SketChumble *** Update 5/16/07 = More life-drawing, and one really bad drawing.

**chumble spuzz** · November 12th, 2006, 05:01 AM

After seeing my friend, Teigrob's sketchbook thread, and what it's become (hoo, boy) I thought, what better way to get into the habit of drawing all the freakin' time? Especially since I've fallen into something of a slump lately, what with all the 3D stuff I do at work. Not much time for the ol' sketchbook anymore, and much to my suprise, when all of a sudden one day I found I wasn't as good as I remember being six months ago...

And so, with this thread I pledge to the best of my human ability to draw and draw and draw, until my hand becomes a claw. But not to that end, of course.

Hopefully I can get this attachment manager thing to work out...I may need some help. There should be (that is, I'd like for there to be) fifteen sketches in this post. Crossing fingers...now.

EDIT: Hey, it works! Unfortunatley, I can't comment on individual images as they appear in order. Next post I'll try the photobucket approach--that is, unless that's frowned upon in these parts...not sure why it would be...I'm such a noob.

So, anyway, you may notice some of my characters mimic Teigrob's style rather blatantly: this is intentional; we are in cahoots. I needs to learn her style so's I can animate proper. The crows are not from reference, except the big crow, inside of which i drew three beaks. The scorpion is for a CGtalk Unofficial Game Art Challenge that I may not finish because recently it has come to my attention that drawing is very important. Gotta get my priorities straight! Let's see what am I forgetting...the tyrannosaurus' eyes are adorable. Nintendo is awesome. Socktopus tastes like underwear...I assume.

EDIT: select drawings removed/replaced.

**chumble spuzz** · November 12th, 2006, 04:49 PM

Dinosaurs are freakin' sweet.

Triceratops and Pterodactyl are researched, Tyrannosaurus and Allosaurus are not so much as they are from "memory." (I was the second grader who could pronounce "Pachycephalosaurus" and knew what it meant

).

**Camara** · November 12th, 2006, 07:12 PM

Pachycephalosaurus, i loved that dinosaur when i was a child!!!I still loving dinosaurs (you have seen my blue-kind-of-dinosaur in my sketchbook)!I love your style,that small cat-boy is soooo sweet!I want to see him fighting a great Allosaurus!YOur birds are coll too and....well...everything is cool here in your SB.

**chumble spuzz** · November 13th, 2006, 12:04 AM

Thanks Camara! I was actually kind of amazed that the birds turned out so...decent.

But I do have a lot of crows around where I live, and I watch them whenever I hear them. I love it when they caw, because they hunch their shoulders up like some kind of cranky old man. And when they walk, they kind of hop-limp. It's cool. I like crows. Except when the dive at me.

And now, I present squirrel-boy (not cat

) VS Allosaurus, as per Camara's request. Sorry, I kinda skimped out on it. There was already huge-muscle guy and Freakazoid on the page, so I was running out of room.

And a fat old dragon with a rockin' combover.

Now, who's brain has a chocolate coating?

**Teigrob** · November 13th, 2006, 01:04 AM

HAH!

I love it! hehe, Squirrel boy versus allosaurus...that's great.

Hey dude, great to see you got your own sketchbook up and running. Look forward to seeing many more drawings here!

**canned_fruit** · November 13th, 2006, 02:47 AM

Hehe, good stuff, lots of imagination. Good luck!

**Camara** · November 13th, 2006, 05:00 AM

Squirrel-boy,is my hero!He is so.....alive!!Hahaha,good to see Freakazoid here.I watched him on TV when I was a teenager here in Spain (in english,of course,in Cartoon Network).

**chumble spuzz** · November 15th, 2006, 02:09 AM

canned_fruit: Thanks, good to know mine still works!

Camara: Alive?! That's the best thing you can ever say to anyone, ever. Thank you.

And Freakazoid was totally awesome.

Had an idea for a short animation, so I sketched out the wanderings of my brains. Now I need Flash so I can animate it.

(30-day trial to the rescue?) And just to clarify, Esther has eye lasers, and she labels things with them. She's lasering the the word "pencil" on the pencil.

Also had an urge to draw hands last night (thank you, Teigrob), but alas, it was late and I didn't want to get my sketchbook out lest I fall prey to my own imagination and end up drawing until fifteen-past-who-knows-when and get to work later than would be wordlessly excusable the following morning. But darned if it wasn't a nasty itch, so here's a quick MS Paint sketch of my hand.

**chumble spuzz** · December 12th, 2006, 02:10 AM

Ah, nothing like a good hiatus to help me forget what I'm doing!

Finally, I made it (by force of friends--thank you) to life drawing early enough to get some gestures done. Next time I need to cowboy up and use a darker lead--no more of this sissy HB stuff. 3B at least!

Kentucky: Sorry for making you look like the Toxic Avenger...

I needs to work on faces...

Yes, that's a sniper-femur.

And finally, sumbliminally inspired cartoon characters paying homestarrunner homage, and some more dinosaurs for good measure. Yay, dinosaurs!

Oh, and a fish.

**Teigrob** · December 12th, 2006, 12:21 PM

Hey, great job on Kentucky shooting a femur-sniper.

But do I really look like that?

(just put you on the spot...)

Those cartoon dudes look more like Mario Brothers inspired than Homestar Runner...but then, I haven't seen a lot of Homestar. Regardless, nice expressions.

**chumble spuzz** · December 12th, 2006, 04:34 PM

I was afraid you were going to ask me that...

But honestly, as I was finishing up that sketch, I was noticing a few things that were off. For example, I don't suppose your left thigh has twice the circumference of your right...

As for the "Mario" dudes, the quote at the top of the page ("What did I say?!" "...to make good graphics..." such a hilarious clip...) is from Homestar Runner, which is the homage I referred to previously.

**chumble spuzz** · February 16th, 2007, 01:31 AM

Sheesh, has it been two months? I could admit to slacking off...but instead, I'm just going to blame the holiday season.

So I finally made it to a life drawing session at the old AI-of-S when the life drawing class was actually happening. Tuesday I went and found the room empty, much to my dismay, especially since I had put so much effort as to actually attend...but I digress.

Here's some weird lizards, the other guy who was at the session, and the naked old man we were drawing:

That dragon has a camel-face.

And here's this tree I drew a while ago. I thought it was really something, so I decided I'd try to paint it. Grass is pretty annoying when you want to go fast, but I guess that's where I should've learned a lesson in patience or something grown-up like that.

**J.Willis** · February 17th, 2007, 12:35 AM

Nice update.

I'm really liking the dragon as it has more personality than your model did. I take it they were doing the same ol' same ol' poses that are so..... unanimated?

Anyway, look forward to seeing more from you.

p.s. Teigrob is thinking I should do more modeling for you all..... something about a vulture pose and a tree.... don't ask.

**chumble spuzz** · February 17th, 2007, 04:50 AM

Yeah, this guy isn't one of the better models. He remarked insincerely that I was trying to "wear him out" when I mentioned 30-second gestures. Criminy.

And yeah, you should model for us more.

You know some pretty awesome poses. Drawing martial arts is never not cool.

**Teigrob** · February 17th, 2007, 01:48 PM

Nice lines chumble.

Your life drawing is really nice (even if the poses ain't that great). And I simply LOVE the dragon! Hehe, I don't care if he does have a 'camel face', he's cute.

I'll see about Kentucky posing for us next meet.

should be fun!

**chumble spuzz** · February 19th, 2007, 11:16 PM

Thanks, Tei.

Yeah, maybe we'll give him a real gun for his sniper pose this time, instead of a human leg.

Or a cat. That'd be fun. To watch.

**chumble spuzz** · February 28th, 2007, 02:03 AM

Okay, time for a mediocre update.

I had a time trying to get some of these poses on paper, I tell ya. The small one turned out okay, and the psuedo-ballet-stretch pose. Other than that, it was nothing but pain and frustration! But no pain, no gain, as they say. I'll be back next week.

There's a curious warrior on this page, inspired by some of Tracy J. Butler's humanoid work. Just wanted to see if I could. Looks kinda like I can.

Except I forgot to draw in the most of his cape.

**paperX** · February 28th, 2007, 09:18 AM

you're working quite hard man

love all the gesture work...keep up the great updates

**Exocentric** · February 28th, 2007, 05:08 PM

I'm enjoying the figure studies a lot. Are these from models or reference or what? Sorry if you said that already and I just missed it while reading.
Haha, I enjoyed the HSR reference...great, great stuff. I'm a regular sbemail checker.

**chumble spuzz** · February 28th, 2007, 07:32 PM

paperX: thanks!

Exocentric: Yes, these are live models. Except the stuff that...well, obviously isn't.

**chumble spuzz** · March 3rd, 2007, 05:27 AM

Alrighty. My mark-making was much better on Thursday, but unfortunately I decided it would be a good idea to draw tiny arms and enormous legs.

Kinda sucks because these were some killer poses.

Another thing I gotta work on: filling pages. I cringe inside when I see that one of my pages has a big open spot...

Those finger-things she had on were somehow easier to draw than normal fingers. Probably because I like long, swoopy lines, and fingers aren't normally swoopy. Long, perhaps, but never swoopy. At least that I've seen.

See what I mean? Awesome poses, TINY STINKIN' ARMS.

Also, heads. I think I'm drawing the heads too small...

**J.Willis** · March 5th, 2007, 03:59 PM

Nice update going again. Making me jealous at going to life drawing especially since it seems the models are better than what they use to be for posing. Keep at it and as always keep going back to the basics or master copies with focus on what you feel is in need of help.

**chumble spuzz** · March 7th, 2007, 02:08 AM

Thanks, Kentucky. Yeah, these models were better. It's just that old guy who's kinda lazy.

I focused on heads and hands at tonights session. I'm starting to get back into the swing of things.

I also needed to use at least one page as an imagination excersize. It's a little broke at the moment, it looks like. I managed to get my hands on Secret of Monkey Island for the PC--hence the pirates. Awesome game, if a little dated. "The Swordmaster says you can go jump in the lake, by the way."

The close-up pirate's eyes are a little wonky, but I think with some counseling, I'll come to forgive myself. But not until I was just about finished did I realize that I pretty much drew the same expression twice on the same page.

I only hope life will still go on. The bored girl was inspired by some of nilaffle's sketches.

No time = No mouth.

**paperX** · March 7th, 2007, 05:51 AM

hey man great update! really like the expressions you give your character's faces, keep up the great work

**sketcheth** · March 7th, 2007, 08:15 PM

First off, your figure studies are beautiful. I need to work like that...really very nice. Ooh...very nice.
Are these from live models or do you have an alternate source? I love the fact that they're just 10 minuters, you really lay down a great range of shade in these with just the quick scribbling. What I want to know is how you seem to get it right in so few strokes! Brilliant work, man.
The pirates and the study of just the arms and the hat are my favorites.

**xXMizu_NinjaXx** · March 7th, 2007, 10:47 PM

Nice studies, I'm loving the tree on top of the hill. Reminds me of some of the environment from games from back in the day like Final Fantasy and shit. I'm really lovin your work hope to see more...so keep at it

**chumble spuzz** · March 14th, 2007, 01:26 AM

PaperX: Thanks! Nothing complements a great pose like the right expression. (Now if I could just draw a great pose...)

Sketcheth: Thanks, and yes, these are live models (except the page with the pirates). Now, I don't know if I got my last drawings right exactly, but one of my life drawing instructors told me that it's important to be confident in one's markmaking--don't sheepishly scrub a line across your drawing, make a bold line that says "Hey, I belong here!" That sounds retarded, but it's true. Also, I remember from a "how to draw comics" magazine article that when lines have weight in the right places (usually either on the bottom of a limb, like the tricep of an outstretched arm; slightly off-center of the bulge of a muscle; or on a bone), they can help convey form and weight rather than just a boundary. Also--not that my last post was that great an example--when done right, they look awesome.

And everyone wants their stuff to look awesome, right?

xXMizu_NinjaXx: Thanks, I wish I had more time to paint.

Alrighty. Time for a lame update. My sister kept sending me links to pictures of all sorts of different people over MSN today, and one of them was William Tecumseh Sherman. Long story short, I could not pass up the opportunity to try to capture (and slightly manipulate) his magnificently stern expression.

**paperX** · March 14th, 2007, 07:32 AM

haha thats pretty funny, u ever thought about trying some caricature? i reckon you'd be awesome at it

**chumble spuzz** · March 26th, 2007, 12:43 AM

paperX: Thanks, caricature has always looked like fun to me. I've got a book of expressions on the way, so I'll be able to face it all up in here--and maybe animate a few reactions, if I can get my stupid tablet to work...

I've waited almost a whole week to post this update. Not because I wanted to, but because I just couldn't post. It was a little bit frustrating, but at last, here it is.

Further studies on heads and hands! The model last week was kind enough to help me focus on these particular parts--almost too well, in fact. But I was thankful nonetheless, and managed to get two good drawings out of the experience, not to mention some much-needed excersize.

Making special appearances are Superman, because I thought I'd give him a shot, and Charles Xavier, albeit totally by accident.

Didn't get very far--the next pose was starting. I need to learn me some more better perspective.

meh.

better...

Yes! ...well, except the mouth...

And finally, one of the highlights of a recent family outing. I didn't have my sketchbook at the time, and my sister couldn't get a decent photograph of her, so I promised to draw her as best I could from memory:

**nilaffle** · March 26th, 2007, 06:30 AM

Hahaha you come across some interesting characters at Appleby's.

Awesome figures, especially in this last update. Ah what do I say, the lines, the hands, the expressions, everything's so full of life. You communicate movement and weight so easily. And that goes for your characters too. Can't wait to see more!