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[Icecold]

Long time no see.

I like the storyboards you did there. Very readable, which is most important.
So, how you doing mate?

[LtPlissken]

Those are some really good 3D renderings.
That's the spirit!

[Lightship69]

Hi folks

thanks for stopping by, firstly some thank you's :-

Icecold

Hey matey thanks for swinging by its nice to see you, I have been rumaging around your SB a lot of late and think those recent scetches are the best yet. I enjoy looking at your sb mate there are some good works in there that I try on from time to time not as good as yours nor are they interesting enough to post but worthwhile practice all the same.
Glad you liked the little spaceman set I am happy enough with that to do some full renders and then send it off to the publishers, so watch this space you never know....... i might get a job out of it yet!! lol.

Mr Plissken

I miss you when you are not around, but I know what you meant in your SB when you said how many months have gone by!!??, time flies by and you dont realise when you are working on a project keep busy and just jot a few lines down to say where you are and what you are up to and I'm a happy bunny!! lol


Ok to the post.
I havnt done eny environments of late and as the light is changing and all the leaves are going such great colours I thout I had better get out there and draw/ paint and get muddy!! but also as I am still experimenting with lights I have another 3d render to show you too.





comments and crits to the usual address please with great thanks.

[LtPlissken]

Hello there товариш, what is happening except the evolution of your arts exceptional blossom power?
That winter pencil environment is pretty awesome, but the thing that stabs my eye a bit,
except the coffee spoon, is that too strong line which defines the top of that long hill.
I think it should be less defined and not so strong, just a suggestion. My grandfather
never believed in small spacemans, he rather was for this long time ago frozen winter
nights, hills with full of wolves, without eyes. He was sharing a lot of stories back there.
And I just want to ask you, if for example Pinocchio and Chucky would have a fight,
who would win? Let the setup be in the octagon, just like in the Ultimate Fight
Championship. Who would come out on top, what do you think? I was calculating
various outcomes, and rotating the final version of the happening, but never finished
with the satisfying picture. Either way, you keep on working and while you render
your shadows and 3D environments drink a beer or two.

[Lightship69]

As the first sketch was harsh on Lt Plisskens eyes, I started to paint it up this afternoon!

what do you think ??



all the best to all my commentors and visitors

[Lightship69]

Hmm looking at it again I need to paint in some more clouds on the left!

[LtPlissken]

Looking pretty realistic and cool, but you don't have to paint in more clouds,
only if you are bored maybe. The cloud is much more realistic than the landscape for now.
But when you render out everything, then it will be mayhem. I can already see
the final version through my dreams. Michael Ironside will be jealous.

[Lightship69]

Ok Mr Plissken

Hows it looking now, I went back a stage or two and beat it up some more, and I am slightly happier with the way it looks, watcha reckon matey??



will post a finished one over the weekend if the family leaves me alone long enough, I am re-plastering a bedroom wall as well at the moment so dont hold your breath!! ha ha ha

all the best guys

[LtPlissken]

I wrote a mail, an old fashioned paper mail to Wesley Snipes to jail.
I was encouraging him to be strong and to keep it together. Mid 2013
will be here quick, and he will be getting out. I am strongly counting on
him to get me back some favor, by sending me a part of his money
and wealth, cause I stood by his side in the roughest times. As a child,
I had so much faith in people, but now as time passes by, I am getting
more and more disappointed. It’s hard to keep the faith. Your durability
and stoic full powered attitude can be seen through the highest mountains
and hills. Like a strongest link in the chain, you will be the last one who will
disappoint or retreat. With your battle flag and extremely high moral, you are standing
in the front rows on the highest grounds, looking on the shameless mortals, and damned
souls. Your kingdom is coming, and I would like you to let me to be the first who will
observe your royal diamond crown. This winter chilled painting of yours became even
stronger than before. An observer can clearly feel the cold of the Russian merciless winter,
even if this ain't a Russian landscape. But they can feel it and I can feel it. Magnificent
job, I hope that you will get some time for the weekend and get more work done on it.
My neighbors wife was also plastering the walls in the house, not so long ago and they
discovered a few war victim bodies in the walls. The bodies were all dried out, some
of them limbless and could not be identified. This is just a suggestion, I would put
a big sign or pole on the winter painting, right here in the closeup, something about
trespassers will be shot on sight, or trespassers will be decapitated and skinned alive.
With this step, you are achieving that merciless war environment and a major
secret message about death being an inevitable part of life. Don’t listen to me, you just keep
up the good mood and positive things, let them flow, the nice vibes, and you
take care be good and all the best to your family.

[Lightship69]

Hi bud

Get your snow shoes on its reasonable enough to call done i think, I will meet you at the top of the slope with the cornice on and we can ski down and drink beer!! it'll be great!! and after we can warm up in the pub and drink more beer!! does life get any better............ probably not!

Here are all the stages if anyone is really interested..lol






As you can see it went through a few stages in design but I think it came out ok, enjoy and crit if you like.

[ja1307]

Seeing a lot of dedication and commitmnt here which alone will carry you far. Def been a lot of improvment throughout this sketchbook so you are most def on the right track. Think some more life studies wold help (well think we coiuld all do more) to improve accuraey proprtions ect and some longer studies to help imrpove your values, thats where still life's are extremely good. I always think if you can draw real world things well accurately and realistically then you can always stylise and simplify for whatever style you want to take your work. Keep up the good hard work and enjoy.

[LtPlissken]

Snow shoes has been put on, and I am ready. Oh I am very ready to go down,
ski down and have a beer. Don’t say beer, cause I will have to open one right now.
It came out very nice, frost can be felt all out the land. As we sit in the pub by
the fire, drinking our ale, the bad and nasty wolves are lurking out in the cold
and frozen night, searching for their victims. But we are safe in there,
thanks to the pentagram painted on the wall. Fantastic winter landscape
has been created, and another victory has been made.

[rem92]

Hey man, you've been working hard it seems! i particularly like the envieros, those 3d ones look tight! and all the children stuff is coming along nicely, you planning on drawing cartoon comics or something? o:

[Lightship69]

I will do some correspondance I think

Icecold - I am very well thanks mate and thanks to you for dropping in for a visit, its much appreciated I am not up to your standard yet matey but I will keepon grinding.
All the best

Mr Plissken - I will have to come and find you in yugoslavia and get you seriously drunk! I feel I owe it to you mate for all the kind words and support, all my best wishes to you old boy!

Rem92 - Hi mate thanks for dropping in for a visit and yes in answer to your question I am aiming at childrens illustration, specifically writing and illustrating childrens picture books. Its very rewarding and very challenging to do and I enjoy it enormously. I try to keep my eye in with all the other stuff but that is where I am, down playing with the kids!! LOL

all my best wishes to all my visitors and contributors, thank you I need all the crits I can get. Without your crits and advice I cant progress so keep it coming.

[Wretched]

There isn't a word of advice I could offer that you haven't already encountered, I'm certain. So I hope you'll excuse me if I don't comment directly on your work, but after seeing all of the kind words you spread around, I had to check out your book. Glad to see you receiving some some valuable input. Also, looks like you have done a hellish amount of research and studying, well done, I envy your fortitude

Anyway, I also just wanted to say I believe that your attitude and interaction with the community is absolutely admirable. You have offered invaluable support to a lot of struggling artists here and I don't think your influence can be overstated. It only takes a few thoughtful, tactfully presented words to have a tremendously positive effect on someone, and I can see you understand that very well. I've never seen you snipe or give a "left-handed" compliment, which I find unspeakably refreshing. So, thank you for your genuine, mindful nature.

Keep workin' those fingers!
~End of cheesy personal communique.

[Sprogis7]

Attachment 1617678Hey Lightship, this is a long over due comment, I dont remember the last time I did! Anyway good effort on your part and sticking with the painting. Now if you don't mind, there are a few things you could think about for next time. Number one is the composition. It's not really leading my eye anywhere. You as the artist have the ability to edit your painting, adding shadow and light to create a path to where you want your viewer to look. You have an excellent device here in the stone wall and the mountains. Create shadow grouping and contrast to really sell what the focal point is. The houses are also smack dab in the middle of the composition...putting it off to one side can balance and create visual interest, so do it! Also raising or lowering it to emphasize the sky or the landscape is better than having it in the middle with equal emphasis. Keep perspective in mind. Clouds follow the rules of perspective just as the landscape and stonewall would...Using gris helps a ton. Scott Caple is the master of grids. http://threefingersholdthepen.blogsp...blog-post.html

Also your trees are all the same size, play with scale to create depth (goes back to perspective). The color is alright, but I would sell the cold by taking out all color, maybe except a small bit in the house again to sell the focal point. A cold bleak overcast sky would do the trick. Anyway man keep up the posting, you're only gonna get better!

[Lightship69]

Hi Wretched

"I believe that your attitude and interaction with the community is absolutely admirable. You have offered invaluable support to a lot of struggling artists here and I don't think your influence can be overstated. It only takes a few thoughtful, tactfully presented words to have a tremendously positive effect on someone, and I can see you understand that very well. I've never seen you snipe or give a "left-handed" compliment, which I find unspeakably refreshing. So, thank you for your genuine, mindful nature."

Wow thank you very much, no one ever said anything like that before! I dont think I'm doing anything different to anyone else though to be honest I am (in a lot of cases) just repeating what others have told me and being as honest as I can.
Being snooty and putting folks down doesnt interest me most of the folks in this community are the same we all pull together which is why I love this place.

I will take a look through your book as soon as I can but in the meantime all the best to you and thanks again

[Lightship69]

Hey Sprogis7

I am smiling as I write this matey and I will tell you why, Its a copy from a book on how to paint in watercolours by a guy whos work I quite like called "David Bellamy" its a farm on a hill near the "Ramshaw rocks" in North Staffordshire in England, now I will admit that I did take some liberties with the rocks themselves and a few other minor tweaks here and there mate .......... but thats what the farm looks like, honest!! its from life and everything!

I'll tell you what though its a freaky looking place when you get up and around the rocks themselves.
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ram...w=1920&bih=941
follow the link and you will see what I mean.

Here attached is Mr Bellamys watercolour badly scanned and shrunk by me.



There are a lot of great tips and lessons in the books and this particular image is from "David Bellamy's Wild Places of Britain". mountains and landscapes in watercolour.
Your comments about my shoddy work are correct as usual but I think we had better not comment on Mr Ballamy's.

all the very best to you mateand thanks very much for swinging by.

[LordLouis]

Hey Lightship; I think what makes the original watercolour stronger in composition are the clouds! They lead you back into the picture. Your clouds lead you out of it/ As you know where my skills are I don't have to worry that I might very well be wrong- just a casual observation, hope it helps.
Your 3d stuff is slick as usual! May I just note here that i love your avatar so much, I really hope you will come back to that idea at some point
It conveys so much character, and even though I have never seen you, I picture you just like that! ;D

[Lightship69]

Hi Lordlouis

Thanks for swining by matey, you might be right with the clouds idea, I just wanted to experiment with it, when i first did the sketch I was going to make it dark and stormy with snow blowing about, but the more I looked at it the more it seemed to cry out that it was clear and cold.
I can easily paint in some more cloudsif you like and see what happens, it might be interesting too.

As for Mr Incredible, he is my avatar because he is my hero plain and simple, his first stage if you could call it that where he is a huge powerful man but a bit fat! is just so me.
I love him as a character as he is going slightly mental because the family are all flying around being themselves and not getting along and he wants to be the best of the best but cant, "I feel his pain!!" LOL
And yes if I am honest I am the balding fat superhero portrayed in the avatar, but with a huge drinking capacity and a repotoir of jokes and nonsense like you wouldnt believe!

enough rambling what did you mean come back to him? I just made him look a bit more like me!

[LordLouis]

enough rambling what did you mean come back to him? I just made him look a bit more like me!

I was thinking character sheets, like the ones you do in your sketchbook- you know, take the animation-kind of approach and put the character in many different poses and environments. That would be really interesting to see. Of course I don't know your plans and how busy you are, just a thought that you can come back to whenever you run out of ideas (hopefully never then!).
Alright, I have to go back loving my bathroom ;P

[LtPlissken]

"with a huge drinking capacity" - hahaha that is one of the reasons I respect you so much
and like to hang around here. You made my day with this one.

[BlackDelphin]

That winter scene turned out really nice! Mr Bellamyes watercolor seems to me like it was good inspiration.
I'd say try studying after him and other artists some more, while trying to understand their thinking/drawing.
Hope to see some more posts in here, cheers!

[Umbravita]

I'm liking that winter scene. I can tell why you like Bellamy's watercolour, it's gorgeous, isn't it?

[Blue Banks (Rams)]

Hi, I like your 3d stuff mate! 1 thing I noticed is that a lot of the geometry doesn't look very grounded. You might check out doing an ambient occlusion render (they're super quick) then compositing it on top to give it some nice shadows in all the corners. Keep up the good work!

[Black Spot]

Just put Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year on it and everyone will think it's just another Christmas card. But it is the clouds that made the original as has been pointed out.

[Lightship69]

Ok just for the fun of it a quick sketch for LordLouis,

Its a prtrayal of just an average day at my desk doing my art and wondering why the hell I do this stuff and end up with such wild and angry looking cows!! LOL



Ok on with the letters ---


BlackDelphin - thank you for swinging by for a visit! thanks for the advice and I shall post some more enviros soon, well as soon as i do some that is.

Umbravita - Thank you for dropping by, that was kind of you matey I am always glad to see a new face, itseems that the concensus is to redo the clouds in that last scene but yes I like it as it is, it feells cold whan I look at it if that makes any sense.

Blue Banks (Rams) - Thank you very much for the visit and I know what you mean about the lights and shadows, but you have to remember that its an experiment and not a sealed environment so there was a lot of ambient drowning out elements of it. But I accept the crits too they do need to be more pronounced, thanks again.

Black Spot - Ah Mrs spot thanks for calling in I love it when you swing by, "Just another Christmas card!" oh I am so wounded ................. lol as if!
yes I know the clouds are wrong but thats what I saw when I did it in my minds eye and couldnt get past it. Do you want me to re-do it just for you? I will if you like.

[kevin_]

nice updates! like the bits of 3d work that i see in your sb btw! like waht you are doing with the snowy hill!

[LordLouis]

mwhahaha, love your sketch!!
Not sure what to love more- the pencil work or the file name :p

[Valyavande]

Hey Lightship, how are you doing? I thought it's time for me to stop by again, because I appreciate it everytime you left some kind words in my little place.

Your last drawing made me a bit sad but happy at the same time. It's just so true... Sitting there at the desk and asking oneself why we're doing this. Mr You Incredible doesn't seem to be so happy in that moment. But most of the time, we should just feel great about the little wonders we show with our pencils and brushes. I love the moments there I'm sitting in front of my work and wonder "did I do this?". It's feels strange, but great, even if I still see the mistakes. You just reminded me of that.

Well, many people talked already about the winter image. I just want to admit that I like the shadow side of the wall a lot =) It's nice how colours and values work there