Journey of an Absolute Rookie: Paintings and Sketches

[golgari]

An angel? Noo, that's evil and disgusting and things....that's a man-harpy! :)
Hmm, actually I think it's not really crappy, it's only not very aesthetically pleasing...with those flabby breasts and all those pimples over his body...
and i'm still of the opinion that if he would try to fly, he'd crash straight down to ground because his arms cannot hold his weight...but oh well ;)
the feet are really nice :)

[Cashmere]

MindCandyMan, what do you think of a real project of an angel. Something like "..well, at this moment I can do this. This is the best I can do now..." ;)

[MindCandyMan]

More updates:

Sorry Cashmere I don't understand what you mean :confused:

golgari - You are right...the man harpy would crash and burn hehe.

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While I am wainting for my computer to boot up ...or just in random places I usually have a pen with me so I can scribble something down really quickly...this was one of those scribbles.

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This was a speed painting for the dsg thread...the topic was "Creature Design: Create an Enemy for Godzilla"...did this one really quick...not the greatest but was fun hehe. "It came from the sea....."

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[Cashmere]

Sorry MindCandyMan.. :p I would to say:
you have sketched an angel. Why not try to make a finished work of an angel, not only a sketch; putting in it all your know-how. I like that sketch but a finished work can be awesome.

[incognito]

yeah, do what I did, I woke up did usual rutine, then walked out of my room, went to a quite one, took out my sketch book, and just worked one one drawing for as long as possible until I thought it was finished. Stop sketching, and start drawing :) But as usual, great stuff.

[MindCandyMan]

You guys are right...good call


On the train this morning was thinking about sparth...this is what came out.

[jester]

Sorry for not commenting for a while, I've been rather busy with business matters. I really like the man harpy (yes, no angel, definitely), especially the feet. Goooood job! Your sketch pages and interim doodles show all the pics that are in your head and are waiting to burst out. Even if they are not half as good as your life drawings - keep doing them. I get discouraged by my mind drawings too easily and to see that you just keep doing them gets me going again.
That eye monster from the sea shows a nice 3d effect, in color it would have been even greater! Your Ode to sparth reminds me of Star Wars (sigh, soooo long till the next one comes out).

Jester

[golgari]

that sparth-robot indeed is somehow reminescent of those star-wars droids. even though it's not round at all...strange. probably it's because of the way the guns are attached. that scribble of that space marine is great, i love his pose. nice to see you're doing some landscape...i'd like to do draw some more environments, too, but i get always bored by that so fast, since there's just so much to draw and so many things repeat themselves. plus, there are more long and straight lines when i'm drawing environments, and i then have to admit how bad i'm at drawing when it comes to long straight lines. gnah ;)

[MindCandyMan]

jester - I feel your frustration man...I can't draw from my head worth crap...so frustrating...we have to keep doing them though! Don't worry about not posting...I'm surprised you post as often as you do as it costs you money!!!

golgari - Thanks man...I know what you mean about environments...they are hard to do and not the funnest thing in the world...but I am starting to like them a whole lot...I haven't done much at all up to this point but just coming up with a whole world and landscape is becoming more attractive to me.



updates:

I realized that I do all these anatomy studies all the time and I don't really post any of them so I dragged a bunch of the newsprint pages home and thought I would post some...some are 15 min...some are 5 minute...and some are 30 second...I want to be kchen:

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self portrait from in class...we had a limited time to do this so it is unfinished...

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We had to do a bunch of these still lifes of eggs...but we could only use crosshatching...was hard but fun

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A quick sketch for my first magic card idea...look for the thread in the sketches section

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A study of Paul Calle's pencilwork...I love love love his pencil style...I am stealing it for sure. His style is the one on the left...as opposed to my crap on the right...I can't draw from my head for crap.

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[dondada]

Wow, mindcandy, those nude studies are really good. I can tell you're definitely using the stuff you're finding (like muscles and bone structure) in your anatomy studies a lot more accurately in your free hand stuff. I feel like you've gone through the same steps it took me my whole life so far in like a year or however long you've been doing this for. Keep up the good work.

[Cashmere]

Your last update looks completely new...the anatomy studies are great...the portrait is one of your best portrait, the still life: wonderful fabric on the background. The crosshatching eggs are pretty good.
..If that is a quick sketch of your magic card idea then I want to see the finished work ;)
I don't know Paul Calle, you make me curious.

[golgari]

hey mindcandyman...this stuff is very good.
those studies are great, i like especially the first and the third, but even those fast sketches (like, for example, the fifth one) capture the essence of the pose very good. that portrait is pretty good too, the only thing that bothers me about it is that it seems a bit shortened on the upper part?
i don't know about this for sure, it could aswell be that you just look like this, but to me it seems as if the part of the head above the eyes is a bit too small in relation to the part under the eyes?
those still lives are great...especially the cross-hatched-eggs...wheew!
and yeah, i think i already said it before, i dig that calle-style alot. didn't know him before i met you, though, too. looks great :)

[EchoFactor]

Leaps and bounds

I think everything you've shown in your last post shows that you really have come on leaps and bounds from those first few shaded cylinders and cubes :) I love some of the postures in your nude studies to, difficult, yet well executed. Nicely done :thumbsup:

Recently, I cant make a post in this thread without mentioning your website, so I wont break form. I love the image you've used on your Temporary homepage, and think it would be great if you could keep that, maybe as a simple splash page. Still, keep hammering away at it! :D

[endregan]

sweet stuff mindy :). i mean mindcandy :P. i really like your pencil work. the magic card idea is really cool too. love it

[Kortez]

Excellent stuff man! These are all very good, I like the Self portrait especially.

You're starting to scare me... these are just lightyears away from a few months back... amazing!

1 crit on the self portrait, the glasses seem a bit off (i think the glass further away from the viewer should be smaller.. i guess :confused: ) But still a great piece :)


that "after calle" is also really good, like all of the stuff :)

that's it for now :)

oh and btw. I'll take you on at checkers someday
:chug:

[MindCandyMan]

dondada - Thanks so much man. Those are kind words I appreciate them.

Cashmere - Thanks man...Paul Calle is a phenomenal artist...check out his book if you can sometime.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0823039900/qid=1056940399/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/002-9900430-5295230?v=glance&s=books

golgari - You are right about the sp...good eye...that is one of the major mistakes that I saw as well...It was hard to work in a deadline like that in class...was fun though.

echo - hehehe...I'm glad you like that temp page...I will be using that for the splash page hehe...your wish is my command hehe.

endregan - Thanks bro I appreciate it

Kortez - Thanks man...oh yeah it's on now...it's a duel...you and me...checkers...oh yeah hehe


updates:


I went to friend's piano concert (he is a professional pianist) and I doodled this on a scrap piece of paper in my pocket before the show started with a pen hehe.

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Ok I promise you guys I will do another one of these...I really rushed on this one and didn't take my time at all...it's due tomorrow...I know...I'm sorry for all the mistakes...I promise you guys another one.

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[endregan]

love what youve done with the face. the good side then the distorted is really cool. from my perspective i think you should double check the ears, unless they really do stick out that far, almost looks flat be careful. i think its the right ear (our left) that sticks out. i dont know maybe its just me. keep it up man!!

[Nold]

MCM, your improvements are incredible. The figure stuffe is awesome, I really love the shading on the first three. And I'm really impressed by your "quick sketches". I wish I could scribble things in this quality fast enough to call it "quick".
This distorted self portrait is cool, I think there are some mistakes. The right half of the face ist quite a bit smaller than the left side and the right ear (from the viewpoint of the viewer) is smaller than the left, it looks like the head is turned slightly, but nose, mouth and the eye look like they are drawn from an exact front view. If the drawing is a front view (I assume it is), the hole of the eye is too far out, you should see more of the skull on the right side.

[MindCandyMan]

Thanks for the comments guys...yeah both of the ears are really screwed up...the one on the left looks extremely flat (like endregan said) and the one on the right was supposed to be cut up...or just a piece of a full ear but the way I rendered it is confusing. This one totally stinks...I really hate it. That's what I get for rushing I guess...I would like to do this subject justice sometime.

[Smeagol71]

LOL...good work bro. Morbid, but then again that's what I like about it :p !

Someone might have made the comment before me but I think it might look a little more interesting at a different angle. Possibly even a profile? Just a thought. Nice work!

:nana

[golgari]

that piano-concert-sketch is cool...
i can't really identify the background and... well i can't really tell what that thing in the foreground is aswell, but it looks definately cool ;)
kind of reminds me of thief II (the metal age...one of my favorite computer games, don't know if you know it)
that second portrait has quite some flaws, but i like it anyway...the teeth are awesome! for the next try, i'd say you maybe should focus a little bit more on the eyecave on the right side...
your lips are pretty good, too...the nose and the neck might need some further work, though. oh, and i'm not sure, but something about your goatee disturbs me. not that it's wrong or anything, but it just looks a bit flat...maybe try shading it a little bit more the next time? not sure about this...

[MindCandyMan]

Yeah I pretty much hate this self portrait heheh...it's boring and poorly rendered.

What I had in mind concerning the pen sketch golgari was a sort of derelict robot...one made from spare parts or something similar.

Now I have to go to class and present that piece of trash to the teacher and the rest of the class...oh well :rolleyes:

[MindCandyMan]

Still workin on my magic card idea...changing the composition though

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quick pen sketches before my class started and on a break at work

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[endregan]

holy crap man :O!!! this concept is so much better. i still have lots to learn!! :)

[golgari]

that sketch for the magic card rocks...i like the composition a lot better than your previous one.
those pen sketches look good too, especially the first one. i like the way you used the cross to give him some movement / action...

[MindCandyMan]

Thanks guys I appreciate it ;)


update:

Still working on my magic concept...makin me angry...I can't paint worth crap...and it is frustrating me.

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sketchbook stuff:

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Goblin Demolitions Expert

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[antihero]

hey mcm,

as ususal this is great stuff. To me this magic-card thing also looks quite good. Feels like this angel thing is moving out of some kind of graveyard... am i right? :) Keep this up, it's worth it!

The treetop looks a bit strange, though the rest is quite good. i like the structure of the trunk, maybe could be just some more contrast (shades) in it.

Finally the Goblinhead just looks awesome. I pretty much like the expression of this face... Looks kind of weird, funny and deeply insane... somehow pyromanic look. I imagine that his eyes behind that glasses are nervously flippin around, looking for some tnt or any stuff worth blastin... :)

As i said, great!

antihero

[golgari]

you have no reason to get angry about those magic-sketches - each is better than the one before! actually, i'm always really looking forward to another update of these; i think it's one of your most interesting works...if you compare your first sketch to your latest, you'll see that you compositionally made a vast improvement!
that goblin's really cool...you were inspired by the goblins from the magic cards with that one, weren't you? :)
i find his nose a big to broad even for a goblin, but it's nothing all too serious. what's that thing hanging around his neck?

[MindCandyMan]

Hey guys thanks so much for the encouragement and the comments. I remember when this thread went weeks without a response...you guys respond almost every time...I really appreciate it...a whole lot!

That thing around his neck (in concept at least) was what I imagined to be a key to all his detonation gear. I thought perhaps it could also be the override...would make more sense having that around his neck. I was actually thinking of the goblin sappers a little bit when I did this...it got me started thinking about mischevious goblins hehe.


Updates:


Still working on my magic card concept...check out the thread in the sketches section if you don't know what I am talking about.

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Some drawings from my lunch break and the train.

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[jester]

The last two sketchpages show much improvement. I don't find time for drawing currently since I'm trying to help a friend to revive her computer (forgotten BIOS and Admin passwords...)

Jester

[golgari]

nice to see that you got that ark in the magic-concept more detailled...i think it looks quite good with that warrior in it.
concerning the main character of the picture, i'd say he's a bit too weak and tortured...after all, it's supposed to be a sentinel, isn't it? so it should be a protector, not someone who's concentrated so immensely on his own problems...

that tree on your sketchpage looks great
reminds me of fairy tales - books :)

[endregan]

I WANT YOU TO HAVE MY BABIES. :) looked at your first page then your last. :-*!!!

[MindCandyMan]

Updates:


Here is the finished 1st magic card:

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And here is the next one I am working on...called undead warchief:

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endregan - That can be arranged...for a small fee of course :)

golgari - You are absolutely right...he should have been stacked and definitely more angry to show he was more of a protector. Thanks that's good advice.

jester - thanks man...oh no bios problems...they are the worst...time to pull the battery out eh? heheh. Good luck man.

[jester]

The 1st magic card is really great! The king in the wip one looks very much like that hybrid Alien in ... was it Alien3 or Alien4? You know, the one that accepts Sigourney Weaver as a mother. ;)

Jester

[MindCandyMan]

Oh I've never seen aliens 3...it accepts her as it's mother?...that's weird hehe

[antihero]

Oh... that's MindCandy presenting it's EyeCandy... ;)

The first Magic Card definitely rules! I wanted to write a comment after your last card but i somehow forgot it so here is the new one.

What i wanted to say is, that your Magic Card rules, just because there is an idea behind the card. The pictures and sketches were not perfectly painted and there were some mistakes in it, but the idea, the concept behind a magic card is... ehrm.. what makes it a magic card. That's what Magic cards are about to me. The pictures give some hints about what the card could do in game. Your first card really talks. Congrats man...! :)

The second one is also very great. To make the idea, the very meaning of the card more clear, maybe you could increase the warchief's size... right now it looks more like a "undead horde" or "undead gang" maybe. The creatures he's guiding/leading/summoning should be more background i think... Right now he doesn't takes up much space compared to the size of your image. However the color Choice is allready great!
Go on! Those card Designs rule... :thumbsup:

[golgari]

that first magic card turned out quite well, even though he's a little vulnerable...i like the idea of adding moss to him... that way it also looks much more like he's made out of stone (which is a good thing for a sentinel =) )

concerning that second sketch, i'd say antihero has a good point there...the chief is not dominant enough.
maybe try to make him bigger or move him more up...
and you could try to make his head look a little bit more up - right now it looks a bit like as if he would stare at my feet - which is definately not the right thing for a strong, mean and proud warchief ;)
also, you should do something about the arms. right now it looks like they are limply hanging there under the coat...

[Cashmere]

Well MindCandyMan, this is what I want to see: a complete work.
The 1st magic card is dramatic and moving. That angel cannot fly, he is trapped into a wall; but I feel that when the guard will disappear, the angel finally will be free!
I like that crisscross shadows, good work.

The second pic is going well,.. I am waiting... ;)

[MindCandyMan]

Hey thanks for the comments guys I agree with your comments as well. I am going to be in Texas for the next week so I will be drawing but I may not be able to post till I get back. Take care guys.

[sic1]

I must agree with the rest of the replies.... that first magic card is great! That is showing much improvement in your work. I like how you managed to get some details in there (and the general feel of texture as well).

The undead one is coming along, I think you chose a nice background color. I like how the warm reddish color contrasts with it.

I'm glad you're still sketching. The goblin is original and makes me laugh, and the tree sketch you did is looking spiffy :)


The king in the wip one looks very much like that hybrid Alien in ... was it Alien3 or Alien4?



Alien 4, "Alien Resurrection". In Alien3 Ripley was impregnated with the embryo. Yes, I'm a dork, and proud of it.

[jester]

Hey sic1, what's a dork?

Jester

[amphex]

The first magic card is real good. I like the textures, and his expression is very nice..a good capture of anguish and anger.
Well done =). The stomach looks rubbery though, and I think the perspective (or is it foreshortening?) on his left arm is a bit off.

The second one is looking even better than the first one right now. I like the great foggy effect in the background, and the only thing I could think of to improve at this point is the lighting...maybe...
Other than that, Im just looking forward to seeing more =)
Keep it up! (as if I have to say it)

[Knight_]

Hello everyone,
i'm a total noob here at the forum, and for graphics in general... i subbed to the forum this week and i was still exploring the various parts of it.

I found this thread, and when i'll have some more time i will read and see images from page 2 to 27... i was extremely curious, so i jumped from 1 to 28... i was simply ASTONISHED by the improvements you made in this very short time!!! It makes me want to try practicing a lot as you did (tho i won't be able to go in drawing classes so soon... still have to finish fuckin engineering...)

Drawing and picturing has always been my dream, but maybe i haven't had enough guts to follow my dreams until now. I hope i will be able to repair this big mistake anytime in my life.

I just felt like virtually shaking your hand, because i really admire people who can pursue his dreams with so much positivism and energy.

Keep up the great work, and i hope i'll be able to be as you one day!

[amphex]

I know this would probably be a bitch to do, but I was just wondering...
would it be possible for you to give a list of the books you used on your journey?
I know itd be mighty helpful for other begginers, as the other gigantic lists of books on this site are just downright confusing =\.
if you dont have the time, I understand though..just keep up the awesomeness =)

[MindCandyMan]

I'm back from Texas now...so it's back to the old grind for me. I go out to Sioux Falls, SD next friday to visit the studio and look for apartments and stuff around the area. I will report how that goes while I am out there.

sic1 - Thanks man I really appreciate it. I will be changing up that last card...I went to the details way too quick I think.

jester - a dork is like a nerd or someone who does something that isn't cool or accepted by everyone else. An unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person...something like that.

amphex - the foreshortening is definitely off I saw that after I finished as well...:(...Yeah I need to redo that whole 2nd card...I went to the details way way way too fast...

Knight_ - Thanks so much man. Yikes...engineering classes. I would fail out in a second hehe. Thanks for the kind words. I am just trying to work hard and to be honest I feel that I am moving too slow...especially recently. I really need to push myself more and more. Keep drawing...draw everyday. Draw every free second. You will pass me in no time. Thanks for the kind words.


Here is a list of books that really helped me a lot for amphex and others:


-Bridgman's Complete Guide to life drawing (the one that combines all the books together.

-Rendering in pen and ink (by guptil)

-Alla Prima (Richard Schmid)

-All the Loomis books (available online at http://www.gfxartist.com/features/tutorials )

-Sketching Your Favorite Subjects in Pen & Ink (Claudia Nice)

-Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters (Robert Beverly Hale)

-Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters (Robert Beverly Hale)

-Painter 8 Wow

-The Technical Pen (Gary Simmons)

-Drawings of Rembrandt

-Vilppu Drawing Manual

-Anatomy for the artist (the illustrated book not the nude photo one)

-Drawing Animals (Victor Ambrus)

-Human Figure (John H. Vanderpoel)

-Oil Painting Secrets from a Master (Linda Cateura)

-Creative Perspective for Artists and Illustrators (Ernest W. Watson)

-Keys to Drawing (Bert Dodson)


Of course the great artists like frazetta, foster, targete, Jeffrey Jones...you can learn a lot by buying their books and looking at their art. Also buy books on bouguereau, sargent, monet, etc... all the masters and learn from them as well. There are a ton of good books...these are some that have made an impact on me.

[amphex]

Wow mcm, thanks alot man =)

[MindCandyMan]

amphex - anytime ;)


updates (sorry was in Texas for a while):

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I am trying to learn to do pen drawings without doing any pencil roughs underneath...it is really making me think about my marks...however, my drawings look more crappy in the meantime hehe...bear with me. I love drawing unsuspecting people on the train. heheh.

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Knight Templar sketch I did tonight to loosen up a bit:

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[Jeff Gran]

wow, you just keep getting better, don't you? :) The mech you drew is awesome. That's one thing I've never been able to draw from my head. Looks very dimensional and realistic. Except, I don't know if there's enough room for that guy. Either he's really short or in a really strange position in there. The rocks look really good also.

I really like the pen studies you've been doing. I've been trying some of the same type of drawing, but I think you're better. I never really even thought of inking a pencil sketch, I wouldn't know what to do except trace. It looks like you're getting more confident with that pen though. some of the thumbnail heads you did look like they suffer from pencil-to-pen transition, but some like the orc and the ones on the page after it look really good to me. keep it up, as if I have to say it.

[jester]

MindCandyMan, you are a real powerhouse!

I like best the guy with the clown nose!

Jester

[Cashmere]

Hi MindCandyMan! Did you drawn all those sketches while you was in Texas?
The first is awesome, great composition.
The mech is very detailed and the body is really volumetric but the legs are too flat.
Beautiful rocks.
The orc: I like that expression and the flame's light reflexed on his body. Instead, the Knight Templar expression looks too relaxed for a soldier.
The view on the train is too fun eheh.
Welcome back MindCandyMan!

[golgari]

hey mindcandyman, good to see you around again :)
thanks for the booklist, i was quite interested in that aswell...
the new stuff you posted is awesome. especially that mech! hell, especially in that pose. i'm always getting freaked out when i have to draw foreshortened things from imagination.
there's a lot of smudge on your first page, but cashmere is right, the composition is very powerful.
those rocks look great, too. and concerning your pen sketches, i have to say i like the page with all those head studies the best. maybe also because it helps me a bit in understanding how to set the damn head up...
good job on the composition of the knight templar. i especially like the flags in the background....
the sleeping man looks weird, but all in all - great stuff you brought us there from texas :)

[endregan]

hey cool drawings i think ive seen most of em from the other post though. really good :). you are getting better every day man. well its my bday tomorrow which means ill have some new tools to practice with.

looking forward to talking to you next week jon!

get on msn :P

[MindCandyMan]

jeff - Thanks man I appreciate it. Yeah that mech was fun to draw...sketched that on the plane coming to texas and fiddled with it a little more while I was there. Thanks man.

jester - clowns and pirates...gotta love em hehe

Cashmere - I don't think all of them were done in Texas. Thanks for the comments man.

golgari - glad the book list helped...thanks for the comments man

endregan - see you online man ;)


Hey all...I did some work to my website over the weekend...I need to change some things and obviously a lot of things aren't working but check it out and lemme know what you think. Some of the sections don't work...etc...but as far as what is there lemme know what you think. I am crazy busy right now...I am getting ready to go to sioux falls this weekend amongst other things. Thanks for the help.

Click here (http://www.mindcandyman.com) for the website.

[endregan]

nice man love the website. great layout for the art. could use some work but you just put it up :). tight toiit like a tiger. ive been doing websites for a couple years so if ya got any questions im your man ;)

[golgari]

that website's okay - it's the content that counts. just keep it simple - i'd advice you to maybe not split into so many frames like you did in "story". maybe try to keep that left "menu frame" all the time and instead split the remaining "right frame" into 2 frames (one with the best-worst-2-months-thing and one with the my-story-stuff). i'd kill the left frame (in-depth), and instead incorporate that into my-story...

[jester]

Hi MindCandyMan, nice to see you around again.

I had a quick look at your website:

+ look and feel
+ content

- navigation / use of frames

0 re-do that text about yourself. Don't write "last year" but the actual date (September 2002) - when you are busy studying you might not find the time to update this, the more since you choice an image instead of HTML plain text.

Just my 2c

:)

Jester

[MindCandyMan]

Well you wanted me to show the good and the bad...still struggling heavily with the pen...I WILL master it.

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Thanks for the comments about the site guys they are really good I will remember them when I work on it again.

[antihero]

again some incredible stuff... :eek:

I especially like the undead warchief, which seems a whole lot better than before. I love the lights/fires on the creatures heads and the warchiefs coat, really shows the idea of the warchief leading those creatures, maybe after summoning them...

The diabolic one on top also looks pretty good. how much time did it take you to do?

The pirate one (isn't it a pirate?) below the warchief shows a good mood to me... are you going to color it?

well and the pen stuiff is good as allways. cool to see how much contrast you put in your sketches. :thumbsup:

finally your website. I'd also try to get down a clear line in you design/usability. I'd suggest to keep the left navigation frame in every section of your homepage.
The idea of your story is good, as the others said, keep the frame structure simple. Maybe kick the "visit conceptart.org" frame and insert the main navigation frame? you can still place the hint to conceptart as a specific part in your story.
I personally don't like longer texts as images in special fonts. it looks cool, gives some variety, etc. But it would be much easier to read, if you choose a basic font which dosn't fatigues the eyes that fast...

But hey, in the end it is your homepage and it is rather important that it remains _your_ homepage than it gets rid of all mistakes. :)

so:
- keep a clear line which remains through your whole website
- simplify your frame structure
- think about your imagetext ;)
- and finally: keep on rockin as you did during the last few months!

antihero

[golgari]

whee, lovely! that first sketch rocks, bigtime!
i love that strong contrast you tried to create in that picture by just using white and black - it's very powerful!
the warchief looks a lot better now, those lights on the heads of the undead which indicate from where there heads come were a very good idea - adds motion to the whole scene.
also thumbs up for making the warchief bigger. he's much more of a warchief now :)
something still bothers me about his head. maybe it's a little too small? don't know. maybe it's also a little too undetailled. i'd say you should put a little more detail on the foreground, since this is the focal area in the picture. the background is fine the way it is, but especially the crown of the chief is pretty rough...
the hairs of the warrior/pirate/barbarian/whatever is really lovely. he's a bit too bulky for my taste (the head leads into the body very fluently, one can hardly make out much of a neck), but that's maybe just me ;)
you're not really trying to remember that name-stuff in your studies, do you? anyway, the studies look good.
your pen stuff mostly looks good, too. dig that guy with the wood ;). strangely, your proportions seem to get a little bit more off when you're drawing with the pen? maybe it's just an incident, but i thought i'd mention it...

[MindCandyMan]

Sorry to just post and run guys...I am crazy busy right now getting ready to visit sioux falls and looking for apartments and jobs there...etc...forgive me


I am struggling lately in art as well...some weeks just aren't the best...yuck

[golgari]

don't worry, after the rain comes sunshine ;)
i like the environments you create with the pen; especially the sea. and although you're still struggling with the pen-faces, you also have some very good ones! i like those high-contrasted, black ones. pen is a pretty good medium for that, i'd say...

[Cashmere]

The sea and that house are great!

[endregan]

i like the barn pen and ink and a couple of the heads were really good! dont ever say you suck, we all have crappy drawings over and over till we learn why they are crappy :). good work

[MindCandyMan]

You guys are such great encouragers...thanks :) I needed it this week...been a rough week. Thanks again.

Well I am getting up at 4 a.m. to fly to sioux falls tomorrow. I am going to look at the studio and have a look around the area and everything. I can't wait to see it all and check out the area. I will let you guys know about it when I come back...take care all

[MindCandyMan]

Hey guys I'm back from south dakota. The studio is awesome!!!!!! I really like the area too...here are some pictures from the area and the studio.

That's the building that the studio is in. That taller one rising above Zandbroz...it goes back really far and there is a lot more room than it looks like once you get inside.

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This is the entrance

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Check out what the other students are doing...I can't wait till I can do that!!

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Inside Hans' studio...He makes his own palettes...uses and abuses them and then makes a new one...so cool

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Hans is varnishing a small painting.

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So many books and resources available...man I CAN'T WAIT TILL I GET THERE

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It looks like I should be in South Dakota by the 1st of September...so theoretically I could be started by then...man I can't wait. Now all I gotta do is move out of philly hehe. That's my wife there on the couch.

Here's another pic of my wife on their couch....even their couch has statuesque carvings all over it...so cool

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No drooling boys.

Well that's that...I can't wait to get started.

[endregan]

WOW. I cant wait till you start, I am so happy for you. I know youll have a great time and learn plenty, just so excited that youre going. Good luck with it all and dont forget us here at CA although that may be hard. great place!! :)

[Kortez]

:drool: purdy purdy studio ;)

I almost crapped my self when I realised that there was just one arm cast, and the other was a cast drawing :eek:

Looks all warm and inviting. Nice learning environment :)

Just over a month? I bet you're counting the seconds :)

[briton80]

Hey MCM,

I've been following this thread for a long time and I am simply amazed with your progress and dedication. You've been a real inspiration for me personally because I'm trying to follow a similar path as you so thanks for keeping me motivated!

Question, I think I missed this somewhere, but why are you going to SD to this studio and how did you find out about it? Just curious. And I'm also too lazy to go back and look for an answer, sorry. :)

Keep up the great work and best of luck when you head out to SD!

[golgari]

man, it looks great indeed. you're going to be able to work there all day long, right? damn, i envy you ;)

[MindCandyMan]

endregan - Thanks brother I really appreciate. Don't worry I won't abandon conceptart. We always have messenger as well ;)

Kortez - Hey nice haircut by the way. Yeah I am counting every second but I will feel pretty darn good because my 2 week notice will be put in this week at work...I can't wait!!!!!!!!!

briton80 - Glad to hear that you have been following the thread. No worries here is the link that explains what I am talking about:

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7216

Thanks again man.

golgari - Yeah for about 8 - 10 hours a day. Don't envy me join one yourself! Thanks for the constant support man I really appreciate it.

[killing.people]

whew!

mcm:
while browsing through this monster of a thread, i saw many things in your studies i have seen in mine and found that really interesting. i saw a lot of similar things, at times i triple looked to make sure it really wasnt some of my old drawings. i also saw experimentation i have never tried and wondered what kind of artist i would be today if i had ventured there.

this image made me laugh aloud, just because it was so silly at that moment:
http://www.mindcandyman.com/jons_uploads/gang%20member%20sketch.jpg

"i was mad when i did this sketch" made me laugh too:
http://www.mindcandyman.com/jons_uploads/awful%20sketch.jpg

page 10 has a bunch of broken links still ouch, :o

you have given me energy everytime i browse through here.
its amazing you have come so far. i become sad to read the days you become frusterated. i write to remind you that what kept you going was you self-disipline and determination; :p you can cloud your mind worse and worse with anger or say "man i was running into brick walls today, oh well". i really liked reading you say that and take criticism so openly.

after reading through this entire damn thread i have to type something .. eheh

-killing

[antihero]

hey mcm,

i envy you too... :( This is just awesome! Wish you a good time, and thanks again for every single post you made in this thread. It's allways nice to get back and see how unbelievable big your improvement is.

antihero

[Ian Mack]

Incredible. I knew that I needed a teacher, but a personal teacher if I was to gain my goal of being a concept artist. And here it is, now in front me.

thx for posting that ARC link! This is osmething I must figure into my plans for the next few years. :)

and congrats on the hard work. inspiring stuff m'man!

[MindCandyMan]

killing - Oh man that is so embarassing...so awful...oh sheesh. That's interesting that we both shared a lot of the same studies and things like that...that's really cool. Yeah I don't know what happened to the pics on page 10...I'm not quite sure where there are...lost in digital oblivion no doubt. Thanks for the comments man I really appreciate it. Man those olds pics are hilarious haha...thanks for showing them hehe...I hardly ever look back through the thread.

antihero - Thanks man you are too kind. Thanks for always stopping by.

otherside - Yeah I would absolutely recommend looking into atelier schools they are awesome...really awesome. Let me know if you decide on any or end up going...etc... Thanks for following the thread.


Ok guys I have done a bunch more stuff cause I am working on the entropy mod with all the developers there but I'm not allowed to post it yet...so as soon as I can post that stuff I will. Here are some sketchbook pages though:

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[zeroe]

ive been following this thread quietly for a while, but now i just wanted to express my amazment at your improvements, specially in the alst 2 months or so. Just wanting to mention that this thread IS a major inspiration, you rock :D

[MindCandyMan]

Sorry my host is fixing a bunch of stuff so all my pictures are down for a little bit...so it would do no good uploading anything...bleh sorry.

(I took down the previous link I had here and replaced it with the write up from the entropy staff...I'm not sure they would want the link available)

...at any rate here is what they wrote


by silverbud 2003-07-31 20:47:34
hey everyone. A new member just join the staff Entropy ! Mindcandyman is a concept artist and i can say, he does a pretty nice job. also dobermann our sounder came back from holydays !!


zeroe - Thanks so much man. I'm always glad to here that I could help a fellow artist...it's hard to stay motivated so it's good we can all inspire and push each other. Thanks again man.

[Lume]

mindcandy

i just wanna say (totally not offensivly ment) thanx for posting some bad drawings of you too. It makes me feel much better knowing there are people out there struggling too. quite a relief when you see your work next to all of them hyperfinished works out here on ca.

thx m8 love your work, inspiring and on a do-able scale.

:chug:

[MindCandyMan]

lume - No offense taken at all man...really. I know exactly what you mean. There is a sort of depression that sets in when you look at the extreme professionals stuff hehe...you feel like...man I will never get there...but you will...it just all comes in steps. So I know exactly what you mean...it's nice to know others are struggling with the same things and that if someone else can keep pushing...you can too. Thanks for posting...it's inspiring to me to know that others are trudging along the same path!


Ok so I have been working on stuff for that mod like crazy...so I felt a little guilty for not posting anything (they won't let me) for a couple days...so I started working on a proteus machine concept. I am gonna try to finish it tomorrow...lemme know what you think.

[golgari]

hm, sorry, i don't really know what a "proteus" machine is...should i?
therefore i can't really seem to make this out. yeah, it's a machine, you can easily see that, but other than that...uhm...
i can't really see anything else yet ;)

[MindCandyMan]

Hehe...sorry about that I should have posted the link to the thread that it relates too...check it out golgari:

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=84226#post84226



Here is the link to the mod that I am working on now as well...I never posted this link...if any are interested

http://www.entropy.hl2central.net/

[golgari]

ahh, okay :)
hmm, i still can't tell what it is, but concerning the card you're trying to design, i guess that's just the right thing! so - well, yeah, good so far! =)
that entropy-mod looks interesting. and the bike on the first page looks simply awesome. hopefully that mod will actually make it (and not break down half the way, like most mods do...)

[endregan]

yeah man that mod looks hott. It definitly would be a cool game, only thing is bandwidth on servers and such but hey every day technology gets better so by the team its alpha we be laughing. It looks like a great game cant wait to check it out.

Your concept for proteus looks started. Keep at this. I might try out a concept but I have been busy organizing my room to be more useful for when I do art and have been cleaning the house, working parttime, etc.

Nice to see you around still eh

[Rohan]

hey mcm, just thought I'd throw a bit o' good energy your way >>*<< <there u go, for doing such a sterling job keepin at it, good to see. I know I havent posted any of my stuff in quite a while, but I still don't have access to a scanner that works, and my pc is currently disabled.

It's been a challenge to keep motivated this year with so many challenges popping up in front of me.
I've had to move house twice since I saw u last, was evicted from one house with a group of friends who became a real drain financially, then lived in a shed on a friend's property for a while that was 2 degrees some nights, struggling to fit any art in, but I've always been getting online when I could, to see how your doin and some others on this forum. have been doing some studies and 3d work throughout it all, not as much as I would like, but I guess u just got to grow in other ways sometimes.

I'm glad to see your still so well motivated and working on some concepts for a mod! now. I wish I could contribute to something like that. I applied to work as a concept artist/modeller on a local sponsored project at the start of this year but got refused. anyway, entropy looks like it could develop into a very interesting game, and a quite complex one by the looks of the story outline. good luck with it man.

[MindCandyMan]

I am still drawing everyone...most of it I can't show and I am busy packing for south dakota...plus I have been having TMJ issue (temperomandibular joint) problems. Don't give up on me hehe.

Rohan - I am glad I could encourage you man! So sorry about the eviction man...that is crazy...I can't believe you had to live a shed. Don't worry about the refusal for that project...keep pushing. I'm working for entropy for nothing too!...it's not like I've hit it big or something although it is fun hehe. Keep it up man don't let the circumstances get you down...throw that into your art...push even harder. I will be here with you along the way.

endregan - Thanks man...yeah I will finish that proteus as soon as I can.

golgari - hahah...hilarious...yeah the proteus card is a bit weird hehe. Yeah I hope the mod doesn't stop halfway as well!

[MindCandyMan]

____________

[jester]

Hey MindCandyMan, long time no see! Hope you have recovered from TMJ. I love your pirate sketch! Is it inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean movie? In Germany it starts on 4th September and I CAN'T WAIT :D

So when are you moving to Sioux Falls exactly?

Jester

[golgari]

neat stuff. i really like that pirate, you can "feel" his motion :)
you've really got a pretty good eye for details. nice idea to add this shaking amulet. the second page's nice, too. especially the reptile's head. nicely detailled, once again :)

[endregan]

hehe hey man. i know youve been busy lately. me 2!!! would like to seeya online sometime this week, ill talk to ya then.

and in the mean time keep up those cool sketches :)

[djmojo]

your progress in 11 months is amazing dude... or was it less? more? still, great work.

[MindCandyMan]

jester - Sorry about being so scarce...I have a bunch of work for the mod that I can't show...I'm trying to learn to draw vehicles...it's so hard. I was definitely inspired by pirates for that sketch...it is a fantastic movie! Johnny Depp's character is fantastic and eccentric. I am starting the drive with my wife on the 29th of this month...will take about 3 days to drive...it's about 22 hours for the trip.

golgari - Thanks golgari...I struggle with details every time...it's so hard. J.P. Targete is a master of details...I always try to look to his work! Thanks for the kind words man.

endregan - Thanks bro...yeah definitely crazy busy...that's for sure! We will catch up.

djmojo - Thanks so much man...yeah I have the bizarre and fortunate ability to be able to say the exact day I started drawing was September 15, 2002. So yeah it's almost been 11 months...wow...doesn't feel like that long. I am hoping that over this next year I will progress even faster at the studio. Such is my hope...we will see right hehe. Thanks for the encouragement man!

[djmojo]

no problem, browsing this thread has made me feel like I should be drawing again :P so thank you. not me :P

[jester]

Three days driving? :shocked: OMG! 22 hours driving, ok, I can make something of that, it's about the distance from my place to the south of Spain (crazy fathers usually do that in one go to get there on vacation...). I'll be thinking of you. And don't worry about being rare - just good to know that you are all right.

Jester

[MindCandyMan]

djmojo - I'm glad I could help inspire...definitely start drawing again! Draw every day!

jester - Thanks for the kind words...yeah 22 hours will be a little long hehe...not unbearable though. That's so cool...you can go through probably 2 - 3 countries in 22 hours of driving...I just see the same dumb American country...oh well...I will make it to Europe someday!


Here are some sketches on the train...on various notepads...etc...getting drawing in all day...man I can't wait till sioux falls...drawing for 10 hours a day!!!!!!!

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[MindCandyMan]

I sketched this while I was on the phone with the customer service rep...setting up my cable line and my phone in south dakota...kind of a sea creature of sorts I guess...bizarre nonetheless.

[golgari]

ooh, i love your monsters. both the sea monster and the...uhm....other one (the first sketch in the other post).
very nice lineweights you have there. did you use different pencils while drawing?

[endregan]

hehehe your monsters roxor. really nicely done. havent seen a lot of stuff like that from you lately :) rock on

[MindCandyMan]

Thanks guys ;) !



Well It might be a couple days before I update again...I have to format my hard drive...YET AGAIN...oh brother. I will update as soon as possible.

[antihero]

You.... bastard!

Great work! good imagination, good depth and good drawing all over. The first Monster sketch (head-one) looks so damn cute and lost in thoughts but still monster-like in the same moment... blabla

module give-critics() of antihero.exe run out of memory and words: abnormal program termination.
antihero.exe needs to be restarted to regain conciousness.
sending all processes the TERM signal
sending all processes the KILL signal

--------*---------

Sorry. I can't find the words to describe it all and it is maybe a bit too kind, but as i said before, got the feeling that noone deserves the place in SiouxFalls more than you do... Keep at it, you're one of the good guys...

antihero

[MindCandyMan]

antihero - You are too kind...thanks bro. I don't know if I deserve that opportunity but I will take advantage of it!!

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[jester]

Oh, you picked up the anatomy studies again. I should do so, too... :rolleyes:

Jester

[Yessum]

Man youve gotten so good over time. has it been a year yet since you first started the journey on here? i dont know but i guess you been drawing everyday huh? man i know you will be like the best in no time. you have proven that practice makes perfect, now people have something that they will believe when they see it. I hope you show up on tv or sumthin one day man so all your progress can be seen, that way alot of those doubtful artist out there will have some great hope that they can be the best to. Anyway keep up the good work. Heres a few questions:
Do you have some kind of daily practice routine? like do you draw from reference, then maybe study from artist, then make up your own art.
Is there some kind of daily plan that you stick to when you draw, like do you try to draw 2 or 3 complete drawings a day or even a week? How do you work?

[endregan]

power outage here...wont have power for long but cool stuff man. who knows you probably have power out too. its crazy. Later man keep up the studies!

[MindCandyMan]

jester - Definitely pick up the anatomy again...but I know...pirates are so fun!

Yessum - Thanks for the kind words! I definitely have a long way to go before I am good but I am trying! It has been 11 months since I started...wow...went by fast...and sometimes feels like a long time ago hehe.

To answer your question I don't really have a daily routine. Every spare second I have I know I should be drawing so I do that. I don't watch tv...etc... I get home from work and I check my email and start drawing. I definitely focus on doing anatomy studies as often as I can but when I feel like drawing a monster or something I do that...but I always try to incorporate everything with whatever I am doing...for instance: If you are going to draw a monster...why not crack open the anatomy book while you draw to make sure your anatomy is believable...etc... If a tight routine works for you definitely do that but the most important thing is to draw draw draw every second you get the chance...I am lazy by nature...it's a battle of wills everyday...but you have to fight and win every day if you want to succeed. Now let's see some art!

endregan - Oh stink man! You got hit by the power outage...wow I'm so sorry! Hopefully I'll hear from you soon to know that you are ok.


Some pages

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Also I never answered your question golgari....sorry!! But I know he wanted to know what pencils I used so I decided to show you the tools that I use when I am drawing...I use pretty standard stuff I guess...here is a picture (stole the idea of lining it all up from sparth ;) )

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[golgari]

hey mindcandyman,
thanks for posting that pic with your stuff. it's really cool to see what other people are using to create their drawings. i was originally more interested in the question if you did use different pencils on those drawings of those monsters (or if you just drew it all with one pencil) - but this is nice to see, too =)
your latest sketches look good. i love the pen ones, especially those feathers. they are from reference, right?
maybe you should study the neck a bit. it's one of those important things that one overlooks much too fast....
the lips you drew are really nice. you can really feel the volume.

[endregan]

uh oh we have the same brand of pencils!! :) hehe

your nibs and tools look similar to mine ;) good stuff/ but in canada the nibs u have dont exist or just are rare or called something different.

that torso study was great and the other drawins cool. i like to draw masks on my people sometimes too its great :)

[MindCandyMan]

Things are crazy trying to pack my house up but gotta draw right!

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[DragonGX]

Originally posted by MindCandyMan
http://www.mindcandyman.com/jons_uploads/bound sketchbook 133.jpg

http://www.mindcandyman.com/jons_uploads/bound sketchbook 134.jpg

Things are crazy trying to pack my house up but gotta draw right!

You've been reading Bridgeman, haven't you? :)

BTW - who do you use for web hosting and how expensive is it?

[MindCandyMan]

Dragon - Yeah exactly hehe. I use http://www.creationstorm.com for my webhosting and they are fantastic...I have the 10 dollar a month plan because of the massiveness of this thread but you can get the 5 dollar a month plan and it's great! Definitely check them out.

endregan - Same pencils...but two different imaginations. Funny how one tool can be used so many different ways isn't it? Thanks for stoppin by bro. :o

golgari - Yeah the neck is definitely overlooked...It's definitely on my list of "things I need to study". To answer your question about those pencils I used 2b and 4b for that drawing hehe...sorry I didn't answer it before. ;)

mlessard - That's what I like to hear! I look forward to seeing the great things you will do.

[MindCandyMan]

__________

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[jester]

Wow, this heroic wagnerian opera guy looks great!

:)

Jester

[endregan]

Originally posted by jester
Wow, this heroic wagnerian opera guy looks great!

:)

Jester \

I love your willy too!!

your arm studies look better than mine!! :)

[pandawhipped]

MCM those arm studies are great! I need to start doing more of those myself. Outside of class its so hard to find time to sit down and just draw for an hour. What atilier are you planning on going to?

btw nice wings on that helm. Wings were always one of the hardest things for me to draw

-Ryan

[I.was.ink]

your willy drawing is really nice. :)

[MindCandyMan]

Iwasink, endregan, pandawhipped, mlessard, and jester...thanks for the compliments guys just so everyone knows I did this as a study of Willy Pogany's penwork...just wanted to make sure everyone knew that I didn't conceive of it...I was doing a study of one of his works...a large and intricate piece...I just liked this one guy in it so I pulled him out for a study. His work is amazing as well as franklin booth and joseph clement coll and bernie wrightson...I will be doing a lot of studies from them in the future because pen and ink is really hard and takes a lot of precision and I find I can learn a lot from doing studies of these masters of the pen. This most recent study is really sloppy...I love how working with a pen forces you to be precise and intentional about your marks.


I am going to this atelier in south dakota pandawhipped:

http://www.panturastudios.com

Lemme get the link...I started a thread about it as well...here's the link:

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7216&highlight=south+dakota

mlessard - Everything total that I use my webspace for (ftp and everything included is like 4 gigs of transfer a month...but my website isn't finished yet hehe...but that won't have a lot of traffic I'm sure till my art is a lot better hehe.)

[golgari]

hey mindcandyman, that are some great studies...
i just today received my bridgman book, i'll have a look at it tonight, i guess (i hope...). from what i saw in a quick lookover i think i'll have to get used to his way of using line, though. looks a little strange to me. your linework looks much more familiar =)
that pogany study rocks bigtime. i like how well you managed to transfer that look in his eyes. it really looks like this opera-like-expression-of-fear-mixed-with-devotance.

[Pencil Soldier]

Question about your art supplies.

Do you ever have trouble with smearing when you erase with a kneaded eraser? It seems every time i try one it smears the pencil lines.

Oh, and you should try the "Pentel Clic Eraser". It erases jsut as well as a mars one, but its more long than wide. It really helps when erasing details. :D

[jharford]

wow, you have inspired me more than anyone else for a very long time, ive only just seen this thread, and i really belive now that i can improve. give another year and your going to be VERY big in the concpet art world. your proportions have become so much more accurate and your ideas so much more original .

brillaint line drawing and pening.

thanks for the inspiration to carry on .:beer:

[MindCandyMan]

golgari - Bridgman rocks! You will love that book. Yeah it does take a while to get used to ...but once you figure him out you will fall in love with him. Thanks for the encouragement.

pencil - Sometimes it smears if a piece of lead is caught in it or something like that but not otherwise. I would try getting this specific brand "Design" kneaded erasers... http://www.dickblick.com/zz215/02/products.asp?param=0&ig_id=1353 Get the biggest one ...I order like 15 at a time when I get them hehe. It also could be the paper you are using. Make sure you are using paper that is suited for drawing...good old fashioned regular laser jet...or copy machine paper works great. I have one of those pentel erasers as well they are really good. I use my razor blade to cut it to a sharp point to get into small areas...I forgot to add that to that picture.

jharford - That's awesome man I glad I could inspire you. I hope you are right...one more year...that would be great! I will try my hardest to see that it happens! I'm glad to hear that the ideas are becoming more original as well because even if you can render perfectly...as a concept artist...the idea is paramount. Thanks again man I look forward to seeing your work!



Hey everybody...I am working on my painting for thunderdome 6....I only worked on the sky and the tree a bit tonight...I will be working on and off on this...I'm determined to finish it though hehe. I am making this as a companion to nivbed's "Dormant Walkers" painting...lemme know your thoughts if you can on the tree and the sky so far. P.S. - That green thing isn't a monster with two eyes and a smile...hehehe...it is a monster but I realized when I erased the upper portion it looked like two eyes and a smile...that's not it haha.

[jharford]

thanks :@).
im learning, be gratefll for you to check out my first digital painting after getting out my wacom. hope you like it.,

http://www33.brinkster.com/jharford/man2.gif

might have to play with copy and pasting url till i get webspace
thanks .



keep it up , ill look for you in credits next year ;)/

[Jeff Gran]

Nice work so far Mindcandyman. Love the sky so far, the colors are great. and good thing you pointed out that that's not the whole monster, because I totally thought that was two eyes and a mouth.

You perspective grid seems a little severe at the bottom...the base of the (candle?) looks pretty distorted. maybe pushing your VPs out to the sides more would help. Also I wondered, how did you draw those lines, did you do it in photoshop? do you have a technique for geting them evenly spaced and all straight and to the same point? that would be helpful... anyway, looking forward to progress on this one.

[golgari]

yeah, the sky and the tree looks great so far. just make sure that you go over all of the smudged areas again when continuing, making them more solid and keeping things seperated (sky from ground from tree...)
and i too thought that it was a monster with two eyes and a mouth ;)
the stuff down there on the grid looks strange, but you said you didn't really work on that at all, so i won't comment about that. i'm not really able to make out what it's supposed to be anyway ;)


jharford: maybe you should open your own thread. there are a lot of people around here with sketchbooks (there's even an own forum for it, in the "sketches"-section).
your painting is a little bit flawed (the lips are too left, for example), but i like the style you used :)

[MindCandyMan]

jharford - The most encouraging thing to me about your image jharford is that you took the time to make the proportions correct and to make the eyes in line with each other...and other things that rookies like myself miss when we first try to do a portrait. That is very good news...because that means you already have an eye for detail and can notice when something is off. Two things about art make it good...seeing what is wrong...and knowing how to fix it. No one draws anything perfect the first time. Some criticism of the pic would be that the eyes are too "almond" shaped...real eyes don't look like that and you left no space for that inner part of the eye...tear duct or something like that? That little loop in the inner (closest to nose) part of your eye. Also the shading you have placed doesn't reinforce the structure of the face...there are places that it does but it's too rigid. Do some skull studies and it will help with this type of thing. Definitely definitely good for a beginner. Keep it up bro I want to see more!

Jeff Gran - Hey Jeff...yeah I was going to do something with that grid but I changed it so I just painted over it hehe. Lemme create a tutorial on how to space those evenly...I will get back to you on that.

golgari - Yeah I will go over and add more detail...etc... when I get further along...for now just blocking things in and all...I am flying by the seat of my pants because I have NO clue what I am doing hahah. Man...I can't wait till I get to pantura so I can figure out how the heck to paint hehe.

[endregan]

hey jon i like that piece its crazy cool. do a couple ideas before u settle on one piece for like composition and perspective then work really hard on one u really like

btw GET ON MSN! :)

[MindCandyMan]

Still workin on this thing hehe...got a ton to still do but it's fun hehe.



endregan - hey bro...I was on didn't see ya sorry :(

[jester]

MindCandyMan, that sky looks awesome! Good job!

To Pencil Soldier and anybody else who have a problem with smearing kneaded erasers: Make a habit of constantly kneading those erasers. This keeps them clean and you never have to throw them away because they have become dirty. In my sktechbook thread I have made a scan of my tools and you can see how light colored my eraser still is: It's still the first one I bought three years ago and I'm using it ever since.

Jester

[golgari]

hey, that painting is going in a good direction! very cool lighting, makes the whole scene pretty dramatic!
another thing that pretty good is that you thought of how the light he holds affects the surroundings, like his arm or the reflection in his eye.
hm. maybe you should throw some of that light down onto that hole down below the light, too?

[Kortez]

Looking good bro.

That painting is looking wicked cool! You always manage to surprise me.
I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes. :)

Good job man :)

[sparth]

mcm, last painting is really nice in terms of color.
you're heading in the right direction. the smoke is very interesting ,and the color values are all well chosen. no bad point in this one mate!

sparth

[endregan]

agreed with sparth. the sky is awesome.

i believe you are in south dakota now...thats awesome :)

good luck starting school man its gonna be great!! update us every now and then (I know well all be busy know that school is back in)

Good luck and Ill seeya when you get internet service :p

hehe later bro

[R_M]

bump...

when are you going to post some of the new stuff?

[strych9ine]

Haven't checked this thread in a while... your last revision of the piece you did for the deceased T-Dome 6 compitition looks fantastic. Keep up the good work, bro.

[endregan]

Originally posted by R_M
bump...

when are you going to post some of the new stuff?

dood he just moved and hes going to art school be patient :)

cant wait till he posts hehe

[MindCandyMan]

Hey everybody...well I finally made the move to South Dakota...it was 23 hours of driving and then unloading the truck...returning the truck....and then unpacking. It's been truly crazy. But I have visited the studio the 2 days I have been here and I am amazed once again...I'm amazed even more that I am a part of it! I start my first Bargue drawing as soon as I get settled and then it's off to the races...first will be bargue drawings and then cast drawings...I am going to be drawing from a nude model for 2 hours every day as well...I am really excited...I can't wait. Thanks for all the support you guys have given me and I will definitely update you along the way!




endregan - Thanks bro! Yeah you are exactly right...I am just able today to walk through my new living room...it was filled to the brim with boxes before that heheh.

strych9ine - Thanks so much man...I didn't know it got canned until recently :( ...oh well it was fun working on this and I think I might finish it out...it has a long way to go though hehe.

R_M - I will have some new stuff soon...been crazy trying to get things set up here in South Dakota hehe. Thanks man.

sparth - Thanks man I really appreciate it. I was bummed when the thunderdome got cancelled but I may finish this one out regardless. I'm glad the colors are working a little bit because I was having a hard time with this one. I don't have a large enough reference in my brain to turn this from an amateur looking piece of art to a more finished version. I am finding it hard to really visualize the light/color/composition that I have in my head...seems like I can work and work on it but it keeps ending up looking cheesy. Just part of the process I suppose...at any rate thanks for the comment. You are the master of color so definitely let me know if I am going in the right direction.

Kortez - Nice to hear from you man. Thanks for the comments on the painting I really appreciate it. I think I will finish this one out as best I can.

golgari - That's exactly the idea I had as well...I am gonna paint a guy reaching out of there (If I can that is hehe)...so we'll see how that turns out. Thanks for the comments bro I really appreciate it.

jester - Thanks ;) ...right on about the kneaded eraser as well.

[jester]

Hi Mindy, great to read that you arrived at last and are settling in. I'm really curious to see what you'll be working on. Enjoy every day!

Jester

[antihero]

Hi MCM,

I sent you a PM, would be glad to receive a reply. :)

Wish you the best for your South Dakota time that is starting now... I'm very excited and curious about what's coming up next...

antihero

[golgari]

hell yeah, definately keep us going...if you can spare the time, that is. i'm so curious on how your works will look like.

[endregan]

woot.

jonnny is backkk :)


Much love have fun and Keep it going !

faith my brother will keep us going

Jack

[MindCandyMan]

jester - Yeah I am curious as well!!! At first I will start off doing bargue drawings but I have to find a job first before I "officially" start at the studio. I went to a figure drawing session tonight so that was good...gonna be fun!

antihero - Thanks for the pm...I will come up with something soon ;)

golgari - Thanks man...I will definitely make the time to keep you guys updated.

endregan - Oh yeah bro...:)



Hi Everybody...well I went to a figure drawing session tonight and it was a little different than I expected. Hans, my teacher, said that he wanted me to draw the model with no help at a ll. He wanted me to do that so I could save my drawing and then in 6 months...or even earlier...I could look back and see how much I have improved. Well tonight my drawing was crap crap crap...oh well...that's why I'm there I guess...here it is:

[pandawhipped]

hey bro glad to hear you made it! Goodluck! Make sure you keep updating! :chug:

[jester]

Good idea from your teacher, I did this myself when I started working again. However, there's this virtual sketchbook you've got - you can always return to your beginnings... :D

Jester

[endregan]

hey jon the proportions look pretty good. I like how you handled it. how long was the session?

good stuff!!

[golgari]

yeah, how long did she hold that pose?
i think it's a good drawing. i like those little accents that you put in there (the ear, the ankle ;) )

[MindCandyMan]

jester - Yeah exactly hehe...I know I thought the same thing when he told me that hehe.

endregan & golgari - Actually this was a pretty long pose...she posed for like four 20-minute sessions...that seems like a really long time for such a simple drawing but Hans really wanted us to have the form be correct. He didn't want us to go into rendering and such...he wanted us to correctly place all the landmarks on the body and stuff like that. I've never worked that way...was interesting.

[MindCandyMan]

So... let me get this straight. Your "teacher" thought it was a good idea to let you draw with no assistance from him? Wow, and you paid money for this incredible teaching method? What a bargain. I feel so lucky because I draw without instruction from a pro all the time... for FREE!

Heh...well this is the first drawing I have ever done at this studio...and technically I haven't given him a check yet and I haven't started my training yet...so the fact that he is letting me start my training...trusting me to pay in a little while is actually a favor from him. So considering the fact that I got to use his studio...got to draw from a model that I didn't pay for...and am starting my training before I have given him one cent...I would say that I can trust that he is not running a scam operation (Which is obviously what you are implying). Be careful. I looked as some of your other posts and you want to be careful not to come across too dogmatic about things which you may not have all the information. It doesn't make a good impression.

[endregan]

post more!!

[amphex]

hell yah MCM =D
Good work on the proportions of that life drawing, and good luck on the rest of your journey with HANS =D

[MindCandyMan]

Thanks guys! Just wanted to let you know I am not dead...I am putting all my efforts into finding a job pronto so I can start at the studio sooner. I don't want to start until I have a part time job because that's how I will be paying for it. I will keep you updated. Thanks again guys!

[jester]

Crossing my fingers for your job search! Good luck!

Jester

[Cashmere]

MindCandyMan you have great energy, you will find a good job, surely!
I can't wait to take some hints from your studies :D

[sic1]

Best of luck on the job searches, your work is looking better and better each page!

[MindCandyMan]

sic1 - Thanks so much man I really appreciate it. Hopefully the studio will teach me even more as well!

Cashmere - Thanks bro...I will definitely be giving any help I can from my studies at the studio!

jester - Thanks ;)

Well I have a job interview on tuesday at a place where I am 95% sure that I will get the job so that's good...as soon as that is solidified I can start officially at the studio! Since a job is on the horizon I didn't feel guilty about spending some time doing some drawing:

some anatomy studies

92769

Did another figure drawing at the studio...one of many to come!

92770

I did this banner for a friend of mine...I did it real quick for his website.

92771

[endregan]

cool stuff :)

Cant wait till u in my man

[antihero]

Great bone study man!

Wishin the best for your job search!

(remember my pm? ;) )

antihero

[golgari]

great figure drawing, too!
especially her face and chest is nicely done.
what job are you "looking forward" to?

[zeroe]

i like the improvement of the standing woman figure
the bone is also very nice, good texture
kudos

[I.was.ink]

Hey MCM!

Great job on that last fig. drawing. Very solid, and correct. Sometimes when we start adding shading and such, we forget about the importance of structure and form. You seemed to have studied the structure for that last pose a lot. Congrats! You did a great job.

At this rate you'll be super good in no time. :thumbsup:

Keep us updated buddy:)

[Bombesei]

MCM, this is some really cool updating. It will be fun to see all the work they're going to have you do there. I was just looking around at ArtRenewal and saw that your teachers, or one of them or something, studied/worked with Nerdrum? That's freaking awesome! Relay any cool stories they might have to us :)


-Nick

[WildSpruceMoose]

34 pages of pure progress!! I'm sorry I didn't see this sooner. Such imporvement, so inspiring. I draw almost everyday and after seeing this, I'll continue.

[MindCandyMan]

endregan - Thanks bro!

antihero - Thanks man! Sorry about that...I remember your pm just forgot to create it. I will get on it soon!

golgari - Thanks bro...I just got a job at a janitorial place cleaning late at night from 10-1 ...fits perfect with my schedule at the studio...and it's an easy job where I don't have to talk to people at all...so now my wife needs to finalize one of these jobs and she will be set!

zeroe - Thanks so much man I really appreciate it. Haven't seen you around before. Welcome to conceptart...thanks for the kind words!

iwasink - Yeah you are exactly right. Shading a bad drawing is like polishing poop...you can polish it but it's still poop. (Hans said that hehe) You are tearing it up yourself...I saw your thread...so good and so young...you will be great!

Bombesei - Yeah they studied under him...they have some interesting stories. One that I can remember right now is that they went to the market with him and he took out his money to pay the person and he had a whole huge wad of bills just flapping around in his hand...they said he is really rich...money coming out of his ears. They also said that he uses foamcore for all his palettes...he just cuts them to shape and uses that. But the funny thing is that he said he saves all of them..."in case he ever gets sick...so he can just sell them for money"....hehe...hilarious.

WildSpruceMoose - Thanks so much man...I'm glad I could help inspire!


Ok guys sorry I am not updating consistently...trying to find my wife a job now...that takes priority over anything else so I can start at the studio...at any rate here's the stuff.


Some sketches to warm up:

92772

92773

This is a master's copy of a Bouguereau painting...if you don't know which one it is...I will keep it a secret till I'm finished. I had to up the contrast cause I am going real light while I am blocking things in...so it's a lot lighter than this:

92774

[Kortez]

Excellent stuff, I've been waiting for my MindCandy doze :)

that master copy looks sweet as a nut meg! Good to hear that you've got a job that fits your schedule :)

I'm looking forward to seeing where this will take you my friend :)

p.s. Is it ok to message you on msn now ? ;)

[zeroe]

nice sketches
i like the amount of movement going on in the first one
however the flail seems a bit random

mm and i like the looseness of the last one
post more please :P

im not feeling very constructive today crit wise ;P

[MindCandyMan]

Kortez - Yeah you can message me now hehehe...sorry about that. Thanks for the comments...that was hilarious...sweet as nutmeg...cracked me up man hehehe...thanks for the encouragement though seriously hehe.

zeroe - That post was very constructive...it's true! Thanks for the comments!


A quick sketch of my wife taking a nap...a lot is messed up...but oh well:

[antihero]

I don't know what it is, maybe it is the number 34, showin the page you've reached, maybe it is your continuous optimism, maybe it is... well it just _is_ damn motivating every time i check back.

You're doin really fine... :thumbsup:


antihero

PS: about the pm-thing... I'll wait. :)

[jester]

I adore your energy.

Best wishes! :flower:

Jester

[DeadPepper]

Yep, Great work man. Your Master's copy and sketch of your wife show just how good you've become. Your determination and skill is a real inspiration.
:chug:

[endregan]

i hope in 5 more months ill be close to you jon.

great work... :)

[MindCandyMan]

antihero - Thanks bro...I really appreciate the encouragement so much...it helps keep me going!

jester - ;) Thanks friend!

Deadpepper - Glad to see you around! Thanks for the encouragement it means a lot...keep drawing!

endregan - I hope in 5 months you will far surpass me!



I wanted to post this to show you guys what Hans suggested we do when blocking in a figure (This would be for a longer pose I suppose.) My example isn't that great but at least you can get the idea. He said to keep the drawing really clean...use the eraser as much as the pencil and (since I am a beginner) try to make the lines as precise and meaningful as possible. He said, "Sketching loosely is really beautiful as well...but we will train you to be precise first before that comes...clean up your lines a lot more." He wants us to get this gesture in fairly quickly and he said to think of it structurally as you are starting...don't start with the curves of the body...make everything in straighter lines so that it denotes more structure and then when you rework the drawing you can make it more curvacious. He described it kind of like someone carving a figure out of stone...they start with broader more general blocks for the whole figure...then they slowly chisel away slowly moving in to perfection. A sculptor would never start chiseling the features of a face when the legs are still two huge squares...drawing should be the same way...bring the whole drawing up together maintaining control the whole time. Hope that helps a bit...helped me at least.

[Bombesei]

That's interesting hearing the reasoning for this type of construction of figure drawing. And I like how you can see the different levels or stages in the drawing you posted. It sounds like your mind is being streched on a daily basis, please keep stretching ours. And that is hilarious about Nerdrum. I just started reading a little bit about him and his writings. Have they given an opinion on him and his work? I've heard that some students come away hating him and others loving him.


-Nick

[SylkX]

I remember this thread a long time ago when I first looked at conceptart but didn't think much of it. But when I looked through the pages and pages of hard work and seeing all this progress sparked something in me as well. I was in a similar situation as you, starting only recently, but this has inspired me to work as hard as I can on my art.
I actually did two self portraits today bringing my total up to 3!
Great job and keep up the good work!

[zeroe]

sounds like a good technique to me, and you handled the posereally well with the simple lineart. but one thing i ask myself.. where is his left leg? :D

[Cashmere]

Originally posted by MindCandyMan
I wanted to post this to show you guys what Hans suggested...


Great !. Just saved in my notebook. :cyberguy:

[MindCandyMan]

Bombesei - They said that Odd was really charming and could be really nice...but there were times that he wasn't...but they said the majority of the time he was really nice but they said that he didn't really teach at all...his students just pretty much watch him work which is really helpful in and of itself...but he didn't teach at all. But Hans said there definitely were students who didn't like him but that there were also students who really loved him and "followed" him in a matter of speaking. Hans said he was in between and that he thought it was a really valuable experience...it's funny...I looked at a landscape painting in the studio and asked where it was done...this beautiful sea scape with rocks and such...it looked so beautiful...that was out of the back of Odd's barn studio place...what a place to have a studio...sheesh.

sylkx - Portrait number 3 alright! You made it to three...the second one was very hard for me...very very frustrating. I'm glad to hear I could inspire you...if even in a small way! I look forward to seeing some of your art...keep drawing...and DEFINITELY don't stop!

zeroe - hahahaha hilarious...yeah I had a weird position...he had his other leg up on this block thing and surprisingly and weirdly it was covered totally by his right leg...weirdest thing...It definitely looks strange...I might have to take some artistic liberties and add something in there hehe.

mlessard - Thanks so much...that was really fun to do. I can't wait till I can paint her face!

Cashmere - Glad I could help!!


Okay guys...here is a short demo on how to do a Bargue Drawing...I will relay the info as it was relayed to me...I will break it down into steps.

Materials Needed: 2H pencil (trust me you will need it this light...you will do a LOT of correcting)...kneaded eraser...staedtler plastic eraser...thread...drawing paper...drawing board...ruler.



1.) Find a good drawing...one that is simple and one that you can print out fairly large...like the one I have shown below. Now the drawing needs to be really really clean...like the one below...the goal here is ultimate precision and ultimate perfection. You will spend weeks on this trust me.

2.) Print out the drawing (make sure the print out is of exceptional quality so you can see all the details exactly as they are) ...then tape the print out to your drawing board...make sure to tape it down good so it won't move. Then put your paper right up against it to the right or the left (If you are lefthanded) and tape your paper there as well.

3.) Next is a very important step...take a piece of black thread and place it like a plumb line over the printed out drawing...you should place it vertically not horizontally. Be really particular about this...measure the distance to the thread from the top leftmost part of the paper...and make sure at the bottom leftmost part of the paper the thread is the same distance...this will ensure that it is going STRAIGHT down. Make sure to tape the thread down on both sides as you go because you don't want the plumb line to move at all once you place it there. Next...measure the same way with your drawing paper only this time don't use a thread...actually draw a plumb line very very lightly with pencil down the paper...make sure it is perfectly straight down...just as your thread is. (Look at my drawing so far to see what I mean)

4.)Now you can start the drawing...start by taking another piece of thread to use as your measuring tool (use the ruler for all the thread laying measurements...etc...but use the thread when you are drawing it trains your eye better...using a ruler while you are doing the drawing will hurt you in the end...only use it if you are totally stuck or if you really need to check your measurement). Ok so once you have your piece of thread...lay it horizontally on the paper and find the top most part of the drawing...measure horizontally over and mark the same spot on your drawing paper...do the same for the bottom most point of the drawing and then do that eventually for the whole drawing...

5.) The object is PERFECTION...you do the whole drawing in this way but I will emphasize that it needs to be PERFECT...every angle perfectly right...every line exactly the same...when the shading sets in it has to be the exact value...EXACT...feel free to post in the middle class and I will help critique as best I can to point out the flaws.

Now here is my drawing so far...I will post the finished version as soon as I can!

92780

Some other drawings:

92779

92781

92782

same pose just trying to learn to block it in quickly using sight size method...the sight size method is teaching me so much about how to REALLY see the figure and how the proportions actually work together...Hans describes sight-size as training wheels that one day I will not need...but for now it's helping me learn.

92783

Hope that is helpful to you guys...peace. I will post this in the middle class for reference as well...everyone do a bargue drawing...if you can't find any drawings...look on artrenewal.org and find a high res drawing from one of the great masters and do that!

[endregan]

awesome dood. i see youre being trained hardcore hahah. thats a timely method it seems but i am sure it will pay off my friend.

;)

good stuff!

[jester]

MindCandyMan, it's great to see you posting again. Thanks a lot for this step-by-step-explanation of Bargue drawing. Only thing that isn't clear to me is how you use the horizontal string when measuring angles.
I like your pen sketches, as usual, good job on the note book and the rock formation.

Jester

[Kortez]

Oh my! that Bargue drawing is coming along beautifully!

Thanks for how to on Bargue. Might try it sometime :)

I SO want to go to an atelier when I finish high school :)

Keep us posted man ;)

[zeroe]

you gain soo much respect mcm! your newest sketches are pure ownage ;)

i especially like the little mule animal :D
and the gollums are also very nice
uhhh the progress :D

[MindCandyMan]

endregan - Thanks man! You will probably be doing it first hand soon with JMA...hehe ;)

jester - The way you measure angles can be...doing it by eye and then checking again and again to make sure it's right...you can also measure at some point on the line the distance from the plumb, for instance if you measured where the line began and ended...you could get a good idea of the angle...if it's a curved angle you can measure the outermost point...etc... you can hold the string at an angle and try to duplicate that on the other side...this part is the part that really trains your eye to do it right...it's fun to see your eye learn detail. Lemme know if that made sense.

Kortez - You definitely should go to an atelier if you can...you learn to draw/paint from life so well! If you do the bargue drawing I would love to see it!

zeroe - Thanks man...I'm loving working with the pen...I will love to do etchings down the line. Thanks again!


Hey guys I updated the bargue drawing thread and here are some pen studies from joseph clement coll and franklin booth...just messing around trying to learn technique.

[Smeagol71]

Hey bro, just wanted to comment on the torso drawing...you'll understand where I'm coming from when I say, WHO CARES about the method you're using or how long it takes!!! That drawing is just flat out awesome! I'm sure you're pleased with it. I would be, that's some great work.

It is time consuming but after the 105th time you do it you'll find yourself becoming comfortable with the figure and start to glean yourself off of the method. Wow, it's really good. Keep up the hard work. The pen stuff looks great too!

I'm busy workin' on a TDome idea, we'll see how it goes. Hope all is well for the Dakotorians...heh heh!

[MindCandyMan]

smeagol - Thanks bro...actually mine is the really light one on the right of that drawing though hahah...but I have been working on it for another week and I will soon be done so it actually does look like the one on the left now though hehehe. My drawing was so light that it made it really hard to see...sorry about that hehe. I am almost done mine so I will post a larger version of that when I am completely done...I will be doing two more and then it's on to cast drawings! So I'm excited to progress...I know exactly what you mean too...it's just nice to have a drawing of that quality regardless of the method...definitely. Thanks!

[TRi-14]

Hey MindCandyMan,

This is really inspiring stuff! You’re doing an amazing job. I think a lot of people will see this as a chance for them. I know lots of people who want to be artists but they just give up after the first few days. Your dedication is what I wish everyone had. Great stuff!

Cheers,
Chris

[MindCandyMan]

TRi-14 - Thanks so much...it's really encouraging to hear such kind words! I can't give up now...it's too much fun!!!


Smeagol showed me that a new thunderdome has started...here is my work in progress...I chose the persian empire...cool outfits the persians had...would be scary to see all those colors coming at you hehe.


Any thoughts are welcome...I'm off to the studio now to work on my bargue...peace

[DeadPepper]

Good work so far, Looks like a very promising start. Im looking forward to seeing the updates. Are you going to shed some light on his legs, they dissapear into the background a bit just now.

[zeroe]

looks like a pretty good start. solid pose and composition.
are you using reference for this?

[MindCandyMan]

deadpepper - Thanks, I think I'm only to shed a little bit more light on his legs...I will crop this down a little bit more too but I'm going for the whole "raw umber" wash over and over again to get a kind of look. I'm going for the whole rembrandt harsh lighting scenario...we'll see how it tunrs out hehe.

zeroe - No reference for this...I wish I had one hehe...I just looked up what their costumes would look like and the only thing I could find on the web were these really cheezy action figures for sale...but it at least shows what their outfits would be...I saw a persian sword online up for auction too...an authentic one so I used that as the idea for the sword.

[WildSpruceMoose]

That's pretty cool man. Alexander the Great so owned those persians though :p I guess the civ I chose will be battling yours?(If I do pull together a work in time.) I'd like to see some more fabric texture on him, but I don't know how to do that.

[MindCandyMan]

Moose - We are at war :chug: hehe...can't wait to see yours.




little bit more work on it...just a tiny bit more.

92786

One of the figure drawings from the studio today...I added the snake after the pose was over of course hehe. That little spot to the right of her butt was her hand coming around the otherside...I just denoted it with a square...looks a little confusing though.

92787

[SylkX]

very nice clean figure outline, how long was the pose for?

[jester]

Nice idea for the Thunderdome contest, Jon. I suggest that you try to get a clear idea of how the helmet/hat works because it doesn't read well yet.

Great progress, always a pleasure to come back to your sketchbook! Sorry, I'm too busy currently to post more often.

Jester

[MindCandyMan]

sylkX - I think that was off and on for 2 hours...I can't remember quite now...but Hans is making us get the outline EXACTLY as we see it...we aren't allowed to have hairy lines or anything like that either...each line has to be super crisp and everything...it's very hard.

jester - Good call...I changed the helmet a bit...lemme know what you think.

92793

Here is my finished Bargue drawing...it definitely isn't perfect but I will do b