Road to Pro-ness

**ThabisoMhlaba** · July 9th, 2006

yeah I was having doubts about one arm holding the rope. Thank you very much for the paint over. I'll get on it as soon as I can.

**ThabisoMhlaba** · July 9th, 2006

**ThabisoMhlaba** · July 12th, 2006

Damn i guess i drew to dark the first time so you might see some ghost lines..

**-ThePenciler-** · July 12th, 2006

hey that first one is coming along nicely!! Master's paint over seems to have helped out quite a bit. Don't worry about those lines. Nothin photoshop can't fix!! lol

**Master 25 Days** · July 12th, 2006

yeah ghostlines don't really matter at all. New version looks a lot better. I like the design of the girl with the strap across her chest, weird place for one though. Cool nonetheless.

When you do an action pose. Try to compose it with more curves and lines that aren't parallel . On your piece with the whipsword http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d43/Okinako/26a.jpg

the shoulder and hip lines have the same direction and the short sword, head, chest, and pelvis all line up in a straight line. Remember that curves and opposing thrusts create eye movement, which is what you want. Look through a comic book with a lot of action in it and observe the lines for the spine, limbs, shoulder, and hip.

**wim** · July 12th, 2006

Damn, I just replied here but it's nowhere to be found

Anyway, about http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d43/Okinako/28a.jpg

The girl's left eye looks a little too big compared to her right (not much though), and you may want to increase the distance between the tip of her nose and the upper lip somewhat. I've noticed this in some of your other sketches as well.

But nice work overall

I really like your latest creative pieces, by the way. Keep 'em coming.

**ThabisoMhlaba** · July 15th, 2006

I'll be leaving for three weeks to Zimbabwe on vacation, I'll try to get one last update tomorrow but if I can't my next update will be sometime in August expect a large download.

**Master 25 Days** · July 15th, 2006

enjoy Zimbabwe.

**Flynn** · July 29th, 2006

Aye have fun there mate.

Loving alot of your pieces and I think its great that your pushing dynamic poses in each one

keep it up mate.

**ThabisoMhlaba** · August 7th, 2006

Alrighty I'm back There's a lot its only gonna be 1/4 of what I did though, i don't feel like scanning everything. I had some random sparks, somethings are totally wrong anatomy wise, but eh I was trying to learn some new things.

**skullsquid** · August 7th, 2006

Much, much better Oki I actually enjoy a couple in your last post.
Great improvement and keep doing whatever you are doing.

**wim** · August 8th, 2006

I like the wireframe models, especially http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d43/Okinako/40a.jpg (top right). The lower right leg of the kneeling man seems a bit short to me though.

Love this one, very clean style (but the eyes look a bit slanted I think). Nice costumes as well, keep going

**ThabisoMhlaba** · August 8th, 2006

Thanks Wim!
The eyes are something I practice so much because I hear they're important so i guess i'll practice them more. Costumes are fun to design, I'm getting an understanding more or less of what works and what doesn't.
Here's the second part of my work while I was away dont mind the notes ^_^ and most of these were before what i put in the first part, so they're less skillful T_T

And now for some paint practice in corel painter IX
Using wet oils and the palette knife.

**ThabisoMhlaba** · August 8th, 2006

Wow, september 15
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...un/Warrior.jpg

To now
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d4...ako/41a001.jpg

**ThabisoMhlaba** · August 8th, 2006

Yah My first figure painting in Painter IX, WIP

**wim** · August 9th, 2006

Not bad at all, that figure painting. What colors did you mix for the skin ?
Indeed, you've come a long way with your concepts since the beginning. You didn't do all of these from mind, did you ?

**ThabisoMhlaba** · August 9th, 2006

I used refs for the painted figure and this
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d43/Okinako/59a.jpg
Otherwise everything is from the mind. Though its polluted with studying lots of stuff for hours and hours, and memorizing how they should go. I've been told doing everything from the mind gets you know where, so I'm trying to work more referenced, and life drawings in.

**OBX** · August 10th, 2006

gettin better, just keep pluggin away.

**Master 25 Days** · August 10th, 2006

Quite a nice batch of new stuff you've posted.

I think you should spend more time doing stuff from refs. You already made a note on how Kevin Chan breaks things down into shapes to make it easier to understand, so try to do the same thing. After awhile you'll find that you can draw anything if you break it down into simple shapes.

**ThabisoMhlaba** · August 12th, 2006

took a while to get back to it but here we are.

I think I'll leave this where it is and start doing other ones with different poses

**wim** · August 13th, 2006

Nice detail in her hand Oki, and you still managed to preserve that painterly look.
I think the outer edge of her right arm is too straight though, making it look 'stiff' (almost like a plastic tube). Or it could just be the highlight that's too bright, I'm not sure...

**Master 25 Days** · August 16th, 2006

Right upper arm is also a little too long. You should come back and finish it.
The flesh tone looks pretty good. I think you can up the saturation more. It'll look really unnatural at first but after you add other colors to cool down the highly sat colors, you will have a more vibrant image.

**OBX** · August 19th, 2006

wow i was looking over ur studies more. are those ur notes? good thoughts. and great exercises. ur figures are improveing a mile a minute.

**ThabisoMhlaba** · August 20th, 2006

Haven't drawn in a while so here's a little something i just did.

**ThabisoMhlaba** · August 31st, 2006

It's been a while since my last update, I've been in a slump so i didn't feel like posting but oh well

I think I'm getting out the slump, I've got one more image i just need my digi camera since its too big to scan.

**chaosrocks** · August 31st, 2006

cool beans! anatomy just gets better and better.

Mind the eye placement on your faces though, they tend toward th to high and too far apart......

more art faster

**Master 25 Days** · September 1st, 2006

Hey, these new ones are pretty good. The anatomy and proportion in the last one with the witch hat is very believable. Try to go easy on the shading though. They can hurt the image if they're not applied correctly.

**ThabisoMhlaba** · September 1st, 2006

nother addition

**Banshax** · September 1st, 2006

Loving this pose, looks all cool and martial arts like
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d43/Okinako/53a.jpg

you might profit from a fast way to research poses and then build em on top of em. the two guys pushing with swords couldve gone right with that in an instant. Im sure you are familiar with loomis, If not check out his mannequin thing, its a solid tool for searching quick w/o worrying bout all the flash and masses. like what you`re doin a lot~!