Pencil Pushing, a self-help sketchbook

[J@n!t]

More Bridgman torso today, and the super quick ideas for CHOW, the four horsemen of the apocalypse. I started working on Death, which should be the easiest. He will be in the distance, watching calmly.

I have the pelvis/femur area to long and with too much angle for this horse, who is intended to be skinny and scrubby and just walking along. I realize that I tend to do this a lot, so this is good for me already Working all from imagination on these, giving myself the challenge of no refs. I realize that not drawing on paper before going into Photoshop is a mistake...

I'm not into fantasy or character design, but I think completing this project will be good for me.

[Jamie Romoser]

nice studies! keep it up bridgeman is my favorite for figure drawing
have a good one
-Jamie

[George Abraham]

Loose and flowing lines like that can only end good.

Looking forward to see what you get up to.

[J@n!t]

Working through Bridgman. Studies from the book are easier to draw after lots of gesture practice, which means I can speed up the process. I am halfway through the book. Can't wait to crack open Hogarth next.

[J@n!t]

Gestures using different media for this week's Spartan Camp. Charcoal, black acrylic on canvas-paper and marker on same.

[J@n!t]

Posemaniacs in Orange Sharpie. I'll get the hang of this some day.

[CRYPT]

ur improving nice sketchbook i loved those bridgman studies keep up

[J@n!t]

I recently realized that Posemaniacs can be rotated by dragging with your mouse, so I've chosen to do many gestures of a pose in different positions. They are about 2 minute gestures. Any faster and I lose concentration all together. I only timed a few to get a feel for how long they were taking.

A few more Bridgman studies. I'm not paying enough attention to Bridgman because I'm all about learning how to make meaningful gesture drawings. I have a feeling his anatomy is old-school (the names for muscles and bones) but I'm not certain. Will have to look it up.

The last is the little girl from Despicable Me. Loved that movie and thought this would be a relatively simply exercise for Photoshop. It wasn't as simple as it looked... I eventually had to just be done because I would pick at it forever. It was fun, but difficult as well. (Whoa! Looking at the preview in my browser makes the skin 10x more awful than in Photoshop! Crap, I just built a new computer and my monitors haven't been calibrated :-( Sorry for the ugly-fest.)

[blue skies]

Damn you're dedicated. A bit of Loomis up there, yes? I believe I'll be getting ridiculously acquainted with him quite soon..

[daflom]

great studies,you improve quite fast i think. i really like the onion piece too!

[RyanRyan]

Requesting more digital stuff!

[J@n!t]

blue skies: Yes, a little Loomis. I revisited his books yesterday and drew a little. I just can't get the hang of his head construction from a simple sphere. I will keep in in my pocket, though, just in case I have to draw someone from the 50's whose head is bowling-ball shaped. My Loomis heads always look awkward

daflom: Thank you. I shall now commence surpassing my onion.

RyanRyan: As you wish. Here is a WIP of a Mucha illustration. Hoping to finish her tomorrow. I think I need to change my pen nib back to the normal one. I'm using the spring-loaded nib and my lines are super-wiggly.

Thanks all for taking the time to look at my sketchbook.

Yesterday and todays stuff:
10 second (!!!) to 60 second gestures. I didn't spaz out and for that I am proud.

Bridgman arms, I feel like I'm getting a hang of the construction and how the bones and muscles fit.

Some crazy Loomis studies (I read through one of his books, constructed a really lame head, then went on to studies of various illustrations in the book. I don't think I'm a big fan of Loomis, although he covers the how-to-draw basics rather well. I just don't want to draw like him.

Some mouths in marker from Google images (dumb) and my Mucha WIP.

[J@n!t]

Not a lot of time today, did one page of Bridgman. On to the hands next!

[J@n!t]

My horse, Bucket, and the Mucha WIP. Silly me, thinking I could finish that thing. I just don't know how far to take it; I don't intend for it to be a "copy", but I can't leave so many mistakes. Changed my wacom nib to the black felt, and it feels wonderful. Much smoother.

[J@n!t]

I started reading Gesture Drawing for Animation while doing these. Some are drawn from samples in that pdf, some Posemaniacs, some Character Designs, and the rest are from my own photos.

[J@n!t]

Started going through Bridgman's hands today. Also spent 4+ hours watching the Anatomy for Artists download from CA. Pretty good stuff. This feels just like beginning to learn photography. You need to skim over the basic concepts repeatedly until things start to sink in and then come together. And then you form your own opinions about them and use them in your own way.

I am also attaching my clothed figure study from yesterday as that post never went up. I realize (too late) that the arms are too short. I could rework, but I sprayed a little fixative on it as other pages in my moleskine were rubbing off on each other. Plus I love the smell of fixative.

Which reminds me: I used to take "art lessons" at a little place at the end of my street when I was a kid. I don't recall how old we had to be to start, but I know I couldn't wait! My brother Bill was 4 years older, so I got to see inside and oh how I yearned to sit amongst all the people at a well-used table or easel, to wash brushes in the many-times stained utility sink, to have something of mine hung on the wall. I think we went once a week and it lasted 2 or 3 hours. Once we did 3 still lifes and 3 landscapes under some instruction, we were free to work as we wished. I remember thinking I wasn't a painter because I didn't "get it" right away. It took me until now to realize that artistic skill was born of practice and not of sheer ability.

I went back to that studio when I was older. Having returned from a jaunt in Florida where I got paid to ride horses (yippee-- that ruled!!) I decided I'd make a portfolio and go to art school like I had wanted to when I was younger. The people I worked for in Florida were in the fashion business and had rifled through the sketches in my room. "Go get your degree and come work for me. You've seen our designers house? How would YOU like to live there?" I wasn't planning on doing it to work for them, but it gave me a nudge back towards art.

So I went to the studio, did the same still lifes again (she moved the studio, but had the EXACT SAME setups from 15 years ago! The other people were old ladies painting flowers on birdhouses and kids who just wanted to screw around. I was someone to "Oooh!" at and they pretended like I knew how to draw. I only did I more seriously than them. The teacher was kind but didn't offer help. I had a place to draw, so I forgot about the lack of kindred spirits and did my work.

Then my friend's dogs ruined my work. Trust me, it wasn't impressive in the first place. That was the start of letting the events in my life direct me away from art once again. That was 10 years ago.

[J@n!t]

Did some MMA fighters in pastel pencil on newsprint, fast and scribbly, exploring gesture style. Also started sketching out a pony face for a commission. The practice of the past few months has helped immensely; without it, I would have had a terrible time drawing a frontal view of a horse head even with picture reference. In fact, I put off starting it for that very reason.

[Dope Fiend]

You're progress is great, I'd suggest doing more from imagination.

That last horse is lookin good, buttery linework!

[trout mix]

You're progress is great, I'd suggest doing more from imagination.

That last horse is lookin good, buttery linework!

^ this

Becoming too dependant on ref is a very bad habbit. Doing something withut any visual aide will destroy your mind but it'll hurt sooooo good.

[ladyknowles]

Great stuff, love seeing Mucha in people's work. He's not celebrated enough!

[kiwigarbage]

Wowwies! You're improving pretty rapidly Those figures studies are looking productive, and you're simplifying forms in an effective way.

Keep going!

[Samszym]

Great work here! Your lines are always so clean. You found this out, but just a reminder: don't just copy Bridgeman. The way I see it, his drawings are supposed to help you build a construction on the human forms in your head. If you don't draw on your own and just copy or modify his lines, you won't learn as much. See the forms he describes and explains and pose them yourself until they're burned into your head. Keep it up!

[J@n!t]

Dope Fiend & Trout Mix: Imagination, coming soon! But not too soon. I'm working on building up my visual library. I DO make some stuff from imagination, but in order to make it a "no pressure" thing, it is usually done in Photoshop or Sketchbook Pro on the iPad or a spare sheet of paper and they all get disposed of. There aren't many, but I do it. Usually while watching a movie or checking out other people's work. Thanks for the heads up Keep in mind that I've only started my serious study of drawing about 3 months ago.

Lady Knowles: Thanks! I think it was your sketchbook in which I saw a Mucha study and got all excited. I made an art history session with it too and learned a bit about Art Nouveau. So many things to enjoy about it. I do have to finish my study; I don't have the steadiest hand, so those beautiful lines are tough!

kiwigarbage: Thank you so much, comments like yours make me want to progress even more

Vertical: Excellent point. I know that at the beginning I was 100% copying. I could tell later when the parts didn't entirely fit the way they should. I was wondering if I could just draw things my way, but there are some tidbits I want to pick up from him which are in contrast to how I tend to draw. Specifically, the "chunky" 3-d forms and the use of hard angles along with curves. I'm a curvy person (not in stature, lol) and I've found that at times when I go to a hard angle, I will actually start drawing things backwards-- it's bizzarre! Like I go into mirror-image mode. So I am moving gradually into drawing my own instead of copying. Perhaps I'll take it another step further, as it was noticeable to you that I am copying.

_________________________

Today's stuff:

Animation sequence from Tom and Jerry, done for Spartan Camp. Our optional study this week was to do several frames from a film or animation, and I chose animation to reinforce what I learned from reading Gesture for Animation. I worked quickly and left it messy, get over it

Also did a study of Tom and Jerry later because the characters in the clip were tiny and fuzzy and I didn't know what their parts looked like. My "Art Markers" (no-name brand) are drying up. I did get a little blend action going on to mimic the originals. I feel like a kid when I'm coloring.

[ryan mcshane]

great studys dude! keep it up
love tom and jerry, great memories there! ;_;
keep up the goods brah!!

[J@n!t]

WIP of the pony commission... Made a few passes over it before I darkened the background, I should have used dark paper. The only brights in the photo I'm working from are on the side of his face by the ribbon, the rest of him is shadowed. Bad pic because of the shadows and straight-on pose, but the owner loves it and it was a special win for the pony. My paper is too textured for the conte to work, especially since it is only 8x10. In other words, I'm struggling. I drew it again on colored paper, but this one has more of the essence of his pose and expression. Might draw again on black paper. Gonna take forever to make this black background look clean. This on is still in progress, but I thought I ought to get over it and show it. I didn't get to the neck in this pass, which is why it is so light next to the face.

The other is gestures from Posemaniacs, trying to turn them into some real human action, as suggested in the Gesture for Animation book. For example, I went for 3 gestures of the guy with his hand on his head: 1) My neck hurts, 2) I think a bird shat on my head, and 3) scratching my head. I think the goal of giving them meaningful gesture just might make Posemaniacs worthwhile.

[J@n!t]

Today's studies. Did my first speed paint of a tree on the dunes of Lake Erie which I photographed last summer. Also started on some basics of light and shadow (from imagination, I lack both balls and the right light source. )

The rest is gestures from a horse race. I'm glad I did these because I'm suddenly cognizant of several mistakes I tend to make when drawing horses.

[whisper_wm]

You're improving fast, so all of that hard work on those studies is paying off! Keep going! Btw, that image of Lake Erie is really beautiful!

[Quigleyer]

Hey,

You're doing GREAT. I didn't realize until a moment ago that I was looking at the sketchbook of someone who started early December until a second ago- you're working HARD.

Keep up the good work.

It might help you to compartmentalize the body some, break down forms- to more intimately associate the forms into your brain. Here's a link to a guy who does the kind of thing I'm talking about. Just food for thought and an opinion.

Keep going!

[J@n!t]

whisper_wm: Thank you! Things can look quite plain around here, I was so glad to have that cloud formation show up at sunset, with that tree to frame in front of it

Quigleyer: I see what you mean and I know why I need to do that. I'll have to work some exercises into my studies. As for drawing, I started my serious study some time in October. I have drawn previously, never humans, and did a handful of equine portraits about 10-12 years ago. New requests for portraits is one of the things that got me started again. I never practiced before, ever! Every piece I did was a finished piece. I was so dumb ;P I am very serious about this now, I am going to make a career out of art.


____________________________________________

Today's updates, pony WIP (looks the same or maybe worse (!) I told myself I would draw this 3 times, and I started the third tonight. I think I'm making some better choices all around, but that remains to be seen. It's important for me to make a step forward in the quality of my portraits. I don't like them looking like they were done by a kid. Not gonna beat myself up; just going to work at it.

Some Bridgman hands. Sometimes when I try to internalize his stuff and spit it back out, I realize that I just don't get it. It especially angers me when one of his examples has 2 or 3 lines describing an area and none of them are right. It looks fine when you glance at it, maybe your eyes average it out, but it does not stand up to closer inspection. I see the value in these studies, but I think I need to supplement them. Think I'm going to do a photoshoot of my own hands so I have a library to draw from. Will share if it's worthy of sharing. I meant to do that today, but was otherwise occupied.

[Quigleyer]

Hey, hope not to get annoying, but you're sketchbook intrigued me the other day and I came back.

The horse portrait is a little strange. I'm by no means an expert on horses- in fact I've never had a "successful" composition with a horse, so I might not be correct here... BUT... I'm not sure a horse's head can turn that direction from the angle you have the neck. This isn't as extreme as your position, and it already looks uncomfortable, or like a jerked motion at it's most extended position. The "face" is well rendered (not something easily done), and this is really no time to go changing anything if you think it looks weird. Just for next time, or whatever.

As far as the hands go I think it's a great thing to study and you're investing time into wise endeavors. Some of your fingers are getting turned a little funny at certain points. Remember how the hand is at it's most simple forms, if that helps. The knuckles don't ever twist, so it's usually a good idea to establish a hard angle to rough them from. Hogarth has a good example. I fully encourage the study of Hogarth, but that's probably because I study more from him than any other figure drawing guy.