My new sketchbook thread

**Rock Martin** · September 15th, 2009, 08:13 PM

I decided to start again from the ground up.

Hopefully, I will do well on this sketchbook.

I apologize for the sketchiness of...well...the sketches.

Edit: If they absolutely need to be smaller, please let me know and please tell me a "rule of thumb" size for future reference. Thanks.

**FourTonMantis** · September 16th, 2009, 01:02 AM

Great start so far. I like the second one especially. The proportions and the clothes look good. Besides anatomy and life drawing etc. try working on your line quality. Like you said, they're sketchy. Try using less strokes and vary the line width. It will better define your drawings and boost your confidence. As for the size of the attachments, they're just where they need to be.

Most of all, don't give up, but more importantly, do not fear failure. You can't make something awesome until you have made a lot of things that are not so awesome.

Keep going!

**Rock Martin** · September 16th, 2009, 10:51 PM

Originally Posted by FourTonMantis

Great start so far. I like the second one especially. The proportions and the clothes look good. Besides anatomy and life drawing etc. try working on your line quality. Like you said, they're sketchy. Try using less strokes and vary the line width. It will better define your drawings and boost your confidence. As for the size of the attachments, they're just where they need to be.

Most of all, don't give up, but more importantly, do not fear failure. You can't make something awesome until you have made a lot of things that are not so awesome.

Keep going!

How do I use less strokes if I only have a limited time to get the pose?

And how do I vary line width with only one pencil?

**iven** · September 16th, 2009, 11:17 PM

nice sketches, want to see mooore,.....

**FourTonMantis** · September 17th, 2009, 03:38 PM

Originally Posted by Rock Martin

How do I use less strokes if I only have a limited time to get the pose?

Who says you have limited time...? Take as long as you need.

Originally Posted by Rock Martin

And how do I vary line width with only one pencil?

Pressure. Push down harder for harder edges on the outside. Less pressure for softer lines on the inside.

Keep going! Really! Do it!

**Rock Martin** · September 17th, 2009, 10:47 PM

Another entry...I don't know how well these sketches are done.

Also, I haven't done any sketches with their faces up front, because I do these on the bus, so it's a matter of trying to draw them without letting them catch on.

You'll probably want me to draw faces while I'm out and about. But the best I can do for now may be photos.

I only picked my two best sketches, because I felt too embarrassed by my other sketches of today. One was a "stick figure" masquerading as my attempt at "gesture drawing". I'm not sure if gesture drawings ARE supposed to look like stick figures. Anyway, hope you like them.

**FourTonMantis** · September 17th, 2009, 11:14 PM

Originally Posted by Rock Martin

You'll probably want me to draw faces while I'm out and about. But the best I can do for now may be photos.

No problem with that. I find Flickr to be a good place for portrait reference. Here's a few links that I use.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/people/pool/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/portrait/pool/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/49899358@N00/pool/

**Rock Martin** · September 18th, 2009, 12:14 AM

Originally Posted by FourTonMantis

No problem with that. I find Flickr to be a good place for portrait reference. Here's a few links that I use.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/people/pool/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/portrait/pool/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/49899358@N00/pool/

I might draw from them, but I might not be able to post what I sketched, because I think I remember reading a thread in which it said that I had to take my own portrait pictures in order to draw from them, because of the whole copyright thing.

Here we go: " Originally Posted by DavePalumbo View Post
I'm a believer in using refs whenever possible, and shooting your own is best whenever you can do it.

If you're talking non-figure refs, Google image searches can also be a good ref finder for things like, say, what a mango tree looks like, or maybe the sky line of Chicago. For more complex things like detailed images of a V-2 rocket or high quality photos of an AK-47, I try to look more at books (be it library or personal collection, and Borders bargain section can have some awesome deals for the weirdest stuff). Occasionally I'll do a DVD grab if I remember seeing, say, a suit of Roman armor in Gladiator and my books don't have any photos from a rear angle. I generally think a person is talking about human anatomical refs when they ask this, but that other stuff is in a way even more important. You get an assignment to paint a WWI trench scene, you might want to do some research on historically accurate uniforms.

But for refs of people: shoot your own, shoot your own, shoot your own."

The original thread

**FourTonMantis** · September 18th, 2009, 02:46 PM

I really don't think you have much to worry about, especially considering you're just starting out. Also especially since you're using those photos just for exercises.

Less talk! More draw!

**Rock Martin** · September 19th, 2009, 02:16 AM

Only one picture this time.

Used as reference: http://www.flickr.com/photos/animang...in/pool-people

I don't know how faithful I was. I was scared of using guides, so I did this mostly freehand. Plus I read from The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain(haven't done many of the exercises from there, because I still need some stuff, and I probably wouldn't know how to do the exercises right) that guides are left-brain thinking.

**FourTonMantis** · September 19th, 2009, 01:19 PM

Those folds are nice.

If you want to use guides, go for it. I think what you need to do is stop taking everything you hear about art as law. Everyone has different opinions about how art should be made. The beauty of it is that no one way is right. Practice a variety of ways. Find out which one works for you.

I'm serious this time! More art!

**Rock Martin** · September 22nd, 2009, 12:13 AM

Sorry for being gone for so long. Here is some more art. It's just random observation. I hope they don't completely suck.

**Rock Martin** · September 25th, 2009, 12:43 AM

More images.

One of them is referenced from http://www.flickr.com/photos/amandas...240944201@N01/

**kitehiGh** · September 25th, 2009, 05:10 PM

Hey! Nice work so far! But heyyy, let up a bit, you're worrying too much

It's fine if it isn't exactly right, fuck that! You're gunna mess up, and don't be afraid to. Just do it. Keep on keeping on. Right now, what's most important isn't getting every little single detail right it's to KEEP DRAWING. Just draw. Relax. It's more important to focus on just you know, drawing, and really trying to understand what you're looking at, what exactly you are seeing, then trying to meticulously copy everything.

As for the shading--I'd lighten up a bit. Maybe cut back on it for a while and focus more on the line. When you draw people think less about, "this is her eye," "This is a leg" etc and just really try to let go of words. Look, see, draw...look at the shapes that make up the figure and gauge what they are like in relationship to each other, ea, "I can see this shape is in front of this shape, and that it's larger then the shape next to it...I can see this shape is triangular, I can see that this comes in front of this" etc.

You've got the right IDEA when it comes shading but what you're doing is looking at each part of the figure individually. You understand that a certain part of the face is darker, and certain place is lighter. And then you shade the face, and move on to the shirt and understand the same thing, ect, and go on to shade the entire figure that way. A lot of people do that and it makes for a very unflowing figure. What you want to do is focus on the image as a whole. Look at the image and, sometimes squinting helps, try to gauge what is the darkest of everything in the picture, maybe it's the hair, or her shoes, and darken those. Then decide where your whitest whites are. You could simply go over the rest of the image in a medium to light grey leaving the whites. It's simple but it will really help communicate form. Shade with lines rather then smudging.

And as for line quality...just don't be afraid of messing it up! (Man I can't stress that enough). The way you're lines are so 'hairy' is a symptom of that. Make a mark and be confident about it! Look at it, realize the shape, and draw it, smoothly and confidently! You know! Just one stroke, like when you where to make a letter or anything else (I hope I am making sence there...I mean, one stroke as in one line, you can lift your pencil and whatever else you need to do).

Yeahh! have fun with it. Carry a sketchbook with you and just draw and have a great time.

**Joystx_** · September 25th, 2009, 05:59 PM

i have a advice for you. read this book
http://www.drawright.com/

**Rock Martin** · September 26th, 2009, 12:33 AM

This picture was referenced from:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dimatti...l-49899358@N00

Credit goes to the original photographers.

**Rock Martin** · September 27th, 2009, 02:21 AM

Photos:
http://www.popstarsplus.com/images/M...lpsPicture.jpg
http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/michael%20phelps.jpg

I did these to try and draw male anatomy as suggested by Elwell(sp?).

Not sure if I'll draw from female topless photos or actual male nudes in order to draw more anatomy, because I don't want to have to hide those sketches from everybody...I might do not-as-detailed nudes, but I don't know how seriously people would take me then.

**Rock Martin** · September 28th, 2009, 11:15 PM

Reference: http://andrepizaro.deviantart.com/ar...Pic-2-42121094

Thank goodness he was wearing underwear.

Hopefully I did better than on the Michael Phelps drawings.

**LtPlissken** · September 29th, 2009, 02:38 AM

You will improve after time, just keep working.

**Rock Martin** · October 3rd, 2009, 06:38 PM

I don't know how well I did.

There are a lot of them, so I'll just post three a day. I didn't know if these had to be 100% accurate...

**Rock Martin** · October 5th, 2009, 08:27 AM

More Bridgman copies.

OK, screw the "three-a-day". Here's four.

**Rock Martin** · October 6th, 2009, 11:47 AM

More Bridgman stuff.

**FourTonMantis** · October 8th, 2009, 12:31 AM

You're taking off! Those Bridgman studies are looking great!

**morningbloom915** · October 8th, 2009, 01:05 AM

This is awesome! Its great to see you updating so often! Keep it up. You can only get better from more and more practice. One thing I'm noticing a lot in your work (mostly because I'm doing such a poor job of it myself) is you seem to be doubting your lines and sketching over and over them muddying your forms.

Try and let one line speak for itself. Maybe try some simple shapes using pen. Trust your strokes! Make your lines dark and confident. And keep it up! You're doing an awesome job.

**Rock Martin** · October 10th, 2009, 12:07 AM

Originally Posted by morningbloom915

This is awesome! Its great to see you updating so often! Keep it up. You can only get better from more and more practice. One thing I'm noticing a lot in your work (mostly because I'm doing such a poor job of it myself) is you seem to be doubting your lines and sketching over and over them muddying your forms.

Try and let one line speak for itself. Maybe try some simple shapes using pen. Trust your strokes! Make your lines dark and confident. And keep it up! You're doing an awesome job.

I'll admit this right off the bat. I'm deathly scared of sketching in pen, because it's PERMANENT. I wouldn't be able to correct my mistakes. That's the problem with me. I just constantly worry about getting everything right.

I can't just put down a form once and say "tada". Because it would be imperfect. In art, everyone would probably HATE imperfection.