Sketch Things (October 21, 2012)

[cloudcan]

I agree with everyone, all your figures are so delicious! can really feel the form in and around..
also wanted to say thank you, for your eye opening comment on my sb! ^_^

[Flanagan]

Good drawings, man! Thanks for taking a look at my sketchbook, i appreciate your advice. You've definately have deep insight with drawing the figure and have made tons of research. Good for you, it must be a lot of hard work. How long do you draw each day? Keep it up, you're very inspiring and you set the competition bar high up.

[Kungfoowiz]

Hey bro =) Think your proportion has improved a bit from the life drawing =) Haven't done life drawing in like half a year now myself. Well you got a lot of advice already, I'd just say to work on the things you think you need to work on really =) Tackle your demons one at a time as they say =) Keep up the good work bro =) Cheers! =)

[AlexTooth]

Lovely figure work, it's really paying off, keep grinding!!

[Marian Rowling]

Hey Sage glad to read the 'mists are clearing and the overall image is slowly coming into focus'. You can really read the form with you rib cage studies and I think the last life drawing has a lot of form as well. I can feel the weight of her which is a good thing.

[BludHund]

Wow Sage, its like you just completely exploded your sketchbook. Your output
has increased by an order of magnitude, and you are really growing fast!

A lot of your posts seem to be from life drawing I see. These look pretty good.
Don't forget the need for rhythm by contrasting types of marks: Hard vs Soft,
Straight vs Curved, Positive vs Negative.

The rhythm of contrast defines the structure and livelyness of the body.
A muscle (soft) always terminates in a bone or tendon (hard). Muscles always
operate in tandem, if one set is active (a positive curve), the other will be passive
(a shallow or seemingly flat curve), etc. This is also crucial for aesthetic effect,
capturing the viewer's attention.

Don't forget to keep up those awesome form studies. For the forms of the Figure,
I would look at Vilppu and his apostles (Kevin Chen, Michael Hampton, etc). Also
Bammes. There is no 'Scott Robertson Anatomy' but these will get you there.

A book of art models (or more importantly, the attached CD) can be a HUGE
help...nothing like rotating the forms back and forth to really 'get' them.

This Guy's observations were a big eye opener for me on a couple points.

Wednesday's 'Black Hole of Understanding' is either Burnout or Superstition
Either way...just relax...

...and don't forget to recharge with some doodling and imagination work.

Keep it up, man you are rocking hard.

[obier]

Your latest stuff is very good - especially quick studies.Have you done any drawings with chalk?I'd strongly recommend to try it out if you haven't - very effective way to study values and shading in general.

[lohes]

Gorgeous figure drawings! What medium did you use during the "cassie" session? Charcoal?

[andres333]

andres333 An honor to have you here again, sir. I love the way you study and your process. Thanks!

Woah hehe thanks we both have a long way to go though, I feel honored for having your comments too

[bish0p2004]

I'm really liking your rib cage studies and life drawings. I've been incorporating them in my work this week. Great gesture drawings as well

[oma]

good studies!! keep them comin plz.. enjoy this sketbook, like i said so many times before .

[Unlink40]

it looks like you a progressing nicely. i'm seeing some spontaneity in the quick figure poses, keep it up

[miycko]

look at all these studies you make so jealous. ,love the loomis studies up top - great shading on those dude. the last one from the life drawing session in post #187 is awesome bra. keep the goods coming

[AckermannPhilip]

Just great to see someone with heart, putting in the hours and the hard work.

Thank you for stopping by in my SB. Oh, and before I forget to tell you, I have had also the idea to copy the same krueger painting, but never had the guts to do it. Kudos for attacking that one. =)

cheers, phil

[Verehin]

Nice studies!

[Sickbrush]

more!

[p sage]

Still trying to get head wrapped around volumes; the approach is somewhat described by the "Gestalt" process... basically use just enough line to describe volumes.

A go (all from imagination):


Then moar Loomis, trying for understanding. The mannekin stuff taught me more than the more rendered stuff






Loomis advocated drawing from these art store mannekins while having an anatomy book open, to copy the pose from the mannekin and the muscles from the anatomy book. Maybe mannekins were more pose-able in his day... the knees and elbows don't bend in the ones I can find, nor do the hips move.

Strangely enough, I found the exercise helpful for another reason... seeing those masses (especially the limbs) in perspective, I think, will help figure from imagination drawing.


Wednesday is still a dark place; though I think I've worked it out. Some of the models seem to pose in really boring poses (very symmetrical); the lighting isn't ideal; we're cramped for space; and the model we were drawing (again... Nandi) has some really unusual proportions... some of these factors add up.

But I still need to just to make sure I get the hand/eye coordinated and find a real line on the real model, not just start flailing away quickly with the charcoal. Slow down until you find a real shape... then accelerate slowly from there. (No Wednesday images)

Thursday, once again, the short pose stuff was feeling good. 3 1/2 minutes or so, except where noted. Most of the first set here were scanned with my scanner, and the second part (standing poses) were photographed (because they didn't fit on the scanner)






I really liked this one


Here's the longer pose; I noodled a little too much


Now the standing poses (still Thursday; still 3 1/2 minutes a pc)







Saturday's pose



Finally sculpted the pelvis shape to match the chest shape. Gotta find a better "spine" to hook the two together. Not sure how helpful this will be... but I'll keep looking at the thing for practice.







Some quick thumbs for a Jester concept. More will be completed this week. "The Grump"


A doodle


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Nihil_ Good point... I should do detailed face studies as well as folds. Something else to practice for sure. And line quality is on my short list too. Thank you for the critique.

Satupeikko, swmary Thank you both!

Jephyr hehe... now now... our hiking buddy says he's working on one Hope he didn't get lost in the woods.

prsnsweeney Thanks bro. I'm finding that confidence with gesture lines comes from looking at the model while making them. Who knew?

cloudcan Thank you, and glad to help.

Flanagan Thanks for your comments. I average about four to six hours per day of drawing and studying, more or less... would do more if I had no full time job. I don't think we should think of ourselves as "competitors", though we may try for the same jobs someday. An artist just creates... and we need more of those. Thanks again.

Kungfoowiz Hey, it's the meow man. Thanks

AlexTooth Thank you. Grinding coffeeee.

Marian Interestingly enough, the model said the same thing. She said everyone else made her too skinny. I had to "nervously laugh" at that point; but she said "no worries". Thanks M.

BludHund Your comments came at a great time, man. I just had gotten home from another bad Wednesday, and it was just the right kind of comment to get. Thank you so much.

I will have to definitely incorporate more of the soft/hard, etc stuff next Thursday session.... though I was going for both proportion and quality of line this time. Things will get better there.

Again, thanks for the suggestions (art model CD) and the pelvis video was good.

Everything you gave me was helpful, and will be so. I hope to see more of your actual work soon.

You know, Blood Hounds can "explode" too, if they eliminate distractions and prioritize their lives... fewer great critiques for others, and more guys in gas masks or something

obier Straight chalk drawings, no... but I do have black paper. I'll try that next time. Thank you for the tip.

lohes Hi. Yes, charcoal. Thank you, lohes

andres333 Hey man... thanks again. Looks like you appreciate a good critique, from what you said to Cold in your SB. I will try to give you one next time.

bish0p2004 Thanks man. When are we going to see the apache chief again? I liked him.

oma hehe... thanks Mr. I don't know why, but you make me laugh, you cheeky monkey

Unlink40 Thank you, and very honored to have you here. Any suggestions you would make I would really value.

miycko Heh... cheers dude. Just get cracking on your stuff, man. Don't let that girlfriend/wife person take all your free time Thanks! And welcome back.

AckermannPhilip Wow, a comment from such a good artist... I'm honored. Hope to have more head as well as heart in my stuff soon.

Yeah, that Sebastian Kruger is a beast isn't he? I'll try that one again soon. Will you do more Kruger studies? I would love to see them in your book.

Thank you Phil.

Verehin Yeah! Thank you! And congratulations again on your new video game job.

Sickbrush 'Kay! Scroll up!

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Your books will have some treats put in them soon. Thanks again, all.

[Ricardo Robles]

man you work hard... the anatomy studies are really great, tons to learn here! keep mastering it!

[Kerah]

Chad, you're catching the pose of the model very accurately! Looks lose, as though every strike of the pencil/charcoal has a goal. I like it! You remind me of how I promised to do Loomis and finish the Jester, and I'm concentrating on Bridgman and skull studies...

Anyway, good update buddy

Cheerios,
V.!

[Nettle_Mountain]

hehe, you carving out the same block i did

it means you are going to turn as bad as me

[Nemome]

Pencil shading looks very smooth on your drawings.
I like it!
Great that you sculpted the pelvis and ribcage. Sculpting is every time a great way to try to understand things.

Keep going

[Jephyr X]

Looking tight! ^^^ Especially digging the Sat. long pose...nice feel, proportions, and light!

[Kungfoowiz]

Heey bro! =) Your sculpting is really good! =) I suck at it! =) It looks like it's helping your figures quite a bit too, can see some nice torsos and figures in general =) No crits really, you doing the right things and studying well. So two paws up from me =) And a Meeow =) Lull =) Cheers! =)

[Black Spot]

Love the last life drawing. You keeping improving, so keep going.

[Marian Rowling]

Hey Sage I like the from imagination lines you did at the top I think you are starting to find those elusive lines we all want to achieve. Had a little laugh about your comment about the non-flexible wooden manikin.... I have one of those with the same problems!

Love the jester concept and doodle, and of course I really love your pelvis and rib cage sculpt. It's a great idea to do this as you can study it from so many angles. Onwards and upwards my friend.

[Flaskpost]

fuck man, lotsa drawings! you´re really improving with all the hard work. great steps forward.
great idea with that sculpt too!
doesn´t george talk about that one in one of his books?

[Eightball_]

gotta commend your effort man! great job with the life drawings, your proportion is getting better all the time. looks like all your work is paying off

[prsnsweeney]

the life drawings are looking really good your lines are starting to look nice and smooth and confident especially the batch from thurs. i like the more rendered out females above your life drawings too, and who is cristina that you keep apologizing too ?

[HunterKiller_]

Hiya
First visit your SB, I think. The amount of work you've done in the short space of time is fantastic, and the improvements are obvious.

Gestures are looking great, I think you're running into problems on the longer poses.
Don't scribble and scratch at the shading. Find the core shadow, lay down the boundary and block in using an even value and strokes which describe the form.

Keep up the good stuff.

[yongs]

really nice of you to share those knowledge and information once again, thx!