danlambert's sketches - 22nd August

[Arne Meyer]

Hi there!
Your rendering is kick ass, it´s very exact and precisely, but your linework is a bit boring in my opinion. It´s like you are doing the same thing with rendering and drawing lines, you do it very exactly.
I´m far away from being a line expert, but I guess your drawings, especially your gesture studies, would be way more dynamic if you would make your lines more intuitively and with some more variation.
Maybe you want to try that!
Good luck and keep up the good work!

[Sebastian Wagner]

so much great stuff in here. I`m really in love with the bear^^

[SMILEFACE]

the lil' comments you write next to yer sketches errr HELLA FUNNY! an now thar be ''steamy curls'' you RRRRRRRRRROOCCCCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[spaztastic]

hahaha I love what you said about the eyes for molten core... I was the same way. hehehe i would be doing more in there but I am too busy with subtitles stuff right now to participate.

your art is awesome. I think one thing that would help for portraits is if you made the eyes the focus and gave them as much life as possible. I tend to forget about the eyes till last. but you can convey so much emotion if you get the eyes right. it really helps to push the pics. I am having to work on this too.

but all in all your stuff is ACE!

[danlambert]

Hi there!
Your rendering is kick ass, it´s very exact and precisely, but your linework is a bit boring in my opinion. It´s like you are doing the same thing with rendering and drawing lines, you do it very exactly.
I´m far away from being a line expert, but I guess your drawings, especially your gesture studies, would be way more dynamic if you would make your lines more intuitively and with some more variation.
Maybe you want to try that!
Good luck and keep up the good work!

Thanks man, for comment and the crit. You are completely right I basically draw everything as precisely as possible, probably why my stuff is always so stiff.
Today will be different!

Noro - Thanks, the bear is all yours my friend

Spect - I find insulting myself on the page takes away the need to bash my head against things! Peeeeeeaece!

spaz- I'm pretty sure lazyness is going around at the moment, so we are all forgiven!
Eyes, check! I'm just about to start a self portrait so I will have a go. Flattery will get you everywhere haha!


Update with drawings and stuff later tonight after I kick my scanner a few more times.
Peace

[Capital G]

holy crap your work is awesome! you pencil studies made me curse aloud

[Black Spot]

Sweet, sweet pencil work. Maybe your imagination is lost in just drawing from 2d, try a still life and feel the form.

Thanks for dropping in on my SB.

[JJacks]

Wow, these are some lovely sketches. I really like the eye studies you did on page three.

[jigje]

Man, I really appreciate your comments. As a complete beginner, it was a thrill and a surprise to get some advice from someone with a 'book as fine as this one. As you've seen my SPs, you know I dont know enough to crit anyone but I am qualified to say great work and look forward to more. Thanks again.

[SMILEFACE]

lol'd i like do'n both that should explain alot!

[DStraX]

your studies are coming along nicely keep dooing what your doing, and maby try to use a lower contrast setting on your scanner. looks like your loosing some of the light lines


Tim

[meticulous]

Wow - that's all I got looking through here. Freaking kill man - freaking killing it... Your studies are looking awesome - keep up the hard work and keep the submits coming! Looking freaking amazing!!!

[danlambert]

Thanks everyone. I don't really even want to post this, but I figure I should. I realised a few hours in that what I was basically painting was a fucking furry!
Not cool, not cool at all, but here it is anyway. I was trying to paint a semi real version of one of the Biker Mice From Mars. Didn't use any references.



Be kind!

Few hours worth in photoshop, couldn't figure out the bandana or the hand so I left them more unfinished than the rest

[Black Spot]

Making those ears as tough as the rest will be a real challenge.

[Jesus Food]

lol i remember those biker mice, theyre tough but theyre so small u can barely hear those little bones crunch under ur shoes he reminds me of ace(keifer sutherland) in stand by me

[danlambert]

Making those ears as tough as the rest will be a real challenge.

Tell me about it. Which is why I have decided to take the easy way out and not bother trying!

[Bidi]

very nice, dan! hard work is the way to go, and it seems that youre doing lots of it. My only suggestion is to think about composition on those pencils. making a darker background will bring the image forward and give the illusion that there is something going on instead of just floating in space.

peace

[danlambert]

Just tried to upload a few new sketches, only to have my laptop or the internet or whatever the fuck happened, decide to just crash. So I'll try again later.
Figured I'd have a bit of a rant since I was here. Basically I've noticed that my motivation has dropped a fair bit since I've finished uni for the summer, and I think it's because I'm lacking the interaction with other artists/illustrators that I had before. Which is basically making it much easier for me to say yes to going out skating all the time or just generally getting distracted by stuff. Don't suppose anyone's come up with a magical way of overcoming this other than the obvious 'quit whining and just get on with it' that I've been saying to myself? Anyone....?
Right, I think that's enough of the livejournal bulls***.

I'm planning to start doing at least one digital portrait a day. Greyscale to start with, then moving onto colour. I am hoping I can rely on you guys to nag me if I'm slacking.
Also starting a few proper illustrations in the next few days, basically just doing more finished stuff instead of just the studies.

I'm posting this here so I feel more obligued/motivated to get on and do it.

If anyone wants start one of those sketchbook group things so we can all nag each other that would be awesome!
Peace!

[IndigoSummers]

Just had myself a wonderful time looking through your sketchbook. Really lovely work. My fave is the care bear. There is something so appealing about that image. I just want to hug him!!! I'm right there with you on the imagination thing. lol. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one that struggles. =).

Hmm....for motivation...not having a life helps. lol. But if you do happen to have a life, I find scheduling time to work on art somewhat helpful. I'm finding these online communities to be a good motivator. Especially the weekly challenges. Having a deadline and working amongst everyone else, seeing their wips and getting feedback mirrors school somewhat. Sometimes I'll look through another artists work that really inspires me...and that will get me going. No secrets though, sorry. =)

If I had one crit for you, its that you need to work looser. I know I know you've heard this before. A good exercise to do is grab a piece of paper and just start moving your pencil around without giving any thought to what you're drawing. Shapes will emerge and you can "find" a drawing or figure to elaborate on. I'd like to see what you come up with.

A Sketchbook Group? Sounds interesting. More info please! =)

[Rynnay]

Haha, I like the Biker Mouse. I agree with the earlier comment about putting some darker value or hint of something else in the background. Maybe you could put some tears in the ears to make them less Mickey Mouse? Or what if his front teeth were sharper? Rodents have a nasty bite after all. But for just a few hours in Photoshop, that's pretty damn good. Good values.

[danlambert]

Just had myself a wonderful time looking through your sketchbook. Really lovely work. My fave is the care bear. There is something so appealing about that image. I just want to hug him!!! I'm right there with you on the imagination thing. lol. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one that struggles. =).

Hmm....for motivation...not having a life helps. lol. But if you do happen to have a life, I find scheduling time to work on art somewhat helpful. I'm finding these online communities to be a good motivator. Especially the weekly challenges. Having a deadline and working amongst everyone else, seeing their wips and getting feedback mirrors school somewhat. Sometimes I'll look through another artists work that really inspires me...and that will get me going. No secrets though, sorry. =)

If I had one crit for you, its that you need to work looser. I know I know you've heard this before. A good exercise to do is grab a piece of paper and just start moving your pencil around without giving any thought to what you're drawing. Shapes will emerge and you can "find" a drawing or figure to elaborate on. I'd like to see what you come up with.

A Sketchbook Group? Sounds interesting. More info please! =)

Dammit! Someone must have the secret! ha.
That scribble thing sounds pretty interesting, I may have to give that a go.
I think sketchbook groups are basically just a group of like 4 or 5 people that regularly visit each others pages handing out advice/support and nagging you if you start slacking. Wana start one?

[Mischeviouslittleelf]

FUCK YEAH! BIKER MICE FROM MARS! Aahaha awesome stuff on that one. NOW BACK TO STUDIES!

-E

[monstertree]

Oh man that's cool, i remember Biker Mice from Saturday morning cartoons - really great rendition and a pretty damn cool sketchbook!

[IndigoSummers]

I think sketchbook groups are basically just a group of like 4 or 5 people that regularly visit each others pages handing out advice/support and nagging you if you start slacking. Wana start one?

A license to nag? Sounds like a good time. . You can count me in.

[SMILEFACE]

hey can you take a small chunk out of his ear ... i know i know but it always looks cool

[danlambert]

A license to nag? Sounds like a good time. . You can count me in.

sweet, we need more people though. Start recruiting!


Thanks for all the positive comments everyone!

As for that Biker Mouse Guy, I'm not going to do anything more on him, I have grown to deeply despise him! Now let us never speak of him again.... haha



Now some arty stuff, the first of the daily portraits I plan on doing, I forced myself to stay up and do it even though I got in pretty late from an awesome BarBQ! (Even managed to do a few quick life drawing sketches while I was there).
Self-portrait 1, I plan on finishing this up tomorrow morning before starting my next one! SO far 2 hours in photoshop, I haven't had a chance to look at it on a proper monitor yet so the contrast is probably way too dark. Anyway, enough stalling..Peace!

[{CKL}]

Dude.............carebear on your first post FTW!

[danlambert]

Planning on entering the CHOW and COW this week, here's this first set of thumbnails/silhouettes for the COW: Demon Devourer. I'm not sure which one I'll go for yet so any input is appreciated!
Peace

[danlambert]

Pushed one of the silhouettes a bit further, changed quite a bit though obviously. Really struggling with getting the form to read well, so I'm going to stop for a bit and do some more studies. No references.
Would really appreciate any crits on this one, I can't really remember why I scribbled one of its arms chained up, I think I'll probably change it.

Again, havn't had a chance to check it on a proper monitor so the contrast is probably really shit.
Peace

[danlambert]

Finished up that self-portrait, pretty happy with it. Next one I'm going to try and get some more texture in there, and do something more with the background.

Haven't had a chance to look at it on a proper monitor so contrast may be a bit off.

Peace!