Dave's Daily Sketchbook - Updated daily!

**o0Dave0o** · December 6th, 2004, 01:42 AM

Hello all! I have been a lurker here for a while now, but after looking at so many skilled artists work I was inspired to improve myself. I started about a week and a half ago, drawing every day when I could, and I just purchased "drawing on the right side of the Brain". Now I am working through the book and trying to continue to draw every single day no matter what. After being inspired by sketchbooks like MindCandyMan's and many others, I've decided its time for me to document my journey. I am going to stick to this and draw every day...and If i miss a day drawing or posting my images you can bet I'll catch myself up.

Well, here are the first three exercises from the book...Tomorrow I'll probably post a dump of some of the highlights of the past week and a half just to catch things up, but for now here are just the first three from the book.

firstly, my self portrait:I'm pretty happy with it...and on the plus side, it actually has a slight resemblance to me!

And here is my person from memory...man was this ever hard! and boy is it ugly too!

And last but not least, my hand...I like the shading on this one

As always with anything, Crits and Comment are not only welcome but needed too! Crit away!

Cheers,
Dave

**Odds** · December 6th, 2004, 01:45 AM

Cool man. Nice work with the hand! May I suggest some anatomy books/portrait drawing books? www.saveloomis.org is a good site to find books about drawing faces.
Anyways, keep it up and you'll be pro in no-time.

**o0Dave0o** · December 7th, 2004, 01:49 AM

Hey thanks for the encouragement Odds! That site you gave me looks incredibly helpful, I'll definately be using that as I continue my Journey!

Alright, as promised here is a small dump just to catch you up on the drawing I've done for the past week and a half...

THis first one is something that I just came up wtih and it actually turned out! I was so happy!

This One is from reference

Another one from reference, really like this one

After a few more reference drawings I tried to draw something from my head...

Then I moved on to some bone/muscle studies

Then messed around doing a lot of stickmen poses! these are some of the highlights...

Ok now this one was an attempt at one of the previously shown stick poses...

Then a sad attempt of a person from my head...

Ok so thats were I'm at right now, and thus the sketchbook saga continues!
Here are two images from today. I'll probably be doing more drawing tonight but I'll just post those tomorrow.

Here is one from photoreference in the school newspaper...dont really like how it turned out...

And this one was just something from my head, trying to do shadows...am I rushing things? should I slow down a bit and do more from reference, my drawings from my head tend not to work out

Well thats it for now! I'll be updating tomorrow. Have a great night everyone!

Cheers,
Dave

**Zebz** · December 7th, 2004, 02:30 AM

Duuuuuude! Thanks for the post on my thread!

Thought I'd share the love! Man, you're already improving, bro! There's not much I can say that you don't seem to already know. Just keep doing what you're doing. Study from life as often as you can. This stuff is gonna be flowin' in no time at all! Keep it up! I'll be watching!

**o0Dave0o** · December 7th, 2004, 12:07 PM

Hey thanks for the encouragement! You have no idea how much that helps me, I was at one of those points where you just feel like you can't draw anything, so that helped a lot!

Well gotta get to school...I'll hopefully be updating tonight

**o0Dave0o** · December 8th, 2004, 03:01 AM

Ok here's my update for the day, I did some more pose experiments and a few little fun things...
Here are some of my stick drawings...

And this is just an attempt to add flesh to the stickman dude

And here's a pose that went reasonably well, without ref and an awkward angle

And last but not least, a doodle of an idea the came into my head...yah not very original but still interesting...

One thing I find very difficult is coming up with interesting poses...it feel like I can never think of any yet when I look on other ppls sketchbooks they have tonnes of different ideas. Does anyone have and suggestion on how to be inspired into more poses?

Cheers, Dave

**Zebz** · December 8th, 2004, 12:28 PM

Keep it comin' man! Just more and more and more! Something to think about is to work from the understructure. Work from the frame/bones up, fleshing out the muscles next and then the skin, etc. Try and think understructure. It really, really helps. You're starting to get the right idea but try using cones, cylinders, etc. They'll help you see the shame of the form a lot better. That will help when you start rendering.

And like I always say to everyone starting out regarding rendering, think of drawing like sculpting on the paper. Try and think how you want the form to look like or what it does look like. How would it feel if your hand were to run across it. Sometimes wireframe type lines (similar to the mesh ones in the 3D programs, pre rendered, y'know what I mean?) will help you. You don't have to draw a ton of 'em. But if you draw a few lines indicating the way the form is curving, etc. It will help you out quite a bit. If you don't understand anything I'm saying, I'm sorry. I'm not a very good teacher.

But I will draw some stuff out to kind of give you a better idea if you'd like.

Keep it up!

**o0Dave0o** · December 8th, 2004, 05:45 PM

Hey thanks for that advice. Yah I think I know what you mean, and I think I'll try doing that on my next few sketches. I think im going to head out and buy a magazine and do some ref drawings from that, Maybe I should do a few still lifes too just to start really emphasizing volume in my drawings.

**o0Dave0o** · December 9th, 2004, 01:29 AM

Well here's another update, not like anyone even notices right now...('cept for you ZebzFree, and thank you very much) had a slow day drawing...hit a point where I feel like everything I try to draw just comes out horribly. Hopefully it'll pick up sometime...Got my finals too, but I'm going to be trying to post every day regardless..

Well here's the first one i did, from reference, I think next thing i need to learn to do now is faces..

Then I did this one, turned out sorta, loosely based on ref..

And then a quicky

and this just going in because I'm showing everything, the good, bad and ugly, and this was just a doodle that just wouldnt work.

Anyways, g'night to you all, if anyone does come here to look at these maybe I could get a suggestion on how to get out of this rut im in. Enjoy!

Cheers,
Dave

**Zebz** · December 9th, 2004, 01:48 AM

You're gettin' there, man! Just keep at it! Those are already lookin' better. And don't worry! We all have days where we just can't seem to get anything down correctly. Believe me! It happens way more than I'd like. So you either push on through it and hope for something beautiful from the chaos or just chill out and do something else for a while. Maybe you just need some inspiration. Well, you've found this perfect forum if that's the case! I love this place! Keep on going, don't worry about who's lookin'. In no time people will be lookin' to you for all the answers!

**o0Dave0o** · December 10th, 2004, 12:58 AM

Zebzfree: Thanks for the encouragement yet again man. It's always rough when nothing seems to go right. I took a break and watched a movie then got some sleep, and suddenly felt refreshed and ready to go again.

Well for all you fans out there

here's some head studies, the first picture here you can see how I have never drawn a single head before!

and then here were the next heads...already a bit of improvement, theres a few there that erily look like actual faces...go figure!

...taking a break tho for now

Cheers,
Dave!

**Zebz** · December 10th, 2004, 02:12 AM

Nice, nice, nice! That's right man, just chill out on in if you're lacking the inspriation. Go do somethin' else and then get back to it. These are lookin' pretty good. Something that would help are skull studies. And then think about laying the muscles over the skull. Check out KChen's thread over in the sub forum of the lifedrawing area. I think it's in the tutorials. He's got a ton of reference stuff in there that will help with your figures and heads. It's helped me a LOT. Keep on rockin' this sketchbook, man!

**twoheaded** · December 10th, 2004, 04:31 AM

hey dave, you are progressing man, stay courageous and go for it man.
Those spheres with rubber bands are the key to draftsmanship, you're on the right track. do several of those every day, till it feels right and solid.
some suggestions on figure drawing, right now you are too worried about the outline, don't confuse yourself with perfect curve now, simplify all the things that you see into two things , an arc or a line. refine the curve later. simplify simplify.
Good times.

**o0Dave0o** · December 10th, 2004, 01:25 PM

Hey thanks for the suggestions!

ZebzFree: thanks for the idea to go check out KChen's thread, man is it great, I think I'm just going to have to really push hard to get these heads to finally work!

twoheaded:Thanks for the reply! Yah I never realized how difficult it can actually be making those initial spheres, I always just saw them and assumed they'd be no problem! Thanks for the suggestiong about the figure drawing, I will try simplifiing and seeing where that takes me!

Well today I'm going to try and get some updates down but studying for finals is getting into full swing...Ill merely make my breaks from studying drawing. But rest assured, after my last finals on Dec 20th my updates will return to be daily again.
Cheers,
Dave

**Zebz** · December 22nd, 2004, 01:18 PM

I'm waiting...

**o0Dave0o** · December 22nd, 2004, 10:33 PM

Haha, well i'm gonna have time to draw more later tonight, and scan some more but for your impatients

Heres, a page of skulls and eyes that I did, I think after a few more pages of those I might just get the hang of them! The top right skulll and one right below it were from ref.

Cheers, and I'll be updating hopefully a later tonight too!
Dave

Edit: the scan looks like crap I just realized, so I might rescan too

**Zebz** · December 22nd, 2004, 11:39 PM

Oooooo! These are lookin' uber nice, pal! Next you should try out some planar analysis of the face! Very, very cool stuff, bro. I can't wait for the extras! I'm gonna go draw and watch TV now. lol

**o0Dave0o** · December 24th, 2004, 03:32 AM

Hey thanks for the comment, those skulls went so well! I was going to post more last night but, I actually ended up partying a little too late

But I did get two pages done today. And a few really exciting things came out of them.

Nothing on this one was drawn from refrence, so I'm quite proud of that skull, and the eyes were a lot of fun, trying to put emotion in them without the rest of the face, I had a blast!

And then this one reminds me that I really need to get back to some figure drawing too...and yes I do realize that that body is half man and half femail

I realy liked how the starting of a sad face and the armor idea turned out though. Looking forward to more drawing tomorrow!

Cheers,
Dave

**Zebz** · December 12th, 2005, 02:22 AM

So did you give up? It's been a year... lol

Hope you're doin' well...

**o0Dave0o** · December 12th, 2005, 06:15 PM

Hey thanks for reviving this man...While it appears I have given up the sketchbook thread (man has it been a year???) but I sure have not given up drawing. THis past year I've been in the Fine Arts program at the University of Alberta working on painting, drawing and sculpting. If I get a chance maybe I'll post some of my stuff. When I look at this stuff it just reminds me of how far I have really come!