Bag of Tricks ~ A Sketchbook ~ June 24

[Pixie Trick]

Bendragon: Yest sir! I plan on doing just that.

BlackDelphin: Hehe... that's my leg so thanks! No one wants to sit still for me. The neck isn't a study, but doing neck studies earlier helped a ton.

bill main: Thanks! Need to go dust those watercolours off some more.

Weeeeelllll... I've decided I'm going to take a bit of a break from digital work. Traditional is just so much easier and faster for me personally. It's more enjoyable and easier to just let loose. Currently I'm..... I don't want to say confused, 'cause I'm not, but I'm just really, really unsure as to what on earth I'm going to do with myself after I finish high school and that's been haunting me. Whenever I have free time, I just kinda wander and do a bit of everything I enjoy (too much reading!!!) and just in general feel a bit aimless. I have no goal or passion or whatever. I'll browse people's sketchbooks etc. and see people who are working sooooo hard to be concept artists, and architects etc. and it bothers me to no end. I just feel that if I had a definite goal, I could be more focused. I don't know.... gahhhh. Emotion dump. I've been thinking of this a lot obviously.

And now for the real post.... Went to an air show yesterday!!!!!!!! Saw aerobatics with the smoke and everything, and fighter jets, and vintage planes from the 30s onwards. By the end of the day I had sunburn and was too drained and excited to draw properly which can be seen in the worsening of the pen sketches.

So, there's an acrylic study. It turned out pretty well (better than the photo shows). I only have titanium white, cadmium red med., hansa yellow med., mars black, and pthalo blue (red shade). This means that it's impossible to get a good purple or pink because of the such non-blue red. I've had to pick objects to paint very carefully.

[Pixie Trick]

Just random things. I've been looking at the illustration sin by "The best children's books in the World" book, and drooling over the illustrations. My current fave is Dragon Feathers illustrated by Andrej and Olga Dugina. They capture midieval style sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo well. They've actually illutrated some of Madonna's kids books (yes the singer) Looky looky Link

Had some fun with loading bushes different ways. I actually like this a bit even though it looks a bit faded and washed out. Colour frustrations again! Need a more red blue too....



I actually wasn't going to post this for obvious reasons, but decided for record purposes to do so. It's also the day a black subject matters shows up and guess who happens to forget that colour of paint at home. I was actually helping out here so it was also really, really rushed which didn't help.



Looks better in real life.



Meh. The person really isn't that demonic as the first head, and not a snapey as the second.



And some silverpoint. I had read about this in a few places, and decided if it was good enough a couple of hundred years ago, the least I could do was give it a go. I had thought you needed a special base, but it turns out gesso works fine. Just stick some of my scrap silver in a pin vise and doodled. I don't like it much, but it was good to try. Unfortunately silver isn't listed as a medium in the upload list.

[strings]

Awesome updates! I really like where you are going with the watercolour-ish works. Hope to see more of it. The line work is starting to really improve as you draw more of objects with that approach, great job. Keep exploring girl!

That is all for me

[Bendragon]

Yup yup! Good to see a number a drawings added! Keep pushing for more practice. The more you get, the more you are getting better! With that female portrait, be careful about coloring tones the same color as the base colors. So if something is yellow, dont just have the shaded area a darker version of that yellow. This can be quite tricky to understand but you can use some reference to help you see.
If you want to look into the technical side of the color thing I was talking about, you can read up some tutorials on light behaviors. But it can be quite technical though. Best thing to do really is observe as much from life.

[Dibujio::Guru]

Hello there Pixie.

Thanks for posting in my thread and looking around.That tip you give me did help a lot and it's easier to draw. ^_^

OK... Now about your SB really liking your progress from the first page's and you do a lot of studies and your fine art on the first page is great.Also your digital painting is good as while.All i can say as a pointer is to do more shading studies and figure and face stricture studies so you can put that in your box of trick's..But other then that


KEEP ON DRAWING!!

[BlackDelphin]

aah i see and you went crazy with neon effect n that neck peace really love the shine!!! looks like a lot of fun~
also i dig those colourful works of yours, traditionals.

also i see you working small sized speedies too: highfive on that!

[Sorknes]

Yay, for traditional, and it makes you surer of what you do, as there's no undo option in the same way, hehe.

Jewelry looking nice, a lil more blending and more planning on the colours might've gotten it that one step up, keep at it Nice speedies too!

[Pixie Trick]

Strings: Thanks!

Bendragon: Thanks for the tips.

Guru: Thanks! I really do need to do figure stuffs.

Blacky: SHINY ROCKS!!!!

Sorkness: Yep. Nothing like making a physical mess of something and having to deal with the results.

Ahhhhhh..... long time no post. School sucks your life out via every pore. Anywho. Here's a bit of the stuff I've been working on. I couldn't help but break my no-PS vow just a little. That's a wip. And watercolours do the coolest things! You can't get anywhere near the same effects in PS. Drips and splats and blends and smudges! I think I'm starting to get arms a bit more. Everything's abit weird from camera flash so please ignore that.

[strings]

Those arm muscle studies rock!!! I've got to say your lighting and colour has moved up another notch if not, double! Love the storytelling in the first image on the beach. The poor kids! haw haw (Nelson)

[Bendragon]

Nice digi paint! Watch the perspective and make sure different objects follow the same erm.... perspective! You have the horizon line quite high up, but if you imagine the turtle on a square base, it looks like its at a quite level angle. Now put that same base (of the turtle) onto the landscape, the angle should be more level too. Just visualize it this way in the beginning and it should help. Keep going!

[Pixie Trick]

strings: thanee thanke!

Bendragon: I see what you mean about the turtle. Actually, I was surprised at how flat sea turtles were. Hm.... as I went on I realized I had some weird fisheye that isn't quite fisheye going on. I know it isn't correct but I kinda like it. Thanks for the catch!

Some more work on it. This is turning out to look semi descent. The girl looks stoned or something... O, and summary of the story is that kiddie-kins make their lovely sandcastle, when lo and behold, it starts shaking, pops out of the ground and starts waddling away. Needless to say the childers are traumatized for the rest of their lives.

On a side note, one of the native american tribes believe that the world sits on the back of a turtle.

[LtPlissken]

The goat reminds me on Arnold on Mars

[Sublimus]

Cool stuff! I like those pen drawings of the planes the best.

[engelhardt]

Hey Pixie Trick, you are doing some cool stuff here; the studys from photos really help. The dragon-sketches from #107 are my favorite: very dynamic. Keep practicing.

[BlackDelphin]

pixieeeeee i sooo so sooo like the recent idea with the sand castle!!! it is a very creative idea and i can't wait to see you retouch it! about the children..i think the bodies are really good, just the faces have some mature characteristics that shouldn't be there hmmm...try thinking more round? and less detailed? i am not sure, but i just wanted to point that out

sorry for being away myself..

[Pixie Trick]

LtPlissken: IT IS NOT A GOAT!!!! . Tis a cow my friend. Unforutnately the only Termninator movie I've seen is #3, which I loved so I'm going to have to see the others some time. Anywhoooo...I'm going to take that as a major compliment. Maybe the cow is now the governor of some alien cow colony? Thanks for the visit.

Sublimus: Thankee, thankee my dear! They're fun to do: close to contours really.

engelhardt: Thank you very much!

Blacky: Do some art right now!!!!!! Ya, I see what you mean about the kids. I have such issues refining things!


Ahhhhh..... a bit of a joke of a post today, just to prove I haven't died. I just finished a monster Bio presentation on Biodegradation of Hydrocarbons via Metabolic Pathways, participated in a Gem/Mineral Show for my jewellery..... gahhhh. Anywho, an update with absolutely minuscule changes to the turtle piece (girl still looks stoned......), and just a sample of what my notebook looks like right now.

[Pixie Trick]

Downloaded some new brushes and did some stuff.

[BlackDelphin]

i did some more drawing!! and ahahah thank you so much for the comment on my page
i will try my best to scann in and post the drawings

and you should post some more yourself!!
love your notebook btw tehehe

[Pixie Trick]

Blacky: hehe... I got caught drawing on a desk at school...the conversation went something like this:

T: Are you writing on the desk?
Me: Mmmmhmmmm...*emarased from being caught*
T: *sigh* It's the quiet ones you always have to watch.

At which point I did not erase it, but added a speech bubble to the alien/furry racoon/snail with legs which said "Hello Mrs......." as well as "La, La, La!!!" The wrote a note saying I would erase it if she wanted but I just really wanted someone to sit down and laugh.

I should scan in the backs of my French notes too....

Anywhoo...at some point there will be a huge skechdump. I have a bunch, but I don't want to scan so many pages and since I accidentally killed my camera I have to carefully sneak my bro's off some day.

Went to BodyWorlds in Orontonto (Toronto) over the weekend. Bought a bunch of paint. Saw the most grown people dressed up that I've ever seen. I was a Unicorn Hustler. Don't laugh.

So some IDW duplicator stuff. Inspired by polymer clay art pendants and the shape of a heart. (Yep, another post will nearly no art...)

[BlackDelphin]

Ahaha! Well i had this issue too, but now i have a little note book thingy to draw in
And i am curios as how will your "sketch dump" look like!

Really nice colours and interesting design on that duplicator thing, though i thonk you should boost those values up..

[Pixie Trick]

Blacky:

Sketchdump!!!! And a pic of the books I use for anatomy (bridgeman's cut off- oops ).... I'll have all three human ones open at once if I'm doing studies.

Ohhhh...and by brother set up double monitors!!! heeheeeeheeeee .... I can now PS and CA at the same time!!!! Or just stick all the menus on the smaller monitor... the wonderfullness of it all

(Sorry for hiddeous mono-jpg dump)

[BlackDelphin]

Your dump is heeeere!! LoL

Well i like it!
I really like the fact that you're now moving on to animal anatomy too!
Really nice muscles studies (for both human and animal)

And what can i say?! Take care of your values, and use those books and double monitors wisely

[georgedesio]

those are some beautiful sketches man, hope you post some more up so I can see

[Cacodaemonia]

Weird, I thought I had already subscribed to your sb.

I see some Bridgeman studies in here, hehe. I like how that sea turtle piece is coming along. I'd like to see more lighting influence from the blue sky and sea on the children, turtle, and sand castle. Just a few hints here and there of the reflected light.

[iven]

wow wow wow,........you have a very fun sketch book very play full and FUNKY,....
I love the fairy house and this crazy thing which landed in the garden,...........

I improved my Hand drawings a lot when I drew them in boxes first,.....

I love that you also did wire figures I did that too,.........

[Pixie Trick]

Black Delphin: Thank you! I shall use my new weapons with wisdom.

georgdeesio: Thank you very much! (look down to see your with granted..... )

Caco: Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into that. And thanks for dropping by.

iven: Thanks. Oooo.... I'm blushing! What do you mean precisely by drawing in boxes? Hehehe... wire is fun to play with. You can go the hardware store and get about 50m for about 2 or 3 bucks.

On Sunday, I went to the National Portfolio Day in Toronto. As I was standing in the first of many lines, my mom started talking to the mom of the person behind us. We start talking and I got to see the person's portfolio. I see the first pic and think, "Hmmm... I've seen that somewhere...???" It turns out I was standing next to Zorcron from here on CA!!!!! It's really neat to meet someone from halfway across your Country that it turns out you've kind of "seen" before.

Anyway, NPD is a chance to meet reps from art schools across Canada and the US, and get feedback on your portfolio. I saw one of Sheridan reps. It was a waste, as the woman was more focused on telling me how great their current students were. She didn't say what she didn't like, did like, why she liked it or anything. The second rep I saw was from Alberta College of Art and Design. The rep said that they'd waive the portfolio part of the application for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's absolutely great to have someone "important" acknowledge all the time and effort into my pieces. I'm very happy to say the least.

So, the art for the last weeks.

Some play. There's some interference paint (<- awesomeness) in there, as well as some beads.





A SP... thing. The normal looking one is from a mirror, and the weird one is from mind/looking at the first. The pic really looks bad compared to real life. The first is an....OK likeness. Not great, but not horrible as some I've done. Oh, and they're on the front and back of the same panel. I think I need to start using acrylics more thickly.



And the sketches from in the car.



Finally, the latest IDW.

[Cacodaemonia]

Haha, the Duplicator is amusing. Really like the sketches from when you were riding in the car.

[Pixie Trick]

Cacodaemonia: Thanks! I like the ones in the car too. They're fun to do.

A quick study that got interrupted half way through and I lost the ref. And a landscape. I attempted two landscpae studies but they were so bad I didn't bother saving them. I always seem to get stuck doing sunset in rolling hills with low saturation and texture. Meh. Gotta learn how to use textured brushes without making a mess. (Advice??!?!?!???)

[BlackDelphin]

Well the quick study certainly helped in its way
And once more, i really like your traditional studies and the way you do your studies.

Just..do more please

[tja88]

oh you're definitely improving! just keep going with those anatomy studies, they certainly pay off = )

and thanks for dropping by my sketchbook.