DefiledVisions Sketchbook 2.0 | Back to the basics | apr15

[Philipopotamus]

Wow I cant wait to see the finished results! Its looking so natural and it just gives of this tame ad carefree attitude.
You said that the colors are a bit de-saturated but they look great! maybe you don't need to make it too saturated. It looks so natural this way.

[DefiledVisions]

Philipopotamus - Thanks! I'm really glad you like it! I think you're right. I'm not going to push the saturation much. Just looking for some more vibrant colors and still keeping the whole harmonic




Hey everyone. Here is some more exploration with this week's COW. Normally I would keep on working with what I already have, since it's such a good sketch. But I felt I wanted to explore some thumbnails and maybe do something more illustrative. It's a creature challenge so I don't want to take focus away from the creature and onto a story, but I felt I could do something more than just a white background. Trying to find the personality of the luck dragon and portray it in a natural environment. If I feel I don't have time to do something like this I'll go back to what I already have and finish it up, but for now it's all good. Will find out how it is during the weekend.

Also found some ref's of a the tree-climbing pose (cats) but from another angle. Thought I'd show how I usually work with reference. I'm not so interested in finding a perfect reference with a pose I can copy directly. To me that's too easy. The cats give me enough information to understand the pose, and then I try to re-draw it from the angle I need, keeping the construction. It's a really good practice for 3-dimensional thinking. Really takes some work figuring out how to portray them from another angle. Can't say I'm doing it accurately, but it's still enough information for me to get what I'm after.

Also did some composition thumbnail studies of cool pictures I like, before getting into my own thumbs.

See you around!

[kingkostas]

Totally awesome mate!!! Thanks for sharing these thumbs, the best info is always on these!!! As of creature design i cant really say a lot, i always love your creatures, very nice and interesting elements on it. Keep sharing !!!

[DefiledVisions]

Kingkostas - Thanks man! On Noah Bradley's blog I read an article about the process. He wrote that if the process is not good the picture won't be good either. He means that if you don't have a solid foundation before getting into rendering, the pictre wont end up good no matter how much you render. It's something I have learned too. Fixing problems in the thumbnail stage and save a lot of trouble later on!






Here's some art. Putting some paint on the two thumbs I like the most. I'll go with the middle one. I really like it. Hopefully I'll be able to pull it off! I am also thinking I need to try to get one hour of studies done a day.. going to try to build some relaxing spare-time study routine. I did some digital studies 2 weeks ago but then I stopped. I should keep going !

[kingkostas]

yep i also think that the 2nd is better. Has better contrast and nice overlapping elements to enhance depth [and that small detail ]. Keep it up !!

[DefiledVisions]

Kingkostas - Thanks man! did some more work on that thumbnail




Hey guys. Keeping it short. Was planning on working on my creature of the week piece all day but we had an unexpected lecture in school which lasted.. all day. Running out of time. I'll see what I'll be able to do for tomorrows finals, but anyhow, planning on working the piece until it's really finished, regardless if it'll take me one more week. I really need to start pushing myself more with new challenges and more studies from life.

With that said, today's update is small. An updated version of the thumbnail and a 1hour stilllife painting (damn it was hard!). I'm happy with the thumbnail. It has foreground elements, a middleground and a background which brings a nice depth to it. I want to touch up the foreground a bit more, either pushing it a bit closer to the edge of the piece, or having it overlap the dragon more. Either way, excited to keep working on this!

see you around!

[kingkostas]

Definitely keep it up as much as you want!!! Is already looking interesting

[DefiledVisions]

Kingkostas - Thanks man! I will keep updating



Right now I'm working on the luckdragon design sheet. I'll be finishing it up for the COW deadline today, also doing a clean line-work for my luckdragon illustration that I will continue working on. I'm really trying to push the sketching stage to the max and solve all problems here. I'm not planning on rigorously following the linework, but I feel it's better to spend time on it and do it well than to not do it. There is this good quote that before you can change your plan, you have to have it. I'm thinking the same with the sketch.

Also, here's a 1hour stillife from this morning would have liked to work the lighting and banana more but focused on the gradients of the paper. Learning so much!

More to come!

[Linzwinz]

Okay just peeking onto your last page, I learned a trick with proportioning that you did with the cat and the dragon above. (Love that design btw.) I'm going to have to keep spying on you...

[DefiledVisions]

Linzwinz - Thanks for looking! I'm glad you got something out of it. I find that I learn a lot about form when I do that



I finished my dragon for COW. I'm pretty happy about it, yet I feel there is so much more to do with it. I will keep on working in it, but for now I'll take a break from it.
I a good hour in the forest taking a lot of pictures of trees, moss and interesting shapes and lighting conditions. Going to some studies of that before continuing working the other illustration. There so much to learn I could go crazy.. could easily spend years just delving into specific subjects.. anyhow, see you around!

[Linzwinz]

That... is gorgeous. Oh man, this is going to sound weird but I especially love the paws/hands.

[Philipopotamus]

Awesome dragon! You even added the fur/scales that Falkor had! The scales reflect and refract light which is a nice touch.

[Si_Swe]

Hey man, I just wanted to come in here and say: you should definitely be happy with how your luck dragon came out. I understand how more can be done, and I would love to see one of those in-forest thumbnails brought to completion, but as a piece of creature design I think you did a fantastic job with this one. For me, it possesses a polish that completely succeeds in breaking down the things I normally would critique in your work. You haven't overworked your brushwork, and you haven't left areas with a stark contrast of finished and unfinished. Really blown away with this one and it's wonderful to see your work improve even more.

[DefiledVisions]

Linzwinz - Thank you kindly! Nothing weird about that you're not the only one who's told me that so no worries!

Philipopatumus - Thank you! yeah, I looked a bit at Falkor and noticed he has both scales and furr. I wanted to keep those qualities in my design. I was inspired by friend Nim here on the forums. He has some beautiful designs of fish-like dragons that are very elegant.

Si_Swe - Thanks a ton for your comment man! I really appreciate it. I really need to here this. I guess I become a bit too much of a self-critic sometimes and forget to appreciate my accomplishments. I agree with you. I thought of the feedback you've given me erlier and tried to work the piece evenly and not leave areas that are obviously underworked compared to other areas. See you around



Here's a stillife from this morning. Been getting up at 7 every morning to do a still-life before breakfast. It's a routine I really would like to have in my life, and so far it feels really good. The feeling of having done something so important before the day has even started brings so much feel-good! Right now I'm painting random objects I have in my room. But I'm trying to get my hands on a good desk lamp that I can use. I want to use these studies to get more into lighting.

[DefiledVisions]

A still life from today. 1 hour. Had a lot of trouble with it, but also learned a lot! I have these spheres in different colors that I have started to paint, and this one has some complex textures. I lost myself too early in detailing and had to scrap most of the painting in the end. I started from the beginning again and tried to focus on form first. Next time I'll really try to focus on form before getting into details.

see you around

[DefiledVisions]

Yo! another still-life from today. Went much better than yesterday.. really picked up some things since then. Also some random Samurai Yojimbo-chan guy.. don't ask after that one I'm gonna study each individual item/texture he wears. Really need to step up my game and do studies of the things I draw from imagination..

In this case:

Metal, especially shining metal.
Steel, Iron, Gold.
Breastplate
Green shirt (1800's)
Samurai Sword
sexy stockings
Feet
Arm-guards

[NickyBeats]

hey man! all these still lifes are looking good! also, was cool hanging with you and kostas in his livestream! keep up the hard work man, its seriously paying off!

[kingkostas]

Hahahah the crazy samurai!!!! Man the luck dragon is extremely great!!! lovely work. Keep up the great studies!!! i also had much fun yesteday, thanks for that
good night

[JakehC]

nice to see you posting frequently again! keep it up!

[DefiledVisions]

NickyBeats - Thanks man! the same to you it was fun and we should do it again.

Kingkostas - Thank you! yeah, that's one samurai crazy for love! Let me know when you stream again!

JakehC - I'm having a lot of fun thanks!





Today's still-life, and a quick sketch. Trying to get into the habit of drawing something from mind every day with focus on composition and perspective. Fun! *edit* should've put someone in the boat.. !

[Baconstrap]

purple pubis ftw
I really like the newest sketch, one tip tho you should have put someone in ze boat..hehe :]
Det e verkligen nice att du molar mycke det gör mig glad, hoppas livet ler mot dig.
Stay bacon.

[chevy28360]

Nice work! I really like the last post. Hope you develop the last picture, it has some real potential. And I love your color choices. They are very bold, which is always fun to look at. Keep posting!

[xiw]

i can say only amazing... I dont have words to say more

[DefiledVisions]

Baconstrap - Purrrrrpbbbbs! Tack så mycket min vän! Livet ger mig mycket kärlek och leenden just nu det är underbart. Hoppas att livet ler mot dig med och att du har roligt med ditt skapande!

chevy28360 - Thank you! I'll definitely keep that idea for some time in the future when I'm prepared to tackle it

xiw - Woa! thank you kindly! glad you dropped by




Smileys are back! pld: yeah! (turns out the exploding smiley doesnt work it's truly a sad day for all smileys of CA.. nah, who am I kidding, they're back and that's awesome!)

I've been thinking a lot about things lately, about both life and painting. I feel like writing up something long, but right now bed is calling for me. Will see if I can share some thoughts with tomorrows update. For now here's today's 1hour painting.

I love doing them, it's such a nice start of the day. I get up at 7, paint for an hour, then breakfast. And before the day even has started I feel like I've accomplished my most important thing. With this particular piece I saw a lot going on with light, but more on that tomorrow.
Take care everyone!

[kingkostas]

Thats a great study mate!!! . Btw the greyscale thumbnail looks awesome, heeh but yep maybe needs some people in the boat.

[DefiledVisions]

Kingkostas - Thanks man! haha yeah



Sorry for not updating. Been a bit busy. Here are two still-life's and a random composition thumb from mind. So many things are off in it, but I don't really care. As a thumb it gets the main idea across and that's important. Also not trying to put any rules on myself when doing these quick compositions, instead I analyze what I could have done better and try to study that for next time.
Been studying figures a lot lately as well, got some pages to scan that I'll put up tomorrow. Take care!

[erdbeerfeldheld]

Inspiring sketchbook, keep up the hard work. I have some critique to offer regarding the cup still life ... The perspective is off. The curve where the cup connects to the table isn't right. Things like that make a picture realistic, so try to get them right.

[Darsy]

The still life studies are very good. And I also like the landscape with the giant creature a lot so I really want to see how it comes up.

[MrJackk]

Love the cat-dragon a lot ^^

[DefiledVisions]

erdbeerfeldheld - Thank you for the crit! I'm glad you pointed it out, didn't really notice. I'll definitely be more observant next time! damn cirlces in perspective.. so damn hard to do.

Darsy - Thanks! not sure when I'll work on it, someday!

MrJackk - Thanks man!




Here are some gesture studies, some longer poses trying to simplify the anatomy and construct the figure with geometry, and some random stuff from mind. My main goal with figure studies right now is to learn proportion and gesture, so the anatomy isn't really there. Will be getting into that in the future. I'll be working the skeletons warriors more, giving them armor and stuff, and I want to draw an army of armored monkeys as well lol!



Don't really know what I am doing at this point. Life has been good lately and I can feel a lot inside of me change. I'm not used to have things going good for me so I'm kinda expecting a disaster around the corner every time.

When chaos and a "fight or flight" state of being becomes the norm, our system still responds in those ways even if the surrounding environment is completely healthy and safe. The need to survive and be hyper-alert to anything and everything is still running in the background. I know it's just something old in me that's no longer needed.. PTSD stuff and mind-demons and shit. It's still a bit tough to handle sometimes though.

At the same time I have become much better to taking action and thinking differently rather than reacting and losing myself to negative mind-states. I'm slowly starting to relax and invite love and happiness into my life. And I handle situations that were difficult much better.

I'm thankful for the positive changes. They are very welcome, even though they are hard to accept right now. It's like cleaning up an old machine and replacing rusty parts. The system isn't used to the change and it's clumsy and doesn't really want to co-operate with the new energies that are entering my life. I know it's temporary, and hopefully it won't be long before things flow.

Right now I'm thinking a lot about my painting. Back in 2010 I was on top. I painted a lot and I had fun and I was developing rapidly.. studying things and analyzing. I was "hungry" .. I saw amazing art and wanted to know HOW it was done. I wanted to suck it all up. Then things crashed and I haven't been in that state of mind ever since. But I feel I'm getting close to that again.

I try to paint every day, but it's become more like a chore rather than fun playtime. I asked myself what I needed right now and I realize I need to relax and have more fun. Right now I'm thinking "Hey, I need to study humans before I try drawing characters" .. and this kinda builds a mental blocking that makes me believe "I CAN'T draw characters before I have studied anatomy". That in turn makes it difficult for me to draw stuff from imagination because I don't believe I can.

I had to tell myself that ofcourse I can draw characters! what's that bulshit I'm giving myself? .. without knowledge of anatomy they'll probably look like shit and be all out of proportion and stuff, but it'll still be a character (damn ugly one for sure).

That made me think even more. When I was a little kid I loved drawing all kinds of stuff. I didn't care if it looked like shit. To me it was THE SHIT. I could draw anything. To me my wonky sillhouettes were Godzilla destroying a building, or a velociraptor prowling in the jungle, or a captain in a spaceship exploring new solarsystems. I had a lot of fun and I drew what interested me.

The most important question in my artistry right now is, how do I find back to that? I know the importance of studies, and I really enjoy learning and refining my perception, but at the same time I need to find a way to let that kid out and play again. I'm no longer confident in drawing stuff I don't understand, but that shouldn't stop me from drawing it anyway. Draw the shit first, analyze and realize it's shit, find out how to make it THE SHIT. Then make it THE SHIT!

I had a good talk with my friend Baconstrap today and he told me to create my own reality when drawing. Don't get hung up on the fact that you don't have knowledge about a certain subject, instead, decided that this is your world and you're the friggin' baws. If you say you're gonna draw something the entire universe and the world around you will bend to your will, cause this is your world and your reality. If it turns out like shit, it's because you wanted it to be shit.

But ofcourse I want to be a kickass artist, so I want to improve my shit so it gets better every time. Anyhow.. with that in mind I've started to draw stuff from imagination that I enjoy.

I had a look at Dave Rapozas sketchbook, and in his early pages he didn't do many studies. He just did what he enjoyed to do. He did a lot of stuff he liked as a kid, and also did studies to get better. That was really inspiring to see. And ofcourse studying pays off. He is so goddamn skilled and badass today it's makes me want to touch his chest hair.

I miss doing creatures and dinosuars and dragons and stuff. I'll be getting back to that to honor the little kid within me.

If anyone had the patience to read all of this, thanks, hope you got something out of it!

Thanks for looking