My first sketchbook...

[element1988]

Hmm ive noticed that your life drawing stuff seems to be more advance then your memory stuff. Its weird because for me its the other way around which is uncommon i think? haha

Anyway dont worry about getting comments so much dude i dont get many either haha thx for stopping by btw What ive noticed is that the better you are the more comments you get, so use the amount of comments as an idea of how well your doing haha.

I cant really give u any crits because your better then me but keep pushing and try to learn something in everything you draw, try to understand how everything works because if you can understand something you take away the mystery and it becomes easy to draw.

[Istmin52]

element1988 -- Thanks for the comment. And no sorry, I won't use the analogy of how many comments I get determines how good I am. I've noticed other sketchbooks with people who are just starting to learn how to draw and they also get quite a lot of comments so I don't think that has anything to deal with it. And yes, I have been trying to learn something new with everything I paint but I also might forget stuff too. I can't possibly remember everything and expect to know everything. I've been taking it one step at a time. There is just too much to learn.

Anyway, here is another finished character. I think I'm going to work on a full illustration piece next. I'll see. It's nice to get something productive done and to show some finished work. Let me know what you think. Thanks.

[element1988]

Pretty cool character, but somethings bugging me about the torso. It might just be the pose. What is suppose to be going on in the scene for it to be standing like that?

[Istmin52]

element1988 -- Yea I can see what you mean about the torso. I think it might be a simple thing to fix. As for the pose, I was just playing around with it. I wasn't necessarily thinking about a story. It honestly was too much to think about at the time. I know I should have a story in mind when creating a character but I was mainly focusing on playing around with textures and stuff like that also. If you want to do a draw over if you notice something is wrong like maybe the torso, that is fine with me. I didn't necessarily see it at first.

[Istmin52]

Okay I think the torso is fixed. I think I made her torso too skinny which looked weird. I just widened it a little. Let me know what you think.

[element1988]

yea looks alittle better now. Dont worry about the not having a story thing, i do it too i just think its probably a good idea to come up with a bit of a story to help come up with a theme for clothing or background ect.

[Istmin52]

Okay, I worked on the torso a little bit more and gave it a little bit more lighting. I think it looks better now. I'll probably look at this another time but in the meantime I think I'm going to move on to something else. Any thoughts and comments always appreciated.

[Istmin52]

Here are some figure drawings and digital paintings.

[zombifried]

Hi there,
You've got quite a lot of work here in this thread, and that by itself is impressive.
A couple things: (it didn't quote right, sorry)
[QUOTE=Istmin52;2671164]FraserMcT--... I know my perspective is off at times and I should probably pay more attention to it. The reason why I didn't as much is because they are mainly just painting studies to improve my rendering skills.

2kre8-- I agree I should pay more attention to my compositions. My main focus is to practice rendering so I didn't really want to think about composition because I don't have a lot of time during the day to paint. If I paint something, thinking about composition just adds more time which I don't have sometimes. When I do Illustration work, I really do focus on composition.
[/B]
If you know that your perspective is off, you might want to fix that, before you go any further with it.
Compositions should always be thought about (It's still an area that I need work on, as well) from the sketch through to the final piece. Doing some quick thumbnails is good way to save time working on composition. It should never be an afterthought.

I think people have already commented enough on your anatomy. I would just take time to construct those figures, and make more definite decisions about shape.
Okay, that was more than a couple things.
My overall observation/suggestion:
It looks like you're hurrying through this stuff. A lot of the stuff you mentioned already, is a result of that.
You might want to think about slowing down the pace, work on one thing at a time, and spend more time in the planning stages. Believe it or not, it's a time-saver , and will cause you a lot less headaches down the line.
On the other hand, I think your value studies are pretty good, and your animal studies seem to be coming along.
I'm not picking on you here, I just thought I may be able to point some stuff out. Unfortunately, frustration comes with territory. As an artist, it's easy to become flustered. Just remember to have patience with yourself. Everybody grows at different rates. Set yourself small attainable goals, and keep a log of your progress. ( your sketchbook is a good log) Don't get overwhelmed by what's wrong, just take it piece by piece. Don't worry about getting a lot of comments, as long as the ones you do receive truly help you further your growth as an artist. Oh, and thanks for the comment in my SB! I'll certainly work on what you said.
Keep up the good work!
~Zombifried

[Istmin52]

zombifried -- Thanks for commenting on my sketchbook. The thing that pisses me off is that I have been studying anatomy on and off for at least 3 to 4 years now. It frustrates me when people still keep saying that I need to work on my anatomy. What else am I suppose to do to improve it? Even though I haven't been posting some sketches I do in my sketchbook, I have been doing drawings from Bridgeman's book and looking at online tutorials, etc. And the thing is, I do spend time on trying to define the figures I draw. So I'm not exactly sure what you mean by that.
I don't mean to be defensive about this but I also need to be able to get a real job or at least start getting freelance work and I need to rebuild my portfolio in order to do that. The illustration work on my website I'm not completely happy with and feel that the last two character designs I posted here are a lot better than my older stuff. I've been constantly drawing and if people still don't see the improvement than I might as well give up now. I can't wait until I'm 40 to start getting work. I'm eventually going to have to live on my own. I'm also planning on going to the NY Comicon this year and want to get a portfolio ready to show some publishers and see what they think.
As for perspective, I am taking a perspective class now since I have the time so hopefully that will help me down the road.
Slowing down the pace isn't a bad idea but I can't spend so much time on one subject matter because then I'll get bored. I need to keep doing different things in order to make it fun and new for me.
As for my comment about not getting many comments, you have a point there too but the reason why I started a sketchbook is get useful feedback and when no one really comments, it gets me a bit frustrated and I'm not sure what to make of it. Either:
a) My work isn't good enough for people to comment
b) My work really sucks and people don't know what to say
or
c) My work doesn't generate a reaction to anyone.
I came to this site feeling optimistic but I seem to be getting more and more negative lately about my life and what will happen in the future. Especially with this economy, I'm really scared that I will get nowhere in my life and I guess my fear is what is driving me. I also get really obsessed with things and maybe the obsession is unhealthy and maybe that could be why you think I'm hurrying through this stuff. I guess maybe I just need some advice on a schedule that I should start doing. I've been trying to be consistent which I thought you are suppose to do. It could be I need some time off from this site because it gets me angry. I don't know anymore.

[zombifried]

I can understand the frustration, and I can certainly empathize with your situation.
I know 3 to 4 years seems like a long time, but for something like anatomy/figure drawing, it's really only a beginning. I've been taking life drawing classes on and off (cause I can't afford them!) for almost twenty years. I've just recently (within the last year, or so) began to get some sort of understanding of form and function. The majority of artists out there study the figure, because it's what's expected from us. Only a good handful do it well. That's because most will get frustrated, and give up.
It comes with time and patience.

Perspective can take some time, as well. (I'm still learning about it myself)
I think you have a decent handle on that, but don't always apply what you know. In fact, I think that's the case for a lot of what you're being criticized
for. It's as I said, It's a matter of slowing down the pace.
Not spending time on one subject because of boredom, is just a lack of focus.
Focus is discipline. It's not just there. You have to make yourself do things.
Just as you may not be feeling well, but you go to work anyway...Well, I think you get what I'm saying.

As for getting work, It's like that for all of us. I have gone to school, graduated (albeit only with an Associates of Art degree), gone back to school
to get a more technical background (Computer Graphics Technology program), and am now looking at going back from something completely non-art related, or going into teaching. I will continue art as a secondary career, whichever path I choose.
Don't get down on yourself! We learn through making mistakes. All of here have something to gain and learn from one another, and you are no different. You've given some good advice, and you've been given good advice. It's up to you how you use it.
Everybody gets burned out from time to time. Try to relax, and do something fun...cartoons, whatever. Then come back to the grind.
A schedule? I don't really have one either. Maybe just devote one week, to figure studies, another to perspective...
and so on. Focus on one thing at a time, so you don't get yourself overwhelmed.
I hope this helps. Good luck, and remember to take it easy on yourself from time to time.
~Zombifried

[Lav]

Istmin, i understand your frustration. I always feel like i'm not improving myself, or at least not enough. And i wanted to focus on doing more finished pieces but i got the advice from someone to not rush things and don't keep trying to finish something when the best thing to do was kept practicing and start over with doing more and more drawings and getting the basics really good before moving forward. But yeah it's definatelly frustrating, i'm trying to draw for years now and still don't feel like i'm where i need to be to start on fully rendering images, but if you have a job or studies that require it, then you feel forced to do so

Zombifried made a really good post

I also think that how active you are in other people's sketchbook is a big factor in if people reply in yours or not. I daily browse other people's sketchbook, not to seek replies in mine but because i'm interested in it and then you find people that you really often share feedback to.

[Max Martelli]

Hey, thanks for stopping by my sketchbook. I figured I'd take a gander over at yours to return the favor.

I don't want to go on and on about things that have already been said or mentioned in this thread but I believe that the last few posts are right on. Frustration is a part of art just as it is a part of life. We've all gone through it just as we all will go through it.

In the case of anatomy I see that you are starting to get a better handle on the body. Bridgman’s is definitely a good place to be looking. Might I also suggest Andrew Loomis’ Figure Drawing for All its Worth. I too, like most, am still learning the ins and outs of the human form. Two things that greatly helped my understanding were:

1. Proportion. To measure using something as a constant. In your drawing pick something as a unit to measure by. The head is used most classically but I have found myself using whatever is most convenient at the time. (Keep in mind that I used this more often in life drawings rather than imaginative work. If you don’t have the means to go to figure classes try drawing yourself in a mirror, or try drawing a friend. Once you have a firm grasp on the overall proportions of the body your imaginative sketches will start to become more proportionately accurate (which they seem to start to be)). Having an understanding of perspective will also help with this. Perspective with the body can be tricky, given those cases of foreshortening, but only practice can remedy this.

2. The second thing that helped me immensely was to think of the basic shapes and contours of the body rather than individual muscles when drawing the form. Don't get me wrong. Know your muscles. It is by all means important but not when you are blocking in form. Try starting a sketch with the basic masses to establish proportion, perspective and pose and then start to refine. I notice that in the progressions of the characters you tend to finish the illustration in chunks. Painting in chunks isn't necessarily bad but you should try to get your under drawing in first. This can help you make decisions and changes to the overall composition before you begin your final rendering. If you’re generally pressed for time I can only assume that you would be unwilling to fix things once they are worked more to a finish (given the time taken to work it up in the first place), which can tend to hurt the overall piece, making it appear stiff and the pose resembles more of a posed robot rather than a fluid being.

This brings me to something that greatly helped my work. Planning. Yes it may seem tedious at times, yes it may seem superfluous to do so much work and research for one picture when you would rather just get in there and paint, but... it is entirely worth it and it can only help the final piece. I will tend to make thumbnails of my composition, refine one of these to a sketch, I then research my references (which may or may not include sculpting maquettes to get my lighting right), I have then been known to make a preliminary charcoal value study from my original sketch, only then will I begin the final painting. I don't always follow this routine but I have found that it makes my final much stronger, much more grounded in reality than I ever could have hoped for had I worked straight from memory or imagination. Not to say I don’t use my memory or my imagination throughout the whole process but rather that I use them in conjunction with ample reference of the real world. (I have James Gurney to thank for this inspiration as he authored the fabulous book Imaginative Realism which I suggest very highly).

Just sketching and painting also has its benefits as you can be looser and faster without sticking to a rigid plan. But even this should be grounded with some sort of understructure. A quick finished sketch or a basic idea should suffice. As loose as these kinds of things can be, you should never sacrifice composition. Composition is one of those things, like color and line, which is present in any form of art, whether it is a study or a finished illustration. It should always be considered.

If you are looking for more feedback might I suggest taking a look over at the community activities section of this website. Character of the week (CHOW) seems like something that might interest you. Contributing to something like that would expose your work to a greater audience on this site than just having a sketchbook. If it's critiques you want then that will be a good place to start.

One of the biggest things I can tell you is to keep at what you are doing. Whenever you can, work traditionally. The more you can get a handle on traditional media the more you will have an understanding in the digital world. Trust that most (not all but I think I can safely say most) really good digital artists know how to paint digitally because they know how paint works. They know what a painting looks like up close. Personally, my understanding of digital media noticeably grew with my practice of traditional painting.

So don’t get too depressed about not being to the level you feel you should be at because if any of us ever reached that level there would be no more interesting art in the world. No one will ever stop learning no matter how naturally things may seem to come to them. In this we are all alike.

Good luck with everything.

[andres333]

thanks for stopping by my sb
just focus a bit more on gesture

[Istmin52]

Hello everyone. Thanks for the comments. I think the main problem that I've been having is that I've been thinking very negatively for a while and I think that's part of the reason for me being so angry and annoyed so I apologize for that. I just realized this earlier in the week that I have to stop thinking negatively. It's really unhealthy and it's not a great way to live. I've been realizing now that suffering is a part of the journey and I should start accepting that and I will gradually get better as an artist and overcome my plateaus. I started reading a book called Mastery by George Leonard and it's really good. It's about the general journey of mastery and the type of obstacles you will go through in order to get better at what you do. I highly recommend people to buy it. It's been helping me out and realizing that plateaus are normal and that instead of getting frustrated and angry with myself, I should start to like being in a plateau because it will eventually lead to further growth and that there is no quick way to get there. I have to start clearing negative thoughts out of my head and start thinking more positively. I will post more work soon. Thanks again for everyone that commented.

[VimViva]

I find your last post very interesting. During the last few weeks I have been examining my own creative processes and I have come to several conclusions. One of those is:
Creativity loves fun. Boredom and negativity is a creativity killer. Having fun while creating is paramount. Having Great Fun while creating is called inspiration.

Now, I know that in the history of art there are examples of many artists that have found creativity and inspiration in pain... but that statement is not as true as it seems. I believe what actually happened to them is that they felt pain and they were suffering, and creative expression was actually their only relief. It may be that it provided the only time when they were not thinking negatively. That is why they became so creative. It was the only way they could have fun.
And of course it is impossible to have fun and think negatively at the same time.
Very interesting sketchbook by the way

[Sylvia H.]

Thanks for your comment on my journal Istmin- I'm a little late replying as I've been very busy with various things.

I think you have some awesome stuff going on here, and you clearly comprehend the fundamentals of creating concept art- good! Far ahead of myself in terms of understanding I especially like your still life drawings, they have a very accurate and lifelike feel to them while still retaining that painterly look.

I think that some of your creatures look a little stiff but regardless they're very imaginative and I would expect that as you draw more they will flow even easier. Keep up the good work man

[Istmin52]

inimic, VimViva -- Thanks for the comments.

I haven't had time to draw that much this week because I was busy helping a friend out designing a website for a start up company. It's finished so I'm really happy about that and I generally like how it came out. I just started drawing again a couple of hours ago and I ended up doing some crappy figure drawings and some drawings from imagination. Not to worry. I
l'll be posting more work soon.....

[Istmin52]

Here are some more figure studies. Nothing special.

[Tom Fenton]

just looking at your animations i think the first one is great, how long that take (zombi-ish one)

[Tom Fenton]

Thanks for commenting on my sketchbook. I agree that your studies are coming along. Definitely keep studying from Bridgeman. I've recently started drawing from his book again and it has been really helping me. I would say when you do your studies, maybe after you do them, try to draw your studies from memmory. By doing that, it really makes you think as to how the muscles are put together and how everything fits together in a puzzle. I would also suggest getting an anatomy book by Paul Richter. Drawing from his templates and looking at Bridgeman will really help you. Occasionally, Bridgeman makes mistakes. I actually just noticed one in his book.

As for my animation, that took me about 7 months to make. What college are you going to?

I did not really have a propper look through your sketchbook before but i can see that your studies are showing major improvement i would sugest putting more time into this but your getting faster as you have shown. keep pushing yourself to do more when you arnt doing much at all, overwhelm yourself almost with motivation and inspiration then get to the books and DRAW! i can't wait to see more and im attending college in the UK awaiting to go university or hopefully gain a scholarship in a years time.

[Istmin52]

Thanks Tom. Yea I actually have been doing more studies recently but I haven't scanned them in yet. I'm not sure if I will. Anyway, here is a doodle I was working on. Maybe i'll do a rough painting of it. I'll see.

[zombifried]

Hello everyone. Thanks for the comments. I think the main problem that I've been having is that I've been thinking very negatively for a while and I think that's part of the reason for me being so angry and annoyed so I apologize for that. I just realized this earlier in the week that I have to stop thinking negatively. It's really unhealthy and it's not a great way to live. I've been realizing now that suffering is a part of the journey and I should start accepting that and I will gradually get better as an artist and overcome my plateaus. I started reading a book called Mastery by George Leonard and it's really good. It's about the general journey of mastery and the type of obstacles you will go through in order to get better at what you do. I highly recommend people to buy it. It's been helping me out and realizing that plateaus are normal and that instead of getting frustrated and angry with myself, I should start to like being in a plateau because it will eventually lead to further growth and that there is no quick way to get there. I have to start clearing negative thoughts out of my head and start thinking more positively. I will post more work soon. Thanks again for everyone that commented.

I'm glad you found that book...That led me to pick up a copy. I'm almost through it...That should help put the advice you're getting into perspective.
It certainly did for me. I'm gad to see you're back it! The new stuff looks a little stronger. I think you're loosening up a little, which is good.
Thank you, for mentioning/suggesting that book. It's done a lot to improve my spirits, as it's no doubt done the same for you.
Good luck, and keep at it!
~Zombifried

[Lav]

good updates Istmin! the last one looks really good, keep it up! Hope you don't get too discouraged because you're really improving

[Istmin52]

Thanks Zombified -- Yea I found out about the book by accident too. I'm almost done with it also.

Anyway, here is some more stuff. I found some time to scan in some stuff from my sketchbook as well. More stuff to come soon.

[Istmin52]

Thanks Lav -- It looks like I just missed you as I was updating my sketchbook.

[Istmin52]

Since the beginning of June, I've been taking a perspective class as a continuing ed class. I was just playing around drawing some stairs in perspective.

[Istmin52]

I saw a house in my neighborhood today and attempted to draw the house in perspective. It was a normal looking house. I was just trying to draw and see if I could figure out the basic structure of it. It's pretty straight forward but I ended up making some mistakes with it and the vanishing points are still to close which is causing some distortion. I'll probably attempt this again tomorrow. Just felt like posting it because I don't normally post perspective stuff on here.

[Istmin52]

I've recently been looking at andrew loomis's book Figure Drawing for All it's Worth. It's actually a great book and I feel like it's really been helping me understand the human body better. Here is a page with some loomis sketches and doodles.

[Istmin52]

Hi everyone. I know I haven't updated in a while but that's because I've been really busy lately. I have some good news at least. I ended up getting a graphic design job! I just found out on Friday. I would be designing email ads and websites. It's part time to start for now but they said it could eventually lead to full time. I had to complete a test for them and create an e-mail ad using html and css. I didn't realize I was so rusty using css but I managed to finish it and they offered me the job. I'm kind of excited but I'm also a little bit nervous. I've basically been busting my ass preparing for the job my learning as much css as possible so I at least feel more prepared. Unfortunately, there won't be updates for a while but I do plan on drawing when some free time opens up and I have a somewhat stable schedule. Just wanted to let everyone know!