A beginners first sketchbook

[Strilika]

Hi everyone! This is my first sketchbook and also my first post on here. I've always loved drawing / sketching but all my stuff was generic crappy teenager drawings that were flat and looked terrible. About three months ago I decided to get serious about drawing as I'd like to have make a career out of drawing so I started reading various drawing books and trying to get anatomy down. I'm obviously still learning but I hope that I can receive some critique from you all!
Oh, and I also have to use a camera to post pictures of my sketches since I don't have a scanner at the moment.

[Strilika]

Here's a knight I did the other day, along with a little orc.

[Strilika]

Some hands I did. . .

[slimin112]

off to a good start..only advice right now is to make a lot of work!

[Strilika]

Thanks man! Yeah, I plan on sketching all day today. Gonna post some more stuff later today.

[Strilika]

some life drawing sketches. Not really that happy with them but oh well haha.

[Strilika]

More life sketches

[Strilika]

blahhh

[Luca DkS Brognara]

imho great start, for the lastest sketchs have you used a pen?

[Whirly]

If you are a beginner what does that make me!

Some nice sketches in here things look like they are thought about well in 3D. I would say you could push that a lot more. Think about the 'camera' so to speak it could be a but more dynamic with a greater emphasis on things coming towards/away from the the viewer/the page. Just a thought.

Everything is pretty cool though.

[Strilika]

Luca: Thanks! The last six sketches were done with a pen using a tablet, yes.

[Strilika]

Whirly: Thanks man, and I feel what youre saying. I need to really start doing more with some of my stuff like adding scenery I think. Back to drawing for me!

[Strilika]

Some stuff from a couple weeks ago...

[Strilika]

Some more older stuff, along with a little sketch of a killer robot I did today.

[Strilika]

Here are some things I did about 5-6+ months ago before I got serious about drawing and started doing anatomy, reading art books, all that jazz...

[Strilika]

Some sketches I did today. Alot of them are crappy but a couple I was happy with.

[syrella]

Hi! I think you're off to a good start with your sketchbook.

I really like your hand studies... it looks like your figure stuff is coming along, too! Just keep at it.

One thing I wanted to suggest is that you try working on basic shapes like practicing how to draw a sphere, cube, cylinder, etc. Really being able to envision 3D shapes is very helpful when you go back to try the "constructive anatomy" training. If you can, buy some foam or plaster shapes to practice with.

Here's an example of what I mean:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...=SPM5920238107

Anyhow, keep up the hard work!

[Strilika]

Thanks syrella! Yeah I really do need to start doing shapes. Everyone seems to do them at one point, not sure why I haven't really done them myself.

[Trailblazer]

Hi! You're life drawings are looking alright and the stuff I'm assuming is from imagination (Knights etc) is looking good to. I have one crit for you tho. You're pencil strokes are all small and feathery, it makes your work look messier and less confident. Try to work on longer lines when you draw, trust me your work will look all the better for it.

Now to prepare your sketchbook for its voyage *breaks wine bottle* ta da, happy sketching.

[EDIT] Taking a second look I've noticed that the feathery strokes mostly seem to be in your digital work, but the same thing still applies. A good pencil foundation should make the digital work easier to get into.

[Strilika]

Thanks Trailblazer for the feedback! I'll try and work on my lines.

[Strilika]

Haven't really been able to do much drawing these past two days so not many studies and some of these I didn't even feel like finishing. Oh yeah, can anyone recommend me some nice drawing pens / pencils? I'm tired of using this mechanical pencil. Something cheapish maybe?

[Strilika]

Heres some oldish stuff, ranging from a couple of weeks to about a couple of months old. As you can see, I really need to work on females. Will probably work on them this weekend.

[syrella]

Well, just a normal pencil is probably fine (like HB or 2H). You could pick up a variety of types at the local art supply store. Have you tried out harder or softer graphite yet? Like the HB to the 8B range is usually good for darker strokes. Anything in the H range is good for more technical drawings ( especially if you plan to ink your stuff later). If sharpening a pencil is what bothers you, you could look into graphite sticks or lead holders.

You could also experiment with charcoal if you wanted to. It's another cheap option. they have charcoal pencils, too.

[Strilika]

Thanks syrella! I'll go out and probably just buy some regular 2h pencils tomorrow and see how they work. I'll have to look into those other types as well though!

[Egbu]

Cool work man, I was going to say ( like my characters from imagination ) that your characters are looking a bit stiff and a good way to try and get away from that is do 30 seconds poses and etc to warm up http://www.pixelovely.com/gesture/figuredrawing.php, is a good website for it, They help me loosen up, it is just a case of doing more so my characters are really dynamic, anyway as I said cool stuff!

[Strilika]

Hey super, thanks for the feedback! Funny thing is I actually have that site bookmarked, but I havent really had time to use it. I'll be using it this weekend for sure though.

Also, a quick Hogarth study.

[LordLouis]

I would do more from life and less from photos if I were you. I used photos a lot for months and it increased my ability to copy photos, but not to see or perceive form.

You seem to have quite a thing for form though, many of your studies have a convincing 3D feel about them. I think if you would spend more time on measuring to get the proportions right, your studies would look even better. Wish I'd learn that fast :p

Keep it up!

[Strilika]

Haha I suppose youre right louis I'll get right on that.

[Strilika]

Been almost two weeks since I updated. Havent been drawing lately since I got sick for a few days and didnt feel like drawing for awhile after that. Here's some crap from the past two days. Nothing great but whatever.

[JakehC]

you're putting in some really solid work. keep it up dude! dont forget to work from life.