Sy's Sketchbook

[syrella]

great bunch of practices but think you should spend some time with one to see where your are at, anyways cool sb!

Thanks! Yes, slowing down enough to actually work on something for an extended time is really difficult for me. I seem to have the mentality that I need to finish something in one sitting and also a terrible habit of being too impatient/always in a rush.

I need to sit myself down and more slow studies! I would really like to produce more finished work, too. I just never seem to be able to do so properly. Oh well! Gonna keep hoping! Here's to more discipline!

[element1988]

Thx for checking out my sketchbook, dont have any crits for you but I just wanna say keep it up your doing great Also... Kitties!!!!! Yay!

[syrella]

@element1988: No problem!


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Still life... kinda crappy in some spots, but hey... xD It's a start.

I included the lock in there to show what I was drawing. It was upright, obviously, but I set it down so that it could appear in the photo.

[PMMurphy]

just thought i would drop by your SB too. Lots of good stuff here you have a much better grasp of figure and form then me. I noticed you said local light confuses you, i read somewhere on CA to start with one light source at a time, then slowly add more as you go. As long as you start off with shadows that are light and slowly add more depth things usually work out. I know because i practice my still lifes in a room that has "local lighting" i have 2 light bulbs hanging on the roof in differing distances.

[syrella]

just thought i would drop by your SB too. Lots of good stuff here you have a much better grasp of figure and form then me. I noticed you said local light confuses you, i read somewhere on CA to start with one light source at a time, then slowly add more as you go. As long as you start off with shadows that are light and slowly add more depth things usually work out. I know because i practice my still lifes in a room that has "local lighting" i have 2 light bulbs hanging on the roof in differing distances.

Thanks for dropping by!

Hmm... yeah, lighting and rendering is confusing to me sometimes. I have trouble picking out values and things. I haven't really done all that many still life studies, though, so I'm thinking that I can practice those and learn a lot more over time. "Seeing" is half of the battle, as they say.

I'll give it a try with starting from the shadows and darks first. Maybe having an anchor point of sorts will help when it comes to doing mid tones and later lights/highlights. Whatever the case, more practice is in order!!

Good luck with your stuff too! I'll check back on your SB in a week or two to see how you're doing.

[<3.]

You studies and sketches are really nice. You lines look so free and fluid. I look forward to more.

[PMMurphy]

Thanks for dropping by!

Hmm... yeah, lighting and rendering is confusing to me sometimes. I have trouble picking out values and things. I haven't really done all that many still life studies, though, so I'm thinking that I can practice those and learn a lot more over time. "Seeing" is half of the battle, as they say.

I'll give it a try with starting from the shadows and darks first. Maybe having an anchor point of sorts will help when it comes to doing mid tones and later lights/highlights. Whatever the case, more practice is in order!!

Good luck with your stuff too! I'll check back on your SB in a week or two to see how you're doing.

What i have noticed is, even if there is another light in the room (depending on how strong the lights are) both shadows are always present. The closer lights shadow is darker then the farther light. Also each light also affects how dark the shadows are as "light is hitting the shadows". Unless there is no possible way for light to hit then you can't really make a pitch black shadow.

As for the working dark first i say be careful. layer and cote the whole thing slowly and surely. Then pull out your darks to your liking keeping in mind shadows and how things are being placed. Also keep in mind what they are on top and how the shadows typically distort, in my stiff lifes mostly i just deal with objects on top of a table. It would look different if it was on the floor at a lower elevation then it would on top of a table.

I hope this was helpful. Just sharing some insight on a few drawings ive down with local lighting.

[syrella]

You studies and sketches are really nice. You lines look so free and fluid. I look forward to more.

Thanks for the comment! I hope to improve more and more. I'll check on your sketchbook soon too!

What i have noticed is, even if there is another light in the room (depending on how strong the lights are) both shadows are always present. The closer lights shadow is darker then the farther light. Also each light also affects how dark the shadows are as "light is hitting the shadows". Unless there is no possible way for light to hit then you can't really make a pitch black shadow.

As for the working dark first i say be careful. layer and cote the whole thing slowly and surely. Then pull out your darks to your liking keeping in mind shadows and how things are being placed. Also keep in mind what they are on top and how the shadows typically distort, in my stiff lifes mostly i just deal with objects on top of a table. It would look different if it was on the floor at a lower elevation then it would on top of a table.

I hope this was helpful. Just sharing some insight on a few drawings ive down with local lighting.

Yes, I think it's helpful. I'm usually lucky to have only a single light source to deal with (which simplifies things a bit). I have a nice table lamp which I've been meaning to draw, eventually.

I'll keep practicing my rendering technique, too. Your suggestion to start with layers and gradually build up darks is a good one. I'll probably have to just spend some time testing it out and seeing what works for me.

I know for one thing I have trouble leaving my highlights light (unless I plan them out early) and then I also have trouble with overworking the darn thing. My pieces get darker and darker. I can erase to a certain degree, but it never turns out quite like I want it to. I think it's that whole lack of planning bit. Haha. Maybe some of it'll improve with time and practice.

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Also, here's today's update... I tried drawing one of my old Breyer Horses. I think that the proportions are a bit off, particularly the head and neck. It's something I should have noticed earlier, but did not. If I go in to do a more complete pencil drawing, I will see if I can't make some of those corrections.

[Voodoo_Mama]

Great updates!
I really like the blind contour drawings and inks on the previous page.
The cat looks great too, its lines are very fluid and dynamic.
I like this last sketch of the horse you did, I agree with you on the proportions of the head, it seems a bit small compared to the body. But the body is looking great.
Maybe if you have the time you could fix it and do a finished drawing of it!

[syrella]

It's been a bit since I last updated... xD It's not that I haven't been drawing- I just haven't had as much that I've felt like sharing. Still working on getting a finished piece or two to add. I'd eventually like to combine some of my more geometric/perspective work with the life drawings. I think there's still a bit of a disconnect in my mind about the two different "modes" of drawing. I want to find a meeting point where they can both co-exist.

Regardless, more practice is needed!

[syrella]

Figure drawings from today's session!

[keevy39]

It feels to me the legs on your horse seem a little short, was that intentional? or am I mistaken?

In any event I think it works pretty good.

also, good work on the model drawings!

[sony]

good thing is you can capture the essence of pose but I think you are drawing very quickly, you just lay down the strokes and make proportional errors, i would suggest you spend more time on a single piece rework the proportion. look for the placement of eyes where they sit, the size of lips, length of arms/legs in relation to the full figure.
keep up

[syrella]

It feels to me the legs on your horse seem a little short, was that intentional? or am I mistaken?

In any event I think it works pretty good.

also, good work on the model drawings!

Nah, proportional mistakes are rarely intentional, I dare say. I thought I'd measured stuff out, but it was off. I dunno, are there any ways to improve that particular skill? I was trying the good ol' extend the pencil out trick, measuring angles, and also trying to figure out halfway marks. I guess more observation is needed. The trouble is noticing that the piece is off too far down the line.... but I can't really fix the proportions until I get a good visual reading on what the thing looks like. Oh well. I think more practice is in order.

good thing is you can capture the essence of pose but I think you are drawing very quickly, you just lay down the strokes and make proportional errors, i would suggest you spend more time on a single piece rework the proportion. look for the placement of eyes where they sit, the size of lips, length of arms/legs in relation to the full figure.
keep up

Thanks for your comment. All that you've pointed out is very true and precisely what I've been struggling with. You make it sound so easy to fix. I have been trying to slow down a bit, but I haven't found that "happy medium" yet. I'll keep working towards my goal of producing something reasonably finished that is properly proportioned and not rushed.

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More doodles. I figured out an easy way to construct stairs and was just playing around a bit. Nothing too special or exciting, sorry guys. I had a busy week at work so I haven't had that much time/energy to spend on drawing. I'm hoping to do some catch up this weekend.

Thanks again for the feedback!

Edit:
I also wanted to post a photo of the Breyer horse I was working with. Gonna see if I can't analyze it a bit more. I'm also including a gratuitous photo of my cat Callie who I haven't drawn enough lately. xD Enjoy.

[syrella]

I had some fun with watercolors. First page was just some swatches with colored pencil and then some shapes from imagination / trying to get used to the medium.

I feel like the spheres were the most unsuccessful. I like my cone the best, since it is understated.

For my "still life' of sorts, I made the common newbie mistake of not planning out my image properly. xD Oh well, it comes partially from always doing single subject matter stuff and it's something to keep in mind for the future.

The hope is that I'll start doing more watercolor work and produce a series of (hopefully) finished mini paintings. Haha. Here's hoping!

[syrella]

Watercolor fun... garlic & veggies from my aunt's garden. Hey, it's something that kinda maybe sorta counts as a finished piece!!! xD

Note to self: Leave more white space.

[nodeerskulls]

love all of the studies you do, can't wait to see how you evolve in time with so much studying xD

[syrella]

love all of the studies you do, can't wait to see how you evolve in time with so much studying xD

Thanks for dropping by! I need to continue to do more studies. xD Hopefully they will pay off in the end!

Here are the drawings from today's figure drawing session. Still no male models have come, so it's another set of female nudes! Enjoy!

[nodeerskulls]

no awkward penis staring to get the shading right for you yet xD

love the studies, keep em up

the face in the last portrait falls a bit flat tho
i suggest working a bit more on the face, and how it looks from certain angles and its proportions

[syrella]

no awkward penis staring to get the shading right for you yet xD

love the studies, keep em up

the face in the last portrait falls a bit flat tho
i suggest working a bit more on the face, and how it looks from certain angles and its proportions

Haha, not yet. xD So far I've had a male model only ... one time! Or was it twice? Either way, very few guys to practice with so far. And that was probably a few years ago now already. Oh well!

And I agree with your critique about the face. I kept playing with it too much. I could tell something was off, but I couldn't figure out precisely what. Then it just got overworked... >_< Woops. I'm gonna work on head anatomy and proportions again soon, I think.

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In other news, I thought I'd play around and do more doodles. The first set are "shape" practice. I drew the outline and then tried to design a face around that premise. It was fun and highly addictive.

The other one is just a quick doodle. No one in particular!

[Eternal Apprentice]

Where do you do your figure drawing? Do you like adventure time? Your faces at least look like a female (unlike mine) and I think you again for stopping by my SB and giving me awesome advice.

Thanks!

[Psychobuddy]

Nice life drawings! Keep doing those studies!

[syrella]

Where do you do your figure drawing? Do you like adventure time? Your faces at least look like a female (unlike mine) and I think you again for stopping by my SB and giving me awesome advice.

Thanks!

I joined this one local figure drawing group that I found on Meetup. They get together once every two weeks at someone's house. It lasts for about three hours and we all pool together money to pay for it. Last time it was about $7 (+tip)... really cheap!

As for the Adventure Time, I haven't seen it yet! I've heard a lot of good stuff about the series though. I'd like to watch it sometime. I'll add it on to my to-do list.

Nice life drawings! Keep doing those studies!

Thank you! I shall.

[Sharon J]

Hey Syrella
You're right! Our sketchbooks do have a lot of similar stuff! I came here hoping to see a self portrait of yours as well haha

I really liked the cute colorful work in Post # 89 (hope to see more of these!)
and those scribbley pen drawings of the woman in post #84..
I keep hearing people telling me to work on my lines and stuff, but I do feel that scribbley as they may be, they have life in them.. I don't want to clean up the lines only to find out that it looks like it's just cloned from somewhere
Cat gestures sure are fun to draw aren't they Your cat looks adorable!

[syrella]

Hey Syrella
You're right! Our sketchbooks do have a lot of similar stuff! I came here hoping to see a self portrait of yours as well haha

I really liked the cute colorful work in Post # 89 (hope to see more of these!)
and those scribbley pen drawings of the woman in post #84..
I keep hearing people telling me to work on my lines and stuff, but I do feel that scribbley as they may be, they have life in them.. I don't want to clean up the lines only to find out that it looks like it's just cloned from somewhere
Cat gestures sure are fun to draw aren't they Your cat looks adorable!

Thanks! Actually, I forgot to post the self-portrait I did the other day! I worked on it for only like 5-10 minutes and I think I look a little young, but I think you can see a likeness. There's the curly hair bit. I don't always wear reading glasses, but I thought it'd be a fun addition.

I'll drop by your sketchbook again later when I can!

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I also thought I'd post an older piece that I did that I really enjoyed. My favorite drawings are those of the super cute and happy variety. xD I need to keep inspiring myself to aim for that.

And on an unrelated note... it might be a little before I update again. Wrist has been hurting lately due to overuse (computer, cell phone, stuff at work, improper computer set-up, etc). I'll try to post more stuff later, but gonna see if I can't rest for a bit. I don't want any long term problems!

Thanks again for the feedback, everyone!

[SashaDevi]

Oh I really liked the female nudes from your figure drawing class

And the princess pig was just awww ^___^

And it was nice to see you try watercolours and new media. I sort of was uninspired lately, and that made me think that maybe I should try something new and have some fun with drawing.

[syrella]

Oh I really liked the female nudes from your figure drawing class

And the princess pig was just awww ^___^

And it was nice to see you try watercolours and new media. I sort of was uninspired lately, and that made me think that maybe I should try something new and have some fun with drawing.

Hiya! Thanks for the reply and sorry it took me such a while to get back to you!!! I was feeling a bit unmotivated in terms of art too. I think I'm back again now, though. I'll check out your sketchbook again soon too!

Edit: Also trying to figure out the new upload system. Let me know if anything's not working properly. I think it should be okay now!

Edit2: The pose was photo-referenced from senshi-stock on deviantart... just thought I'd mention that!

[syrella]

Here's the latest set of images... I've been trying to slowly nurse my drawings skills along. xD Been in a bit of a rut since I'm busy with class again.

Refs:
http://lovecastle.org/draw/athletics...y_kuminiac.jpg
http://www.characterdesigns.com/band...et_010_015.JPG

[rupuni]

I Love your studies *_* please keep up! The last Portrait looks really cool!

[syrella]

I Love your studies *_* please keep up! The last Portrait looks really cool!

Thanks! I wanna keep doing more of them. I think I'm -finally- starting to understand why studies are useful. I'll check your sketchbook out soon too!

Here are some more arms...