Ville's Sketchbook: C&C greatly apreciated

[Cyberman]

Really great brush strokes man, I mean these brush strokes....I could stare at them all day

[smuli]

You know that graph of artist improvement? The line that goes sort of like stairs with long stasis and the sudden burst of improvement and then stasis again.
Yeah, I feel like I'm in stasis. Infact, I have felt like that for long time now. Constant repeating of exercises yet nothing seems to be sinking in.
Sometimes I feel like I'm just so close of getting what so many artists seemed to have grasped already, yet, when I make a move to grab it it vanishes in a puff of smoke.
So incredibly frustrating. I hope that improvement step is right around the corner becasue I seriously need it to up my moral.

This sketchbook is filled with good studies and you've trained yourself a great eye, but your focus is so much leaned towards learning and studying opposed to doing your thing that it's unclear what your specific goal is. Whether it's paleo illustrations or concept art, clients are mainly interested in seeing finished paintings in your portfolio, though I guess more so in the former than latter. So my advice is giving yourself specs on paintings the kind of which you'd like to get commissioned to do and polishing them up rather than just looking for improvement in the studies themselves and quick sketches (though of course those are needed too). That dragon piece was a welcome step to that direction, hope to see more that kind of work. I do admire your efficiency though, wish I'd lately spent even half the time in studies that you do and it's always an inspiration.

[Nicola, the Art of]

Some really good stff in here! Keep up the good work!

[Alla Primal]

I agree with smuli, I think it would be a good practice to set yourself an illustration brief and deadline, develop your idea, and then do studies that supplement the illustration as you paint it, it might help in your absorbing of the information. Just a thought, keep up the good work

[Ville_S]

Odayga: Thankyou! Will do!

Andre-Sutherland: Thanks man.

Sean McClain: Thanks ser!

Smuli: Yeah, no denying it. I should definately do more my own things.Too often (Especially when I don't have any clear idea in my head for a painting) I go the study route.
Sometimes, especially when you have limited time, it's just easier.

Nicola: Thanks!

Thomas M.: Agreed. In that sence I find COW, EOW, etc. challenges really useful. Really should do more of those.

And after aknowledging how I should do more my own thing I give you more studies.

[poetry man]

Nice. Keep it up! I know exactly about feeling like not going anywhere for a long time. I was there. But you have to get over it! I can relate to much studying with little finished results. I like it that way, but I know it's gonna benefit in the end. If a finished piece doesn't mean anything, I must keep studying. Something will change. Just believe. [If it's all still relevant what I'm saying that is]

[Ville_S]

Poetry Man:Thanks for the encouraging words man! Really apreciate it!

Now this is just a small sketch. A sketch of a cow. But to me it sort of represents revolution. You see, one thing I have been batling with is a) trying to figure out how to make that plain planar look and b) trying to figure out the fine art way of drawing aka. blocking-in technique. Both aims relate to same goal which is trying to figure out how to simplify the form and how to keep structure clear.

For some reasons both a and b have been problematic for me. There are things that I can't quite wrap my head around. But today...today something clicked.
I think I finally figured out how to do the blocking-in as it should be done.
And this small sketch is first indication of that...I think.

Now all I need is more time to test it out...

[NickyBeats]

beautiful sketches and studies!!!

[liquorbleu]

You're sketchbook has been a really big inspiration and eye opener to me.

You were a lot better drawer than I am now! I gotta start doing those pencil studies!!!!

Thanks for the reminder

[Ville_S]

NickyBeats: Gracias!

Liquorbleu:

*You're sketchbook has been a really big inspiration and eye opener to me.

Thankyou! Big words. I hope I can live up to them.

Grabbed a kraft paper sketchbook today. Loving it! Have some rhinos!

[Obstfelder]

You know that graph of artist improvement? The line that goes sort of like stairs with long stasis and the sudden burst of improvement and then stasis again.
Yeah, I feel like I'm in stasis. Infact, I have felt like that for long time now. Constant repeating of exercises yet nothing seems to be sinking in.
Sometimes I feel like I'm just so close of getting what so many artists seemed to have grasped already, yet, when I make a move to grab it it vanishes in a puff of smoke.
So incredibly frustrating. I hope that improvement step is right around the corner becasue I seriously need it to up my moral.

Some sketches:

Maybe you should try some exercises that you haven't done before? Get some of the exercises from related fields like design and try and find a way to apply it to your work.

I don't think you are in too much trouble though. Your skill is exceptional

[Ville_S]

Obstfelder: yeah, could be a good idea.Thanks! I'll look into it.

Some kraft paper sketchbook sketches and few test sketches done with Samsung Galaxy Note.

[Ville_S]

Experimenting with various strokes and marks you can do with pencil.

[Ville_S]

Loosey goosey morning sketches.
Really need to spend more time on the construction stage

[Ville_S]

last experiments from today. Gotta wake up earlier tommorrow so I can get more done.

[Ville_S]

wasted today trying to get something done with charcoal. Only thing I really achieved was royally pissing myself off. Seriously, How in the hell do people control this stuff!?!

Love the marks and matte black you can achieve with it but holy flying #¤"¤¤#"¤"# it lifts off easily. I seriously can't wrap my head around how people can work with it .
sigh....and the mess. Maybe I should just stick with graphite.
The painful thing is that I know I won't. As long as there's amazing charcoal art out there I will keep wanting to make something like that and I'll grab a set of charcoals and start bashing my head against the brickwall again...and again...and again.

[Overtoom]

Amazing environments and god I love that painting with the dragon. The light of the fire and the blue just about the dragon, it all just works. Great sketchbook!

[Ville_S]

Overtoom: Thanks!!

Derpy Sargent study.
Sargent a day, that's the official plan for this week.

[smuli]

Sweet looking pencils - confident strokes and great sense of planes on almost everything! I especially like the different marks and sense of light on this one. The charcoal sketch too looks fluid, your frustration with the medium sure doesn't show in that one.

Keep them coming!

[RV-]

great sketchbook here! the rhino sketches are so cool!

[Gpozzo]

Man! these last pencils and charcoals you've been posting are great stuff, really nice!

[Ville_S]

Smuli: Thanks. The knight one came out ok, the others I shredded in a fit of fury.

RV: Thanks! Glad you liked em!

Gpozzo: Thankyou!

Day two, Sargent #2

[MacTire]

Wonderful sketches. Something about the mark-making reminded me of Sargent's pencil studies, and now I see you've started doing master copies of those too! Looking forward to seeing the techniques applied back into your work Ville!

[Ville_S]

Mactire: Thanks. So am I.


#3

[Ville_S]

Sargent # 4

oh yeah and 5 stars! Wow! When the heck did that happen!?!? Anyways, thankyou for all the stars! I'll try to live up to them.

[Ville_S]

Sargent # 5

Rodent skull & experiment with different type of charcoal (Soft compressed)

This type of charcoal seems to be the very thing I have been looking for!
More Charcoal experimenting tommorrow.

[Ville_S]

Charcoaling!

[Ville_S]

Sargent Study "A Parisian Beggar Girl".

I stumbled upon this painting really by accident. I was searching some pics of Sargent paintings when I came across it. It's a very cool painting but what really struck me was that the way the painting was signed:

"À mon ami Edelfeldt/John S. Sargent"

Edelfelt! Edelfelt is one of my favourite artists and my favourite Finnish painter.
The fact that Edelfelt met Sargent and they were apparently friends is just freaking cool and awesome.

[Satu]

Oh that is awesome. Edelfelt is one of my favorites too.
Just love love love your brushworks on this latest. Exactly the kind of effect I would want to achieve on my works as well. Good job! Love ur chacoal studies too, especially this. I don't understand how did you do something like that with charcoal. Did you blend it with paper or finger or how is it done?

[Ville_S]

Satu: Thanks! About charcoal. I used soft compressed charcoal (Avoid those cheap vine charcoals at all costs. They suuuuuuck.)
First I scribbled some marks on paper and the smudged it with hand to kill the white of the paper. Then I drew the darkest parts ( Hair, shadows etc.)
and finally using my finger I smudged in the mid tones.
Fixed few things with new charcoal strokes and made the highlights with kneaded eraser.


Environment sketch.

Edit: some further development of the enviro pic.