Lightships Lightbox

[LordLouis]

Hey Lightship, I feel bad that I never returned your nice comments in my sb, and I shall correct my attitude on this! (like a sir)
Well since you get so many comments I can't really think of anything extraordinary to add, so I just share my random thoughts.

First of all I really like the way you approach your projects, and the dedication and research you put into it, I think you are learning and training valuable steps that many people (inc. myself) skip out of lazyness, so kudos for that!
You seem to be very fond of character development, like people on Animation courses do- I absolutely love that. I think you really need to get outside and draw more from life, I know it sucks and I have only managed it on very few occasions, and most of the time I draw my bf instead or myself in the mirror- but better than nothing at all! I think your characters would benefit from it a lot, all the gesture that you pick up by observation can be crazy!

I can especially recommend the FORCE books, here is one of them
They're really awesome and give an alternative approach to the usual anatomy and muscle blabla, it's all about movement and form!

Yeah, other than that... keep it going And thanks again for all your comments!
Btw had to share that

[LtPlissken]

On this picture above that Louis posted, I feel a bit of an erotic energy
between the wolf and that little fat chicken, the way
the wolf holds the chicken is aspiring.
You just keep on rolling buddy,
I know that you are up for
a big update.

[Rhubix]

This is a really fun idea your doing with the three little pigs. A few years ago I was lucky enough to take a short course on design where we did little red riding hood. We were encouraged to stray from the original idea as far as we wanted, and after 2 weeks the group had come up with some really different things:
The generic story.
The same story set in tree, where all the characters were different bugs, ants, wolf spiders, etc.
all the way to a future distopia, where little red was code for some kind of government secret and the big bad wolf was the same of the mercenaries trying to steel it before it got back to "grandma's"

It's amazing that every time you think you've learned something about design, or you think you've done something cool, you find 3-4 things that inpire you to get bigger, and better.
It's really no wonder design is such a sought after job.

In the mean time, your shack studies reminded me of a short clip I saw on the designing of Disney's tangled. Specifically the "Snuggly Duckling" pub where all the thugs hang out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awlBswjJC-g

[Candra H]

I havent checked out every page but I see a marked improvement throughout.

Drawing skills need develeping though. Your lines and shading are really stiff so if you work on loosening up with that, it'll show in your drawings. Simple things like scribbling lines of figure eights or spirals or circles across the page in big loose strokes. And areas of shading, just squares or rectangles on a page, from light to dark and back again. It'll help loosen up your hand and give you better control of the pencil.

Nice pig sketches though. I really like the set of expressions you did for those.

Anyway, just a quick visit and two bob's worth. Good luck with everything and draw, draw, draw!

[TFsean]

Hai lightship
I really like those face plate lighting exercises you did very cool and did a pretty neat job of it too, pig expressions are cool and coherent.
I think the final composition in #259 definitely works best. Firstly the horizon grounds us to the scene and the trees give an opportunity for some nice guiding and framing

[LordLouis]

On this picture above that Louis posted, I feel a bit of an erotic energy
between the wolf and that little fat chicken, the way
the wolf holds the chicken is aspiring.

Indeed, not quite the compositional masterpiece.
..Or maybe it is!

[dracken]

Thanks for stopping by my sketchbook. More studies, more application of studies is what we all need my friend. That and a word of encouragement from other people who are trying to do the same thing.

Keep up the good work and try to put in at least one hour every day. Consistency is key.

Good luck.

[Lightship69]

Hi guys

sorry I havnt posted for a while, but Easter got in the way and the kids needed entertaining, so nothing was done for two weeks. Which as you all know is a long time, when I did pick up a pencil and paper again I had quite forgotten what I was doing and where I was up to etc. etc.

Anyway I have done some colour samples and experiments with facial expressions on my piggies, please comment on what you like and what you dont. Some of these expressions you will never see in the story and some you will but it was important to figure out what moved and what didnt when they make a face.

Hope you like them:-











The last set has the reference in for the colours and shape of the ears etc.

[Chris Sanders]

Mate i'm loving the hard work in this thread as always. Always feel positively charged after browsing, petty i'm knackered and going to bed in a minute... or id work so hard (so i claim)!
Thanks for the input in my sb as always viable intel. I'm gunna study that sculpture head photo tomorrow hope ya don't mind.

Keep on hitting those studies from all angles! peace!

p.s i think those pigs are great, however they could do with a cast shadow under the jawline to give them better form. depends what you want from them really but just thought it might make give them a better read.

[jon n]

lovin the pig expressions matey, especially set 4 pic 1: 'having a paddy'!

[Icecold]

Hello there.

That's one fun pig you got there, all these expressions will help you in the future i bet. What i'd like to see more is......pencil stuff, really.
I'm a self taught artist and i regreat that i've spent so much time with digital media instead of nailing the foundations with pen/pencil and paper. Now i'm trying to make up for it. You've got whgat it takes, i'm sure you'll become great artist one day, cheers mate.

[Lightship69]

Hi guys thanks a lot for calling in! I really appreciate the comments and the encouragement

Icecold - not really with you mate its been mostly pencils and paper in here for months so if you could elaborate my mate I will do my utmost to have a bash at it. I am in the same boat mate I am entirely self taught (hence the howling cock ups from time to time!) and the irony is that I have spent too long away from the computer messing with pencils and paper!! LOL I have gotten really rusty in CS4.

JonN - Thanks for stopping by my mate nice to see you.

Dog Faced - I have never thought of my rubbish as inspiring enough to positively charge anything LOL but thanks anyhow and if you want to use anything on here as a reference you go right ahead!

[Klaustrophil]

Nice studies but as Strato said, practice faces. If I was you I would check out Andrew Loomis Books. http://alexhays.com/loomis/
Your mountainstudy is awesome!
greetings
klaus

[Lightship69]

Klaustrophil hi there a new visitor thanks for calling in! I always smile when someone says go look at Andrew Loomis's books you can download them at blah blah blah! and indeed yes you can but more importantly you can BUY them from Amazon and Titan books, there are only two out at the moment "figure drawing for all its worth" and "drawing the head and hands" and they are much better than the .Pdf files get them they are worth it mate, priceless even.
The reason for the smile by the way is almost all the anatomy I work I do is from Loomis...... :-)

Thanks again for calling in and all the very best to you matey.

[LtPlissken]

A celestial messenger told me that you will do
miracle with the pig business. If there will ever happen the
"Animal Farm" scenario, in our real world, you will be promoted
to a higher rank. And if all the pigs from this world would make
a revolution and go for the planet earth dominance, they would surely
see your latest pig faces, and they would make an exception,
not terminating you, separating you from the other population.
Loomis and Bridgeman never realized how to draw pig faces,
they were struggling but they failed, so I think that you did
a fantastic job on these latest ones. You struck once more
a hard stone in a narrow valley of sweetness. I hope that you are
doing great and that you are feeling fine, cause your
empire is just about to shine.

[Lightship69]

Thanks mate I've missed you too!!

[LtPlissken]

The situation when I am gone for a month or more,
people get relaxed and they have the opportunity to feel the fresh air.
They are happy once more.
Prosperity and serenity.



And then, the general reaction.
When they suddenly realize that the Lieutenant is back;

[AllyAlbon]

Those piggies are great! Really fun. Great improvement since I was last here!

[shiNIN]

I'm sorry I'm not much on CA lately and I missed your piggy faces till now.
Nice expressions, they are funny The simple smiling face in the first set is more dull, maybe because of the very simple eye? I don't know. The others are more interesting.

[Valyavande]

Looooong time no see! And your thread makes me smile again this evening. Love those piggy faces and their expressions! Especially 1 and 5 in Set 1. I just would like to see some more contrasts in the colour. Mayme some deeper red shadows. That would add more life to the coloration. But it's absolutly great how many variations you did of them.

[Klaustrophil]

hey buddy,
i see and I didn`t intend to sound like a broken record with this "go for loomis thing".
I also have to admit that I was very focused on your anatomy studies and almost ignored your toonies. sorry for that - your piggys are funny and well rendered. Nice expressions.
keep it up
greetings
klaus

[Lightship69]

Hi guys

I am begging your indulgence for a while longer I know I haven't posted in ages and I am a drunken, useless, weak kneed slacker! But in my defense I have been terribly busy of late with kids at the school, Holiday bookings to sort and a last minute panic book illustration. All that nonsense and my own book illustrations to do I tell you its been bedlam, if it wasn't for the beer and whiskey I would have gone mad!

The Book job was fun to do I got the job yesterday with a deadline of Friday, which sounds ok but not when you think it goes into print on Friday so any corrections etc need sorting before then. So with that in mind I took the only sensible way out and decided to photoshop the hell out of some Victorian images and new ones and mash them together.
I thought you might be interested in it so here it is:-



It is in line with her other books and is based around the first paragraph of her synopsis, which roughly says
"Weaving Through The Years
A story of two women, Grace and Carrie – divided by centuries,
but connected by blood and a Family Bible. Their stories unfold
as Carrie attempts to do the family tree in 2012, of a story that
started in 1875 in the weaving mills of Lancashire"

Ha ha ha ha and you know what the real kick in the head is?! its a non paying gig. Its a book in aid of kids cancer charities, so what could I do? I had to waive my fee didn't I.
let me know what you think of the image and if you can see the elements in the text.

Just for your further interest I will put her web address in you you can look at the other books and covers in her works.
http://www.linricpublishing.com/

buy some books for your Mum and get some cash for sick kids! there I said it LOL I don't feel such a sad sap now!

thanks loads and love to all of you (yes I'm drinking again LOL)

(edit) posted the wrong version, this one has the text for the spine!

[LtPlissken]

I feel a bit drunken useless and weak also, so generally I feel good.
They wanted to force me to do some hard work today, but when they saw
the state that I am in, they felt sorry and left me to steep more deeper in my wooden bed.
So I have practically evaded some hard work today, that is success enough.
I always wanted to be born in the stone age, I would solve every problem real
simply, I would never go to school or to work (fuck the modern industry,
and the two-faced suit fagots with grades and false pride), out of boredom
I would draw and paint on the cave walls. I would create a real hard core
hard drinking little clan, and we would destroy the competition and enemy just like that.
And when I would feel like mating, I would not play any romantic games, would
just use a huge wooden club to get my sexy ass lady. At dinner table I would
belch really hard and really strong on a regular basis. I would surely do good
as a primitive. I would never comb, and bath, and I would still be acceptalbe,
and I would surely kick some female asses on 8th march.
You did a very good job with the book stuff, and your dedication
to children will be heard through seven countries. You are a very
positive person and your help to the cancer charities is something
that will never be forgotten. I will never forgot it.
If there is a world beyond this, you will be a king there.

[Jephyr X]

I am begging your indulgence for a while longer I know I haven't posted in ages and I am a drunken, useless, weak kneed slacker! But in my defense I have been.............................

We do not forgive! We do not forget! We are Legion!



Ok...sorry...that popped into my mind and since I have absolutely no filter........

So...it seems like many of the peeps who I used to see on a regular basis around here are either gone or taking longer breaks from posting....me too....so no worries!!

Anywho...congrats on the book project...sounds like a good experience...with or without pay. I've read that illustrators are often up against hard deadlines...so just that was valuable experience alone...and in the end it is for kids cancer charities...a good cause!!!

I'm really digging the three little piggy expression pages...lotza character in those. It looks like you're really doing your homework for that project.

All the best to you in your busy life...post when you can...I'll be checking in from time to time!

Yes...that tingle on the back of your neck late at night means you ARE being watched after all!!!!!!

Mwah-haha

[shiNIN]

I'm lazy and under the sleepy weather, so I mostly just borrow Plissken's words:

You did a very good job with the book stuff, and your dedication
to children will be heard through seven countries. You are a very
positive person and your help to the cancer charities is something
that will never be forgotten. I will never forgot it.
If there is a world beyond this, you will be a king there.

I agree... except the king stuff. Being a king is too busy, responsibilities, danger, whatnot, something less but still somewhat high and mighty would suit you better. Instead of being a king, you should be just happy and you'd surely make others happy around you.
You are a nice one and will always be cherished here, besides other places

[QPK]

Thank you so much for posting that photo of Lincoln's face lit from different angles. Goin in the ref. folder for sure

[Wheeljack18]

Hey man, thanks for stopping by the SB. Things look like they are coming along nicely for you since my last visit. Keep up the studies as they are paying off!
Cheers.

[Chris Sanders]

Hey dude cheers for the pointers as always, very helpful advice. Get your work on so i can counter crit! Only joking i'm sure your keeping busy. Get 't' posting!

Peace!

[knut-]

great improvement man, nice pigfaces also.
Maybe i'd try to open its ears on the top somehow and see how it looks.
Cheers!

[Lightship69]

Ok here we go again, a bit of blatant 3D cheating to get shapes right for a web page and advertising handout for a kiddies playgroup! but it was never used as the place changed hands and I never got the call to re-do or carry on (despite chasing it up several times).
So here you go from Idea on the hack of a notebook to the finished thing, it was going to carry on to the web pages too but it just died a death and never came to fruition.









It was fun to do though and the 3D really helped in getting the layout to work.

All the best to all of you