Eckis sketchbook - please rip me asunder

[ecki]

Hey there,

my name is Ecki, I'm male and from Germany. I'm kinda new here. I've registered a few months ago and am floating through some threads since.

I've spent 3 years of my life on a design school, but we didn't do a whole lot of drawing there. After that, I've started an apprenticeship as a programmer. That was five years ago, which makes me a professional programmer by now

Now I'm about to take drawing serious. Next year in April, I've saved enough money to quit my job and self-teach for 3-5 years to become an concept artist & illustrator. Until 04.2013, I'll still be working a 42 hours week and keep drawing as much as I can.

I've already drawn for quite a while, but it was mainly manga and anime. Right now I'm trying to rid myself of this kinda stuff with learning the basics. Over the last 2 months, I've already done ~100 digital color and concept studies and filled almost 3 sketchbooks with anatomy studies.

I wasn't sure on whether I should open my sketchbook already, because next year I could have given it a real kickstart from April on.
But now I thought – what the hell, why not just start right now? That are a few months worth of useful critique.

I hope you guys don't show me any mercy – In two years, I want to reach Janaschi/Algenpfleger levels. I know what it takes and I'm prepared to get my ass kicked.
I'm dead serious.

For my current level, visit my dA page.
From now on, I will share my daily sketches and studies with you every evening.

[ecki]

Hey there, so this is my first real sketches post.
I've tried to upload this stuff yesterday evening, but I failed at posting and just produced a lot of confusion (sorry to the mod's at this point ). I'm not used to post in forums, but I'll have to get used to it

So, first I'm giving you a little collection of my most recent drawings. I've chosen the ones I like most or from which I think that they show my skill level decently:

First, 3 photo refs:


Now, some anatomy without refs:


And some of my latest concept drawings:


As well as some landscapes:


Now, you'll see the stuff I did today (which is now yesterday :/ )
First, a drawing that I did for Sinix's design lab (space pirate): http://conceptart.org/forums/showthr...utube-activity


And some random sketches I painted digitally:

[ecki]

So, my last post isn't up yet, but it's evening and I've got something to show

3 Landscapes, which took 10 minutes each:


Some hand sketches:


Some more landscapes, 45 minutes each:

[LastGen]

Damn, your plan for 2013 sounds interesting. I'm excited to see what's going to happen.

By the way, nice hands. Make sure to check the proportions/measurements of the fingers each time.

[eclip-se]

Yeaaaah, that's the spirit! Go for it and welcome.

[Eikoae]

Great goals! I admire your motivation. Your color in the landscapes look really nice, but work on some perspective! Your line quality with the hands is really awesome, keep it up. I can't wait to see more!

[blu01]

Man, I am sure you are millionaire, haha.
I suggest more grayscale studies, they are pretty useful. When you are able to handle them, move to colors. I think this system (perspective-grayscale-colors ) is used in Feng Zhu school, but I am not sure, feel free to ignore my comment. Looking forward to you next stuff.

[ecki]

Thank you all for your nice comments!

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@LastGen: Yeah, I'm already counting the days Working as a programmer seems so boring all of a sudden. You're right about the proportions, this stuff is really hard. I'll have to do more studies.

@eclip-se: Thanks man! I'll not disappoint (hopefully).

@Eikoae: Thank you! It's quite hard to always keep the motivation soaring, but seeing the improvement and getting some feedback sure helps Yeah, I should really do some perspective drawings, maybe some stairs D: (I hate them)

@blu01: No, I'm no millionaire, I've just saved up a lot of money, live very cheap and have very low demandings I sometimes do grayscale studies, just to get a feeling for the values. But I didn't find a big difference to starting directly with color. I'm used to putting a black layer on top of everything and setting it to "color", so that I can observe the values every now and then. Why should I ignore your comment? It's very useful

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Somehow, the post from yesterday evening didn't make it online :/
So, I'll just list the sketches from yesterday too (and save the text before posting it!)

First, the stuff from yesterday:


And now some (crappy) sketches from today:

[lionheartGFX]

hey glad to see you putting the effort, really more than time you have to put your head into it hahaha, techinque will build with enough practice but knowledge takes thinking and planning, i see you have alot of talent man i know you can do this!

do quick poses or take a 2 hour class from Pixelovely its an awesome site!

keep up the awesome work!

[eclip-se]

I also recommend http://artists.pixelovely.com/practi...igure-drawing/ ,class mode for 30min

10 poses, 30 seconds
4 poses, 1 minute
2 poses, 5 minutes and 45 seconds
1 pose, 11 minutes and 30 seconds

this i do often, one sheet paper.

[Yemi775]

you are off to a great start. i'll suggest you do a lot of still life drawings with pencil, that is the most helping advice i ever got. keep up the good work.

[ecki]

Hey there, it's evening again and I've got something to show
You guys are so awesome!

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@lionheartGFX: Don't forget that I'm already drawing for quite some time, I've filled several sketchbooks and I've been drawing manga stuff too, so there's no talent involved All hard work. Thanks for the Pixelovely link - I like this site already much more than posemaniacs.

@eclip-se: Thanks for the suggestion, I've tried it twice today It's great. The 30 second drawings however, are really just to warm up. I think it would be better to have 5 to 10 30 second drawings, and than directly some 10 to 15 minute drawings afterwards. I think this is what I will do next time.

@Yemi775: I should definitely do some still lifes. Especially drapery and clothes. I really suck at this kinda stuff. I'll definitely go for it, thanks.

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So, here we go:
Sorry for the first one, those are about 10 30 second poses layered above each other because I didn't have any time to turn the page

[Yemi775]

i see that intuos 4 penholder you did, more! i can tell you are good with the pencil from the shading.

[n00dles]

You've done the right thing, doing what you love!

To start this all of, set yourself some clearly stated goals. Do you want to work in the industry, what branch? Think of the things you need to know when you would have a job as concept artist and focus on learning those things. Anatomy is high likely one of those things, so I suggest you find some books about that matter. (Hogarth, Bridgman, Hampton are some good examples)
Key thing to improving is working from life to improve your visual library. Find pictures of humans, animals, machines, scenery etc..

0 For digital work, try to use a hard round brush, stay away from the textured or soft brushes. They are doing work for you in which you need practise. Getting the colours right should be done by you, just start picking the colours and values by eye and never from the reference photo.
0 Also work from big to small, first the greater planes of value and when those have been established, work your way into the details (quite obvious, but I often tend to forgot this myself).
0 A tip on keeping it fun. I found it very detrimental for my lust of drawing when I did nothing else but colour, value and line studies. To work around this exhausting practise I would first draw / paint from ref and when the study was done I would try to incorporate the things I learnt in an imaginative drawing.

0 On the practise of drawing itself. No more eraser. You heard me right! Let me tell you why: Drawing is more looking, identifying the object than it is the act of graphite/ink on paper. When you are sure you've seen the length/direction/thickness of the line, you are ready to put your pencil on paper. This method of working improves your overall accuracy and neatness. If you catch yourself still using an eraser, switch to pen drawing.

Hopefully, all of this helps you in some way!

[ecki]

Hey there! Here I go again

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@Yemi775: Pencil shading is fun! It really sharpens the eye. I should still go for some drapery and clothes next

@n00dles: Nice long comment, I'll take some time to answer this:

I don't want to nail myself down just yet. Right now I think about concept artist for video games (maybe movies). But Cover illustrator would also be nice (or even as a backup plan). First I want to get the basics straight, then I'll think about specializing. About the books: I've already studying out of several books for a few months. My favourite book – by far – is "Gottfried Bammes - Der nackte Mensch" but I also like Bridgman and Hogarth. I don't know Hampton yet, but I'll sure take a look. Loomis, I don't like though – I don't like his women (they always wear high-heals, even when naked)

For the brushes: That's what I'm using anyways. I only have a 3 textured brushes -> the rake -> a splatter brush, for getting some texture on the canvas when starting out -> a tree brush (saves a lot of work sometimes on quick ideas)

From big to small: That's something I slowly start to incorporate. I really have to force myself to think in big shapes first. But I'm getting used to it

Keeping it fun: That tip is not only keeping the fun, it also helps to deepen the understanding of what you've just learned. But that's also what I'm trying to do anyways

No more eraser: That's what I'm already trying to do. Sometimes the eraser is very tempting, though. Right now I'm only using it for some highlights when rendering and to remove an underlying skeleton before rendering. For my linework, I don't use the eraser at all.

Thank's for your tips, most of them were not too new to me, but still it's worth noting and remembering

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Now for todays update:
3 pages with pixelovely practice:


1 digital still-life drawing (The colors look a bit "creamy"):

[MrFrenik]

Thanks for stopping by my SB and welcome to CA. Since you've given yourself so much time to study (that's really impressive that you've saved to allow yourself the time to not work and just study; way to go!), I would suggest hitting nothing but the basics for a while, maybe a few months. This means doing tons of perspective work to start out with. Keep up the pace and good work.

[kamikazel33t]

Awesome stuff here! From what I can see is that you do have an understanding of underlying anatomy but that is only a small part of the story. Currently I feel that your sketches lack a sense of spatial volume or depth. The Vilppu Drawing Manual is a good book when it comes to that because it really focuses on your knowledge of manipulating basic primitives also perspective would help aid with such studies as well! Keep it up!

[ecki]

Here comes my evening update

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@MrFrenik: Yeah, perspective is something I should really tackle a lot. I'm trying to incorporate my perspective lessons into fun paintings But I think I should just go for some blocky perspective sketches. I think that I should incorporate more perspective into my anatomy studies as well

@kamikazel33t: Hey, thanks! That was exactly the tip that I needed! I've just "bought" a copy of Vilppu and it's really awesome! It really focuses on basic shapes and teaches how to think in volumes and 3 dimensions. Really nice!

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Some 30 sec poses:


Some 2 min poses:


Some 10 min poses:


1 hour still life painting:


some skull study from head:

[Liberty]

object in motion stays in motion d, so keep the momentum,
you are doing great. Also be ware of the trap of trying to be too
technical about learning how to draw.

[Lucarky]

Welcome aboard ecki! And i see you already have a good understanding of light and form. I even saw your deviant art page. Really cool. Study photography is another best way to understand reality. Keep the good work and do some more perspective.
DRAAAWWW!

[lionheartGFX]

wow aweosme still lifes, i agree that the penholder looks kick ass, do alooot more still lifes, also the figure its coming along, i see more overlaps than before and also the proportions are being kept in check, do some poses with purpose too, of people DOING something (playing sports, running, explaining omething) so you can start to practice or atleast try to tell something with a pose you know body language its really important and all, hope to see more! keep sharing!

[ecki]

Thank you for your comments! You guys really are the best

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@Liberty: Thanks, I'll definitely keep at it I don't get that "too technical". Do you mean, that the machine, that is the human body, is nothing, without emotion? Because then, I would definitely agree, that most of my poses look kinda lifeless and robbed of all purpose. But I'm working on it!

@Lucarky: Hey there! Thanks! I'll definitely will do some more perspective. Right now, I'm working on dynamic poses, though. Maybe I could combine them with perspective (like drawing a crowded street in perspective – with all kinds of weirdos). That sound's fun

@lionheartGFX: Hey Lion – People doing something – that's brilliant! I really didn't think about this. I'm always thinking like: "I should draw more dynamic poses". However, I never think: "I should draw someone doing <X>". Now I feel kinda stupid... but yeah! That's what I'll be doing next!

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I didn't find that much time for drawing today, but I'll upload what I have:

Some 30 sec poses:


Some 60 sec poses:


Some 2 min poses:


2 pages from imagination:

[lionheartGFX]

pure sweetness im jelaous of your imagination ive been lacking a bit in that manner myself it will all change soon, and yeah poses that work in their enviroment its a subject better tackled early because when you have to do an illustration you can have a working visual library on how th body works in different situations, i truly bleieve your method its going to give enormous rewards, onwards to 2013!

[Yemi775]

definitely do some drapery stills. also great figures man, the imaginary one are look perfect. keep it up!

[sgj88]

Hey Ecki, Nice stuff man. I like your figures and the digital still life.

[ArtZealot]

Hey, welcome to conceptart.org. If i could crit anything i'd just say keep doing those still life paintings, and painting from life/photos. The ones you have in here are all your best pieces, and you'll learn a lot quickly by doing those. Most of all, keep it up!

[wutangclam]

hey man thanks for the kind words on my SB. Your already very good! 3 sketchbooks in 2 months?!? that's commitment. very very impressive. How many hours are you drawing a day?

[DennisH-Art]

Good work so far, but needs more study on anatomy and proportions imo. I gotta do the same thing =[

I gotta say, I really dig your landscapes! Very inspirational!

[ecki]

Hey guys! What's going on here, so much cool people?!

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@lionheartGFX: Hey lion, buddy! You are jealous of my imagination? That can't be! I've still got a lot to do there. Yeah, I think drawing people in perspective and while doing something really is a smart thing to do! Thanks

@Yemi775: Thanks man! Yeah, I will do some drapery, maybe even tomorrow, if I feel like it. Perfect? No way! There's still so much that I have to learn.

@sgj88: Hey there! Thank you for your nice words.

@ArtZealot: Hi, if the still lifes are my best pieces, shouldn't I then be tackling the other stuff (anatomy, perspective)? Yeah, but I'll definitely keep the still lifes up as well.

@wutangclam: That depends, ideally, I draw 30 minutes before work, 60 minutes during my lunchbreak, and then another 5 hours from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM. But I think on the average it boils down to maybe 3 ~ 4 hours? I'm still feeling kinda lazy most of the time :/ But I keep saying to myself that even one drawing a day would be enough, so that I'm not getting too stressed out if I'm having a terrible day

@DennisH-Art: Yeah, I don't like my anatomy and proportions either, but I think that my perspective sucks even more at the moment, so I'll tackle this first. However, I'll try to put some people in perspective as well... Basically, I'll also practice some anatomy. I think I'm at at point where I should do some anatomy studies with a mirror or model. Thanks, I'm also starting so somewhat like my landscapes, however, I'm aiming for Feng Zhu style / level, so I'll have to put my nose to the grindstone hard

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Today was the Christmas party of my company, so sadly I wasn't able to draw much. Right now, I would have time, but I'm already very tired and will go to bed soon (It's midnight right now at my place).

However, I think I already learned a few things just from starting this kind of "people with purpose" and "perspective" studies: (The proportions are horrible... Maybe because I had no time for a little warm-up session )

First, some sketches of people doing stuff:


Now, a little sketch of a person doing something, combined with a little (very primitive) perspective:


And a more advanced perspective study, with several twisted blocks, so I had several different vanishing points:


I wasn't able to find much about twisting objects in perspective, so basically, my theory is this:
The distance between the vanishing points determines which "lens" you are using. Now, if you have defined the lens (distance), you can move the vanishing points to every position you like, if you want to turn the objects in your shot. The only thing you then have to remember is, which objects share which parallel lines.

Is that correct? Can you recommend a nice read about this kinda stuff? I almost exclusively find beginner tutorials about 1, 2, 3 point perspective. I want to know how the vanishing points represent the lens and how to determine this. Also I would like to know how to properly twist objects in perspective and if I did it right.

Sorry for my blabla
but this would really enlighten me,

cheers!

[Tea of Doom]

Hey ecki,

2 things:

1. For your figures, try to do some slow studies where you really concentrate on accuracy and proportions. Because as of right now your figures' proportions tend to be 10-15% off. It doesn't seem like much but the human being sees other human beings so often that our eyes notice these things. It would be helpful to copy some anatomy book diagrams on proportions and anatomy ( I recommend Richer's or Goldfinger's stuff.) Also, you seem to concentrate on drawing features (as far as your faces are concerned) way too early. Try to draw some heads more structurally, with planes of ligt and dark instead of lines.

That still life witht the buttons is your best piece.

keep up the hard work!

EDIT: To respond to your last post. Don't want to sound like i'm advertising for Massive Black but Carl Dobsky has 2 nice videos on 1 point and 2 point perspective. I definitely recommend his stuff. Also check out Whit Brackna's environment speed painting tutorials. There are lots of books available as well ( James Gurney's stuff, Digital painting techniques usually has a few issues dedicated to environments.)