NatSmall's sketchbook or something (nudity)

**NatSmall** · September 26th, 2011, 06:53 PM

Howdy! The name's Nat, this is my second (attempt at a) sketchbook here on conceptart, here's hoping I stick to it this time!
I decided to come back because I'm just not getting enough crit on my stuff these days. I also want to get back into painting some studies and figure drawings, plus I'm going through an art style change so pretty much everything looks weird to me!

I'll just start by posting some random stuff I painted this year, I'll be uploading many sketches and such later!

And here's a link to my blog for anyone who's interested! http://natsmallpants.blogspot.com/

(changed the attached images to this one to change my sketchbook icon! Check out later pages for more recent art!)

**dblock** · September 26th, 2011, 06:57 PM

I like a lot of the things going on here. As long as you keep studying the basics. You should get much closer to your goal. Please check out my sketchbook and feel free to comment. I would greatly appreciate it.

**Ztak** · September 26th, 2011, 07:40 PM

Welcome back! I have to say that i'm rlly fond of the way you use colors ^^ nice composition also in the mario painting! looking forward to see your studies

i will stay tuned for moarrrghhh. Keep 'em coming!

**AustenFM** · September 26th, 2011, 08:35 PM

Yo, glad you're giving an SB another shot! Really liking your character design work and use of color, and i love how you draw the eyes and noses on your female characters. Happy Mask salesman looks nice and creepy as well ;D You can't really go wrong with Zelda inspired work.

Hope to see more from you soon, any chance on you sharing some traditional pencil and paper work?? I just browsed your blog and saw a lot of good ones, gives up a better view at your process and we could probably provide more in depth crits for ya.

Anyway, Keep it up!

**NatSmall** · September 26th, 2011, 08:35 PM

@dblock : Thanks man! I'll be sure to check that out!

@Ztak : Its good to be back haha! Ah jeez I'm in dire need of some in depth studies, gotta get back into the routine of doing them more often! And thanks, I'll be sure to check out your sketchbook too : )

**NatSmall** · September 26th, 2011, 08:49 PM

Originally Posted by AustenFM

Yo, glad you're giving an SB another shot! Really liking your character design work and use of color, and i love how you draw the eyes and noses on your female characters. Happy Mask salesman looks nice and creepy as well ;D You can't really go wrong with Zelda inspired work.

Hope to see more from you soon, any chance on you sharing some traditional pencil and paper work?? I just browsed your blog and saw a lot of good ones, gives up a better view at your process and we could probably provide more in depth crits for ya.

Anyway, Keep it up!

Yeah for sure! I'm planning on uploading some sketches tomorrow. Sometimes I find my biggest weakness is the actual drawing part, coloring has always been my strength, but when you get down to it its probably the least important aspect of a drawing! Nice colors cant hide bad anatomy/composition after all.

Anyways, thanks for the input! I look forward to exchanging crits! c:

**NatSmall** · September 27th, 2011, 07:24 PM

So here's some recent stuff, first two are studies obviously, I reeeeally need to work on hands. I have ALWAYS been terrible at hands so I'm actually going to sit down and tackle them once and for all! Also some character designs, still not completely used to this drawing style so any critique at all would be appreciated!

**Umbravita** · September 27th, 2011, 10:55 PM

Hands are the bane of every artist. Eeuuughk.

I do enjoy your colouring, though in my opinion the colours look a bit saturated. I'd also like to see you get some practice on faces, too. But your style is great, very neat and appealing.

(And I see Majora's Mask fanart! I loved that game as a kid.)

**NatSmall** · September 30th, 2011, 06:14 AM

I'm trying to get some more movement in my sketches, mine always seem just so... boring and flat. And seeing as I want to go into animation I think its imperative that I work on gesture drawings!

Any and all crit welcomed!

**AustenFM** · September 30th, 2011, 12:49 PM

Hoo-hah, cool sketches bud! I like how loose and flowing your lines are on those last two pages of gestures, work on more like that to help sneak more movement and flow into your work. Also, on that point, perhaps practice your gestures without lifting your pencil too often to build up more continuous lines and such.

Glad to see you posting with vigor, can't wait to see more!

**NatSmall** · September 30th, 2011, 01:51 PM

@ umbravita : Its funny how hands are indeed the bane of all artists, yet they're infront of our faces all the time. I will never understand. And yeah I tend to go overboard on colors haha, and I havent done any face studies in months! I'll get on that! And yyyeeesss I love my zelda!

@ AustenFM : Thanks! Haha actually I was trying to avoid lifting my pen as much as possible on those last two pages, I'll definitely be trying that again! I've got lots of time to draw these days so I'll be posting often! : )

**NatSmall** · September 30th, 2011, 04:14 PM

Here are some 30 second drawings I did yesterday but didn't have time to upload this morning before work. The larger poses on the second pic were done in 1 minute each I think....?

**Tom van der Linden** · October 1st, 2011, 11:04 AM

That is some way to start a SB! Great stuff! Are you a student or working already? Cheers, Tom

**NatSmall** · October 1st, 2011, 12:32 PM

@Tom : Thanks Tom! And unfortunately no I haven't gone to school yet, I graduated high school a couple of years ago and still haven't been able to chose a school! (not to mention certain events and such, you know how life is!) But I've got one lined up for next year, a two year animation program!

So I've got some more studies to upload, and a WIP! Just trying some different styles again, I'm not really trying to design particularly unique characters right now, I just want to settle into this style a bit first.

As for the figure studies, I think I'm focusing too much on the outlines instead of the actual flow and movement of the figures... if that makes sense. And some face studies because I need to practice on those! Anyways, here we gooo~

**Ztak** · October 2nd, 2011, 07:11 AM

Hiyaa! Rlly liking what i see! That flowing line on your gesture drawings is brilliant! You just keep on fine tuning that line and you are gonna do some great stuff

not everyone can do that scribbly thing..but i find it very special; it's kinda a clash of unconscious creation, freedom of movement which is somehow still controlled

takes a lot of skill but very great tool. And if you have enough motivation and inspiration you don't rlly need to go school. I'm not saying that i'm great but i just chose not to go to art school..in my part i find a waste and kills the true motivation...if i even have such a thing

but take in example Marko Djurdjevic. If i'm not mistaken he is totally self learned and one the most appraised concept designers on the field

Ayhow you are doing great n i'll stay tuned ^^

**NatSmall** · October 6th, 2011, 04:57 PM

@ Ztak : Thanks! Yes haha I've had trouble with "scribbling" for a very long time, I've been getting the hang of it lately though! For me its not that I need school (and by all means I'm not saying I don't!) but I really really want to go to school. I could always teach myself to animate but in college I'll be given the right tools in a good growing environment, surrounded by other aspiring animators/artists! And it just looks like so much fun!

Got some more art, didn't do any studies as of late but I'm getting on that tonight! Gah I just wish I could see my art through the eyes of someone else, maybe I wouldn't feel so shitty about it! But bleh, anyways, here we goooo

KT · October 6th, 2011, 09:42 PM

You've got a great start here, much better than mine. You asked for critique and even though I'm far below your level I'll try and help out. The shading on some of your stylized characters seems a bit arbitrary, like on her cheeks, it doesn't seem to help the forms. Also that pose in the right corner looks a bit painful, I think the spines a bit bent there. Any way I am in no way an expert (especially on anatomy) so feel free to disregard what I say.

**NatSmall** · October 12th, 2011, 08:42 PM

@ KT : Aw thanks man! Any crit at all is awesome, I really need to hear some opinions and feedback to know if I'm going in a good direction or not! Ahaha and yeah my attempts at getting movement into my drawings often ends up in back breaking distortions, I'll watch out for that!

--------------------------------

Here are some recent sketches, I've got others in my sketchbook but I want to wait until I fill in the blank spots before scanning them! I gotta start doing more studies too, been pretty busy lately though!

Crit is always welcomed!

**Tom van der Linden** · October 13th, 2011, 02:37 AM

Great stuff, I gave you 5 stars. I love the fluidity of the characters, the lines make me smile. You have a great sense for anatomy. But, one minor thing, I would like to see some other characters, older ones, fat ones, slim ones, ugly ones etc.

Cheers!

**GeniusFetus** · October 13th, 2011, 07:35 PM

The skin of the girl holding the bag looks the most convincing, some of the skin on the other characters looks a little too orange and yellow, maybe bringing those tones closer to red and brown should keep them looking warm but without becoming too saturated.

**Iristhevirus** · October 13th, 2011, 08:15 PM

I really love your art and style, looking at these pictures has really helped me. Your art has a lot of freedom and pleasant roundness to it, I really like that. And your coloring is great too! Keep it up! You've inspired me

thank you!

**NatSmall** · October 16th, 2011, 07:08 PM

@Tom : Thanks! Good call, I'm working on drawing different kinds of characters right now, will update with those soon! I feel like I'm comfortable enough in this new style to try that out!

@GeniusFetus : Euugg I knooow I'm finally starting to realize my colors are too saturated, you're not the first person to say so! Thanks for the input!

-----------------------------

I've got some paintings to show for finally, first one is the finished version of a wip I posted

Made the colors darker, gotta avoid those saturated colors! Happy with it I guess, gotta start adding more movement and emotion to my stuff!

And here we have a study

Quite happy with this! Haven't done any digital studies in a while, gotta paint more dudes. Still rough, but I'm not sweating the details!

More to come soon!

**NatSmall** · October 25th, 2011, 04:49 PM

Been a little slower with art lately, no thanks to video games taking over lololol But anyways, I've been reading Burne Hogarth's "Dynamic figure drawing" I'm hoping it'll help me grasp how forshortening really works and help me with my male anatomy (or just anatomy in general!) Soooo I drew these (pretty much just copied his illustrations though!) hoping to learn blah blah etc.

some of them are just funny how bad they are OTL

And some quick and shitty 30 second poses I did at one point~

Sketched some characters I left on the back burner, hoping to bring them back to life!

Had a sick day last week so I sat down and painted this for fun!

Jeeeez someone kick my butt and make me do more studiiiies

**NatSmall** · October 25th, 2011, 09:06 PM

Oh and something I finished today, was really fun to paint!

**Tom van der Linden** · October 26th, 2011, 05:55 AM

Ok, nice studies you got there! Watch out with Hogarth though, he has a very particular style of portraying anatomy ( it is a bit "balloony"). I would recommend Loomis or Bridgeman, way better. Paintings look greats! Cheers!

**NeonDuck** · October 26th, 2011, 07:28 AM

cool work! funny how you say that hands are difficult, they actually impressed me the most. hands are prob my favorite things to draw, they're so expressive without me having to worry about 100% likeness all the time like in faces!

what i'm missing a bit in your work is construction (that seems to be my standard critique everywhere i go, so take that with a grain of salt...). you've done a bit in your hogarth studies because that's the way he draws, but you should do a lot more of that! build everything out of spheres, cubes, cylinders!
that's actually the thing i notice most in your work - perspective construction always seems just a tiiiny bit off. work on that and you'll be good to go i reckon!

and yes, tom is right. watch out with hogarth, he does NOT draw realistic people. don't copy his style, try to look through it - you'll see he's not really distorting, just exaggerating. he sort of draws caricatures of shapes, but shapes nonetheless.

loomis or bridgman are more on the realistic side, and personally I really like Michael Hampton. he's quite modern, his book "figure drawing, design and invention" is AWESOME and worth getting!

good luck!

**NatSmall** · October 26th, 2011, 04:40 PM

@Tom : Ahah yeah I noticed! Its all very exaggerated, but its good for me just to be drawing manly muscles and all that I think, but I'd love to pick up some tricks on foreshortening if I can by learning shapes(THE BANE OF MY EXISTENCE ARGH) Thanks for the input!

@NeonDuck : Ah jeez I would do anything to actually enjoy drawing hands, they're in my face all the time yet somehow I just can't grasp how the really work! And yeeees shapes, that's exactly why I started reading Hogarth's book! But I don't want to get too geometric either, I'm afraid I might lose some "flow" if you will. I have a library of Ebooks tucked away so I'll be sure to check out all those names! Thanks for the input!

**PauloPhillipe** · October 26th, 2011, 04:46 PM

Great stuff! Really like your faces! Please post more!

**JesseM** · October 26th, 2011, 04:54 PM

Ahh, the Happy Mask Salesman! Run!

I really like your gestures, and your illustrations are interesting and colorful~ but overall, you seem to be re-using the same generic and somewhat inaccurate light source for all of them (the illustrations from imagination, that is). There's more variation in recent work, it seems, but I'd like to see you switch it up a bit more and try to not only more accurate but more purposeful with your lighting.

Overall, though, cool stuff, and keep it up!

**lemming-clone-** · October 26th, 2011, 09:34 PM

Mannn, I love your ink figure studies. The line work is sooo AWESOME. It's strange that while looking at your figure studies and cartoon work, it looks like two different people but both of the styles work well. Keep up the studies!

One thing I would recommend working on is how highlights affect color. I can see that a lot of your work uses very saturated, stylized colors, but I think many of them could benefit from a little more naturalistic light.
Just something to think about if you haven't.

Cheers!

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