Sy's Sketchbook

[syrella]

Hi all! I thought I'd just post some sketches here. I've been drawing for most of my life, but only really got more "serious" about it as of the past few years.

As far as skill level goes, I'd say I'm somewhere between beginner and intermediate. I'm not the worst, but there's still plenty of progress to be made! Comments and critiques are most welcome. I love getting feedback.

Lately the skills I've been focusing on are trying to learn how to draw in perspective and also learning the basics of how to construct figures.

Trouble that I run in to is that I have issues with stopping a piece and working on it later. The overwhelming majority of the art I make is done within a few hours and I never go back to rework older pieces. The good news is that my ability to sketch has improved. However, my ability to produce "finished" pieces, is still lagging behind.

And, of course, I'm also a serial doodler. I spend more time goofing off with my drawing than I do making or practicing something meaningful. I'm hoping with this sketchbook thread, I'll get myself on track a bit more.

Now without further ado... here, have some doodles!

[fenixx]

I really like the portrait piece !!

Don't worry so much about not making finished work. As long as you do your studies and sketches, all is good. You will get to finished pieces in time naturally !!

Perspective and Figure are the two best thing you can study now !! I assume you have already heard about Loomis, Vilppu and Micheal Hampton ? If not look out for their tutorials !

Keep drawing !!

[syrella]

I really like the portrait piece !!

Don't worry so much about not making finished work. As long as you do your studies and sketches, all is good. You will get to finished pieces in time naturally !!

Perspective and Figure are the two best thing you can study now !! I assume you have already heard about Loomis, Vilppu and Micheal Hampton ? If not look out for their tutorials !

Keep drawing !!

Hi, thanks for the comment!

So far, I've worked with the Loomis book and also the Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain book... both have helped quite a bit, at least in terms of construction and learning to "see". I still haven't checked out Vilppu or Hampton yet. If they are recommended, I'll definitely do so!

[syrella]

Some recent sketches... I got a big pad of newsprint and some charcoal. I'm gonna try upping up the life drawing a bit. I took a break for a bit.

[syrella]

Adding a few new sketches... these were done in pencil, ink, and then marker. Been trying to work on understanding basic perspective.

[Nyoron]

Hi Syrella! We're at the same exact spot! I decided to draw then got serious a couple years ago...but procrastinated... :I oh well hehehehe.

I really like the portrait! Looks very nice, audrey ...or aubrey? looks neat in it. And interesting studies so far. Keep drawing!

[syrella]

Hi Syrella! We're at the same exact spot! I decided to draw then got serious a couple years ago...but procrastinated... :I oh well hehehehe.

I really like the portrait! Looks very nice, audrey ...or aubrey? looks neat in it. And interesting studies so far. Keep drawing!

Haha. Yeah. Gotta love procrastination. For me it's a combination of being busy with life and also being lazy.

And yep, it is Audrey Hepburn! I'd like to draw her some more in the future, too. She is really beautiful.

Keep up the drawing on your end too! Perseverance is the key!

[Whirly]

Wow nice stuff, everything feels expressive even the still lives

I read you were trying to take on perspective. Well if you get chance give this exercise a go http://www.ctrlpaint.com/home/2011/6/7/perspective.html .. its deceptively difficult. It is very easy to draw a cube in perspective from you mind by dropping in a horizon and vanishing points but it becomes very difficult when you are trying with a cube in front of you and try to match that AND keep the perspective correct.

[syrella]

Wow nice stuff, everything feels expressive even the still lives

I read you were trying to take on perspective. Well if you get chance give this exercise a go http://www.ctrlpaint.com/home/2011/6/7/perspective.html .. its deceptively difficult. It is very easy to draw a cube in perspective from you mind by dropping in a horizon and vanishing points but it becomes very difficult when you are trying with a cube in front of you and try to match that AND keep the perspective correct.

Hey, thanks for the comment!

I just watched the video. That sounds like a really good exercise. I'll give it a try tomorrow.

[syrella]

New one... this is a portrait of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Once again, done in markers. The angles of her face are a bit off, but I didn't notice until it was a bit too late.

[syrella]

Tried out that boxes thing... it's deceptively difficult to get the angles right. Gonna need to keep practicing!

[syrella]

Some gesture drawings I did earlier.

Source: http://www.pixelovely.com/gesture/figuredrawing.php

[syrella]

Gestural stuff for fun + apples.

Edit: Also added a painted apple.

[dierat]

Hey there, thanks for posting in my sketchbook! I just love that Hepburn sketch in the first post; it's loose and expressive but instantly recognizable. I think the gestures in your last post are your best so far, they have a lot of movement and it looks like you really captured the rhythm of the pose. Your pencil work could use a broader value range - just touching up the darker areas with a soft pencil at the end can help make them a bit more dynamic and easier to read. Other than that, I don't really have any crits - just keep up the good work and keep posting!

[syrella]

Hey there, thanks for posting in my sketchbook! I just love that Hepburn sketch in the first post; it's loose and expressive but instantly recognizable. I think the gestures in your last post are your best so far, they have a lot of movement and it looks like you really captured the rhythm of the pose. Your pencil work could use a broader value range - just touching up the darker areas with a soft pencil at the end can help make them a bit more dynamic and easier to read. Other than that, I don't really have any crits - just keep up the good work and keep posting!

Aww, thanks for taking the time to comment! I probably enjoy my gestural work the most. I'm a big fan of cartooning and other simple/cute things. But I realize it's important to work on other aspects, too!

As for the values, yes, I've struggled with graphite for awhile. I don't know why, but getting values in pencil sketching has been really hard for me. It seems to work fine in other media, though. I'll just keep trying, I suppose, maybe make a few more "gradients" for practice.

[syrella]

A few blook heads from Loomis, a few "original" constructed heads, and a praying mantis that found its way into my backyard.

[syrella]

I got a bad cold this week, so I haven't been productive. Thought I'd post a few doodles, though!

[syrella]

More practice with heads and necks and things!

Stock photos courtesy of:
http://ahrum-stock.deviantart.com/

[Lulie]

First off, I love your stylised stuff. So fun and cute and alive.

About the boxes: Have you tried learning perspective construction, with vanishing points and stuff? Some of the boxes have mistakes like parallel lines pulling apart instead of converging at the distant corners. (If not, this is a very good tutorial.)

[syrella]

First off, I love your stylised stuff. So fun and cute and alive.

About the boxes: Have you tried learning perspective construction, with vanishing points and stuff? Some of the boxes have mistakes like parallel lines pulling apart instead of converging at the distant corners. (If not, this is a very good tutorial.)

Haha. Yeah... my boxes are a bit fail. And they represent my general luck with learning perspective. That said, they were an attempt at drawing from observation, not really construction. They are more a sample of my ability to judge "angles" by eyeballing them (another issue). I think next time I try that assignment, I'll actually try to get the vanishing points a bit more accurate. And really, I should be doing that exercise more regularly... *lazy*

About the tutorial-- I've read it a few times already, but it doesn't hurt to look again. I guess what I have trouble with is turning my knowledge about boxes into stuff that's more meaningful. I'm not terribly interested in mechanical things and buildings, but it's still difficult for me to construct more organic shapes. And don't even get me started on lighting... That said, I've been practicing with faces, regardless of the fact that I probably need to go back to basics again. Oh well! Haha.

Thanks for reminding me not to be a slacker. xD

[Cyprinus]

The portrait in your first post is really beautiful, and I also like your gestures a lot! They really look alive.
The perspective training with the boxes looks really like a little challenge. I totally have to try this out later, too (I need to improve my perspective desperately....).
I think with the studies you're doing you're already on a good way, so keep up the good work (:

[maolaosan]

your stuff look comfortable.I mean ,more than pretty nice!

[Lightship69]

Hi there

thanks for the SB visit matey that was very kind of you!
I thought I would give you all the details on the preston blair book its called "Cartoon Animation" obviously by mr Blair and the ISBN id number on the back is "ISBN 1-56010-084-2".

Your SB is coming on nicely all I can say is keep pushing and grinding those skills. all the best

[syrella]

Some recent life drawings (Callie, my cat, and other random stuff) + a terrible first attempt at learning proportions from Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life. Haha. I really gotta work on accuracy.

Edit: Also, thanks for the comments, everyone! I'll keep your words in mind. As for the Preston Blair stuff, I hope to practice some of those lessons soon, too.

[SashaDevi]

Ok, I'm not a professional and can't give any recommendations, but the first thing I thought when I loaded the page is Audrey Hepburn looks stunning.

Liked the gestures, they look very natural.

[syrella]

Some recent life drawings... I had fun with the markers. xD

[Falchion]

Very nice work with traditional media. Keep it up!

[Prabu]

Some really nice drawings of pets in the thread. Do keep it up miss .

[syrella]

Some life drawings of my cat Callie, followed by some basic shapes (and a few doodles), and then a charcoal drawing from a photograph.

Next up is a "neko-mata", which is a type of two-tailed cat from Japanese folklore. I'm trying this April Drawing Challenge and I thought it'd be fun. There are some issues with it, but I'm decently happy at how it turned out.

I've also been made painfully aware that my accuracy is not very good. At a recommendation from a friend, I am aiming to do some Bargue studies next! xD They seem more than a little intimidating, but I'll do what I can.

Here's hoping!

[syrella]

Ok, here's one of the Bargue plates, as promised! I don't know if I'm really getting these correct, but they have been interesting thus far. I'm gonna keep working on these and see where they take me.