raz is addicted to art

**razz** · May 29th, 2007, 03:04 PM

Good day to everyone.

I just thought it's a good idea to create a thread here today. The idea of creating it when I got better somehow became stupid, though I was thinking of that for some time now.
So, this thread of mine here is for critiques. The goal is improving my imaginational drawing/painting skills, which suck now btw.
The summer will soon be here and I'll have loads of free time to do studies, read art books, do some imaginational stuff and so on.
I have a sketchbook thread on cgtalk, but creating this to get more critiques, suggestions on my path.

Erm..just studies now, because I really don't have any imaginational work worth showing. First, is that I don't do imaginational stuff much and second, that it is waaayy more worse looking than my master studies. Those who have seen my thread on cgtalk will have seen these studies already, so I guess this is for the conceptart guys.

Here you go. After a variety of artists.

**Zoroko** · May 29th, 2007, 03:30 PM

You really have a good sense of color, I love the way you chose to go about painting it too. Very loose and expressive sometimes~

I like the wheelchair piece a lot, and I like the blues you put in the last piece~! Great work~

**Leo Snow** · May 29th, 2007, 03:31 PM

great lightings and very impressive works, man. i grab some to my reference-collection of fine art

.

**AK86** · May 29th, 2007, 03:55 PM

I totally agree with Zoroko. Your use of colour is very inspirational.

The last peice is my favourite, once again the use of colour has really got my taste buds going.

Please keep sharing your work.

**razz** · May 30th, 2007, 02:07 PM

Zoroko, thanks. Well I don't have much problem getting a pretty similar color to the one I see. Just a little thinking and it's there.

Leo Snow, thank you. I'll give you some links of the artists I did these studies after. That's what you should add to your reference-collection of fine art, hehe.

AK86, thanks. Glad you like them, man.

OK, I hope you all read that these pieces posted above are master studies or refed paintings, so none of them are my creations.

As I said, my imaginational stuff sucks hard and it looks ugly enough not to be showed, but despite all the shame I will do so, in order to improve.

As you see, this one is horrible. It's an older piece and it's from imagination, haha. I'm just stuck on how to improve my imaginational stuff. Don't know what would be better, do more studies or do more stuff from imagination, or do the equal amount of both. Mm, anyone?

**razz** · June 3rd, 2007, 05:35 AM

Remember about my master study. The greayscale is finished, I need to add color now, but this is taking me a long time. I mean, I haven't started doing that yet.
Now I got some 3d work to do, so not much time for drawing/painting, but will get back with an update as soon as I have more stuff to show.

**Rodimus25** · June 3rd, 2007, 05:41 AM

Sensational stuff here, really dig your paintings

**Mr-Joe** · June 3rd, 2007, 06:03 AM

The last master study is really great, What program and brushes are you using?
My suggestion to improve your drawings from imagination are to first figure out what it is you want to draw. You have to really imagine what it is you want to draw or paint before you can draw it. Its like copying a reference, you have all the information right infront of you, you just transfer it onto the paper. The same with drawing from imagination, you have to have all the information in your head, try to really put together a picture in your mind, figure out the whole composition, what the subject is, is it going to be a whole scene, or just a character, or an environment, choose your colors and try to see them in your mind, take alot of time and think it through, then start up the drawing/painting. Another suggestion would be to draw things from life, or study life if you cant draw it, just look at things and try to figure out why they look the way they do, how the light makes them look, all that kinda jazz. You might see something and get a great idea for a painting, then start working out all the details in your mind before you go at it. Also find some reference thats similar to your idea to give you more idea. Hope that makes sense or helps.

Great master studies!

Joe.

**razz** · June 18th, 2007, 05:59 AM

Rodimus, thank you! Painting is really what I have to work on more.

Mr-Joe, thanks for all the suggestions! Should really come in handy. Now I guess I only need time for painting and drawing. Doing these 3d visualisations now to get some $$, but hoping to quit it soon and devote the time for drawing and painting, yeah, haha!
I used Painter for all of these studies. For the last one, I used a custom made brush. Unfortunately I don't have it anymore, when I moved from Painter 9.5 to Painter X. As I remember, I made it from a brush of PS. It's one of Zhuzhu's brushes called "flat oils". I captured the dab in painter for the Chunky Oil Pastel with method set to 'cover' and subcategory to 'flat cover'. That's about it. For others I used a New Simple Water brush, again set to 'cover' and 'flat cover'.
Hope this helps.

Damn that work that doesn't leave me any time to draw or paint. Just found a little and tried to use it. So here's a little study in oils after Susan Lyon. Not very happy about it. As I said, I have to work on my painting skills a lot.
Apologies for the crappy foto

**DeJakhalz** · June 18th, 2007, 06:20 AM

Very expressive faces! You can really feel the life they were having

Keep drawing and studying! And dont worry about your skills, you got lots of skill.

**Call0ps** · June 18th, 2007, 06:24 AM

woah! great start, i love your master paintings they are phenomenal. keep it up, im just loving it

**Alex Baer** · June 18th, 2007, 03:26 PM

The one with the satyr is definately my favorite so far. I can't wait to see it in color! And don't be afraid to just draw whatever comes to your mind; it's almost impossible for a lot of people to draw exactly what they see in their imagination, so just draw and have fun!

**bakatron** · June 18th, 2007, 03:39 PM

man this stuff is literally god like!

**Dan Valkar** · June 18th, 2007, 08:09 PM

wow nice work dude....the satyrs r awesome........we want more

**ped454** · June 18th, 2007, 11:09 PM

amazing realism.

**Ionic** · June 21st, 2007, 11:12 PM

beautiful work

**van** · June 21st, 2007, 11:31 PM

Breathtaking.

**Delmar** · June 22nd, 2007, 07:00 AM

That´s really inspiring! Great use of colors.

But it´s true that if you stick with ref paintings all the time, the brain juice of creativity gets a little cramped.
Good techniques for getting stuff out of your subconscious is to do thumbnailing and quicksketching. Just drawing without thinking of what you draw. Sometimes it turnes out great, it relieves you from the constructional buildup.
Or just draw simple comic style or other styles, you know, stuff you usually don´t draw, just to get a different point of view.

Now i go and do some master studies.

and of course more please!!

**Vaejoun** · June 22nd, 2007, 11:38 AM

Man, you are good.
i love your stuff and I wish I could paint and use the colors like you do.

I copied some of your pics and try to paint them. ^^

**razz** · June 23rd, 2007, 02:58 PM

DeJakhalz, thanks. I don't have as much skills as I want to have. But that's a good thing I guess, mm?

Call0ps, glad you like them! I have really been doing a lot of studies after masters...

Dabaers, thanks. Well, I am having trouble coloring it, but will see what I can do when I have more time to sit to it. Interested myself to see it finished. Spent a lot of time on it already.

Bakatron, just studies if you ask me, haha.

Dan Valkar, thank you. I think I will be giving you more for years now.

Ped454, thanks!

Johngrello, glad you like it!

Van, thank you there!

Delmar, thanks a bunch! I've tried to draw thumbnails from imagination after readin your suggestion. With practise I'll have something worth showing, hehe.

Vaejoun, thank you. Don't copy my studies, copy master's pieces. I copied those which I like the most, like Sargent, Morgan Weistling, Zhaoming Wu. But don't forget imaginational work. I did and now I suck at it...Good luck to you!

Thank you again everyone for a warm welcome, the comments and crits. It means a lot. I will keep pushing my skills and I hope you'll be keeping an eye on my progress. Cheers!

Now some stuff. First some master studies done a while ago and the last one is a self portrait from life, using a mirror, done today. I know the colors suck. That's because I messed them up at the very start. So you see what happens. My second try should be better.

By the way, I was hoping to joing some activity around here. Maybe a teen challenge or something. What would you suggest to push my imaginational drawing/painting skills?

**Mr-Joe** · June 23rd, 2007, 03:11 PM

Hey nice updates Razz, Thanks for all the brush info, much appreciated.

Good techniques for getting stuff out of your subconscious is to do thumbnailing and quicksketching. Just drawing without thinking of what you draw. Sometimes it turnes out great, it relieves you from the constructional buildup.

(Delmar said this) , I like the way you put that,

This is so very true, Today I was at work, and I'm horrible with quick imagination sketches, and i think i figured out its because i'm always trying to build things up with blocks and shapes instead of just stop thinking and throw down some lines then find an image to draw. I'm always thinking about "what I want to draw" too much, and that thought processes doesn't help me do any kind of quick sketching.

I'd like to see you post some of your sketches and imagination stuff.

Hey take care,

Joe.

**deadred** · June 26th, 2007, 08:41 PM

very nice portraits! i like the way you handle color and the way you capture facial expressions. looking forward to more

**Gigem** · June 28th, 2007, 05:28 PM

Hey man, it's really cool! I like your expressive brush strokes and color

**Quinster** · June 28th, 2007, 06:11 PM

Wow, your studies are fantastic! You have a real good eye for color. I'd like to see more drawings from your head, however. I liked the style you used on the one picture you posted that was drawn from your head. It had a classical appeal to it. Reminded me of the early 19th century.

**Coleb** · June 28th, 2007, 06:46 PM

Well if your painting sucks, can I suck too someday? Please? The brushwork and luminosity are gorgeous. I really see the Sargent.

Please post more soon.

**Dile_** · June 28th, 2007, 07:59 PM

"a teenchallenge or something" huh ? I must ask how old are you ?! If you are under 18 ... then i dunno what to say...

pld:

Great stuff, awesome stuff even if you would be 50 ... so anyways.. keep posting

-Dile

**Jonas Heirwegh** · June 28th, 2007, 08:03 PM

Damn, 5 stars from me!

**N A Johnson** · June 29th, 2007, 12:01 AM

Dude.... you rock! Really digging those studies.

Thanks for commenting in my sb.

**bumskee** · June 29th, 2007, 01:29 AM

razzzzzz, nice to see here mate!

and lovely studies, they pay off dude. and considering how young you are.. *sigh* just keep doing what you are doing. But from time to time try and apply your studies to your creative drawings too.

cheers, Min

**ccsears** · June 29th, 2007, 02:32 AM

I like these a lot. especially the last head in your first post (the old man); there's something unconventional in the proportions, and the color is great.

the master study is very well done also.

nice job. keep it up.