Mac Tire's sketchbook - updated with atelier work!

[MacTire]

Trying out a new method of scaling the time spent on each study, with the idea being that the first few will act as gestures for approximating colour choice and placement (as in building with shapes rather than line), and working up to longer studies more focused on accurate colour transitions etc, whilst also allowing for form correction. In other words, I did several 5-15 minute colour studies, then chose which I wanted to continue with and worked on that for a further 30 mins, in this case totaling at 45mins. All studies are Game of Thrones screenshots.

Also attachted are a quick nude sketch from imagination, trying to work out facial complexion in overcast conditions (developing from what I had observed in the Robb Stark screenshot study), and of course, a [heavily aromured axe-wielding psychopath] knight for fun.

Crits, comments and suggestions, as always are greatly appreciated!

[GEB]

Man I really like those black and white value studies! You should do more of that and work them, up! There's great composition there already

[dlincoln83]

love the idea of scaling time studies sounds kinda fun, i might give it a try as well. also yes those b&w images are pretty awesome looking.

[MacTire]

Geb: Thanks man! Definitely need to get back into alchemy, such a fun and fast program. I appreciate the composition comment, I guess I was going for whatever felt right at the time, I'll definitely be considering it as a method for sreriously considering composition in future. Thanks again for the feedback!

dlincoln83: Thanks man! Yeah, for me at least scaling the time means I feel like I'm covering more ground, even if all the studies are not brought to the same level.


Smaller update today. Just some landscape studies and a quick sketch for Towel Day.

Edit: images would be useful...

[MacTire]

Here's what I got up to today: Some quick studies from Mike Mignola (that man is a master when it comes to using two values), and my attempts at reapplying the thoughts that crossed my mind as I did the studies (specifically the notion of attempting to portray light vs shadow yet with something of a graphic approach), also a one-hour portrait study and a sketch of a succubus of some sort - needs to be reconsidered, not too happy with how the legs turned out.

[MacTire]

Did some portrait practice today. Same process again scaling time spent on the studies, top row were 5mins each, middle row 15mins each and the final two were towo of the 15min studies with an extra 30mins each. Finally a portrait from imagination to try and apply the studies, which made me realise that I need to brush up on facial construction, that really needs to be spot on before I attempt to render.

[donalfall]

Love the Mignolas, MacTire! Good choice of example to copy & your two applied studies worked really well.

[MacTire]

Donal: Ha! I had a feeling you especially would like them . Yeah, I had been oogling some of his finer Hellboy illos but for the timeframes I had in mind I figured some of his simpler sketches would work just as well, anything Mignola always has a great yinyang effct going on with the value. Thanks again!



Small update tonight, bee scribbling in the sketchbook mostly so I'll post those at a later date, in the meantime have some more portraits; specifically some very quick (5min) B+W faces from ref and another practice face from imagination.

[MacTire]

Some more faces from reference and another knight. Tried to get a darker metal going with it, not entirely convinced so far, shall do some studies before returning to him.

[MacTire]

Studies from today: scaled timed clothing from reference (5mins, 10mins and one taken an extra 30mins), a 1hour sketch based on reference (the original shot was of a blonde haired model standing still with a different clothes), some landscapes from reference and a soldier sketch to wrap it all up.

[IanE]

Finished your degree?! Damn, it's been that long already? Wow. Congrats, man! Enjoy that time off. I went straight ahead into the graduate portion. 1 year left. You've made lots of progress.

I'd love to see the drawings and tech stuff that goes with that project if you find time after recovering.

Also, do you know the boys in Dead School? Band in Cork? Random...

Congrats again.

[MacTire]

Ian: Thanks man! No, I'm not familiar with them myself but I know some of my friend are. I'm throwing some more arch into this post for you!


Did some more quick clothing studies as well as some soldier studies (needed to get a better understanding of how the vests, pouches etc fit together) (each study took 10mins) and another soldier sketch from imagination to try and commit some of the info to memory.


As for the architecture: The long shed-like building is a sawmill, and the buildings on stilts are my entry to the RIAI Travelling Scholarship 2012 (a student competition to design urban housing schemes).

[MacTire]

Polished off some previous stuff today, and did started sketching a drider but got drawn into putting unnecessary levels of detail into the eyes!

[MacTire]

Spider-progress and a random landscape:

[MacTire]

Studies from today, the last is an attempt to apply what was learned in the longer portrait above it.

[MacTire]

Faces, drapery, application and the undead.

[Psychobuddy]

Dude you're killing those studies, and it's totally paying off...I feel like a douche for asking but would you mind telling me where you got the refs for those last batch of clothing studies?

Also I really love that undead dude, badass ^_^

[MacTire]

Psychobuddy: Thanks!! No problem, the medieval / rennaissance clothing is from Armstreet, afaik one of the better replica historic clothes and armour producers (good enough to supply Mythbusters!).


Studies from today, been brushing up on my drapery notes from Michael Hampton's CGMA anatomy classes last summer, through some clothed gesture studies. Then some 30min studies, just to try get a feel for drapery in colour, followed by some enviro studies, 30mins(ish) each. Also, an ork sketch as I attempted to jog my memory of orkish facial structure, aswell as testing out an new way of painting metal.

[Fullmetal-Animator]

Very nice figure studies on the last post. The creases look very natural and fluid. Especially like the landscape gestures and loose line work overall.

[MacTire]

Fullmetal-Animator: Thanks man! Nice to see another Irish face on the forum!




Still working away at the landscapes, though I feel I've still quite a way to go yet. The way I see it the important part is getting the big picture together value-wise, but saturation is the killer, between the effects of atmoshperic perspctive and the shadows cast by clouds on large landscapes (and I seem to be avoiding clouds aswell which isnt helping). That being said I feel I'm staring to get the big shapes and values down right sooner in the studies, still have yet to get it in the imaginative enviros though, but that will come with practice and research (I've been consulting James Gurney's "Colour and Light" which is a great help too):




The first landscape took approx 2 hours, the rock formations were about 30mins each and the rocky valleys about 45mins each.

[xia]

Great progression from page 1 to 18. Keep them coming. Cheers!

[TNiznet]

Sketchbook shows great improvement.......hopefully I'll get there to haha. Awesome mate.

[MacTire]

Xia: Thanks Xia! Will do!

TNiznet: Thanks! Haha.


Now we're getting places (excuse the terrible pun but bear with me). Realised my problem with enviros was that I was jumping the gun as worrying in colour without properly considering values, so although I did some landscape colour-studies, I also did a whole bunch of 3min "value-gesture-studies" of various landscapes to get a feel before attempting an enviro from imagination:

[SMILEFACE]

SSSSSSSSHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAZAM!!!!!!!!!! HERO WERKS MacTire!!! LOOKING FORWARD TO MMRRAAOOORRR XDXDXD

[MacTire]

SMILEFACE: AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! THAAAANKKSSS SMILEFACE!!! Always happy for a dose of your rockin optimism!! Thanks for visiting!! More to come!


Just dropping a couple quick sketches in here for now:

[MacTire]

More studies, who knew? Here's some quick faces sketches, some 2hr face studies experimenting with brush use, more experimenting but most importantly application in a portrait from imagination (fairly happy considering I didn't think I'd get it so far, still feels a little plastic for my liking at the mo), and of course a knight sketch (based on a tiny ink sketch I did at lunch with regards to shape language):

Any comments or critiques would be incredibly useful and greatly appreciated!!

[MacTire]

Ok, so today got off to an interesting start. Woke up to beautiful sunshine, thought to myself what a perfect chance to paint a still life. So I gathered some small skulls I happened to have on my desk (you know, as you do) and got to work. 10 minutes in and the sun was consumed by an enormous raincloud, that's Irish Summers for you. Anyway; Repin master-studies, 20mins each with additional work on one focusing on trying to describe planes, not features, using as large a brush as I could. Capped off the work with some portraits from imagination applying what I had learned from Repin and what little knowlegde of form the 10min skulls could offer me:

[Gpozzo]

great studies man! liking your own stuff a lot too, specially those soldiers and knights! very very cool, keep it up!

[MacTire]

GPozzo: Thanks man! You're really flying with your own sketchbook too!

Continuing from yesterday, some progress on the Repin - Tolstoy portrait master copy, mostly on Tolstoy's face and beard(!), hence the crop. A pile of quick heads done to get a sense of planes in colour and various shades of pale-tanned. Wrapped up with some more from imagination, this time painted without first sketching out the proportions, fun, but prone to greivous proportional error...


I also know there isn't exactly much critique fodder in this post, but I'd greatly appreciate any comments, critiques or suggestions all the same.

[Umbravita]

When you draw eyes, they seem a little small to me. Watch your proportion.

I get the feeling you're new to digital. Keep up your practice, your rendering could use work as well.

Post more soon!