Ally Albon's Sketchbook

[AllyAlbon]

@shiNIN - guess what I am doing next week! will win this one about the faces.

@in2eternity - thanks!

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Have just discovered illustrator. It is awesome and frustrating on a totally new level. Yesterday was my last day at old job, now for two weeks of awesomeness....

Mix of studies from the last couple of days.

[AllyAlbon]

Spent all day playing with Illustrator. Frustrating but awesome!

1. Kiddie illustrations based from photos. Really like the boy top right. Might work with some of these!

2. from imagination.

3. referenced.

4. fur study, needs work, but I like the technique...

[shiNIN]

I dig your fur study! The gal and the anatomy stuff is nice too. The kids... I don't know, the eyes and noses feels flat sometimes. I like pretty much everything else.

[AllyAlbon]

@ShiNIN - cartoon characters are a lot more difficult than reality, at times! Going to redraw and colour, see if that changes the feel.

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Still loving illustrator. Wondering where I can take all of this, as I really do want to take things further. today's plan - another self portrait, some more cartoons, some more lifedrawing in painter. And the sun is out! Life is good.

The second image of the gal with her arm in the air is from imagination. Getting more confident...

[DKHutcheson]

Your head to neck ratio in some of these drawings is a little weird; your heads are a little on the smallish/squished size while your necks tend to be a little too long and thick. That's a tricky section to get right.

But that fur study is gorgeous. The way the painted the fur is nice, but the subtle transitions between the colors are what I think are really impressive. Very convincing usage of light and color.

[shiNIN]

I don't have problems with the head size but the neck is indeed too long in the last one (the girl). She is somewhat stylized but regardless, the long neck doesn't seem to work.
The navel should be a tiny bit higher too and the crotch lower. The navel/crotch distance is almost as much as the navel/nipple level distance or the same, it depends on the position of the nipples (and the pose as well).
I kinda like your figures, they aren't perfect at all but you are on the right way and they are often niiice to look at and sexy ~ Not the last ones, though.

[David Keen]

So many figure studies, awesome! As some of the others have commented the proportions on a few of the figures seems a little off. I'd just try and take it nice and slow at the construction stage and double check all of your measurements before jumping into the fun stuff. At the rate you're practising you'll have it down in no time! Keep up the good work and keep on developing that critical eye.

[Kaihartj]

Very nice figure studies! Also I love your fur sutdy! loving the ffect you put to it! lovely style aswell! keep it up

[AllyAlbon]

@DKHutcheson - most definitely agree. A new quirk that seems to have appeared, that will be swiftly dealt with. neck studies time!

@ShiNIN - very right, def some issues here. Just have to slow down. Didn't even notice these until I got them scanned in. New technique - checking things in a mirror.

@Ebersol - thanks, getting there. Taking it as it comes, and working on the principle of "the next pic will be millimetres better than the last" and keeping on going.

@KaihartJ - that's a hard name to type before morning coffee! Thanks, will keep plodding on...

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Two tasks today - to play around further in Illustrator (this pic is from a tutorial online) and to work with the planes of the face, and do some neck studies.

[Marian Rowling]

Hey Ally it's great to see you progressing so quickly. The cat looks fab as does the ladies face and your little snow critter is fun. It's really good to see you working so hard on your figure drawing and my only suggestion to help is that the boobs seem a bit too round and waists a bit to narrow on your female figures. You might be doing this on purpose, as a style thing, so please choose to ignore.

[AllyAlbon]

@Marian - hello stranger, hope life is treating you well! the hyoomans are slowly, slowly coming together and I am finding that the more I experiment, the easier it is next time to draw something a bit more convincing. I will win this one eventually.

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I have so many pictures to scan, but computer being dodgy. Also spending too much time on Illustrator - it's addictive!

1. Realised almost the instant I finished this one that it totally sucked, however, I said I would post everything up... so, bah.

2. a quickie sketch idea for an old COW - an iceberg eater. Might revisit him and make him cute.

3. quick sketch in photoshop - about 20 mins.

[shiNIN]

The cute Illustrator monster looks good and I loled at it.
The last painted gal has too small and somewhat flawy head, the neck isn't centered on her torso and the hands are obviously too sketchy - the rest looks kinda good and sexy. Oh the nipples are flat. So it's a nice start but the parts being at different quality level always strange to me. Not bad for a quick sketch. You usually paint better faces, probably you just need more time.

[AllyAlbon]

@ShiNIN - I find that just before I improve, I tend to take ten steps back, for some reason. Hope that is playing out here.

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A mix of slightly older bits, from week before last.

[knut-]

Thanks for stopping by at my sb and your comments man.
Nice and focused studies i see here.
I'd say to put more effort on your way of shadowing. Try to fill one gesture with shadows using continuous lines for start.
Don't be afraid not to leave white spaces.
You have nice linework and nice shape understanding.
I like the last one on the #251 post, nice rough values and colors.
Keep up!

[Viconia]

I have to say that I really like your line quality. Your sketches are very lively and energetic and I love how you are able
to capture so much emotion in your poses.

I also like how you draw eyes. They are very doe-like and expressive and I just adore how that adds to the
playful-innocent look of your pictures.

I must say that I agree with knut when it comes to your shading, and in particular I feel like the hatching is not helping
your pictures. In my opinion, you may benefit from hatching a bit lighter and putting each little hatch mark closer together.
Of course, that could just be a personal preference because I can't say that I am a huge fan of hatching in general so if
you enjoy doing it then by all means, please ignore what I just said.

In any case, I hope to see more from you. Keep drawing, and thank you for sharing your lovely art with us.

[FROZ3N]

somebody is practicing hard and getting better quick.
the updates show it.
nice work!

[Mortiroth]

Really inspirational progress; I dig those fur studies! It's like I could touch it!!

[AllyAlbon]

Thanks everyone for your comments. I have had a couple of frustrating days where nothing seems to be going right, but I will fight on through.

I am quite notorious at getting distracted by the endless vacuum that is the internet - found a good trick that works for me, am using a stopwatch program that I activate whenever I draw now. It seems to encourage me to keep drawing, rather than have to go back and press "stop" if I want to go online. Silly, but it works for me.

Couple of older bits again, and an illustrator tutorial. That program is awesome.

[AllyAlbon]

Siigh.... yesterday's bits n bobs. The character portrait from imagination (1) was so appalling I nearly gave up in disgust, but instead decided to do a couple more studies from photos instead. (2-4).

I will get better, I will get better, I will get better!

[AllyAlbon]

After yesterday's tantrum and the head studies, I did another portrait from imagination- better this time! Also have a page of bods from imagination, and to finish, some 'eds.

[Hamsta]

Thanks for dropping by, AllyAlbon
Looking over the last couple of pages in your sketchbook I noticed that most of the time you use front lighting, or possibly something with multiple sources.
I think you should try finding some ref with a single, clear, light source, and work on some tonal studies.

Something like this:http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7e1Pa3Xof7...hiaroscuro.jpg

[AllyAlbon]

@Hamsta - challenge accepted! Won't use that pic, but will give it a shot!

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CatWoman - No reference for this one, quite pleased. Can see lots of mistakes, but happy for now. She did have an upper body, but it was awful and we shall pretend I didn't.

Portrait. Looks kinda like me. Incredibly frustrating stuff, this self-portrait work!

Random girl from imagination

Random faces, hate the angry one, need more practice at emotions.

[AllyAlbon]

First day at new (non-arty) job. Am very tired, but not as tired as I thought. Had time to bash out a few ideas for a kiddie story - will post them later.

1. This is, alas, not really mine - copy of a painting by the great Christophe Drochon to study lighting and fur.

2. Copy of a life drawing - it is by someone on CA, but for the life of me, I can't remember whom, sorry!

3. quickie painting from a few days ago.

[Obstfelder]

Great sketchbook! You're pencil studies are looking especially nice.

Seems to me that you are stylizing your portraits with distortions of the eyes and mouth. Is that intentional? It seems you want to make them more realistic from what you are saying. If that is the case then try to do a bunch of one minute studies of the face before you start the longer study. It can help you get a feel for the proportions. Also study Loomis.

yeah I know, Loomis this Loomis that, it's all anyone on CA ever talks about, but it seems it's actually true. It works.

Also get one of the Betty Edwards books. Great training to teach yourself to draw what you are seeing.

Keep up the great work.

[johnny24]

thanks for looking on my sketchbook i like your style

[AllyAlbon]

@Obstfelder - semi intentional, I don't necessarily want to draw "realistically" just "accurately". Thanks for the tip on the Betty Edwards book - a friend of mine is actually going to lend me a copy soon.

@Johnny24 - thanks!

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So, first week at new job is over (exhausted) and I have also made the mistake of discovering the Secret World MMO. Going to limit playtime, and organise my day better so that I can do both without losing valuable art time.

1. referenced
2. not referenced
3. silly ideas for a picture for "red riding hood" concept
4. only part of a larger pic, but the rest was referenced from a "guide" on youtube, but I added foxy and quite liked him.

[kevin_]

great stuff, really like how you render your pencils!

[gamersgene]

your animal sketches are on point but your faces need some work. It seems like u have trouble with the underlying structure. Heard of andrew loomis?

[AllyAlbon]

A mix of bits and bobs Have been playing with acrylic again today, getting more comfortable with the process.

[shiNIN]

I'm not in a mental state I could force my brain to produce some real crits now. I just have to say I like your animals a lot. And the gal in #263.