Katastrophi's Sketchbook - Improvement!

**telohs** · January 11th, 2013, 10:32 AM

I think you have the same view like I did when I first started drawing, the basic thing I thought was the more I drew the better I would get, as that is true in many ways there are shortcuts to getting good.
By applying general understandment of the subject you're trying to paint you can acchieve good results in a faster amount of time.
For example, instead of painting thousands of portraits of people, go and study the anatomy of the skull down to the skeleton, learn the names of various muscles etc.

You seem to learn pretty much about colors, that's a good thing. Remember, when you're doing a study, think about why it is like that, why are the colors like they are and so on.

**Katastrophi** · January 13th, 2013, 02:46 PM

Still working on the master study above, kinda stuck with it, likeness is something im not achieving!

Couple of portraits! Working on more, and studying Lumis along side !

Edit: Ooh! I have a second page

Thanks for the feedback telohs, i'm gonna study lumis in depth now, and structure of the face and anatomy, so hopefully i get it down! Yeah i'm trying, i have many books on the matter (colour and light among many others), which i am working through! Thanks for the feedback again

**Katastrophi** · January 14th, 2013, 07:26 PM

Just couple of things i've done today, finished my master study portrait. Learned a lot about subsurface scattering and stuff. I then went onto an environment master study, i was just looking at the colour palette and the composition more than anything. I also have been doing bridgeman studies on the arms, so i had a few goes at drawing arms from reference. Just still learning to break down shapes.

**Katastrophi** · January 15th, 2013, 09:27 AM

Working on some game concepts at the moment, creating a game with some friends

But i'm not gonna post those on here, it's rather cartoony in style.

Here's a concept i painted this morning though. First go at texturing, i think it's made the image look flat

Any advice?

**Katastrophi** · January 17th, 2013, 10:36 AM

Some more environment studies woke up at 4am and just needed to draw ahaha!

Something a bit different next, did a quick UI design for a concept of a game we came up in class. Kinda like it

EDIT: From looking at this post, i can definitely tell something i need to work on is buildings within my environments! They are definitely not good!

**Katastrophi** · January 17th, 2013, 07:11 PM

Couldn't sleep again! So done a perspective study, (doesn't work without the line work but thats not the point of the study). Also, i love cliff's in the sea so hence the pillars also was doing a little bit more perspective work and understanding of the photographs along with it.

**Katastrophi** · January 20th, 2013, 07:58 PM

Did a speed painting of a hippo for a competition too, 80minute paint.

EDIT: Also, let me know what you think about the new image sizes? Too big?

**Katastrophi** · January 23rd, 2013, 11:32 AM

Been doing a few value studies over past few days trying to work with form an bring out values to give the 3D effect to my work.

Again need to improve my man made. I did the two above this morning. One was done with accuracy, setting up perspective grids and doing linework to match then painting. But i gave up at around 2 hours in because it was not looking good. Then i moved on to doing more loose work and i think it worked way better for me to do it this way. Let me know what you think!

Some more colour environment studies

Trying to get more and more man made in with this stuff.

Study from life, kinda happy with this, glass is apparently hard to paint!

**Katastrophi** · January 26th, 2013, 10:31 AM

Quick study, maybe 90 minutes.

WIPs, trying to get some portraits done but they really aint looking great

any advice? Or just keep it it really?

**Mepainter** · January 26th, 2013, 02:21 PM

Love the flying owl! Realistic, and the colors are nice and warm. Your last posemaniacs are doing great. The farm animals, and environments are my favs.

**Katastrophi** · January 29th, 2013, 09:04 AM

@Mepainter - Thanks very much! I need to keep those pose studies up, not done any for a little while. Glad you like the owl i sent that off to a competition not heard back from them yet but fingers crossed

Really not had all that much time this week working on stuff for university (level designs and 3D stuff). Did a quick environment study of a photograph i took. I've been keeping up my Loomis portrait studies i think they're picking up, they took varying from 2 hours to 10 minutes.

**Katastrophi** · January 29th, 2013, 10:01 PM

Making leaps and bounds with these. Here's a self portrait i've done

Gonna do some improvement thing along side my normal studies, just try and get myself out of my comfort zone. I've got a lot on at the moment, but I like it that way! So let's pile on more work!
The challenge can be found here > http://pencilcat.tumblr.com/post/274...ment-challenge <

**Aether Technician** · January 29th, 2013, 10:12 PM

I can already see some big improvements from page 1! Your environments are pretty strong right now, but I feel like they could use some more chaos...more texture and motion and life and stuff. I would recommend checking out this guy's sketchbook.
Faces definitely have some proportion issues...I'm struggling with the same thing right about now...your values look pretty good though.

**Katastrophi** · January 30th, 2013, 06:19 PM

@Aether Technician - Thanks man! Yeah really feel like i'm getting somewhere, can't believe it's only been 7 months since i decided to start drawing, really come on and enjoying it!

Yeah, some features are a bit off but i think the overall stuff as a whole is not to bad! I've tried out a few different texture brushed but i'm not sure how to go about it. Maybe i'll go back to it try and add that much needed texture! Thanks for the feedback!

Day 2 of the challenge, painted a figure from reference

Also did a little hour study for a competition on dA

**clockodile** · January 30th, 2013, 06:36 PM

Wow, your portraits are really improving, the practice is definitely paying off. Be sure to look at the soft and hard edges carefully - the places where the values change. Thinking about where the values transition softly - in a blurry way - and where they have sharp edges really helps with gaining a more realistic feel to a picture. Other than that, your environments are coming along nicely, the looser feel adds a bit of life to them, and you have some good colour choices.

**Katastrophi** · January 31st, 2013, 08:43 PM

@clockodile thanks very much! Yeah thats something i need to sort out because at the moment i'm trying to think about things in places its making the edges a bit blocky! Thanks for the feedback

Concept i made today, i consider this a WIP because the design of the tables is so generic i wanna change it. Any suggestions?

4 Hour study for day 3 of my challenge.

**Mepainter** · February 2nd, 2013, 02:29 PM

Nice work! I see improvement. You have serious potential with environments, and as the figures go.. very nice, though your left eye is a little off position in your self portrait. As to the environments, i agree with clockodile above, the transitions in values are ought to be softer to better represent edges and corners.

Lovely progress! Keep it up.

**Katastrophi** · February 19th, 2013, 09:12 AM

Not updated this for awhile! Been working on 3D stuff and learning Maya and stuff! Here's some of the studies ive done in the past few weeks.

As you can see been really enjoying mountains recently!

@Mepainter
Thanks! Yeah still working on my portraits and stuff been doing a ton of pencil ones but when moving into digital i always lose some of my skill. Will keep working on it!

**Katastrophi** · March 17th, 2013, 06:41 PM

Had a little bit of a break from painting hardcore, been working a web design job whilst doing lots of 3D stuff and learning that side of things. I've kept up going to life drawing once a week and still working on pencil stuff

Here's some paintings i've been doing recently, playing with different tools along with my normal style of painting.

Some quickies done in my normal style.

Couple of concepts based on some turtle thing my friend came up with

Concept for some 3D work i did

Tried out a new brush whilst doing a still from the movie Drive, you should check it out if you haven't seen it! Pretty cool film, a nice colour palette across the whole film too!

If you wanna see my 3D stuff check out my blog (in my signature!)

**Katastrophi** · April 9th, 2013, 10:33 AM

Tried out something new, photo mashing which i have never done before. Really nice quality to it

Some more studies and other stuff using my normal techniques along with using some new brushes and stuff

**DK_sketch** · April 9th, 2013, 02:27 PM

nice studies in here! id say environments is definitely you're forte atm. Maybe do some more character studies to balance it
Great work keep it up

**Katastrophi** · April 10th, 2013, 05:00 PM

Thanks DK_sketch, yeah i'm not terribly confident with characters and stuff. I do attend a life drawing class once a week and have been for about 10 weeks but i'm still not great

must keep practicing though!

Here's another random concept, boring building design though

**Katastrophi** · April 16th, 2013, 06:26 AM

Doing some japanese architecture studies in prep for a class project

**Katastrophi** · April 18th, 2013, 09:30 PM

Spent around 5 hours on this one today. Feel like im improving!!

**Chewiemonster** · April 18th, 2013, 09:53 PM

Really nice environments. A lot of good color, shape, values in them, especially the desert one and the last one.

The two things I keep in mind when drawing people are (which may help you):
1. It's all still just shapes, form, and lighting. Draw the light and dark patches, the values, just like you would an environment. Let it take shape, rather than force the shape of an eye or a nose. The brain wants to draw the symbols that make up a person, or a face, or an eye, not whats there in terms of light and dark or simple shapes.

2. I was once told in the human form everything bulges out in some way. Mind curves and volume even when drawing say, the undercurve of a chin, or back of a knee. Everything is pushing out into space still.

**Katastrophi** · April 26th, 2013, 10:04 AM

Thanks Chewie for the feedback! Yeah i'm trying to break down the forms im even learning muscle structure and stuff so i know why the shapes are as they are!

Quick study from yesterday

Photomash thing

Some more randoms

enjoy will post more on Tuesday!

**Renart** · April 26th, 2013, 10:17 AM

Great sketchbook! I like your environments. We can feel the place. Sometimes, they could be a little bit more detailed but you're improving for sure. Also, I just love your gun concept. The perspective is pretty good ans the design is great. Keep going!! I wanna see more of this soon

**Candra H** · April 26th, 2013, 10:28 AM

Nice sketchbook. Your landscapes are coming along really well, and your colour work.

Re your figures. Telohs gave good advice about getting to grips with the structure of things, so I'll just reiterate that. And a good place to start with constructive anatomy is Bridgman. Also. Joseph Sheppard's Anatomy for Artists is great for getting a handle on the underlying bone and muscle structure of the body.

Most important, learn proportions and work from life as much as possible. Everything can measured in relation to everything else, and once you're used to the ideal proportions of the human figure, things will come a lot easier. The Sheppard book has a good section on proportions at the beginning, as well as Loomis' Figure Drawing for all its Worth.

Good luck and keep going!

**Katastrophi** · April 26th, 2013, 05:23 PM

Thanks for the advice Renart and Candra! I've done some Bridgman before but i find his books rather confusing! I must try again though. I often work from photos so that is definitely something that needs to change!

Here's a bonus thing i've done