Grizzly SketchBook

**Tim_Gibson** · November 29th, 2007, 10:27 PM

lennon: cheers dude, they're great fun to do. I'm working from life-size plaster casts of people which is really fun - they don't move and you can light them however you want.

ghoulio: Yeah I wanna do more of those posters, I've got a few ideas kicking about, just need the time. And thanks, I think the army guy has come a long way to, but he's still a bit 'off'

joaKimArt: thanks man, now I just need the anatomy/cloth/facial structure and expression to match the mood and I'll be fine

Some life drawing from last night. I remembered I could turn my pencil on it's side it seems

**smoothrider_41** · November 29th, 2007, 10:36 PM

great life drawings =)

i need to do more.

The digi paintings are awsome as well,

looking forward to more!

-Dan

**Tim_Gibson** · December 7th, 2007, 12:45 AM

Thanks for the support dude.

Here's some life drawing from last night, the model did lots of contorted poses that I really wasn't in the mood for, so I mainly drew her head. Below that is a z-brush sculpt I created in a series of lessons - we we were lucky enough to be taught by Scott Spencer - one of the heroes of digital sculpting and an all round nice guy. You can check out his work at www.scottspencer.com

The sculpt has some decent points i think, but i never got brave enough to fix those lips. maybe next time.

**Tim_Gibson** · December 9th, 2007, 05:09 PM

Here's a larger image:

**Tim_Gibson** · December 10th, 2007, 12:23 AM

Trying to get a watercolour look in photoshop - underpainting of a life drawing quick sketch:

**Tim_Gibson** · December 12th, 2007, 02:41 PM

some more quick paints from photo reference, any critiques and ideas appreciated

**Tim_Gibson** · December 13th, 2007, 07:33 PM

Just some more life drawings, starting to feel more comfortable with it now.

**Law** · December 13th, 2007, 08:53 PM

Heya man. Loving some of your pencils and life drawings, especially that quick face sketch you got took into the comp. Mint. Makes me want to get back down there.

For those quick photo studies try putting down a base colour that'll shine through. Either your shadow colour, or you light source, also try making it quite saturated, then painting back into it with the more natural colours. Have a play.

**Tim_Gibson** · December 17th, 2007, 02:22 PM

Thanks Law, I'll try some of that

**Tim_Gibson** · December 17th, 2007, 02:24 PM

Hi guys and girls, I'm paintings some landscapes for a special someone, of locations dear to us, and wanna make them as good as can be. I need your help!

Here are the first 2 of a series of 3 (haven't started the 3rd yet), they will be printed at about 15cm square (about 6 inches) and framed in brown wood.

I have to get these perfect ASAP - HELLPPP!

**Tim_Gibson** · January 14th, 2008, 11:45 PM

2 of the finished paintings. I could never get that frosty one to look how I wanted, so I'm not posting it here

I think the watercolour effects were quite successful, but I haven't used them to full advantage here - maybe next time

**Tim_Gibson** · January 16th, 2008, 03:15 PM

Trying to paint as fast as I can - this was about 50mins - must go faster!

**Tim_Gibson** · February 13th, 2008, 12:25 AM

{images 1-3} I've been eating beans - so first some life drawing

{images 4-5} These 'colors!' paintings on my DS were also done at life drawing - i found I worked better with long poses

{images 6-7} These DS painting where done from ref

{image 8} and here's some more character speedies - four more to go, sense a pattern yet?

**Tim_Gibson** · February 24th, 2008, 10:52 PM

playing with artrage... based on a photo

**Tim_Gibson** · February 25th, 2008, 08:58 PM

Looking for some critiques guys. I need to take that next step in my evolution.

What am I missing? What would make my images better?

**Tim_Gibson** · February 28th, 2008, 11:43 PM

Trying to firm up my strokes, have been told that I often make it all a bit wishy-washy. Am gonna work on that.

**Cavematty** · February 29th, 2008, 05:55 PM

Hey man,
In reagard to firming up your strokes, maybe its about edge control. Be selective. Make sure turning form has a soft transition, and a hard edge or cast shadow has a harder edge. I think you lack variety in your edges, abondoning them all to speed to end up however they will. Try to use them to control your focal point, and describe your materials

I guess 'firming up your strokes' also makes you think about planes, and about shadow side and light side as shapes more.

I know you're focussing on upping your speed at the moment, but don't put so much pressure on putting down strokes that you stop thinking about them. You'll get a better picture faster from being smarter with your strokes, than just by putting down a lot of them. Always be thinking structure, lighting direction etc. The speed comes with mileage and knowledge, you can only force it so much y'know.

I did a wee paintover of your last one. Real fast, but just trying to add some consistency. On the collar you had outlined it - not in relation to the lightsource. Likewise the hair had no relation to the lightsource, but arbitrary "hair lines". Added shadow to the hair on forehead, shadow to curve of cig. This is no masterpiece, but I think it shows a couple of areas you mightve neglected a little.

Make sense?

Matty

**Tim_Gibson** · March 2nd, 2008, 03:05 PM

Some good points matty, I'll look into all of it.

I do have a problem with re-working areas. I really noticed it with my DS pieces because you can see them replayed. I tend to work over an area 3 or 4 times throughout a painting before I feel it's right. It's a time waster, and possibly contributes to that wishy-washy factor.

Chur, thanks for taking the time to give me your thoughts

**Cavematty** · March 2nd, 2008, 04:41 PM

Hey man, You're welcome. Helps me too having these kinds of discussions. Process is so important. So worth thinking about.

Just thought I'd reply to your reply - In terms of reworking ares. I don't think its an issue that you re-work an area 3-4 times. It is really dangerous to not allow yourself that option - beacuse suddenly you put pressure on yourself to get it right first time. I always paint TERRIBLY when I have those kind of expectations of myself.
You should always allow yourself to re-work an area - and remember when you are watching your replays, on the ds there is no erase tool, nor layers, so you will inevitable be reworking areas more than in PS.

I think it's more that when you do go back to an existing area you should be looking at it, making decision about what is wrong with that area - are you correcting a silhouette? softening a form turning edge? etc. and then improve that area as a part of the whole. Think about what you are going to do and why rather than thinking "that area isn't right I better get in there with a brush ASAP!". If you are just reworking in the same manner as your lay-in it'll never get refined. Think about how an oil painter makes most of his decisions while he is looking at the painting. Not while his brush is on the surface.

I tend to block in pretty quick and loose (in a poor imitation of the way I've seen Paul work) and then refine. I find it way easier to make decisions once everything is in place. But I definitely have distinctly different phases of painting. It helps to go over your pic working only in the shadow side, then only in the light side for example. Simplifies your decisions, and keeps your specifics more in context with the whole image.

Vague again but hope it helps

**tsimps** · March 2nd, 2008, 06:09 PM

Hey Tim, sorry for the delay!
I think Matty raised some good points- speed will come but thinking about your strokes critically in terms of how they describe forms and materials is key. A good excercise is to use the biggest brush possible for a particular plane and really think about the qualities and direction of the mark you're making. This might help to 'firm up' your strokes as you say.
Perhaps also you're a little hung up on style- I think trying to force that can be detrimental to your painting. I'm really liking some of your figure studies and I think that's because they have an earnesty to them- and the 2nd to last painting is awesome. Looks like you were able to let go and just enjoy playing around in the new program.
I think stlye is something that will just develop naturally as a result of painting a lot, looking at art that inspires us and letting these influences wash over us rather than trying to force it out of ourselves. It's always good to try new techniques and approaches but I think it also pays not to get caught up in the effectsy side of things.
As for the 'wishy washy factor', I think it's more a case of being decisive than reworking areas. I definitely agree with Matt about the importance of process and of blocking in the biggest shapes first. Using observation and reference is also a good way of informing these decisions, such as the way light falls across a surface, for example.
Well dude I hope you find something useful in there, keep posting and I'll be sure to keep checking up!

**Shod** · April 5th, 2008, 06:07 AM

Love the painted life studies Tim. Havent seen an update from you in a while, would you be keen to get out for a draw sometime soon?

**Tim_Gibson** · April 13th, 2008, 04:45 AM

Cheers for the thoughts guys, have taken them on board... it has been quite on the sketchbook front recently because I've been preparing to move to Sth Korea. The move is now complete, so give me a few weeks to settle in and then I should have some crazy Asian inspired cityscapes and palaces coming your way.

So I probably won't be available to meet you for that sketch-up Shod

If any CAer's are living in Seoul at the mo' and speak more English that I do Korean, drop me a msg.

Word,
Tim

**Tim_Gibson** · October 22nd, 2009, 03:54 AM

This is a render of a model I built in conjunction with designer Greg Broadmore while working at Weta Workshop. You can check out more of my Weta work at Flying Whities and more awesome Rayguns goodies here.

We printed it out life-size and took it along to Comic Con as part of the Raygun's display. It was also published in Elemental 3, which was a great treat.

How was the image made:
The Robot was rendered super high-res in multiple passes. A Key, Fill and Kick light was rendered one pass, each light assigned one of the RGB colours. This allowed me to tweak the lighting in Photoshop. Then I added an ambient lighting pass and some minor reflections. The AutomaitreD's textures and colours were added in Photoshop after.