Jon Neimeister's (Andantonius) Sketchbook - Updated Often!

**Andantonius** · February 15th, 2010

I've been lurking around here for quite some time now, and have finally plucked up the courage to start posting.

I've been working on art for about 5 years now, teaching myself with the help of the glorious internet, and am aspiring to one day be a professional concept artist. But I know that though I like my work, I've got a heck of a long way to go.

So I'm posting here in the hopes of attaining some of the awesome critique the amazingly talented people here may have to offer, and also to document whatever improvement I may miraculously manage. I feel it's time to get serious about my art!

So, to start things off, here's a few of my best, more finished works.

**Istmin52** · February 15th, 2010

Awesome post. There is some great stuff in here. I think in the second post with the girl in the green suit, there are some drawing issues with the face. I think it might be because the eye is too much to the right and it might be a little bit to big. With the last post of the frog, there are some parts that feel a bit flat. It could be because it's not finished yet. Don't use highlights everywhere. Maybe just show a few places of highlight. I think if you had more middle tones in it, it would stand out a bit more. Anyway, it's nice to meet you. I also have similar goals as you and hope to achieve them someday. I'll keep checking out your sketchbook.

**Andantonius** · March 22nd, 2010

Thanks a bunch for the critique! Sorry it's taken me forever and a half to reply, haha. I'm gonna try and be a lot more active with this thread.

Here's some more stuff to munch on. Some posemaniac gesture drawings, some figure studies, some hands, a lighting exercise, and work-in-progress anatomy study.

**Seage** · March 22nd, 2010

Hey there! Nice that you finally jumped on the forums! I remember when I did, I was petrified of getting totally ripped on, haha.

My advice has to do with stroke conservation. I think you're coming along, but theres not much confidence in your strokes. Ive learned that each mark you make should have a meaning. If not, then its a useless stroke. This is hard to do, and Im not even close to being good at it, so im just telling u from a theory standpoint.
Im seeing that you get a little muddy and scratchy when you can really understand what you're seeing. In that case, slow down. On pose maniac's, the 30 second drawings are more for the gesture, the flow and energy of the pose, dont rush yourself to jam pack it with as much info as you can, or everything gets jumbled and hard to read.

Kind of like what i just wrote...>.>

Anyways, great start, really loving those finished pieces at the top. Keep working your anatomy, and keep going towards your goal!

**Andantonius** · March 25th, 2010

Thanks a bunch, Seage!

I definitely agree with you on the strokes. I've always been a bit pampered by digital art's ability to just fix mistakes, and am not terribly confident with my strokes as a result, so that's definitely on my list of things to work on. Gotta simply and put down only what's necessary to convey the idea... easier said than done, haha.

Anyhow, here's an observational study of a bust of Aphrodite. Fooling around in Corel Painter Essentials, which I actually like quite a bit.

**Andantonius** · April 27th, 2010

Here's a figure study I did today, trying to get as much practice in as possible before TAD starts.

Thanks to justmeina on dA for the reference!

**Andantonius** · May 1st, 2010

2-hour painting doodle thing of my character, Calhyra.

Trying to get better at character design and purposeful detail. I'm still pretty terrible at both. 8D

**Andantonius** · May 2nd, 2010

Female figure study, focused on using edges to my advantage, as well as using lots of colors in a fairly monochrome looking scheme.

Very, very inspired by Zhanglu. 8D

Thanks to mjranum-stock on dA for the reference. :3

Edit: Made a few corrections.

**Steve G.** · May 2nd, 2010

Great work so far, I especially like the first picture you have posted.
And not to forget the one in your signature, the "Sorceress" is just great

Cheers

**Andantonius** · May 4th, 2010

Thanks very much!

And I know, right? That sorceress is so great, it pretty much proves that I'm an art prodigy. Talented since birth, eh?

But regardless of stunning natural skills, here are some eye studies, referenced from Dynamic Anatomy by Burne Hogarth (I love the planar-ness of his studies).

Gonna try and spend a day on each feature this week, then on friday attempt a full portrait. I'm also getting used to pencils and pen again cause I've been pampered by photoshop. 8D

**jskotte** · May 4th, 2010

I love the images from the first post and very solid studies. Looking forward to more.

**Andantonius** · May 5th, 2010

Thanks very much!

Here's some more Hogarth studies: noses, lips, and ears. Gonna maybe try and do a bunch of portraity sketches tomorrow, and perhaps a fully rendered one on Friday.

Think I'm finally starting to get used to good ol' pencil and paper again as well. Starting to learn how to control my strokes better.

Edit: Added a landscape speedpainting I did, referenced from a painting by Anton Gutknecht. 30 minutes in photoshop.

**Andantonius** · May 7th, 2010

Here's a painting I finished yesterday for a trade over on dA.

Still lots of room for improvement, but I'm pretty pleased with the overall outcome.

**Andantonius** · May 9th, 2010

Aaand here's my finished realism portrait, of Dick Van Dyke! I at least started it on Friday, obviously took me a few days to finish though.

Definitely pleased with the outcome though, especially as I didn't use any graphs or guidelines. My observational skills are slowly improving. xD

Tra la la, practice practice practice.

**Andantonius** · May 11th, 2010

Speedpaint portrait to make up for a rather unproductive day.

I'm still pretty terrible at drawing attractive faces, but I'll get there... someday. xD

Photoshop and about 1 hour.