sketcheth book o learning 072410

[sketcheth]

algenpfleger: I hope to not disappoint! thanks, as always, for the comment. Pencils are fun, just because you're all fancy with your tablet, doesn't mean you shouldn't still give some love to pencils every once in a while...maybe a pen too!

AsaB: Well I think that's really all I need! If I can just stay on track with one specific thing to work on during the week, I've got a clear cut defined goal, and so I can't make up excuses for myself saying. Ohhh there's just so much to do, I don't know what to start with! Because then I end up doing nothing. With this...I'm more focused. Focus is good.

Sky_Eagle: The fruit have been monumental in helping me tackle color. Thanks for stopping by!
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We'll pretend for the sake of this post that it's still yesterday...because it's all finished things right before the clock struck 12~
I did some sketching with my markers first for basic shapes and then pencil over top of that. It was a neat technique that I saw in "The Skillful Huntsman" which I just received in the mail. I love it. So inspiring...anyways, just laying down the marker really makes the design process easier...because you're working with really rough basic shapes when you slap down that grey, and then you go back in with pencil for details...I find that it really helps me focus on the important stuff first and leave details for later.

I've found that attention to detail a personal problem I have with painting. I find I love the work that I do in 30 minutes, but if I start going at it for 60 and I start slowing down and get more meticulous...it starts to look worse. I think I flatten out colors when I do. So basically I have to keep up that constant energy of a 30 minute speed paint regardless of how long I've been painting, and it helps my work come out more alive. I do this by moving around the piece a lot more... I tried not to slow down on this self portrait.

Moar tomorrow, gang. I was doing some enviro stuff which I didn't get to finish tonight, that will come up tomorrow.

[algenpfleger]

O_____O



Holy Shit. Those skintones are like, ten thousand times better than those of the last one. Dude, you scare me.

[mc2mc2]

Woah i totally agree with algenpfleger. Your starting to get all those subtle temp and hue shifts in your skin tones.

Something about the eyes bugs me though. They seem "dead". I would like to see you tighten up some areas that you would want to draw the viewers attention to.

Btw....do you do your SPs from life, or from a photo ref?

The playing cards on the last page are awesome too. Love how you incorporated the symbols as design elements. Maybe you can paint those? PLZ

[WillT]

Really amazing sketchbook you got here sketcheth. Very inspiring stuff

[sketcheth]

algenpfleger: Haha, it's amazing what a good critique and a stroke of enlightenment can do. I think it was just a good night. I really appreciate the advice on that one though...I need to try one not in front of a desk lamp and see what I get, now too...

mc2mc2: Thanks for the comment, buddy! The eyes...yeah I have issues with those...I think I try to block them off too much. I'll try to do more with them next time around, thank you!
All of my self portraits are mirror referenced! No photos!
Hahaha...I dunno about painting those yet, haha. I'm still throwing more ideas around for them. Maybe I'll post another sheet real soon...

WillT: Thanks a bunch for the comment!
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Unfortunately it looks like a smaller update for today...I'll try to get a little bit more up later...I'm just dealing with a lot at the moment...

[Nibras]

Hey man, really nice update as usual.
I think how you do faces is awesome!, really nice
And your girls are very cool, i love all the awesome character design!
Btw could you give me any tips on character design.
Anywayz your last painted girl showz some reall improvment.
Keep it up man i'll always be checkin this sb

[algenpfleger]

Ooooh dude nice update! Good colors on that girl, especially her clothes are quite nice Digging your faces too, as always. keep em coming man

[sketcheth]

lilnebo:Well thanks for stopping by and thanks for the kind words. I'd be happy to offer any advice that I can. I'm not an expert but I suppose even a novice can give advice to his fellow novice.

algenpfleger: I'm trying, man...sometimes it works...sometimes it don't. Thanks again!
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I learned one thing today. Before you set off to do an enviro painting, do some preliminary planning. If not a thumbnail, then maybe a line drawing to paint over. I think I might spend a little bit more time talking in my sb posts...just so I can get some more directed feedback from you guys? I kind of feel lost sometimes. So...yeah.

Today nothing was coming out right, I did posemaniacs to start out, warm up and stuff, and that didn't help...so I kept drawing while I watched The Cell- pretty movie- and things just didn't work out. I seemed to be in a design rut, where I couldn't think creatively. I did the aforementioned enviro painting in about an hour...with poor direction from the beginning, haha. Better luck next time, Eric. Blah blah blah, other paintings and drawings. Okay! Critique!~




And emo pig! With wings! He's my mascot. He's not always emo. Just on bad drawing days.

[grundybug]

your stuff is amazing, really solid skills and all that
keep posting

[AsaB]

You are such a busy little bee!

I know I've said it, but I'm very envious of your pencil strokes. You make it look so effortless (spill the secret? ). Reminds me to get back into my daily PoseM warmup, it does everyone good.

Aw, you've got a pig mascot? Adorable little thing! Did you ink it in Illustrator? Something illustrator-esque about the lines. Very cute design.

I really don't have any crits. Sorry I'm not more useful, I just came to asspat a bit and ogle at your work! Keep up the great work!

[algenpfleger]

Asshole! You stole my dedication! How am I supposed to improve now

Kidding, kidding. Awesome fruit painting man, colors are getting waaaay better and less muddy. Crazy perspective and composition on that street scenery. You seem to be on the right way! Keep it up man

And do some stuff for our gamestudio too :>

[sketcheth]

grundybug: Thanks a bunch!

AsaB: I've been working!
Ahh, I really don't have any secrets. Just study the work of Iain McCaig. :3
The pig was actually done with the scratchboard tool in painter. I got a little sloppy with it though. :3 I don't know if it's a good thing or not that it looks like illustrator...

algenpfleger: Haha! En garde!~

That's good, that's good! I haven't been working as much this week to complete that goal as I might have/should have. I really wanted to have a much better understanding of color by the end. I suppose there's still time to practice/learn though.

I was actually doing some sketches, but I have a habit of waiting until I've finished full pages before I scan them, just for finality's sake...so I'll scan them soon. I just realized...they're not very Victorian though. Oh well. I'll work harder.
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Quick update because I didn't yesterday. All I really have right now is this self portrait in oc...someone thought it would be fun to deface my face. Vandalism is rampant these days...

[Steel Buddha]

Dude, your painting skills are getting sick! That nectarine is badass. Also, I love coming back to your sketchbook cause it gets me inspired. Keep it comin man.

[TotesHerz]

Your self-portraits are amazing and make me horribly jelous. Keep it up.

[sketcheth]

Steel Buddha: Thanks for stopping by again, man! I had a great time with that thing. And I understand why algenpfleger paints all the fruit like he does. It's because when you're done, you have a tasty snack. It's great to reward yourself like that.

TotesHerz: Hey, well I try. Thanks!

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Oof, guys, I've been slaaaaacking. Wow. So uhm, here are a bunch of sketchbook pages to make up for it, I hope they do. Kind of. I went to the zoo today and got to sketch out some bugs...just to maybe mentally catalog so I can pull them out later for designs. Awesome times. I love my pencils. Oh, and a sketch of the front of the St. Louis Art Museum.

[DanielC]

good stuff mon. keep at it !

[K-bot]

These thread has come a long way! You are becoming better all the time. To continue improving I think you should start drawing gestures. I just recently started this and I already see improvement in all my work.

[AsaB]

Ian McCaig worth checking out, huh? Aighty, if that's part of your secret, I will! Maybe you could link me to something by him? A quick googling showed no artsy results :/

Latest SP is good, they just keep on improving, you're becoming a SP machine like Hannes if you don't watch it! (Actually, you shouldn't 'watch it', because it's a good thing). Values look convincing and pleasing on the eyes. Speaking of eyes, though, they seem a tad off. As if they're not quite looking in the same direction. But the rest is looking fiiine!

Sweet pencils, love the costumes. I really dig that marker action you've got going in a few of these. What brand is it? My markers are all kinda crappy :/

[algenpfleger]

People are talking too much about me and not enough about you! D: Because you deserve more attention than you get! Those designs are awesome man, really feeling the mix of your own style with that victorian-steampunk kinda thing. Tasty!
Like, keep it up! And MOAR SPs!

[sketcheth]

DanielC: Thank you so much, man!
K-boterhaps I should! That's funny you should say that, considering I thought my style was pretty sketchy as is. I think I'll get to doing more posemaniacs, then...
AsaB Iain...okay, I actually would recommend his workshop dvd page...watch those if you can, they're amazing. LINK
And then...I dunno...it's kind of hard to find his work online...if you happen to be in a bookstore, look for the Art of Star Wars, episodes 1 and 2 especially, you can find loads of his work in those. I love his Jar Jar studies.
hahaha...yeah...that guy. My hero.
The marker is a prismacolor, I got the french grays set. I had a couple of copic sketch markers that were just gray tones and I LOVED them. But they went dry. Cool tips on those...expensive, though...
algenpfleger: Naw man, I think I'll get attention when and only when I deserve it. Which might be coming around, who knows. We all just love you so.
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Doobie doobie doo...not enough time spent drawing! AH! Tomorrow will be a draw fest. I've got stuff to do and I'm feeling pumped. Here we go. Random face painting...I just want to exercise the flesh tones some more...I'ma do another sp tomorrow I think. Along with posemaniacs. I want to fill up this sketchbook more...

[algenpfleger]

Hey that was an obvious lie

Dude! That shadow under the nose in the colored doodle. I don't think I saw you do something like that before. The saturation is really, really good the! Maybe punch a hint of reflected light in there too?

And those character designs... awesome. Hmmm I'm never able to crit anything here Just keep it up!

[Verehin]

Like your pensils designs.

[sketcheth]

algenpfleger: Sweet! I'm doing things right! You'll have to tell me what you think on this one. I got a little bit of reflected light, probably not as much as I should. BUt uhm...try harder next time? Thanks for your critiques man, you've been uber helpful.
Cool!

Verehin: Thanks bro!

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Okay, so when I go to the movie theatre this Thursday night, I just want to be able to see this. One Smylex victim. Please, Christopher Nolan, please. With the way every other design in the batman universe has translated from the page to the screen, I'm just dying to see this...ahh...I spent about 2-3 hrs on this this morning in Painter.

It's good. I think I'm learning flesh tones a bit, but at the same time, I'm not sure...this at least looks like a much more structured face than the one I painted yesterday. I kept moving around a lot on this painting as well, so I felt like I was staying loose and not getting too bored with anything. Or getting overly-detailed...Uhm...yeah. Also. The Dark Knight is going to kick my ass.
Peace!

[Steel Buddha]

Excellent value range. Dude... You just made me even more pumped for the movie, nice job!

[algenpfleger]

What I think of this one he asks! Well I think it's awesome!

Like, excellent lighting, and the reflected light below the nose is delicious. Your brushwork improved by approximately ten internets, and the expression is awesome Some issues, the card looks pasted for two reasons, first, it has much cleaner edges than the rest of the picture, second, it casts no shadow And maybe you should try to make materials more... readable, like, make his teeth glossier and the hair and blood, that makes a huge difference.

Dude your progress is scary. Keep going! Or, don't, so I can have a breather

[sketcheth]

Steel Buddha: Haha, cool man. It's going to be great. Hopefully
Algenpfleger:Hey I'm glad you like it, I did those nose highlights just for you.
I did fix it up a little bit, maybe you can notice a difference. I wasn't sure how to push the teeth better at all, though...I need to do more teeth I guess...
Just trying to keep up! D:

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I did some Hogarth-based studies today, plus posemaniacs. I'm out of practice, some I couldn't even finish in 30 seconds...oh, and I think I improved on the smylex piece, yours to judge.

[algenpfleger]

Gnaaaaaah even those unfinished 30 second sketches put me to shame D: Which means, you rock!

COlored guy looks better now, and the card blends in quite well Great stuff dude! Keep it up!


(Sorry for this content lacking comment xD )

[Hyptosis]

Yeah, fantastic sketchbook. Full of skillfully laid out pencil lines. Great stuff.

[AsaB]

Thanks so much for the link and info about the markers Iain is a funny name!

Ooh, your Smylex picture is fantastic, very atmospheric. I noticed you've improved it after comments here, it looks even more fantastic now. Very nice touch to make him stare at the viewer, creepes me out. Also the blood on the wall, intense!

Lovely PoseMs, love the gestures. What I'd give for a bit of your pencil lines! Keep it up, you!

[mc2mc2]

dood...polish that painting up even more. Its going to be AWESOME.