Just A Beginner's Sketchbook :(

[SadMonster]

Hi All,
I'm a beginner and try to get some help judging my work .. to know exactly where I stand ....
unfortunately I can't go to any art school and I depend on online tutorials and some video courses to learn ... so any tips or advices or suggestion .... or any other kind of help will be very useful to me and will means a lot ...
thanks All
here we go

[Star Eater]

You have a good base in cartooning. Now you must start drawing from life and studying the faces and features around you. This will have a really positive effect on your art, even cartoon art. Once you know the rules of anatomy, you can actually start bending them more effectively.

Also, I know you are new to uploading sketches here and were hesitant at first. Keep on uploading, but promise me you will stay away from lined paper. It hurts your artwork.

[devastacio]

Hi Sadmonster,

I just opened a sketchbook too!

I like your color use and style and i agree with Star Eater. Well keep practicing. Good Luck mate.

[flowers4love]

The picture with the prisoner using his blood to write his credo on the walls of his prison cell literally brought tears to my eyes. This picture is a perfect illustration for the famous verse in King David's Book of Psalms (chapter 130, verse 1): "Out from the depths I have called to You Heavenly Father."

[SadMonster]

@StarEater: most of these drawings on lined paper I draw them during the lectures in which I'm not interested ... but I promise I will .... thanks for your comment .. I will try to practice harder on the life drawing

@devastacio: hi devastacio .. why don't you put your sketchbook link in the signature so it would be easier to reach
thaks devastacio , I will try to practice harder

@flowers4love: I'm sorry,I completely have no idea what this book is, but I'm happy u like the painting

[SadMonster]

here's what I got for today ... I tried to practice more on the light

[SadMonster]

just a new one

[SadMonster]

here we go again

[shiNIN]

How familiar stuff Well I specialized in tearing apart beginner's works (especially faces but messed up bodies are welcome as well... but I can find flaws in half pros's stuff as well) in Critique Center, I came from there now too.
I saw you got the best advice there (Nezumi Works a great critic btw ).
Practice a lot and show us what you got. Then I will tell you your biggest problems and I may even do overpaintings
Now there are many issues, learn the proportions and the shape of the skull (even if they may vary a lot) and don't put the eyes so close together
Best wishes!

[SadMonster]

.. well, I got enough praise from my friends and family ... but you know the praise doesn't help you improve .. doesn't help you to fix your mistakes ..
[theOther Me: "but I love it sometimes "]
so I'm really happy that I finally found some people to help me figuring out what's wrong .... so do what you are specialized in ... and be as tough as possible
[theOther Me: ''not really "]

thnx shiNIN .. I will do my best ... and I will wait your critiques

[devastacio]

Hey there,

I guess you almost abandoned your SB mate. as I recall I started a sketchbook, taking 'Star Eater's and your advice at the Critique center when i just dropped into CA. Welcome back !! hope this time you will constantly practice and post. I also see my friend 'shiNIN' giving you some good advice

So, draw some stuff daily and post mate. ill drop by to see your work whenever possible. Good luck and don't abandon the ship this time. :p

[SadMonster]

yea I did ... but it's out of my hands ... I'm studying computer science and my college doesn't give me a chance ....
but I still practicing in the boring lectures but these drawings are just not good enough to show ..
thnx for dropping by, I will try to draw more ... and you keep making progress .. I will check your SB from time to time

[SuperSwank1]

Hey man,
Looks like a good start. My recommendation would be threefold.
First:dont stop sketching and posting your best of the day when able. I recently started a sketchbook on here and i know it keeps me motivated to improve a lot if i know i have to post SOMETHING that day. Forces me to focus.

Second: i would strongly recommend doin some research on these forums about line work. Ccsears 'guidelines' thread is a pretty bitchin resource for learning the basics of line and edge (mostly focused on ballpoint pen sketches, but stresses line control, which is applicable in all mediums). I notice a lot of your stuff is rendered out, but the foundation (see: form construction, linework, etc) could use some work. Experiment with decisive lines of varying values and thickness and see how it affects your work. What helped me was the realization that no one is going to look at every experimental doodle i create, so why not experiment.

Third: I suggest picking up an anatomy book with lots of photo reference or fully rendered subjects (bones, muscles, and complete figures). This will help you develop your mass conception skills i.e. simplifying masses of a skull into its component three dimensional shapes and learning to translate that knowledge into your linework and rendering. Doing this with photo reference, fully rendered stuff, or better yet models (skulls, busts, etc) will help prevent just copying the lines someone else has already put down. I recommend Anatomy for the Artist or Stephen Rogers Peck Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist.

Goos start, dude. Keep posting!

-Paddy

[SadMonster]

Hi Paddy,
thanks for your recommendations, they are very helpful ..
1st) btw you have a very nice anatomy studies in your SB I like them so mush

2nd) you are the first one to tell me this but I think you are right .. I always ask myself what's missing but I couldn't figure it out ... maybe this is because I was missing the start .. besides the anatomy books off course

3rd) I'm working on that now .. the only thing that holds me back now is my college exams .. and maybe my super laziness

I will try harder .. thnx Paddy

[ladyknowles]

Good start!!! More more more!!

[SuperSwank1]

No worries, dude. We're all here to learn. I know i have a LOT. To work on. just wanted to pass on what i figured out/learned in the last three weeks or so. Ive been forcing myself not to render and focus on line work/mass conception. Cant WAIT to do a finished work of somesort...i just need to work on construction too much, so i'm focusing on that instead. Good work and keep posting!

-Paddy

p.s. one thing that is helping me is switching up mediums: try out graphite sticks, brush and ink, balllpnt pen, etc. seems like for me its helpin me break bad habits by pullin me out of my comfort zone.

[SadMonster]

thnx ladyknowles .. I will do my best
-------------
I saw that in your work. and I know I'm not an expert [as you probably noticed ] .. but I feel you are making great progress ..

I will try switching too ,, I think it will work

[shiNIN]

Oh I will try to be gentle, don't worry I even promise I will tell you the good points to keep things balanced for your tender soul, okay?
Drawing humans is very hard but don't forget, even if you practice and the result isn't really good, the practice alone makes you better - if you don't do it very wrong. I've seen people who never dared to draw hands, well, they still epically sucked at hands after years... or drew the same silly faces without studying about it, or at least, carefully looking at faces.
Study, draw, have fun, use your imagination, put some effort into your drawings, update your sb and you WILL improve.
And when, for example, faces tire you out and you disheartens, doodle some funny and easier things, play with colors or something. You need backgrounds, color theory...etc. anyway

Computer science? I was and probably will be again a programmer, that's so easy, perfect for my lazy ass... Drawing anything is an extremely difficult hard word comparing to that, at least for me. But I can't help it. At one point I felt an urge and now drawing is my top priority. I'm doing it bad, being lazy and not used to diligent work but it will work out somehow.

Best wishes again, give us some drawings to look at soon!

[SadMonster]

.. ok this will make it easier ... you are right about drawing humans... and I won't be afraid I will pay all my attention to them now .. I already got the books ... and now its the time for the last step ..... reading them

about programming I actually love it , but the problem is.. in college, you have to take a lot of stuff besides it ,that wastes a lot of time ... and the college time is already full of ,you know, social stuff .. and as you experienced this problem you probably know what I feel now

and by no means programming is easy .. come-on there are some people get scared just by hearing the name .. it also depends on what language you use and what you are creating, some stuff is simple and others are extremely complex.
I wish you the best too, and I will do my best to post some more stuff , thnx shiNIN

[SadMonster]

well I know I should have practiced anatomy and body structure more .. but I couldn't help myself.. I couldn't stop painting until I got this

[shiNIN]

Oh motivated drawing is good... Not a very easy pose... The knees are too square and there's something with the proportions... the torso is too little for the arms and the long legs, something like this.
You need practice. Just like me. I tend to avoid drawing figures... Bad, bad idea.

The rendering is better than in your previous human drawings here, I guess more effort was involved and motivation is a great power too, I experienced that.

Keep it up

[Rhubix]

I find bridge man books to be especially helpful for cartooning. His blocky forms are great for learning the solid masses in the body.
I also agree with others about line-art. you need good line control for cartooning.
I like your critters in posts 6-7. They're my favorite so far.
More plz.

[SadMonster]

@shiNIN: thank you shiNIN for your critic it's good off course .. but I think you was a little bit too easy with me .. I wanted a slap on the face [not really ]

@Rhubix: um, ok, I will search for this books, glad that you like the critters .. thank you very much

[devastacio]

hey there,

well as you can probably guess, im going to say "Lets start those anatomy studies" but i appreciate your effort to paint this because i know its not easy. what matters is that you gave it a good try. With some good knowledge in human anatomy youll be able to do this much more better.

Most of the people start off with Andrew Loomis or Bridgeman. If i were you, ill go for Loomis.

So lets get those studies on the way mate. trust me, itll be so rewarding.

[SadMonster]

yea I know , but it's time to change , let's do it, mate

[shiNIN]

Oh come on, I'm not a slave driver, especially not one who's hypocrite as well
Drawing humans is hard and disheartening enough without unnecessary slaps just because you can't be awesome soon. It's natural.
It's not so bad It has serious flaws, that's true *shrugs*. Oh and I like the shine on the hair. I'm so bad with hair and with such lively details...

I'm careful anyway because one of your two sides doesn't like harsh critics and because I don't know your skills enough yet. There are a bunch of pictures, really different ones regarding themes, details, one is scribbly, the other isn't... Maybe I'm a bit tentative at this point.

Gimme more drawings.

[SadMonster]

lol .. I must do something to shut my other side up ..
thank you shiNIN for your help .. I gonna draw more soon

[SadMonster]

I thought I must have a break from this failed realistic drawing trials

[devastacio]

I thought I must have a break from this failed realistic drawing trials

they are not failures but small steps towards success my friend. ( i recall someone telling me the same thing few days back! ) Dont you get discouraged now.

about the latest stuff; i really like it because it looks funny. nice facial expressions. well one suggestion from me; please paint it!

keep up the good work mate. ill drop by later.

[shiNIN]

Your last stuff is cool I wouldn't use so soft clouds and shadows but I like the figures
Do fun stuff to keep your spirit high and relax, they even can be good practice... I need to draw more things for fun myself.