max1975 finally drew that comic book he's been threatening for years [Archive] - Page 2

max1975

February 8th, 2006, 04:01 PM

Thanks all.

mentler: Thanks. I'd been doing sketches of that for a while, but it didn't all come together until just in the nick of time :)

bRØk3n_sPiRiT: I think a good rhythm actually helps with proportions a lot, especially when there's perspective or foreshortening involved. Or maybe it just makes things look right when they really aren't...but anyway, given that I also make mistakes any other way I try to draw, I see no reason to go back.

Inkfish: 5 (that's actually the length of the pose) is my favorite of those, and I think one of my best drawings. This was the first time we had this model, and I thought she had some really elegant poses.

dCepT: Actually I used Flash to do the lines on the Bus. To me, it's a lot faster than Illustrator (for bots anyway, it doesn't do as well on curvier forms).

Still working on the assumption that I'm going to be drawing a comic soon, I'm trying to get more personality into my faces. Going back and forth between more or less cartoony, and starting to do the same with figures. So things might be a bit of a mess for the next few days as I experiment.
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/020806.jpg

max1975

February 9th, 2006, 02:31 PM

More experimenting...liking the watercolory effect my blending stump is giving me, but I won't be able to use that if I decide to go with ink, which I'm leaning towards.
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/020906.jpg

brokk

February 9th, 2006, 02:52 PM

Looking forward to seeing your inked and comic works :)

The guy's face on the lower left corner on 020806.jpg looks nicely shaded, although I'd put just some more shadow under his eyebrows, between the eyebrows and the eyes. Also with a directional light, the nose casts a shadow. Don't hesistate to really exagerate features and forms to see what kind of stuff happens if you're doing something more cartoony.
Also, just a suggestion, overlapping panels in comics can give pretty interesting effects, as opposed to having them one next to each other (which also gives interesting effects), and also varying the shapes of the panels. Use them depending on what you want to communicate, an action scene could have tilted panels and elements flying right out of them, whereas a more tranquile scene could have long, rectangular panels, and everything in them contained. Ok I'll shut up now.

Cheers.

max1975

February 11th, 2006, 04:36 PM

bRØk3n_sPiRiT: Thanks for the suggestions. I usually do use non-rectangular panel shapes, but I haven't done a comic in so long I just needed to practice drawing straight lines :)

Naked Friday (dammit, why do I keep drawing these gigantic heads? I cropped it out, because otherwise I think it's a pretty good drawing) and some mucking around with comic ideas.
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/021006.jpghttp://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/021006-2.jpghttp://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/021106.jpg

Inkfish

February 12th, 2006, 12:41 PM

Looking good, the girl in upmost rigt corner in 021006.jpg is top notch. Have you tried regular tissue paper instead of blendind stump i never looked back since i discovered that the effect is the same, and you don't have to sharpen it if you want to do lighter values ;)

max1975

February 13th, 2006, 01:48 PM

Inkfish: Thanks man. The reason I like the blending stump is it's got a hard point which is good for smudging finer spaces, otherwise I'd just use my finger. I don't know how I'd do that with tissue paper.

Some sketches from life (heheh):
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/021306.jpghttp://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/021306-2.jpghttp://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/021306-3.jpg

Mikko Voipio

February 14th, 2006, 02:55 AM

Damn man you've been working hard. Great to see that your rendering has gotten "tighter" and it seems like you have improved on your knowledge on how light reacts (or something). I'vee been kinda busy lately and haven't had the energy to post anything so I'm sorry that I haven't come here for a while. I have to agree with inkfish: that girl is propably your best rendering so far in my opinion. See you soon again.

max1975

February 18th, 2006, 03:17 PM

Been sick and busy with work the last few days, hence the lack of updates and visiting sketchbooks. Will hopefully get to that tonight.

Placeboast: I'm just glad you didn't fall off the face of the earth :)

A very special Naked Friday. We had our first young, thin, borderline gorgeous female model yesterday, and she also came up with some really interesting poses. Most of the short poses were so unusual that I had no idea how to go about drawing them, and didn't have time to figure it out :-/ but the longer ones made for some nice results. And she'll be there again next week, yay!

Still ran into some trouble...like her arm on one of them, it was bent oddly and I completely failed to understand it, which is why it looks pretty weird.

http://static.flickr.com/24/101306599_156bb388dd_o.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/42/101306600_153ec6befc_o.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/24/101306601_c0191fdc72_o.jpg

That fat kid

February 18th, 2006, 03:53 PM

Hey max, these figure studies are getting crisper, cleaner, and just better in general with every update.....I can catch your gist about the weirdly bent arm.....the more imaginative the pose the more difficult it is to draw.....keep working on it! and those hands and feet. I know that they're quick poses, but don't cut them too short...

and maybe a few more imaginative things once in a while?

good stuff max!

~A

mentler

February 19th, 2006, 11:42 AM

Work rocks <> keep working on the construction lines on the faces and remember the eyes are on a cylinder <> looking good <> keep on truckin'

Thanks for bump <> somehow the system seemed to backtrack this morning and throw me back on page 4 <> guess I will just have to do a couple of quickies and post.

Threw you some bones for feeding the monkey.

Qxzi

February 19th, 2006, 02:57 PM

Hey,

you have been doing alot, and the figures are excellent, great shading and values. I really love this one http://static.flickr.com/24/101306601_c0191fdc72_o.jpg, cant wait to see more :D

Qxzi

max1975

February 20th, 2006, 03:28 PM

Wow, I have stars :) Best be deserving...

TFK: Thanks man. Here's a ton of imagination stuff for you :)

Mentler: Thank you! Eyes. Cylinder. Gotcha.

Qxzi: More of the same model this Friday, I can't wait either.

Okay. Buncha weekend stuff. First, I went back to this one and made some subtle shading chances, trying to make the breasts look less asymmetric. They were really bothering me:
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/021706-4.jpg

Then some figures and aliens and junk. Note to self: Do not try to draw a flying saucer without some sort of a plan. Look up methods for drawing large elipses in perspective.
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/021906.jpg
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/022006.jpg

Inkfish

February 20th, 2006, 03:37 PM

Hi

The life stuff is getting better and better (as others mentioned before). I really like where your shading is going. There are some anatomy issues, but i'm sure you've caught them already. The last picture you posted (101306601_c0191fdc72_o.jpg) is my favourite of the bunch. ow long were the poses?

max1975

February 20th, 2006, 05:25 PM

Inkfish: Thanks man. The pose you mentioned was about an hour, the others were between five and twenty minutes (I forgot to write down which was which), the more shaded ones being 15 or 20.

A quick digital elipse study to help me the next time I'm trying to draw a flying saucer...If anyone knows a less messy way to do this, please let me know. Hate using my ruler so much :)
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/ovalstudy.jpg

brokk

February 20th, 2006, 05:37 PM

Cool, the hands and feet on the figures are improving, good to see perspective stuff too. Click on your profile, there are some new features installed!

Mikko Voipio

February 21st, 2006, 01:39 AM

Congrats on the well deserved stars mate. Me so jealous of your naked days 'cause mine got canceled because of the low interest in those courses. Why do I have to live in this God forsaken town. The one you made a boob job to yesterday is my new favourite amongst your work. Something odd about the left breast. It seems to be a bit smaller than the right one.

max1975

February 21st, 2006, 02:42 PM

bRØk3n_sPiRiT: Thanks for the heads up on the new features...I'll have to find some time and make use of them.

Placeboast: I spent almost a year trying to sign up to draw naked people, and having the classes cancelled due to lack of interest. I was astounded. How could I be the only guy in town who wanted to draw naked people? Turns out no one wants to draw naked people in the evening, but there are plenty of folks for the afternoon session. Keep looking :) And dammit! Those mismatched breasts were what I was trying to correct in my last post.

Some more work on this guy:
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/elf.jpg

And UFO/Ellipse studies:
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/022106.jpg

HEROIC

February 21st, 2006, 04:05 PM

heyoo.
Wooy,, havent seen ur sketchbook aroud,,. *slap slap*
ur figure drwaings are lookin damn good. i play around with that color balance option in photoshop too. :p
Love this page (http://static.flickr.com/22/95061238_1fb1e007b1_o.jpg)

Love ur progress fromt he begining of this thread. theres been much much progress. loving it. although work bit more on ur portraits :D. and small detials of the hands, fave, and feet.
Looking good.
Keep puming,
AMi :^^:

jtheanswer

February 22nd, 2006, 03:42 AM

Hey, congrats for your stars bro! Sorry for the delay, regarding to the post about the shading techs. Maybe try cross hatching and different pencil strokes, just as experimentation, I am not telling you to change your style.

Rest is great, as usual. Keep em coming, I need to update my SB too :P .

max1975

February 22nd, 2006, 02:57 PM

Falling behind on other folks' sketchbooks...will make the rounds soon.

jtheanswer: for some reason my crosshatching always seems to turn into scribbling. I just don't get the technique; I understand how it's supposed to work, but I never like my results.

HEROIC: Thanks for stopping by! I'll keep working on those faces and hands and whatnot...

Just some babbling today...I guess I don't hate using a ruler so much...sometimes anyway...

http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/022206.jpg
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/022206-2.jpg

Zebz

February 23rd, 2006, 01:26 AM

Max! Thanks for that ass load of comentary back in my thread! I really owe ya big time, I know it. ;) I think I'm really slacking on my end of the sketchbook group bargain... I've thought about parting ways and givin' you guys the option of puttin' together another one with some people who won't slack off on ya. Mucho apologies, bro.

First off, awesome work! I love how much stuff you're doing. You really make this kid feel like a slacker. You crank thos rendered figures out on a consitent basis, that's for sure. And they're for the most part really accurate and well done!! I'm proud to have been able to witness all of your progress. You've really improved.

Here's some critz regarding your figures, one, don't rely on line so much. I, of all people, shouldn't be telling you this because I make this mistake all teh time and actually am starting to develop my style around it... but... lol try to define the shapes and areas more with the values rather than that thick black line. Also, you may very well love that blender and most people do but I'm a firm believer in pencil strokes. Lay some in there too to give it more density and such. And don't forget to lay the strokes across the surfaces while following the curves of the cross sections. If that makes sense. Shade into the form, as the form curces, strokes curve, etc. Also, a teacher was telling me that using straight lines and more angular strokes rather than curved ones often help make things look more realistic and in my experience it's true so mix it up sometimes too. Just a thought to chew on.

Regarding what you said about my attempt to simplify the human form, what I'm trying to do is really get myself back to the basics. I'm trying not to think so much about anatomy and line quality and stuff and more about the basic forms that make up the body (spheres, cylinders, etc.). I think it's on the second page of my sketchbook, Chris OCampo (I think that's his name) he leaves some comments regarding building the figure this way. You can get those basic forms down first and then you can get back in there and render it as you wish and bring the muscles and stuff in as well. I'm trying to simplify my stuff and then bring the complexity back up again. But the reason I'm doing it is to practice seeing my figures differently in a space so to speak. That way when I have to put them into a perspective and such I'll have the knowledge of prior practice to draw from. So I'm trying to take some steps into the direction of having the characters in environments and interact more. But I really want them to seem grounded to that environment. Not just in it, y'follow? Might be something to think about with your stuff as well. Didn't know if it'd apply for you but you can think about that as well.

I must say that I'm really happy that you're starting to mix it up. That Steelers image is really great! I love it! And just to make you proud, I did make myself a Steeler's fan for the Super Bowl. lol I was rootin' for Jerome. He did play with the Rams for a while tho he didn't do anything really while in STL. I still wanted them to win it for him. And... for you of course. ;) But the rest of your work is cool too. Those creature things and the alien is really nice. I like how you're starting to experiement. I'd like to see you do more of that. The figures are great but this is CONCEPTART.ORG! ;) Give us s'more.

Oh and one more thing... dunno how I'd really make a tutorial on my faces. I still need loads of help on 'em. I'd say practice, life drawing, and most of all my continual study of the skull and some of the major planes/muscles in teh face have helped. And it helps that I'm starting to allow myself to really distort my faces as well. I just try to think of them like I'm sculpting (again with that sculpting!) and that they're sort of squishy and I try to think of how they'd feel to the touch and that's how I draw 'em. Cross section and planes are great to think about when working on these. I'm glad you like them. That was quiet a compliment to be recieved and I really appreciate it. It's the one thing I never tire of drawing. I love creating faces.

Keep at it, bro. You gonna make it up to Montreal? Should be a wild time! Anyhow, lookin' forward to more progress and diversity. Hope you're well.

max1975

February 23rd, 2006, 02:48 AM

Montreal would be so cool...I'll have to save my pennies, cheat on my taxes, and maybe take some candy from some babies and sell it to other babies at half price...

Hmm...haven't had much color here for a while...that's cuz it's been too cold in my studio to paint (not that my paintings fit on my scanner anyway) and all my computer time is spent working...

So here's an old, finished piece. Sort of indicative of my abstract "thing" that I'm hoping all these studies I've been doing will ultimately help with. This is pencil & paper, inverted and mirrored and colored in photoshop.

"Fortress, Part 1"
http://static.flickr.com/13/19716198_0d73710f2c_o.jpg

I'm hoping to go back to this sort of thing with real paint, more depth, more elegant forms, etc... as soon as it gets a little warmer.

Inkfish

February 23rd, 2006, 03:19 AM

I don't know if anyone else get this, but when i look at your last abstract piece, it kinda "transforms" before my eyes, the edges seem to shimmer and the whole painting seems to "flow" to the center... really cool.
(i haven't smoked anything in a really long time, but if i would've this might freak me out :O)

max1975

February 23rd, 2006, 02:47 PM

Crap! Lost a star. Oh well.

Inkfish: Thanks man, that was pretty much exactly the effect I was going for :)

Ok, finished with the machine elf for now. And I liked the way his arm/gun/probing implement turned out, so I'm trying to make it into a city.

http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/elffinal.jpghttp://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/022306.jpg

Tomorrow is Friday, and it will be SO naked...

Mikko Voipio

February 24th, 2006, 01:12 AM

Should we have a funeral for that lost star of your? That abstract thing is looking great. Have you ever heard of them radiators? I'll bet they'd help you with the coldnes thingy in your studio. Good luck with that naked friday you lucky bastard.

Inkfish

February 24th, 2006, 05:20 AM

back at 4 stars man :)
keep it up!

max1975

February 24th, 2006, 04:44 PM

Placeboast, Inkfish: Thanks guys.

A funeral? No, we should set out on a grand expedition through time and space to find the lost star, braving unknown dangers and unspeakable horrors---oh wait, there it is :) sweet.

Okay, Naked Friday. A bit disappointing, I just wasn't feeling it today. Could have been lots better...it's like I was seeing really well but just not getting it on the paper right. Oh well. I am pretty happy with her face in the one bottom-center. And the face on the left does look like her, even though it's not the most well-constructed thing...but she was really beautiful, in a way the drawings aren't.

http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/022406.jpg

Qxzi

February 25th, 2006, 02:42 PM

Hey,

wow this one http://static.flickr.com/13/19716198_0d73710f2c_o.jpg is just great! Looks like one of those magic picture things. I'm glad your going to go back to painting and stuff. That should be good, cant wait :)

Qxzi

max1975

February 27th, 2006, 02:02 PM

Qxzi: Thanks man. Unfortunately, when I do start painting, most of it won't fit on my scanner, so there'll only be the occasional photo.

Lot of junk from the weekend...reading Lovecraft inspires weird creatures.
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/022706.jpg
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/022706-2.jpg
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/022706-3.jpg
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/022706-4.jpg

Qxzi

February 28th, 2006, 02:18 PM

Hey,

good update, did you draw them out your head? If so, cool :D That human figures the best, with a bit of robot in her :P :D

Cant wait to see some paintings :D

Qxzi

Inkfish

March 5th, 2006, 03:56 AM

Lovecraft rocks! I am just reading Waking up screaming. Good stuff. It's funny how he has a charming way of describing villagers (every poor person is somehow demented or deformed :))

I really like 022706-2.jpg and the dude with the can in your last page. you're getting better in drawing the figure

Kittay

March 5th, 2006, 04:11 AM

I really like your bodies, the studies you do. You also have some quite interesting doodles and such. But your bodies are what draws me to keep looking at your art.

Critique:

As I've said, I love your bodies, but something about the faces just bother me. They don't match the body's beauty. They seem, cartoonish and rather quickly made.

Mikko Voipio

March 11th, 2006, 08:37 AM

Hello again. Where are thou and thou's updates? You could also use some planar studies as it seems that you sometimes don't understand where the form is going. This i know cause I see the same errors in your work I see in mine. One that also bothers me a bit is the tone your scanner creates from the paper (that yellowish, reddish tone). Or maybe you draw on papyrus? This is my critical week so I won't give you any compliments. :teeth:

max1975

March 13th, 2006, 02:42 PM

HI everyone.

So over the past couple weeks the writing area of my brain has been activated, pushing the drawing part to the side a little. Have to indulge the writing part when it wants to play, as it is the most difficult of the arts in which I engage...a fickle beast...So I've still been drawing, but not quite as much, and not making much effort to be near the scanner.

So I owe people lots of comments.

Kittay: A pittsburgher! I wonder if we've ever met. Thanks for stopping by, and for the comments. Will have to keep working on the faces I guess.

Inkfish: Waking up screaming...I don't think I've read that one. Nice to know there's still unknown Lovecraft in my future :)

Qxzi: Yes, all that crap was from my head. Which is really just as well. There's some of it I'd not like to run into in a dark alley.

Placeboast: I agree with all of your criticisms except the one about the yellow/red scanner tone. I love that! I can't stand to look at my sketches that I used to scan as grayscale.

http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/031006.jpg
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/031306.jpg

GriNGo

March 18th, 2006, 02:53 AM

you're abstract pieces are very very sweet. congrats on them! you're naked friday sessions are also very good.. how do you render? the transitions look so smooth... & you're creatures have some good design! I really wish the drawings were a little more finished off though.

greetings!
GRiNGoLoCo

fooxoo

March 18th, 2006, 12:40 PM

http://static.flickr.com/13/19716198_0d73710f2c_o.jpg - wowa!

Good book!

max1975

March 19th, 2006, 06:45 PM

GriNGoLoCo, fooxoo, welcome!

I render using variously woodless graphite pencils, switching to my mechanical pencil for very dark or very small areas. I also tend to smudge a lot, and sometimes use my eraser for highlights, although that is working less well for me than it used to.

Still wrapped up in writing, so not drawing a lot, but here's the new Naked Friday (not as naked as usual because the model heater was on the fritz, so our poor beautiful model had to drape herself):
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/031706.jpg
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/031706-2.jpg

jtheanswer

March 20th, 2006, 11:03 AM

Yo max, what up? Thx for the visit man. Well, your life drawings are coming nice, I will tell you to practice more the hair, since flesh is quite good.

The fortress is wicked, nice one! The "Lovecraft" creatures, why dont try some shading from imagination as well?

See you soon! :yayca:

masterpug

March 20th, 2006, 08:32 PM

I see LOTS of improvement. Bravo! The charcoals are coming really nicely. I would recomment if you like the "watercolor" feel but want to do inks, use a wash. I am sure you have used them before, just ink, water, and a brush. If you have trouble controling, use a resist!

Inkfish

March 21st, 2006, 07:38 AM

Hey there! The Lovecraft book i was talking about is a compilation of short stories, shadow over innsmouth, the reanimator and such. It was truely a good read. If you want to check some short stories out before buing the book i'd suggest that you check out
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Author:H._P._Lovecraft
lot's of goodies there besides Lovecraft too. :)

The naked friday stuff is looking good once again. I like the last one the best (the longest pose?) Nice edge control, but the facial area looks a bit skewwed. The forehead is kinda high.

mentler

March 21st, 2006, 07:55 AM

Very nice <> drapery is a great way to study values ‡‡‡ everyone should do more drapery studies <> including me!

dCepT

March 22nd, 2006, 06:46 AM

I'd love to see those lovecraft-creatures with some color on 'em... as they are, they're cool, but a bit hard to read (which I guess goes well with Lovecrafts descriptions..hehe) but some color could add a little more depth to 'em..

d-C

armando

March 22nd, 2006, 02:46 PM

Oh hell yeah! Some really crazy shit's starting to show up, I got a kick outta that transdimensional mumbo jumbo with the speculating on Picasso that strangely seemed to make some sense. That fortress is really cool too, looks like some sort of ancient latin american art. I have the same crit I've given before about being careful with the dark lines, we have to find a balance between using line and tone, they're kind of contradictory ways of thinking and if one is emphasized the other most be subdued. Lines don't always have to be enclosed, and the exclusion of some outlines can make a drawing more interesting because more of the imagination has to be used by the viewer. Some tips about using lines for tone: "lines of shading drawn across the forms suggest softness, lines drawn in curves fullness of form, lines drawn down the forms hardness, and lines crossing in all direction so that only a mystery of tone results, atmosphere."-Harold Speed, "The Science and Practice of Drawing". Lines following the direction of the lightsource are interesting too. In Ted's sketchbook there are some great examples of vertical lines used on heads, you really get a sense of the skull beneath.

sith

March 22nd, 2006, 05:40 PM

I'm diggin' your sketch book man. I really like the life drawings, those are pretty damn good, i do think that you could pratice faces a little bit more. I don't think they're drawn quite as well as you do the rest of the figure. Anyway, keep up the good work, max!

armando

March 22nd, 2006, 07:37 PM

I forgot to mention last time that I too am a fan of the blending stump, I know some cats with artistic pretentions hate on it. Lines can become tones, and brush tones can become lines, people that learn to understand this become heroes, those that don't zeros.

Flaskpost

March 23rd, 2006, 11:41 AM

damn sweet stuff! nice progress!
i really like those life drawings, dude! really good!

Mikko Voipio

March 23rd, 2006, 05:01 PM

Don't post any of those nude drawings 'cause it only makes me feel bad about my drawings and the lack of nudity arounf me. Okay, okay? Haven't heard of any of those bands you mentioned. I've maybe heard of hedningarna but is it a finnish band. Don't know.
my favourite amongs your latest work (http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/031706-2.jpg)

Qxzi

March 24th, 2006, 05:06 PM

Hey,

Good work man, like the nudes :D Making progress.
Well no real crit until more work!(that means do more) :D :D

Qxzi 8)

kyi_72

March 24th, 2006, 05:40 PM

i dig your work. keep on.

draw!

k

max1975

March 24th, 2006, 08:33 PM

Comments galore!

Jtheanswer: Shading on the creatures would be good. While I'm drawing them I'm in sort of a flow of ideas that I don't wanna slow down by getting too rendered or detailed, but I will go back to the ones I really like...

masterpug: Thanks! I'll keep your comments re: ink in mind next time I try to use some.

Inkfish: Yeah, that was the longest pose. I thought it was one of my better faces-with-body-attached, but I can see the problems you indicate. The trouble with Lovecraft books is figuring out which stories I haven't yet read (cuz I've read bunches, and not all in books I own)...thanks for the link, it'll help me compile a list when I get around to that...

mentler: Thanks for stopping by. I like drapery too, problem is when I've got a model, I'm more interested in working on the model, because I can draw drapery anytime! And then I never draw any drapery :)

dCepT: Colors would be good too...see above...

Armando: I hope one day to be a Mumbo Jumbo Master :) Thanks once again for the well-thought out critiques, and the line-tone tips, they might help me become a little less inept at hatching type things.

sith: Thanks for stopping by! Yeah, my faces need work. Gonna have to sit myself down one day soon and draw a few dozen of them from reference, because not only are they not as good as the figures, they're also not as good as other faces I've drawn or painted in the past, and I would really prefer that they be the best feature of my work.

Placeboast: Hey, it's not MY fault there's a lack of nudity around you. Maybe you need to go around and steal everybody's clothes...Hedningarna I think is all Swedish these days, though they did have Finnish singers in the past. I've often wondered how popular these guys were in their land of origin, I guess maybe the answer is "not enough." They're not pop bands so you might not ever hear them without seeking them out. Anyway, I'm sorry but I gotta post more nudes, cuz they're all I've got, but if it's any consolation, this week's model is less cute (at least from my perspective)...

Qxzi: Thanks for the visit. I'd like to be drawing more but this is just one of those times when there's too much other stuff going on, so while I'm keeping the pencil active, I'm not drawing with the single-minded devotion I had most of the past several months. It'll come back soon though; these novel-writing frenzies soon burn out and carry on subconsciously for months or years till they're ready to explode again.

kyi_72: Welcome!

So I've been spoiled drawing the lovely Joanie so much lately. I go in to class today and there's this dude, and he's got all these bones and angles and disruptions of rhythm and nary a clean curve on him and what happened to all the wonderful breasts, WTF? I had no idea how to draw him. The hideous (hideous!) implication is that Joanie, as easy on the pencil as she is on the eyes, is bad for my technique. But I refuse to accept that. It's just crazy talk. My struggles today more likely had to do with a bad batch of chemicals in my morning coffee, or astrology, or moon-rabbits, or something.

http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/032406.jpg

Also a couple faces from earlier in the week, nothing to write home about...Very displeased with my eyes lately, gonna have to do a lot of studies...it's like they're upside down or something...

http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/032306.jpg

armando

March 24th, 2006, 08:58 PM

I think bony people with good muscular definition are the best to draw because all the surface landmarks are so easy to find. Pretty good line and tone on the reclining guy.

max1975

April 1st, 2006, 02:57 PM

Armando: Yeah, those guys are very good to draw, particularly when you're learning how things are put together. I'm just out of practice with 'em, we hadn't had one in a while.

Naked Friday:
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/033106.jpg
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/033106-2.jpg

Other stuff:
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/032906.jpg
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/040106.jpg

Qxzi

April 2nd, 2006, 04:07 AM

Hey,

good figures here, like always. Like this one http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/032406.jpg, the man on the bottom right looks quite realtistic. And i think thats your best out of the other pictures. I think you should do more like that, so dont make the outline thick and dark.

Keep it up!

Qxzi

TGping

April 2nd, 2006, 12:03 PM

nice progression here... I especially like the naked fridays. :)

brokk

April 2nd, 2006, 01:55 PM

hey max, figures are looking good, keep going. I don't know if you've seen this link, its really informative. Go down to Flynt's comment and drawing:

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=52679

I think its great the way he drafts, the way he marks the shadows and suchs.

Anyway I hope it helps for something.
Been a long time since I last checked, gotta update my sketchbook as well.
Hope to be seeing you more.

Cheers

Zebz

April 4th, 2006, 05:46 PM

Looks like I've missed a few naked Fridays! Ha! Lovin' the updates, man. The only suggestions I really have are to branch out and try other things. You keep doing figures, figures, figures. Are you getting any sort of instruction? Teaching? Going to school? I think if you took some classes it would be helpful for ya. I mean, having a good teacher sort of help you visualize things right before you is a must in order to improve. Sometimes all it took was my teacher stepping in and smudging and area or drawing a couple lines to make something click for me. I know you can take your work a lot further, I know you see that too. But it's difficult to overcome these obstacles just by typing responses. Things still just seem stiff and too pasty, not enough contrast. I just wish I could fluid these up, it's hard to do, I have the same problem. It's just like I wanna grab a drawing and shake the bugs out, y'know? You've got some great stuff going on tho. Just keep at it.

max1975

April 5th, 2006, 03:19 AM

I owe y'all many comments. My apologies, time has been tight lately. Will get there as soon as I can.

Zebz: No school or teacher at the moment, although I like the instructor who runs our model sessions and might take one of her actual classes at some point. I'll try to get some more non-figure work in here, but at the moment drawing time is at a premium, and as long as that's the case (probably a few more weeks) it's gonna be mostly figures so I don't get rusty. Though I do hope to do a few dozen faces over the weekend.

Qxzi: Thanks man. Yeah, I like the lines (and lack thereof) on that one too. Had some good advice on that score from Armando not too long ago. Gonna try to integrate that kinda thing into my work more frequently (though sometimes I just forget).

TGping: Naked Fridays are the best Fridays :) Though sadly because of traveling and Easter there won't be any for a couple weeks.

bRØk3n_sPiRiT: Good to see you, and thanks for the link :)

Going to Florida for tge next few days, no time to scan stuff before then.

To avoid violating my no-posts-without-art rule, here are a couple of my first acrylic paintings, from about two years ago. Gonna start with the painting again really soon now, should be interesting to see how much I've improved.
http://elseworld.com/max/edharlyn.jpghttp://elseworld.com/max/rhianwyn-study2.jpg

Inkfish

April 5th, 2006, 03:00 PM

i think you'll kick ass now that you are armed with anatomy. Can't wait to see what you come up with :)

I think i like the nude bottom right in 033106-2.jpg maybe because i'm a fanboy of varying line weight or something. Good work on the other too.

Qxzi

April 6th, 2006, 05:00 PM

Hey,

i bet that your paintings now would be 10 times as better as the ones you did two years ago :D But lets just wait and see :D But i think you would have improved quite a bit. cant wait to see them!

Qxzi

max1975

April 10th, 2006, 08:07 PM

Qxzi, Inkfish: Thanks!

Big dump.
First some leftovers from last week:
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/040506.jpghttp://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/040606.jpg

Spent the last few days with my GF's family in Florida. More room and time to draw than last time I travelled. I didn't quite do the dozens of heads I'd planned, but I did do a bunch. This first batch is all from photos:
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/040607.jpg

These are all from photos except the ones in the upper right and lower left corners:
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/040608.jpg

All the rest are without reference.
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/040906.jpghttp://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/040906-2.jpghttp://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/041006.jpg

Qxzi

April 11th, 2006, 04:58 AM

Hey,

good update man, im seeing improvement with the heads, and your not drawing the outlines as hard as before. Keep that up. Good heads though, but some i get stuck on. Like this one, if you compare the head in this picture, its quite a good drawing, and i like it. And the eyes arent so high up. http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/040506.jpg But if you look at the dude on the left his eyes seem to be a inch or 2 high up. http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/040906-2.jpg . Do you get what im saying though? :D my favourite has to be his one, so real! Great shading as well! http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/041006.jpg :). And also you drew her without ref! Great, do more like that, loving her alot :D

Well i hope you understand me and just keep this up!

Qxzi 8)

That fat kid

April 11th, 2006, 08:27 PM

hey max, well executed figures and faces....my only crit:

TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT! you've shown us that you've got the skills to hammer out those figures and faces, but I want to see you apply that skill to something you wouldn't normally do, like narrative, a new medium, or something! think outside the box! and I don't mean abandon your studies, start a parallel.

Keep at it!

~A

dCepT

April 12th, 2006, 07:16 AM

Yeah... you're showing more and more confidence in your anatomystudies.. You faces suffer some skewed eyes and cheekbones though.. maybe a couple of constructionlines like those you use when doing your bodies?

I agree a bit with TFK as well... it would be cool to see some application of your knowledge..

Keep it up!

d-C

max1975

April 15th, 2006, 03:40 PM

dCepT, TFK: I will try to get some other stuff going, but right now I think I'm making a lot of progress with the heads, though they're still not quite where I want them to be. Today's post being a case in point.

Qxzi: I think I see what you mean.

WIP and head study, eyes seeming to slide outward from where I mean to place them, and somehow stuff always looks skewed when I scan it even though it doesn't seem to on paper...some trick of perspective, perhaps.

http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/041606.jpghttp://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/041506-2.jpg

max1975

April 16th, 2006, 06:07 PM

finished, more or less...
http://static.flickr.com/52/129696414_3c2633c84f_o.jpg

staylor

April 18th, 2006, 08:55 AM

Hey! I guess I'm in your sketchgroup now, sweet! I'll fix my signature soon.

Nice figures, every once in a while though the legs will be too small or the eyes too large. Like you're drawing the parts well but they don't always connect. Maybe if you marked down a few of the important proportions before doing all the penciling it will help.

jtheanswer

April 18th, 2006, 11:36 AM

Hey, nice updates, rendering of faces are coming great! On your last update, it seems to me that the drapery that falls over her leg needs some more work, I mean, showing the folds on the area of the ankle and feet, what do you think?

Keep it up!

Mikko Voipio

April 19th, 2006, 05:47 AM

Hello there Max. Been sick for like a couple of weeks so no visits from me here.
That finished more or less is looking really great. Definately your best work so far. My advice for you is to start studying more carefully on the forms of the skull. For ex. you sometimes draw the forehead too flat not showing the roundness that the superciliary crest creates. Your rendering has definately improved a lot. Good to see you improving.

mentler

April 19th, 2006, 11:58 AM

Very haunting eyes!

max1975

April 20th, 2006, 03:53 PM

Must make many sketchbook rounds, hopefully this evening. Naked Friday tomorrow, yay!

Staylor: Welcome! I frequently draw shrunken legs, not sure why, but I'll work on it. Like on this last one, they sorta just disappear under her clothes.

Mentler: Thanks! But are they haunting enough? :)

Placeboast: Argh! You're using words I don't know! Now I have to look in a book or something. Superciliary crest? What the hell is that? (Okay, so I think I know what you're talking about actually.) Hope you're feeling better now.

jtheanswer: Drapery can be difficult to invent, I think I dropped the ball in this case, fell back into some bad old habits. Shoulda done some cloth studies before the drawing, I guess. I'll see if I can improve it.

WIP: Me and my fictional hip-hop band. I'm the white guy. For my sketchgroup compadres, this will have to serve as my SP until I have some time with a mirror. It's without reference, but a pretty decent likeness, except that I'm currently rounder in the gut area and my hemp and seashell necklace is broken :)
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/voodoosketch.jpg

EDIT: Finally started that painting I've been threatening. Good, no? :)
http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/painting1.jpg

mentler

April 20th, 2006, 04:05 PM

Got me <> nice update <> like your friends

max1975

April 20th, 2006, 09:14 PM

I'm going to use one of these as a basis for the painting, which I hope to start working on Saturday. Votes?
http://static.flickr.com/48/132158771_629fcb6f35_o.jpg

unless tomorrow's naked Friday provides something better...

brokk

April 21st, 2006, 12:24 AM

Hi, I'm having some trouble accesing the new group page, but I'll get to it as soon as possible.

Good progress with heads and bodies, nice expressions. Really like the last angel girl. The only crit is that her hands seem a bit small.

There are still some anatomy problems mostly due to proportions, but there is also a lot of improvement. I especially like figure 2 of the last images.

mentler

April 21st, 2006, 05:34 AM

Photo ref. has a great of distortion in foreshortening <> just be aware and correct it <> legs and feet on a couple of these seem telephoto flattened.

Always try to pick photos with simple lighting i.e. one light source and the same reflected light.

3/4 side or above is best <> the camera can get by with 4 or 5 light sources but the artist can't.

Always best to work from life <> if you work from photos at all try to take your own so you can control lighting.

dCepT

April 24th, 2006, 07:31 AM

Good updates! Sorry for not dropping by for such a long time... Looks like your having fun with photoshop... try to build confidence in your own colorchoices as well as playing with the layer attributes..
Your lifedrawings kick ass!

d-C

rodrigo!

April 25th, 2006, 08:50 AM

i like the latest stuff, i think mentlers right you have to simplify the light sources when using photo ref at times
i prefer no,1 :)

Mikko Voipio

April 26th, 2006, 01:30 AM

I'd have to vote for the boobie corrected one (2). I tend to use those fancy words cause I am highly intelligent. It does not show in my drawings nor in my actual real life but it shows here. Of course it helps that I checked the word from my anatomy manual for my intelligence is high but my memory is so damn short.

Zebz

April 26th, 2006, 01:49 AM

One word... CONTRAST! C'mon, man! Bring the contrast pain to us! It's the heart of illustration. Like on those last drawings, those cast shadows and core shadows should be much darker. Up the contrast! Push and pull at those values and stop smudging... use some hatches and directional hatches at that. Don't be afraid to muddy up the whole image and chisel away at it with an eraser. I'm definately seeing a bit of improvment but you've gotta push more to get these out of the "flat" arena. Think more about understructure and simplfy those shapes a bit more. It's just just about 2D shapes and contours... draw through the figure and bring out the cylinders, spheres, all that good crap. Keep at it, Max!

staylor

April 28th, 2006, 10:30 PM

:cheerleader: Wheeeee! Naked Friday! I really like this batch. :cheerleader:

My personal favorite is #5, I think it's got a real nice composition and clothe will make it more interesting than just skin, but that's me. It seems everyone voted on different things though!

Inkfish

April 30th, 2006, 04:11 AM

i'd have to go with number 1 or 3. #1 looks really interesting curves. #3 has good expression on her face. watch out for the height of his forehead and the hand might look more natural in a more relaxed pose.

maxetormer

May 11th, 2006, 11:32 AM

I vote for number two as I like how she is staring into the open,
how her torso is twisted, and her legs are crossed.
Quick critic in some of your drawings you make your heads to big,
and some times your lips look like cuted and pasted, rember that
the lips are around a cilinder in perspective.
other than that keep it going, and take my advise with lots of salt! :)

masterpug

July 3rd, 2006, 09:34 AM

You've had a lot of improvement since you started. What ever happened to the stuff from your head? Or is it that I just can't tell the difference. Either way, good work. Those studies look very nice; you have wonderful rendering ability. Glad I stopped by.

Zebz

September 26th, 2006, 04:19 PM

Helllloooooo???? ;) Hope you're doin' well, man. Haven't stopped in a long while... been busy. I see you are too! Heh.

max1975

September 30th, 2006, 09:18 PM

hello? hello? Is this thing on??

:)

Hi. Sorry for the eons between updates, and the lack of giving people helpful comments. Been very busy writing, musicking, painting...still drawing a lot but I just haven't had time to be active here.

I'm working on a Transformer thing...will say more about that when I'm a little further into the project.

Anyway...here's some of my favorite work from the past few months...been working with color some more, finally started painting in class a couple weeks ago...

First some random imagination stuff:
http://static.flickr.com/61/230345111_bec57f571e.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/57/230345114_ef98beda12.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/86/240966051_a57428e102.jpg

Naked Fridays, newest to oldest. Actually the first one is the oldest, but I finally learned how to transfer a line drawing onto canvas so I can paint it. I like the results, except I messed up her face, she's way cuter than that. The other paintings were all done in class.
http://static.flickr.com/90/256821888_19e06587fe_o.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/90/255892251_6d057a0733_o.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/83/255892255_27cb3254e5.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/98/255892254_38f9b48325.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/108/250662604_b1d144558c_o.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/79/230345108_f3907024eb.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/90/230342498_6483253a33.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/57/230342494_5b640ae8f6.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/65/230342493_f2440a54b7.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/66/230342492_ec779bfacf.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/71/230342491_db483ecb92.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/68/168575086_402c46cb01.jpg

I will try to hit everyone's sketchbook soon!

staylor

October 2nd, 2006, 05:43 PM

Between you and Zebzfree returning it's like our sketchbook has risen from the grave!

Mwahahaha! It LIVES!

The paintings are nice, makes me want to do some. And Naked Fridays are great as usual!

One thing you may want to try is to avoid doing hard outlines and shading in the same picture, sometimes they get confusing when there's both.

Mikko Voipio

October 8th, 2006, 04:28 PM

Hello there mister max1975longtimenosee. Updates... Of my god. Thank you for returning 'cause my thread has been really quiet "since u've been gone" I could write a song about it but I think Kelly Clarkson beat me to it. Great updates but still the hair is bothering me. Are you trying to draw aliens with klingon foreheads? This (http://static.flickr.com/57/230342494_5b640ae8f6.jpg) is my favourite. It has a artsy feeling to it. Keep posting damn it.

Inkfish

October 8th, 2006, 04:34 PM

Glad to see you're back man :) With major improvement i might add. The w poses from the mind were really good. I see you've improved your valuerange aswell. keep it up man

Listing

October 14th, 2006, 01:19 AM

Figures are increasingly dynamic. Work on your portraiture.

max1975

October 14th, 2006, 10:35 PM

Inks & naked friday paints:

http://static.flickr.com/122/265652865_285cc9662d_o.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/107/268861509_c0738e54c6_o.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/106/268861511_fde9dfd630_o.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/118/268861512_3cb8dbd76a_b.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/90/269791688_9e10d0e920_o.jpg

TGping

October 15th, 2006, 07:38 PM

cool stuff man, ya I go to naked fridays now, it just helps a lot.

Now I just need a digtal camera to show ya.

staylor

December 24th, 2006, 09:14 PM

Yay, updates!

The paintings are awesome, I love the vivid colors.

There's some weird scratchiness on the inks though, if you're using brush be sure to keep it full of ink otherwise weird stuff happens, the easier the ink comes out the easier to control it. :)

Alcian

December 24th, 2006, 10:37 PM

All looking good, except working on values would really push you forward. Maybe have a go at trying different ways of rendering, playing with contrast and seeing how other artists render and approach the light/shade thing.

maxetormer

December 25th, 2006, 04:33 AM

Keep the experiments up mate,
ill try to drop around more :D
have a happy Holiday!!

carmageddonstein

January 29th, 2007, 05:57 PM

You've gotten much better since you started. One thing I must say, though, is that you had a picture on your first page, where you only had pen with you that day. Honestly, that was one of my favorites, because everything felt really tight. You should bring that pen-tastic feeling to your already good looking pencils, methinks.

Keep up the great work! :D

max1975

May 9th, 2007, 03:21 PM

Howdy everyne. Thanks for the comments. Sadly I've been really busy, so while I'm still drawing a bunch, I haven't had any time to post stuff or give comments. Here's some recent stuff though...let's see if I remember how to do this.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/166/349699282_7d78e4d3a3_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/166/344468112_86246536b0_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/212/486987480_763198647a_o.jpghttp://farm1.static.flickr.com/194/491602407_6f725dd03d_o.jpg

References for the last two pics, if anyone's interested:
http://lalitavistara.free.fr/Hinduism/HinduismPix/YakshiBharhut.jpghttp://www.gurjari.net/ico/monuments/images/Yakshi.JPG

I'm gonna try to make the rounds of people's books soon...but I have a ton of work crushing down on my head right now so I can't promise anything.

maxetormer

May 10th, 2007, 03:55 AM

Good to have you posting again, I like this one A LOT
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/166/344468112_86246536b0_o.jpg

max1975

August 14th, 2007, 11:18 PM

Lot of drawing lately, not a lot of time to update though. Maybe I'll find a few hours and dump a whole buncha stuff here in the near future.

Recent naked friday:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1087/803289449_3e000036c9_o.jpg

And here's a warmup to it:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1383/772994144_2da8aa62d1_o.jpg

Qxzi

August 15th, 2007, 04:03 AM

Hey,

great figures like always dude, your pencil sketchs are getting much better, just keep trying to push yourself even more. This one is my fav, http://static.flickr.com/61/230345111_bec57f571e.jpg. Its great to see that this is from your imagination, and i can see that all this work on the figure is doing you whole lot of good, you just have to keep drawing and posting :)

Qxzi

max1975

August 16th, 2007, 04:42 PM

Qxzi: That's one of my favorites too, even though there are a few things off about it. It's got a quality I'd like to have in more of my work.

Here are a few recent sketches, no refs:
http://nakedfridaymusic.com/sketchbook/8-16-07.jpg

max1975

August 17th, 2007, 11:48 PM

Got a backlog o' stuff from the past few months...

http://nakedfridaymusic.com/sketchbook/8-16-07backlog.jpg
http://nakedfridaymusic.com/sketchbook/8-16-07robots.jpg

max1975

August 19th, 2007, 01:58 AM

Let's see if I can make this attach files thing work.

Some digital sketches from the last few days...nothing to write home about. I had a method of digital painting, which I learned from people here, that seemed to work pretty well for rapid development of ideas with fairly snazzy appearances. But I seem to have forgotten. D'oh!

Want to relearn though, because I'm not getting enough contrast out of my pencils, I can't stand charcoal, and acrylics (my current favorite medium) are too expensive and cumbersome for sketching and doodles.

armando

August 19th, 2007, 03:00 AM

This is pretty bitchin http://farm1.static.flickr.com/166/344468112_86246536b0_o.jpg. Pretty funny that she's going up against a wall of demons armed with a measley spear and a sash.
Make sure to get those proportions more accurate before further developing those life drawings.

max1975

August 19th, 2007, 04:57 PM

Armando: She can handle the demons. It's the prospect of color that terrifies her. Well, terrifies me. I sort of know how to do color washes over an underpainting, but I haven't really tried it before...I'll keep an eye on those proportions too. Thanks.

It's my girlfriend's birthday, and for her present she asked me to finish this. So I did. I didn't photograph it as well as I'd have liked, so I'm gonna have to try that again another time.

max1975

August 21st, 2007, 01:30 PM

Man, you can hear a pin drop in here. Guess that's what happens when you disappear for so long.

Tryin' some painting on this girl. It'll give me a chance to fix some of the errors in what's otherwise one of my best drawings.

max1975

August 21st, 2007, 07:07 PM

Today I address a couple of my portfolio's glaring weaknesses: Dudes and clothes.

Tomorrow maybe I'll do backgrounds and inanimate objects.

EDIT: Added some color experiments. Going for a comic book style but I'm a little out of my depth with "inking."

max1975

August 22nd, 2007, 01:40 AM

The patient, meticulous method pays off.

Mikko Voipio

August 23rd, 2007, 07:38 AM

This is great (http://conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=189718&stc=1&d=1187764758). You got rid of the muddy look it had before. Good job on that.

max1975

August 23rd, 2007, 11:48 PM

Placeboast: Yeah, didn't like it muddy. I was going for a balance of speed and quality, and I think what I finally came up with wasn't too bad.
Let's see if I can do it again.

max1975

August 24th, 2007, 02:08 AM

One last update before I go to bed.

max1975

August 25th, 2007, 11:17 AM

Naked Friday:

max1975

August 25th, 2007, 03:47 PM

today's sketches

max1975

August 26th, 2007, 01:23 AM

This is still a WIP. For some reason it seems much more difficult than the last couple I did in this style. I keep having to start over on the shadows and light.

EDIT: Finished for now, might add a background later.

max1975

August 27th, 2007, 01:31 AM

digital sketches

max1975

August 27th, 2007, 06:13 PM

Today's lesson: Don't start drawing until your paper is laid out straight, even if you think you're just sketching. Crooked is bad.

max1975

August 29th, 2007, 03:10 PM

Some quick ships and a bunch more backlog from the past few months.

max1975

September 5th, 2007, 03:29 PM

Spent a good bit of the weekend in the woods, studying and trying to devise a method of drawing woods that wouldn't involve spending six years on one tree and then giving up in frustration.

Trying to put it into practice, but I let myself work too much on this picture before deciding the girl's face just doesn't work. I've started over. EDIT: Attached the newer version, still a WIP.

Finally, a captain for one of my ships.

max1975

September 8th, 2007, 04:55 PM

Been experimenting with some new methods of head construction.
In my life drawings, I've found that the jawline is a crucial anchor. By attacking that first, I'm finding it much easier to get the rest of the head in the right position and proportions, and connect it properly to the neck.

armando

September 8th, 2007, 05:32 PM

Get a good photo of someone's head in a similar sideview, note in particular the foreshortening of the distant eye, how much of the eye lid can be seen, can the orbit still be seen from that view? Look for vertical allignments of various parts of features, the eye in relation to the nose or lips, that concavity of the top lip in relation to the nose, etc. Survey the picture before you start drawing it, have a goal of what you want your picture to look like, then draw it, then compare that finished drawing to the conception you had in mind. Note all the mistakes, compare it to the photo, then draw it again. Then draw it from memory.
Good idea going in that new direction with the cartoons, what you learn there will benifit you in other areas. A useful exercise, one that I just started myself, is to break up your lighting into 3 values, as explained in "Figure Drawing For All It's Worth". Get some photos with an obvious lightsource like at characterdesigns.com, or set up an artist mannekin, and do some line drawings where you first map out the contours, then you map out the shadows and halftones as carefully as the contours, then adding the values is almost as simple as a coloring book. Trace if you have to, if it gets the correct idea across, you still have to choose which lines to keep or lose, how fast your values will graduate and to which lightness or darkness.

PlasmaErnst

September 8th, 2007, 05:50 PM

You have a very comprehensive sb, nice work, keep it up >:D >:D

max1975

September 10th, 2007, 06:11 PM

PlasmaErnst: I will keep it up. Thanks for visiting!
Armando: I always appreciate your well-thought out advice, even when I don't take it (which in this case, I haven't yet--couldn't find good photos and didn't have time to print any).

Krigbrann

September 10th, 2007, 09:45 PM

What a beautiful name...

You have some really nice portraits, but the proportions and relationships between the eyes, nose and the rest of the head really seems off sometimes.

Really nice stuff though. I would love to see more in color.

max1975

September 11th, 2007, 02:37 AM

Max: Yeah, I know about the heads, I'm working on it, get off my back!!! :) Seriously though, thanks for the comments. They are much appreciated.

I have a new rule, wherein I don't post works in progress. This rule is intended to motivate me to actually finish stuff.

I'll start adhering to it tomorrow :) I'm very happy with this comic book panel, because it combines a lot of different elements I've been working on and also follows up on an old (unfinished--ha!) idea. I like this parchment to work with. It's less empty than white paper and feels more like I'm shaping something than making stuff up from scratch. The downside is it's only 9x12, which means some things need to be drawn really small, and that can be difficult (see the seated woman). Still though, I'm happy to have drawn a complete scene, with buildings and inking and 3-point and aerial perspective and varying line widths and all that jazz. I'm gonna try some color ideas with it soon.

dCepT

September 13th, 2007, 09:58 AM

Cool stuff! I like that you're doing scenes a lot... tells a story :)

Critwise: watch the proportions of the face... flip 'em in PS and you'll see... or hold 'em up to a mirror.

d-C

max1975

September 15th, 2007, 03:30 PM

dCept: TRYING to do scenes, you mean :) I've actually checked and rechecked the proportions on that face, and they look pretty good to me. I think the trouble is I tried to make her smirk my making half her face smile and the other half not--but it looks a lot more like a stroke than a smirk, doesn't it? Ack. I'll keep working on it.

Some quick sketches.

max1975

September 17th, 2007, 06:27 PM

A sketch in progress is not a work in progress. It might turn into a work in progress, but it might as easliy be abandoned and never revisited. The point of the sketch is practice and ideas.

lema

September 17th, 2007, 06:33 PM

like the last one.. your pencilstuff is very nice even though sometimes the proportions are not 100percent.. keep on posting!

Keenir

September 17th, 2007, 07:39 PM

Today's lesson: Don't start drawing until your paper is laid out straight, even if you think you're just sketching. Crooked is bad.

I rather like this picture. its very evoking.
kudos!

Keenir

September 17th, 2007, 07:41 PM

Keenir

September 17th, 2007, 07:42 PM

Keenir

September 17th, 2007, 07:44 PM

max1975

September 17th, 2007, 10:22 PM

lema: Thanks, man. I checked out your book and there's some pretty sweet stuff there...I'll leave you some comments soon.

Keenir: Wow, lotsa comments! Many thanks. Let me know if I can ever return the favor (like, for example, if you have a sketchbook thread :). Keep an eye on this space and you will certainly see more of that civilization. In fact, here's a faraway view of that very place (from a long time ago in this thread): http://elseworld.com/max/sketchbook/inn4.jpg

Okay, so here's a work in progress that is no longer a work in progress. I'm hoping to snag some freelance book cover type jobs, so I'm hard at work on a portfolio. This is a sketch and painting of a fake cover for my own book that I will finish some day hopefully before I'm 90. The quotes on the back are all fake, but accurate.

max1975

September 23rd, 2007, 10:26 PM

Line drawing and color studies for my next painting. I would love some critiques...want to make this one awesome.

max1975

September 25th, 2007, 06:04 PM

Shading, tiger, and layout studies.

max1975

September 28th, 2007, 05:52 PM

Final layout for painting.

max1975

October 1st, 2007, 06:16 PM

Ballpoint sketches.

Inkfish

October 4th, 2007, 05:12 AM

Hey there Max, it's been a while :) I'm glad to see you're making steady progress, the latest sketch for the painting looks good! are you planning to put some elements on the foreground, or just grass?

Nice work on the freelance gig too, is that done with watercolor/gouache?

max1975

October 4th, 2007, 01:22 PM

Inkfish: So glad you're back! If only the freelance gig was a real freelance gig. It was more of a demo. And a flawed one, at that. I did it in acrylics. Hopefully this new one will turn out better. I've got this rocky wallish-sorta thing for the foreground of the new one, but don't really have any other ideas at the point.

I need to get better, and faster. Quickly. I can get better often just by being more careful, but how do I get faster? Especially when I'm slowing down to be more careful. Hmm.

Here are a bunch of sketches from the last few days and an update on the painting, breaking my no-WIP rule because feedback would be really helpful.

dCepT

October 4th, 2007, 05:01 PM

Yo! Still pumpin' the scenes :) Gonna be cool to see where the last painting goes! Bigass tiger she got there! Hehe... I'd recheck her back foot... seems like it's a bit outta perspective... we should see some of the top of her boot...?
And the rocks closest too her, in particular, seem a bit flat... like they should be more in the shade or something... maybe some grass that overlaps and breaks the line to the rock "plane"... but then... it's a WIP, so if you were planning on soing something about it, feel free to ignore.. hehe...

Do post more WIP's of it if you want! Would be cool to see the progress!

dC

max1975

October 5th, 2007, 01:18 PM

dCepT: Mucho thanks for the crits. I already had plans for the grass but I might have missed her foot :) Her tiger is big, but I worry it may not be big enough. It's supposed to be friggin' huge. But it's tricky to make a giant tiger, since tigers are so damned big to begin with. I'll post another WIP once it looks noticeably different.

Just a helmet idea today.

Chris Noeth

October 9th, 2007, 03:54 AM

I really like your character poses and most of the faces.

Keep it up.

Best,

Chris

max1975

October 10th, 2007, 07:42 PM

Chris Noeth: Thanks!

A little update on the painting. I've been sick all week and haven't done much on this. Most of my time was spent on the background rocks, trying to give them a more rocklike feel. I think I succeeded to some degree, but unfortunately turned them all pink again. Maybe I'll mix up some opaque greys to go over them, but try to keep the hard-edged contours.

Her left eye seems to have wandered since the drawing, either in the transfer or the painting. Will have to figure that out and fix it somehow.

max1975

October 12th, 2007, 04:41 PM

Going away for a week. Got a decent-looking book on heads from the library, so I'm gonna do a bunch of work in that area, so hopefully there'll be a significant improvement when i get back. Also plan to finish the painting and maybe start on another.

dCepT

October 15th, 2007, 01:15 PM

Cool updates! Good coreshadow on the latest female full body! The helmet design is nice! Looking forward to more updates on the painting.

max1975

October 21st, 2007, 02:32 PM

dCepT: Thanks! Painting updates later in the week, my camera's not with me at the moment.

So here's a week's worth of heads. No reference, except for occasionally glancing in the mirror.

The book I was trying to learn from is "The Artist's Complete Guide to Drawing the Head", by William Maughan. I'd like to give the book a rave review, but I can't. It's too limited--assumes the only time you'll ever draw a head is when you've got a model. The one section which I thought might be helpful for invention--"Combining References"--is actually laughable--heads obviously stitched together from different photos to make mutants. Well-rendered mutants, but mutants nonetheless. Comical mutants. There's also insufficient guidance on noses, really disappointing to me because that's an area where I think I need help. Also, not much on different expressions--everyone's posing for a portrait, and assuming a posing-for-a-portrait face.

There are a number of step by step examples, which are pretty cool, except step one is "capture the gesture," which almost amounts to, "Drawing the Head. Step one: Draw a head..."

All that said, the drawings are all gorgeous, the treatment of the mouth (visualize it as two donuts) was very helpful, and I think I did manage some improvement using the book's guidance.

I did not finish my painting, dammit. Unfortunately the place where I was staying was not ideal for art. Either the light was bad or there was no place for my legs. Sigh.

max1975

October 22nd, 2007, 06:17 PM

Seeing all last week's heads on one page, it's easy to determine that perspective distortion is giving me problems, making a lot of them look flat. So I returned to my earlier idea of a centerline projected to give the countour of the nose and lips, and that (along with a return to a comfortable drawing environment) has taken me a lot closer to where I want to be.

Although the one on the bottom has no room for her brains. D'oh!

max1975

October 25th, 2007, 03:12 PM

All this work on heads, I seem to have forgotten how to draw bodies. Dammit.

max1975

October 30th, 2007, 07:42 PM

just some stuff.

max1975

November 9th, 2007, 04:53 PM

more stuff

dCepT

November 10th, 2007, 12:43 PM

The guidelines for the head you drew up looks like they're helping you! The faces look a lot less skewed now! Eyes line up all better...

Diggin' the girl with the brow-piercing in the last post! Her chin really stood out as the best part of it IMO... you're really describing form well there!

d-C

max1975

November 12th, 2007, 06:47 PM

Thanks, dC. Was hoping there'd be some improvement :)

Focus on technique has made my drawing feel really tight lately...tried to loosen up a bit on some of these, while applying some of what I've learned about heads. Also experimenting with more heroic proportions and ridiculous "clothing".

The dude is from a photo I took of myself, the rest are without reference as usual.

max1975

November 23rd, 2007, 08:18 PM

towers

max1975

January 2nd, 2008, 08:21 PM

Oops. Seem to be developing a backlog again.
Big dump!

staylor

January 2nd, 2008, 09:04 PM

Hey, I'm glad to see your stuff again! It looks like there's been a lot of improvement too. :)

I think you're pretty much headed in the right direction with all the studies, which is awesome (the heads are really good). One thing to remember with coloring pictures is that usually there's a fair amount of interplay between the colors of all the parts of the picture. On the tiger picture the yellow grass is rather divorced from the cool rocks. Maybe some interplay between the two would help.

max1975

January 4th, 2008, 01:54 PM

Staylor: Thanks. Yeah, that painting's just sitting there at the moment waiting to be worked on again as I wish I'd started with a two or three-toned underpainting to unify all the colors. I'll do that next time.

Couple rough sketches for a new character. This girl's a perfect candidate for some wildly impractical fantasy clothing, but I haven't quite decided what form it should take...

dCepT

January 8th, 2008, 11:17 AM

Hey man! Good batch! The tower-enviros are my favorites of the latest stuff! Good lines in 'em :)
Small-ish crit as well: your shading/rendering in your pencilwork could use some work... I see you're often using strokes that run in only one direction, which kinda makes you loose a bit of form description. Try to make 'em follow the form (I know... generic crit :P hehe... sorry, dude)

Other than that! Keep rockin'! Stuffs lookin' good!

d-C

max1975

January 10th, 2008, 01:10 AM

dCepT: I can't hatch worth a damn. But I'll work on it.

Workin' on what could be my most successful digital painting in ages...we'll see how it turns out...Trying to decide whether I want blood, more blood, less blood, or maybe just a little blood. Also, the severed head is giving me trouble.

Ezidof

January 10th, 2008, 01:16 AM

i think more blood is cool!the severed head seems to not fit with the rest of the character because it hasnt got the same contrast so it doesnt feel like shes holding it, once you punch in more values in the right place it should feel more whole :)

dCepT

January 11th, 2008, 08:17 AM

The last one is looking good! I think the amount of blood there is now is cool. The severed head looks a little cut-n-paste on the outer edges, and the details of the face are kinda mushy... try to sharpen up the detailing in the face and making the surrounding edges a bit less in focus... if that made sense... heh... if you're having problems working in the dark tones, paint it brighter and knock it back after :)

Looks cool, though! Gonna be cool to see it finished!

d-C

max1975

February 13th, 2008, 12:15 AM

Oops, fallin' waaay behind on scanning. Here are some butt and character studies. Digital stuff next time; I've been working on that a lot.

That fat kid

February 13th, 2008, 12:28 AM

Hey Max,

Hell yea, there's a crazy amount of improvement since I last rolled through. Your understanding of form has improved quite a bit. And I think it'd be even better if you took the time to really, really understand line, how to make it convey a sense of space around your figures instead of putting your figures in that static envelope. Let the line change in width, be as sensitive as you can be, follow the form, let the line yield to the way the form bends, getting softer and lighter as it bends towards light or away from you, getting firmer and deeper when it folds underneath or into shadow. Approach it fluidily and forget the result, even forget proportion, just allow your hand to be reactionary to the subject and almost visually make love to it, all slow and sensual like. Eh?

Well, keep on trucking!

~Andrew

max1975

February 13th, 2008, 04:34 PM

Andrew, I have to thank you for what may well be the best prose art lesson I've ever seen. I've had my line critiqued before, but never so colorfully nor, I think, so helpfully.

Mikko Voipio

March 6th, 2008, 04:48 AM

That fat Andrew was right about the line. I would suggest you drawing circles and lines and shit, just something that really doesn't matter if it looks good or not. I think that drawing different types of curved lines etc. is a great way to loosen up your hand and at the same time it trains your hand to hit those contour lines more precisely. One thing that i have found probably the most efficient way to get rid of the too controlled looking line is by drawing with the pencil under my palm. It makes it a lot harder to draw but it also gives a beautiful tonality and shape to the lines once you get a good feeling to the technique. Nice to see that you have been busy with the drawing for I'm am way too lazy to update my SB right now. Maybe when summer comes and I'm not so darned tired all the time.

max1975

April 24th, 2008, 05:31 PM

I owe people so many comments. Will try to do it next week, after the current craziness is over.

What current craziness? Well, I suddenly drew a comic book. I've been wanting to do that for a long time, but I lacked two key ingredients: A script, and a deadline. Finally got those at the end of February, then spent all of March drawing eight hours a day to get it done in time for Pittsburgh's Comicon--which is tomorrow. Eek!

It was kind of exhausting, but I think I learned a lot. Especially about inking (which I really shouldn't have been the one to do, but there was no one else). Anyway...

Key info:
Website: http://cosmichellcats.com
Buy the comic: http://www.indyplanet.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=996
Super-expensive (but really nice) version: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/218512

And here's one of my favorite panels from the book, plus some lineart for pinups I did for the super-expensive version.

fractured1

September 9th, 2008, 10:39 AM

Heya Max! Thanks so much for stopping by my SB and leaving a comment. Not sure what made you drift by there, but I am really glad that you did. Thanks for the kind words about my pencil work. I have been busting my chops working on getting my pencils to be better.

Now for the important stuff... Damn! you have been very busy and it shows. you color work is MUCH better and your studies are really starting to pay off. The improvement in this thread from start to most recent is fantastic! I like the towers and enviros you have been doing. Great sense of scale in them. Keep up the great work.

dCepT

September 9th, 2008, 12:56 PM

Thanks for dropping by in my SB! Long time, and you've been keeping busy :) Lotsa cool stuff going on here! The studies are looking good as always!

I like the Mahyana-piece... would be cool to see that one painted :) Even though I think it might benefit from redoing the composition a bit... it's very dead on and symmetrical right now..

Cool cat chick pinups :)

Keep 'on keepin' on!

dC

max1975

February 12th, 2009, 09:04 PM

Sigh. You know it's been too long since you scanned when you can't remember drawing half the stuff you're scanning. I have a lot of catching up to do...there's some cool stuff I wanted to post that i can't even find.

For anyone who wants to see what I'm up to more than, what, once a year? I've been drawing Cosmic Hellcat Adventures, which updates twice a week and can be found here http://cosmichellcats.com. It's a lot cartoonier than what you find here but I'm having fun with it and I think all the work I'm doing on it is actually improving my other skills, though I have little idea why.

So here are a bunch of sketches from the past year plus a current WIP which if all goes according to plan will be finished and posted here in the very near future. But nothing ever goes according to plan. I'm in a situation with this girl where the longer it takes me to decide what kinda clothes to put on her, the more likely she's just gonna end up naked.