Diedra's sketchbook Vol. 2 - update 4/26/13

[Rotor]

You have a very, should I say, scientific way of studying.
Most of your bodies look very slender and perhaps a bit stiff, maybe throw some different body types in the mix.
Just keep on drawing, we have our ups and downs.

[Steveland]

Like your Sketchbook - Like the perspective stuff...

[dierat]

The Whistler - Aw thanks, I really appreciate the kind words!

BludHund - Thanks, I'll try to improve the linework. The thing is, every drawing is like a problem and every line is a part of the solution, but sometimes it takes me a lot of thinking and exploring to figure out how it should look. So I'll try to think it out before I draw it and keep the lines simpler. Thanks for the comment!

Black Spot - Oh yeah, I saw that. I kinda tried the Reilly method myself but I just couldn't figure it out. This way just seems more natural to me. Thanks!

Rotor - Yeah, stiffness has always been an issue for me, and something I'm trying to overcome. Most of my books focus on very slender, muscular people - figuring out how to make my figures look organic and natural is harder; I think it requires more study from models and photos. Not sure. Will try to improve on that, thanks for the comment!

Steveland - Thanks!


Couple more construction-y sketches..


Some wings..



I pasted my chosen design into the painting just to get an idea of how it looks compositionally. (Kinda blah but oh well.)


Still lifes.. My squash went totally rotten so I threw it away; this is how far I got.


So I started a new one with a lemon instead. So far I think the pitcher is looking much better.

[Kjesta]

Thanks for commenting on my sketchbook, I really appreciate your opinion! I'm very flattered that someone this accomplished has something nice to say about my humble scribblings.

Everyone's already said a million times that your rendering is great, but I need to say it again: your rendering is great

I second, though, that the figures still look a bit stiff at times, maybe just doodle around some more in between construction studies? Something I learned in Australia was to use a big paper and hold the pencil loosely by its very end, or even tape it to a brush and then draw from a meter away. It won't make for very pretty drawings but it really loosens you up, maybe that would be beneficial?

Anyway, keep up the good work!

edit: And I forgot what I wanted to add, which is that I actually really like the composition of the green still life. I prefer it to the lemon one so far, but I'll wait how that one turns out!

[carakhan]

Hey I really like your wing variations, I liked 3 the most which seems to be what you picked as well! I think compositionally it works, I think the wings could be even bigger and extend farther. Or maybe they're resting gently down her back and flowing onto the table, the iridescence could look really nice. I feel like fairy wings are always seen up but in real life a bug/bird rests it's wings when it lands. Maybe put something in there for size comparison too, a large inkwell or maybe some books in the background on the left?
And I really like your green study! It's so vivid, I wish you had kept going to finish the pitcher, I'm itching to put a bright highlight on it Remember that on highly reflective objects the transitions between values is much more blunt, I think that's why your new grayscale study is working so well. I really love the way you rendered the green cloth in the background so I bet your new study will go that much farther!

[Steveland]

Thanks for the advice - I will concentrate on the basics and do drawings of basic items to train my hand and eye.

[Mars.]

Those wings look nice, is there some pattern to them or did you just reference them?

Also I like how your figures are all blocks and stuff but they look so nice.

[masterpug]

I really love all the studies. Good place to get everything down. Clearly have a good eye for the reflections. The color still-life is awesome. You might try some more dramatic lighting of the scene just to see if you can get things to read a little better. I just feel like the still is missing some highlights and bright bright spots.

[Black Spot]

That's the trouble with fruit. I remember doing some grapes and having to change it every day until I gave up - going to get some wax fruit if I want to do a long study.

The handle doesn't quite look right the way it curves, but it might just be naturally wonky.

Thanks for your comments - they're very helpful.

[Mr.Pryminista]

Massive improvement here dierat. Your linework has improved a lot. Those wing designs is where it's at. That's the kind of practice you need to keep doing, constantly challenging your design mind to keep pushing for new ideas!

Keep em coming, and I want to see that new still life finished! Take it to the next level!!!!

[Ninjac]

Great updates Dierat, Bottle still life is looking solid. The elipse of the label looks off as it wraps around the bottle. That's what might be bothering you about it. Anatomy and planar studies are coming along well. I like girl with the wings in the previous one. Composition seems kind of bland though. Is she a fairy on a window sill? Could use some more content, like objects around her to push the scale or a view of her fairy home that she is looking at out the window. Based on your previous works though I know you'll finish it strong. "(Kinda blah but oh well.)" <---- This is the kind of thinking you want to avoid. It's what we learn in TAD. Get rid of the idea that any given part of your image is "good enough". If it feels wrong or weak, fix it. Gotta be your own art director and stick to your instincts. It will allow you to push your limitations much faster even if it feels painful at first. This is how the top pros work, so its no use waiting to develop that mind set. Keep working hard

[dierat]

Kjesta - Yeah, I think you're onto something there about the figure studies. I usually do mine on a small sketchbook while curled up on the couch, which probably isn't helping me any. Doing them standing up and on a large sketchpad where I can use my whole arm should help me loosen up a bit. Oh and I cropped down the lemon still life to (hopefully) improve the composition. There's still some empty/boring space in there, but the cloth has a pattern on it that should help once added. Thanks for the comment! ^^

carakhan - Hey cool, I hadn't thought of having the wings resting on the ground; that's a nice tip. And you're right about the scale thing; it's actually a window sill so she's supposed to be really tiny. I think I'll put some leaves in there; that should help. Thanks for the advice!

Steveland - Very cool, good luck!

Mars. - I referenced the inital wing drawings, then I just did a bunch of random variations based on that first drawing. Thanks!

masterpug - Thanks! Yeah I was kinda planning to add in those bright highlights later on with a touch of texture, but I never made it that far.

Black Spot - Yeah, but the nice thing about lemons is they all pretty much look the same, so I can easily replace this one if it goes off. (My problem with the squash is I couldn't find anywhere to buy it after I threw out the old one.) Wax fruit sounds like a great idea though; but where do you look to buy something like that?

Mr.Pryminista - Hey thanks, and I'll try!

Ninjac - Yeah the composition's really bugging me but I just haven't quite figured out what to do about it yet. I might shrink her down to set her off-center, and I might go back to a vertical format if that doesn't work. And I'll definitely add some objects to spice it up and add a sense of scale; thanks for the advice!


Small update on the still life; been working on the cloth, the transparency of which is proving challenging. I also cropped it down for a better composition and straightened out the table edge, which was totally funky.


More wings..

[Naidy]

Hello again, it's been nice catching up with your posts! I must say I found those wing studies really interesting. Still lifes are looking good to, it's nice to see you tackling varied subjects. Keep up the good work, mate!

[QueenWorm]

Hello~Thanks for comming to my sketch book. I can't really give you advices since I am beginer of Art~ All I could say might be add more saturated color even though I am still struggling with color too

[The Whistler]

Heya!

Uggh, that's a shame about the squash Just as it was starting to get awesome too. Btw, I loved the pitcher in the first version, awesome metal-painting abilities

Nice work with the wings too, talk about patience I have just one crit on the sketches in #63, in the middle sketch with rear views () you seem to be forcing the muscle too much so it kinda looks painful. In other words, you're giving your skinny figures some love handles they wouldn't have being that they're so skinny. Here's a picture of an ass to show what I mean

[Rotor]

Thanks for dropping by.
On the studies, I don't know what kind of light you have but the overall look is kind of soft, I'd imagine metal and fruit giving off quite sharp and bright highlights at some places. Gerenally still work on using a broader set of values, though your stuff is starting to look pretty damn good.
Keep it up.

[thisby]

you really have improved a lot in the past year! i love the wing studies and the fairy painting up there, her skin is rendered wonderfully. the folds of the green cloth in your squash still life are lovely also. keep up the good work.

[Mangix]

great work so far I really dig the still lifes, can't wait to see how the 2nd one progresses. I agree with Rotor about the soft light, maybe amp up the contrast? A lot of the edges seem the same so maybe try using rougher brushes on different textures.

[rem92]

O: nice studies.. and damn, that beer bottle loooks badd ass in so many levels, i shall try it myself, thnx for the inspiration haha

[Rhubix]

First of all I love your subject matter- I'm a huge sucker for mythical things as a whole

Your rendering skills are really top shelf, the fabric studies blew my mind a little.
I think your doing all the right things to improve in your weak areas - I'm sure your going to be a rock start in the future
happy sketching, keep on truckin!

[dierat]

Naidy - Thanks!

QueenWorm - Yeah I tend to lean towards desaturated and cooller colors; I'll try to improve on that in the future. Thanks for the comment!

The Whistler - Okay, I kinda agree and kinda disagree with ya here. I was exaggerating the overlapping forms a bit there, so I agree it really shouldn't look like that. But on the other hand, women tend to gain weight on their hips and breasts first, so I don't think it's that strange for someone to be pretty thin but still have pockets of fat in that area. The example you posted isn't exactly the kind of body type I'm trying to emulate in some of these studies. But I will continue to think on what you've said and try to improve my figures in future studies. Thank you muchly for your thoughful comment; I really appreciate it!

Rotor - It is a soft atmospheric light coming in through my window, but you're right the contrast should be higher and specifically there should be lighter values to push the 3-dimensional aspect of the painting. I haven't gotten to that yet, but I will! Thanks for the crit! ^^

thisby - Thanks!

Mangix - Right, I'll definitely be sure to expand the value range and try to get some interesting textures in there; thanks for the crit!

rem92 - Thanks man, and yeah, you'd be amazed what interesting studies you can make out of your neighbor's trash (lol!)

Rhubix - Aw thanks, that's exactly what I like to hear! Thanks for stopping by!


Been kinda stuck in the pitcher painting due to the tedious and dull pattern on the fabric, which is made even more tedious by the transparent nature of the fabric and the tiny wrinkles that warp the pattern's shape. But anyway, this is where I'm at so far.




And I decided to go back into the stained glass window one in the hope that I could touch it up and improve it overall. Further analysis of the image has revealed underlying structural flaws in the figure's pose, so I'm going to have to repaint some of it from scratch in order to fix it. But hopefully it will look a lot better when I'm done with it.

First is the old 'finished' version, then the current wip with a fresh new face (which still looks kinda weird.. I think the eyes might be too high or something, hm..).

[Paladis]

Simply some amazing art in here, thank you for stopping by my SB...it gave me a chance to explore yours and I have to say you're on the road to something amazing

[carakhan]

Everything is looking great! I really like the update on your stained glass window piece - the facial features look fine in proportion, I think the jaw is hanging down too low though, could slope upward a little more from the chin. Also I think the chin is looking a little small, it feels like it should be wider. I like the updates on the cloth as well, although I liked the folds on her bodice, I think it could use some compression folds in the crook of her waist. Her neck is looking nicer as well, but just a little to the right of center, like center of the collar bones doesn't match up with the breastbone. Let me know if you need a draw over I'm just lazy cause it's so early in the morning
Thanks for the link to that book, I've seen that link like 4 times in the last week, I think it's a sign! I hate buying books before I finish reading others but I think I might have to on this one. Totally agree about head size, will watch for that.

[dierat]

Paladis - Thanks, I appreciate you stopping by to check out my thread!

carakhan - Yay, thanks for the crits; I always have trouble with faces and necks and things. I'm assuming that by the chin needing to be "wider" you mean vertically, not horizontally? I made the jaw more slanted by pulling the chin down and keeping the edge of the jaw in the same place and it looks a lot better to me now. And I scooched the cleavage over to the right and the hollow in the neck over to the left; looks like that improved the whole chest overall. Take a look and let me know if either of those issues is still a problem or if you see anything else that looks weird.


Decided to stick with the old veil and just update the value so it looks more like the light is coming from behind. I changed the shape of the horns and added a ribbed texture, but I still need to add the forehead where they attach and fix up the edges and details around the headdress.

[Betty86]

hello, first of all- thanks for visitin my SB

i really like your still lifes, especially last one looks great. stained glass piece look really cool too; only her eyes bother me - arent they too close?

[carakhan]

It's looking better already for sure. I agree with betty86, I think the eyes are a little too close together, they're starting to look cross eyed. What I meant about the chin was really that the shadow seems off. It comes off as small, and looks recessed, like her chin does jut out enough. Take a look at this: http://www.pixiq.com/article/two-thi...face-portraits
I think your chin is too rounded, it's missing the flatish plane in the front of the face, and then transitions to shadow too quickly, it should be more gradual. I also think the shadow space between the bottom lip and chin is too long, you can see in those same pictures that the lower lip ends very quickly.

Really glad you decided to go back to your previous veil, I thought it looked great and the value touches are perfect! I didn't want to say anything cause I thought I'd wait to see what your plan was

[Rotor]

So those ARE horns.
I was wondering if it's just elaborate headgear. Anyway, currently I think there is just the slightest difference between the perspective of the face and the horns. Maybe check that out. Your rendering is very clean, the fabrics are just beautiful.
Keep it up!

[Killadroid]

Thanks for visiting my sketchbook

Your paintings and studies are incredible, keep it up!

[Harmageddon]

Hey, some good works in here, me like!
Keep hammering on those studies (is what I'm doing, too) and slowly but surely, drawing from the mind will get better.
You are very good at rendering (if that's what it's called) or detailing.
The cloth on your last piece looks great - on the pitcher piece also, it really does come across as seethrough cloth.
Do you paint the cloth, pitcher and lemon on separate layers or is it all one layer?

You do seem to have a good understanding of color, although there is a certain flatness to them in the background of your works in the posts on the 1st page of this SB.
The human figures look great though! (other than they eye in the stained glass one, which has been mentioned). I think you can push the colors in the foreground more, and increase contrast. For example beneath the dragon wings, the shadow on the ground could be darker. Now, the shadow on the wings is darkest which reads wrong.
Also, the centauress, I think the mountains look the same distance - even though the bluer one is further away. You got the color difference but not the detail difference. And, even harder, the contrast difference. The rocks in the foreground need more contrast too, as well as the grass.
In short, some good stuff! And, like myself, room for improvement to get even better!
Nice to see that you're working on I don't know how many pieces simultaneously, too.
So, keep progressing on the trapped in a web faerie, the pitcher piece, the stained glass piece and all the others you've got going on.
I'm curious to see how they all end up.

Oh and thanks for the tip on that book: Figure Drawing Design and Invention - I'll pick it up after I'm done with Hogarth.

[Lukifer_aurelius]

AWEsome sketchbook, you have some amazing skills! your rendering and colours and values are so vibrant! Really nice to look at. And thanks for dropping by my sketchbook - that was perfect advice, it's really been pushing me.

With this latest piece and the eyes - I think the corner or her right eye may be trailing off too far and too low from her iris - and the white space from that makes her eye look like its pointing to the left more than it is... could be wrong on that though.

Your anatomy studies have inspired me to do some more of my own too.

Great stuff!