Rev needs to draw more. Posting daily!

[V3T]

Your progress is fantastic and your gestures are so fluid =]

[Revidescent]

Capt Surge - Thank you! Trying to do a bit more linework lately, feeling like I've focused too much on painting and forgotten how to draw.

V3T - Thanks!

Colour studies from ref (oh god I'm getting bad about linking ref). The first 2 are 15 minutes, the second two are untimed, 15-minutes-ish.



Progress on the dryad, it's still got a long way to go. I think (hope?) it's currently in that awkward stage that paintings tend to hit where nothing looks right and it feels like it'll never come together, just before it suddenly does...

[MeteorCat]

The studies are quite good I think they could be a little sharper in certain areas but the values & colours are good.

About the dryad piece, I think it has a lot of potential and I really like the way its going. Keep it up I can't wait to see it complete

[MrFrenik]

Man, I offer gesture advice on a semi-regular basis these days and I feel so weird about it, because I'm still not even remotely happy with my gestures and don't actually have a clue what I'm talking about. Hopefully it's helpful, all the same!

Actually, you do them quite well, as I'm sure that everyone would agree. I think what bothers you is that gestures have a way of not conveying the construction of a figure if you're not absolutely sure about them, and that can be one hell of a discouraging thing. For example, you were saying that torsos were giving you trouble in your gestures, mainly the pelvises, but what's a pelvis if not a tilted box in space? Same with the chest, abdominals and obliques combined, and it's easy to think of the arms in box form as well, if you'd like, then perhaps advanced and carve off the edges and get cylinders, then combine edges and get more complex, organic forms AND... well, you get what I mean. Thing is, I'm sure you know all of this, as you have GREAT construction already, but if it's giving you trouble then it's always worth it to step back and do a few box construction studies, simple perspective setups, etc., as tedious and elementary as they seem at times.

My other crit would be that in your paintings I don't see enough saturation of certain midtones, almost as if everything's been run through a desaturation pass. I have this same problem in all of my color work and am constantly struggling with thinking about color right from the start. And the dryad's looking really solid, but the camera shot is a bit boring to me. I think a tender shot like that could be pulled in more and not so "cold, over the shoulder", if you get what I mean.

Of course, I love your work immensely , but I always figure that a crit is much more helpful than a compliment, since we're all trying to move forwards. Keep it all up and I'd love to see more!

[Revidescent]

MeteorCat - Thanks! Yeah, the studies are a little wibbly in places, some of that comes down to trying new things with brushes, only bits of which are working.

MrFrenik - Thanks a ton, no need to qualify the critique, I always appreciate crit. =D I think you're right about the issues with construction being part of my issue with gestures... though I think a lot of it is less not grasping the simplified forms and more that I've spent so long leaning on simplified forms that I've been missing some key subtleties. Spent a lot of time thinking of the pelvis as a box, but as soon as I try to get closer to its actual shape, I realize I have no idea how that area actually works, stuff like that. Simple perspective setups, though, you're spot on with that. You're right about the saturation issues, too, and I'll consider the composition on the dryad. Thanks again!


Headstudyyyy, there's some weird stuff with the features. I need to practice more... everything. Weakest part is probably the lips, honestly. Lip studies soon, I think. (Actually, no, I think it's the eyes. I keep painting eyes that are just wrong enough to look creepy; it's an uncanny valley sort of thing, ugh.)

[REF]

[Whirly]

Love the painting, if you want to practice features though don't forget about Proko he has some great vids, first breaking it down so you understand the anatomy and then building them in a drawing step by step. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...4UT-yUo7pC13GQ

[MeteorCat]

Yes the experimenting is never ending. I find it sometimes frustrating but somehow I guess it just never gets boring which is a good thing since we all plan on doing this for the majority of our time.

I really love this painting. It's very subtle and quiet, relaxing even. I don't think anything is missing really but you could choose a focal point, such as the eyes, (usual choice for portraits) and use some highlights and details. About the lips, their structure is good if you ask me, but if you want to make them pop, just add some highlights that will also add a bit of texture. Right now, they are handled in the same manner as the skin.

Whirly is right about the Proko videos. I watched the nose anatomy one and really felt like I understood the feature better which obviously helped me draw it.
I thought I'd be helpful and link the lip anatomy video for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq3aHSuKRyg

Sorry for the long post, keep up the hard work! Rooting for you!

[Inishmore]

Loving the portrait! (And your sketchbook, really. Such a thing of shiny! )

[Revidescent]

Whirly - Aaah, thanks for the reminder on the Proko vids! I've watched most of them before, and had been meaning to go back and follow along, but then just forgot. They were just what I needed right now.

MeteorCat - Thanks, and thanks for the crit. =) It's always interesting to take that step back and realize that, no matter how far we go, this'll be an uphill battle forever. Part of being an artist is coming to terms with that, I suppose, and learning to love the process.

Inishmore - Thank you!


Screencap study! Inception has some super low-key lighting, this one was really interesting.

[REF]

[Tea of Doom]

Hey Rev,

Lots of progress in your Skb since last time I visited. Keep up the good work, those studies are definitely starting to pay off! I really like the composition in your nymph piece.

Kudos.

[Xcarbon]

nice sb!!

i love the painting on #665

so much improvement i dont have words
im gunna have to stalk this thread from now on!!

keep up the good work!!

[ecki]

Wow, you're kicking my ass! Keep up the great work!
I'm mainly writing to get informed about your newest posts
I'm to lame to have any great tips for you yet

[Revidescent]

Tea of Doom - Thanks a ton! I fight composition every step of the way, so I always appreciate compliments on it, haha. Nice to get it right.

Xcarbon - Thanks a lot!

ecki - Thanks, no worries, just makes me happy knowing people are looking at my stuff. =)

A little progress on the dryad. I cropped the shot a little closer, but I don't think I can pull in much closer than this without breaking the composition/making the tree unclear. I think my two biggest obstacles at this point are perspective - it's supposed to be on a bit of a slope, to get the angle on the body I wanted (and thus shot my ref at), but that's not really coming through - and making the guy look creepy/dead/frozen enough.



I did a few studies of random stuff today for bits of some client work; don't feel like sharing most of them, but I kind of like this one.

[REF]

[Flügel]

Your studies and artworks in progress are really interesting. Your faces are very nice. Great work on those!

[Zauselbart]

the low lighting picture are really amazing
i like your wip the colors are beautifull and the faces are great!
i woud work right now on the lightsituation - maybe it would help to sharp that tree in the front a little more
try to seperate more the background to the middleground
but im sure with your skill the picture becomes badass

[Othrandir]

I freaking loved your sketchbook man! I'm so glad I didn't know abot you 'till now , so I could enjoy this book so much
By the end I was like

Subscribing!

[Revidescent]

Flügel - Thanks!

Zauselbart - Thanks a lot! I've tried to separate the midground/background more.

Othrandir - Aw, thank you so much! I'm honored to have an SB worthy of a reaction gif. =)


More work on the dryad, spent all day on it. I think the foreground/midground are nearly there, but the background is super roughed in and will probably be 100% repainted by the time it's done. (Which had better be soon, with the contest deadline on Monday...)

[MeteorCat]

It looks really good Rev keep it up. One thing that caught my eye is the man's left hand (the one lying on his belly). It's either missing some shadow on the hand itself, or some skin colour. Another thing that could help it is to add some sharper, darker shadows beneath the hand which will give it that feeling that it's penetrating the fabric just a bit because it's weight is on it. You know what I mean?

I hope this attachment might help too. I didn't spend too much time finding good reference but I think this could aid you.

My apologies if I took this too far. I just really want to help and show my support

[Revidescent]

MeteorCat - Thank you!! Those refs actually helped a lot, I really appreciate it. =D I repainted the hand a fair bit, dunno how noticeable it is with the snow all over it, tho.



Neeeeearly done! I didn't have as much time to paint today as I wanted, gonna be up bright and early tomorrow to put in the last couple of hours on this and make the contest deadline. The foreground is mostly done, save for a few details on the dryad herself and a bit of cleanup on the snow covering the guy. (I also might repaint the dryad's face for the 20th time - you may notice it's totally different every time I upload it, and it STILL just looks kind of goofy and muppety to me.) The big issue left to deal with is the forest in the background, which I fought with for a couple of hours today and probably still have to redo from the ground up. OH WELL, painting new things for the first time is never easy, and at least the foreground tree is pretty decent.

[ecki]

The painting is looking nicer every day. I really love how his hand looks now!
I think that the tree and her leg (the brighter one) look a little flat, try to work in more roundness.

Other than that, I really like it! The snow and the grass and all the fabric, very nice! Keep it coming

[MeteorCat]

Yay I'm so happy it actually helped Rev! The hand does look much better, as ecki said as well.

I think the trees looked better before. Blurry, blocky and swift motions of trunk but I think its a matter of preference.
Keep up the good work Rev I'm sure this piece will be great because it already is

[Revidescent]

ecki - Thanks! Tweaked both the leg and the trunk, hopefully they're a bit better now.

MeteorCat - Yeah, it really did help! Thanks again. =) The trees were a mess that last update, hopefully they're a little better now in the final.

And it's done! Thanks to everybody who offered crit along the way; there's still a few things I'm not 100% happy with, but it's submitted to the contest, and this was both a real breakthrough piece and a great learning experience. =)



...also, gestures.

[ecki]

Congratulation to your finished image!
Nice quick gestures, keep up the great work!

[Revidescent]

ecki - Thank you, and thanks for all the comments along the way!


Head studyyyy. I tend to avoid head ref without strong directional lighting, so it was time to take a shot at this kind of light.

[REF] from NikxStock

[lionheartGFX]

such lovely progress since the time i wasnt here, i love how open you are about your art journey and dont mind writing about it, the piece evolved explendidly and i do think its your best pice so far, the way you managed to make the grass really look vivid and the snow cold and dead is good i think you should push that aspect more in the future! how actual light and the palette indicates a mood or an atmosphere, i see alot of illustratators that miss that and its such a wonderful tool, anyway im starting to ramble i cant way to see you push your boundaries further, i want expresiveness i think that is the only critique i could give you, try to express yourself with every part of your work, cant wait to see more stuff! im gonna go read your blog now see ya!

[ecki]

Wow, nicely done.

It's a little hard on the eye because the background has the same value as her skin – but that's just how the ref is, so that's ok

The resemblance is very very close, I'm mostly fucking this up. The only thing that I could say is, that the ear in shadow (on the left side) is still a little too light and the red tones around her eyes should be a little more emphasized according to the reference.

You've kept a very close look on all those little details – stunning

I should really go back to some studies like this to get the zombie skintones out of my pictures

[Whirly]

That's actually one my fave portraits from you. Looks lovely I wouldn't mind see the whole image painted rather than just the head.

[Revidescent]

lionheartGFX - Always nice to hear somebody likes hearing about my art journey, as you put it, sometimes I worry I overshare this sort of thing. But I love following the process and journey of people I admire, so I try to pay it forward and offer the same when I can, plus I have a compulsive need to present myself and my work as clearly honestly as I'm able. You're totally right about expressiveness, it's definitely one of my biggest weaknesses (and something I often manage in studies better than finals for some backwards reason? Overwork, maybe?) Thanks a lot!

ecki - Yeah, in cases like that I'm sometimes tempted to edit the background to make a better final image, and I don't know if it's good practice to do so, but I generally decide against it. With variables like reflected light, it seems best to err on the side of accuracy for studies, and leave the tweaking to illustrations. You're spot on with the crits, thanks a ton.

Whirly - Heh, don't think I'll be going back and painting in the body, but thanks. =) I'm happy with it!

This week's colour studies. 15 mins each from ref, and the larger one was a quick comp idea based off the study next to it. I think all the ref was from here?

[V3T]

Revidescent your work is amazing and your progress is insane o_O Really cannot wait to see more of your stuff =]

[snatti]

Makes me happy to see when people work hard for their dream, i just wanted to dropp by and give my support, keep at it man!