=[How do I shot web?]=

[Volchiha]

Hello. This is my little corner of the internet in sketchy form. For some strange reason my thumbnail just won't work no matter how many times I edit it, so if anyone has a clue on fixing that the info would be appreciated.

Little bit about me - I'm almost 20 now, and I have been drawing seriously since last year. I'm studying design and illustration, and hoping to learn more since my course does not focus on illustration that much even though it's supposed to count for 50%. In fact, I'm the only person in it right now that I know of even considering moving into the field and away from the whole corporate logo stuff and whatnot. But hey, doesn't hurt to know both, right?

I have started experimenting with digital media about 2-3 months ago, so I'm feeling a little swamped and lost right now, and with all the information on CA it's overwhelming, but I'm hoping I'll be finding new ways to improve.
And yeah, have fun and be as brutal as you like.

[Volchiha]

Okay, so dumping the old stuff from the first post in this one. Anyway, in the sketches, just ignore the cartoony thing, someone asked me for that style, and I really did not enjoy it so I'm gonna avoid making stuff like that.

Also, the 3 here are my very very first attempts at digital stuff. Be gentle

[Kagemusha22]

The Digital work isn't bad at all, I can't really comment much on that though as I have zero experience with Digital Media. As for the life studies, well you can never get too much of it. Just keep at it and progressively you'll iron out the flaws. I personally like the way you've done the hand, though a bit of shading would help. Maybe through mark-making? (Hatching/Cross-hatching)

[Volchiha]

I forgot to put in some of the sketches I had lying around under my bed... oops? O_o

[Volchiha]

Some more. Bleh, im tired. And this flash project is taking up way too much of my precious practice time.

Life drawing sketch and... random unimaginative... thing.

[a la bapsi]

nice stuff.
I especially like that color portrait that's..also you avatar at the moment 8D
don't forget those studies, you're doing great.

[Leo Ki]

SSG jumping in!

Your sketches are pretty well proportioned except on the latest life drawing where I'm having a hard time figuring the trunk/legs junction.

The hands are the part you seem to hesitate most. Therefore: More hand studies (as on post 2 - nice ones).

The composition on mem1.jpg is interesting. Will you color it? If you do, the perspective needs some corrections.

I'll comment on the digital works only after you post an update - yes, this is a SSG motivational trick

[kidult]

Hey whats up? Didnt know you where on this site too! Thanks for comments on my sketchbook! Diggin the work here I just need MORE! So updater!
(guess we just missed being sketch buddies)

[Volchiha]

Ok, due to personal reasons, I have found some stuff out, and figured other stuff out, and suddenly BAM!!! I can draw again! I have not felt this excited about doing sketches every day in over 2 years!

So, to start off, here's some warmups.

[Volchiha]

Pencil sketches. The first had reference, the wolf a life-drawing (yes, I got to play with wolves! weee!) and the third a helmet thing I saw in a weapons show that I tweaked in my own way. I'm bad with technical stuff so I think I needed the practice. =)

[Volchiha]

Paging through a national geographic with a pencil in my hand. More quick sketches. I've never drawn animals before. See, trying variety

[Volchiha]

Here's some pen sketches. First page is just doodling from my head (kinda obvious), second one is half half, as well as some quick thumbnails from the back of a car on a very bumpy road =(
Oh, and some parkour-based gesture sketches.

[Dan Valkar]

very interesting stuff, ..i think u need to work more with pencil and try to render with it...by the other hand, ur dig pieces r nice, try to work more with contrast, brightness etc....ur brush stroke it ok..so keep it up!

[Volchiha]

a la bapsi: Thanks a lot =)

Leo Ki: Thanks for the heads up on the hand and body-leg thing. I won't be colouring the mem1 thing, it's not a sketch I'm particularly proud of and has too much anime-ish proportion and lazy perspective.

So, update enough for you yet?

kidult: Yeah, I saw your sketchbook a while ago. Actually, I wasnt surprised when I saw you and Daniel here, since you both draw a lot, and CA is really good for that sort of thing. RAAAH, Drown in my updates!!!

Dan: Thanks, I'll keep it in mind. At the moment I'm not too fond of smooth rendering, I'm still trying to get to grips with the basics.

Ahem, anyway. Here's a werewolf drawing I was requested to do while sitting randomly watching movies. I like it.

[Zweit]

A good start. Your animal studies are nice, so is that self portrait. Try and do some more cloth studies like you did in this one here. Your lines are looking a little scratchy too, but they should get better with practice.

Cheers!

[dierat]

Hey Volchiha, I've stepped into your sketchbook several times since I saw you post in the girly area, but I couldn't think of a decent crit to post. So now I'm back.. trying to think of something to say

I really enjoy your figures so far, and the portraits are coming along just great. I also like your animal studies, particularly the bear in the beginning of post #12. So no crits in that area, just keep up the studies ^^ So far you have only 4 images with color, and from this small sampling I would suggest that you try to work in a little more variances of color in the future. These seem to have been done fairly monochromatically, or with an analogous color scheme (ie the mermaid.. thing.. which is a blue/purple mix). Other than that, my main crit is to post more, more often Keep up the good work!

[Peter Berkovski]

good things going on here,I really like your animal sketches just don't stop practicing and maybe it's good to start doing anatomy studies
cu around
Cheers

[Volchiha]

Zweit: Yessir, cloth studies! The whole drapery over chair thing alone gets me a little bored, I generally prefer to work on applying it. Maybe I'll try some figure sketches with added drapery and see where that takes me. Thank you =)

Dierat: I agree with you, my colour experiments are still in a very limited stage. I'm just testing the waters at the moment. I have done some variation studies in highschool, and I have to still figure out how best to start mixing them. Will keep updating with more experiments as I go.

Peter: thank you for the kind words, I fully intend to keep at it as long as I can use my hands!

-----------------------

Anyway, here is an update on what I have so far. The first image is for a project I was doing a couple of months ago. We had to take ourselves and stylize it into a character in a setting. I didn't have time to finish so I gave in this thing - Ink and watercolour wash.
I have reworked the image and pose in an attempt to make it more dynamic, using observation from my parkour group, and worked more on the background. The colour is not my final attempt, I will be using flat colours digitally, with more variation and controlled linework.

Just wanted your opinions - is it better? Improved? Is there something horribly wrong with the drawing that I have overlooked? Crit would be VERY much appreciated as I have to hand it in soon.

[Φ phil]

hey there, cool sketches! though I don`t get what the left one is doing…jumping? lying? or am I just stupid?.
anyway, keep it coming
cheers

[Volchiha]

Yeah, see what I mean? No wonder I changed it!

[Leo Ki]

This is an emergency reply for the work you have to finish quick.
I will expand my comments on the rest tonight.

The second one is definitely clearer than the first one.
The intention reads, the face looks at what matters in the jump
(the landing spot), and the whole body is dynamic.

The perspective shortcuts on the torso/shoulders and her
right arm (our left) are a bit awkward but nothing catastrophic.
The far part of the balustrade that shows through the bars should probably
be horizontal as are the roof borders (unless it has a non-obvious 3D geometry).

I'll see if I can come up with more crits later, cya

[kidult]

damn,way to go! now keep it up and glad to hear you are having fun

[Donovan V]

Hi Volchiha,

Looks like things are off to a good start. You really seem to shine on your furry critters. My dogs always look like turtles... Something that caught my eye about JumpWIP.jpg was her hair. I think in the motion you are trying to create her hair may be swept the other way. I imagine her jumping from left to right. Hope I got that right :o)

Keep up the good work. Before long you look back and say "wow it didn't seem like I made that much progress" It really is amazing how much just a little practice a day pushes you along.

See ya,
D

[Leo Ki]

Hop, critting on...
Your animal sketches are solid, I especially like the dynamic in the heron.
I think you should spend more time on the hatching in order to control it better.

The gesture sketches rock as well!

I'd like to see the sketch of the girl and wolves larger and painted... yes

The werewolf has a strong strong vibe, but I would nitpick about a few details:
the shoulder looks detached, the hand looks lax, the tail seems to be attached
too high, the absence of a yang organ makes him less manly
(ok, I know they would erase it in an anime anyway)

Your digital works tend to be blurry - this is a common thing in everybody
starting with this media and playing with brush transparency or hardness.
It will cure with time and practice, but I would recommend starting with
an imitation of acrylics rather than watercolor.

OK, there are more things I want to say, your work is varied.
But it will wait until your next update c:

[dierat]

Some general crit on the last 2 drawings:

I really like the img on the left, much moreso than the one one of the right. I think it's mostly because in the left drawing, the figure pops so completely from the background that it's very elegant and eye-catching. The right img has the figure overlapping a background that is composed of mostly the same colors (in hue and saturation), value, and sharpness. It feels very busy to me because the figure gets lots amongst these buildings and other objects that need to be pushed into the background. The figure needs more contrast and color variances to bring her forward.

The biggest crit I have on the left img is the pose. I'm not sure what you're angle or direction is, and the more I look at the drawing the more it confuses me. She's in a heavily action-oriented img in that she's completely removed from the ground and must therefore being propelled downward by gravity, but she has a solemn expression as though she were drifting through space. Her limbs are positioned as though she is falling but falling gracefully, as though she is levitating in a gentle wind. In this capacity, the img on the right is much more successful in that the pose is easily readable in context with her surroundings.

[wheezy]

Hello I am new to the SSG. I will subscribe to your thread to get updates so I can keep up. Look forward to seeing some more good stuff!

Update!

[Volchiha]

Thank you Leo and Dierat! Unfortunately with my deadlines I didn't get to rework the image for the exam, and I'm kinda sick of it by now anyway.

My apologies to the SSG for not updating. My internet died for a week and I was stuck with no access, and with exams and such, not much to update with...
But anyway, here's a couple of practice stuffs with anatomy and whatnot. More updates coming soon to a SB near youu!!

[Zweit]

Hi Volchiha, sorry to hear about your internet, though I am glad you weren't just flaking out.

Good work lately, but your crosshatching is very rough in your last post. The shadows on that skull are all in the right places, but I think you're too quickly going to white for the highlights, and aren't squeezing enough values from that pencil. The rendering of the facial muscles though is really messy and looks like you're pressing too hard on the paper, and like you're trying to convey texture without light information. Maybe loosen up your grip on the pencil? It's hard to know for sure.

(the last pic shows up corrupted for me, by the way)

Good luck with your internets.

[Volchiha]

Thanks Zweit. I actually can't stand the muscle one, but I thought I'd just put it there for the "record" sort of thing. It's really just doodling, I'll try put some more effort into my drawing and rendering with future studies, so I completely agree with the crit. =)

[wheezy]

Great job on rocking out the studies! I have a tendency to go too dark too fast when trying to render anything I draw. I think we share that issue. How do you hold your pencil? Do you let the weight of it do your initial values?