Yochanan sketchbook (newbie)

**yochanan** · June 21st, 2012, 06:54 PM

Blackbridge: Thank you so much! I don't know how much of it is emotion and how much is just me getting it wrong haha. I was pretty happy with the first one because I did get the kind of mood I wanted (which was quite a bit different from the photograph), but was not so happy with the other ones.

You're totally right about drawing from life. I just have to do it. I've barely moved forward with my cast, but I'm slowly getting back into it. I guess drawing from life is just something I fear so much that I end up never really sitting down and giving it a try, even though it's the same principles. Breaking things into simple shapes and understanding the form is really where I completely snap though, it's just impossible for me!

Some small updates, haven't been drawing much, but getting back into it. All these were done pretty quickly too, I'll stick to doing faster studies when it comes to digital. Still doing line exercises etc. too, but nothing worth showing for now.

**Blackbridge** · June 22nd, 2012, 03:22 PM

Wow, the ears are excellent. Great value control! And that abstract hollow egg shape blew me away. Did you paint it digitally? That's some seriously inspiring work, my friend. I don't think I have the patience right now to do something like that. Definitely a portfolio piece.

As for life studies, remember not to judge yourself or your effort. Many people, including myself, judge their work instead of judging factual things like correctness of angle or value, etc. Once the mind gets set on judging the actual work, the whole experience becomes extremely traumatic for the artist. If you do insist on judging yourself or your work though, always remember to give yourself highest marks for attempting something you are uncomfortable (or terrified) of doing, while the "failures" should be judged in their own separate technical categories: they have nothing to do with the art itself. "Flaws" are nothing but lack of experience or understanding: a condition easily remedied by practice. And in order to practice, you need to always remember to congratulate yourself for overcoming laziness and fear in order to conduct said practice

So judge yourself for not doing the work, instead of inflicting self-punishment for not reaching your own high expectations in a single session. That's fair, wouldn't you agree? Keep posting, brother

**Whirly** · June 27th, 2012, 04:22 PM

The egg shape is really well done. You are really coming a long with your digi rendering studies!

**yochanan** · September 22nd, 2012, 03:48 AM

Haven't updated in a while. Only recently got back into drawing, here's the kind of stuff I'm working on now. I've been working from Scott Robertson's videos, if anyone has any recommendations for books or videos that go more in depth with light, I'd love to hear it. How can I tell what angle the light hits a plane without doing a side view drawing (besides just estimating)? Any tips or tricks to keep in mind in the future when I'm getting to more complex shapes?

So much to learn.

**Blackbridge** · September 25th, 2012, 10:35 PM

Massive improvement. Looks like all that practice is paying off!

**yochanan** · October 1st, 2012, 06:12 PM

Thanks man! Still feels like an infinity away from where I want to be, still feel stuck on a lot of mundane stuff. I spend most of my time drawing boxes and ellipses, but I guess that serves me right for taking so long to commit to improving. Did some value studies this time around, turned out okay. The nose on the dude looks off still (and obviously didn't bother with the hand), and the cat really needed the wrinkles but I didn't think I should spend too much time on these over perspective, boxes and ellipses. Hope I'll at least be able to draw a half-decent car within the next couple months, I've been doing a lot of the proportion with cylinders already but still have yet to figure out how Scott Robertson mirrors the wheel to the other side in his second DVD (to get the width right), I know that the ellipse has to go through the center point of the first one but I can't figure out how the major axis is determined. If anyone can help out with that please let me know!

Anyways, that's it for now. Diagonal lighting of cylinder is missing, it was really confusing to me so I'm gonna give it another shot tomorrow.

**Whirly** · October 2nd, 2012, 07:19 AM

Good job with the Loomis studies. Just keep pushing through and stay consistent.

**Whirly** · October 2nd, 2012, 10:39 AM

also Nice job on the perspective studies and lighting stuff, your value studies look alright and it's cool you don't spend as long on them anymore, keep up the work Johan!

**Black Spot** · October 2nd, 2012, 04:29 PM

The hard work is paying off very well. I think the guy nicked all the hair from the cat.

**Nimao** · October 4th, 2012, 05:07 PM

keep pushing! looks great! =))

**Jarrad** · October 9th, 2012, 10:00 AM

Oh man. You commented in my sketchbook months ago and I don't think that I ever replied

. I just stumbled onto your sketchbook today and you've made massive improvements! Doing all of that I.D. stuff will help massively! I agree with what some other people said about doing still lifes and other things besides cast drawings, bargue drawings and I.D. exercises. Try applying that stuff! Although the cat and the man above the cat could very well be applications of both! Keep up the awesome work. I'm subbing so that I can stalk you!

**Blackbridge** · October 16th, 2012, 05:16 AM

Excellent work, as always! Re your axis question: major axis is always perpendicular to the minor axis and always connects the 2 widest points of the ellipse. You can also drop a square around your ellipse, find the square's center and find the major axis by looking for it a bit closer to you than the diameter of the foreshortened circle (the diameter will go through the center). Hope this helps. I think it's explained on Robertson's first perspective DVD, although I'm not sure - all my perspective sources are now rolled into one in my head.

**Psychobuddy** · October 16th, 2012, 08:02 AM

Hey, really great work. My only crit is in your paintings, like th cat and the man, the edges tend to go a little soft. It's just something to watch out for and it's probably cause you're doing them quick. Anyway just keep it up, you're doing awesome.