Not Deadman's sketchbook

[Not_Deadman]

Hello, after a couple of months of lurking, I've decided to post some stuff. At first I was intimidated by all the work here...holy crap some of the stuff here is amazing... but I figured I won't get better by just lurking.

Heres stuff from my sketchbook. Please critique and give me advice to point me in the right direction... I'm entirely self-taught at this point. Been drawing seriously since the summer so I have A LOT of catching up to do!

I should also mention I heavily referenced photos for the 1st two drawings, is that a bad thing? I only have access to a model once a week, but I want to do a lot more drawing from models so I figured magazines were the next best thing

[Muz]

I want to comment, but the scans are way to over exposed to see anything. You might wanna try and fix that up.

[Not_Deadman]

ugh... I'm sorry... i just tried to fix them and it comes out the same with light lines. I think it might have to do with me trying to scan 11 x 14 stuff with a scanner than can only scan 8.5 x 11 so the paper isn't perfectly on the scanner I'm going to have to find my camera.

[Not_Deadman]

Ok, I took pictures with my camera... I'm really hoping you guys can help me out now. I don't know what to do to improve. I've only been drawing seriously for 4 months (I drew really bad anime/manga drawings as a kid) and I think I've already hit a brick wall...
Any books I should read? I've already read Loomis' figure drawing and faces and hands book. I'm also a huge fan of George Bridgman's books. Im reading the human figure by John Vanderpoel right now.
I'm also plan to drop by the Art Students League in Manhatten, NY. Anyone from CA.org that goes there? How is that place?
I'll take any advice... I really want to be a professional but I'm worried I've started too late... I'm already a senior in high school... I'm not sure if I can catch up.
tl;dr constructive criticism please. Thank you.

The first 3 are life drawings on 18 x 24 paper and the last one is from my imagination on 11 x 14 paper in my sketchbook

[Not_Deadman]

Here are some 30 second drawings I did today... How do people pull these off? It gets pretty hectic but its fun... You guys have any tips/tricks?

Also did some studies of the trunk and its planes from John Vandepoel's "the human figure"

[Not_Deadman]

I'm not dead just yet! I have more stuff I drew while I was away... please, I really want to get better... becoming an illustrator is my dream... and I don't plan on giving up anytime soon

I did six 1 minute poses, some doodles, 2 drawings of girls from a sport illustrated bikini magazine and 1 from my imagination. I noticed I can't draw arms and legs very well so I'm going to practice those next.

Again, I need constructive criticism because I know my art is lacking, but I don't know how to fix it well

I also notice I should take more time on some drawings, but I'm afraid that if I take too much time on one thing, I could've been doing another thing

[Dan Valkar]

keep on those studies man!!!

[Not_Deadman]

Yes, a reply, thank you! Hopefully I can get some critiques from other members soon...

One major problem I've been having is... construction...
I dunno whether to do cubes, squares, circles, etc for the body. I've been told of so many different ways to do it, and I've tried all of the ones I've heard but I dont know of a great method which gets the job rapidly and effectively. What ways do you guys prefer/recommend?

[clanlord]

Hello there !

The circles, the cubes and the other forms must be imagenary! To catch the movement of the body and make it look interesting I think it will be good first to draw from reference or catch a book: for instance Burne Hogarth http://www.scribd.com/doc/961616/Bur...Figure-Drawing ! Easy man you will need to re-read it maybe a few more times! Understand everything which is there... and loose up those lines, do not make them so hard, try to obtain that reflex with free hand, do not force the lines! Maybe I am repeating myself ... so take care my friend and get inspiration from somewhere Alex Pascenko is a hell of an artist you should take a look at his SB

[Not_Deadman]

Ello, Im back from a 4 month hiatus due to many problems, one of them being hesistance/laziness... i've decided to start drawing even more and to stop worrying about all this other this in life... cuz cmon... gotta do what I love and no one can stop me

I havent gotten any better, but my new goal is to be great enough to hang out w/ "the cool kids" like all the great artists on this site.

Let's do this!
Ima start w/ the beginning of april to now...

Also, if I dont practice/post everyday... shoot me please! I really want to make awesome art... I'm giving meself up until september when I go to college!

[Not_Deadman]

And here are some life-drawing/memory drawings... they're horrible, BUT ill improve! damnit ill improve or else ill just.... scrub my brains out and clean my wrists!

i hope i can keep to my word.... i have a lot of stuff to do like... find a job for the summer.... study for IB tests next month... graduate... driving classes.... im stressed out! help me out guys!
I have NO art friends, and I hope to find some here! I love talking about art and artists in general, i find it more interesting than random tv shows or music imo

I look forward to meeting new people here! Catch ya guys tomorrow and please critique and comment! thank you!

[Not_Deadman]

didnt have much time to do much, im worrying about getting into art school now since i applied so damn late.... /sigh... please comment and critique! thanks!

3 studies from roger peck's anatomy book and the last is a bunch of doodles/memory drawings i did on my bus ride from school

[Bradtron]

Hey man, thanks for stopping by my SB, i'm going to Guelph for their studio art program. Your stuff is looking pretty good, especially with the higher quality scans near the end. The anatomy stuff your doing is looking great, one critique is try doing some portrait drawing, just quick stuff and doesn't have to be anything especially hard, i like to use google a lot for that. I'll try and follow you throughout the summer as well

[Not_Deadman]

just got back from art students league, so i got some life drawings

first pic is a doodle i did on my way to ASL and the next are the life drawings
Please help me! These are... not good... and I want to know how to improve. Im going to keep going to these 1 1/2 hour drawing sessions, so hopefully that will help.
How can I get the "final" piece done faster? These are 5-20 min poses and I can't do them well, while the people around me are doing awesome stuff. I asked a person and I gotta talk to him tomorrow... im gonna try charcoal like he suggested

Off to do some studies and upload em later tonight
comment and critique plz! Thanks!

[IronFistGoon]

Thanks for the post. I am going to try to do some value studies later today. I like what you have going on here. Great use of studies. Try to loosen up your lines a little more. Maybe go from 2 min studies up to 10 minute studies and see how your looseness improves. You may also want to try it with the same pose so you build that memory of that pose. It will also keep you working on seeing mistakes as you god. Good work and keep it up.

[kingkostas]

Hello.
Nice studies and nice rendering skills with the pencil.
You say you wanna become an illustrator.I see great motivation but i hope you do this with passion cause if you dont you will stop some time.
You must have the kind of passion that only death will be able to stop you from your journey.
Keep going with passive attitude.Do your work , go out with friends(not 24/7)
no need to have art friends(friends related to art are different from those passionate to art) some people find amazing or crazy the thing that someone is hunting with passion his dreams.
You know you will end up like playing a game(a serious hardcore(no ressurection) game)
Thats how you enjoy everything in your life.Set a goal , a goal that you really want to succeed and forget everything else that tends to stop you.Never consider GAME OVER with these easy ways like suicide and stopping your dream for something non important to your life.

I see dedication and i am happy about that.No matter how much time you spend on drawing try to sharpen your understanding so that you get the most experience the possible.
Anyway keep up relaxed and enjoy what you do even if bad things happen.

I wanna see you on another level soon.I'll keep an eye if you continue ;P

Btw thnx for visiting my sketchbook

[Not_Deadman]

Hey guys, thanks for leaving comments, good motivation and reminds me to remember and think about what Im drawing. I just finished high school woot! So I just got home from chillin' w/ my friends. So im going to post something I did yesterday that I couldnt post. Hopefully tomorrow I can get some drawing in.
Im off to bed cuz I have to wake up early tomorrow. I feel so terrible that I didnt do any studies today though

Comment and critique plz! Thanks!
Damn Im so psyched about finally leaving high school and also !@#$ing petrified about the aspect of me being on my own

[mpdpsy]

thanks for looking at my sb!, looks like your studies are getting better too as I scroll down, keep it up!

[Not_Deadman]

Hey guys, late post sorry, got caught up with playing games with my friends. Im trying to spend as much time as I can with them while we still can for this summer! Then, we all go our separate ways :'( Did some quick studies, Im hoping to do some personal stuff, but whenever I try to do some, they are just straight out ugly!

Please comment and critique! Thank you!

[ruuhkis]

thanks for the compliment in my book

hey, your lines are nowhere near piss poor, but there are definitely things to improve. here's some stuff I've found useful to remember when drawing 'em:

-your lines should be as dark (or only a bit darker) as the value of the area that they depict

-always, always make sure that your use of lines support the clarity of the drawing

-be a minimalist. if some area doesn't need a line to be drawn, don't draw it

-a line can be thicker in areas where the surface/mass of the subject is also thick, and vice versa. lines are an abstraction...and the nature of your line should be the same as the nature of the subject

-before you draw a line, picture it in your mind

-even the greatest lines can't save an otherwise bad picture...make sure the drawing looks interesting as an abstract shape

-before you start to apply dark lines and such, make a quick sketch underneath (and by this I mean a quick sketch, like a cylinder shape or an oval to give the drawing a somewhat solid foundation on which to build on

-whatever style you may use in your lines, remember that the principles of light and shade ALWAYS apply. form shadows, cast shadows, core shadows and reflected light

-to keep the drawing clean and easy to read, you should use the wider side of the lead when you make a line. also, try to follow the form of the subject with each pencil stroke for clarity's sake (and CLARITY is key in line drawings)

Hope that helps!

[Not_Deadman]

some 1 min poses, followed by some 5 min, and then 10-20 min Was fun playin around with some charcoal
Last one was from my anatomy class

Im really upset with my figure drawing because Ive been drawing for about 7 months now and Im still quite awful with them. So please comment and critique! Thank you!

[Not_Deadman]

hey guys, havent been able to draw much because of these IB tests, ill probably be back after next week.

I have a major question.... am I doing this right? Most of my drawing is copying pictures and making notes to myself. I don't want to waste my time drawing the wrong way, itll be exactly just my anime/manga days. Do you guys have any recommendations as to how I can study better so I can draw much better and faster? I'm not looking for the fast way, I just want to make sure Im doing the best to become one of the best. Thank you!

[Steph Laberis]

I have a major question.... am I doing this right? Most of my drawing is copying pictures and making notes to myself. I don't want to waste my time drawing the wrong way, itll be exactly just my anime/manga days. Do you guys have any recommendations as to how I can study better so I can draw much better and faster? I'm not looking for the fast way, I just want to make sure Im doing the best to become one of the best. Thank you!

Be careful of falling into traps of the "right" way to draw - there is no right or wrong way really, just depends on what your goal is.

I can answer your question only from my own experience, and being that live models have always served as better reference for me than photos. Of course, drawing from any kind of observation is better than none at all, but photos tend to flatten out the figure and play tricks with light.

If you would like to draw faster, of course daily practice is key but also focus on using your right brain. Try doing 30 second, even 10 second studies of an ever changing subject to help your brain distinguish the most defining parts of a pose. Pick up "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" if you can and do the exercises in it. It will help you immensely to break down what you are observing and quicken your process. In addition to drawing nude models (keep it up with the photos if no live models are available to you), get yourself in front of a mirror and do a daily self portrait. Strive for likeness and volume. This process will carry over into your figure studies as well.

You best life studies from what I see here are the ones that show an understanding of the volumes within the body, not just the outlines of the forms. It's great that you are breaking down the form into geometric volumes and planes, but don't forget the importance of gesture, lest you want your poses to become stiff! If you are not familiar with Vilppu, look up his gestural studies and see how he captures so much with so little.

I hope that didn't meander too much. I don't think that you are wasting your time on the "wrong" way to draw at all. All I see is some frustration in the middle of your process. This too, shall pass.

[Eugie]

Hey thanks for stopping by my sketchbook I dig your studies, I can definitely see improvement. Yea I might take Porcu's class if Grimaldi's is already full. Keep on drawing!

[Not_Deadman]

very disappointed in these... please tell me this is all practice... what should i change about the way I go about doing these life drawings?
as always, please comment and critique. thank you

[alesoun]

I don't think you're off to a bad start, but you might want to google Posemaniacs for practice on quick drawings.

[Not_Deadman]

ugh, these are so challenging! i hope i get decent after a few tries... i don't wanna be stuck at suck for so long!

thx alesoun, i almost 4got about posemaniacs, i did them, then stopped, now im back to do em again.

these are all 45 second poses... ima update later tonight, prolly post some quick referenced pics from some model magazine.

Important question... as you all can see, my scans are pretty poor quality... how can I improve this? My camera is even worse, so thats not a good option. Please help me with this issue. Thank you!

[Not_Deadman]

this one was at a 3hr friday night class. I draw so slowly its upsetting! i think this is the last one for the day

[J.R.Segura]

Hey! How's going? I just seen all your sketchbook. It seems that your progression is right.

But to take a break on studies try to apply what you're learning on drawing something from the imagination without refs (you'll need a lot more concentration than drawing from natural, just try to remember what you've drawn before in your studies).

Continue doing those studies, but, maybe you can try to make something more rendered. Just some advices if you are getting bored with studies.

Just draw!!

PD: Im still learning too. And every day i found a new bad point on my drawings. My apologies for the bad english.

[JailHouseRock2]

Nice improvement already,

Love the Brigdman's and great start on the life drawings!

Keep at it,
matt