The Sketchbook of None

[hergo]

Well, I finally got myself to do it, I finally started my own sketchbook. I’ve been around for quite a while, but I never succeeded at making myself grab a pencil and start drawing in a regular basis (nor at not throwing the sketches away after finishing them either), but what I saw in the sketchbooks here gave me some hope and helped me get started (that and the fact that some friends, some light-years ahead of me, started one themselves), so now you’ll have to suffer me (so will them… buenas Vico,… Fede…).

Anyway, here you have it, the first six pages of my sketchbook. I’ve been adding scrawls (funny word) to each and every of the pages from time to time, so it took me a couple of weeks to fill them enough so to scan and upload them. Most certainly, the same will apply to future uploads, so by no mean assume this to be a daily sketchbook, please, don’t make that mistake…

Ok, enough gibberish, enjoy…


Left hand studies


Self-portraits attempts


Figure base-line studies, no refs (just got started on my Loomis books)




Figure and pose studies, no refs


Right hand studies

Oh, I was forgetting; C&C are more than welcome...

[archipelago]

nice start man! just keep on doing this and you will see improvement in no time!

although, drawing hands from life is much much better than from photos, keep that in mind!

[hergo]

Thanks for the comment, I will try to keep the pace...

And the hand studies ARE form life references, my hands... that's why all the right hands have a pencil on them, that's what I was using... The left ones are just holding props...

[hergo]

Well, somehow I managed to upload two days in a row, who would’ve said so… I did this random pose studies to kill some dead time I had today. Different B graphite pencils, no refs… I should start collecting some magazine photos to use as references, shouldn’t I?… Anyhow, something IS something…



C&C strongly encouraged…

[White Rose]

if you really want ciritiques on certain pictures.. you can always post them in the ciritique thread.. and posting it here helps to..well for starters

your figures..are very out of porprtion...
if you get any anatomy books.. like loomis. (you can find the link somewhere if you search for it) loomis has a section dedicated to porptions.

also.. the figures look very stiff.

[entdroid]

Well, look who finally decided to show up!!!
It was about time, you lazy bum!
But what the hell is that rubbish about not making this a daily sketchbook? Ok, ok, I won't put you under soooo much pressure, but if you don't make at least weekly updates, I will annoy you soooooooo much that you WILL PREFER TO DRAW, haha.
As far as crits go, here's my two cents:
I think you really need to losen up, give that poor pencil a break and don't press it so much.
And I think you should start working bigger (y con lápices más largos, será todo lo gracioso/pintoresco/ahorrativo que quieras lo de usar lapicitos minúsculos, pero no creo que te ayude mucho a la hora de ser preciso con las líneas).
Btw, fedezz and myself have a really cool book here, it's called "Drawing from the right side of the brain" (suena a jipeada desagradable, pero está bueno), and you are SO going to borrow it from us! I think it could really be a good complement to the Loomis book (the one you've got is "Figure drawing...", right?).
Well, that's all I can think of right now. ¡Ya volveré a fastidiarte!
Saludetes!

vico

PS: wtf is a "scrawl" anyway?

[Diego]

You have a nice path going on so far, with life drawings and loomis', just keep at it. Don't rush it, learn from whatever you're drawing, learn to really see, check the lines you're putting on the paper, double check if necessary.
Make sure you do it as much as you can while drawing, not just copy, that won't help you.

Bueno, espero ver mas de tus dibujos y que sigas progresando.
Saludos.

-Diego

[hergo]

Well, here you have a small update, just some random figure studies… But first, lets answer your posts:

White Rose: Thanks for posting. Yes, I noticed how I’m losing the proportions, and yes, I have a Loomis book and I’m gonna get into it right now, just wanted to get some rhythm first. Oh, and the stiffness thing, well… first proportions, then I’ll get into some motion feeling.

Entdroid: Well, weekly seems to be alright by me… I’m trying to loosen up but it’s hard to go against so many years of staving papers with the pencil. El tema de los lápices no es por gracioso ni nada, simplemente me son más cómodos. Igual, voy a estrenar los lápices que me regalaron, al menos cuando labure en mi casa, me da cosa sacarlos…
Yes, I have “Figure drawing…”, but I also have the other Loomis books, though I’m not sure I have them all. Anyways, any book you are willing to lend me, well, I’ll much appreciate it,… and read it, of course…
And scrawl means “garabato”.

Diego: Thanks a lot for your comment, I really appreciate it. Nice sketchbook you have there, I couldn’t see it all through, but as soon as I can I’ll do that and drop you some lines. Nuevamente, gracias.



Done from photo reference, at least the three big ones


No refs, just fooling around in some dead time between classes


Some drawing I did while waiting for the bus to start its way to Venado Tuerto (a sort of long distance journey). Both the pencils I took with me had their tips broken, so I had to work with a pencil which representation you can see there. That’s its actual size (éste sí es gracioso y pintoresco, pero no lo uso… salvo extrema necesidad… es que es taaan tierno…).

Ok, that’s it, I hope to have some more consistent work next time. As always, C&C are welcome.

[entdroid]

¿"Scrawl"? Pensé que garabato era "doodle".
Los dibujos con referencia son una gran mejora. En particular, fijate que en los pliegues de la ropa, nunca vas a encontrar esas "embolsadas" que tendés a hacer cuando dibujás de memoria (me refiero a esos que pueden verse en la segunda imagen, en el chabón con el casco).
Two advices:
1-Get an effing mechanical pencil!
2-Try drawing some naked people (or at least, less clothed, with bathing suits or underwear), it helps to understand how the body works.
I'll give you the book next time you come. Pleaaaaase remind me to do it, or I'll probably forget, you know how unrealiable my memory is. And btw, is not meant so much for you to read it, as it is for you to do its exercises.
Keep those studies coming!

Saludetes, se vemo!
Vico

[hergo]

Vico: Mira vos, buscando la definición de «scrawl» encontré que se refiere a escritura, no dibujo… así que me mande un moco… bue…
1- I bought a new mechanical pencil, are you happy now? (effing, didn’t know that word… sweet)
2- Yes, I’ve been looking for photo references of naked or semi-naked people, but I don’t have any, not printed that is… (eso no suena bien… pero hey! tengo internet coño… Bue, después le saco alguna de las «Gente» o «Caras» a mi abuela, mucha trola en bikini en esas…).

Well, I’m gonna cheat a little… Here you have some of the work I’ve done for my illustration class.


This one was meant as a header for a “Pez” song called “Siesta”, done in watercolors


And this one is supposed to work as a frame to an extract from H.P. Lovecraft’s “Call of Cthulhu”, done in… mmmm… “tiza pastel”… how do you call those in English?




Now, this two are the color and black and white versions of a comic we had to do as advertisement to a product of our choice. The general lines were done in ink, then I scanned and printed so to paint them safely, the color one I did with watercolors, while the b&w is done in “aguada”… watered down ink?



Finally, this two are some sketches I did today while traveling by bus… Rosario urban transportation… More or less like drawing during an earthquake… 9.0 in the richter scale… Anyways, it was fun…

Not much to C&C, but if you feel like it,... be my guest...

[fedezz]

Yo, wassapenin!
Just for the record, "tizas pastel" are called pastel chalks, and "aguada" is inkwash. If you want some reference, try the photography section here at ca, they have a subforum called "reference". Your studies from ref are waaay better than those from imagination, so... do lots of referenced studies!! What else.... yes, stop killing that pencil, you're pressing its tip too hard. Switch to mechanical, 2b lead or domenthing like that, and maybe work bigger. That oughta help.
The zombies need more gore, some paint splatter maybe, but that's just a matter of taste.
And just because I love this smiley---------->
That's all for the moment.

Keep drawing biatch!

[entdroid]

Heyyyy...
I like to see you updating often, keep it that way!
That last frame of the comic desperately needs different values. My brain keeps hurting from trying to understand if the zombies are outside of a bar or in a theater or something: bring the front wall to (valga la redundancia) the front by using a lighter value (o las otras más oscuras, se entiende).
Also, you may want to check this tutorial which is AWSOME for understanding a bit more on color and shadow (every time I check it, I learn something new): http://itchstudios.com/psg/art_tut.htm
And this post about edges is great too: http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=51913

Hope it helps, keep updating! (or suffer, muahaha!!!)

Saludos!
vico

PS: lo de scrawl... en tu cara!!!! jejeje

[surfacemonkey]

nice start to a sketchbook.

One suggestion i have, is to add also a "wet" element to your sketching. like ink pens.

I think that drawing with a pen will help you commit to your lines more, and use less pressure.

swapping back and forth between pencil and pen helped me a lot.

just my 2 cents.

[hergo]

fedezz: Well, I’m working with a mechanical pencil, 2B since is the one I feel more comfortable with… but still can’t help stabbing the paper… I’ll try working bigger,…

entdroid: Ok, I’m updating, you see… don’t hit me… Thanks for the tutorial, I’ll give it a deeper look as soon as I can. Oh, and I never argued about the word “scrawl”… so… ¿en mi cara qué?

surfacemonkey: Thanks for the comment and the advise, I’ll do that as soon as I get my pen back, shouldn’t have lend the only one I had…

Well, here you have a sorry excuse of an update, all from photo references, all in mechanical 2B pencil. The last one I just couldn’t get right, I must have screw it with the pose, for the arms in the picture were even longer… I’ll have a go at it again some day…

[entdroid]

Update! Así me gusta!
These are looking so much better! The foldings and proportions are really improving.
But try to define the shapes with one line, (no pasés mil veces el lápiz por el mismo lugar, quiero decir).
Watch the arms (a bit thin) and the feet (you tend to do them really tiny).
Lo del scrawl... era para fastidiarte nomás, jeje.
And work BIGGER!!!

Saludetes, pascual!
Vico