Beginners sketchbook, tips and tricks needed.

[Shad0w666]

Here are two of my pieces i have been working on... i need tips how to improve my rendering skills and overall skills also! Ty for looking at critic is appriciated, sorry and english is not my native language.

[Nutella]

Practice and draw from life. These landscapes are a good start, but they're pretty much from the same point of view with similar colors. Also, the pure line and pure color don't give me an illusion of three dimensions (if that's what your going for). I'm assumin' it is cause you're painting a landscape. That's what art is: an illusion. If you want to get better at creating illusions, you just need to practice. There's no step by step guide unfortunately.

If I were you, I'd start with traditional media (pencils, pens, markers, paints, chalks) and draw anything and everything.

Good luck!

[Shad0w666]

Okey, this time i tried something else, first 2 were close up pics, so i tried large scale painting.. I really like difference between first 2 and this one, critic and tips appriciated =)

[Shad0w666]

Allright! i got some nice watercolor tools from here at CA, so i decided to try em out, and i thing this turned out pretty well.. It felt really easy to paint with watercolors, comparing to basic brushing... I'll thing i try another one when i have time..

[Keeviin]

Hey there!

I suggest you stay away from digital stuff for now and do lots of pencil sketches (and scan them). Draw your room, what's outside your window, mugs and beer bottles, whatever you like Quantity over quality when it comes to sketching.

I'll be back, thanks for dropping by my sketchbook!

[Shad0w666]

I would scan them if id had a scanner =/ Yeah i like draw a lot with pencils, but as i can't scan them it's pretty annoying.. i'll gotta start sketching again with pencils.. Or maybe i start sketching with my tablet, no colors just plain sketching...

[Shad0w666]

Ok, as people have advised, i'll focus on plain sketching for now.. I'cant upload much at the time because i work at night and sleep at days.. I'll try to post atleast once a week... =)

[RaphaelLuebke]

draw more, paint more, work hard - youve got talent for sure! keep on postin on and on, im looking forward to your process!!!

(and fat thank you for your honest words in my sketchbook)

[RaphaelLuebke]

ooops double post...

[RaphaelLuebke]

just one thing - you should add a "h" to your sketchbook-link in your sig, ttp:// wouldnt work at all

sorry for spaming

[Shad0w666]

Ollrait, this was done in about 30mins.. Reason for sloppy colors are simple, it's just a reference to help me remember how to draw a basic waterfall.. And i don't draw by looking at images.. i sorta feel like that if i learn something by my self, i can do i everytime better and better.. It might be that it's just my style to learn everything the hard way

[Zazerzs]

looks like you are naturally draw to landscapes.

I would suggest hunting down tutorials on how others go about it and practice those techniques.

Yes sketching from life, drawing trees, landscapes ect is a must. When doing those drawings you'll fill your mind with material that you can later use digitally.

Making stuff up is great but at this point it might be better to spend more time observing from life and if you have to, photos can come in handy.

Just be careful when using photos, they are showing you a image distorted by a camera, so good for reference not good for copying.

GL!


"i sorta feel like that if i learn something by my self, i can do i everytime better and better"

at this stage all you will be doing is practicing mistakes , check out the image of the attached waterfall its very different from your imagined one.

[Shad0w666]

Thanks for your tips, i really see the difference, and very good point:

"at this stage all you will be doing is practicing mistakes"

That tip really inspires me to try to learn how to draw things right, it seems that it's better to use reference that draw from imagination, and someday notice that my pictures might be all "formed" wrong etc. I'll thing ill start to collect somekind of reference libraly to my hardrive.. Thanks again for your tips!

[Dark-mark33]

Its looks to me like you have a good start. My suggestion would be to go out into mature and draw what you see, not just pictures. Also try drawing the same area from several perspectives (ground, aerial, and different sides). This should help you develop a better understanding of what landmarks look like at what angles and will hopefully make your art look much more realistic.

I hope this helps

[Shad0w666]

Heh here in Finland we have -15c at the time, so i don't really feel like going out for hours and sit there and freeze my ass off Yeah i have thought about drawing couple of my pics again from different perspective.. I'll just keep training as much as i can.

[Shad0w666]

Again some more sketching.. A desert with a cavern leading under the sand..
( Dunno what kind of critters may live there ) I'll thing ill try coloring it when i get off from work in morning..

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!

[Shad0w666]

O'll right! i heard about Painter, and all i can say I LOVE IT! truly! pencils work like a charm compared to photoshop.. Just great!

Well enought of praising and yelling, here is my first pencil tryout with painter..

[Shad0w666]

Ok,more testing with painter.. Colored Pencils.

[RaphaelLuebke]

yeah more sketches!
hope your over that girlfriend-thing!
one question:
why are you just painting landscapes?
you know, im no great artist (you could get better mentors than me...) but i think you should draw some objects to... ?
(best way to start is imho to pick some "easy" objects like a pen or a cup or... and just try to get them with your pencils it helped me very much in understandig shapes and lightning)

and think dark-mark is right (even if i suppose that he means nature, not mature )

hope to see more soon

drawfromlifedrawfromlifedrawfromlifedrawfromlifedr awfromlifedrawfromlifedrawfromlifedrawfromlifedraw fromlifedrawfromlifedrawfromlifedrawfromlifedrawfr omlifedrawfromlifedrawfromlifedrawfromlife

[Shad0w666]

Yeah, i'll truly need to draw from life, i just don't like it Now i have been drawing trees because were difficult for me.. But now i am getting hang of it =).

But I'll try to start painting from reallife as soon i can get my own apartment, which is soon And i have too much work.. 4days at work, 1 holiday - 5days at work =/ BUT after that i have 4 days off \o/ So i'll draw as much as i can then.. Here another landscape + treepainting No more landscapes, ill gotta start taxing my self i i draw anything but a reallife I'll wish i don't lose too much cash to " Paint only reallife" jar xD

[RaphaelLuebke]

you could draw everything you have in your room!!! (i can uunderstand why you dont like drawing from life - me neither but believe me, its one of the most improtant things for becoming a good artist)

but take a look at your last piece why is this tree getting bigger to the top? and your shapes and shades seem to be a little random, you should spend some thoughts about lightning, shapes, geometrics perspective while drawing! keep on, want to see some more!

[RaphaelLuebke]

ah and before i forget, like nutella already mentioned, you should work with non digital media aswell! it will help you much!! (half of the pictures in my sb were made with traditional media )

[Shad0w666]

Good points you got there, i'll gotta try draw something from my room if i have time at this week..

[Koto]

Hey Shad0w, good to see you working hard. I'd say look up some perspective tutorials as that will help with any objects you put in a scene also try doing some photostudies (if you can't get outside and paint!) it can give you ideas for colours. textures etc

[DRAWINGmaniac]

Keep going you ll get er done
im also trying to keep drawing so i can get better so i no it can be hard at times but if you keep practicing you ll get better and i already see alot of improvement Keep going and good luck and dont give up

[Shad0w666]

Okey, i haven't posted here in LONG time, that's because my tablet broke up, and i don't have scanner to scan my drawings. Ill buy new tablet this week and get pictures rolling again =)

[Shad0w666]

Here are 2 old pieces i draw just before my tablet broke up.

First one is my dagger, i never got that finished, really hard to paint metallic effect..

Second one is quick test to Cell-Shading.

Critic appreciated as always.