Wretched's Sketches

[Wretched]

Hi, I'm Ryan.

Here to pursue an emergent desire for creating art. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to learn and explore with so many talented, dedicated people. It has already been absolutely inspiring.
And simultaneously desensitizing.

Please feel free to offer critique or input on everything and anything, I do genuinely appreciate it.


here I go...

[Christoffer]

Wow. For someone who pretty much just started, there's a lot of signs of advanced knowledge here, like values, perspective, foreshortening and anatomy - granted, quite rough but still. Very strong attempts. I especially like the commnado ninja.

I sense you feel like you can't advance fast enough. Am I right? If so - don't worry. These things take time for most of us. I've been in the same boat, hell, I'm still in it.

If you're serious about art - my advice would to start off with small scale studies like drawing dummies for getting the proportions and movement down and thinking three dimensional, then go on to anatomy and more detailed proportions like hands, feet, faces and stuff like that. When you feel like you have it in the bag, move on to whatever you feel like next.

- just keep drawing.

Here are a few places I go.
http://www.posemaniacs.com/
http://characterdesigns.com/index.php?sitepage=home
http://www.scribd.com/doc/501782/And...Head-and-Hands
http://www.ctrlpaint.com/

[Wretched]

Christoffer - It was incredible to read those comments, really it was very motivating. And YES sometimes I feel like I'm not progressing fast enough, I feel like I should be pushing myself into huge projects constantly.

I have a very hard time slowing down to do fundamental exercises and develop structurally, but I'm beginning to see the long-term benefits of doing more of them. And thank you for the links! I love CtrlPaint, I discovered it a couple of months ago and have watched tons of stuff

So to prove I am at least making an effort to simplify and do some studying, here is my first photo-referenced study. ...It's also a self portrait - so double points, right?

Hard round with transfer at 70% flow.

[Wretched]

So, I did something adventurous today and attended a Life Drawing session in town. I've never done one before and it was pretty cool, but I have to admit I was a little uncomfortable working that way.. We had a costumed model do several 3 minute poses to warm up, then moved to two 10 minute poses and lastly two more at 20 minutes. Man I felt so rushed, I DO NOT enjoy the pressure of timed sketching. Being surrounded by traditional artists more acclimatized to working publicly was a little intimidating as well. But all and all, I know I needed it. And probably need a lot more of it. It was certainly out of my comfort zone, tested my observational drawing ability and challenged me sociologically, so I guess you could call it a success.

So here are a pair from the session.




AND this is an environment I started the other night. The aircraft thing is something i am just starting to define, but i'm struggling with some perspective alignment issues because I painted it separate from the BG.

[Strilika]

Really nice stuff. Cant wait to see the second one finished, it's looking awesome already!

[Wretched]

I have been SLOWLY working away on my larger projects, polish polish. But today I managed to sketch something, randomly.

No reference. I might actually do some more with it.

[Wretched]

A quick follow up to my last, decided to work the sketch a bit. And color it, even!

Trying not to get so attached to stuff and inevitably overworking them to death, so i'm going with my instincts and stopping.



Some negligible light source issues exist (reflected light, backlit foreground corrections), but I was having too much fun. Anyway, made the mental note.

[Wretched]

So much for simple projects... this is the largest canvas i've ever worked on, original psd at 3800x2400px. And even though i've only just started to define things, it's starting to get complicated.

I typically would have begun in greyscale but I need some color practice. So far it feels fairly accurate in value for depth, but I could use some experienced suggestions. If anything stands right out as a glaring structural issue, i'd really like to make the correction now before i spend much more time on this.

And in case you wondered, the foremost silhouette is going to be, like, a mage or wizard or something and I will be painting some sort of magical.. something.. in his hand.

Regardless, this is what happens when you listen to too much Finnish metal.

[Christoffer]

That troll piece is looking great. I would rethink the composition a bit, however, as the two silhouettes in the foreground are a bit distracting. Try to paint them in a way that their shapes leads the eye towards the trolls face, without taking up so much empty space.

[Wretched]

Christoffer: Well thank you for the suggestion, I think you are right about the silhouettes.. I needed them as a bordering element and to reinforce the upward perspective, but the right side is definitely too distracting. I thought giving them some very low-saturated value would help, but after doing it it still feels unbalanced. I intend to spend some more time figuring out a better layout, while still keeping some foreground elements to maintain the perspective. Just not sure what, yet. Anyway thanks again!

I could spend more time on this, but I was beginning to worry I simply didn't plan this image well enough for it to serve its intended purpose.

Anyway, this is a character of mine, i'm trying to flesh out a backstory and establish a setting, just as an exercise in original fiction. I'd appreciate any thoughts.

[Pete Hidalgo]

Wow very good perspective in the environment one. I am impressed with the foreshortening assassin/warrior and the goblin/troll.

[Pete Hidalgo]

Lol I didn't mind the rant at all. I really think that logic is sound. And I am definitely working on being more loose with my lines. I notice I get to tight and precise with my work even though it is all sketches and studies at the moment. Thank you for the kind words and advise.

[DARKTHUR]

Hey, you said you know me then? Well, I shall feel honored! You seem to be quite good! I really like your dynamism, action in your pictures. Also the boldness you paint them with, that's really neat.

I'm loving that red guy with the ax, aha, you know, I just got something for axes and sharp stuffs

Thanks for the visit, I'll keep an eye here

[Wretched]

Pete Hidalgo - I'm glad. I appreciate you looking at my work. Now let's see if I can keep up with you on those studies!

DARKTHUR - Not DA, elsewhere - I recognize Duncan But thank you for the kind words! I admire your work, it's very flattering to hear what you think. And yeup, sharp, pointy things..



Spontaneous non-ref figure sketch, trying to spark some inspiration.

Still giddy about my recent TAD critique, trying to apply some of what I learned. I've got to get serious with color... and so many other things

[Wretched]

Two wild, sleep deprived sketches. Been totally unmotivated to draw, but these forced their way out anyway.

I'm actually pretty excited with them both, kinda evocative imagery for me, I will be spending more time with them for sure. Still trying to work with more color while keeping my values intact, its coming along

[Psychobuddy]

Hey man, I don't have any real crits to offer, just keep up the hard work!

[Wretched]

Thanks Psychobuddy!

Pencils.... brutal. It has been a long time since i tried to use one. Man, I've SO programmed myself to think digitally, wielding the graphite and charcoal is a bit intimidating. They just feel so permanent, I can sense doing more freehand traditional work will help my confidence in linework and a lot of areas. Felt pretty great though



And then a strange compositional layout thing that happened late one night.



And an even stranger creature/environment sketch. But they were fun

[Wretched]

OK now that I've figured out what the hell was going on with my browser and I can see my sketchbook again, here is an update.

This picture continues to be a huge learning experience. I feel like this is sort of an "Applied Study" in nearly every aspect of digital visual art I've learned.
So it should be fairly clear (painfully) that i've been trying to work some color experience into my repertoire. Limited palettes, complimentary colors, reflective surfaces, temperatures, textures, it can be absolutely overwhelming.... but I feel I'm getting closer to a more complete comprehension of their functions.

Well anyway, its not finished.. just re-focusing. But I would be thrilled to hear any observations

Specifically, I'm having a lot of trouble with this last detail and correction pass. If anyone has any techniques or suggestions for finalization, I could really use them. Just been trying to tie it all together somehow..

[Wretched]

Well, continuing on then..

Had a flash of inspiration the other night, wanted to try and re-create the mental image. More excuse to work with thick paint as another color and lighting exercise. Now to calculate the luminosity of an in-categorical nebula at a grossly misconstrued proximity. Should be totally easy, its not like its rocket science....... exactly.... more like Astro Physics.

[Wretched]

Momentum.. hard to hold on to. Doing what I can to use it.
A couple more space-y brain storm sketches, tempted by an EoW... hope to keep working them.

[Wretched]

Keeping this concept in mind, made a few steps in the right direction I think. I picked a frustrating light setup though. Heavy warm offscreen lightsource behind the viewer? YEAH... I think it could make for some cool effects on the figure, just need to figure out balancing the midground. The oxygen pack, helmet and uniform need some very serious attention, as well as that planet.. I'll get there, gotta figure out the composition. Also, our space ranger friend has had a subtle gender adjustment. Outer-space anomaly or something, I'm sure.

[LtPlissken]

Playing Finnish metal have positively influenced your soul. The big troll
trying to enter the woods and kill the elves, ah such a great moment. If that
big abomination catches one of these little pencil necks, he will be squeezing
out the juice and burrito from them. And this spaceman crying for the dawn
is also good and promising. He will not survive, but it’s all right. Dying is
a natural thing in our lives. His skeleton will be found after years and
years, drained totally, like sugarless plums in wintertime. Or he
will never be found at all, and no one will see the beauty of his body.
Overall and generally you are doing great and I feel very proud,
keep on moldering the oxidized waterpipes.

[Wretched]

LtPlissken Such eloquence! Thank you for that thoroughly poetic examination of my work! Lol I've got this mental image of a vacuum sealed astronaut skeleton floating through space now... ..and yes music can be so imaginatively stimulating, I draw much of my inspiration and motivation from it. I'm glad you can appreciate my special relationship

So, I attempted to prescribe myself a practical exercise last night. Observational drawing is something I need to spend more time doing so I did this still life/study. I've been trying to wrap my head around mirror surfaces and reflections and this made for an educational subject. Man it is wild how differently I think when I'm reproducing something from reality vs imagination. Felt great.

[Wretched]

I should probably make a WIP thread for this. I can't settle on a color palette. I think I took the underpainting a little farther than necessary and didn't plan enough for color.

Trying hard to resolve unfinished art lately, sorta like creative therapy. People talk about the discipline involved in letting go of art... and it ain't no lie.
Just always felt an obligation to work this idea to its full potential. Identifying the exact point which qualifies it as such is the hard part.

[LtPlissken]

Looks fantastic in my eyes, and the color palette also.
I wish him many luck against those battle ships.

[Wretched]

LtPlissken - Yes, he has many robots yet to slay and great evils to vanquish.. Thank you, it really means a lot to hear you dig it Working on it has been a potent learning experience.

Two things, trying to stay loose. Quick environment and a character sketch. Landscapes are still really rough for me, but I actually quite like the character, I think I will spend some more time on him. Trying to produce a believable pose and attitude and give him a little visual narrative.

[Lightship69]

Wowsers!! you have such a lot of stuff going on in here I dont know where to start!!

Are these all sequential works or are you just putting up samples, the reason I ask is if this is a sequence then I would say slow down and concentrate on one subject at a time Like 2 weeks on anatomy 3 weeks on gesture or whatever.

If its just a cross section then I would say just keep grinding away as you are and if you get stuck shout out in the wip section and people will always help, I will certainly.

all the best with the work and I will visit again soon.

[Wretched]

Lightship69 - Hey man, thanks for coming by.

Are these all sequential works or are you just putting up samples

Hah well, yes. They are basically chronological. I know, so random.. I will do more focal studying. Really been doing so much chaotic experimentation, I get swept away. Gah.. one thing at a time it's difficult. Sound advice though.


Here's a spontaneous thing from tonight, totally lost track of time working on it I think I need to spread the values out a little.. Still, pretty happy with it so far~

[Wretched]

This week has been rough. Feel like i'm floundering with my art, I don't know what the hell i'm doing.. And then I decided to join SP Day, which ended up just depressing me even more. Felt forced and it looks forced. Arrrg..

[Wretched]

:|