Atelier Sketchbook (Updated 8-18-10)

**Derek the Usurper** · May 18th, 2009, 07:11 PM

I recently enrolled in an Atelier School and just finished my First semester. Here is a portion of what I've been doing all semester, in chronological order to the best of my recollection:

**Slothman86** · May 18th, 2009, 07:20 PM

Pretty Awesome Sculpture! Is that carved from a plaster block? or how?

**Derek the Usurper** · May 18th, 2009, 07:21 PM

Originally Posted by Slothman86

Pretty Awesome Sculpture! Is that carved from a plaster block? or how?

Thank you. All the sculptures are terra cotta clay.

**ImagineTheEnding** · May 18th, 2009, 07:21 PM

Your sculptures are excellent. I've gotten into sculpture recently because of a class I took at SVA. Faces, I find, are very difficult, and I think you mold them well.

**a la bapsi** · May 18th, 2009, 10:27 PM

beautiful studies. sculptures, especially.
i definitely see progress.

**Derek the Usurper** · June 16th, 2009, 04:49 PM

Here are the two non-sculpture things I entered into the student gallery show, and a quick sketch in photoshop:

**Derek the Usurper** · June 25th, 2009, 06:57 PM

I made time lapse videos of a still life sketch and a pokemon that I made for my girlfriend for her birthday.

**Derek the Usurper** · July 14th, 2009, 04:09 PM

Quick Self Portrait:

**Derek the Usurper** · September 9th, 2009, 09:19 PM

Some things I did this summer:

**Derek the Usurper** · September 12th, 2009, 11:39 AM

Messing around in the new zbrush update with the new z-spheres 2:

**Derek the Usurper** · September 17th, 2009, 02:29 PM

A Cait Sith I made for the girlfiend:

**TASmith** · September 17th, 2009, 03:04 PM

wow, excellent work here! I love the sculptures, especially the busts. A couple things to remember:
1. try not to sculpt so much with your fingers, smoothing things out, etc. Try to use tools as much as possible.
2. Be a little more minimal and decisive with each sculpting mark. Basically, the more you work over the form without really observing, busy little hand movements, etc, the more you take away from the form, rather than add to it. This is a tip I got from a really good artist at the museum school in Boston, Carl Dialvia. I found his website, but the work he showed us (his earlier work) was all figurative and much more technical than what he's showing now: http://www.dalvia.com/

**Eiki** · September 17th, 2009, 03:54 PM

Great traditional work you have! I love the paintings and still lifes.

And great sculptures! I liked to try that too, but I did never know where or how ...

**Shard** · September 21st, 2009, 05:18 PM

very nice going here dude!! keep it up!!

**Derek the Usurper** · October 16th, 2009, 07:08 PM

This is my first week back at the atelier, and here are some things I did this week.

**Derek the Usurper** · October 22nd, 2009, 08:37 PM

One Bridgman book down, five to go...

**Derek the Usurper** · October 24th, 2009, 10:46 AM

Not much finished stuff this week because I'm working on a sculpture and a Frazetta copy. All my portraits are alla prima thus far. None are really good enough to keep yet.

**Derek the Usurper** · October 30th, 2009, 05:25 PM

Stuff.

**Derek the Usurper** · November 8th, 2009, 02:16 PM

Too many WIPs I'm not photographing, so nothing really to show this week.

**bad_painter** · November 8th, 2009, 03:13 PM

I'm not trying to sound crass, but I was just wondering... are you striving for an impressionistic style or is that just the way you normally work? The reason I ask is because those last Bridgman studies you did are REALLY NICE and very controlled. You seem to understand form pretty well and know where you're putting your lines (when you draw), strokes (when you paint) and impressions (when you sculpt), yet most of what I'm seeing appears kind of chaotic and sketchy.

Anyway, good stuff here, so keep cranking it out!

**Derek the Usurper** · November 8th, 2009, 07:10 PM

Originally Posted by bad_painter

I'm not trying to sound crass, but I was just wondering... are you striving for an impressionistic style or is that just the way you normally work? The reason I ask is because those last Bridgman studies you did are REALLY NICE and very controlled. You seem to understand form pretty well and know where you're putting your lines (when you draw), strokes (when you paint) and impressions (when you sculpt), yet most of what I'm seeing appears kind of chaotic and sketchy.

Anyway, good stuff here, so keep cranking it out!

I am not aiming for Impressionism, no. I totally understand where you would get that idea though. Every painting up here except for the Frazetta copy and the mouse are all single sitting paintings.

I only started painting for the first time last semester, and did my first color portrait about a month ago, so I'm still battling with the medium itself. I'm trying to emulate one of my teachers, who's alla prima technique involves putting down the right stroke and color the first time, instead of blocking out large areas and then working toward detail.

Sometimes I fail miserably with a chaotic mess of arbitrary looking strokes, and sometimes I get a passable portrait I like. I post it all up here anyway.

**Derek the Usurper** · November 16th, 2009, 06:29 PM

2 Portraits and a Lincoln WIP

***ViRuS*** · November 16th, 2009, 07:59 PM

your doing well. really loving the sculptures. they're fantastic! =)
your getting better at painting too. looking forward to more.

**ChristianWeeks** · November 16th, 2009, 08:13 PM

I agree with virus. I particularly love your lincoln! He's coming along greatly. The rest of your work is excellent as well. If I may say so though, your breadth is fairly narrow... I'd love to see your skill in things other than portraits and fruit still lifes. Keep up the good work though!

**Derek the Usurper** · August 18th, 2010, 11:18 PM

Small Update:

**Derek the Usurper** · December 30th, 2010, 11:34 AM

Another small update:

**Kalin** · December 30th, 2010, 11:48 AM

Your sculptures are really excellent! Nice studies and paintings too.

Thread: Atelier Sketchbook (Updated 8-18-10)

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