeballs look a little flat to me- maybe because there's not nearly as much shadow on them as the surrounding areas...

that's it for now...

[miasmak]

Messy ArtRage 1.1 painting it is the middle of a winter storm here
http://www.o2w.nl/~maia/sp/s4s.jpg

[Turbosity]

Hey guys--

I was just working on my first big digital painting and i wanted to know what you guys thought. I've been a lurker for a long time, picking up tips.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v359/turbosity/facepaint2.jpg

C+C Appreciated

miasmak: nice painterly strokes. how do you get the tone variation in your strokes to make it look like oil paints?

expat: cool expressions, but the symmetry needs to be checked and proportions are a little off

shadoman: awesome colors! it would pull together with more detail and some blending of the strokes

upstart: nice composition and pose. the value work with the hatching is less impressive when it's been defined by an outline first. work on building up values without outlines so you can decide which outlines are important to the design and which can be left out.

[shadoman]

Expat - Good work man. I really like the second one. The strokes are really nice But I love the lighting from the third. And per your comments, I fixed the eyes and resaved the file.

miasmak - Winter, eh? I am looking forward to snow myself. I like the colors and style there.

Turbosity - Very nice, especially for a person new to digital medium. I think that overall the piece is very nice. It seems a very good likeness, without knowing what you look like. What I would strive for is keeping your stokes flowing in the direction of the form. I think that will help you out. Keep it up...

And per your comments, I would like to spend more time on more blending and details, but I will just move on and address that in my next piece. Thanks.

[Marcatili]

Thanks for the feedback-
Hopefully I'll get some time to do at least one more today and try and remember your crits for that one.

Turbosity- your sp looks pretty solid and accurate. My only real problem is with the neck area. It looks like you didn't spend quite as much time defining that area and even though it's not the focal point I think it is noticable. It just looks a little flatter than the face area, which is quite well defined in comparison.

[Upstart]

Hey guys, thanks for the feedback. Had a lot of trouble duplicating the original feel of the sketch into the etching. If I had some more time to run through a couple more grounds I probably could have worked out more of the problems.

Shadoman I like the colors and the technique, but not really sure what emotion the face is actually going for. I think the eye brows are a little too neutral for my tastes since the rest of the face is so active.

expat Thanks for the feedback. I really like your second piece, the linework and the shading really work well--I think the double chin really ties the drawing together. The first and third aren't bad, just don't seem as finished as the second.

miasmak I like the strokes and choice of pallete. The figure's (your) right shoulder bugs me a bit, but I don't think that it needs fixing really.

Turbosity Thanks for the crit, I agree with the outline crit, don't really think hatching and outlines out enough before/while I'm working. Good work on color choice and technique in your piece. The neck seems a little flat to me, maybe if you pulled some of that cooler neutral color you used on the left side (the figures right side) of the face, that would help to bring out the forms in the neck a little. Also, your right eye seems as bright as the left despite being on the shadowed side of the face--it just seems to me that that eye should be a little more subdued.

[miasmak]

Turbosity, Artrage makes the strokes go like that. Free app from Ambient Design. Ver 1.1 just out.

[dibumac]

Well, hello to everyone there

I've just found this website, and as all of you I've thought it's " food for the mind ". Very inspiring !
So, I'll beging to post here , and try to get better with the help of all the artists around.

There is my first post. I really don't look exactly that way, but I think it's funny.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v433/dibumac/sketchbook/selfportrait001.jpg

--------------------------------------------------
http://photobucket.com/albums/v433/dibumac/

[Turbosity]

Dibumac--

very cool picture. the values on the face look a lot like an ink wash, which i think is what you were going for. the left arm is a little washed out, and you rely on the outline too much for the form.

nice style

[dibumac]

Turbosity

Thanks for the commentaries.
It is true that I use the line a little too much. It is the comicbook influence in me that I'm trying to get rid of right now !
At least for certain works

See ya

[Blackhawk]

Few comments tonight, finally found time inbetween work to get one of these done. Now to get back, good job everyone.

http://images.snitzerart.com/spod/spod285.jpg

[Ni*]

sorry for slacking off folks.... no excuse. but here i am. this one almost beat me, the ugly stage came late and i was close to quitting but i stuck with the little bastard as long as i could. I'll hate it tomorrow but i enjoyed it.

N
http://nirvine.250free.com/aug1.jpg

too many to comment on just now, but great work all round, i'm off to st in the sun for a while.

[Mon]

hey folks!

Here's one of mine, just finished it tonight. The software is Photoshop:

http://img59.exs.cx/img59/9498/nule.jpg

[Ni*]

damn, now mine looks even worse! :-p thats great Mon, I love the expression, its very 'zombie outside the window'. i'd love to see a tutorial for something like that in photoshop, what brushes did you use?

[Skank]

blah
been depressed....so much so i cant even do a decent depressed sp...

:vodkamachine: :dead:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Skank/meblackcopy.jpg

[Marcatili]

Mon- That's the kind of self portrait I almost always envision before I start, and then I actually start and it's nowhere near that good...hmmm one day. How do you get the brushes to be textured, other than using the texture filter over the whole lot?

Ni- I don't know what you're upset about, I think it's quite good. Your forms looks solid and I think you're developing your use of colour and strokes to build the form. I think you've improved noticeably from a couple of months ago.

Skank- How about trying a few different angles and lighting conditions to vary up your SPs a little- or maybe focus on smaller areas of your face and study the shapes and details etc. I dunno, i'm just trying to suggest a few different ideas to help you break the frustration a little...

[Marcatili]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/expat/conceptart/090804spredface.jpg

I haven't touched digital in so long...this one took me around four hours, if you include the time it took to do the other ones that I scrapped. It looks nothing like me but I think I finally started to get a sense of form happening other than just a mess of tones and colours.

Crit it to pieces...

[Mon]

Thanks for the comments people.

Ni* - I don't use as many different brushes as you'd think, the bulk of the image gets done with the simple round brush set to pressure sensitivity. I do use a couple of other ones tho, i switch constantly while painting. they're nothing special, i don't know much of how to make nice brushes in PS.

I wrote a tutorial on this, nothing on brushes specifically (but I might get around to that soon). Take a look here (http://www.mattiassnygg.com/tutorials/tut3.htm). Thanks a lot for your comment!

expat - Thanks a lot! Well, it's all done in the brush settings in Photoshop CS.. I've made a couple of chalk-like brushes and a few other semi-useful ones. You can define your own brush preset by selecting an area of a picture and then select 'Define brush preset' from the Edit menu. Then it's down to tweaking the settings in the brush-window. Playing around a lot is the key in this :) Good luck!

(edited to include a new portrait)
http://img45.exs.cx/img45/2092/driftwood_sp3.jpg

[Tjendol]

Man, I need to get to bed...I''ll try to give some comments tomorrow...later
http://website.leidenuniv.nl/~s0369519/drawing/sp-10-08-04.jpg

[shadoman]

Two hours in Painter 8 with custom brushes (charcoal, pastels, and conte).

http://www.shawnadomanis.com/images/sp/sp_080904.jpg

Mon - Very nice brush strokes. And your sense of light/shadow and focus is dead-on. Keep it up...

[Octave13]

Mon- You do realize you must never ever stop posting these, don't you? I had to force myself to stop staring at how bad ass your SPs were. Please keep posting! I'm hooked.

Here's my pitiful attempt.

http://nostr3m.homestead.com/files/SP_8_9_04.gif

I made lots of mistakes with this one.

[Marcatili]

Hey Mon- Do you work totally from scratch or do you build some of your digital works from photos?
It's just that I was checking out your website and some of them, like 'Fulci Zombie' look like maybe you started with a photo and worked it up from there...it reminds me of Christopher Shy's work and I've often wondered the same thing about his stuff.

[fae]

ok ok i know i keep saying so... but i really need to start again... at least i'm still coming back and saying i need to start...
cut my hair, so it'll be maybe more interesting... i dunno - i'm so rusty w/ 'em... i'll try a shot sometime -- internet's weird downstairs in my room and not working right now, so who knows what i'm gonna do...
great job you all! miss you all! =D (just got back from a 7 week trip)

[Tjendol]

Another one before bedtime...eating soup :)

http://website.leidenuniv.nl/~s0369519/drawing/sp-10-08-04-2.jpg

[killing.people]

hi guys - long time no see. ;)
http://members.cox.net/crobinson25/8_11_04.jpg

[I0N]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/I0Nryu/SP-01-Tears.jpg
ha! evryones getting all artsy,comments later.

[Ni*]

...so... difficult... must...not ....start..again!

wip, must make it fully formed and sharper!!

Nhttp://nirvine.250free.com/augsp2wip.jpg

[killing.people]

usually when i am done with one, i like to fuck with it's settings, they sometimes look really awesome. i really thought this was cool looking, check it:

http://members.cox.net/crobinson25/8_11_04play.jpg

[jook]

just a quick pencil one...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v13/jook13/anotherpencillller.jpg

[shadoman]

http://www.shawnadomanis.com/images/sp/sp_081104.jpg

[fae]

SO I did a SP t'nite... and posted it here but ended up seeing so much crap in it i'm taking it down... i'll try to either fix it up a lil or do another sometime...

Killing People: great stuff - love the colors in the first one, nifty experimentation in the second.

shadoman: nice mood in that blue one

mon: love all yours and the texture

[asbestoshazard]

http://asbestoshazard.com/portraits/040812.jpg

Self Portrait, Photoshop7, 60 minutes

Hello...I haven't drawn here in ages...and there are so many faces I don't recognize and a few that I still do. I gotta get back into doing these. :dead:
I've missed it so!
Favorites so far include:
Blackhawk, Jens, Wizard of KOZ, Upstart, expat, dibumac, Ni*, Mon and killing.people.
Everyone's doing so well, I'm embarassed for having missed so much.

[Marcatili]

It's good to see so many new posts in the last day or two since I checked back last...

fae- don't be afraid to post whatever you've got...what's the worst that can happen, other than someone totally trashing your work so badly that you're reduced to a gibbering wreck? Hopefully people will just give you crits and suggestions on how to improve...so suck it up and post dammit!

(honestly i've felt that some of my drawings weren't good enough to post on this board before- but that what this community is for right? The lernding.)

shadoman- looks like you didn't spend as much time on this latest one...your colour blending isn't as smooth as your last darker one...

jook- lookin' rough...where've you been this month, you're usually churning them out by the dozen.

Ni- I totally know what you mean about starting over with digital paintings...i started two or three others before I finally got to that red one I posted earlier. There must be some painting theory that I don't understand cause some people seem to be able to hit it every time. You seem to be doing alright though

killing.people- You're one of the people I'm talking about. I've checked out your tutorial on digital painting, which is pretty helpful. How do you get such subtle shadows and blending- like down the side of your nose for example. Your stuff seems a lot smoother in terms of blending than a lot of the other SPs, including Androids- although I guess that's also a bit of a style thing.
That said, I think those blue grey patches on the forehead area don't blend quite right. They seem to be sitting seperate to your other skin tones and at first I thought they were a compression glitch. It works in the red one but not so much in the colour one.

Tjendol- is the soup one from a photo? I can't figure out how else you eat soup, watch TV (which it looks like you're doing) and draw all at the same time. Pretty nice work in any case.

asbestoshazard- looks pretty good, although the eye on your left looks a little smaller than the other one...

that's it for now, hopefully I'll getting around to posting something new today

[Tjendol]

http://website.leidenuniv.nl/~s0369519/drawing/sp%2012-08-04.jpg

Expat: you're right man, that was done wit a photo as reference. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to get the hand on it like that...I need to practice those..hehe.

Killing People: damn..that's off the hook man..it looks simple but so well proportioned...love it!

Ion: that's very creative..lol

Ni: I dig that how it is right now but I'd like to see it finished..what brush did you use to get that rough look?

Jook: I think the right eye (when looking at it) is a bit too high...and the right side of the face is a bit skewed...maybe that's just cuz it's a quick one..i have it all the time.

Shadowman: cool...it does look a little smeary though..i think that's cuz of the chozen colors..but I love the loose strokes..

Asbestoshazard: Nice style! The little scratchy lines around the eyes bug me a bit but I guess that''s because it''s a pretty speedy painting.

good work..keep on painting/drawing!

[shadoman]

My wife has been scheduled for an induction with our third child for Thursday, so I hope to get to do another one of these before then...

expat - Yeah, I definitely didn't spend as much time on it. About 1 hour total, including the resizing, uploading, and posting. I get up at 5:30AM and it was late already. I don't want to spend too much time on these, because it is just practice right now. I used all custom brushes (charcoal, pastels, chalk) on the blue one and only smeary round oil on the past one.
Tjendol - Thanks. Read above for reasons. Yours is looking good. One thing I noticed is that your ear looks really incomplete compared to the rest of the face. The soup one is great! Keep them coming...

[fae]

haha expat : thx, but it's 'cause i noticed lotsa crap once i posted it up - not SCARED to post crap b/c i've already done that here... quite a bit ago but still... just that I saw 'em n wanted to see if i could touch it up first, sometime. thx though. :teeth:

EDIT:
messed w/ a lil more but ok here it is:
http://www.protoculturex.com/gallery/fae/sp/040812c.jpg

[Mindflaw]

OK not been doing sps yadda yadda lots to do :bashful: yadda yadda :blahblah: anyway thought I make some comments at least

Shadoma thanks for the comments (I blame it all on bad light = not good enough to draw with bad light) and in the one you scream in it´s cool that you did not hide the teeth those are difficult to do most people just chickens out when it comes to teeth. ( that comment goes for everyone showing their teeth).

INTeRN your pencil sp is nice exept that you need to work the value/shading on the nose between the eyes and just below it looks like you hav chopped it of there, otherwise it´s good.

Skank nice seeing you doing a less minimalistic sp, although I suggest doing one where you put all the skills you got and all the time needed to really finish a sp because it will really show where you are at the moment and you have no excuses, anyway thats my experience.

Expat IN your august 5 third sp you r left eye seems smaller maybe you do the same misstake I use to do which is that I often close my left eye when I draw and when I start looking again I don´t open my eye fully again because I had have it closed so many times.

miasmak what a depressing sp

dibumac Fun one. IF you really wants to get the comicbook thing then just try doing a sp "straight" up you know what you see is what you get sp

BH it got a cool almost inverted kinda look.

Ni* Going to be fun seeing your lst one totally finished imo you´re on a good start.

Mon Snyggt, Snygg (ursäkta för det ytterst dåliga skämtet kunde inte bara låta bli antar att du hört den förut :wink: ) Sorry for the swedish folk just spared you a from a bad joke. Anyway Mon I like yor sps.

killing.people like it exept those black little lines at the beard.

ION hm keyholes to the soul right? liked that you made us look trhough a keyhole aswell or at least that what it looks like.

JookJust a little skewed but it´s a quick one keep going :)

asbestoshazard Nice to see you again :)

Tjendol your last one, don´t forget to work on your shoulders to so the dont get flat even though the head is the most important stuff like the shoulders adds to the sp.

Fae nice seeing you here again, its a nice sp. I think something might be wrong with the left eye. Do you close your left eye when you paint and then opens it when to paint it? I have noticed that it change the placement of the eye somewhat and how much the eye is covered by the nose when shifting from drawing/painting with one eye open to painting with both open seems like an obvious thing to think about but I haven´t until recently since it just changes sometimes depending on which eye you let "be in charge" when using both so to speak. Hopefully that made some sense if not sorry

Octave13 Just keep going

Upstart You probably look pissed off since you´re concentrating.

[lactose]

Internet was down for awhile. Here's something from last week.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v348/gcranford/sps/07aug2004web.jpg

About 80 minutes using a mirror. Hair's all poofy.

Great work on everyone's part. C&Cs to follow. =)

[Marcatili]

Hi again everyone...I've posted so much this month...maybe i should spend more time drawing. I hope I don't come across as if I think I'm superior because I'm criticizing everyone's works- just trying to help out cause I know I like crits of my stuff.

Anyway,
fae- now that I see your SP i remember seeing another one you did a month or two ago. I don't know what you changed but I think this one is pretty good. I like the colour choices. I agree with Mindflaw about the eyes being differently sized. The painterly style works well too because the different tones describe the form. I think some of the shadow areas could do with a little more blending from dark to light but that's probably just a personal preference. I'd also have included another dab of purple in the bottom right corner somewhere just to balance out the background a little...

lactose- thought i'd offer some crits...I think your SP has a bit of a cartoony feel in some ways (hope you don't take offence to that). The main reason for that is probably the curved lines for the cheekbones and the forehead. Have a close look at the shadows on your face in those areas...are they really curved lines? Try to see your face as a made up of forms rather than made up of lines...
I like the glasses and the eyes, although the eyes are skewed...they're in line with each other but not the rest of the face.
Also the nose looks kinda broken, it seems to change direction half way down.
I've made these same mistakes in some of my SPs this month...

Mindflaw- Thanks for the crit- I don't squint my eyes or close one eye while I'm drawing but I do have to pay attention to drawing the eyes properly.


Jens...where are you?

[fae]

mindflaw, expat: you two rock.
first, I reread what you said, mindflaw, a few times, and understood it hehe. (my reading comprehension sucks...) I don't close one eye - actually I never even thought about it, but I think it was also kinda change the way my face is a little (just 'cause i'm not good at closing one eye hehe)- also, then when drawing that eye i'm closing...

BUT i see what you're saying : i think the main problem was also when i was drawing it, my face shifted too much during the drawing, so it messed it up - my mirror is way to the side, so i had to turn my head back n forth and I think that screwed me up.

Thank you two soo much - i love real critiques, esp ones that aren't said in a way as to just bash. really really really appreciate it - i wanna do more now... since i know i'm really gettin something back worthwhile here. it'll be worth my time.
thx again, sorry for the long reply.

[killing.people]

thanks for everyones' comments on my sp.

killing.people- You're one of the people I'm talking about. I've checked out your tutorial on digital painting, which is pretty helpful. How do you get such subtle shadows and blending- like down the side of your nose for example. Your stuff seems a lot smoother in terms of blending than a lot of the other SPs, including Androids- although I guess that's also a bit of a style thing.
i used photoshop7, i have been putting the soft brushes and smudge tool to more use is all. others have achieved nice soft looks to their pieces using these tools. at times i end up leaving areas unfinished which can give it that look (especially pieces without a deadline or a demand to be completed).
i always approach a fun painting like these however feels natural.
the steps i took in this portrait:
grey background, black line sketch of proportions, underpaint colors - red for light areas (hot) and green for shadows (cool), blocked in actual color using the soft brush at a medium opacity, cut the edges of those shapes and blended others depending on the edge i wanted/saw, etc. working in steps like that. i never did an overall polish to make sure everything was at the same step - i never finalized my painting so some parts show the initial gesture, some show the initial soft blocking, some the undercolor and some a finished paint stroke.

it is all about the tools used.
from what i can tell about android's selfportaits is he uses his portraits as an opportunity to experiement with his tools or express an emotion he needs off his chest. on top of that, he is fast! so some of his look rough and strange. you can see it in his newer selfportraits, he just rips these suckers out (probably to keep up his track record on these babies >:D ) i think before it was for show and now he is using them for practice (and some were more of a chore to meet expectations he has on himself); killing birds hopscotch-style with one stone if you will. a portrait a day is a huge feat and a real pain in the fucking ass if you think about it.
it's a cool feature, of the many, this board has to offer.

love,
killing

[asbestoshazard]

http://asbestoshazard.com/portraits/040814post.jpg

Self Portrait, Painter Classic, 67 minutes

Don't like it...but posting anyways as per expat's adivce to fae :er: (try to ignore the "hand")
expat :: Thanks...and that eye...I know. I should fix it...at the same time, I should just move on and learn from my mistakes. Thank you. :rendered:
Tjendol :: I like the layers of color and that I can make out the strokes; it's neat because you can trace how it came together.
fae :: Looking good! I like the color choices, they contrast nicely.
lactose :: Nice job on the specs -- I think the eyes and surrounding area are especially successful.

[asbestoshazard]

http://asbestoshazard.com/portraits/040815post.jpg

Self Portrait, Painter Classic, 128 minutes

I like this one a lot.

[Silvrain]

Back, after.. a since-april hiatus. Guess Azzy inspired me to pick this up again.

Rusty as hell, though.. blech.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v291/Silvrain/blue.jpg

[Tjendol]

http://website.leidenuniv.nl/~s0369519/drawing/sp%2015-08-04.jpg

Silvrain: cool speedy sketch..the style reminds me of streetfighter and has a manga feel to it.

asbestoshazard: your last one is cool..nice bright colors...the hand gives it that extra touch..what brush(es) did you use for the face? I can see some grain in the texture..looks cool.

Mindflaw..you're right..I should work on the shoulders as well..I sometimes rush through that part when the face is done...need to pay more attention to it :)

Shadowman: I need to fix that ear in my previous painting...i switched brushes and forgot which one I used for the face..lol..I want to try more brushes in one painting...most of the time I just stick to one and just play with the size...I'll try to experiment more with my upcoming stuff :)

[Ni*]

i'm not sure if this has improved any but i was sitting poking at it so i decided to post it again. its at an ugly stage just now, i feel that its gone very stagnant and i'm very tempted to give it up....

http://nirvine.250free.com/augsp2b.jpg

just a couple of quick comments..

tjendol- that last one is great, but the ear is fighting for attention with the eyes

asbestos- good to see you back here. the second last b&w one is lovely, it has a nice thoughtful expression to it, and you could have pushed the lighting a bit and fixed the hand to make that a milestone for you. the last one has great colours and expression, but it deas freak me out a bit, the eyes are so far apart and the features so small on the rounded face that it makes you look like you have a huge head :-p but like i said, lovely colours and lighting, maybe try drawing your eyes really big and then working back from that?

fae- good to have you back here too, andi like your new hair-do :-) that one is a bit 'bitty' but nice colours and i like the way you did the hair.

cheers

N

[Ni*]

just messing about.... PS7

N

http://nirvine.250free.com/augsp3.jpg

[Silvrain]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v291/Silvrain/Seeagain.jpg

I worked on this one longer, and actually used more than one color. Too easy to fall back into old [bad] drawing habits. Everyone's improved so much.. very impressive.

[fukifino]

Man, I love these self portraits. Good shit all you guys/gals. :hatsoff:

I've been meaning to jump in this thread for a while. It was late last night and I was tired, but I had caffeine in my system so knew I couldn't sleep yet. So I did a quick (maybe 45 minute?) :scribble: SP. First I've done in a long time. I woulda spent more time but I was on a backless stool and hunched over and my back was startin' to hurt. I think I got a pretty good likeness, although I see that the left cheek is a little too straight I think.

http://www.forestzachman.com/images/art-sketchbook/SP_20040816.sized.jpg

Hopefully this will just be the first of many of my participations in these threads. :D

Rock on SP artists. :bow:

[Matt Smith]

I have been slacking lately but i got one done tonight. I dont think it looks like me at all.

http://www.mattksmith.com/sp6.jpg

[asbestoshazard]

http://asbestoshazard.com/portraits/040818post.jpg

Self Portrait, Painter Classic, 142 minutes

Ugh. I kept going back to touch it, play with it and try to get it to look right but you know...when you have something that's "okay" and you start to fiddle with it more you can really get it to that "ugh" point if you're not careful -- sometimes it's best just to leave things alone.

Silv :: That last one is a favorite of mine and will be for a while. :)
Tjendol :: I just use the basic run-of-the-mill watercolor feature and change my brush size often. The paper is set to smooth; I've tried to play with the texture of the paper before but I haven't really found an effect that satisfies me. I'm enjoying your last SP -- especially the work around the eyes.
Ni* :: It's good to -be- back here. I desperately need the practice. Thank you for your tips; I think I -will- start with the eyes next time because...I seem to have issues with it. I look at my face and I really do think I have a big fat (even huge!) head... I like your little fiddling of PS7 -- I'm a sucker for pinks and I love the half-developed sketched out look.
fukifino :: I like the nose and mouth in your SP. I'm envious of those that still know how to use a pencil properly.
Matt Smith :: Nice color combinations and good job with the lighting...I've always found drawing faces at that turned-up angle difficult; you've done a great job.

[Ni*]

asbestos- one thing that was mentioned here last month was that almost everything goes through a number of ugly stages and i find, the more work i put into something then the easier it is for one or two marks to push it into another ugly stage. thats why i so often start again with these, unless its a pencil one.

it is so easy to save-and-forget a digital SP that it seems less of a loss to abandon it and start again but i'm now trying to work through at least 4 'ugly phases' because this forces me to stick with it a bit longer (i'm not doing this very well)

as i said i like the expressions and colours in your last few but it is just the scale of the features on the face, next one will be better still i bet ;-)

that was meant to be a quick comment.

matt smith- sharper edges and that one would be better still.

fukifino- nice pencil work, the eyes look a bit large but very good subtle shading around the nose.

silvrain- i like the green glow in that one, and the face looks confident and accurate, but your fist is about the size of your whole head! :-p


good work all round, i need to get back to the other one i said i'd finish but it does get to the point where you are just painting over stuff you've painted over already....

cheers

N

[Matt Smith]

AAARRRGGGG!!!!! HULK SMASH!!..... or the jolly green giant either one.

http://www.mattksmith.com/sp7.jpg

[Tjendol]

http://website.leidenuniv.nl/~s0369519/drawing/sp-18-08-04.jpg
Well, this one's not really finished but I've been messing around with it for too long and I wanted to post something today...so here it is :)

asbestoshazard: that last one is nice..i notice how different everbody can look in each portrait..not because of the painting style..you see it on photos as well..now what was my point...I don't know..lol...I noticed it in my own drawings as well. You're drawings are pretty light each time..is it that light around you when you draw?

Matt:the hulk one is cool dude..it's slightly skewed..I think the neck makes it look that way a little too. Nice values though..keep it up. I absolutely love the one you posted before this one.. the chosen colors rock...love the blue/grey shades.

fukifino: looks great..you should color it :)

Silvrain: the green in that one is beautiful..did you paint the pose out of imagination?

Ni*: The last one is good looking...finish it..lol :) I like the rough look your paintings have.

[jook]

first I gotta apologize for my lack of self portraits, I graduate next month and gotta get my projects done and presentable before then, been kept busy with that crap... after september, I should return full force like I once was...

Tjendol... You are really improving, getting across form and likeness well.. the main thing I see that could use improvement is your shadows. they are all greyed and muddy looking, put more color into the shadows. nice progress though man.

asbestoshazard... these are looking lovely, I'll bet if I were to see you walking aroung somewhere, I would recognize ya.

[Marcatili]

jook- not good enough! no more excuses!*

fae- glad I can help...

asbestoshazard-I know you probably aren't going back to any of these but here's my thoughts- the grey one would look great if the soft grey shadows were more smoothly blended. The other two look pretty good- no real crits...maybe you could push the contrast a little in some future SPs (just a suggestion)

Matt Smith- ever heard of the legend of the Green Knight? It's from Arthurian mythology. I think it was Gawain who fought the Green Knight...anyway the Green Knight could have his head cut off and he'd survive...I think he just put it back on...anyway yours reminded me of that, seeing as your head is green and apparently detached from your body :^^: seriously though it doesn't look too bad...the bright green over the eye on our left draws all my focus...I look at that first instead of your actual visible eye because it's near where the eye should be and it's very bright...the other thing I notice is that your head is distorted- it looks squished on the shadowed side. In my experience this comes from drawing on paper that is at a bad angle. When you draw you subconciously compensate for the angle of the paper and when you flatten the paper (in relation to your eye) you realise the drawing is skewed. I guess this probably isn't your problem, unless the funny angle was because your head was tilted back...i dunno.

Ni- You're making progress...keep it up...my suggestion is to finish one. I really like the latest one, especially the eye...your colours are nice...the more I look at it the more I like it...probably my favourite SP of the moment- even more than Mon and killing.people's because it's clear to see the progress you're making. I possibly like it even more because it's only half finished. But yeah...I say start one and take it as close to finished as you can manage- if you only ever get to the same stage and give up, you'll never progress to new levels of skill...

Tjendol- your latest couple are good- you've blended colours a lot more and it's given you a smoother look. The thing I notice is that in your latest two you have heavy shadows on your cheek but well lit neck and ear...is that really how the lighting is when you do your SPs? It seems to me that there should also be shadow on your neck/ear or some light on the cheek...but I could just as easily be wrong...

killing.people- thanks for the info...very helpful

*jook- Just kidding!

hope you don't mind my long replies...now I must go and do some actual drawing

[Matt Smith]

I think with my green one the problem was the angle I did it at. Cause i created it right on the computer without drawing it on paper first. I think I got too anal with the face and worried about making it look like me that parts got alittle distorted. But here is my next one. Thanks for the comments everyone.

http://www.mattksmith.com/sp8.jpg

[emily g]

Hello folks,
I really wanted to post this month, but I don't think this one's my best one. I need to sit down and spend some time on these. Painter, grainy pencil.

http://www.emilygordon.com/emilygsp8-19-04.jpg

Now for some comments:
Matt Smith—I really like the texture on this last one. What brush? Green one’s nice too, even though a little skewed.
Tjendol—you’ve been working hard this month. I think your shadows are a little muddy and you need variation in your color. The forehead is usually yellower, the nose and cheeks are redder, the chin is greenish or bluish, and shadows can be purplish. Find a painting that has flesh tones you like and try and see how that person did it.
Asbestoshazard—I like the nice subtle texture you have on that last one. Some have mentioned that your features seem a little small. I agree, but I think the black and white one you posted on the 14th looks really good, proportion-wise.
Fukifino—really nice. I think everything’s going pretty well in this one, though I think you could have been a little more careful with the strokes on your cheeks. They seem a little scribbly.
Silvrain—sweet. The blue and turquoise one has a nice mood.

Ni*--You’ve been working hard too, I see. I was the one who wrote about the “ugly stages” last month. It helps me to not get frustrated when my picture’s not looking so good. In fact, in almost every piece I do, I reach a point where I think, “Crap, I just ruined it. I don’t know if I can salvage this.” But I just push through it and most of the time it still works out. I’m glad you’re trying to push through those ugly stages. Like expat said, if you never move forward, you’ll just stay stuck at the same place and never learn. I can see a big difference in your work, so keep it up!
Lactose—cool. Nice expression, too. Do some highlights in your hair to give it a little more form.
Fae—very pretty colors. I like your brush strokes too. It looks like you described the form in little patches of acrylic.
Shadowman—The first one you posted is my favorite. It has a nice dream-like atmosphere, but the features are still clear.
Jook—nice to see a pencil one from you. I’d like to see you define the planes of your face a little more clearly.

Ion—ooh, that one freaks me out. I don’t know if I can look at it. But I like the fat neck. I always want to add extra fat to my characters’ necks because I think it looks funny.
Killing—very, very nice. I love how you put those highlights in your hair. It’s a little too smudgy for me in some places, but I really like the main features (eyes, nose, & lips).
Octave13—looks good. I really like what the left side of your pic is doing, but I like the right side less. The face seems to shrink a little and look a little more cartoony.
Mon—sweet. Those are very, very cool. I love the dramatic lighting and the great flesh tones.
Expat—Looking good, I really like these pencil ones you’ve been doing.

Skank—nice. You have some great mark-making going on. Very expressive.
Blackhawk—ooh, these are a little different. I love that canvas texture in your last one.
Dibumac—hehe, that’s really funny. It’s a silly drawing, but cute.
Turbosity—I really like this. I like how the colors are working, and how you put a little lavender in your skin. It has a good mood—very earnest.
Miasmak—very cold and chilling. You captured the mood great.

Upstart—done for a printmaking class? Cool—I always thought printmaking looked pretty difficult.
Intern—I really like that red one. I think it’s working well and looks like a nice, complete painting.
Strych9ine—cool. I like your nice, clear lines on your pencil one.
Wizard of Koz—I never understand how people can do these with such low levels of light. Yours looks cool, I really like the colors you chose.
Jetpack—nice. Looks like you’re getting the forms down pretty good. I’m starting to feel the three dimensionality.
dCept—heh, nice. I think others have mentioned the darkness. I think it would look great with a shaft of light falling across the mask and face.
Jens—nice, as always. I like how you are always trying different media.

Mindflaw—you are making tons of progress. I can see a lot of improvement with this one. Your proportions are getting more accurate. Try to see the planes. Your head has a side, a front, and another side. Show those—don’t let them mush together.

Keep it up everyone. You're doing great.
emily

[Matt Smith]

emily- I dont quite remember what brush I used, it would either be variable round, or an acrylic brush. I also used canvas paper as well. Some of the other textures I did in photoshop with custom brushes I've created.


I think my eye might be alittle long in this one, another extreme angle though.


http://www.mattksmith.com/sp9.jpg

[shadoman]

Good work for all of the recent entries.

I have been away for the past few days for the birth of my 3rd child and my second son, Jase. Whilst in the hospital I drew a few quick portraits — one of my son and one of me.

Early morning, graphite pencil sketch while the boy kept moving, so forgive the lack of proportions.
http://www.shawnadomanis.com/images/sp/jase_082004.jpg

Evening, Ultramarine pastel pencil sketch while getting up 5 times and visiting with family.
http://www.shawnadomanis.com/images/sp/sp_082004.jpg

[Marcatili]

shadoman- congrats on the new baby. a quick crit on the SP- the left side seems lower than the right side when you compare eyes and ears. Also, the nose looks a little flat, like it's squished inward rather than protruding outward.

Matt Smith- yeah i don't know why I bothered with that extra long explanation of the distortion thing...i could tell you did it digitally...
anyway, the latest two are great. my only suggestion on the second last one you did was to sharpen up some of the edges, particularly the teeth...

that's it for now...i've been doing some SPs- hopefully I'll find time to post them soon

[Mindflaw]

Hm just have to write some comments mostly because I have to say congratulations Shadoman

fae: Well I dont´think the problem is your reading comprehension I just happen to have problem trying to write something more complex than hello :)

Emily g: I know what you mean I always have had problems with just that but next month I´m going to put focus on just that and the improvement is just that I spent hours more than i use to but it shows yay :teeth: and time spent on a sp shows when you do too and as I have said before or at least thought I envy the way you got those two really 3d.

Matt Smith: I like the way you expressed emotion in your "under water" sp.

I´m too tired to give any good crits just stupid comments so I stop now before I use up any more space

[bunthius]

http://www.dfloyd.com/small_self.jpg
yeah, i didnt feel like finishing it, got the likeness near exact
one brush, one layer, woo... :T
-danny

[steak-tron]

Hey everyone, Some mighty fine portraits in this thread, I thought i'd join in the fiesta.

Keep up the good werks everyone :)

oooh evil one eye oooooh
http://www.kempart.com/Artwork%20popups/august_B1.jpg

looking a little emotional in this one
http://www.kempart.com/Artwork%20popups/aug24.jpg
http://www.kempart.com/Artwork%20popups/august_A15.jpg
http://www.kempart.com/Artwork%20popups/august_A13.jpg

this one's a little cartoonish
http://www.kempart.com/Artwork%20popups/august_B5.jpg

[shadoman]

Expat - Thanks for the comments. Yeah that portrait (if you want to call it that) has all kinds of issues. I think that the mirror was moved twice, I got up many times, and finished it while talking to people in the hospital. I'll just work on another one and push on...
Mindflaw - Thanks. He's awesome...
bunthius - That is a really nice rendering. The eyes look quite nice and the colors are nice.
steak-tron - Wow. Those are great. I especially like the second one down. The strokes following the contours of your face really bring out the form.

No time right now, but I'll catch you guys at least one more time before the month is out...

[I0N]

thanks for the comments peeps.
emily-glad to freak you out :D
mindflaw- wow I wish I thought that deeply about it! you are right about it being a look into the soul though
tjendol-thanks!

I dont smoke!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/I0Nryu/SP-02-Breath.jpg

will post more today comments later!

[I0N]

I'll probably get hung for this! its ANIME! honorable happy mega smile time!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/I0Nryu/SP-03-Mangaman.jpg
more comin!

[I0N]

THE CEILING
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/I0Nryu/ceiling.jpg
didn't see me

[Marcatili]

hey gang
thought i'd drop a few more off before the end of the month...seems like this thread has gone quiet.
Anyway here are some pretty lame rushed attempts in my spare time. Oh, and one blast from the past.

This one was done in 2000, when I was in Thailand. It's not that bad but I think I've improved.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/expat/300804spsoul.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/expat/300804sp1.jpg

I don't know who this guy is...doesn't look a thing like me.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/expat/300804sp2.jpg

This one aint great either.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/expat/300804sp4.jpg

That'll do for now- I guess everyone else is saving theirs up so they can be the first to post for next month ?

[endregan]

BOOO

steak- awesome hatchin :)
Keep it up yall it seems to have slowed down!
http://www.visiblesurface.com/sketches/2004/aug28/sp.jpg

[Matt Smith]

http://www.mattksmith.com/sp10.jpg

[MrFrost]

some beautiful renders here peps....
bunthias - love the burns dude :)

[Matt Smith]

http://www.mattksmith.com/sp11.jpg

[Matt Smith]

Mouth needs to be exagerated more...


http://www.mattksmith.com/sp12.jpg

[emily g]

Nice stuff here, matt. Looks like you're the only one doing stuff here at the end of the month.
I especially like the b&w one. It has really great brush strokes.
Kudos for keeping things going!

emily