Dan's Sketchbook

[DanBK]

Sketchbook stuff, focusing on proportions and trying to figure out how the hell to draw people




Also, I've been working through Isra's perspective class - check it out here, its been really useful so far and can only see it getting better
Heres my first 2 classes worth of stuff

[Devoidd]

I'm liking the poses and the perspective sketches

[DanBK]

Cheers I don't think i really realised how difficult those things were before doing them and now I'm gonna have to do far more to improve

Started a new small sketchbook which I'm planning on carrying around with me everywhere to sketch on the go

Free-hand perspective is hard



Also, I've got my first uni interview on the 30th so I'm hoping to finish this sketchbook by then. wish me luck I've applied for game art courses, my top choice being at De Montfort University

[DanBK]

Reasonably quick zorn study, using the zorn palette (black, white, ocre & vermillion)
I really should have started from the right. i ended up with a huge space left on the canvas which just looks stupid, but oh well


And a painting id been working on at college, finished now, don't like it very much.


Also, i forgot to post this pairing that i did a college from a while ago. The longest time I've spent on a piece in quite a long time.
At the time i wasn't very happy with the result but over time i think its growing on me

[DanBK]

I got an interview at De Montfort on the 7th so I'm going to be doing as much as possible between now and then. in the portfolio they've asked for landscape drawings from life so i need to figure out how the hell to do that :L also, its snowing outside so that makes the task even more dreadful

First life drawing of the year. on reflection parts of it doesn't really look like skin because of the harsh folds using pen. oh well.


Really quick portrait i did last night, about 45 mins in the end


the sketching process of a painting i started but haven't taken anywhere yet. I'm getting into the habit of constructing the head with every single portrait which is really helping i think any anatomy help is always appreciated





Three more portraits and my first 2 attempts at landscape life drawing. they won't all be this disgusting i promise (i hope...)

[nouge]

Aaah, this sketchbook is going places, I've got no doubt about it! For anatomy, constructing as you do is great, like in the study in red pencil(?). Now just carry on over the proportions of the face you know (or should know!) and use them in perspective. Corners of mouth under middle of eyes, base of nose halfway down from the brow, etc. But hey, who am I to lecture, you've got this! You've made some nice observational paintings before, but now you've gone down the gut-wrenching path of learning perspective, construction and anatomy. It can be so hard and frustrating, but you're working your way through it anyway. Good job, and keep it up!

[HarbingerofIllRepute]

Thanks for stopping by!
When I look at your sketchbook, I think of SamC... Then I writhe with envy! xD
Keep your pimp hand strong, Dan.
2-3 years from now, you'll likely be one of the strongest artists I know.

[DanBK]

Cheers its actually oil paint on canvas board, was planning to turn it into a painting but then stopped yeh you're right, just keep doing as much as i can and it should keep getting better thanks for stopping by

wow, bit of a generous comparison! maybe one day
ill have the strongest pimp hand in all the land.
well, were about the same level atm i reckon (give or take) so in three years you'll be just as awesome I'm sure its an encouraging thought, cheers man!

small amount of sketchbook stuff, got exams coming and so I've been revising like a nutter

development through a portrait, from construction to line and then shadows


Attempting stiff from life again :'( view from my desk...ish


quick figure drawing pose maniacs / other sources - planning to more of these, seeing as they're really bad and are meant to be incredibly helpful any tips on this would be awesome


5-10 min quick iceberg studies

[DanBK]

From life, the view out of my window:

gouache in my small moleskin - 15 mins


Pastels - about an hour

[DanBK]

Updating twice in one day - crazy
trying to do as much in between revising as i can

Speeeeed!! some from posemaniacs, some from this figure drawing tool and some from this good reference gallery
Varying lengths



Another portrait, from the same good reference gallery. again, trying to get quicker, probably 10 - 15 mins using a brush pen

[Joe777k7]

nice work so far!!! Your are progressing really well. Loving the use of traditional painting in your studies! Keep Going!!

[kamikazel33t]

Nice stuff you got here! Now here is my advice with the gesture and figure study. Like with the head drawings there is construction when it comes to figures as well and since you seem to be building your foundation in perspective drawings your sense of drawing forms in correct perspective would probably allow you to learn construction of the human figure. Pretty much now you could try to sneak a peek and read through any figure construction book(Hampton, Bridgman, Vilppu, Loomis) try to do some studies and really try to emphasize on gestures in which Vilppu and Hampton stresses the vitality of them. Your first landscape life drawings ain't that bad at all, you just need to get more confidence with your lines as well in line quality overall. I hope this helps ^^

[DanBK]

Cheers Joe, I appreciate it

Thanks - i really should have been doing that already shouldn't I! don't know why i didn't think doing construction for figure stuff as well as for heads, completely slipped my mind! thanks for calling me out on that
confidence for my landscapes is definitely something I'm lacking, thanks so much

Self portrait from yesterday. it got dark far quicker than i was anticipating so had to abandon it at this stage :/ I was going to continue with it again today but the lighting is completely different. now i doubt whether ill be able to continue with it again but if i get the opportunity i will now its time to move on

[DanBK]

Had nothing to do today so just spent the entire day painting

Finished off this rose that i started ages ago.. well, i say finished i still need to do the background as i don't think leaving it white is really an option, but the actual flower is done


Super quick self portrait, about 45 mins. went straight in with the painting - no construction, no lines. this made it incredibly loose and fun


Another portrait from the good reference gallery, man i love that website now


Painting from a photo. i was really loose with the background but had to be really tight when doing the boats in order to get them right. probably should have let the background dry before doing the boats as i couldn't get very dark colours coz it was just mixing with the white paint already on the canvas. still fun, just took longer than it could have done

[DanBK]

Internets been down for a while and I've got it back for a bit before it goes away again

Another reasonably quick self portrait


7/8 hours ish screen cap painting from lotr


Very quick volcano painting


Another painting I've done at school (i did tweak the front end of the boat to make it straight after taking this picture, but this is pretty much finished)


Life drawing - head, hands and feet week




Sketchbook page. Day 1 of the February sketchbook challenge (page a day)


Im now constructing the head every time i do a portrait regardless of what it is (from life, photo, self portrait) seems to have helped tons! I'm glad its finally clicking into place

[braineater]

damn, that rose is gorgeous, dan !
also, i like your life drawings a lot.
thanks for the inspiration

[DanBK]

thankyou
you're too kind, at least the inspiration is going back and forth between us

I got an offer from De Montfort Uni ti do game art design! so excited now. anyway, the first year of the course is nearly all observational drawing and they dislike drawing from photos so I'm going to be doing far more stuff from life from now on
gonna ba carrying around a little sketchbook with me and sketch everything

starting with these





Cars are impossible. more of these to come, but i think you can see why i stick to my portraits haha


I started this guy a while ago but then i got ill and so I've just got round to finishing him. so much fun the render the hell out of something for hours on end

[TNiznet]

Nice progress mate, remember to think about planes when drawing, it helps give structure to your forms.

[DanBK]

Cheers good call, its definitely something I'm constantly trying to do, training my brain see things differently as plains

a variety of stuff from the last couple of days

a few more quick car sketches



quick, poor self portrait


Rembrandt study


Lets call this one 'abstract' playing with a sailing scene on an a5 canvas


Doing some work on eyes, as i clearly needed to after that self portrait. check out Stan Prokopenko's videos on youtube here for how to draw features - the ones on eyes (this one in particular) were incredibly useful!





and some more portraits in the sketchbook for good measure


trying something a little different with this one - here are the first two stages of lines and shadow block in

[DanBK]

A large update as I haven't posted in a while but been doing quite a lot of work

Finished the portrait i started in the last post


Another portrait, this time trying some cross hatching for some experimentation


Sargent study


Life drawing




Landcapes from life, no idea what I'm doing, more practice!!




Vehicles, trying new things

[DanBK]

i really should post more often to avoid these large posts!

life drawing



Sketchbook. finished one and started a new one



last page


new book begins

[DanBK]

FUCK. well that was a rather large cock up. so some of my stuff got deleted off my photo bucket account, by me, because I'm an idiot, and therefore all the images have been lost from here as well. obviously i didn't realise it would have that effect, but it did and theres no way I'm going back and re uploading images because i don't have anything organised on my computer and therefore it would take far longer than its worth. so i guess ill just carry on from here then. i may go back and tidy up the mess that I've left behind when i get a chance but cba right now. apologies for the inconvenience :/

anyway...
heres the painting I've been working on at college. rembrandt study


sketchbook page

[HarbingerofIllRepute]

That Rembrandt study is looking pretty awesome *winces with slight envy*
Man, sorry to hear about that photobucket mishap, I laughed at first because it sounds like something I'd do but realized "shit, that's a lot of pictures and man hours."

[DanBK]

Cheers man
haha, dw about it, we can all laugh about it now all it means is that theres a slight void in my sketchbook which isn't a huge deal, just have to fill it up with more stuff so that people don't even notice.

Filling up my sketchbook, with a few random things but mainly portraits, birds and hands for this post










man, i really need to do this more regularly.

[DanBK]

A couple of pages of self portraits



Pages of pose maniacs 60 second gesture drawing. I'll probably be doing more and more of these in the future, good fun and seem to be helpful already

[DanBK]

Some pose maniacs, quick portraits, loomis and a few objects from life

[braineater]

sooo many awesome studies, dan *_*
YOU'RE leaving ME behind, man. good work,
keep it up (:

[DanBK]

oh stop it, you're making me blush
But seriously, cheers

More studying
this time an astronaut, self portrait page and more quick portraits

[DanBK]

More portraits!

quick ones


Two reasonably quick oil paintings (one day each)



Longer one in the sketchbook, still in only the one day though. probably the quickest long one I've done (if that makes any sense)

[DanBK]

Some more quick portraits


I was away over the weekend so i managed to force myself to do some sketching from life, whatever was around really





Old guy i sketched out a while ago which was very inaccurate so i was going to leave it, but instead decided to render it out from imagination during a long car journey. A fun exercise


Another self portrait page


Oil Jean Leon Gerome study