Second attempt at jump starting myself

**Jangmai** · May 18th, 2011, 10:13 AM

I'm a 20 year old art student, currently on my gap year before heading to uni in september

I started a sketchbook here about a year ago~ At the time I was on a foundation degree and I was lost as to where I was heading. But now after a year of deciding I'd study illustration, and then randomly going back on myself and applying for a brand new Drawing honours degree at Falmouth, I'm here again.

Free from being assessed, I can get back to learning

(hopefully!)

First off, some digital still lifes, trying to train my eye to colours~

**The_Flying_Dutchman** · May 18th, 2011, 10:20 AM

Good start. Now let's see some rough sketches too?

Keep posting!

**Junpei** · May 18th, 2011, 10:27 AM

I think.. you... have no problem with colors. let's see more work.

**Pixie Trick** · May 18th, 2011, 02:54 PM

Really nice work on the apple! I concur: let's see some more.

**Jangmai** · May 19th, 2011, 09:20 AM

Bit more, random scribble from my head followed by two reffed ones... She's so-so, but I've always stuck to greyscale when doing portraits... thus it's my first real attempt at any skintones D:

Realised that I desperately need to practice lips and jawlines, and skintones for that matter!

**Shad-** · May 19th, 2011, 10:00 AM

whoa that's a very good start !
I would just add that, like the others, I want to see some rough sketches from you !

(And the apple is IMO the best of the 3 studies ^_^)

**Jangmai** · May 20th, 2011, 10:26 AM

Ehehe, alright! I'll post something a little 'rougher'! Though I don't typically do very much... Idk, I seem to be affraid of messing up. Something I desperately need escape from!

Thankyou for the support already~ And Shad, I must agree, I prefer the apple too, quite pleased with the textures :3

So here we go... lips studies, most from ref, and several from my head. I'm starting to get an idea of the form atleast. Some random scibbly people, most of them from imagination(, and some better than others!). And finally a quick sketch of a glass candle holder~

**Jangmai** · May 20th, 2011, 11:35 AM

Almost forgot, I'll shove my Heimerdinger fanart on here aswell. Small cat scientist character from League of Legends.... with an afro. If that wasnt obvious!

Got around to giving him a pair of hands! ;D

**CrownLullaby** · May 20th, 2011, 11:38 AM

Your sketchbook is awesome already, keep on posting!

**Jangmai** · May 21st, 2011, 02:02 PM

Crown~ Thankyou, hoped to make a good impression!

I'll keep trying to post daily

Alrighty, todays studies! Necks. Did some Bridgeman necks beforehand and went onto Vanderpoel. Getting to grips with the anatomy a bit better... I don't feel I learn much from Bridgeman studies, until I work on form and can have a sense of the underlying structures. I'll get on with doing more peoples from imagination now.

And secondly~ A charcoal and chalk study I've been doing of little metalic pharaoh bust. He's made of a weird material, almost like dull pewter. Its my first reall attempt at using the two properly together, and as such, I did this on mount board. Not the toothiest of materials to be working on! Ohwell, ordered myself some proper pastel paper now.

He's about... 70x50cm

**Kiwee** · May 21st, 2011, 02:59 PM

You have a great sens of lightning. For the portrait above from your head, the colors seems good but maybe the light is too present everywhere. That's just my opinion. Really love your studies, pharao, lips charcoals by the way..

**mass87** · May 21st, 2011, 03:03 PM

Great start! the still lifes are awesome! keep em coming

**Rhubix** · May 21st, 2011, 05:12 PM

Great stuff so far, I love post 8, I've never heard of League of Legends but I'm going to have to go look it up now .

**rumpenstiltzkin** · May 21st, 2011, 08:38 PM

looks great, keep posting!

**Jangmai** · May 23rd, 2011, 04:49 PM

Kiwee: I must agree. Putting it into greyscale shows just how much it is (even though it's fairly obvious without altering!)

And Rhubix~ I've never really done any fanart before, but hell... heimerdinger is just too unique not to draw!

Yellow afroed cat, I mean really.

As for today, I've been scribbing people into my sketchbook, but I'll fill the pages up before scanning them! Also went back over some of the environment studies I've done recently... going to continue on with them. I need to refine my use of brushes though. Some of them took longer than others, and its generally those which dont work so well. Perhaps that says something~

And finally, some thumbs, did several more, but I quite liked these three... I dont do any character design or clothing, so it was a nice breather! Shamelessly borrowed the format from Reedux's sketchbook~

**Rain Walker** · May 26th, 2011, 02:42 AM

lol .. ur rogher sketchs are better then my final work ^_^
great start dude.. i wonder how ur work will be after going to collage... it is an art collage right ?

**Jangmai** · May 30th, 2011, 02:07 PM

Gah, it's been a week? really... Have a horrible ear infection which seems to keep coming back, makes the want to draw die instantly when I can hardly hold my head straight... But anyway! Arts.

Firstly what I've been drawing today, some material practice. I'll finish it tomorrow when the lights the same. I really desperately need to practice material folds and such, so thats what I'm doing! I'll only put up a couple pieces though atm. Also, hair practice, man from library (with really small feet in retrospec) and a couple illustrations I did a little while ago. Evil black muchroom!

**Jangmai** · June 16th, 2011, 08:18 AM

Started on a another big project, another pharaoh from the same bust~

He's currently a wip, measuring a meter tall, and I'm well aware of the errors! ;D

Gonna get on and do some portraiture today, have had a bit of a lazy week s:

(I'll upload the second image too, I did it as a check to see if he was not symetrical. I'm pleasently surprised~)

**dan liimatta** · June 16th, 2011, 12:41 PM

Looks very nice - cool studies and nice execution of them.

As for jumpstarting its a bitch once the motor goes out - some of us, I especially, need a patch to remove the random loss of motivation.

Personally I often kickstart it with a good book and/or if the inspiration is there but not the energy then I usually go with coffee and something like Next Life as seen below ~ .

& Keep posting ~

**Mooglesarelittle** · June 16th, 2011, 12:53 PM

This is a really awesome start to your sketchbook man, your tones are really excellent.

Hope you manage to land a place at Falmouth, I went to a lecture by the head of the illustration course a few years ago and it looks like a pretty amazing course

**Jangmai** · June 18th, 2011, 01:36 PM

Dan: I know exactly what you mean, I normally sap motivation off of other students or artists, but having finished college I'm starting to lack that source of inspiration. *Loads up Spotify* ;D

Moogle: thankyou very much, I'm trying to figure out tones, generally I'm alot better in greyscale than I am in full colour, but I'm learnings! And as for Falmouth, I did get a place, though not on illustration. I got onto the Drawing course~ It's got things like disection drawing/life classes/traditional teaching, I'm really excited :3

As for todays efforts, bit of a light study. Rock candle holder~ Isnt the easiest thing ever, I admit I didnt know how to properly texture it, I'm such a nublet at texture brushes ):

**Creusa** · June 18th, 2011, 01:54 PM

D'oh! Makes me wanna cry over it! So beautiful!

**Ogihara** · June 18th, 2011, 04:26 PM

whoa very nice first page dude! especially your pencil work! keep it up

**DvrJeroen** · June 18th, 2011, 06:12 PM

the glass bottle is epic, and so is the rest!
I wanna see more ! (:

**jbrown67** · June 18th, 2011, 06:56 PM

beautiful studies!!! keep posting, those colors are gorgeous. That last reflection one is incredible

**Jangmai** · June 28th, 2011, 05:30 AM

Dunno why I'm uploading this, but meh! I know it's just excuses but I've been feeling really down recently, havent been in the mood to draw much at all.

I wasnt intending to draw anything much, but after 2 hours I had this... no idea why I drew it, but I did. Also if I'd planned I could have atleast made the image read properly and would have changed a few things. But a picture is better than no picture!

**Jangmai** · June 30th, 2011, 09:45 AM

Better upload something I guess!

And here we go, pencil pencil pencil. Hands. Because I'm crap at hands

Even in these three pages though I'm starting to make -some- progress. I'll keep going with em.

Also a buddha study, I liked the textures and the reflected light which was cast on him, though sadly the light changed too much by the time I was getting to his ears! >:

And lastly, two self portraits. Very stern! But meh, I look angry while concentrating ;p First is a bit off... my face is too squashed up, thus why I stopped. I really need to do more self portraits.

**Teundeboer** · June 30th, 2011, 12:48 PM

nice pencil drawings, and I love the still life with the rock candle holder

**rumpenstiltzkin** · June 30th, 2011, 09:02 PM

wow great pencils, the hands looks cool, but theres something about em making them feel like rubber x)
and love the portraits, just great!

**Jangmai** · July 2nd, 2011, 01:37 PM

Firstly I should do what I've been intending to do!

Creusa: Ironically thats actually what I did... I was feeling really down and that drawing was more of a meditation than anything. So thankyou

Ogihara: Thankyou that really means alot, though I'll have to go some to improve my second page! ;D

Jbrown / Jarkuzy & Teundeboer: I will do more! I'm still learning tons, probably alot more than they show :3

rumpenstiltzkin: Looking back at them, I know exactly what you mean! I think they need a bit more.... 'variation' Less roundness ;p and also not such clean shadow lines! I think I'll have another try at some :3

And as for todays effort, a study which I've tried 2/3 times in the past and failed miserably at, this time was more of a success though. That said, I took way too long, Velazquez would have probably finished the oil painting before I did!

Edit: helps if I actually add the drawing!