Chronicles of Jussi Tarvainen [Updated April 10th]

[Jussi Tarvainen]

[UPDATED Aug 2nd]
Okay so here's the deal. I've decided to become an independent artist. This sketchbook and the links in my sig are devoted to that journey. I invite you to come aboard and enjoy the ride and hopefully learn something on the way. I humbly welcome all critique that can help me to become a better artist.

The action plan is deciding the goals, means of how to get to my goals and executing them.

I have my goals setup. How am I going to get there. Simply put by studying life, perspective and anatomy.

I am taking classes at an online atelier from now on out at www.classicalartonline.com Instructor is a member of CA.org Jonathan Hardesty MindCandyMan(look for his journey here at ca.org).
Plan is to learn the basics with him. On the side I will be studying perspective, life and anatomy. Other things of course too but I want to get a good foundation so I want to get a good education of the basics first. Taking it step by step and focus being on only 1 to 2 things at the time so I can get the most out of my studies. I will have a list of "Daily's" which are things to keep my goals fresh in my mind and help with my studies.

So as of right now I will begin a hard to work with perspective on the side of the atelier studies. It's going to be a while like this because perspective will help with anatomy so I can understand the mass and form better. There's a great book called "Creative perspective for artists and illustrators" which will guide me through most of the way as well as some dvd's from draw123.com. I wont be posting these results because they are just boring to look at and I will have more time to work on drawing.

I will start a new thread for my atelier endeavors though and that will be updated time to time.

Other learning materials:
Creative Perspective for Artists and Illustrators by Ernest Watson
Marshal Vandruff Perspective DVD's at draw123.com
more info on study materials to come as I advance in my studies.




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Phuh, a lot has changed since I started my "personal art school project" and all for good. I've learned so much about art, techniques, knowledge you need, how to think differently, some drawing skills and ways to learn.

Therefore I've decided to change the form of learning. It isn't going to be so strictly set into different lessons and hours but more of into a few different areas. Still working on the concept but obviously will be drawing my ass off in the mean time.

Please fee free to drop a line to give tips, advices, critique, feedback, anything. And maybe this thread can help you out in someways.

-----------------------
I started a "personal school" project two weeks ago and there's still 3 months and two weeks left of it. You can read more about at http://www.conceptart.org/forums/sho...d.php?t=123722.

Here I am posting the results. I'm planning on posting once a week from now on out. The first two weeks were pretty hectic as I was studying relentlessly 7 hours a day starting between 6am and 8am and moving to a new apartment the rest of the time. Now I'm pretty much finally moved in and got a scanner so I could scan this stuff.

This thread is for showing the progress and to get critic I can learn more from. Any comments, feedback and critics are very welcome.

During the first few weeks I read a lot, draw a lot and learned a lot. Also getting a hang of it how the schedule works for me and how to deal with frustration.
So here's most of the work from the first two weeks.(photo reference used for digi paintings)

[algenpfleger]

whoah, you sure worked hard! tons of progress, especially in the structure of those heads!

hmm i think it would be better to update more often with smaller bunches of images, or even post your daily work, this way you'd get more constructive feedback i guess, because like it's now it's a little hard to know where to look first

keep it up!

[Jussi Tarvainen]

Hey Algenpfleger.

Thanks a lot.
Yeah that does make sense. I just went through this thread and there is quite a bit of stuff in one post. I'll try to do daily updates in the future like you said.

[Jussi Tarvainen]

Here's something from this week. Not that much stuff. I've been forced to do a lot of stuff in order to move into my new apartment and haven't had as much time as I've scheduled to be. Also I have entrance examination for a package and graphic design school to go to all next week so I've been reading and drawing a lot of relating to that.

Thanks for your critics and feedback.

[Jussi Tarvainen]

Okie dokie. So more stuff for last week.
This was a big week for me as I was at the exams for packaging design school. Days started 6.30 taking the train to the school and then drawing and making packages and graphics till 5pm and then taking the train and bus back home. Damn I love train rides. It so much fun to draw there and the time flies by. So the last bits are some train drawing.

Next week I'm off to US for 2 weeks and I will be drawing as much as possible but it's partly a business trip so not all fun and games. Anyways my friend works at Activision and he said he'd give me a walkthrough in house so expecting that very much.

I've kinda noticed that there's some kind of style developing for me or maybe a lack of style... no it's some sort of style but I'm not liking it... I obviously need more practice in every area but especially learning to use the line weight, contour and how to make characters more personalized...

Anyways here are dem results. On the very last page I was drawing this guy who changed positions every few minutes so he was a perfect model and it was hella fun drawing same person from little bit different angles.

I'm starting to memorize things in the skull when drawing so it's easier to draw now without looking at a model. Nice to find that I'm getting a tiny bit better.

Thank you for viewing and critics.

[Jussi Tarvainen]

Time for a small update.
Found this awesome craft paper and did some drawing from reference and some ramblings out of my head.

Any critics and help are much appreciated.

[Jussi Tarvainen]

Playing with my new Wacom 20WSX the first time. Here's an apple study from a photo reference. Need to go to the store and get some real apples though. Oh and program is painter. Need some training how to pick different brushes and which works for what.

C/C welcome.

[EvilBunny]

Wasn't sure how that personal schooling would go when I read the thread back then, but looks like it went well. For crits, your perspective could use some more work. It seems as if you have the basics down, but a little refinement would help. The Japanese rock garden coffee table looks a bit extreme, probably because your vanishing points are close together. I'll suggest looking at some cylinders and cubes still lives and just observe them, note how they seem to change as your position to them change. Looking at Loomis will also help. Second crit has to deal with your head and faces. Img 8595 has big eyes and mouth. His head is also too high in that he has lots of hair. Remember to incorporate your understanding of skulls into your drawing from imagination. If you have the time, I'll recommend checking out Bridgeman, Robert Beverly Hale, and KChen's class notes. They use anatomy as a way to teach you massing and construction, and will help you depict 3d objects on a 2d surface. Other than that, keep up the good work.

[Jussi Tarvainen]

EvilBunny:
Yes, it's going very well. I've learned a lot since the first "semester" and I think I'm changing the style a bit. I've noticed I don't need such strict hourly schedule but what I need is the certain subjects to study and put more time into one area at the time. I've learned that for me to be on top of things and to get as much done as possible I need to be some way organized and having certain things to study works well for me.

Thank you for the critics I really appreciate it. I will definitely put more time into perspective. I'm actually doing a lot of still life drawing right now so I will add different cylinders etc. to it. Thanks for the idea!

Yeah I seem to notice my flaws later on when I look at my drawings. I should probably incorporate mirror for checking my work. Hey I checked those persons you mentioned and found those were so good. I will definitely take those into my studying routine.

I think the main areas I will be concentrating right now are trying to draw as much from life as possible, anatomy studies, perspective, mass, value etc.

Very excited.

Here's a few life's from the past few days and one photo ref.

[Jussi Tarvainen]

Alrighty. So here's work from today. Did a bunch of lifedrawing from photo reference. 20 to 40 minutes each. I should probably put some time limits and try to do some in shorter amount of time and some longer ones as well. On this I didn't have any time limit. Just worked on them till I thought they were done. Tried using some rules I've learned. Need to try to go back to looking at different "rules" or measures how long are the arms etc. Loads of fun drawing these. Slow start and then it picked up.

If anyone have any creative critic it's very much welcome. Said I was going to use mirror in the future. Forgot so I'm going to do it afterwards and maybe correct things with red pencil.

I also need to work on finding the balance for the figure... seems a little hard to figure out but then again it's more rewarding when it starts to work! And most definitely need to learn foreshortning. I'm helpless with that.

I drew these while listening to Bobby Chiu's podcast in Youtube "digitalbobert" channel. He's such an inspirational person.

Oh and these are in the order I started drawing them.

[Jussi Tarvainen]

Past few days I've been drawing 30 to 60 second poses from www.posemaniacs.com. Trying to figure out how to get the gesture down with as few lines as possible. I think my brain is starting to understand how it works now I just need to keep doing it so I will actually start producing better results as well. Stoked that I am figuring out new stuff.

Here's a few self portraits I drew yesterday from 10minutes to half an hour.
I'll definitely keep drawing these self portraits. Fun and good for learning.
Any critics are very welcome.

[626elemental]

OK, first things first; this should be in the sketchbooks forum. That's more for this kind of daily/weekly studies and consistent updates, while this is more of a one-pic-development type forum.

I really like a lot of your stuff, you have a good eye for observation. Everything you do from life is detailed, life-like, and anatomically correct. The moment you start doing it from your imagination though, everything you've learned seems to go out the window. Figure out tricks to remember proportions (the head is five eyes wide, for example) and use them. Don't be afraid to use references for your drawings! You can even use more than one for the same pic; one for the hands, one for the leg, etc. Good work and keep drawing!

[Quigleyer]

Please don't stop doing this.

I'm extremely interested to see how it will work out. It's an interesting and initiative-driven alternative for art school. With the possibility of art school not available I think you've chosen a good way to go about this, using self-discipline a great deal.

I'm not going to lie. I'm currently in art school and discipline and initiative are traits found in too few people very far between.

Keep posting here for feedback- as you get better/post more you'll start attracting more people with different ranges of skill levels with different advice.

Keep going. Good luck!

[Jussi Tarvainen]

626Elemental:
Okie dokie I'll ask to have it moved, thanks for the heads up.
I really appreciate your help. You are definitely right about the rules flying out of the window. I've just recently started drawing from life and learning "rules" and anatomy and I think I still have the old mentality when I draw from mind. Definitely need to keep that in mind to include the rules and I for sure need to memorize them and use them in my work.
Never thought of that using references of different photos, great idea!

Quigleyer:
I will definitely not stop this To go for your dreams you have to be passionate, make sacrifices, be determined and never give up. ANd that's exactly what I'm doing
I've learned through this that routines and knowing what kind of exercises to do are what works the best for me. Though I need to learn more what kind of exercises people do at art schools.
If you're ever in need for motivation check out Bobby Chiu's podcasts at YouTube Digitalbobert channel.

Have a good one and thanks both for your comments!

[Jussi Tarvainen]

Okie dokie now I'm finally back home and able to draw and get more stuff online.
I'll scan some stuff later but here's a doodle or more of an exercise how to use painter. I did it by watching Ryan Church's DVD so it look's very similar. I guess I could've gotten more into being original but felt like I needed to learn the program and maybe something along the way.
Now I need to start drawing like a mad man because I'm not being as productive as I want to.

[Jussi Tarvainen]

Here's a few studies from photo reference probably took 1 to 2 hours each.

[Jussi Tarvainen]

Yayo more stuff.

Dug into Bridgman and it's nice to see the techniques he uses and combine them with what Vilppu is teaching. Here's some photo reference 20 minute to an hour drawings trying to set the balance right at first and then tackling into the form.

Also did this faces drawing from photo reference and it was hella fun. One thing that I noticed that after the first face I got kinda frustrated and then I remembered what Bobby Chiu said about frustration that you need to go through it and keep drawing cause that's when you make progress etc. So stoked on that small mental note. Need to remind myself every time I get frustrated to laugh at the frustration and keep going.

I would love to hear some critique and advices.
Thanks,

[Jussi Tarvainen]

First seven sketches are quick ones from last weekend while celebration the tradition of mid summer in Finland.

After that one life drawing portrait 26minutes. Then after that two skull studies from life an hour and a 67 minute one. The first one has some issues on width and proportions. Second skull the mouth came out a bit off. Going to spend more time studying the skull for the next few days.

Fun fun stuff though
And yes, feedback is more than welcome!

[Jussi Tarvainen]

Here's some life drawings from this weekend and a skull study from life.

Feel free to comment. More to come.

[Bagg]

Hey man just stumbled upon your sketch book and you have absolutely blown me away your commitment is phenomenal, keep up the good work man.
Oh and by the way you’re environment studies and that study if the apple are brilliant the colors are spot on

[Jussi Tarvainen]

Bagg: Thank you for your encouragement, it means a lot to me.
Back to the drawing board

[Jussi Tarvainen]

Here's a few more studies from life.

[Jussi Tarvainen]

Here's some simplified skull studies from yesterday. Need to do more of this and some out of my head too, these are mainly from life ref. I'm starting to get hang of things to remember and the placement for most of the stuff. Now just need to get consistent getting the proportions right.
Oh and the first one is a warm up sketch from my mind.

If you see anything to critique I would love to hear about it

[Jussi Tarvainen]

So I've been drawing a bunch of skull life reference and it's a lot of fun. Starting to get good idea of it but still having problems with the bulk of the head. Anyone has any ideas to improve with that other than just observing?

Here goes...

[Monkeydominator]

I get extremely motivated looking at your work! Progress, self discipline and knowledge... You're going to be a great source of inspiration for me! Keep this up, I'll stalk your thread.

MAEK MOAR
MOARRRRR

[Jussi Tarvainen]

MonkeyDominator: Stoked to hear that! Best of luck with your journey!

Got an urge to do this sketch before going to bed. I was reading some Star Wars comics earlier and thought I'd draw Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Sorry for the poor quality. I'll get a better picture of it tomorrow.

[Jussi Tarvainen]

So after drawing skull from life for 2-3 days it was time to put myself to the test how well I had made mental notes while drawing from reference. I drew a bunch of skulls from imagination today without looking at reference and I'm very happy with the results. I wasn't expecting a day to come so soon that I would makes this big brake through. I mean for myself I've been struggling with this subject for ages and now with the right tools and exercises I gained enough knowledge to know how to put down a skull in various different positions from my imagination. Hurray for that

Here are the results. I still have issues with the bulk of the head but everything else seems to come down fairly well.
Any advices and critique would be awesome. Thanks!

[Jussi Tarvainen]

Not much to update this time. Been hella busy with some personal stuff.

Two skull studies which the other one is half of my head and half of the reference. It was a really hard angle to draw the head. The second one is out of my head.

Apple study. First tried pencil apple study with natural light late at night and then did the colored pencil one next day but couldn't get enough shades to it.

Going to start painting with Acrylics soon.

Let's hear some comments, really!

[Jussi Tarvainen]

Here's a few life drawings I did recently. Need to get used to measure the subject more while drawing and some how learn how to spend more time on one drawing. I think that's one big problem I have. Need to learn how to see the shadows and not to leave any "white" on the paper.

Critique is most welcome.

[Jussi Tarvainen]

Here's a few hands I draw from reference(my own) and a quick life sketch.

Any tips would be nice