=experiments, failures, triumphs=

[wilkerson]

You might say it's kind of gay to paint a swan but oh well, it turned out good I think.

I tried my hand with this pallette from an oil by Jeremy Bennette. The colours are very subdued and blend in together nicely. The subtleties are really tough because it can be hard to tell purple from green and so on when the saturation is so low. I'm learning that nailing that selection is key.

No colour picking for either of these paintings, I'm trying to move beyond it as it can be a crutch.

[wheezy]

Hi Wilkerson! I am new to the SSG and I am going around subscribing to everyone's threads to keep up with the updates.

Grats on getting a tablet. I treat mine like gold.

Your atmosphere effects are nice. Looks like you are getting the grasp of landscapes and nature quite well. An observation I have on your work is that the lighting is a bit dim in a couple of them.

Can't wait to see more work and start sharing my own with you and the others in the SSG.

[Leo Ki]

Welcome aboard our sketch raft!
I can see the tablet has changed your life
But you were doing already well with the mouse.
(I used to kill my fist with the mouse a year and half ago)
You have a speed painter's eye, picking colors and shapes on the fly, that's great!
I can't find constructive criticism at the moment, but I'll be harsher in my next posts

[ReviseTheMethod]

Great stuff! =) These last paintings are looking sharp, and the fact that you've put the color picker aside makes it even better
Continue to train your eye with those studies, it will give you a lot :>

Keep it up!

[Zweit]

That swan's great. The landscapes are good, too. As for crits? Your colors are frequently very washed out, I think you could stand to push their saturation further like you did in post 57. Other than that, your lines look pretty hairy. You may want to watch your pencil control, or else be aware of it next time you're drawing.

Cheers, dude! Keep up the good work.

[HauDoodles]

Not much I can critique on, but you're getting a lot better at the environmental stuff, though your anatomical sketches still need a bit of work - you're probably focusing on environmental paintings now? I like the swan, just the head needs a bit more detailing.

If you used reference for all the environments, can't wait to see you do something on your own.

[wilkerson]

hey thanks all

wheezy: thanks. I think you're right about the lighting. One of my art teachers pointed it out and actual called it "subversive".

Leo: thanks, I like the tablet.

Revise: thanks as well. Ya I'm trying to not use the picker except when I really cant figure out a hue.

Zweit: It's true, my colours can look kind of washed out. It is a weakness of mine as well as a little bit of my style. I trust your eye. I will be posting some more drawings soon, I think I used more confident sharper lines. It's something I will continue to think about because I really want to get a lot better than I am.

Biomanz: Thanks for the crit. I've actually been working on a lot of anatomy drawings recently, I hope to post them soon.

[Volchiha]

Amazing studies. I love your tablet work, and it's amazing that you managed to paint some of that stuff with a mouse!

No crits yet, I'll be waiting for your next update so I can harness all my crit-force into one area

[Porg]

Your painting is improving all the time and I like the soft use of colour you have.
You've also got a very good eye for perspective and distance. Maybe try more with foreshortening on your characters, just for hell of it.

I was really impressed with the greyscale one with the lake, the effect you used for the water really made me feel it was water.

Would be cool to see you do some vehicles seeing as your good with perspective.

Keep it up.

[wilkerson]

Bridgmans and Barcsay studies.

[Leo Ki]

Was wondering when you would update ^^
I like the nervous lines you put in your sketches. Very neat style!
You should update more often or the SSG will haunt you

[dierat]

Hey wilk, welcome to the ssg

Your studies are great and they're going to make a great foundation for your future work, but I think in general your work is looking a little static atm. I think you really need to push your colors and your value to bring a little energy to your images. Some of your referenced digital paintings have a much higher saturation or contrast, but in general it's lacking that little kick. Especially your pencil sketches. Anyway, keep up the good work and I'm excited to see what else you'll be coming up with in the near future.

[wilkerson]

don't think I quite finished this pig...



I've never really drawn anything like this but I'd like to start doing characters at some point. Here's my humble attempt at an orc.

[Leo Ki]

You gave your Orc a rather proud standing not very common in those beings
An interesting twist.
The second shark and the pig are going toward a good texturing.
More of it would make a very outstanding pencil.

[wheezy]

Man loving the studies. I NEED YOUR DISCIPLINE! I can see the hog going "NOM NOM NOM"

Were those latest forearm studies from the new ImagineFX workshop?

[Zweit]

Excellent studies! Your lines are looking much more confident and clear now. Don't be afraid to push the darkest parts of your shadows further (darker, that is) to create a better sense of volume.

Dumb nitpick: Your orc is looking fine, but he's looking unusually distinguished. Orcs are typically portrayed either big and hulking or stooped and bowlegged. Yours looks rather like a ranger or paladin or something. Sorry 'bout that.

Keep up the good work anyway.

[wilkerson]

Porg: thanks. I would like to start doing vehicles at some point.

Leo: I didn't really think about the pose but I guess you're both right. Like I said I had never drawn an orc hopefully I will get better at it.

dierat: thanks. crit noted.

wheezy: thanks. I'm not familiar with imaginefx workshops, most of my anatomy drawings are after Bridgmans.

Zweit: thanks. I think I just hate drawing dark sometimes.

speaking of not drawing dark..haha
Fangorn tree

[Leo Ki]

Fangorn tree definitely lacks some darks, hehe
I would like to see more complex sketches in which you put together all your separate sketches:
forest undergrowth with creatures in them, and complex plays of shadows and light.
I know you can!

[dierat]

I really like the build-up of value in some of these pencil studies, just don't forget to top it off with a darker pencil for some extra contrast. Also, love the figure/muscle studies; those are looking really great. For the orc, his form and gear look great. As I feel Leo was touching on, he's lacking a bit of character in his stance, so as you continue to draw characters, I encourage you to take their personality into account when you pose them. Really try to bring the character across and not just what he's wearing. Great work, keep it up

[wheezy]

Digging the trees and the hound beast thingy. Looks like you really went loose with doing those. In comparison, when doing your anatomy studies it looks like you tightened up.

[wilkerson]

These are some 1 to 5 minute poses from my life drawing class.
Not really comfortable with the speed or the medium but I tried my best.

[Leo Ki]

The 4th one has the look of a classical statue, great!
It's good that you sought to capture the structure in some of them,
drawing being a mix of catching and modeling.
Do you have imagination sketches or paintings in the work?

[MyOrangeHat]

Wow you've really been working hard. Nice stuff you have in here. I especially like the trees and roots.

[wilkerson]

These were from imagination, no reference.




Lighting and texturing by myself, model by Dan Wade.

There were a few handicaps; this a maya software render, no retouching or postwork, no subsurface scattering, no raytracing. Still I'm very happy with how it turned out. Most of the textures are procedural.

[Leo Ki]

Hey you did do forest landscapes! I like these very much. I'd like to see the first sketch colored, conserving the lines.
Did you use several layers on the second one, or did you paint from back to fore?
Is the lemon skin procedural texturing too? No raytracing entails no color influence from an object to another, right?
Still the lighting makes it pop out well!

[Verehin]

good learn process...keep it up

[wilkerson]

Leo: Thanks for being the most regular poster in my book haha
I was thinking about these creepy forests after looking through the Art of The Two Towers book (which has influenced a lot of the stuff I've been doing lately). For a while I have been very conscious of the need to combine different subjects together but I don't seem to do it...
I did use several layers on the painting, but not in a neat way like I usually would. That fruit is actually an orange, not a lemon. The skin is procedural, it is noise used to make tiny dark spots also mapped into bump, most bump is the model though. Raytracing I guess is a way of calculating light so you might be right, I'll get back to you.

wheezy: Thanks. Probably did tighten up, different approach/mood when doing those.

Myorangehat: Thanks a lot.

Verehin: Thanks as well. I have enjoyed your book.

[wheezy]

Yo wilkerson, hope all is well in life. Any updates for the SSG?

[wilkerson]

Hey all, hope you had good holidays.
It's been way too long since I updated (still no scanner sadly).

I've been filling all the empty space in my sketchbook. You may notice some cut/paste, I've compiled the new stuff all together.

Bridgmans




I've starting branching out a little, trying my hand at costumes.


quick little thumbnails from imagination.


some original stuff and LOTR stuff.


I've been trying to take new paths and push my skills further. It's my goal to make a living with my work one day.

[Leo Ki]

Keep doing poses from imagination, exploring what looks natural and what doesn't. It's such a victory when something shapes right out of thin air.
Hint: do not one but two or more people interacting, it will boost you, promise.