The Sporadic Sketchbook [August 18th]

[ohnojenny]

Title given due to sad, yet sincere, sporadic sketch-updates. Busy schedule... Bear with me, please!
Scroll on through the progress...

All right, how to start this off?
Just recently been inspired to pursue the world of art not only as a hobby, but as a career. Really started working about a month ago, and I figured, "What better way to improve than to get insight from other artists?"
So... here I am. :3

I'm going to start off with the oldest thing I remember doing recently (little more than a month ago), and that was a painting, if you can call it one.
And then are a bunch of pages from my sketchbook that I've been working on for the past month, from oldest to new. So you can see my progress over the month. I just finished it, so I'll be posting pages from a brand new sketchbook soon.

I know I need to work on anatomy, varied facial structures and expressions, perspectives... a whole lotta stuff! And sizing these files so that they don't make the post look so funny. Haha. Critiques very well appreciated -- even more so than comments. :3

[AsaB]

Hi Jenny (isn't it?), welcome aboard!

Quite the bunch of sketches you've got there! Seems like you've got the willpower and dedication, you're going to need plenty of that if you wanna go pro Looking good so far, many different faces and expressions.

However, I've got a few crits Let's start with the noses, most of them are too big and long. Often the faces dont quite seem to fit either into the head. I suggest you do facial studies, self portraits and study the planes of the head. I don't know if you're familiar with Andrew Loomis, but his books are praised here on CA (with good reason, too), so I suggest you download the entire bunch and take a good look at the Head and Hands one.

I'm also missing more full length figures from you! I have a problem with that myself, I love doing just faces and the bust, but try to do more entire figures. PoseManiacs has a great database of compuer models in various poses that you can rotate and draw from all angles. The 30 second mode (actually goes up to 90 secs, I believe) is also an excellent tool for quick gestures, which I suggest you do more of.

Hopefully this should get you started and make you update your SB regularly. See you around!

[ohnojenny]

Thanks AsaB! I hadn't realized that some of these facial features just don't fit the head. :3 I'll be sure to look into those references.
And... yeah. I'll admit it. Since I'm not so great at full bodies, I've been finding excuses to avoid them. :3 But this site might just make me get to facing that obstacle... thank you!

I hope to be pretty active here, at least for the summer time. No excuses there. :3 And, haha, it actually isn't Jenny... It's a reference to a song. :3 I'll have to do something about that... :3

And a post, guys! With close-ups! I think I finished it. Crits greatly appreciated! I'll be willing to touch up on it.

[The Joker]

[Close-ups]

[sketcheth]

Those are some fantastic first two posts.
I agree completely with AsaB, the range in facial expressions and just variety in the character designs is incredible. You have some gorgeous eyes in there...very dynamic and expressive. Don't stop! You're doing an excellent job with the loads of different face shapes and variation in features, just excellent. I really like some of the Joker drawings you have going on, especially the last set of drawings with him...very expressive.
Some of the figures just have some small anatomy problems, twisting limbs and such, but that will come through practice and through studies...just keep on those.

The last painting is also very nice, great color values...the hand is very well done. So expressive with so few strokes! I'm very impressed by that, keep working toward that, the more you can express with greater economy of line, the better...
Also, don't be afraid to vary texture a little bit here and there... the chalk/pastel/conte brushes could be complimented well by some other textures. Maybe create some of your own!
I look forward to seeing more! **subscribes**

[ohnojenny]

Sketcheth -- hey thanks! I'm going to be doing some anatomy studies today... so hopefully these twisting limbs will cease to exist.
And you know what? The part I hated most of all when painting the Joker was finding the right brushes... there are so many in Painter, and so many that I just didn't want/didn't like/couldn't refind, so had to make due with something else. I'll be sure to experiment more with that, but my patience runs thin on finding the right tools... I don't think I could make my own yet. I wouldn't know where to start! Haha...

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Update! Thank you, AsaB, for that link to Loomis Tutorials. I'm learning a lot from them! The first picture was dedicated to studying how the head is constructed -- the first one I did before I found out about Loomis, so it may not be as accurate... but it's my first page in my new sketchbook! So yay for that. The page after that is the second page, and more Loomis head studies. The only real person on there is also the only woman on there -- I was in court that day, and inclined to sketch the judge, because she was the only one staying still. :3
Thanks!

On a side note... I need to get some dimensions down for saving my scans in... I feel like my posts are sloppy. D:

[sketcheth]

The brushes in Painter can be hard to hack through. I end up just using the pastel and chalk ones as bases to make other brushes, because I like how they lay down color...

Ooh...colored pencils and markers...that's delightful. The facial structures are already looking better on the second page, keep it up. Studying the human skull can really help you understand that stuff, too...I know it's helped me a lot with noses and things like that. Be careful that you don't exaggerate the cheek bones too much, it can make your faces look overly gaunt. The figures are looking better. Post more! Can't wait for the next update!

[ohnojenny]

sketcheth -- So you make your own brushes? Interesting... I'll give a whack at it sometime. :3 And, haha, I used to neglect cheekbones ever being there -- so I guess I've overdone them a lot. Yes, I can see that. I'll work on that! Thanks!

mysociallink2 -- Thank you! I'm really working on improving. I think updating almost daily really helps... keeps you going. :3

---

Here're two speedpaints I flushed out this morning. The first one was putting my Loomis studies to use with my tablet, and the second one was an anatomy study that turned into a girl. I did some PoseMs, maybe I'll post them later today...

[ohnojenny]

Hey guys! Another update. Just some PoseMs and some more Loomis studies. They turned out okay... hope to post more either later tonight or tomorrow!

On a side note -- those timed PoseM drawings are pretty exhausting... whew.

[Jaxsbudgie]

Really nice sketches
I envy people like you who can just bang out pages like this

One way i think you could make them stand out more, is by colouring the space around them
Maybe with a coloured pencil or felt tip, would help make the sketches really stand out

[Brun]

nice sketches, u are doing great, i would recommend some more studies of anatomy and the basic colour theories

keep it up

[ohnojenny]

All right! Crits! You guys are awesome!

Jaxsbudgie -- Haha, I don't think it's anything to envy. If anything, what I need to work on is my endurance, because I find I get exhausted reaaaaal fast... unless it's coloring. Which I should do more of, huh? Thanks! I'll definitely take you up on that piece of advice.

Brun More studies of anatomy and color theory... all right! I know I definitely need to work harder on anatomy... color theory will come as I study portraits more, I think... or still lifes... thanks, buddy!

Not such an interesting update right here, just some work I did in my smaller sketchbook over the past couple of days -- darn pen smudged while erasing... patience is a virture, eh? Oh, and that weird thing to the left of the girl on the first page... is a shoe I saw someone wearing while on the bus. Yes.

[Mon Chat]

Thanks for that ohno, (no no no no nono) i did the painting with a flat brush and made little square blocks of colour in watercolour, blue with yellow over the top... or the other way about... i cant remember, and the armour was done in enamals...

faces... i always have a problem with the right eye for some reason...

annnyway! your sketchbook is looking great, i love the angular quality of the faces and your costume designs look great, i would recommend (and this is a problem i have myself) trying to give your characters some weight, it helps if you draw a line running from where you want the feet up to the head, and hang the body from that... but of a pain to discribe so i'll be back with a picture, keep at it!

[ohnojenny]

J.Boswell -- All right! Someone got the reference! Awesome! Made my day right there alone. :3 But no joke? Watercolor? You must've used little water, because the colors just seem so bold. :3

And a crit! Double awesome. Add some weight, huh? I'm... kind of unsure what you mean about that. I'm trying to picture it in my head. But I get the drawing line from head-to-toes part! I should try that out... I'll get to work on that right away! Thank you!

Update guys -- some anatomy studies but with clothing and stuff. And colors! I've discovered that, unless the sheet I'm coloring on is already toned, I don't like using my colored pencils much anymore... but the markers I liked using. That knightly figure just drove me nuts. :/ Scanning them in ruined the quality somewhat, but *shrug* what can you do?
Critics are loved!

[sketcheth]

Nice color work...I really like the guy in the suit the best...he seems to have the most personality...kind of hunched like that... I like the costumes too...great colors.

You mentioned not liking to color on an untoned surface...so...tone it. I just received a critique the other day on my use of color on a white background. It's kind of dangerous because of how white changes your perception of colors. Maybe try laying down some flat off white color...or even set your figures in a background or something. Give it a shot.
Uhm...otherwise...you seem to be diminishing the importance of feet. :3 Think about doing some studies of how feet connect to legs at the ankles. Or even just do some studies of the figure in perspective. Posemaniacs is good for that, just pay special attention to how the body is set in space as you're drawing them.
Another thing about posemaniacs: you don't have to always draw the full figure! Maybe just do sketches of the legs and feet that show up there, but do it in more detail than you usually would be able to when sketching the full figure.
Lovely work. Keep it up!

[AsaB]

Hi again! What should we call you, Not-Jenny?

I already see improvements in your faces, the features are more proportionate since you've got a better understanding of the planes and form. Keep it up and you'll improve like lightning! (they do it fast, right? ;p)

Love the last sketch page, the coloured figures look great. Update!

[ohnojenny]

Slobosaurus -- Haha, great. Yeah! I like drawing in the seams. I just think they make the picture look better, and it helps me figure out how tight it is to the body and stuff... they do help. :3 Aaah, my figures are coming out short? Someone once told me we put a bit of ourselves into what we draw... and I'm short. Maybe that's coming out. But I'll be SURE to work on height! I wish I could've gotten this piece of advice sooner -- think my next guy is going to be short, too. D: But, yeah... I never liked the 8-heads, either. Thanks so much!

sketcheth -- I like the guy in the formal fit, too. He was the most fun overall.
Does white really change your perception of color? Huh. Wonder why that is. So do I like, lay down the background color before I actually start coloring the figure in? It's easier to do in Painter than it is on paper. :3 I'll give it a shot, though.
Hahaha... you caught me... feet... I'll get a feet and hands study in sometime soon... thanks, buddy!

AsaB -- Hey there! Hah, well... I've gotten "Oh No" in variations around here so far... you can play around with that if you like. I really don't mind.
Yes! The Loomis page you sent me to really helped me with the basic layouts of heads: I got so much from it. I still have a lot to study from it. Thanks again!

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Update, guys! Started off as a work on anatomy with the tablet, and then I got absorbed in it. Meet Kane J. Meister. Boring pose, I know. I created him a few years ago, and he's stuck with me since, but I've always been tweaking his costume here and there. Looks like I made him short, though. D: Unfortunately, I realized this after I colored most of him in...
Any crits are appreciated! I'm willing to go back and fix things up if they aren't major, like redrawing his leg. :3

[Kane J. Meister]

[Close-ups]

[sketcheth]

I really like the additions you've made to his costume...they seem much more deliberate than usual. I like the style a lot... Great buttons. Pinstripes are an excellent look for the pants, as well. He looks like he could use a belt though.
It looks like those Loomis studies did indeed pay off! I can see a bit of the remainders of your face sketching and I have to say, it helped! The structure of the face is really well done.
One thing that really opened my eyes to the depth that you can achieve with a painting was when someone told me to push my value ranging. You should try throwing some strong directional lighting and really work on shadows and adding depth. It's quite a challenge to work with color in that way, and you can learn loads...this is fantastic.

[ohnojenny]

sketcheth -- I like the buttons. :3 They were fun to do. But a belt you say? Hmm... yeah, that fits... I knew I was missing something...
Yes! Loomis studies are definitely helping. I'll do some more this weekend.
Huh... maybe I should take this picture back in and shoot a light at him, no? I just might try it. :3 All of a sudden I've gotten scared of going too dark.

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Aaaaaand updates guys! A bunch of inked works -- only one of them was straight up pen. And... yeah... I need to work on anatomy. Next time, right?

[sketcheth]

Wow...these are really impressive! You've made huge leaps in the expressions and facial structure this week. are some of these portraits of real people? I like the person with the glasses in the second scan as well as the person with red hair in that same scan...lovely work.

Uhm...keep on studying those faces, that's all I can say. I've enjoyed just looking at them and I can't wait to see more. They are a bit of a caricature-ish style...they have real features, but in just a more generalized form. Excellent stuff. More!

[Jussi Tarvainen]

oh jenny, Good stuff here. Nice to see you draw so much from your imagination and they are looking pretty solid. If you would jump into anatomy and life studies big time I think it would increase your skills dramatically and take you to a new level. Maybe a daily self portrait would do miracles as well.

Hope that helps. Keep up the great work!

[ohnojenny]

sketcheth -- the only portraits of actual people are the woman on the bottom corner of the page with the skateboarder, and the woman in the top right hand corner of the image next to it. :3 Everyone else is pretty much imagined-up. Haha, caricatures, huh? Haha, iiiiinteresting...

YuZa -- Hey, thanks! More anatomy work, huh? Yeah... definitely. :3 I'll be working a lot on that this weekend, along with hands and feet (hopefully). Doing self portraits? Mmm... I need to find a mirror... thanks for the helpful tips and dropping by!

----

You know... someone just taught me how to put in images without using the attachment method... but I just forgot. D: Oh well... not much of an update. A sloppy first page, trying to work on height and proportion a little bit on the second, and a very colorful last page including a portrait of myself while I was on the bus. I saw my reflection a few feet in front of me, and you guys say it helps, so... and no making fun of my bazooka.

[ohnojenny]

Sorry guys... I had no time this weekend to do any studies... I hope to get some done this week after I get some college apps sorted.
So... here are some sketches during a free concert hosted at a park, and when I was sitting in a jury picking today. Only a few faces are from reference -- I have to sketch faster.

Crits are loved!

Park:


Court:

[sketcheth]

First off, I love the second to last post...the markers are fantastic. You've got some really nice stuff going...I really like the marker drawing of the girl with the scarf...that line-less quality is excellent! I say keep experimenting with the media like you are, you're getting some great results. Do more pen drawings, they force you to be more expressive with your lines....and it looks like you're doign just that.

Great assortment of faces. A huge variety...it's really impressive. Keep going! Never stop learning those new faces, you'll have an endless library of features in your head before long...
The figures are also really coming along...you seem much more confident in the forms, and you're not shying away from feet either! That's fantastic.
Crits...I think it might help you out to do some planar studies of the face...just to understand the structure of the face better, that's helpful for everybody... I don't know...it's hard to crit this post, because there's just tons of improvement.

[katinki]

thank you for posting in my book! i'm really impressed by your improvement within this one side! i especially like the face studies in the last post! i can't add much to what sketcheth just said - keep them comming!

[AsaB]

Damnit, talk about impressive progress! I see you've really been chewing on Loomis, huh? I see leaps and jumps forwards regarding facial expressions and faces in general, actually.

I like how you're trying different tools, the marker drawings are really lovely to look at, you've got some confident strokes on those, maybe because you know you can't erase those? In any way, excellent work! Like sketcheth has been saying, it's hard to crit your wonderfully improved stuff, just keep doing this and I'll be coming by soon and expecting more improvement!

[IanE]

Sketch, sketch, sketch! You're getting in a lot of mileage and that's good! Markers and you are going well together, noticeable in the last few posts and especially in #13 with the girl in the white summer dress. A neat thing to do in that case with such contrast is leave some of the linework out of the dress, make it an implied form by either using a softer line, a broken line, or just removing a segment of line entirely. Her neck looks a bit short though! Keep it up :]

[ohnojenny]

sketcheth -- You do? I think her eyes are too far apart. :3 I actually don't think that -- I know that. Haha. Ah... pen? As in, pen-pen-ink-pen? I'm scared. D:
Oh no I like drawing faces a lot... I think that's why I haven't been doing much of anything else. :3 Like painting. D: Which I really should be doing more of. That and studies in general. Like those feet and hands. Oy... and I'll get to more face studies. :3 Know of anyone besides Loomis that I can also take from?

katinki -- Hey, my pleasure! I'm just held in awe at your figure sketches. I'll keep on working on my technique, I'll assure you that. Thanks!

AsaB -- To be honest, last time I looked at his tutorial was... when I did the hardcore head sketches way up there. I've kind of stored his lesson in the back of my mind, but I should revisit him soon.
I like these markers because they have a brush nib. It's quite heavenly to use. Gotta love Copics. But it'll be a while before I can draft with any permanent tool straight up... Thank you!

IanE -- Hey, thank you! An implied line? You don't say? I'll have to give it a shot soon! This sketchbook needs some recent color work... Thank you again!

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All right -- some more sketch work that I've been doing at the (finally got the legal term for jury picking) voir dire from yesterday, and into today with the opening statement and testifying victim and stuff... interesting case, wish I could say more. :3

Everyone on the first page is imagined (I don't know why an elephant is there). The majority of the guys in the second one are of the people in the courtroom:


And this is what you get from listening to Coldplay all day...:


What a funny stain... and a WIP -- just to show you guys that I intend to post something painted eventually... crits early on are great! I'll probably end up changing her face a lot...

[Jaxsbudgie]

The last update on the faces are great
The woman's face at the top right on the first page really stood out to me
Really good

The jury thing sounds like an experience
Great way to capture people's different emotions
I'm sure you're giving the actual courtroom artist a run for his money

Do you ever get on a long bus/train journeys and just draw people?
I think i'll do that tomorrow on my way to London

I'll check back soon
There had best be more

[ohnojenny]

slobosaurus -- haha, I actually saw that Waldo picture in your sketchbook... that's pretty funny. :3 Maybe she is? Who knows...

Jaxsbudgie -- Hey thanks! Yeah, I'm really enjoying just drawing faces, which is pretty bad... because I should be working on other parts, but... *shrug*

It truly is an experience. I'm so glad I interned this summer. There was actually a mistrial to that particular case, so the whole thing has to start over. Unfortunately, my time with them is just about up.

And you know, I've always wanted to just sketch people I see on the bus, but since it's such a city, people are always moving fast and paranoid about being watched, and get uncomfortable. Or, some do. On the occasion I'll be lucky. But yeah, you should definitely go for it (probably a little late coming from me now, though D. I'd like to see how those sketches come out!

------

I've been pretty bad with updates. D: Sorry guys. I've been held up with things. One older page, which isn't that great, and a painting, which also isn't that great. I just lost interest in it after a while... bad... D:

[ohnojenny]

Hey! Second page! That's pretty exciting. I'd like to say I improved from the beginning of the last page to now -- I think I'd like to set goals for each page on improvement. This one will be painting and hopefully, with that, anatomy.

Let's see how much painting I can do before school starts... just two speed paints. I'm in dire need of crits guys. I need a direction. :3