Sketchbook of Quinster

**Quinster** · May 28th, 2005, 02:15 AM

The first work I'll display is my comic. I've been working on a comic called "Sea of Kansas". Its my own story (my friend has helped me with the story-line) set in an alternative-universe with an early 1930's style to it. I just started to develop my own style in it and it seems to work out well. When people look at it they really like it (even though I've only fully finsihed 3 pages). This will prove to be a long project but I enjoy doing it. There will be a few concepts and pages displayed. I seem to ahve a problem with my people though, they don't appear very life-like. I have alot to learn...

A Very Early Rendition of the first page of the comic.

A penciled-in first page, almost finished.

A full picture of G-Man. His head, hands, legs and feet are out of proportion.

These are just some costume concepts. I've yet to do any for women.

Two villians I've created (that wont show up until later). One is still in the works.

These are 6 pages, only 3 are finished and the other are close to finsihed. I'm having a peticularly hard time on the city.

I need some tips (really need some on the city). I think its looking good but all my drawings are choppy. I want to do something to make them more life-like.

**Quinster** · June 7th, 2005, 11:35 PM

Why am I replying to myself?

**Quinster** · June 7th, 2005, 11:40 PM

Here is a picture never finished. I plan to someday soon. Its an interesting picture. I took time to make personalities for the people. It seems poorly drawn though (hands are crap, legs are really long).

This is a poorly drawn sketch of The Devil

and the Angel Gabriel

.

**Vague** · June 8th, 2005, 12:01 AM

the feet are always... always always always sticking out to the side... and the legs are always always always straight...real people dont stand like that, not even gangsters.

**bumskee** · June 8th, 2005, 12:05 AM

Suits and more suits.

One thing, I just noticed, why are all your drawing tilted to the right at around 5~15 degrees?? Some seems to be the scanning but some looks very tilted. A straight down the middle of your figure to check the weight might fix that issue.

As for drawing environments, perspective study will do you very good. It will help a lot with other stuff too. Don't stress too much about pencil rendering skills or sribbly lines, these will come naturally to you after a while. As long as you know it's something you know you want to improve on, I think you will do fine. Also study on anatomy?

**Quinster** · June 8th, 2005, 08:05 PM

Everything from the waist down sucks on my figures. I'm starting to use a skeleton model and add some muscle features. I drew this sketch last night and applied my new skill to it.

It looks better (I think?), but the feet are the devil! I'll have to redraw, and redraw until I get it right. This is for ART class so I'll ask my teacher what to do with the feet tomorrow.

**Unit18_Nate** · June 8th, 2005, 08:13 PM

I like "The Devil" a lot. Your style has potential but you need to work your anatomy more.

**Quinster** · June 9th, 2005, 04:53 PM

Heres a pic, just like the last one (I redrew it because I f***ed up the one above). G-Man looks too old in this one, but I think I fixed the feet? Hes also leaning too far back DAMNIT! I really have to work on this...

**Teigrob** · June 9th, 2005, 05:00 PM

I really like the fact that you're doing 'period' stuff! Costume studies, suits, hats...very cool. I know it's been said, but study the feet. (And hands) Try doing a page of your own feet (viewed from above, and in the mirror) and post it - I'd like to see how you do. The more you study something, the easier it is to draw out of your head - which I'm sure you know from studying all those wonderful costumes! (ps, especially like the piano player!) Anyway, good luck, and I'll keep an eye on this thread!

**Quinster** · June 9th, 2005, 05:22 PM

I tried to work on hands...not a very good job. This was from a couple weeks ago. I basically looked at my hands and tried to copy what I saw.

Heres a more recent pic. This one I think has the best work on hands and feet I've done.

Hmmmm, seems like when I try to hard my drawings tend to suck. When i just "freely" draw and not worry they tend to come out better.

Drawing gloved hands is alot of fun to me for some reason! I just really wanted to draw them, so I did. The wavy fingers thing didn't come out as well as I would have hoped

**bumskee** · June 9th, 2005, 06:21 PM

hey Quinster,

Looking a lot better!!, good hand studies. It's absolutely vital you get the proportionas right for the fingers, otherwise they look really weird.

I still think that last figure is slightly tilted but this time is actually balanced. One thing I do notice is your figures look much more well balanced when you don't draw the feet. as in the last two figures without the bottom half. They look really good. Try drawing your figures with help of some straight lines, on the feet and in the middle. You might want to check out some loomis books or anatomy books. It's getting better though.

cheers.

Min

**Teigrob** · June 9th, 2005, 06:25 PM

Bumskee's right, looking good. Still wanna see those feet though...

**Quinster** · June 9th, 2005, 06:27 PM

Feet, commin' right up! I'm drawing female costume concepts and since you girls love shoes...

**Quinster** · June 9th, 2005, 07:25 PM

Alright, I got two pictures with feet (I'm still working on this sketch). Wimsey's shoes arn't exactly the way I want them (I wanted a pointed toe) and it kinda got blurred out during the scanning...you can get the basic composure.

I'm really happy with the hand I drew for Wimsey

Its looks femmine and its very articulated. Exactly what I wanted. And yes...from now on I will use a straight line down the middle so they're not tilted or leaning. Sorry.

**Quinster** · June 10th, 2005, 07:02 PM

I've started on some more sketches. I redrew the one with G-Man holding a colt and a breifcase, it still sucks. I also have a new one: "A Toast, To the Traveling Salesman!" My friend suggested he should be holding a vacumn claner instead of a wine glass.Great idea she had! I'll try and impliment that.

hey Bumskee, I used your straight line down the middle technique. It really helped

**Teigrob** · June 11th, 2005, 03:17 AM

Shoes?? SHOES?!?! Hey, just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I like shoes.

Nasty bad things...pinch your toes and give you blisters - not to mention making you walk funny just to get male attention!

Gee, I think you actually managed to find and push a button I didn't know I had! Sorry about that.
Nah, what I meant was life drawings of bare, wigglin' toes dude. For instance, the first drawing of Whimsey with her foot pointed towards the viewer? Instead of looking coy and sexy, her leg looks broken! Gleep! Not what you want at all, I'm sure. That's where studying feet and ankles (and knees) comes in real handy - you learn how to twist the knee and feet accurately to get those nice, confindent poses. G-man with the gun now, is looking pretty good. Don't knock yourself! However, again with the left foot, it needs to be turned just a little bit towards the viewer to get a real sense of weight and volume. He's really solid and dimensional - until you get to that foot and it flattens the whole thing out.
Anyway, sorry for the long pontificating - hope it helps!

**bumskee** · June 11th, 2005, 05:41 AM

Teigrob has pointed out some interesting things, I also suffer from this, as I have been drawing upper half for sometime and only realised I can't seem to understand volume/weight/proportion of the bottom half. I really think it's all mental, we justify our mistakes or get used to the whole damn situation until someone points it out. But! having said that, the last figure is your best!, well balanced and weight seems to be distributed more correctly. The feet looks much better.

One thing I just did notice is your faces, most are 3/4 facing << this way. I know we all have our comfort zones, but this is the devil we all have to fight I think.

These are getting better!!

hope to see more.

Oh and about the shoes, I hate shoes myself, my feet just can not get used to them, lucky I don't have to wear them to work everyday.

**Quinster** · June 11th, 2005, 10:17 AM

Originally Posted by Teigrob

Instead of looking coy and sexy, her leg looks broken! Gleep!

*&^^%#$#$$%# LEGS!!!! I need to look at legs, muscle diagrams of legs. And you want bare feet eh? Well, I wont post until I get you both get feet to see(I'll do some legs while I'm at it)

By the way, Teigrob, how would you make Wimsey in that "coy and sexy" pose as you so well put it. Any examples of your own imagrey you can show me? I draw men too much damnit, when it comes to women they never seem to look feminine enough.

Well, I got alot of time to work on them feet today (Staurday School, forgot PE clothes for the 2nd time). So hopefully, when I get back, you'll have your feet.

**Teigrob** · June 11th, 2005, 03:23 PM

Ah - making me put my money where my mouth is, eh? Good for you! (sucks for me... just kidding!) Your women look feminine enough - very classy and beautiful, not the usual 'sex kitten'. Just that one leg - so, I did a drawing for you to illustrate what I meant.

Notice how you can't see the heel of the foot pointed towards you. I probably haven't turned the knee far enough, so I need to do more work too. In case you haven't figured it out yet, art is one long journey of ever perfecting oneself. ...dagnabbit.

**Quinster** · June 11th, 2005, 03:38 PM

BEHOLD! FEET! I did this in Staurday Shcool. I tried to draw some feet the best I could and as you cna see on the side I also drewa skeleton structure. Hopefully I can go buy a book on how to draw the anatomy at Boarders this weekend. Fortunatally, there was a kid with sandals on in class, so when I got stuck, I looked at his feet.

I redid G-Man's foot right here, its a little weird, I still ahve to fiddle with it a bit.

By the way, thanks for that drawing Teigrob! That really helps! Did you do that all for me? Awww I'm touched.

**Quinster** · June 11th, 2005, 08:05 PM

I redrew the 20's gals (and I'm pleased with the results).

I also did a revamp of the Traveling Salesman, now hes holding a vacuum cleaner

**mentler** · June 11th, 2005, 08:29 PM

Period clothing can be very intriguing ~~~ your pages look a little smudged ~~ it help to fix them even though they are in a sketchbook ~~~ try to get a little more variation in your line ~ think about what you are drawing and think about how it would feel to the touch and try to get your line to reflect that feeling.

**Quinster** · June 11th, 2005, 10:06 PM

Hmmm, thats a good suggestion with the line variations and all, mentler. I'll experiment with that. The smugging I'm still struggling with, but its much better than it was before.

**Alisa** · June 11th, 2005, 10:47 PM

I LOVE that dark one with the hat. I don't know if it's good or not, but the darker colored sketches seem to stand out more (ink or pen or something?) and they seem to look more 'finished.' I just like those a LOT...

**thebluepuppy** · June 11th, 2005, 10:55 PM

i think its great that your having fun but i would really work on your foundations if you wish to impove to a professional level.

**mentler** · June 11th, 2005, 11:08 PM

Let me just say one more thing about your current approach <> If you look at a line and say that is a good line so I am going to draw over it again <> you will never master this craft ()()() every time you go back through a drawing the new lines should be NEW Lines ()()()() You said something early in your thread that is dead wrong for the creative soul ~~~ you said I redrew these and I feel really good about the results ~~~ artist never feel really good about what they do ~~~ because if they stop moving forward ~~~~ Yes it is a curse and a blessing ~~~ no one understands us ~~~ and we have something no one else has!!! The ultimate irony~~~~

**Teigrob** · June 12th, 2005, 01:41 AM

Absolutely right - always always ALWAYS study! Whenever possible, draw from life. When not, draw from anatomy books - and THEN let the imagination fly! You got serious potential Quinster, hone it till you're the professional telling all the n00bs how to be good like you! (I'd really listen to the Bone Doctor - he's so good he's scary!) And now I want to see hands drawn from life! (doesn't want much, does she? Sheesh....) Keep it up!

**Quinster** · June 12th, 2005, 05:41 PM

[QUOTE=mentler]~~~ you said I redrew these and I feel really good about the results ~~~ artist never feel really good about what they do ~~~ because if they stop moving forward ~~~~ [QUOTE]

I think you mistook me there mentler, sorry. Really what I meant was I was pleased because it was better than the last one I did. That doesn't mean it ends there and I'm completely satisfied with my work, I'm never staisfied. Really, I think my drawings are crap because they lack something, some kind of more realistic effect. I can't really understand why people like my comic or my drawings so much. What is it about them? The comic I inplimented my own style for the first time with a kind of spooky, dark, scratchy looking image. I really don't get whats so great. Theres alot of other people on this site that are so good it makes me want to shoot myself. By the way, how old do you guys think I am? Professional level? Thats pretty damned high if you ask me, not something I can imagine reaching until I'm in my 20's. I'm just 15 (going to be 16 in August)! I've taught myself to draw since I could hold a marker, I only took one art class in my whole life for about 3 years on and off. But tell me, what makes you guys interested? What makes me "worthy"? I've just began to grasp what being an artist means (am I really considered an "artist"?). I must say though, I appriciate the support emenssly.

I always check to see if theres a new comment and try and take all your critiquing in. Keep it comin'!

Heres a drawing I did last night. I used that leg position you showed me Teigrob.Thank you so much! I tried to shade the full sketch of her in the middle, but it turned out to be crap.

By the way, Mentler, YOU ARE GOD!

(no offense god, but ya know-NO NOT THE LIGHTNING BOLT! GAHHHH!!!)

**Farvus** · June 13th, 2005, 07:25 AM

You're getting better

. I like this pose of a man with wine-glass.
I'd say the same that Mentler mentioned. When you put a line and repeat it few times the same way, you instantly treat it as final/finished. The form is kind of "closed" too early. I had the same problem and teacher in drawing class mentioned it to me. It's visible especially in life drawings and makes them a bit flat. In imagination drawing it's harder to see it.

Lots of studies/life drawings and it will look cool

.

**Quinster** · June 13th, 2005, 10:01 AM

Hmmm, so its all line variations? I never actually thought about it until mentler mentioned it. At the moment I'm really trying to work on the anatomy of my figures. My biggest challenges and are hands and feet. My ma is supposed to take me to borders today to go buy a book on how to draw the human anatomy. But on the part of line variations, mind showing me some examples? This doesn't really work unless I get a visual visual