Journey of an Absolute Rookie: Paintings and Sketches

[heix33]

dude your so awesome, first I saw your videos on youtube, and then, I'm so glad I found you here. Your vids are so helpful, and you have amazing stuff here.
Very inspiring.

[Josu]

oh man i passed for every one of the 67 pages and i know a lot of ppl have sayd it before, but i want to say it too; that's so fuckin inspiring, rlly, every 15 pages or so i picked my scketchbook find some reference and start drawing.
i really admire you for doing this, for your improvement and for share it with every one =)
btw, i'm decided i will open my own sketchbook thread today xD

[Armonah]

I was directed here by another CA member who mentioned your sketchbook. And I'm not the first (nor the last) to say this, but this is truly inspiring and motivating. I bookmarked this thread for future use, and thanks a lot for sharing your progress this much in close-up. :)

[Borilius]

Man, your progress is so incredible, so i've sent your Sketchbook to few of my friends as an example of what an rookie can achieve with a lot of practice and passion. Well done, my friend, freaking well done!

[Sarkys]

OH MY GOD!!!
Someone other told me about this sketchbook, to show how much an artist can improve. And ... OH MY F* GOD!
The improvement is incredible ... First I thouht "Oh lol, this one has a long long way to go, good I'm not him haha!" but then my eyes fell off due to the pure awesomeness of this thread.
I don't know what to say. It's the perfect thread for every beginner!
I think I will spread the link to maaaany friends ^^

Thanks for the inspiration my friend, thanks a lot!

[NickyBeats]

incredible progress from page 1 to now. if i hadnt seen it with my own eyes i wouldnt have believed. you are living proof that hard work pays off. thanks for the inspiration!

[Icecold]

My jaw just dropped, i've spent 3 hours on watching all the pages in your SB.
It is mindblowing how much you evolved, sorry to say this but seeing your first drawings i'd never give you a chance they were simply awful :P

Now to all people out there, you have a SOLID PROOF all that is needed to be a great painter, is passion, dedication and freaking lot of hard work, congratulations MCM, you're my hero.
At least now i know that I might be that good in few years, and its an incredible feeling, cheers

[BlueHabit]

MindCandyMan,

Your journey is certainly an inspiration. Its easy to feel down about ones self and think about "where would I be in art skill right now had I disciplined myself to work from 15 years old", but your journey shows otherwise, someone who is new can learn alot in a short period of time with strong dedication.

One question for you though, in your introduction post you stated your main interest was digital art. Did you end up abandoning that notion? It seems like most of your works are physically painted.

e.g. the soldier here

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=92811&stc=1&d=1171398453

[EpicKey]

Hey man :) awesome work youre doing here.Youre a major inspiration ;] I wanted to ask: in cast drawing or cast painting or still life painting- whatever - do I have to "copy blindly" whatever i see in what im drawing. I mean when i usually am cast drawing a model head (like for now the davids nose and lips or homer head) i always look for these tiny details like scratches and everything or in the Homer head i try to render out his beard wich is full of details i always screw up couz all the detailed part of the drawing pop out and I cant look at it from far away couz it looks like values and everything doesnt look right or smth-I come close-looks ok ;/ ...so how do I make them not pop out (even though as much as I try and look closely-the tones look right) and make everything work okay and make a drawing fairly realistic,viewable from any sort of ranges and still looking right? Hope you understand what im babling here ;D if not tell me and ill try to rephrase it or smth ;D...Oh and where can I download that bargue drawing dvd you did? :)

[Kevin_McDowell]

Mindcandyman,

Thank you for your determination and never giving up. Because of you I am now inspired to begin the Mindcandyman gauntlet.

~Kev

[PrimaryVIVID]

Wow. I always like browsing sketch books to see how far people have come since their first post, but you've improved more than anyone I've seen. I read that it takes 2 hours of practice, everyday, for 2 years to master something, and you've probably racked up way more than the alloted number of hours in 8.

Really inspiring thread, I'll definitely be using your work to push myself to become the artist that I want to be.

[dualhammers]

My whole life I have wanted to become better at drawing and painting. I've succeeded at becoming competent at 3D a rt and animation but could never seem to get there in drawing. i'd start only to become discouraged by all the people telling me that since I wasn't born with natural talent I will never achieve my goals.

Well now I know they were wrong.

Thank you for accomplishing this! Starting tomorrow I am going to tackle the first homework of my life-drawing class and start my own sketchbook, and with luck one day I can be as much an inspiration.

[kevinwueste]

I stumbled upon (like I do most SB's) your .. story.. today - great to see the document of what you have done from the early struggles until now. excellent man!! I started seriously studying in 2007 and am now working with Tony Ryder - a great teacher and artist and human!

Thanks again for posting and keeping it going. It was interesting to see ( at least to me) the transition that really started to happen with your figure contours around 2004 and then the leap of things in 05 and 06.. it all kind of burst forth!

Hard work and desire to pay off! cheers! 5 stars!

[MindCandyMan]

Hey guys I just wanted to thank all of you for the amazing encouragement and comments. I don't have time to respond right now to everyone but just know that I read them all and I appreciate you guys! I have started feeling a bit isolated here in Dallas and a little artistically starved...then I realized that I have too busy painting and with my school to start post up on conceptart. So I wanted to start back up again again because the lack of contact with other like minded artists is really creating a void. So here I am back again and I will try to stay.

I wanted to update you guys with what I just started yesterday. When I went to Africa I met some amazing Orphans. Amy was one of those orphans and I snapped this pic while I was there. I saw it recently and I knew I hda to paint it. I've wanted to go back and help at the orphanage for a couple years but I haven't been able to go back. I've wanted to go there and do some painting but it's a really expensive trip...about 4k total or so. So I opted for painting from this photo instead. Take a look:

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I'm actually broadcasting now live on this channel as well:

http://www.livestream.com/classicalartonline

I will be keeping my videos up for a week after I record them and then archiving them for my students at that point. Stop by if you ever want to see me paint live. If you want to know my schedule you can check it out on twitter or facebook.

twitter: jonhardesty
facebook: Jonathan Hardesty

[paperX]

Glad to see you back man!

Awesome to see you're doing livestreams, too bad my internet's too terrible to stream it :(

I dunno if its the angle of the painting but the head seems slightly small? you'll probably fix it though, I added you on facebook! :)

[soros]

Thanks for sharing the journey !

[Marian Rowling]

Thanks for sharing these early stages of painting. I'm still following your advice and working on my drawing skills. However it's priceless to see what's to come. It's great to have you back and I hope work commitments don't keep you away. :)

[MindCandyMan]

paperx - Thanks man! You are absolutely right about the head size! Good catch man. Part of it is camera distortion but that head was definitely not the right size. In the rough block in stage I don't worry about those type of things anymore because I can change them in the next stage. If it's really bad though I can't leave it hehe.

Soros - Np at all...thanks for stopping by!

Marian - Awesome man! Keep plugging away on your drawing skills because it will definitely pay off. If you can control values, edges, and proportion color will be very easy for you...trust me on that. I'll try to keep maintaining the updates...I made it back today so that's good hehe.

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Hey guys here's the update from yesterday on this painting. Started working on the face.

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[Dr poPcoRN]

great sense of colour and value :) love the progress!

[Istmin52]

(I know I sound like a broken record when saying this but I don't care)
It's really amazing what progress you have on here since you started. It's really amazing and inspiring to me.

[jaredsalmond]

wow. very great stuff! Thanks for the inspiration dude!

[Icecold]

I see mister superimprovement is back! I'm glad, huge fan of yours.

[Isadore]

Helo cir improver....sory for my bad english....I'm new here in CA and I thank god I found ur journey It is so inspiring that I will never stop drawing specially from life thanks again and more power !!

[Prion]

Wow, I just randomly come across this. Thanks for the epic inspiration man! It makes the journey seem less intimidating and worth all the blood sweat and tears. ;P

All the best for the future!

[Axioma]

I just wanted to drop a line and thank you for documenting your progress, it truly is inspiring. I look at this and think that if you can do it, then I can do it to! Your comment in the back to basics post really hit home with me about needing to stop talking about becoming an artist and just become one. I know its going to be a long journey but at the very least know that you have helped me start the path, which i think is the hardest part in general. so Thanks. :)

[Diarum]

Hey MCM you stuff is inspiring, I think everyone who has seen it can agree. How old were you when you started the SB? 7 years is a monstrous amount of time but damn you improved so much you would think it was two different people :D

[ThomasM]

This sketchbook easily has the most improvement I've seen on concept art (within a single SB) - so inspired because of you and thankyou for making this so that all can see where hard work and dedication can get you! I love how your painting style has developed - keep up the great posts

[pretentieuse]

You're a huge inspiration to me. I thank you so much for sharing your artistic growth--the good and bad--on this site, for always being honest and humble, and for always distributing what you have learned (mostly for free, too!). I just went through the entire thread and I must say your diligence, persistence, and commitment astonish me. I'm really proud of the artistic maturation you have achieved, and I know I can't wait to watch you develop further.

[Twan]

this face is so lovely, i'd love to paint as well
your improvements are great motivations for me, thx

[SU7V80KKT]

wauw this progress is unbelievable! Awsome Job!

[Wgrace]

Absolutely incredibly progress you made man. Certainly worthy of praise. Good job.

[loper42]

Your an absolutely amazing artist! I'm inspired by your impressive progress and dedication. If you have any advice for a novice like me, I'd love the input. I realize your busy, so I will end with incredible job and I wish the best of success in your future.

[Vladimir Gasai]

Woohoo man great progress i love it :) your hard work is paying off :D

[lucauchi]

Congratz dude, I've passed this whole morning looking at your progress. Well done. You're really a role model for many artists. Keep it up.

[orochigenocide]

I'm so glad I stopped by. Your sketchbook is a prime example of what hard work and dedication can lead to.

Please, post more ASAP! I look forward to seeing your updates. :)

[Dorkthrone]

This. This is really a 5-star sketchbook.

[idlemind71]

Great work, very inspiring! I have one quick question. How many hours a day, not including weekends, did you average practicing your art while still having a day job?

[NiyanaMae]

Hey,

I have been following your thread for a while and though I do not post very often, I have been deeply encouraged by your thread. Most people are encouraged by how far you have come (which in itself is inspiring!) but what has encouraged me is how willing you have been to give back to those who are just beginning as you once did. THIS has inspired me to post more, not only my own journey, but also any advice I have learned along the way that could be of use to someone else.

Keep up the video updates too! I only recently discovered these and I really enjoy listening to them, not to mention they really help me. :) I am about to enter my 3rd year of atelier study, my first official year of a painting focus. I need all the help I can get!

love,
lara :)

[monsi]

aaah man you are such an inspiration words cannot describe. you must be so proud of yourself and what you've achieved.

[vaporz]

hey there... i have not looked at everything in the thread yet, just stuff here and there. your improvements from '02 till now... omg you're freaky... totally freaky... almost a living van gogh.. i'm inspired.

[sanya]

Man, going through your sketchbook, looking at your progress, the care you take in your painting and the mood you express-- if I had half your tenacity I feel like I'd be 10 times the artist I am today. This is really the kick in the pants I needed to get the hell back to work! :D

[Stricken]

I know it's been said over and over again, but your SB is truly inspirational. It's absolutely amazing to see the huge amount of progress you've made over the years. I'm in awe :) If only I had a fraction of the focus and dedication you possess!

[Nuria]

Your progress is really really amazing. I'm at the beginning of the journey and I will be pleased if i only achive half of your skill

[MindCandyMan]

Dr poPcoRN - Thanks! Hopefully you still feel that way seeing the finished version ;)

Istmin52 - Thanks so much. Broken record or not it is still really encouraging for me to hear. Thanks again

jaredsalmond - No problem man I'll try to keep it comin

Icecold - Thanks man I appreciate it!

Isadore - Your English is great to me. I'm glad my thread could inspire you. Never stop drawing.

Prion - The journey is definitely worth the work. It's been a hard road at times, but I am super glad. I love my job every day and unfortunately not everyone can say that.

Axioma - Awesome man I'm glad I could help inspire you to get rolling. Starting is definitely hard because everything you do is bad at the beginning. Just stay consistent and you will go far.

Diarum - Haha I actually feel an entirely different person than when I first started. I was newly married then and now I am coming up on my ten year anniversary and I've got a baby boy. So it's been an interesting 7 years that's for sure. I was 23 when I started I think. Or just at the end of 22...something like that.

ThomasM - Thanks man. I appreciate the kind words. Painting is a deep pool and I keep learning more and more about it every day.

pretentieuse - Thanks so much for the kind words. I think the bad times are when I learned the most actually hehe. When I'm frustrated that means I'm learning something I am not familiar with yet.

Twan - Thanks for the kind words and I'm glad my stuff could motivate you. Her face was beautiful in person that's for sure. All the Africans I met there were beautiful. They all had surprisingly perfect teeth as well. Not everyone but a lot of the people. I expected the opposite because of the water sources. hey would rub charcoal on their teeth and they were so pearly white.

SU7V80KKT - Thanks so much.

Wgrace - Thanks I appreciate it!

loper42 - Thanks for the kind words and as far as words of wisdom I would say to study from the masters both in illustration and in fine art. If you figure out how they learned and what they put into practice you can have success just like them...with practice of course ;)

Vladimir Gasai - Thanks so much I appreciate it.

lucauchi - Oh wow thanks so much for spending the whole morning looking over this stuff. That means the world to me. I"m not sure if I'm role model material though ;)

orochigenocide - Thanks for the kind words and your wish is my command. Although it wasn't ASAP that's for sure.

ninjacat11 - Haha thanks. I'll try to keep it at that level. Keep me honest too...if my work gets crappy start cutting those stars!

idlemind71 - Good question. When I was training my schedule was wake up at 4:30 and go to my bread making job (the early hours allowed me to attend the figure sessions in the afternoon). Then I would work till about 12:30 and then I would be at the studio till about eight. So usually 4-6 hours of work a day at the studio.

NiyanaMae - Thanks so much for the kind words. I'm really glad to hear that my progress has inspired you to help others. That rules. We will keep the videos coming as well. The other instructor at classicalartonline.com actually just put up a new video on our youtube channel. I'll post up the link to it below in my response.

monsi - Thanks haha...well not so proud of myself. I've still got a long way to go. The more you learn the more you realize that you don't know. So there are plenty of people that I look up to want to emulate.

vaporz - Haha thanks man. I'm freakier in person too I think. I haven't cut my ear off yet though so that's good.

sanya - Awesome glad to hear it! Keep on going and don't stop.

Stricken - Thanks! I can guarantee though that there is nothing special about me. I am just stubborn that's all and I won't give up. I have always felt like it takes me longer to get things than other people.

Nuria - You will if you keep it up there is no question there. Nothing special about me at all I have just kept going even when it got hard.

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Hey guys well I wanted to give you a bit update of an update on what I have been doing. I finished up that orphan painting a while ago and I have been letting it dry for a while. I'm going to varnish it soon and then start submitting it to some contests and different things. It's actually really hard to sell this type of painting in a gallery setting. People won't buy the subject matter, but I wanted to paint it anyways because I felt like I had to do it. So I decided to submit it to portrait society of america and things like that because of the interesting subject matter.

So here is finished...but this is an unvarnished version and crappy pic. I will varnish it soon and get a good pic up.

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I was also the subject of a blog write up as well. You guys can go here to check it out. James (the writer) is a really cool guy and got ahold of me on facebook. Very cool stuff. Thanks James!

http://art-of-noise-online.blogspot.com/2010/12/jonathan-hardesty-fine-artist-painter.html


Now the other thing is that I have been attending TAD (The Art Department) for the past 4 months or so and I have been getting my butt kicked. I have been learning a TON. Before joining the program I talked with Jason about how I wanted to learn more about how to construct good images. It's one thing to know how to render, but it's a whole different thing to complete a compelling image. There is so much that goes into that and I realized I was majorly lacking in that area.

****I am going to post up a bunch of work here...some of it is good and some of it is bad...just warning haha****


I have learned so much this first semester. I will go through the classes and talk about each one.

Composition:

Composition class has been fantastic. It was taught by Jason Manley and Terry Brown. We've learned to do thumbnails and work out ideas with a value structure and all the other tools available in composition (overlap, interesting shapes, division of picture plane, etc...). There are so many different things to cover but it's been fantastic. We learned about vignettes and other methods as well. One exercise that I found really interesting was creating a composition with just simple shapes. We learn to work out our compositions in just black and white and illicit an emotion with that simplified image. It was really interesting. At the end of the class we dived into color theory and we will be picking that up again next semester. Here are some of the projects that I completed for that class. The poster was a project/contest that they held to give us all practice making an image that was interesting and would have an easy read. Controlling the size of the text and where the focus of the eyes stayed was really important:

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I'm still making changes to this last one.


Sketchbook:

Sketchbook class has been a revelation for me. Sketchbooks are not often encouraged in ateliers because you are doing more finished work. So, because of that fact, I stink at sketching! I haven't spent the time learning the methods and tools. They have taught me a lot in this class so far. Ron Lemen and Sterling Hundley were the main instructors, but a bunch of amazing people dropped in throughout the semester. Ron went to the next level offering demos and many other things. Sterling was always there and was organized in his approach and method. He coined a phrase ideation that is a process or system for creativity...awesome stuff. Here are some of the images from this class. Remember don't judge haha. Experimentation was encouraged in this class as well.

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These showcase the 4 different stages they had us go through. Observation, Interpretation, Imagination, and Experimentation.


Light and Form:

Light and form was taught by Dorian Iten and this was definitely more familiar ground for me because this is close to what I went through at the atelier. Although they placed pretty quick time limits on everything and that was a real challenge. I found that working quickly and efficiently was something I hadn't made myself do more often. Working well within the time limit was absolutely something I had to learn. Dorian had a different approach than me as well and it was really great learning his methods. I pulled a lot of things from his method that I will use in my own that's for sure. Super cool class. He was really organized and had fantastic whiteboards and demos as well.

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These are the better ones of the class. You guys have seen a ton of my stuff like this though ;). The one robot looking project was where we took a flat shape and actually filled out the form. It was really interesting.


Figure Drawing:

This class was taught primarily by John English and the photography was by Brent Watkinson. Awesome awesome stuff. He taught a completely different approach than I have ever used and I LOVED it. It was about seeing the figure as a silhouette and maintaining that simple view of it throughout the rendering process. Great great class. I learned a ton about mark making and this really cool approach. The gallery loved these drawings too and they up for sale now. I will be doing tons of them in the future I think. Out of respect for the models I haven't put the original source image next to the drawing. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't care, but the original intent was for just the TAD students so I'm sure you guys understand. If you see numbers listed on the images those are the times for the drawings.

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Media 1:

Media 1 class was all about learning different materials and different methods. They talked a lot about mark making and how to use your strokes and values to get interesting compositions. John English and George Pratt taught this class. We used graphite, charcoal, ink, and various other things including painter! Andrew Jones taught us how to use painter and get some really cool effects. He actually had us do a series of planets and put them in orbit around a sun to get us used to using painter. Awesome stuff for sure. This class was a boat load of fun. It was something new every time and I loved it. I learned a ton about mark making and controlling a medium. Fantastic learning experience:

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Photography for Artists:

This class was taught by Brent Watkinson and it was phenomenal. In my mind I had always thought of photography as something different than what I was doing with painting, but now I realize my deficiencies with paintings how up in my photos. The lack of composition and value control (exposure, etc...) are all there when I take photos. So I was forced to start to think about things much differently and I love that. It's all about crafting a good image and wow did Brent really lay it out there. I loved this class so much. It hasn't given me just an appreciation for photography, but for image making in general. This class was super cool. Here are some of the photos from the class:

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Perspective Class:

I almost forgot to include perspective class which is taught by the famous Marshall Vandruff. Marshall is a fantastic teacher and he has such a wonderful sense of humor. Perspective would be a boring subject but he shows how exciting it can be if you dive into it. He taught things clearly and cleared up a lot of issues I was having with perspective. There is going to be a lot more practicing in my future though that's for sure.


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So that should give you a good idea of what I've been up to. This semester has been awesome. All of the classes really work in tandem and the process was thought out very well. We are still just in the foundational side of things as well! It's only going to get better and more specialized as time goes on. I am super excited about what I am learning there. Have I gotten any sleep...no...especially with my 10 month old boy in the house, but has the lack of sleep and hard work been worth it...oh yes. I am learning things that I would not have learned anywhere else. Even James Gurney stopped by to do a great lecture...super awesome stuff. The things that I am learning are making me a better artist and I can already see improvements in my work and in my teaching. What I am learning is making me a better teacher as well. The more that I understand as an artist, the more that I can convey to my students. So I am really happy with how things are going. If any of you are on the fence about TAD I would encourage you to take the plunge and go for it. It has been awesome. The other cool thing is that the fellow students I have on there are smart, talented, and hilarious. The other students are all really encouraging and I haven't heard one person trashing someone else's work in a disrespectful way. We are all there to learn and it shows. So thanks to TAD for making me a better artist and teacher. I will say though I am glad to have the Christmas break...I need some rest haha.

Look for another post in a little while of all my painting updates, etc...

Oh the last thing as well is an update on youtube that Aaron Reid (fellow instructor on classicalartonline.com ) posted. He put up a quick video on how to approach bargue drawing. Check it out if you wanna get crackin on some bargues.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLyCPGRztcs

[Tyea]

Some great stuff here. I've viewed this sketchbook quite a few times, clicking at different pages to see how you've improved. It's good to see a huge update from someone who's a constant influence to any artist who looks through this sketchbook. :D

[Marian Rowling]

Wow John what a stella update. How great to think that all your hard work has enabled you to be able to give yourself this excellent education. You are so good at passing on what you've been given and I'm really grateful to see what you are doing. Makes a great advert for TAD as well. I already thought it would be great but now you have me thinking how I can find work to be able to save up and attend myself one day. I always wanted to study with you as well John so by the time I get there I bet you'll be teaching a class at TAD to! Many thanks to you for this and to Aaron for his excellent Bargue video.

[Untouched24]

Wooo. Awesome to see a nice update after some time. Thanks for sharing man, cool stuff to look through. Epic sketchbook, nice to see you're still showing your progress. Thanks!

[kiwigarbage]

Wowowwow. You're a tonal genius. I so enjoy your soft mediums.

[.:WoLf:.]

Huge update

Charcoal portraits are epic man. I LOVE them.

I didn't know you were in TAD

[poetry man]

amazing progress! I will definitely visit again for more inspiration!

[MeTaL-Mike]

these are great man. love the charcoal stuff a lot. your paintings are great as usual.

[karmiclychee]

Your sketchbook... man... it makes my life hurt to look at it - in the best way possible.

I've hereby declared that, in time, my sketchbook is going to look like yours.

[hücumkedi]

wow..killer!

[LORD M]

You're one of the persons who made me realise that it was actually possible toactually become super good, a friend of mine showed me your sketchbook when I was depressed 1 year ago because I couldn't understand why I wasn't progressing any. You and Algenpfleger opened up my eyes and washed away my depression, it was only by then that I finaly realised that studying hard is the only way to progress. And after that I have been trying to study each day.

Thank you so much! You're an amazing inspiration for everyone who want to become an artist. :D


If you don't mind I would like to ask you a question about how you drew up your time. Did you have a schedule you worked after? Like "per day: value studies 2 hours, anatomy 2 hours, etc". I am quite intrested to know how you planned your days. Thank you in advance. :)

[ladyknowles]

My god the improvement in here is giving me a kick up the arse for my work! You're amazing man!

[Arepa]

im inspire by your sketchbook, beautiful work!

[mirem]

All I can say is "wow". Your progress throughout the years is really inspirational!

[Dope Fiend]

as it's been said a million times, it really is phenomenal the progress you've made over the years, and how humble you remain, and all the new things you expose yourself to in hopes of learning and improving your art. amazing

thanks and never stop posting!!

[Partisan]

it must be awesome to be you! *dreams a little about it*

[Zyhael]

wow.. this really is amazing.. it motivates me even more! you so inspired me.. i guess i'll have my own journey starting yesterday(that means im already starting and wont procrastinate) :) cheers! never stop posting! :D

[NiyanaMae]

Hey,

Thanks for the link and the encouragement! :D Great work.

Question: Did you take the Perspective Class via TAD or was it something altogether separate? I'm just curious because Perspective is a weak area for me and I need a lot of help and guidance. Were any great books recommended by the teacher to continue your studies?

Thanks! :)

- lara :)

[Teundeboer]

This is so freaking inspiring it's scary

[Parsakoira]

your beard is as awesome as your art!

[Ad Fundum]

I really wish we could get an update from you!! Your path shows the possibility of determination

[M.A.C.]

I looked at your first post, then the last and was like holy shit that's crazy improvement. I need a freaking scanner so I can start showing my stuff too! Thank you though, really great stuff, you're going to go far

[Metal Fingers]

RAWR! great stuff Jon, very cool!

[Soleil Summer]

Oh man, this sketchbook is incredible! And your determination awfully inspiring to me.

[Sibby]

This is totally amazing. I looked all the way through page 1 to now and you've progressed soo much! This has really motivated me a lot! Thanks!

[jbrown67]

incredibly inspiring sketchbook! man thats some great improvement. keep it up.

[Danny_K]

incredible! I am pretty amazed by those portraits, I'm amazed by all the stuff you poster but those portraits are superb!! seems like few brush strokes been lain down and a gorgeous face pops out, now that's true mastery, thanks for sharing... wish I was there listening to James Gurney lecture.

Good luck!

[dimi]

What an awesome journey man you re my hero!!!!Extraudinary!!!

[Spectre661]

This journal is absolutely staggering. : ) I've been on the fence whether I could do what I've seen you do here, but after seeing this I'm sold. Thank you so much for the inspiration!

[ThomasM]

Not the first time I've checked out this sb, but I loved that last big TAD update. I hope to be studying at TAD myself next february and am looking forward to it even more now!

[ChaosTheory]

Whoa o_o what a journey... man... u are the best. U have insipired me right now o_o

[Enigmasflame]

First off, faved and saved.

Second of all, DAMN, holy living hell....

I'm not sure which is more mind blowing, your current work, or the fact you've kept at it for....... nine years or so, and still going?

Only thing else I have to say, and you already know it better than a lot of us do, keep going.

[Supra]

First post!

Hello MindCandyMan,

I've been lurking these forums for a little while now, admiring artist's artworks when i discovered this thread?? I just went through EVERY single page of this thread and i can say i am ridiculously impressed!! you went from the basics to masterpieces?!?! you've put in a lot of hard work to achieve what you are today and you're exactly what i've needed all this time!
I want YOU to know you are now my inspiration to start drawing & develop skill in drawing/painting.

thank you for this!

bookmarked for sure!

[CRYPT]

amazing sb unbelivebale progress

[jimmyswang]

thanks
i learned something from you.

[Kiwee]

This is awesome. Awesome.

[Lii-chan]

You are my hero. Thank you!

[JohanneLight]

I almost cried while reading this. I felt so inspired. Especially after being so discouraged and overwhelmed by all I have to learn. Thank you.

[mary-cherry-me]

Every time I will be discouraged, I will look at your sketchbok and get back on track. You're my hero <3

[mary-cherry-me]

Every time I will be discouraged, I will look at your sketchbok and get back on track. You're my hero <3

[nahumfarchi]

Hi there! Awesome thread man.

I was wondering, were there any books that you found really helpful when you were just starting out? Also, did you have any sort of schedule/routine that you stuck to as you practiced?

[Layu]

Every time I will be discouraged, I will look at your sketchbok and get back on track. You're my hero

So will I :)

Just amazing how your skills developed!

[bowiepunk15]

Thank you so much for sharing this!! You have no idea how much this has inspired me. The other day I was seriously doubting myself and wondering if I should even bother pursuing art anymore. I felt like I barely improved since high school and that I am so far behind compared to other people my age who are so much better than me at drawing. After going through several pages of this, I started to feel more confident and optimistic. The improvement you made months after making this is amazing! And just three years later, you were drawing at a professional level. So, once again, thank you for the inspiration!

[haljarrett]

only just discovered this gem,literally incredible stuff - exponential growth in skills in all areas!i dont know if you`ll read this but id like to ask if you think it would have been possible to reach this standard without attending the atelier?thanks for your time

[Darjan Jurincic]

maoloason, please stop posting your stuff in this thread and open your own sketchbook.
It`s very easy and if you want people to look and criticize your work so you might become one day as good as MindCandyMan, you should practice everyday..

But like I`ve said, don`t spam this thread with your stuff. It`s not right. Period

[maolaosan]

maoloason, please stop posting your stuff in this thread and open your own sketchbook.
It`s very easy and if you want people to look and criticize your work so you might become one day as good as MindCandyMan, you should practice everyday..

But like I`ve said, don`t spam this thread with your stuff. It`s not right. Period

Oh,oh,I didn't planned to post any more.It was just another way to say "hey,I love your work" to MindCandyMan. I just came here for several times,didn't know the rules here, now I konw.

I just to be friendly,but .... obviously we had totaly diferent point on what I did.It's ok to delete my reply,and it's ok to say "it's not right"to me, but what I can benifited by "spam" my stuff in this thread?

It's a pity to be a troublesome one.Anyway,thank your advice.