nilaffle's sketchbook - Sketching around Los Angeles... (October 30, 2011)

**nilaffle** · May 1st, 2007, 09:09 PM

Hey guys, thanks for visiting and leaving such awesome comments. I'm under the weather tonight so I'm just gonna dump real quick and go. But I'll be visiting sketchbooks in the near future.

Okay so I haven't been drawing too much lately, in fact a coupla these are from two weeks ago and the rest have just been done in the last few days. :p I went to the zoo on Sunday (and apparently missed the female model at MCC, boo!). I love zoo trips cuz it's a great opportunity to practice drawing from life quickly - damn restless animals. I'm still learning how to capture movement, and also I was playing around with different media to see which one was most comfortable for this kinda sketching.

Oh, and a coupla character designs.

Next week it may be a farm trip... horses! Hoping to try some horse skeleton studies beforehand so I'm prepared.

So here we go.

- My niece, from a coupla weeks ago
- Back to bird studies
- Wing study
- First zoo sketch, a Maned Wolf (why the legs are so long). He was kinda shy... and smelly.
- Scimitar-Horned Oryx
- Asian Elephant. Tried nupastel... not a huge fan.
- Przewalski's Horse - omfg how do you pronounce that word?? Tried Sharpie with that one.
- Back to pencil with the small mammals: Mongoose and Meerkat
- African Lion - I swear he stayed in that position the whole time we were in the big cat area.
- Tiger cubs. That's all I'm saying.
- Trying out my battle nun again :p
- Also thought I'd give this week's CHOW a go - modern Red Riding Hood. This is a young werewolf hunter with a red hoodie. But I don't think she's sexy enough so... I might redo.

**scottmcd** · May 1st, 2007, 10:51 PM

Nice animals, and a great expression on you're niece.

The female model will be back not this weekend but the next one. I'm not sure if I'll be able to make that one or not. Hope so. This coming weekend probably won't happen.

The zoo is a great idea! Maybe I can take my daughter and my sketchbook at the same time. At the rate she'll be wanting to go, everything will be a gesture.

PS - A Battle Nun is probably the single most original concept I've seen on these boards. lol

**Kvick** · May 1st, 2007, 11:50 PM

Those animals are great, wish I had a zoo near where I live

.

**KromNz** · May 2nd, 2007, 12:00 AM

I think you are doing great man!!! keep updating.

**Hyptosis** · May 2nd, 2007, 07:18 PM

Gorgeous work, another SB I must now stalk. Keep it up. =]

**Kat_Warrior** · May 2nd, 2007, 10:18 PM

Loving the attitude on the gun girl there!

Lovely animal studies. I'd like to do that someday as well.

**Dreamworker** · May 3rd, 2007, 04:10 AM

Very good animal drawings in the last update! I like the line flow in this studies
Keep it up ciao

**pennington** · May 3rd, 2007, 01:22 PM

hey my mom has a pot exactly like this, crazy. i love the zoo sketches and the bird studies. where do you get the refs btw? ridinghood is cute, well a little scary, but cute still

oh yeah draw more.

**TheGnoll** · May 3rd, 2007, 01:40 PM

excellent work lady...good to see lots o'stuff in here.Make this sketchbook grow and keep up those good studies

i actually like your anteaters

keep sharing

ciao

**nilaffle** · May 5th, 2007, 03:58 PM

scottmcd: Thanks!

Oh sweet, we're not gonna be at the session this weekend (again hahaha) so maybe we'll get there next weekend. Hope to see you there! LOL you should definitely try sketching at the zoo if you get a chance. A lady there was telling us that to get the animals before they really get active, it's best to go early in the morning. I'm not sure about the times but the small mammal house opens at 8:30....

Hahah I wish I could take credit for the nun, she's for a friend's original character club. But the idea really amuses me.

Kvick: Thanks for visiting! Ugh that sucks that you don't have a zoo close by. Curses!

KromNz: Thanks!

Hyptosis: Lol thanks!

Always glad to have new visitors.

Kat Warrior: Thanks! Definitely, if you ever get the opportunity, try sketching at a zoo or farm.

It's an awesome exercise (if you don't mind chasing animals around, hah).

Dreamworker: Thanks!

pennington: Lol that's awesome. Thanks! Seriously I just went to Google images and looked up bird skeletons. Occasionally I find a few images that are detailed enough to work. Hahah cute and scary... my favorite combination.

Thanks!

TheGnoll: Haha thanks!

I'm glad you like the anteaters.

****

Only one image this update, omg! Haha this is my final for this week's CHOW: Modern Day Red Riding Hood. I don't paint digitally much so I just kinda... selected some brushes and hoped for the best lol. Crit away, I'm still learning how to paint! Oh right I'm supposed to be doing color exercises.....

**artmessiah** · May 5th, 2007, 09:46 PM

Wow Nilah nice update ^^

Makes me want to break out the digital pen and get ta working. Post another

**WOC** · May 5th, 2007, 10:10 PM

nice stuff.
Your sketching is loose and descriptive, with a good use of mark-making.
Check out the sketch books of Rembrant- Brilliant work. He could define forms and movement, with a complete economy of line. I think it would help in your direction.

Keep it up.

WOC
http://www.wocstudios.com/

**sciboy** · May 5th, 2007, 10:12 PM

*ahem* W00T!

**nilaffle** · May 6th, 2007, 07:14 PM

artmessiah: Thanks dude

you should! As for me I'll try to keep things rolling here, haha.

WOC: Wow, thanks. I don't think I've ever seen Rembrandt's sketches, I'll check 'em out. I'd like to have a better idea of how proper sketches should look.

sciboy: LOL

I went to a farm with blu-grrl today. Suffered terrible sinus pressure from allergies and horse snot on my shirt, but it was worth it. Admittedly I didn't think we'd get much done because it's tough drawing live animals. But this was way better than the zoo since we could sit in the pasture with the horses (hence the horse snot :p).

**Jazz** · May 7th, 2007, 05:41 PM

Cool!! Hee hee! The nuzzling horses are sweet! I can see some affection there!!

That's great practice!!

Yuck about the snot. o_o Heh! But yay for being so close to the horses!

**Asatira** · May 7th, 2007, 05:59 PM

Very cool stuff. I like the maned wolf sketches. I've seen 'em, and I don't know why they're so long legged either.

I like your version of Little Red Riding-hood; definately knows how to handle herself.

**maxetormer** · May 10th, 2007, 02:53 AM

You really have knack for faces and animals,
those are rare treats among draftsmen,
just hone your anatomy and perspective
skills and you will be set to take over the world.

**Dreamworker** · May 10th, 2007, 04:51 AM

Very nice updates! I love the colors of the girl in reply #100, very good painting.
Cheers

**longwrat** · May 11th, 2007, 10:48 AM

I very much like those zoo and farm sketches! Cute mongoose ^^ (ee and the miniature horses grooming each other!!)
The painting of Red riding hood is good, I'm a fan of muted colours so if you were heading for that effect it came out quite well. It was a bit hard to tell it was the wolf in the back before I realised she was Red riding hood though. If his head was in view I think it would have been easier.

**Peter Berkovski** · May 11th, 2007, 12:29 PM

Wow amazing stuff going on this thread, i love your style nilaffle
Keep posting

**Hyptosis** · May 11th, 2007, 02:27 PM

awesome work as usual, keep it up =]

**chumble spuzz** · May 15th, 2007, 03:15 AM

Hey, haven't been here in a while. Your animal sketches and life drawings are looking great, keep up the good work! Be careful not to let the curvature of the outline betray your perception of anatomy--there's an ankle or two up there I saw that looked a little wobbly. Always remember: them's bones under there.

By the way, your horse picture made me think of this:

Just thought I'd share that.

**Shantih** · May 15th, 2007, 09:44 AM

I really love your animal studies. I can't say I've wound up snot covered from drawing horses, but I did stop paying attention once and snapped back to reality to discover one thought my hair was hay

I agree with chumble spuzz that there's not much in the way of bone structure going on with the horses, but it's still pretty good. I'd try doing some muscle and bone studies, then going back and trying it again.

**chumble spuzz** · May 15th, 2007, 02:58 PM

Maybe I should clarify: I meant the bone structure of your live model drawings, specifically towards the bottom of post #69--but looks like you re-drew him a couple times (with considerable improvement), now that I look at it again. I actually thought your (nilaffle's) horses were pretty sweet.

Wow, after checking out your sketchbook, Shantih, I must say you know what you're talking about regarding horses. Now I see what you mean. Yay for learning!

(Sorry for any confusion!)

**Blythe** · May 18th, 2007, 07:39 PM

Thanks for visiting my sketchbook!

I love feet . . . ^^

Seriously though, I want to see more color! Yay color.

**alesoun** · May 18th, 2007, 09:05 PM

Nilaffle, I really enjoy visiting your sketchbook. Animal, vegetable or mineral, they're always a treat to see!

**nonie** · July 1st, 2007, 11:03 PM

Nice nice animal gestures! Your fabric and drapery could use some attention - remember that clothes are made from flat pieces like paper, patched together to make cylinders and cones, so the places you get wrinkles are the places those flat shapes are pulling or being bent, like at the joints or the waist. You've got the right idea with the direction of your folds but not so much correct placement. I do gestures of clothing and poses every time I'm on public transportation, it's great practice. Keep working on your human anatomy and faces (again public transportation is awesome for gesture drawing and head studies) - your style is interesting but you've got to get your human bodies up to the level of fluidity and expression present in your animals.

**Rachnir** · July 7th, 2007, 06:16 AM

Whoooow it looks so easy. Its great stuff here.

**FreshPaint** · July 20th, 2007, 07:33 PM

I like your animal and bone studies a lot, they are loose and have a lot of movement. you're people are a little stiffer, but I think they'll get better with practice, and especially with doing figure drawing studies. keep working at the digital painting thing too, i'd love to see more!