Visions of present and past

[Malavon Despana]

Forewords:
Words of gratitude for Mikko Jokisalo for editing the pictures that much that I had the courage to present them here. I would've posted here earlier, had I proper scanner and scans of my pictures in my possession. All pictures have been taken by digital camera, so quality suffered alot. But with help of Mikko, you can see more of them. I am much obliged to many other people for their support and endless whipping, forcing me to post my artwork in here.

- Markus Elo.

Here's what goes on in my mind:

Barbarian, girl and sorceror


Dead God Manifests


Demise


Female Cleric


Female Druid


Fleur - Elven maiden (Thanks goes to Katja Raatesalmi for letting me to use her face and picture and letting me draw a medieval version out of her)


Go figure


Hell Mound ~ War-horse from the Nine Hells


Hell Unleashed


High-Elf


Male Druid


Mourning the loss of the lost love


Scenery - a truly feeble attempt


Silver Dragon


Soul Capture ~ Insanity let loose


What lies ahead for us

[Jokisalo]

Yeaheyahyha...
At last, after so many years! Finally nice to see you here .
Keep posting pal

[IanE]

Welcome!

Fantastic start to your sketchbook... makes me want to listen to my Ensiferum CD haha.

Noticed some anatomy issues going on... eye widths and other little things. Watch out for that stuff. Had a question: how come your eyes are just circles? Really makes your extremely well detailed image look flat and lifeless, I think.

Keep it up and I'm looking forward to some future posts!

Ian

[Malavon Despana]

Thanks Ian !!
Yeah, I know, all the eyes I draw are left lifeless orbs that stare at you with hollow emptyness. And that is because, well I try to make them alive, but utterly fail and that's why I simply leave them cold, lifeless...I try to put more effort into eyes later on. I have not drawn actual faces nor gestures for but a short time now. I always tend to cover every aspect of someone's head by putting a helm or hood on it , hehe.
And yeah, I got proportion and anatomy problems, alot. But that is because I rarely use any reference or poses. I should study more, I know..but somehow I just tend to slip away from the study part and just start to flame out my ideas onto the paper, haha. But thanks for creative comments!!
I am much indulged.

Ps. Several new pictures coming up soon !! As soon as I get proper shots of them and whip Mikko to enhance the looks of them.

[dCepT]

You've got some very cool ideas! I'm with Ian, though.. You should do some anatomy-studies. Trains your eye, so you can get those ideas even better out on paper

keep posting!

d-C

[Malavon Despana]

Much obliged, dCepT !!
Ahehe, yeah, true that. I am sure to do some anatomy study soon enough.
Learning different kind of stuff all the time, trying to make my drawings to have more backgrounds, so they are not just some guy standing in a white void, hehe. I am trying out architectural stuff at the moment as well as some nature scenery, lush forests and landscapes. Going to need lots of practise, though.

Feel free to give all the critique you got, by the way !!
I need it, really =) .

[Malavon Despana]

Sorry for tremendous amount of waiting for new updates from me. I've been horribly busy with everything and haven't quite managed to dedicate my time here on the forums!! Anyhow, after some serious whipping and getting that damn camera from my imbecile brother, I once again can provide you people with some new stuff, take a look and comment with sadistic amount of tips and critic .

Dedicated to one of my dearest of friends, Jenni Viljamaa. I thank her for giving me this unique chance to draw her from a pose. (I made an evil version out of her as she so requested and thus I thought this to be called "The Avatar of Auril - The Godess of Winter and Ice")


A Frost Giant dwells the mountains (Hah! You call those mountains?)


Girls a plenty 'ere ->









Yeah, still having those empty holes of an eyes -__-' . I tried to enhance them to make them look more lively but miserably failed, thus I left them as black or non-colored . I must do some eye-studies lest everyone have such eyes in the future. That's not good, not good at all.

[dCepT]

You need some more definition around your eyes. Right now, you only outline 'em, that makes them pretty flat. The eye is an orb, so it deforms the eyelid, you have to define both the part with the eyelashes, and the bottom part. You've done it a bit on the one of your friend Jenni.



quick sketch to illiustrate.. hope it helps

Also, I'd like to see you do something other than anime-ish faces.

I like the avatar of auril. It's got something more than your other faces.

Keep updating!

d-C

[IanE]

Hey, thanks for dropping by my sketchbook!

Good updates and great advice from dCepT! I noticed your girls have generally the same face, don't let yourself slip into that comfort zone of only 1 facial structure, although I'm sure it's not easy to just whip up new faces all the time!

Good work, keep it up. Try doing different faces and put dCepT's advice to work with some awesome eyes!

Ian

[ban]

hi men a tip for coloring sorry for bad renderin but havent mutch time.
this is the way i understnd things,becouse i am little color-blind.
i like to use two lightsources for exemple:

hope it helps you

[Jokisalo]

Nice uptades goat! I see you've got great tips already. I know man you got some skillz but you need work them. Your visions are truly sick and amazing so it would be nice to see you doing some studys to improve yourself and after that blow everyone of us with your crazy imagination!
Good luck man, i know you are becoming something great.

[Malavon Despana]

Thank you ever-so-much for your most awesome comments and artistic views, brethren!!!! I will reply to them when I am not so beaten up by school, as I now am. When this week is over, I am freed from the shackles of torment , at long last.

Some sketches I have made quite long time ago. I want to post these here for the reason that you see what my fast sketches look like, whenever I am to draw them. I rarely draw these, because my drawing style is more like going straight to the core, so to speak.

Anyhow ->



















And for last, a very ambitious work I plan to remake on a A2 sized paper.
The attempt will propably kill me, for the work in this one is going to take sadistic amount of time . Oh well, let's see what will come out of it. Here's a sketch of it anyway: "The Pandemonium"



* a side note: I just wanted to inform that I always draw on A3 sized paper. Sketches often end up on A4 but everything else is always A3. I am trying to move on A2 all the time. I have actually done a very intriguing drawing for my friend on A2 paper, you will get to see it soon enough . Until then, gaze upon your paper and unleash the powers of your illusionate, creative minds!!

[Gilead]

You have some really great looking design work here.
Anatomy is a weakness, but design is your strength and it's, obviously, what inspires you right now. So draw what inspires you. Sure learn anatomy, but please don't get so hung up on it that you keep your ideas inside because you're worried about the anatomy not being right. If you get an idea draw it.
Someday when you're better at anatomy you will re-use these old costume designs and really have something good.

[Malavon Despana]

And finally all school-oriented stuff is left far behind and I am quite free!!
Some gratitude for everyone's awesome comments as follows:

Gilead: Thank you ever so much!! Very, very awesome comments of your makes my soul burn in immeasurable flames and will surely push me further to test my limits!!!! I was so struck by your comment, positively of course, that I become really confident! And for this I thank you. I am sure to practise anatomy, indeed when the time is right. Thank you once again !!

Ban: Whoah, awesome picture reference and a most adviceable hint to coloring indeed, thank you for those!! And trust me, you have a great amount of potential!! Thank you!

Jokisalo: Ahaha, you old cave lurker, I just love your description of my so called vision, hahah. Thank you for great comments and huge amount of inspiration. I'll come stop by your sketchbook after I've dealt with the others, I'll wager!

dCepT: I am very indulged of your awesome eye example, though it's a bit wee too hard for me to draw yet, hahah! But thank you anyway, it is of great help. Well, yeah, the faces are anime-ish because I love japanese girls and their facial expressions and every feature. Thus I draw japanese girls . More round shapes as they have it's easier for me to draw. I like round shapes .
And yeah, Avatar of Auril picture is indeed one of my friend's portrait, so she being finnish she indeed has some differing features =) .

IanE: Much obliged for your great comments! And yeah, the face is same because the reference girl I used is the same girl, Horie Yui . Thus it's the same face. I was just testing how well, or unwell, I can draw from a pose, mainly the idea being to practise different face structure and expressions.
I will draw other faces no doubt sometime, worry not !!

Thank you all for you soul burning comments, for I now burn with Strength!!
Soon I will update you with some bloodshedding battle-scenes ! Until then, keep the inner flames of yours alive and cherish your talents!!

[IanE]

You should totally listen to Ensiferum while you draw... download a song or two... or a whole CD haha... seriously, you'll like.

Thanks for dropping by my sketchbook, I'm looking forward to seeing your battle scenes and updates! I request wench decapitation.

Is that girl you draw just posed in general and you add the details later, or is she posed in armor and all that when you draw her? Either way, drawing from life = good.

Keep it up,

Ian

[Jokisalo]

Whats up my little fluffy goat? I like those sketches you've made into your smaller sketchbook, to be honest,, love em all what ever you have a long path to go as i do your stuff looks brilliant. All you need is push little further man, to greate an epic pics that no one else has seen in this world! I think you are improving most with your fast sketches. Maby it is because you are afraid of loosing great pic what you have done such a long time. Loose up i bit, do more quick sketches and that way try new things. Don't be afraid of doing something bad, (im doing it all the time ;D) you learn most from your mistakes. Look longer at your objeckt if you draw from ref, its always worth it! All what i've said to you have brought me to this point, so gather some motivation and draw! Don't be afraid od trying new things with new ways
Good luck to you man 8)

[dCepT]

Good lookin' out! Gilead is right about not letting go of what keeps you going!
Just implement anatomystudies into what you're already going at. Get a book by Bridgman, if you can get hold of it. I've got Constructive anatomy, and it's very good.

Keep up!

d-C

[Malavon Despana]

Finally got myself here at long last to bring you a new update. Sorry that I have been absent for such a long time, but things have kept me at bay, mostly the NWN module among other things.
But the time being absent from here has not been in vain, for I have been drawing, fear not . And here's what I got:

Female Sorceress


Female Black Guard


"Insane One" Original (drawn over a year ago, I'd recall)


The death of the "Insane One"


Shitty emblem of no particular interest to anyone, I bet (hope more likely).



dCepT: Much obliged. Yeah, I've been doing some studies, mostly trying to get a grip of the face now. For I want faces to my characters without helms or hoods, thus I want to overcome that obstacle. I've been doing some eye-studies as well, though only a little while now. But I am proceeding.
My friend got Bridgman's Constructive anatomy, perchance he might let me take a look at it .

Jokisalo, you wild beast. Thanks for loving what I've shown, though I would beg to differ . Your advice is most welcome and something I really should try, eventhough that thought has loomed in the deep recesses of my mind for a long time now, but I have never gotten myself to that very point yet. Hopefully I will soon get myself to do that . Aye, one learns the most from mistakes. Hahah, hopefully something epic will emerge from my thoughts to please more crowd, ha ha har.

IanE: Sorry, but I don't have the battle-scenes for you yet, they have been problematic to begin with but they are getting done soon. I have three scenes done almost now, and I will present them all at the same time here as they are done. Ahehe, I just might listen to Ensiferum someday, though I remember that I listened a few songs long time ago and didn't quite get the mood, but many kind of music inspires me, was it black-metal or symphonic music . Music is where I gain most of my inspiration and visions, oh yes. The girl is always wearing normal, modern clothes in the referance pictures, but in those of mine, she had armour donned all over . So I just add the armor or heavier clothes on her always.

Well, thank you for everyone's comments, I shall return with more updates soon, this time REALLY soon, not after one month, ha ha har. I've been checking your posts and updates much these days, but I will soon come and comment there as well.

[dCepT]

Hey, Malavon! Sorry I missed your update

They look good! I especially like the pose on the female sorceress. Her hands, however, are a bit awkward. That seems to go for a lot of your hands. They're sometimes twisted at funny angles. Try to hold your hand in a few of those poses, and you'll see

As always, you've got a good sense of design, and I like all the intricate patterns on your armour and such.

Get a hold of your friends Constructive Anatomy. It'll do ya good A strong foundation is important, so you can get all those great designs down even better!

d-C

[Malavon Despana]

Great to see you here, dCepT !!

Thanks for your comments and suggestions, I am sure to put more effort into them. Hahaha, yeah, I never liked the hands either on the female sorceress, but it always turned out gnarled and very...blockish, so to say. So I quit struggling with it, it became to be too infuriating -_-.

I did use my own hand as a pose there, and trust me, my hands if anything are twisted . I have long and bony fingers, so they might elude me so =) .
But I have better hand in my newest drawing, it pleases even me . I'll update it here soon along with several others, hope you like it more . But hands has always been problematic to me, either they are too huge, like shovels, or then twisted and gnarled or worse...I'll work on them more, rest assured.

Thanks about the decorations. But then again, they seem to be what I do the best, I always tamper with them designworks for the most of the time, usually.

I'm working on the eyes and a little bit of anatomy at the moment!!

Thanks.

[Malavon Despana]

Time for more updates and shit. The oh-so-hideous battle-scenes are "done". They are still incomplete and I got so fed up with them that I left them as they are. They were problematic to begin with and I began to hate doing them so much that I leave them be. Thus they lack detail and what not. But they were a good experimentation of movement and people in different stances and poses. Feels as if I went 2 years backwards while doing them -_-' . Oh well. Feast upon these:

Blood and gore in 3: (Yes, I do hate them faces and didn't feel like doing them.)




A reissue of a 2 years old picture, added shading, cloak, belts and little things. Male Black-Guard:


Hailed be the Heroes:


Frost Maiden (she was supposed to be cute and beautiful but turned out to be angry in the picture, thus she is now a Frost Maiden. *GASP* she has eyes!!!):


Hope you enjoy and fill me up with lots of critigue. More to come soon, I have three irons in flames at the moment .

[IanE]

Hey, on my way out but I'll leave you this quick critique.

On the battle scenes, I noticed that the proprtions of the fighters and the perspectives were wonky, made some of them look like they were floating or like optical illusions. Check out Loomis' stuff on environments and people in respects to perspective and proportion, it's really helpful.

As for the last image, tighten up the hand and facial anatomy and features, too.

Keep working on it, man.

Ian

[Jokisalo]

As always man you have good stuff, very strong imagination you have. To get it stronger you should do some studys, i know they are boring and so on.. but it's a must to do 'em if you hunger more honour.
You can learn by doing what you are doing but there may lie some problems in future if you dont get rid of your bad habits. No one are perfect and can't be, i myself need to study a lot more on every ways to improve myself.
I'm here to help you improwing man as we all are (i hope), so im supporting you not trying to destroy your dreams by saying you've got to do some studys. We all need. You can ask some tips from better ones, compare your image and pros and take a look whats that you dont do and what they do. Learning is a long path, it always takes a lot of time and nerves but try to stuk on it, it helps you a lot!! Trust me.
Good luck man, dont think that you dont have good stuff, 'cos you have

[Mindflaw]

Been looking through your sb I see that you have strong designs that are also very detailed and it looks like that what you really enjoy to do. great seeing that you finlly put in some eyes the more you draw them the better they going to get

The best advises I can give you are (remeber that these are just what has worked on me and we all learn in different ways, so the advices are subjective hopefully they will work as good for you as they have for me )

1. You seem to focus to draw big finished stuff with lots of details etc. As plain and simple training.... try draw smaller stuff where you don't mind if it gets crappy, maybe just do a cone and focus on how to shade it correct and if it gets crappy who cares? Your intention was to learn about shading not doing something good so to speak. This way of thinking and practice has helped me to get better. Firstly since I used to feel bad everytime I screwed up or drew something I was bad at e.g I started out drawing from cartoons got good at it then tried to draw from a photo. The result was terrible and I cracked and didn't draw for at least a month, since I just felt like loser just by thinking about drawing. I managed to change attitude by doing the above. Secondly I started to focus on what I was bad at. I'm not saying that you are like me in regard of hating what one do bad and so, but it still good practice.

2. Focus on training your value/shading, perspective and anatomy. By training these three things I think will get you the most rapid progress and it will bring in the feeling of space and volume in your works which will bring more justice to your designs and ideas.

well now I will finally shut up

keep going man

[Malavon Despana]

Glad to see people back lurking 'ere !! Thanks for everyone's comments,
complementaries as follows:

Ian: Hahah, yeah, that is so true, I know. It has been a trouble for me for a long, long time, and I haven't yet put much effort in creating backgrounds or soil. So people tend to float in either the void or then just seem to float, just like in the battle-scenes. But the scenes were an experimentation more the like, good practise . Thanks for the comments and critics !

Jokisalo: Thanks for the advice and sharing the thought . I know what you insinuate and I am to do much things to improve myself in the way of the art. I have been now experimenting on stronger shading and trying to give more shape to faces and eyes, due to popular request . Hope you see some improvement in my next works , thanks for stopping by, always a pleasure.

Mindflaw: Much obliged for coming around here , New-comers are always welcome add!! You have very good advices, and I know that I should do them but naturally all the works tend to swell into huge proportion I don't know what there is that I can't just stop. Oh well, trying to orient myself more .
I have tried some new things on the faces I am about to present here next, so I hope you see some difference in them aside from the previous ones.
Anatomy is under heavy construction and shading comes as it does.
I do not aim for perfection in my shadings, as for now or if ever , and also I don't tend to have a lightsource, thus my shading always tends to be....well, everywhere. I'll try to courage myself to push over my desires, so I hope you see some difference in my new works later on .

Much obliged for all the comments and especially the advices and critigue, hope to see more of you here!!

[Malavon Despana]

And time for Girls aplenty part II:

Young Adventurer (I like this the most, it has certain feeling to it, though I dislike the left hand of hers )


Drow girl (Her breasts are a little off...)


Young Maiden


Mid-aged female (oddly enough without eyeribs and she looks kind of old )


Girl with odd expression (Though I like it in a way...)


Elven Queen: (Her eyes are a little odd and off, me thinks, but at least I tried)


And time for some Insanity once again! Reissue:



Yes, I know that some has eyes a little off, too far away from eachother and things like that. But good practise and much fun redoing these it has been. Fill me up with more suggestions, thoughts and advices, not to mention critique!!
Hope these will have some good effect on you !

More to come soon, I have been very busy in making all of these, sudden outburst and whim of thought to draw like hell. As it should be!!

[Jokisalo]

Looks very nice goat. I thinks you are moving to new places with your stuff.
Faces are taking a good shape very good, so keep pushing and strugling with 'em.
Looking good overall, just remember to draw some more.. Dont ever never stop or ill come to your bed and rape ya! yahhaharrrr....
Maby making smaller size of your pictures stops scaring people. A lot of people still has 56k or slover modem so you can imagine how long it takes to load all these!
This one is especially my FAVORITE

[dCepT]

Hey man! Niiice update! Especially like the elven queen in the last bunch. Her facial anatomy is definately a jump up for you!

Good lookin' out!

Keep fighting

d-C

[the_allejo05]

Im reminded of durer:

since your treatment to detail on armors and subject matter is alike..he is worth studying ,I think dover publications has a complete book of his engravings..hope that helped....I love his dragons too..

keep it up man..

[Onis M.]

Decided to pay a visit here.
Very nice pictures! Very detailed and clean. I like very much... I also think you have a good grasp of perspective. *Nod.* I noticed that the newer pics have a little more eyelids and other little things... it's nice to see how you become better little by little.

Though, the eyes might need a little more practising, but... keep on it. Looks good.