giles.t sketchbook

[giles.t]

Hello,
I have been inspired by all the work here and so decided to post daily drawings.

Here's the first set -- a group of Edward Gorey inspired creatures
http://www.gilestimms.com/sketchbook/gorey_01.jpg


This is 'cathaw chunk-neck,' colored from above pen drawing
http://www.gilestimms.com/sketchbook/cathaw_02.jpg


And here's 'lumpy'
http://www.gilestimms.com/sketchbook/lumpy_06.jpg

[teyekanik]

your characters have some originality to them, but I think you could spend a little more time refining the image. Keep it up :muscle:

[giles.t]

teyekanik -- thanks for the feedback (and for looking :) I took a look at your web site and liked your work -- especially liked the guy in the big suit with the balloons.

Anyway, when you say refine do you think the whole image needs refinement or parts? With the cathaw image I think the purple trees do not seem resolved and with lumpy perhaps his head needs more refinement in volume definition. Anything else? It's always so hard to see what's not working in our own work, that's why this place is great.

[teyekanik]

well.. I think every work of art, especially hand drawings, reflects the amount of time you spend in it. So think things over and do a few passes over each sketch. I like to do speed sketches in light pencil and go over and over in pencil to build up detail. You can have similar principle in inks using thin to thick lines.

As far as the color I think you should really research edge definition. Your edges in these are ALL soft, in many good paintings your have both soft and nice hard edges. And the differences are intentional and planned.

my best recommendation for your drawings is to gesture out the main forms and understructure and go in with detail after.

hope that helps.

[imagekko]

I think you have good ideas, but there is no shadow or light. i llike the texturing, but i feels like you're using that to hide the lack of defenition. keep it up!

[jca]

LOL lumpy is awesome, i got spooked when i first saw gorey's books.. u should start a book with these characters.. not specifically to be printed, but just for fun

[Sorknes]

Great start, we'd like to see more though. :) Nice to see colours. :)

[oracrest]

yes, keep more coming, try and focus more on sharper details as well.

[giles.t]

Have been gone for a bit (also, sorry to sketchbook group)

teyekanik -- hey thanks a lot for taking the time to give me feedback. I agree that I'm having problems with my edges in those illos. I want to go back in and rework them, but the edge thing hasn't 'clicked' yet so I'm hoping to come back to them.

imagekko -- hah, yes, that's it exactly. I don't know how to add the detail so I'm hiding behind the soft texturing and a fuzzy light source...

jca -- thanks for the kind words. Yes, I've always wanted to create a book/comic...someday maybe.

Sorknes/oracrest -- thx guys

Allright, after my edge problem I decided to go back to my sketchbook and work in values to see if it would help me with my color edge problems. I also colored one of my sketches to see if I could refine those edges. Any advice (specifically in regards to edges...)? Thx in advance.

http://www.gilestimms.com/main/twod/sketch/2005/full/sketch_05_01.jpg

http://www.gilestimms.com/main/twod/sketch/2005/full/sketch_05_02.jpg

http://www.gilestimms.com/main/twod/illos/full/alizarinDream.jpg

http://www.gilestimms.com/main/twod/sketch/2005/full/sketch_05_03.jpg

[giles.t]

Another pencil portrait

http://www.gilestimms.com/main/twod/sketch/2005/full/sketch_05_04.jpg

[giles.t]

Two more images, combination of life and photo. Crits welcome

<-_->

http://www.gilestimms.com/main/twod/sketch/2005/full/sketch_05_05.jpg



http://www.gilestimms.com/main/twod/sketch/2005/full/sketch_05_06.jpg

[Fellah.]

Hi man
nice stuff going on here! The cathaw chunk-neck and lumpy drawings has some very nice colors dude! Funny chardesign too! I really like the brigthness on lumpy, but maybe adding a slightly more contrasted sharpness on some parts would make him pop out a bit more - not much is needed tho. It works good on cathawk chunk-neck with the dark outlines - looking great man. The bg is a bit flat tho - the front tree and bg tree has the same weigth in the picture etc. BUt the colors are very sweet!
Beautiful red hair on the colored girl! Her eyes is a tad off, but the painting style is nicely done :teeth:
The watercolor drawing (last post) is nice too - good comp there.
Hope to see more!

[Tenelaus]

Hi, I really like your colours, very luminous. You've got a nice range of values in the pencils too. Crit wise, I'm just echoing teyekanik in that you need to refine them a bit more, and that's already starting to happen in the latest posts.

[giles.t]

Tenelaus: Hey, thanks for the crit -- hopefully my refinement of value will happen with practice...

Fellah: Thanks for the looking in and for giving me a crit -- all your points are well taken :rendered:

I was unsure about whether to post the next drawing, (because I think my line quality and proportions are poor), but I decided to anyway because I could really use some tough crits and suggestions to help me improve. These heads are in pen (less forgiving than pencil and photoshop). I think I see that I am unsure about how to describe the planes of the head with line shading. The top left head has line shading, but it looks flat. Anyone care to help me understand how I should be shading the planes of a form? Thx

http://www.gilestimms.com/sketchbook/lineHeads_060405.jpg

[Tenelaus]

Always always think 3D. Think about where you want your lightsource straight away, and block in some quick shadows or the outlines of where those shadows are. Simplify the planes of the head. I know it's kinda redundant to mention Loomis these days, but check out this page (http://www.saveloomis.org/headhands/33.htm) of 'Drawing the head and hands'. Here he's simplified the planes of the head (they could probably be simplified even more), it's much easier to work out where the light should fall if you're thinking about flat surfaces.
Try blocking in the shadows first without lines before working in the details of the facial features.

As you've pointed out the proportions aren't so great here, but keep working at the pen drawings. I can see that you do know how to place the features better from your previous pencil drawings, it's just a matter of getting that placement right quicker.

[giles.t]

Here's a few more drawings (from life). I'm still having proportion and shading problems. Anyone care to offer me some more tips about how to improve my shading and what I'm doing wrong? Thx


http://www.gilestimms.com/sketchbook//angieChair_060605.jpg

http://www.gilestimms.com/sketchbook//angie_060605.jpg

http://www.gilestimms.com/sketchbook//angiePencil_060605.jpg

Also, I know it really isn't part of my sketch book work, but anyone care to crit this texture I'm working on. I think it needs something else, but I'm not sure what. Any ideas? thx again

http://www.gilestimms.com/proof/cm_tex_proof_01.jpg

[Tenelaus]

The shading of the last drawing is the best of this bunch, it looks like you've used more restraint than in the other two, which look a bit rushed in comparison. That said, the value range is good. I would suggest to improve your shading you should build up layers of tone, gradually getting darker, and take your time with it. Good work with the forms, they're looking better, especially in the first drawing.
I'm afraid I've got absolutely know knowledge of texturing, but it looks to me that you could use a little colour variation in those. At the moment they go from saturated blue to white, maybe there could be some hints of green (or anything else) in between?

[tokidokizenzen]

Wow, great sketchbook! You're work is very pleasing to view. I love you're from the mind drawings. Keep it going!

[mentler]

Forget the word shading altogether.
Replace it with the word shaping.
Disregard the light you see.
Replace with the concept that up planes are light and down planes and planes away from the light source you have in your mind.

The most traditional light is from above left and slightly to the front of the model with a reflect light from slightly below and behind.

Trained artists invent there own lighting.

We use light and dark to describe form ~~~ if it does not help create the illusion of form we are after we eliminate it!

simply put everything has a dark side and a light side and since planes run both horizontally and vertically at the same time so do the darks and lights.

People who never grasp this concept never learn to draw.

Thought it was pretty amazing that you posted today and were already off the page.

[Cobi]

First look at your book.. You definitely have some interesting stuff here! I see progress already. The only thing I'd like to see more of is your faces/heads.. They seem to be longer than they need to be.

Can't wait to see more!

Take care =)Cobi.

[Wishes]

hey giles,

I like the little pencil creatures, I like the boy in the middle and the skeletonguy with the umbrella, because of their styles. The other ones are a little bit too messy for me and don't appeal that much.

The coloured version of cathaw chunk-neck looks ok, but it looks kind of flat. You tried to make it 3dimensional, but the shirt is flatter again, so it looks a little bit weird. The background also doesn't match real good.

Lumpy however, is in balance and 'belongs' with that background. Maybe you should make the lines a little bit harder, it's a little bit hazy. Nice pic though!

I also like the pencil portrait of june the 2nd a lot. Nice shading and rendering. Nice eyelashes too :)

With the lineshading-pics I think you darken them up too much. Use 2 sorts of tones, because the ones in the middle are shaded very nice, but too dark.

Well that was it from me :) Hope it helps you a bit :)