Back to school

[Purrdey]

So I'm starting classes again tonight - pretty much the first formal classes I've done since school (a long long time ago!).
Life and earning a living and passing exams to help that along kind of got in the way and took up too much time. Now that's sorted (kind of!) I need to get back to art.
I thought a sketchbook would keep me going and record my progress (if any!).
All your sketchbooks here are so amazing that they are inspiring yet intimidating at the same time and my scribbles look pretty silly alongside them... but here goes!
These are pretty recent, all except the sketch for an X-Ray Specs album cover which I did at school - giving away just how long ago that was!

[Chison]

I LIKE the colour of the rabbit althought body is a bit wrong.

because the canvas memaid and jungle work well i think you are good at (recreation?)surreallist acrylic or OIL paint on carvas
you drawing of X-ray spex (sort of acceptable because i think i saw this style before)but i am not much sure and think you need more practice drawing their body
(i'm not that good might be wrong so just ignore me if you like)
keep it up

[Purrdey]

Thanks for the reply Chison - actually it's a Brown Hare but I'm sure you are probably right!
The album cover was only a sketch, the painting has got lost along the years!
The jungle is actually a wax painting - really a lot of fun but very hit and miss. You get little blocks of coloured wax and melt it on a little iron then apply it to glossy card. You can get some amazing effects with it.

This is me at the beginning of the journey, I haven't really had any "proper" art training so I'm starting this course as a complete beginner and hopefully I can get shot of all my bad habits. I have a pretty intenstive beginners course at Central St Martin's booked for November/December so hopefully I should improve quickly

[Chison]

take a good look around i am quite sure you can pick up interesting loads of technic from this moster site and enjoy yourself around.^^
looking forward for you next update !!

[Purrdey]

Well I got myself a scanner so dumping some more recent stuff, museum visits and things.

[Purrdey]

One more

[Purrdey]

Dumping the paintings I uploaded for portfolio review week... now on with the new (hopefully improved...)

[Aberzheim]

Hmm... your animal photo studies seem to be quite solid... but there is a contrast with your figurative work
you can handle tones, its just the proportions are really off in quite a number of them
Its more of a case of not checking how do the shapes relate with each other (i.e. distance between the eyes, relative shapes of the facial areas), one good starting point would be to study Reilly Method constructions, or Bridgeman/Loomis on the facial planes to understand the underlying construction of the face

Apart from that, good start in your sb, and hope your review week goes well (p.s. I'm over at Byam Shaw, pm if ya wanna meet up for a drink! =) )

[Vardia]

I really like your animal paintings, they're beautiful! The only "critique" I can really give you is to keep on practicing! Maybe draw from life some more?

[kyurai]

uuuu, i love that landscape painting in your first post.

i don t know much about animal anatomy, so all can say about those paintings is that i like them you seem to have something with tigers here ) and the light in that bat picture is really good

[beejazz]

You've done some pretty impressive work. I'm especially impressed with the tiger. The dancing nude seems a bit off somehow, proportion-wise. Out of curiosity, did you work from references?

[Purrdey]

Thanks Beejazz, yes the tiger was from a photo in a wildlife magazine, I was just playing around with watercolour pencils. The dancer was done fast, pastels that I'm really not used to using and from a photo reference.
and thanks Kyurai, that's a wax painting, little blocks of coloured wax that you rub on the bottom of a travel iron type thing and press onto a shiney paper that kind of looks like photographic paper. Great fun but pretty random unless you get really skilled - which I never spent the time to get!!!
and thanks Aberzheim and Vardia for looking and for your comments - you're both very right and I do really need to draw from life more.
I've been kind of mia for a bit, work kicking my butt atm and it's not fun. Hopefully I'll get some time to start contributing something to the sketchbook support group soon and actually get some drawing done again.

[zombifried]

Your work is coming along, especially in the last few posts. I know it's already been said, but the more you do, the more you'll improve. Practicing basic stuff (life studies, value sketches, anatomical studies, etc.) is essential.
As a side note, nice to see another X-Ray Spex fan out there! (I thought I was the only one left!)
Good work overall. Good luck!
~Zombifried

[Purrdey]

LOL thanks Zombiefried! I have to admit that the X Ray Spex one was from 1978 or so! omg i feel so old sometimes hahaha

[Aresa]

You've got some neat stuff here! Even though it is repeated, I would work with more life studies and anatomy practices. I do see improvement in your last post, which is neat. Great work and keep it up!

[redpandafire]

Woah, your nature and wildlife paintings are great! I find alot of your work really shines when its clear to the viewer that you needed to use reference!