Journey of an Absolute Rookie: Paintings and Sketches

[endregan]

wicked update! that sp is pretty awesome too. the running naked midget man is pretty awesome :)

your so silly :P

yeah snow is great- its that time of the year ! gotta love the 4 seasons and its weather. i couldnt live in a country that was always warm... :P

[MindCandyMan]

endregan - Thanks bro! Naked Midget Man!!! haha


Still plugging away at my bargue...but you got to stop for fun right? ;) Another orc...I've got a long way to go that's for sure...it seems simple to do...then you try to paint it hehe.

[Cashmere]

The helmet is great, the perspective isn't perfect but the shadows, the light are great!

[AndreasM]

Nice textures on the last one, MCM. I like the colours and the contrast isn`t bad either. I agree with Cashmere on the perspective part, though. A cuple of plane and propotional exersises will solve that pretty quick. It will ease your struggle on drawing heads too. (heh, and mine. Just convincing myself to do those exersises gives me a headache:rolleyes: )

[endregan]

wooo everyones doing these orcs eh.
yours is coming along awesome. good colours, the body seems a bit stiff and compressed a bit perhaps. keep working it buddy :)

maybe ill give an orc a go

geez its been a while since ive updated. must do that soon :)

[AttackCat]

nice update. I like the self portrait...a head on a platter...what could be more generous for his b-day. i like the orc too, good armor, it might be cool to have a bit more of that warm light (from lower left) reflecting off the armor on the head and shoulder?

[jester]

Hi Jon,

especially the orc's neck seems way too short, and you are cheating on the hands, looks like you cropped the painting for that pupose (why so much sky - do you want to put a title in there, for a book cover?). Hope that I don't sound too harsh. The rendering of the helmet is fantastic!

Jester

[MindCandyMan]

Cashmere - You are absolutely right...the perspective is definitely off...thanks.

nofish - I agree...yeah I just need better basic drawing skills in general. I need to do a lot more studies that's for sure.

endregan - definitely update soon! Body is definitely compressed. Thanks man.

AttackCat - Thanks man...yeah I guess your head would be your final gift hehe....good call about the reflective light...absolutely.

jester - not too harsh hehe...I prefer that type of language hehe. I didn't crop the image but it does look stupid to have his hands be cut off in the painting. It was a really quick painting so I didn't think too much about those elements...but I should be thinking about those things even with quick sketches...thanks!



Quick self portrait:

[MindCandyMan]

quick robot sketch for dsg

[endregan]

hehe i see that robot popup from you a lot. its a cute one too :)

[MindCandyMan]

endregan - Thanks hehe...you are right...my robot design is seriously in need of some new forms...I need to do some studies of some machinery. Thanks!

mlessard - Thanks...yeah unfortunately there are some perspective issues with that...bleh...tough stuff that's for sure. I had fun doing the helmet. Thanks man.

Still workin on this...trying to figure out how to paint all these trees...etc...

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I went to the zoo today to draw for like an hour or so...oh man...I am going to do this every weekend from now on because sheesh this was so difficult...tough to say the least. And these were the stuffed ones!

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For this page I used a pen and I had no pre-drawing in pencil...I tried to do them very quickly...this shows how far my eye has to go before it is trained...utterly horrible.

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[endregan]

coolios sketches.

never really sketched at the zoo :)

its kinda sad sometimes seeing them caged, just depressed animals :(

despite you saying theyre bad those line drawings were done pretty well!

love that buffalo the most!

the trees look really good. you use texture a lot, how do you accomplish that in painter? i had painter but i have a TWAIN error so i cant use it anymore :(

[MindCandyMan]

endregan - Yeah it is sad sometimes...all those depressed animals hehe...the ones in south dakota seem real lively though. Yeah I get that texture in painter through custom brushes and custom paper textures.


I am really frustrated...I want this painting to look as good as Jason's first painting found here:

http://www.conceptart.org/artist/jason-manley/


of course I can't make it look like that. I can't work on this piece of poo anymore:

[MindCandyMan]

___________

[MindCandyMan]

hey mlessard thanks...yeah wacoms are great...I have this one: http://www.wacom.com/productinfo/9x12.cfm but I don't have the platinum version. The 6 x 8 wacom is the size that foster and a bunch of other professionals use...I like the bigger one because it allows for more gestural strokes...to each his own though.

[Erzengel]

:eek:
w00t, ive read your first page and uh man, youre doing so damn well :)
comparing your first drawings with the recent ones shows some effort others surely wont ever achieve.
great work!

[Cashmere]

I agree :thumbsup:

[endregan]

awesome sp. its clean and theres good form to it!

growing the goatee there eh!


cool :P

[MindCandyMan]

erzengel - Thank you so much...you are too kind for sure. Thanks...the encouragement helps keep me going...it's hard to see your progress when you are in the midst of it.

cash - thanks bro ;)

endregan - Yeah the goatee is getting crazy long hehe...I'm just gonna let it keep going.

[MindCandyMan]

I'm struggling

[endregan]

whoa dood struggling never looked so good


the bottom looks like your neck falls off the image if thats what u were intending? the slope to your body cuts off fast

love the way your handling painter and using that tablet

makes me question why i didnt wait and save up more for a better tablet!

:p

keep these sps up, theyre awesome so much texture

[R_M]

:chug:

[Signature]

I want to add another "awesome".

Maybe eyes and mouth are a bit too clean/saturated.
It makes them stick out.

[MindCandyMan]

endregan - Yeah I intended that slope...wanted it to look weird hehe. thanks bro...definitely buy a tablet!

r_m - Thanks man!

signature - You are absolutely right...I need to keep that in mind.

Todays was very frustrating...bleh...I need to approach these differently...

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Stupid tortoise for dsg

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[Signature]

Me again ...
I like the dsg one. The SP is cool too.
There is just that one dominant color that makes it a little boring.
Proportions are great afaik. Texture too.
Maybe you can set up a stronger light source to get more distinct values.
If you need more input you can take a look at what Tinusch wrote there.
http://forums.sijun.com/viewtopic.php?t=33793
maybe you can play with colors like that a little. Just if you are interested ;)

[endregan]

coo dawg latest are trippy :)

hehe little turtle aww

good sp you hood lum :)

[Famboozled]

WOW there has been so much improvement Im amazed... very nice work!!

[Dan Milligan]

Jon

Great improvements! Your starting to show some real confidence. Keep it up.

Have a great holiday. it's been a fun year watching you. go man go

Peace
Dan

[MindCandyMan]

Signature - You are exactly right...I need a stronger light source...I think I'm gonna set up a little self portrait station at my desk so I can control the lighting a bit better. Good call on the color comment as well...I need to do some more skin tone studies. Thanks bro!

endregan - Oh yeah...I'm a crazy hoodlum with a rabid turtle hehe.

Famboozled - Thanks so much man...I love the drawings you have been posting in your sketchbook thread...keep em coming!

Dan - Thanks so much man! I've learned a lot just by looking at your work! Thanks for taking time to look at my little thread.

quick sketch of a mask cast of beethoven on the wall of the studio.

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Bargue drawing number three finished! I have one charcoal copy to do and then it's on to working with casts! I can't wait!

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Some quick sketches/ideas for the new thunderdome...the topic between iwasink and myself is "Underground Society Leader"...gonna take a weird spin on this one.

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[endregan]

LOL Dood that concept idea is awesome~! love that, keep working with it.

Oh a question, what is that blue pencil, how much is it where can i get it and does it erase? Ive been noticing a lot of people using it and wanted to try a diff colour to spice things up and blue is my fav colour :)

beethoven is pure quality... quick sketch is how long? looks pretty good!

as i said about the bargue in the thread, pretty nice... :)

Good stuff jonny boy. what are you doing for the holidays?

Peace

[R_M]

MCM/ sorry about my last reply it was pretty thin, but you do need a clap on the shoulder once in a while!
your underground society leader has a cool concept behind him. you might want to research clock works and calendars. like here:
http://www.amajo-geneva.com/amajo_flash.htm

or look for Jens Olsen's Wolrdwach, the most precise mecanical watch in the world (I think...)

Endregan/some people use blue pencil because photocopy machines can't see blue colur

[MindCandyMan]

endregan - Thanks bro! That sketch was probably about 30-45 minutes...somewhere around there I think...that cast is pretty complicated so it would take to really get all the subtleties...I will probably end up doing a cast drawing of it anyways hehe.

R_M - No worries about the reply it's all good. We all need some encouragement! That link is sweet you led me to another idea...gears that run it...etc. I also thought of having those signs be his "decision makers"....in other words if the sun is up then it's a "yes" to all his followers...or "no" if the moon is up. He's an insane sort of character as well hehe.



More tdome work -

[endregan]

another awesome concept!

id like to see some of these painted

watch for the head, looks a bit small

keep it up man

[MindCandyMan]

endregan - they will be painted soon ;)...thanks bro!


I'm away in Texas for the holidays everyone...will update soon

[endregan]

texas eh! your all over the map!

looking forward to seeing u back

[stacy]

whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa this is ammaaazzinng!!!! youve made SOOO MUCH progress...like its not even funny...

good job! and keep up the good work :chug:
keep posting :D

[MindCandyMan]

endregan - Thanks man...yeah I get around hehe.

stacy - Thank you so much...I really appreciate the encouragement! I will definitely keep posting...don't worry about that ;)

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[endregan]

hey man i knew youve been hiding your anatomy from me. sneaky hobbit!

these are pretty tight man. i really like the last guys face. much love!

[MindCandyMan]

endy - thanks bro...You crack me up hehe


some paintin...just started:

[endregan]

eerie painting. underground sewer?

looking good so far! quite the painter :)

[MindCandyMan]

endregan - Thanks bro!...not a painter yet that's for sure ;)


Just so everyone knows this is the piece that I am doing for the new thunderdome...you can check out my thread there against the great Iwasink.

little more work done...you can see what I am planning with that guy somewhat...of course he has been hardly touched but you get an idea...still messing around and moving him etc...

[Mindflaw]

Hi MCM
It´s been a while since I had time to visit this site, (been working dont even had the time to draw), but its fun to see that your still working hard and get the sweet payback of a steady improvment.

I been reading about what you written about bargue drawing and I see that you in your figure studies have this line for measurement and I wonder if you hold a thread with something heavy attached to it, in front of you as to take measurement or just use a pen, etc, or perhaps nothing at all? Just curious.

[MindCandyMan]

mlessard - Thanks man...hope the weirdness with the guy makes more sense on this update.

mindflaw - thanks for the encouragement! To answer your question I use both...I do have a thread with some washers attached to use as my plumb line. Now I am finding I don't need to use it as much...I kind of "remember" where the plumb line goes through and measure with my pencil from there and judge what my drawing looks like. Hope that helps...lemme know if it didn't make sense.



more work...almost done (I think hehe)

[Pencil Soldier]

The background is fabulous. Im new to Painter, how do you get all that texture into it? The figure is good too. But when you put them together it dosent seem to work..part of the problem is that he is too small, imo. It makes it seem like the subject is the sewer, not the man.

[MindCandyMan]

hey pencil...when I am finished I will post some close ups...basically it's using the square chalk and creating interesting "papers" in painter. I'm new to trying to achieve texture...a matte painter would probably be more of a help I would think...or someone like foster who is the king of fabulous texture.

Yeah the figure and the background don't fit together cause I haven't finished the guy hehe...I just put a burnt umber tone on him I am gonna throw a lot of highlights and such on his clothing etc that should draw more attention to him. I wanted people to feel like they are "in" his world...almost like your peeping out of a crack at him...or the view of one of his followers...that's why I made him a bit smaller...we'll see if it works when I finish hehe.


Working on a still life and that tdome project...and studio work of course...fun fun fun!

[antihero]

Whoa jon...
You've kept the momentum up for a pretty long time! A very cool Thread to watch. The thunderdome piece will turn out awesome, i dig the background allready, maybe get some interesting stuff in the background of the monk, it looks a bit empty the way it is. But anyways it's cool, any suggestions on painting/drawing backgrounds? It's something i really struggle with. :/

k e e p i t u p!
it's worth it...

antihero

[endregan]

great still life. is it digital? if it is try one using traditional paints, its a lot more fun :)

looks great though

the grafitti doesnt fit in the bg- its too unified perhaps? all one line weight. study that a bit more if its going in. it is a lot of hard work

good work!

[MindCandyMan]

working on this...back to the tdome

[Smeagol71]

Man oh man, those apples look good enough to eat!!!! That's really good work bro, I can tell the apples has been the most recent focus on this piece. Very nice. Keep up the great work. Don't spend too long on that one or your subjects will rot! LOL! :p

[MindCandyMan]

smeagol - thanks bro hehe...marie needed to use the apples for a strudel so I took a digital pic haha.

mlessard - Oh no you are absolutely...you will see in my update what I have planned for that guy...the only part of him that I have painted so far is his head...I haven't touched the other parts. Yeah it would look pretty stupid if I left him the way he was hehe.

[Mindflaw]

Oh my God a digital pic then you cant paint the fruits rotten... pardon my bad joke... hey wait a minute I´m off to paint rotten fruits :)

Anyway just write to say that your explanation made perfect sense thanks.

[MindCandyMan]

mindflaw - I finished my rotten fruit hehe



I finished this up this morning...I am going to submit it to ballistic publishing's "d'artiste" book...here's hoping! Maybe I will get in!


I have to say as well that I recommend that EVERYONE do this...don't color pick...don't trace...you will learn NOTHING if you do that. I can't tell you how much this still life taught me about using painter and about color choice and transitions between tones...etc... I will definitely do a lot more of these. Ok I'll step off my soap box.

[endregan]

hi jon. the final result is amazing. looks real!

you have much patience!

the only thing im worried about is if you keep taking pictures!

its no fun if you dont paint from life. try real paints you dont have to spend a week on it, well you cant, because the fruit will rot. but theres bottles of wine and other things you can use.

even do value studies in 5 hours of a couple of fruits.

though i am not saying this does not work. i love it

good work

[Cashmere]

You are doing something spectacular with your art, MindCandyMan!
This Renaissance still life is impressive.

[AndreasM]

WoW! this was awesome! You really nailed it this time.:)

[jester]

Almost like a photograph! Excellent!

Jester

[spork891]

The still life is fantastic.

[MindCandyMan]

endregan - You are absolutely right...never abandon studies from life that's for sure!

Cashmere - Thanks!

nofish - Thanks man!

jester - Almost....noooooooooooo I've failed...just kidding hehe

spork891 - Thanks bro.




a little more work

[DanSTC]

Wow, it really is something to see the first images in the thread and then compare them to the latest ones. Great progress, dude!

Heck, maybe I should make a thread like this and see what good it does for me.

[Jseuf]

It is humbling indeed to see your progress...absolutely mind blowing! Rock on!

[rotbol]

WOW im absolutely STUNNED by your improvements!!!

3 months of hard work and dedication really does pay off!

Keep up the good work :chug:

*goes away to dust off the old pencils and wacom board with new fresh inspiration and hope*

rotbol

[MindCandyMan]

DanSTC - Thanks so much...you should DEFINITELY make a thread like this one and see what happens. You will be pleasantly surprised I think ;) !

Jseuf - Rock on man! :rock: Thanks!

rotbol - Thanks! This thread encompasses a little bit over a year though. I wish I learned what I have in 3 months! I would save a lot of time then hehe.


*goes away to dust off the old pencils and wacom board with new fresh inspiration and hope*
Thanks for saying this...this is the main reason why I post...glad to hear it!


Still plugging away...

[AndreasM]

Looking good, MCM, i love the textures, but there are a few things that bothers me. First off, it suffers the lack of depht (SP?) and direction. The reason may be that it`s hard to see the shape of the room. Mabye extending the canvas and making the image wider will help.

Here`s quick and rough scetch to suggest how to solve it..
http://img5.photobucket.com/albums/v22/n0fish/rescetch.jpg

The man bothers me a bit. He is a cult leader isn`t he? Why is he standing there? Also, shouldn`t the watery surroundings reflect the colours of the robe?

A suggestion: The room could make an exellent throne room. That could solve the composition problems too..
http://img5.photobucket.com/albums/v22/n0fish/rescetchthrone.jpg

Hope this helped a little. :)

[endregan]

good jonny boy. i agree with nofish, though he might not have to sit on a throne, but perhaps larger.

also the sketch of the throne nofish did, the chair is dead center, which wouldnt work. but perhaps a throne may work a bit to the right

this is coming along nicely

[golgari]

wow. your paintings look stunning...i'm especially amazed how far you already took that underground leader:
although i have to agree with n0fish, at least concerning that reflection and the depth, the picture definately already works right now...those textures rock! and good to see that you thought of the glow of the light reflected by the water onto the robe. maybe try to take the texture of the water a little further, right now it also could well be snow.

[MindCandyMan]

nofish - Whoaaaa...that is really weird...I just posted in the thunderdome thread that I might put him on a throne!!! Great minds think alike I guess! I also thought of putting some of his "followers" sillhouettes in the foreground as well...kind of like this:

endregan - Yeah I know what you mean about dead center...I would keep him a bit off to the left probably.

golgari - Thanks...yeah the texture of the water has been really tough...I've been trying to see if I could do something else with it...lemme search through the masters and see what they have...good suggestion.

[AnarchyAo2]

I dunno MCM, I think that a throne could be really good or really bad. Depending on what it looks like. I also that his disciplies would just clutter the picture.

Also, having a king's type of throne would be wierd (The outline kind of seems like a king's throne.). Because, you character is a sewer rat type of guy, with all of these wierd gadgets probably made from junk. So, I think the throne should represent that. Maybe have the throne made of old junk. Like pipes and scrap metal. That may look cool.

[MindCandyMan]

That's exactly what I thought of...old pipes and trash and such...just arranged in that form pictured there.

[endregan]

Hmmm technically the disciples work.. adds more interest. with or without it would be good...

the throne added in works well !

if you are to do the silhouette of disciples in front, make it like a head and a hand and another head or part of a body... not the same size. like a camera at that point, larger because it is close and farther away is the leader.
i Like it!

[antihero]

The painted monk/leader looks beatiful, you did a very good job on rendering him. Hats off.

[spork891]

You really have to leave in those followers in the foreground, otherwise it would be difficult to figure out he was a secret society leader without knowing what the thunderdome topic was.

[MindCandyMan]

endregan -
make it like a head and a hand and another head or part of a body... not the same size Yeah that's exactly what I was thinking as well!

antihero - Thanks man...not done yet though!...hopefully it will be even better.

spork - I agree...I want the image to read right without an explanation...I think it would add interest as well. I will experiment with that as well.


I also need to finish up the "character design" portion I am doing as well...I should finish today or tomorrow. This is an in process image obviously but check it out:

[endregan]

Great minds think alike!

love the progress...this reminds me i should kick meself and start at it again

Thanks man :)

busy busy..exam time for me!!

seeya

[Neireth]

Just dropped by to say that I think you've made an amaaazing progress. You inspired me to start sketching again. Thanks. =)

Keep the great work up and good luck with the tdome project (looks awsome)!

[Savior]

MCM -

I'm sure that this post isn't going to make much of a difference to you, but let me tell you, from an outsider's perspective, you have and are travelling on a journey that many of us aspiring artists hope to take - a journey of self improvement. Your improvement that you have shown over that last months has been so remarkable and so inspiring to so many of us here. Keep doing what you're doin' and we'll keep watching.

Never stop, good sir. :chug:

[MindCandyMan]

endregan - Bleh exams...I remember those days...do well!

spellshaper - Thanks so much I appreciate it! Definitely start sketching again...I want to see the sketches!

savior - These kind of posts definitely make a difference to me! That's the primary reason I am posting on here is to in some way help others...I have received help from so many I want to give back whatever I can. I definitely won't stop ;) ...thanks!


Finished the "character design" portion of my thunderdome project...I am feeling the time crunch hehe...

[endregan]

great work. it needs a darker value to make it look more 3d. almost black but not quite, like where its darkest, to give it contrast. time crunch..yeah i better start painting mine haha

great work jon :)

[MindCandyMan]

The finals of everything:

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"Sewer Rat" is a retired karate instructor turned insane. He now roams the sewers of philadelphia gathering what followers he can to his cause. He and his followers call themselves the sun and moon clan. With funding from Mayor Street they wait for the opportune moment.

[adien]

they all look great, the only real crit I have is the water and the lighting of the sewer.

The light seems to be coming from above, and there doesn't seem to be another obvious light source, but the water is really light in color, and there seems to be alot more diffuse light than I would expect from the single light source from above.

I think it tends to lighten the atmosphere more than maybe you intended? The light colored water just doesn't seem to suit a sewer.

other than that it's really impressive. I like it alot. I think it was a huge improvement adding the throne (the colors and texture of which are just great btw)

anyways, my 2c. :)

[MindCandyMan]

adien - Thanks I really appreciate it. I agree with you on the water issue...I am reworking the whole image a bit so I will definitely darken the water around...I didn't want the inside to be very dark because I didn't want to obscure the details of the guy but perhaps it is too light...I will play around with it. Thanks.



My friend needed this for a web page for a project at school so he messaged me and I did it...took me like 15 - 20 minutes so don't be too harsh hehe.

[pandawhipped]

Mind its so awesome to see your progress! I kinda took a break from the site for awhile and come back to see this sweet painting, and I'm totally blown away! Keep up the good work bro, we should all be working as hard as you :chug:

[MindCandyMan]

panda - Thanks so much man. I've been watching your progress in your watts thread...keep up the momentum man you are doing great!


Ok here is the "real" final of that painting:

[Revelation]

Those are sweet paintings man, keep it up! Nice textures.

[talmir]

Truly great piece.. the only thing that might just be a minor nuisance is that I get the feeling I'm looking at a bottum-up perspective at the tunnel but head on at the guy in the center.. But hey, that might just be me (Hard to explain)

[MindCandyMan]

revelation - Thanks man :chug:

talmir - Thanks...I think I see what you mean...it does kind of look strange in a way...lots of problems that's for sure.



Here is an example of the level I am at in figure drawing at the studio. Our teachers (till we get into casts I would assume) have us just strictly work on the structure of the model. We try to achieve the outline and also indicate the structure inside...the next step would be to start rendering all the inner parts but I am not good enough to do that too much yet. I've done it a couple times and it didn't look so good hehe. The thinking is that you learn this step very well before you move on otherwise when you render you will be polishing a turd hehe. At any rate here is an example:

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[RETEP]

hey mindcandyman
i have been looking through the thread and its amazing how far you have come. you're really doing great!!!

[endregan]

:evilbat:

[MindCandyMan]

dingoegret - Thanks so much...I have been frustrated lately so it helps hearing some encouragement ;)

endregan - :eek:



Ok plain and simple I need to draw more...so I am going to...plus I am pushing myself in areas that I am AWFUL at...I need to learn to draw hands...feet...etc...everything on the human figure...cause I stink at doing it from imagination...at any rate here we go.

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p.s. - I don't smoke hehe...for all those who know me...I didn't start smoking hehe

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[jester]

Hey Jon, seems we recently had the same impulse to go back to the basics... :) I also started studying hands again the other day.

How's your job at the bakery going? I guess it takes much time and energy (I experience this myself) to draw after a long day's work.

Jester

[MindCandyMan]

jester - Yes exactly...getting back to the basics and trying to learn them...hard hard stuff that's for sure...frustrating. My job at the bakery is going great I love it...it is definitely hard work...yeah I know what you mean about feeling really tired...I just have to keep pushing myself and I don't turn on the tv...cause then I will just become a lump all night hehe. I'm driven to arrive at my goal so that keeps me going hehe.


Forgot to post this last night:

[chakuseki]

good. die.

[endregan]

Originally posted by chakuseki
good. die.

thats not cool

[MindCandyMan]

chakuseki - heheh...I don't understand sorry :confused: ...it's funny though hehe.

endregan - You got my back bud thanks! ;)



Studies from various sources and attempts from my head (mostly crap)...the pronghorn (antelope, etc...) was done at the zoo yesterday on a stuffed one.

[jester]

Very nice antelope study! Reminds me to got to the zoo as soon as the weather is better.

Jester

[AndreasM]

Man, your drawings are just getting better and better. Keep up the the hard work.:chug:

[killing.people]

hey buddy, :)

you are doing soooo fucking awesome! you rock man.

[catterpillar]

holy crap - i just looked at the first page and the last page of your sketch book, you've improved so much! congrats!

[jadedchron]

Yeah, ditto.

[antihero]

Hey mcm
What can i say? More drawing is allways a good thing and your latest studies/sketches show great improvement. Especially the Antilope looks really beatiful.
Keep things going!

antihero

[MindCandyMan]

jester - thanks! Yes get to the zoo...it's fun!

nofish - Thanks...I've been frustrated lately so it's great to hear that they have been getting better...sometimes it seems like they aren't.

killing.people - Thanks so much man! I'm not the only one kicking butt...I'm following your tdome thread ;)

caterpillar - Thanks...I haven't looked at that first page for a long time hehe...makes me cringe.

jadedchron - Thanks man :chug:

antihero - Thanks man...I'm watching your current progress too even though I don't always reply...keep it up!



Just to let everyone know as well...I drew that pronghorn from a stuffed one "inside" the zoo. They have this huge area with stuff animals inside it's awesome. Kind of like a natural history museum. I sketched it from life but I just didn't want to take credit for drawing a moving pronghorn hehe...that would be much harder.



I don't know if you guys remember this painting but I brought it back...I'm reworking it a bit for fun:

[John]

W O W MCM W O W
That last painting rocks so much i could drink my whiskey on it!
Ok now that was a bad joke. However, that is great work.

[Adam Carnes]

the last painting could use some reflected light from the halo. The costume looks like a hill in structure. Otherwise, it is nice.

[amphex]

huh adam?

[talmir]

Adam, this isnt a place to drop your own work. At least comment here..


btw.. MCM : The antilope drawing is really good. I'm having a bit of a hard time with the bridgman head construcion I see youre doing there.. Keep up the good work and thanks for your advice to me :)

[endregan]

awesome jon. brought back the magic stuff eh

those were fun, too bad it died. maybe it will be back some day again ;)

take the halo away from him. maybe a glow but the halo is strange to me.

awesome sketches man

[J.Mac]

MCM aka Jon,

i am like many people here in how they have say you are doing very well!!! you are a big inspiration to this community :D i have to thank you for sharing your development. it makes me realize i need to be more patient with myself and growth as an artist. keep it up you are coming along!

ok now to talk about your work. that antelope is awesome really good rendering. How long did that take you to do?

ok your heads seem to be out of praportion. have you seen some of Andrew Loomis's work and guides? They are pretty helpful for giving you an idea of how the head should be divide, and there is always the infamous KChen he knows everything too. ok i have babled long enough.....:D

keep it up, you rock!!!

-Jesse

[MindCandyMan]

Ancient Kitten - Bottoms up! :chug:

adam - Thanks for the critiques. I thought it would be a tad mysterious without the halo providing light...like it was almost ethereal...maybe it doesn't work though hehe.
The costume looks like a hill in structure Sorry I don't know what you mean? :confused: Great to see you posting again! How are things coming along? I liked that piece you had up in here too!

amphex - :cool: :eek: ;)

talmir - Yeah that head construction is REALLY hard for me for some reason as well...keep at it we will learn together.

endregan - Yeah bring back the magic thread! Hmmm...I kind of like the halo...kind of an opposite thing going on...a lich lord with a halo...oh well we'll see.

j.mac - Thanks for the kind words man I really appreciate them! Yeah my head drawings STINK. I have been trying to follow loomis but I keep screwing it up hehe...gotta practice more.



More work on this:

[killing.people]

:D

[MindCandyMan]

killing people - Thanks man :chug:

This was the sketch that this painting was based on...hilarious to look back even a couple months...man this sketch is LAME!



I'm sure in a couple months I will think this painting is lame hehe.

[MindCandyMan]

more work:

[Ivan]

I just want to say thank you for being such an amazing inspiration that you've gotten even me to decide to follow a dream I've had since being a kid.

[gandalf]

ditto!!:chug:

[LadyLioness]

Hey MCM, wow, i just looked at your work from the 1st page and the 30th page. very great improvement, thanks for the inspiration! great work :D

[Mindflaw]

Hey man sketches are almost meant to be lame, otherwise you spent to much time on it. As I see it sketches are just ideas, doing them to good and you don´t get the time to sketch all ideas.

edit: It must be a nice feeling that something you did a couple of months ago is lame compared to what you do now and it´s seems like your so called lame sketch did the trick since you got the composition and colours down. I hope you didn´t misinterpret my original post.

Keep up the work MCM

[AndreasM]

The last painting is great, MCM. I bet you are working your ass off. Looking foward to the next update.

Cheers!

[MindCandyMan]

Ivan - That's awesome I'm so happy...definitely draw draw draw...anyone can do it with practice! Thanks for sharing that it means a lot! Now let's see some of your art :chug:

gandalf - been following your progress...you have the inclination I can see it in your work. Work really hard to flesh it out...I will be interested to see how your skills develop...keep it up!

LadyLioness - Anytime! Sheesh...I don't look at those beginning pages anymore hehe...way too painful.

mindflaw - hey man don't worry I understood what you meant and I agree although I wish my sketches were like coro's, Alan Lee's or justin sweet or foster...etc... they are works of art that stand in their own right. In that respect I thinka lot of care should be given to them...but yeah sometimes you just need a quick idea down as a type of journal entry of sorts. Thanks for following the thread bro.

nofish - Trying to work hard hehe...the atelier has the whips out hehe. thanks.




Ok I finished my last master copy...I did a large format charcoal copy of one of my teacher's drawings. Her name is Sanna Tomac and her art can be found here...she's awesome!!!:

http://www.sannatomac.com/

the studio I am at is pantura studios ( http://www.panturastudios.com )


and here is the master copy:

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And I finally get to start my first cast drawing ...I just started blocking everything in today. I will be posting some helpful pictures in the cast drawing thread (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5363) of the middle class later on today or tomorrow so that should help answer some questions people have about setting up their casts etc...

Here is the block in:

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The angles may not be exactly where I was standing...and I may be off...just a rough block in hehe.


Oh and we also started a large format charcoal figure drawing yesterday...gonna be 4 fridays in a row...we are gonna fully render it out and everything...I can't wait to try it! Uncharted territory for me...we'll see what happens.

Sorry this is shot at a weird angle...at any rate this is not a great example but this is how we "block in" the figure at the atelier. We get all the angles perfect...and make it look EXACTLY like the model's body. The reason it takes a bit longer for our figure drawings is because we don't use the model as a bodily reference...we try to get a likeness not only in the face but in every part of the body as well...at any rate I've babbled enough...see ya

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[endregan]

awesome masters copy!!! good start on the bargue. The atelier looks great :-o! Good instructors


I was wondering if you could get a picture of you using the plumb line, making the start of the piece.

when i did my bargue i had the plumb line down on both and drew above the line, is this not how you do it?

I am not sure so a little visual showing of it would help me a ton!

[stormy]

Wow! I just checked out the site of the studio where you are training. Did you move to SD just to go there, or did it just happen that there was such an awesome place to learn? Very impressive. btw, I'm one of many that have looked through nearly all the pages of your journal here, and the transformation is nothing short of amazing.

[MindCandyMan]

stormy - Hey Stormy...I would never have moved to South Dakota if it weren't for the studio haha. It's too cold and weird out here hehe. There is one girl in the studio who was looking to learn and one day found the studio and was really happy but most of the students are from around the country. Our teachers are some of the best int he country so people come from far away to study with them. I'm glad my progress could inspire you...hopefully I will keep on doing that. Thanks for the comments. :chug:

endregan - Thanks...that masters copy was fun to do...You said good start on the bargue...did you mean the cast drawing?


If anyone wants their questions answered about cast drawing you can look at the thread I created here:

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=168206#post168206

Also I have a BIG morsel of news that I had to share with all of you. My teacher pulled all of us students into a room and told us that the Principle Gallery approached them (this is the gallery that they sell most of their paintings through) and gave them a really good proposition. My teachers are having a show all to themselves in september I think...but at any rate the gallery told them that they wanted to have a "Pantura Studios" show probably in about a year or a year and a half from now. What that means is that we (the students) will get to showcase and sell our work in a major gallery before we are even done with the atelier!!! Plus it gives us a great chance to build a relationship with the gallery. Hans and Sanna (my teachers) sell a lot of paintings through that gallery so it is going to be a fantastic opportunity...we are all really excited. Now I just have to create some good work to showcase hehe. Thankfully it's a year and a half from now so I will have some time hehe. So if any of you live near Virginia I will let you know when it's coming up and you can see my work and visit with me there. I'm excited! Ok that's enough typing.


Here is the link to the principle gallery: (Just a warning...a lot of my teachers' work has sold...the pieces that are there are still good...but it isn't the sum of their BEST paintings...if you want to see more of their work go here (http://www.panturastudios.com) .


http://www.principlegallery.com/

[endregan]

Yeah I meant cast sorry.

Thats good news to hear, congratulations.

your dedication will pay off ;)

[MindCandyMan]

Starting on an oil painting...this is from a photo that I took at deep creek maryland. Just blocking things in...etc...


endregan - Thanks man ;)

[Sok N. Wett]

WOW JUST AWESOME MINDCANDYMAN, JUST LOOKING FROM TOP TO BOTTOM OF YOUR THREAD AND JUST INCREDIBLE THAT I HAD TO SHOW MY FRIEND WHO KEEPS SAYING HE SUCK AT DRAWING TO LOOK AT YOUR THREAD AND SEE WHAT HARD WORK CAN DO FOR YOU. YOUR AN INSPIRATION TO EVERYONE OUT THERE....THANKS!

[Zakk]

@mcm: wow, i saw your development from the beginning (i went through your topic now) and you're a huge inspiration for me. i'll try to do the same, but i have a small question: how much time did you spent on selfportraits or other sketches at the beginning? is it good to do sketches slowly (i take more than 10 mins for a cup)?

[stormy]

If you get some paintings up in VA? I'll drive to see the show, for sure. That's VERY exciting. Keep up the great work, and look forward to seeing the landscape finished. (Take your time tho)

[coriat]

i want to see an update!
you're becoming great :)
:eek: :eek: ;)

[Brium]

You are truly amazing! I sat down one day and looked through all of this thread and I can't believe my eyes! Being a "rookie" artist myself, you are truly an inspiration to me as well as many others, I'm sure. Your dedication to your art and determination to make it work is definantly paying off, and I'm glad everything is working out so well for you. I can't wait to see where you will be in the future; no doubt it will be in an excellent place.

Pantura Studios looks like an amazing school. From what I've seen and read, it looks like they strive to help their students in any way possible. Considering they only take five students, they must have seen your potential from the start.

Keep up the excellent work, and I hope to hear great news from the show in VA when it takes place. It sounds like an amazing opportunity!

[MindCandyMan]

Sok N. Wett - Thanks man. Tell your friend he can learn it just takes hard work. Thanks again ;)

Zakk - Thanks. Speed is the last thing to come...don't rush any of your drawings at the beginning. A sketch that takes andrew jones 5 minutes will take me an hour probably. He has paid years of dues and night after night of drawing so now he is able to do things quickly. Worry about doing things right at the beginning...don't worry so much about speed at all...make it look good no matter how long it takes at this point...worry about precision...looseness and speed can come later. In other words...to render a cup (get the ellipses right and get all the shading right) 2 hours would not be a long time.

stormy - Thanks! It would be cool to meet some of you...I will probably (by then) have a couple paintings on display and have a couple big cast drawings or cast paintings as well...probably like 4 to 5 pieces. It would be great to meet you!

coriat - Coming soon hehe...thanks bud.

brium - Thanks for looking through the whole thread...hope you had a cable modem! Pantura is awesome...it's a FANTASTIC place to study at...we get a lot of attention and the teachers are awesome at what they do plain and simple. Thanks again!



Update coming soon guys...I have been working on a mural that I am painting at someone's house so I've been a bit busy...I will update soon...thanks for all the kind comments and thank you to everyone who reads all the way through this thread...it's amazing to think of people going all the way through it hehe. Your encouragement keeps me going...thanks!

[MindCandyMan]

As soon as I can I will take a picture of the cast I have been working on as well as the painting...but for now some sketches:

This was a really crude sketch I did while talking to someone...I wasn't even sure what I was drawing as I was doing it...I have some ideas to use it as a concept for a digital painting.


This is a quick sketch of an idea for a painting I may do in oils over the next year sometime. I want to do it for the show in Virginia...it will be a scene of Ulysses leaving Troy (from the odyssey)...my ideas are still in their infant stages.




some sketches

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[pandawhipped]

Dude, nice job on indicating those wings! I really like that sketch. It has such a cool feel to it, and would make an awesome painting.

[MindCandyMan]

panda - Thanks man...yeah I am gonna use the same character and put him in a cathedral type setting...this weekend I am going to take reference pics of my wife to use for it. Thanks for stopping by I have been following your progress...your work ethic and skill are very inspiring!

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93835

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93837

And more work on my cast

93838

[winjer]

I think you need to work on gesture a bit. All your drawings without ref look extremely stiff, like they were done piecemeal.

[endregan]

good progress...awesome life drawing

that painting is a good start!

keep it up :)

[MindCandyMan]

winjer - Yeah I definitely agree.

endregan - thanks bro.



Did this over lunch for the dsg...the topic was Character: B-Movie Victim or B-Movie Killer

I love painting big eye monsters haha.

[::EPIC::]

hey mcm, just a question is there a site where one can purchase plaster casts for at home studies?

[MindCandyMan]

http://www.mindcandyman.com/jons_uploads/eyeavatar.gif (http://www.statue.com) The evil eye says, "Click Me to Buy a Cast...look in the 'cast drawing' section"

[endregan]

LOLLL

your ridiculous man :)

i like it

I would buy a cast... i must do a bargue first though.

[::EPIC::]

heh thanks mcm

http://www.statue.com/items.asp?CartId=9424223HWJBD-EVEREST-575&Cc=DRAWCAST&tpc=

[OrangeCatNinja]

MCM, been watching your thread progress, looking every month or so...
it's great to see how much you've improved in so little time, it inspires me so much! =)

[Mindflaw]

Hi
To quote a book:
"Gruesome eyeballs are a favorite theme of adolescent boys."
Yeah never grow old man he he!

Todays question: Is a sketch in the eye of the beholder or in the amount of time spent doing it?

And I too wish that my sketches were as great as those guys your mentioned...well they might, in like ten years from now:bash:

[MindCandyMan]

endregan - Yes definitely! Do a bargue first though you are right.

EPIC - Thanks for posting the link I wasn't sure if it would work since it was an asp page.

Orangecat - Thanks man! :chug:

mindflaw - That quote is awesome! I will never grow old don't worry about that hehe. Not sure about the answer to that question...kinda hard to say. Everyone's sketches are different...some are more developed...some less so. I think that's what makes everyone's sketchbook so interesting too...you can see their personality come out. We will be doing sketches like them...not even in ten years from now ;)
_____________________________



Sorry for the bad image quality today guys...I went to the zoo to draw yesterday and of course...I forgot my sketchbook...very smart I know. So I used this old piece of paper that was all wrinkled and stuff...sorry. These were off of the dead animals stuffed.

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[endregan]

awesome sketches. I need to go to the zoo sometime... :)

is that a hippopotamus?

I saw a video yesterday, it was sad. A mother brought her baby with her to a group of hippos, and this other hippo grabbed the mini hippo baby and killed it.

Anyhow thought that was relevant.

Who knows why, but it happens for a reason!

[pandawhipped]

When you do your Bargue drawings are youw orking from a book? I just ordered an awesome book with tons of his illustrations from casts, and it looks like some of the ones youve done are from that book.

[emilpaun]

Hi! I just dropped by to say that I have been reading this thread, at work (please don't tell my boss :) ), since december, and finally yesterday managed to read the last page. MCM, you're an inspiration to us all. I even started my own thread now, but can't quite seem to get the images to display . Anyway keep it up man, you're going the right way

[stormy]

impressive stuff on the update. is the reason for just initially drawing an accurate outline instead of structure so that you don't get alot of mess where you're gonna want to detail later on? I've been trying to incorporate some of the techniques I've seen you use, for instance blocking in the different tone areas in the shading (ie. the cast of the lower face...which is very cool in itself), and have ordered a couple anatomy and gesture books. we'll see. keep up the great work and continue posting.

[Erik]

wow mcm you're taking giant steps these days


the sanna tomac site is great, especially i love the study paintings. Blue wrap is my favourite -- it really vibrates

[TARGETE]

MCM,

I like that hippo man and those large figure drawings are really cool..seems like its a great execise...keep pushing my friend the light is near..;)

JP

[antihero]

Kickass!

My limited english-knowledge must fail when describing what you are doing here...
Sorry. Can't offer any crit, you're doing great and i don't doubt that you wont stop doing great.
"Keep at it!" is probably the only thing i can offer you. :)


antihero

PS: The Hippopotamus looks just great!

[Lukias]

Hey mate:)
Awesome to see your persistance man and as everyones said you're improving in leaps and bounds.

Keep on kicking ass imkay

[illy]

OMG... you are awesome!!! keep up the hard work, and if you get better than anyone on this board, you deserve it, that's for dayam sure. bravo buddy. :)

[steak-tron]

nice work dude, I like dem figure drawings - your doing all the right stuff. Looks like your a one-man sketch factory over here, some day Ill get through all 30 pages.

keep it up.

[Jaded]

MindCandyMan you are an inspiration to all of us who want to be great artists. Thanks your awesome. I have skimmed through this thread with hopes of reading the entire thing and learning from you and everyone who's had a part in this.

[empty]

i checked you your sections when you first started it, what seems like years ago. i have to say i am mucho impressed with the progress you have mad in the time since. i admire your dedication. keep it up.

i'm planning on starting my sketchbook section soon, so keep an eye out.

[MindCandyMan]

In order from furthest back hehe:

endregan - Thanks man...yeah that's a hippo...they have very interesting teeth actually...was fun to do a study. Nice apple still life...you are improving!!

pandawhipped - I was actually working from my teachers drawing of his teacher's drawing in florence I think...so they are the same but probably a bit different than the originals haha. I know what book you are talking about my teacher just got it and it is awesome! I never realized bargue did so many sheesh. Keep up your progress man you are getting good!

KR33P - Thanks so much...I remember those days at work! hahah ...alt + tab serves you well in those situations hehe. I feel honored that you read through the whole thread thanks so much!

stormy - Yeah exactly. I think it's the big difference between "understanding" the model and actually drawing a likeness of the model. I think both are absolutely necessary but you have to learn to control the switch in your brain. If I was doing a fine art painting or drawing I am looking for a likeness (not always but most of the time)...whether that be a likeness of the face or even the stomach, leg, arm...etc... But if you want to learn to construct the figure from imagination you need to learn to understand the figure. I think doing both is really helpful. I should be putting more internal indicators as well but I am working on that hehe...you don't want it to be a silhouette. I think that's really good you are incorporating those techniques...one main thing is squint. Squint and if the reflected light disappears and it looks like one big shadow then use that shape as your "block in" shadow shape...that will help. Think of the shadow shapes as abstract images and it helps. Same techniques as when you do a bargue drawing...you look for negative space shapes, etc... I'd like to see your attempts to do this!

Erik - Yeah Sanna is amazing...you should see the stuff she is working on now...amazing. Once a week I sit in on a portrait painting she is doing...I love watching her paint...I stand right next to her looking right over her shoulder and looking at her palette as she mixes hehe. My teachers are so awesome and patient to let the students do that...it's great. I love that painting too...that's actually of her husband (my other teachers) Hans Peter Szameit...you can see both their work here http://www.panturastudios.com . Thanks for the encouragement man!

Targete - Thanks so much friend! I take so much inspiration from your work...it's a constant source and example of imagination and skill for me. The light may be near but you're not even in sight! Thanks for stopping by the thread ;)

antihero - Your english looks really good to me! I have been watching your progress as well...you have really come a long way keep it up man! Thanks that hippo was fun!

Lukias - If I had half of your skill I would be happy. Thanks for the encouragement man I really appreciate it!

illy - Thanks :chug: ...I would have a LONG way to go to be better than everyone on this board but it's something to shoot for! ;) Thanks for stopping by and for the encouragement.

steak-tron - Thanks man...yeah I know 30 pages is a lot sheesh...I worry about running out of web space heheh.

jaded - I'm so glad this thread has helped even if in a small way. I truly believe that art is a learned skill like basketball...gymnastics...writing... If you want to be a great artist you can be...it sure is hard work but

empty - Thanks so much man! I would love to view your work when you get your sketchbook started...drop me a note or a private message so I can monitor your progress.

__________________________________________________ __



Just a general questions for you guys...down the road (a year or two) if I decided to do this...do you think there would be interest in making a book that showed my progress with stuff from each section of my progress as an artist and all? Just a thought. If I can help inspire people to pursue art I would love to do that!


Ok here are some updates...besides studio work I have been working on this recently...this is a mural I got hired to do for someone in their home. Their daughter is a drummer/percussionist and so they wanted a theme related to that...so we worked together on a design...she wanted the "freakin loud" and her parents agreed! Her drumset will be set up in front of the mural :

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Some stuff on my cast as well:

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The drawing looks really off in this picture...it's a combination between distorted camera angle and also that mine is incorrect....I need to fix the "outline" of the cast...the upper left especially looks odd...shouldn't take long to fix.

This is a portrait I am starting of my friend from life...now I know it looks really weird at this point but I wanted to catalog my steps through it...what I did with that tone is block in the shadow areas so I could see where the errors are on the structure of the face...a lot of times filling in the shadow areas with a light even tone reveals how disproportionate your other relationships are in the drawing. So this is very early in the process...so be forgiving hehe.

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[xia]

:chug: Good stuff buddy! Keep them coming!

[Jaded]

To answer your question. I would love to see a book of your progress and even the steps you took in your learning process. Very interesting.

[2kre8]

on average how much time a day do you draw? i just love the dedication

[endregan]

mural went exactly as planned. very good! How did you resize. Measurements and such? turned out really good!

cast is coming along as well. :)

*question on bargues: the plumb line that moves, you look at the original and then you take the plumb line off and look at your paper and draw, or do you draw line by line. that plumb line really confuses me :)

Geez, you're my hero !

the portrait is looking nice.

we should get together sometime and draw haha :)

oh btw that book idea - sweet :). I would buy it. how much does it cost to make a book these days. great idea..

[::EPIC::]

found a link that might explain that better, not budding in mcm just found this now.... im assuming these are the steps your following? lemme know :cool:

http://www.480bc.com/benr/sightsize.htm

[::EPIC::]

ooo forgot somthing....one thing thats racking my mind is trying to do an enlargement using this method (assuming that the item or person is as close as possible...

[MindCandyMan]

xia - Thanks will do ;)

jaded - Cool glad to see some interest is there!

2kre8 - Probably about 4-8 hours a day when I have to work that day...but on days that I don't work I draw about 8 - 12 hours a day between the studio and other work. Just about an average. Drawing is my recreation...I go out with friends etc... stuff like that but I don't watch tv or play video games I just draw or paint...etc... Thanks for the encouragement!

endregan - I projected that mural and sketch it with charcoal and then painted using that drawing. It was fun and I made some quick cash on it. The plumb line on the real bargue should stay stationary until the very last part of your drawing...for the last little bit. You have to draw a plumb line on your paper ...so both plumb lines are stationary and the plumb lines are the common point between your drawings. If you measure such and such to the left on the real drawing with your string then you know it will be that exact measurement on your drawing as well. For horizontals you can lay your string down across both drawings to make sure things line up or just check with your eye till it looks right.

EPIC - Thanks that link is the one I posted a while back but it didn't work then! I'm glad that it is up and running again thanks for posting that...that's a great explanation of sight size. Unfortunately you can't enlarge using this particular method because you are relying on your drawing and the subject to be the exact same perceived size.

____________________________________


I made my first tube of oil paint today...I made a tube of raw umber out of some pigment that I bought from kremer. I used kremer cold pressed linseed oil when I made it...it's really fun and it feels pretty cool to look at the tube of paint and think "I made that!"...Here are some pictures:

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my goatee is out of control I know...I'm debating whether to shave it off

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[Brium]

You're still putting me in awe over here. Your work is amazing. That cast drawing is already jumping off the page, and that mural is looking excellent. I wish I had somebody like you to paint my walls back in the day.

You should try to braid your goatee before you shave it, like that one guitarist that has it in an upside down "V". It would be interesting... :D

[MindCandyMan]

brium - You are too kind...thanks so much. I actually thought of braiding my goatee as well! Maybe I should do it and then do some self portraits and stuff hehe.



Did this oil painting tonight...I had an hour to spare before my wife and I had to go somewhere so I put an apple on my desk and tried to paint this very quickly....wet on wet....hard stuff hehe........I realized I was kind of painting at an angle hehe that's why the paper is angled...not good but it was just a quick study anyways on a piece of gessoed paper.



This is one of the first "real" oil paintings I have tried...any suggestions would definitely be welcome.

[endregan]

awesome man. oils are hard to work with i feel, over acrylics. you should try both.

that paint you made is awesome! what kind of materials do you need. where do you get the pigment ?

the apple is really nice. cant get enough apples man !!

the next still life i do will be in oils, ode to the goatee man!! :)

[MindCandyMan]

endregan - thanks bro...acrylics dry too fast for me...I like being able to rework things over time...but when I'm under deadlines in the future I might change my mind hehe. You can ge tthe pigment from kremer (Italian company I think) and the only materials you need are the ones I have listed on that picture...lemme know if you try it.
____________________________________



Did this sketch this afternoon...the figure is boring gonna change him to something else...still trying to figure out what I want to do with the whole piece:

[endregan]

good sketch. draw a few characters to see what you like. maybe its the robe that lacks to show the figure?

cool sketch. i did an oil painting last night. ill see if i can borrow the digital camera. oils are hard for me right now. i am so used to acrylics, and oils stay wet for wayyy longer than i have patience for haha. almost have to use so much to mix with the old colour and it is so wet. :)

it is handy for reworking though for sure

[MindCandyMan]

endregan - Yeah oils take a bit to get used to. You will learn to love them I'm sure. Yeah I'm gonna change that guy entirely I think...if I even finish that.

__________________________________


Some figure drawings:

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sometimes after the pose is over...when no one is looking I add weird things to the drawing heheh...churnin' butter (don't ask me why hehe)

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[I.was.ink]

Finally we get to see your face:D

Ive seen teachers at my school make paint. It looks fun. Cool stuff mcm

I say shave that sucker off!:cool:

[jester]

No wonder you are improving that fast! 4-8 hours when working! OMG! You are lucky to have a wife organizing your life for you!

I especially like the mural - looks absolutely appropriate as a background to a drum set!

I'm still busy with my biz and find very little time for drawing currently (about 2-6 hours per week!).

Keep going!

Jester

[stormy]

finally, I have time to catch up on some stuff. This figure drawings look great, and of course, I'm jealous of the 4-8 hours. very nice.

I have to be honest and show my ignorance. I don't know what a barque drawing is. I'm assuming it's a figure drawing to scale from another drawing?

I've recently followed the lead of many of y'all in here, and purchased a few of bridgman's books and a vanderpoel figure drawing book. There are some hands referencing bridgman in my sketchbook.

Also, my 9x12 intuos2 tablet is HERE. It's actually very weird, but I think I'll love it. Anyhow....

that paint makin' thing looks VERY cool. What exactly are the pigments?

[MindCandyMan]

I.was.ink - Shave it off huh...you might just convince me hehe. Yeah making paint is fun...nice to get the exact amount of oil you want...plus you control everything. Making it this way and then looking at windsor and newton shows the difference between machine made and hand made...but I think it would be really hard to hand grind every single one of your paints...would waste too much time!

jester - hahahah...you are absolutely right...my wife makes all this possible. I also (since attending the studio) only have a part time job so that leaves lots of time for me to work at the studio and at home...I pretty much don't do anything else at this point except draw/paint...it has to be that way in order for me to earn a living off of it in 3-5 years so I am trying to push hard hehe. We are tight on bills but are getting by fine...we are having fun! That mural was really fun glad you liked it. You keep up the good work too...how is your business going?

stormy - Check out this link HERE (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12104) ...I explained the idea of a bargue drawing there...let me know if you have any questions...you are not showing your ignorance...you are showing your initiative and drive! Bridgman and vanderpoel are very good sources study them well! Alright cool you got a tablet!...that's awesome. I have the 9 x 12 too...it's great you will learn to love it...does feel weird at first. A Pigment is basically a colored "dust" that can come from lots of different sources...if you pounded a piece of red clay from the ground and got a fine powder out of it and then added some oil you could paint with it! Some pigments are really crazy...secretions from sea snails...crazy stuff like that. Basically it's a color found in nature and they refine it and put it in powder form so you can grind your own oil paints or even use it for watercolor paints, etc...fun stuff!

________________________________



Started on another large charcoal figure drawing today...now we have two going at once...woohoo!!!

93860

Step number 2 in the process of doing this portrait of my friend Eric...this is my first portrait from life (besides self portraits) and it is very very hard. Probably a couple more sessions and I will call it quits...it's very fun though.

93862

A tiny bit more of work done to my cast as well tonight...sorry I still took the picture from a weird angle hehe...excuses excuses right hehe:

93863

[endregan]

go jon boy!

4-5 hours sounds like a good curriculum.

it is so hard to do self portraits. i try to do them in my spare before school so its just rushed and i miss parts i guess..

i must stay longer. one good one is worth 1000 crappy ones eh :).

hard to self discipline!

You keep going, your contours are coming along very nicely!

[MindCandyMan]

endregan - Thanks bro! Self portraits are definitely really hard!

__________________________________


Some more failures tonight bleh :rolleyes:

quick little pen sketch

93865

stopped this half way through...was turning out crappy

93866

bleh

93867

[endregan]

i really like your figure drawings. how long are they?

crazy griffen man :)

i havent done many monsters, i might try some :)

[Bradart]

Mindcandyman, i looked at your pages and i must say, this is the best progress ive ever seen chronicled, and i am very pleased with what i saw.

[stormy]

thanks for the link to the barque drawing stuff. Right now, I have some things inscribed on my brain that need to get out, and then I'll get back to trying some more new techniques. am still getting used to the tablet too. I didn't realize it was gonna take this long, but I suppose I'm mouse and traditional media addicted, which is purty normal.

I love seeing the monsters. Not that the traditional subjects aren't cool. The monsters, however, remind me of your creativity. Going backward through your progress, you drew alot of them at the beginning, and it's good to see that you haven't lost that, only honed your skills.

[emilpaun]

the oil painting looks really nice (the apple), how long did you work on it? paint should dry over a longer period of time when you add more layers to it. that is the more paint you put on canvas, the slower it dries.

the mural looks awesome... great work MCM

[WillDrawForFood]

hiya mcm, this thread has been amazing in terms of your progress and dedication. keep up the good work. you've inspired me to pick up a pencil again!

[MindCandyMan]

endregan - We usually have a model for 20 minute poses with 5 min breaks in between...they usually pose for about 2 hours. The goal of our drawings is to make the structure/likeness of the person exact. Thanks man!

Bradart - Thanks so much man! :chug:

stormy - Yeah never lose your imagination...it's what keeps it fun. Good paintings aren't all about just technique...imagination has to be kept up as well. I love drawing the monsters they are fun hehe...thanks for stopping by!

KR33P - I worked on that for about 50 minutes...did it all prima so I was primarily mixing on the canvas. Thanks...that mural was a lot of fun...and cash in the pocket...oh yeah hehe.

willdrawforfood - Yes pick up a pencil draw draw draw! Don't let anything deter you...do it! Thanks for stopping by.

_________________________________________



Ok some stuff:


My dad's brithday is coming up so I thought I would make him a book plate...he's an Old Testament scholar/archeologist/pastor so that's what you see on the book plate that relates. I might do this one again...it looks really sloppy to me...oh well...learning to use a quill hehe.

93868

Some more work on my cast drawing...I have a long way to go still but it's becoming more fun. Man I can't seem to get that camera angle right...I promise my drawing isn't that warped or off...weird.

93869

After taking "Idiot's" advice (that's his user name) I am trying to sculpt a head out of clay that can serve as a study for the planes of the face and also help me get lighting schemes...it's fun but really hard.

93870

[::EPIC::]

its comming along nicely MCM, on your cast, it seems a tad darker on the upper left lip and center maybe its the camera or me..but its looking uber sweet man:chug:

[emilpaun]

That book plate does not look sloppy at all, but you should work more on the waves, maybe darkening them at the bottom would do the trick. When doing waves I took a lot of inspiration from Turner, he really seemed to understand the water's dynamics

That cast drawing is starting to look A W E S O M E man

Can't wait to see how the head comes up, keep it up!

[Jamaludin]

mann MindCandy this is some slick progress, I myself am really stuck at the moment and I feel improvement is impossible no matter how hard I try but you make it look easy, from the first page to the last and everything in between your progress is amazing and your work is VERY good :D Espescially love your digital painting, good work man really good looking and it gives me hope that well improvement is always impossible I gotta try even harder :D Thanks !

[Yina]

hey mindcandyman,

i just spent over an hour looking through most of your thread.. 0.0 and registered a username just to leave you a comment.

1stly, wow.. the vast difference from the stuff on the 1st page AND the stuff on THIS page is clearly noticeable.. and everyone agrees about this i think :D

so here's my little words of encouragement, you're doing an awesome job, you've come further than you thought you would go and you are still going further!

what you have been doing is very inspiring to me, because i started out with trying to be a cg artist before i even got my basics down. i picked up photoshop when i was 14, and started working with references and doing realism this year. (i am now 17) i use photoshop and a mouse.

but, now i realise that i can only work from a photo. without a reference i can't draw realism for nuts! example of my stuff here (http://yina.petalrust.com/anaweb.jpg) but the worst thing is i can't do the same without reference.

right now i'm in a position similar to where you were, wanting to start with the basics, going through all those anatomy, perspective, lighting, colour etc. like you, i don't have any formal art training/classes as of yet.

i have also started keeping a sketchbook though i haven't started referring to loomis' or bridgeman, i only try to do some drawings in it daily.

so.. now i have reached the point of starting to do what you have been doing the past few months. i must say that you really persevered and continued despite all the "off" days and frustration you went through.

:chug: keep it up! i will continue to keep an eye on your thread. you are an inspiring figure to all the rookie and non-rookie artists here, the progress you have shown is amazing.

cheers!

ps. sorry for the long comment~

[jester]

Hi MindCandyMan, the Ex-Libri comes nicely but it isn't clear whether waves or grass are being parted.

Funny your father is an archaeologist.... Archaeology was my 2nd subject at university.

The bargue comes out really nicely and I consider "idiot's" suggestion as well - sounds like a good idea!

Jester

[Mindflaw]

Just a general questions for you guys...down the road (a year or two) if I decided to do this...do you think there would be interest in making a book that showed my progress with stuff from each section of my progress as an artist and all? Just a thought. If I can help inspire people to pursue art I would love to do that!

I think it´s a good idea but it probably wouldn´t work until you made yourself a name, publishing a book is expensive, but you could use e.g. frontpage and e-book edit and make a book thats on a cd and with a good printer and paper you could get a cover that doesn´t reek amateur too. This way you could start testing out layout, structure etc. thats going to work. Getting it good takes time to learn and do.You could then also use videoclips. Best rule I know is to keep it as simple as possible and never put in something that doesn´t have any use or meaning, just bedcause it looks cool. When you got it working you could burn them yourself and see if theres any demand, without ruin yourself. And it would be great if you combined it with exercises and your thoughts of them and mistakes you´ve done, then you got a inspiration-/teachingbook that does not yet exist (what I know of). If it sells you could start thinking about a book(/combined with cd-rom) cause then it´s easier to get "bookcompany"(don´t know the word) to publish it. But if I were you I would spend all my time on the painting and of course the wife and friends and stuff like that :D Anyway it´s just a suggestion if you in the future decide to make a reality of you idea.

[stormy]

I love the bookplate. I kinda have to agree with jester about the waves. Maybe if you have the body part of the wave with less "stuff" and then just signify it as water by having a crest at the top, and if the path closed about more at the end. It looks great as is, but that's what my eye said it wanted to see (not that my eyes actually talk....that I know of).

the cast drawing is coming along beautifully. for awhile, I wondered why you kept saying that it had a long way to go, but now that it's so "close" to being done, I see all the little things that still need to be done. Maybe it's like "how many times do you have to fold a paper in half before it disappears.." (impossible...never can be done)

mural=cash in hand=good=happy=rock on!

[endregan]

GO MOSES :)

sweet ink. heck, my ink is pretty sloppy, but your work is so clean. dont know what you mean by saying its sloppy! :)

the camera lens always distorts, thats why the human eye will always be superior muahaha. that is looking very nice...

almost looks like charcoal and some smudging in the bg?

canson paper in the bg, alright!

what kind of clay is that, that stays workable for a long time? or do you just constantly warm it? that would be cool to try out!

keep up the work. youre a train

[MindCandyMan]

EPIC - Thanks man...yeah there are some value issues for sure...hopefully I will resolve them this week.

KR33P - Thanks man...yeah those waves look goofy hehe...I am gonna redo the whole thing I think...I learned a lot just by doing it. The cast is fun...hopefully I can finish it up soon!

Jamaludin - Improvement is always possible...never lose hope. Drawing/Painting is like anything else it's a learned skill that can be taught and acquired...I'm glad I could help inspire you that's the greatest compliment I can get!!!

Yina - Long comments are ok! Thanks so much for taking the time to write out all those encouraging thoughts. I would definitely agree about going back to the basics...most problems are a result of an error in one of the basic skills...etc... That digital painting that you posted is good but I would definitely say to start doing more from life you will learn how to make objects 3d as opposed to 2d. Keep it up thanks for stopping by!

jester - I agree...parting the red grass hehehe...I thought the same exact thing...I am gonna redo it hehe. Fellow archeologist!...nice!

mindflaw - Yeah I'm thinking for WAY down the road when I actually have something worth showing. All your points are very good and if years from now I decide to do a book your comments will definitely stick with me. I'd rather be painting/drawing than writing a book anyways heheh.

stormy - Yeah I definitely agree about the book plate...it looks weird...I am gonna redo it hehe. Thanks for the encouragement about the cast...hopefully I will get it done this week!

endregan - That clay is the kind that stays workable as long as it is warm. The same one foster is using in his thread for sculpting. Yeah on my cast I use a kleenex first to rub in a general value in the background but then I went over and cross hatched to make it look even. Without spending the long time crosshatching it doesn't have an even tone it will look patchy or too smooth. Smudging is for the impatient heheh...j/k it has it's place hehe.

______________________________________________


experimenting:

93871

Had to adjust the contrast in this drawing a lot in photoshop to make it visible for some reason...

93872

More work on this large charcoal getting the structure down really well before I start outlining the shadow shapes:

93873

will post more progress on my cast soon

[Matt Dixon]

What a fascinating thread. It's great to see your progress over the last 18 months, and you set a marvellous example with the commitment and effort you've put into your craft. Best of all, it looks like you're having a ball..!

Hats off to you, MCM. Keep it up!

[MindCandyMan]

matt dixon - Thanks man! I am definitely having a ball!...it has been such a fun journey so far. I can't wait to complete the rest of it! Thanks for the encouragement man.

________________________________________________--



More work on this portrait...there's still lots of problems...hopefully I can resolve some more of them next session with the model...he is posing for free just for the joy of it...gotta love those type of models! They believe in what you are doing!

93874

I darkened the background of the cast a lot more (artistic license.....get it hehe) in order to make the cast pop out a lot more...I might have to make it a bit lighter but it does help bring the cast forward...I need to fix some of the things and especially that chin issue hehe...fun stuff though I should finish soon! Then I get to draw a portrait/bust cast.

93875

[endregan]

nice!!

so much dedication. you keep me going

[emilpaun]

Nice experiment :) , and the figures are looking great. About the portrait, maybe it's just me, i don't know, but his left eye seems somewhat smaller than the right one, but as I said, it's just an impression, can't wait to see it finished (I never dare show my friends' portraits, for fear I might make them my enemies :) )
Great stuff!

[D.O.Jones]

That cast drawing rocks so hard!!
The sheer number of pages in this thread are testament to your inspiring dedication. I'm hoping that this year I'll be able to quit school and spend the year drawing. I'll see if i can improve as much as you have.

Rock on.

[MindCandyMan]

endregan - Thanks man hehe...definitely keep going!

KR33P - THanks man...yeah exactly right...the eyes are the major problem for me at this point...I'm having a hard time getting them right...hopefully I can fix them next session. Thanks man!

Rash Overdrive - Thanks man...that cast drawing has been really fun. I'm glad this thread could inspire you that's awesome! Be careful about quitting school you may regret it later but definitely draw draw draw!

__________________________________________



Hey guys I have more to post...just gonna post this real quick:


(Sorry for the bad picture of it)


Lemon Study in oils...I learned a lot through this...even though it doesn't look like it heheh...very hard even to just paint a couple lemons hehe.

[endregan]

Those are some nice lemons!

I have painted lemons before. They are hard to paint. their shapes can be strange too, and the perspective of them is hard at first, but just read the shapes and negative shapes and its not all that bad.

From what I can tell from the picture they are looking good. I think you may want to add a more distinct third value to give it more of a 3d feel. It might just be the picture though I bet you.

Cool stuff

[MindCandyMan]

endregan - Thanks man...the new picture is up.


That lemon on the right sure does look goofy doesn't it...embarassing. What coro can do in 15 min I can't even do in 1.5 hours hehe...must practice more!

[xia]

Awesome oil study man! I always have a high respect for artist who can pull off a real medium well, we most of the time forgot how hard/difficult it is to paint/execute in real medium, drawing from life, landscape painting on site, ect. Computer and photo ref make it easy for us all, but I really hope lots of good artists still study in real medium and/or traditional matters, even once in a while. Really appreciate your work! U are a brave man. Great job, keep it up. :chug: :chug: :chug:

[stormy]

that cast is coming right along. did you notice that your upper lip is more detailed than the actual cast? it might just be the way it shows up online tho (sorry if that sounds nitpicky..I know it can be a pain to clean those kinda things up). it's really starting to stand off the page tho, and that's the goal (at least I think). on the goatman (I can't remember what they're called...a satyr?), did you use your face as a model for it? it kinda looks like you, apart from the horns and hairy legs (hmm..well, hopefully apart from those). An observation I've made, most of us tend to project bits of our own appearance into what we draw. I very rarely draw women without at least wavy hair, and I've noticed that most of your personages bear a faint resemblence to you. Interesting. Anyway...

The oils are awesome. That's the medium that I'm most "enthralled" with and it's cool to see what you're doing with them. Keep on keepin' on.

[TARGETE]

wow Jon, didnt notice the cast drawing till now thought the drawing was another photo or something, realy cool. Your about The most improved artist here, in my opinion. Also a humble guy as well very nice to see your progress and it is glorious.



JP

[MindCandyMan]

xia - Thanks man it is definitely hard but it's very rewarding! I am finding too that drawing/painting more from life has given me a keener eye for what makes something look more 3d...it's easy to spot something done by a photograph to me now. I asked John Howe a while back how he learned to draw from his memory etc...and I asked him if I should be doing anything in addition to my atelier work and he told me "just keep drawing from life you may not always have the opportunity...imagination will always be there" so hopefully I'm on the right track hehe. Plus I like having an original to frame, sell, etc... something that will last. I've been LOVING your thread by the way...awesome...very cool stuff.

stormy - Thanks! I notice the same thing about my drawings that some of the guys look like me...that's not a good thing hehe ;) ...j/k...but really I have noticed that must be from the self portraits I guess hehe.

Targete - Cool! I'm glad it looked like a photo hehe that's the goal I guess. Thanks so much for your kind words...sometimes I feel like I am so far behind and it's frustrating at times but I can only take it one day at a time. It's awesome to hear such encouraging words from a pro I look up to! Thanks JP you're the man!

___________________________________________-




This was for the current dsg...I hadn't done this type of thing for a while...it's fun to goof off every once in a while hehe

93877

Another step on this charcoal drawing...this will be an ongoing pose that we will render fully, etc... I have no idea what I am doing really hehe...glad my teachers are there....

93878

More work on the cast...almost done! Sorry if it's getting redundant.

93879

[endregan]

youre my hero !

[emilpaun]

nice lighting on that... blue thing :) could you please explain me how to get light to reflect as it is supposed to? i can't seem to get that right...

i feel like kissing those lips already, man :)

keep up

[empty]

that creature looks pretty good and the cast is coming along great. the painting of the lemons came out good also, i didn't notice that before. i need to paint more for sure.

peace
empty

[jester]

You talked to John Howe? When, where, how long, what kind of guy is he?

:cool:

(Love that sea monster!)

Jester

[Argus]

Jon!!!!! Dude that drawing of the cast is fantastic! Couldn't tell it was a drawing. You are seriously getting better. Also like the building drawings you've done, seems to be a strong point for you. As soon as I figure this site out I'm gona start posting my junk. Keep up the good work.

J Preston

[MindCandyMan]

endregan - Thanks man ;)

KR33P - Thanks! I think the easiest way to paint the light reflecting is to imagine it as simple shapes...that blue sea horse thing is mostly a cylinder...so it will react to light like a cylinder does. Studying the simple shapes and applying that lighting to more complex ones is the way to do it...but I am just a rookie so don't necessarily take my word for it!

empty - Thanks bro...I would love to see some oil paintings from you I bet they would be awesome!

jester - Thanks...I don't know John Howe or anything (I wish I did) I just contacted him a little while ago through his website and was able to ask him some questions. From what I've read and viewed of him he seems like a really intelligent witty guy. Slightly reserved and all but he's a really good writer too!

Argus - Thanks man! I'm so glad you found this site how cool man! You definitely should post your stuff...send me a note when you do post...thanks for stopping by bro!


__________________________________


Hi guys...I will post more later but here is an update on one of the charcoal figure drawings I was working on.

93881

Did this for dsg just now

93882

[Argus]

Jon,
Giving a quick look through of your stuff I'm going to really have to say you have a good understanding of human anatomy, especially the anatomy sketches you did for class. I'm guessing you got this dude out of a magazine or something....unless, you got tribes running around out where you are. I may be jumping ahead on this one but I would really love to see a fully fleshed out picture, with all the bells and whistles. If you have any I'd really like to take a look.

[MindCandyMan]

Argus - So cool to have you on here bro...I love it! Actually I did that guy out of my head this morning...that's principally why I couldn't make a more detailed rendering hehe...it's interesting how drawing from life really does give you the fuel to start doing things from your head...even though that sketch is really rudimentary I wouldn't have been able to do it 6 months ago...weird. I will send you some full renders in an email today...take care bro ;)...glad you are interested!


________________________________-


Hadn't done a self portrait for a while wanted to get back into it again...I think this probably looks the most like me than any other ones I have done yet...Yesssss I am getting closer to capturing my ugliness...woohoo!:



squinting hehe

[endregan]

hey man nice one.

my eyes are like that too hehe. they look so tiny it throws me way off when I do a self portrait.

man am i ever having trouble on SPS.... I need a break or something I dont know haha

[metalwinds]

wow man, youve really gotten a lot better. some of those paintings you have here are looking pretty sharp. not much else to say except keep drawing and painting as much as you can

[DragonGX]

Wow, I am impressed. Tha