Dsmith's Sketchbook(mostly freelance stuff these days)

[DSmith]

Hello guys/gals!

Last page=better stuff(pretty straightforward)

First,I want to welcome everyone in this great forum!Hi!
Second,an introduction:My name is Daniel Kovacs,I am 16 years old and I live in Hungary.My dream is to become a 2D/3D artist in a game development studio when I finish high school.(pretty tough dream huh?)
I am into 3D stuff(I use Blender and ZBrush)since 3 years,and I am working as a concept artist at Vertalex Studios on a next-gen game title for Nintendo,and I want to get a LOT better than my current level!

My main interest is Sci-Fi and fantasy,so perspective and anatomy is really important if I want to be able to draw all that funky sci-fi aircraft and characters.
I had a lot of false starts at drawing some years ago,but now I think I will be able to learn.I've got 6 years for learning before trying to get a job,so lets get moving!



These four images were my very first drawing that I considered finished.There is a lot of room for improvement...
Although these are digital images,I am working with traditional media now because I had to sell my tablet.

Some books that I am learning from are Loomis,Vilppu and some others.
I want to learn figure drawing mainly from a DVD series,the Structure of Man.Is it a good resource,or should I stick to books?

That's all for now folks,please leave a comment to help me out!


DSmith

OH and one question:How can I change image next to the thread name ?

EDIT.:First digital images moved to second post so that I can change my thread tumbnail easily!

[Maunty]

Hey Daniel,
I just started posting here too, so welcome! Looks like you're off to a good start with your drawings. One suggestion I have is to study the drawings of other artists you like and try to recreate their lines, etc. I did that a lot when I was your age and I always found it to be a great way to train the hand to do what you want. Also, take note of line weight and its variations. Instead of using lines as a border around colors, try using your lines to present the figure and work with the colors more to build your shapes.

I'm definitely still working on these things myself and Im sure everybody else is as well. Good luck on your future drawings.

[DSmith]

Maunty:thanks for the advice!

I did some portrait sketches tonight,but I can only scan them on Wednesday,so the next update will be on that day.
I decided to watch Riven Phoenix's Structure of Man.But I don't know if it will help me or not,so I will download it with torrent,and if it helps,I will definitely buy it.I am very sorry for stealing the work of a great artist,but I don't have the money to try out different books and DVDs.

DSmith

[DSmith]

Hello guys and gals!

This is my next batch of images,two portraits that I am not exactly proud of,and some skull studies,and a head based on the skull study.

I gotta recommend the Structure of Man everyone,in 2 days,I've learnt how to draw the human skull in any angle(although they are not perfect yet,but a lot better than my previous tries).

Riven Phoenix is a great teacher,his methods are awesome,I hope that the other parts of the videos are also this great!

Next update:wjen I finish the next 5-10 lessons.

[DSmith]

I decided to follow the days of my training,so:
End of the 2nd day:Here is my next update,the "milestone"(as Riven Phoenix calls it)of the chest and the skull.Note that the muscles are mainly done from imagination,I don't know if they are correct or not.The unfinished image is basically the construction of the image with the muscles.
Some input is welcome!
A question:is 3D stuff allowed in the sketchbook part?

[DSmith]

Hi!
End of the 3rd day:Not a big progress in learning the anatomy today,but at least now I know how many bones are there in the ribcage,how they look and where they are,and also how many parts does the spine consist of,where they are etc etc.The skulls are just quick sketches,so they are most likely not correct.
I might be drawing some more today,but I don't know if I'm gonna actually update once more.
Comments appreciated,harsh critique,anything.
(Note that the bold parts of the text are the main focus of the studies on the given day)

[Lumens]

Hi and welcome to the forums!
It is good that your doing all these studies. 15? i wish i took art so seriously at your age.
I like your designs in the first 3 pics. it resembles a knights armor,but it is mixed with
high tech scifi elements.
I suggest to draw lots from life aswell.do selfportraits,portraits of people you know
and go out side with a sketchbook and just draw people.you will quickly discover that
they move really damn fast so you cant be overly detailed,so instead you draw the movement,the essence of the action. thi is called gesture drawing.
A great source for practising these is posemainiacs.com.
Most people when they begin drawing worry about developing there own style,
but they dont want to flat out ape some artist they like. dont worry about ''style'' for now. As you will develop your own when you no longer think about it.
keep drawing every day and post often. you're of to the right start.

good luck!

[DSmith]

Thanks for the advice Glaedr,very helpful!
I decided that next day I'm gonna finish learning the ribcage and the spine from every view(front+back are missing right now)plus the pelvis, and then do some portrait and maybe gesture drawing.(I used Vilppu's manual to learn how to draw gestures).
I also set up a basic weekly plan,I don't know if it will work or not,but lets try:
-Monday: 5-6 lessons of the Structure of Man,practice the information I got there
-Tuesday: Gesture and portrait drawing(I don't wanna go into the full body yet)
-Wednesday: same as Monday
-Thursday: Still life
-Friday: Same as Monday
-Weekend: Finishing and developing the imaginary stuff I draw at boring lessons in school
I hope this will work out,at this pace I'm gonna finish off the Structure of Man in 2 months,then I will spend another month burning all the information in my brain again(heh,double layer...).And hopefully at the middle of spring I will get a basic understanding of anatomy.

[DSmith]

Sorry for no updates yesterday,I didn't have time.
So,I finished learning the ribcage,the pelvis,the scapula and the scull.Here is a quick sketch of these bones in 3 views(sorry for the totally wrong scapula,I have drawn the torso with pen,then I realised that I left the scapula off,so it turned out quite ugly):


I am at lesson 42,next up are the bones of the legs and arms.
Being very happy now,two reasons:
-A new set of Conté Sepia pencils
-16 Copic Sketch Markers and 4 Multiliner SP-s.I tried them out at an art store today,and I fell in love with them...I think that I'm gonna do some of the next studies with markers when they arrive
C&C welcome!
Tomorrow is portrait&gesture,though it will be tough for me to resist watching some more videos,anatomy is so fascinating!

[DSmith]

Hello!

Sorry for no updates,it was a busy week.Some good news:
-my art teacher in school said that my portrait drawings of my classmates turned ot very good,so I can go to the art class of older students!I would be happy to show the portraits,but unfortunately I cannot take them home from school.
-Bought 2 Copic Multiliner SP-s,but I have some problems with them.Their nibs split in two parts after some hours of use...what am I doing wrong?am I pressing too hard?
Done some Riven Phoenix studies as well,but my scanner doesn't work(f*cking great...).To have at least one picture,here is a car concept I drawn some weeks ago,in fact I will draw a 4-view drawing of it because I want to model it sometime in 3D.

Cheers!

[nurraymjo]

That's a pretty cool vehicle design. Things are looking good here... keep up the studies.

[DSmith]

nurraymjo:Thank you for visiting my sketchbook,your sketchbook is awesome!

[DSmith]

Hi there!
So here is a batch of updates,I bought some multiliners and hopefully my 16 sketch markers will arrive this week,I've finished learning the bones of the legs,next up is the arm and the hands,and then the skeleton is complete.
After that,I can jump into the muscles,yeehaw!
Also,I cannot keep the schedule of mine,because it is so friggin easy to learn anatomy with the method of Phoenix,and I cannot stop!I mean I watch the lessons once,and I don't forget the formulas,unbelieveable!(BTW I am at lesson 57 ATM)
There are some non anatomical stuff,I am learning perspective as well,but the results are horrible right now,maybe later I will post some stuff.
Note that on the page with the front and side of the skeleton and with the epic fail muscle study,all of those drawings are 3-4 minute sketches.(yeah,I am happy that I could pull it of so quickly...)

[brubaker]

It's great to see someone so young putting so much into learning to draw. As far as your 2 Copic Multiliner SP-s's go, I'd say don't focus on the type of markers or expensive pencils you use. If you can learn to draw good, you can use anything. I pretty much just used regular #2 pencils and copy paper the first 6 years of my life as a professional artist and it worked out fine for me. I look forward to seeing your progress.

[DSmith]

Thanks for your comment,brubaker!
First I didn't want to buy Copics,but I tried them at the art store,and they were awesome,so I couldn't resist buying some...
I hope you can see progress later!

[Lumens]

Its good to see your keeping up with the studies.
Here's a crit: in some of your latest drawings i noticed that you tend to
make short scratchy lines,same goes for crosshatching.
Maybe try to get a bit more loose with your lines. Think about each line you lay down.
Perhaps it helps to practice on a big sheet of paper,drawing loosly but with your whole arm.

Keep it up! you are going in the right way.

[DSmith]

Thanks for your comment Glaedr!
Yeah,I am not too pleased with the line quality of my drawings either,I will practice to make it better!

Right now I am learning the hand and hopefully I can update in the next 3 hours.

[DSmith]

Hi!
So here is the next update as promised,I learned the bones of the hands.Tomorrow I'm gonna do some hand gesture studies and start learning the muscles of the face.(and maybe do a big conclusion drawing of the skeleton).
C&C welcome!
(and BTW,what are these pervy smileys: ??? )

[StallionOfBeachhaven]

Hey nice drawings, I am 1/4 Hungarian (lol) Keep working on the Anatomy, Im also 15 and I just draw life drawings and practice my anatomy. Keep up the good work!

[DSmith]

Hey guys!

Sorry for not updating,my scanner is a piece of crap.Now it works again,so I quickly scanned in my recent drawing before it goes crazy again.
Many anatomy drawings,and a tribute to the greatest villain of all time,Joker!(I will draw a better referenced Heath Ledger too)
And some concept sketches too!
C&C welcome!

[kilon]

WOW... The last scetches are such a vast improvement compared to the previous ones, how you did it ? I think you definitely have the will so I think its surely a matter of time and effort.

Well done

[Natzuur-JK]

Hey there, It's great to see you doing studies, they are always a way to improve, but never limit yourself to just one type of study or improvment activity. What I would suggest would be some line and edge control studies, you have a good eye for anatomy, and it could be 3x as good with line control.

An activity that some art teachers have suggested would be to do a drawing of still life, or photo ref drawing, but try your best not to lift your pencil, and absolutely dont use an eraser. This forces you focus on your lines, to ensure they are smooth and controlled, and really depict things in essence without too much effort.

Another activity, i used to do this ages ago, would be drawing lines from dot to dot, kind like connect the dots, trying to get the line straight as possible. Then try varying width from dot (a) to dot (b). I know they seem like simple tasks but they helped me out when i was having line control issues immmensly.

That being said keep it up, youve got the heart and a great starting place (this website) and if you keep it at it youll be good in no time! Never give up, that's the key.

[DSmith]

Thanks Kilon,well if you mean the anatomy studies,I just put in some shading,that works wondersIf you think of the referenced Jokers,well,they are from referencethe armored character was pretty simple but I screwed up the shading with the markers...

Also thanks Natzuur-JK,your sketchbook is awesome!I am quite angry at my fuzzy lines...however,I am pretty good at straight line drawing(IMO),but I will pay some more attention to the not-straight lines as well

I have 1 good and 1 bad news today:
-the bad:my scanner is dead.It doesn't turn on.It was a piece of crap,but I will give it the proper funeral(I always wanted to check a scanner from the inside,so here is my chance...)
-the good:I thought of buying a new scanner,but I might as well buy a tablet,so no fussing with scanning.I went up to Ebay,and found an INTUOS 3 A6 WIDE FOR 50 FRIGGIN BUCKS(ALL NEW)!!!The seller has got around 500 positive feedback(100°%),so I can consider this day a lucky one.

Here are the last drawings before my scanner's death:
I screwed up the left leg in the picture with only one drawing,next time I will pay attention to that.

Updates when my tablet arrives!

[kilon]

Thanks Kilon,well if you mean the anatomy studies,I just put in some shading,that works wondersIf you think of the referenced Jokers,well,they are from referencethe armored character was pretty simple but I screwed up the shading with the markers...

yeah I agree good reference can do wonders... keep up the good work. Wise choice to get a tablet, it will help you A LOT!!!

[Miles_]

Hi there,

you show a lot of promise in your sketches. If you keep up all the studies and get into drawing as regularly as possible, you will learn and improve at a steady rate. It's hard to say what you should specifically improve on, but starting with anatomy is a good place. My main piece of advice is to learn to really start seeing things the way they really are. try to forget everything you think you know about all objects etc, and learn to start observing. Do lots of studies from life and photos. Remember not to rush things, if you want to study line, just do line, if you want to render, then render. Try not to rush anything or have the attitude that it is okay to leave things not done to the best of your ability. Personally, I feel that learning to always draw the best you possibly can is the key to fast improvement. If you always put the same amount of effort into a study as you would any other drawing, you will learn so much more

Oh, and draw from life as much as possible. if you want things to look like real life, what better to study Keep on updating!

[DSmith]

Thanks Kilon!Yeah,a tablet is a great thing,I had one before,unfortunately that was when I didn't know anything about drawing,so I couldn't put it to good use.I hope that this time it will be a better piece of equipment for me!
Thanks Miles,a lot of useful advice there!I will do some life studies this weekend,thanks for coming by!

[Enydimon]

Keep it up! You keep making the most out of your studies and exercising your imagination and you'll go far.

[Rhoades]

Hey bro, I really like your stuff. The cyclops robot is my favorite lol. All i can say is to keep doing what your doing! All your practice and studying will definitely pay off in the long run!

[DSmith]

Rhoades:Thanks,unfortunately the leg is screwed up on that one...
I hope that I will become better eventually!
Enydimon:Thank you!

Well,something has happened to my brain because now I suddenly realized how to draw plausible torsos...Gonna try my new "skills" on posemaniacs!
However,I am having problems with the arm muscles...I've learned the position of them,but when I draw them,they turn out like crap...I will get an all-new shiny anatomy book for christmas,I will surely put that to good use!
Now I've gotta study some Bridgeman/Loomis for the arm musculature,I won't rest until I can draw arms correctly!(maybe some real-life studies will help too)

No scanner,so no pictures,I will draw some stuff with my tablet when it arrives!

Thanks for the comments and Merry Saint Nicholas Day(I don't know if people in the U.S. celebrate it)

[DSmith]

Hey guys!

Well,my tablet has arrived!Time to do some artwork!

EDIT:Well,I've been configuring my tablet for a few hours,this stuff has so many functions!Still can't believe that I got it for 50 bucks...I set up a custom brush in photoshop according to the great Randis' tutorial,and it is pretty cool,a lot better than my bamboo was!First I tried drawing a figure,but it was failure,I have to get used to the tablet again.Next,I have drawn an eye,it turned out much better!I've got no time to update right now,maybe later in the evening.