Raphire's Sketchbook

[Espaul]

Your drawings have such a sense of realism! Your way of drawing hair look so natural. But you feel you are failing a lot. I don't know if this is a good idea, and maybe some of the more experienced artist should agree or disagree with me before you do this, but: Try different styles, maybe something a bit more sketchy, something more artsy, something fun so you can draw from imagination. You won't achieve photorealism at once without refs, so it tends to look too stiff and boring maybe. That hover cycle pic you posted from imagination was stiff and a bit boring. Try to have more fun with the imagination instead of being stressed about your performance!

[shiNIN]

Yay you are back
I'm sorry I didn't comment lately but it's not always easy to me. But I was here and I'm here now, too.
Your refd digitals usually feels me strange: a big amount of oh so goodness and something is lacking. I think colors has a great factor in the immediate photo-like feeling. Colors mean A LOT when it's about realism. You got them right. There are soft blending and much details too.
Your last one: Lovely colors in the not overlit parts. Her right thigh seems to be wrong: the curves of the two parts separated by the arm don't match and the same thigh seems to be very thin, the other one seems to be thicker.
Her eyes are a tiny bit doll like, maybe because we don't see a hint of an eye white? Or there are some very very subtle reason? Subtle things are very hard to catch when one focuses on the details too much, at least I experienced that.
I'm afraid I can't say what you should do, I'd definitely play with some loose imaginary figures and faces. Being loose is my weak point so it helps in my case.

I'm interested in your life sketches Anything that isn't heavily referenced using a photo or painting, real life is different, the artist does more in the process

[Raphire]

Espaul: Hey there! Yea i do play around and sketch loosely. But For some reason they just don't look cool at all, though they are improving. Slowly.
And I definitely do have a problem letting loose. I guess I just need more mileage to give myself more confidence. Thanks for the compliment!

shiNIN: Heyyyy thanks for coming by as always. I totally get what you mean and I know it seems like I'm stubbornly ignoring your advice but I really am trying to loosen up, it's just that my attempts haven't been successful. I need more mileage!

Gonna do more studies for now, and hide my ugly sketches(and besides, scanning them is so boring). Going to life drawing tommorrow! Yay.

A study of a sailing ship. I knew it was gonna take a long time but... Two sessions of what.. 5 hours? Ridiculous. I wonder how long it would have took if I did a super tight underdrawing with perspective and shit. Wasn't much info in the photo though. I don't even know what the overall shape of this ship is like. Not really finished. I keep losing patience on these technical things. haha I think I'm buying a model ship to learn how to draw these damn things. Any recommendations or suggestions as to where I can get an awesome one?

[Raphire]

Some stuff I did a while back for school. We did monoprints, made them into a photoshop brush, and did whatever with that one brush. The only project that was directly applicable to what I like to do apart from foundation drawing. ahaha

No ref

Today's life drawing was no good. Scratchy lines and unfinished crap....

[shiNIN]

Oh I wouldn't think you ignore it, I know very well it's not easy at all. I keep replying "I know you're right" in my sb myself...

You keep losing patience... Well I couldn't even started to think about drawing that ship But I don't like technical stuff. I can't even criticize it.

The new stuff is kinda interesting... And it's always good to see something different. I'd apply rotate on that brush (maybe it's bad English but hopefully you get it), now it seems like my generated textures (in assembly, around 100 bytes... mmm, good old times) when I used a wrong seed to generate numbers, too repetitive. At least in the first one. It may a taste matter though.
I like the expression of the second one.

[Raphire]

Study of one of `mjranum's stock photos from http://mjranum-stock.deviantart.com/.

I changed the face for extra practice.
I really enjoyed painting the highlights on the suit. lol

[n1frit]

Hey! Nice studies! Especually great leaser texture! Keep pushing man!

[Raphire]

Ok so I thought this wouldn't be all that hard but man it killed me.
I took forever on this

it's a study after Francesco Hayez's Meditation on the History of Italy (1850)

Learnt a bunch about drapery and relearned some basic stuff I forgot about painting. Well I'm probably gonna do a Sargent or something next. Need to learn how to do more painterly stuff.

[shiNIN]

Yay for master studies!
The hands lacks some orange-ish color here and there and the face is a bit too dark, the draperies can easily require very much time... but in general, good job Oh I feel the chair too dark too, not only because it's different in the reference.
You're pretty good at seeing things (I mean things that are there ) when you use a reference but it's nothing new.
(My English is clumsy as usual too.)
Oh one important thing, it's too soft at some places.
I wonder if such posts has any use... I just pick at differences I see.

[Raphire]

Guess what.. I didn't do a study this time. I gave a portrait an attempt. But it doesn't look right so I'm putting it up here hoping someone can point out the flaws.

no ref, so pardon any weirdness

[shiNIN]

{*mumbles* "Someone"... He should know portraits are what I tear apart with passion... I'd never miss such a chance!}

Yay, a portrait... I'm actually neglect portraits lately, I don't even doodle faces, I kinda miss them. If someone goes above a certain level, an overpaint is easier for me (and I always say it's what I do but people can be very different and I easily can change something that's not quite wrong but unusual or just not my cup of tea no matter how much I try not to do that) but I guess I can say a few words.
Her neck is too long. The nose is unusual at least, normal noses has a different curve and I guess the bridge should be emerge a bit more from the face. Considering the angle, we should see something from the other hole unless poor nose is lopsided.
Eyes. People usually mess up the eyes, they are tricky bastards, I love them but they make my life harder. I think the eye size difference is too much, your perspective don't explain that. There is no tearduct but the eyes don't look like asian eyes either. The area around tear ducts usually attract more light, there are wonderful surface changes there, after all. The farther lower eye lid has an unusual slope, oh my god I need to do an overpaint after all I fear. No big deal, I could use some practice and I'm usually not very bad with portrait overpaints, I suck at starting a damn painting Oh, sorry, my bad I should criticize your stuff here, not my own weaknesses.
I'm not pleased with the perspective of the closer eye. It has some kind of anime perspective, don't be affended. It looks like it does a "shortcut" instead of following the head's curvature.
She seems to have a little too big and not well shaped enough cranium, or some very, very stupid hair but I guess you simply need to draw more skulls, they are wonderful, believe me
It seems her left shoulder (our right) doesn't match the position of the other one and the head.

The background shows a foggy day but she's lit differently, well there may be lamps...
I don't want to start to talk about the lack of light and warmth of the chin, maybe the lamplight gets weak there, the change is a bit too sudden though...
*knocks off inner crits who was pretty active the whole day already*

These are my first thoughts about this. I kinda like the mouth and her eyes are so cheerful, I don't consider this a bad portrait, just a somewhat flawy one.

[Raphire]

shiNIN: Nooooo I knew there were so many problems with it. It's back to more practice I guess. I'll give a portrait from imagination another go next week. Gotta keep moving.

Another master study today. This took ages to paint.

Study of Fumee D'Ambris Gris by John Singer Sargent

a more painterly approach to a study. Being painterly does waste a lot more time, but the result is less artificial I guess.

I didn't really do the image justice. I shan't mention the many flaws I know are there. :/

[Sushy]

wow your studies are really great
I first thought that ship was a photo xD

[shiNIN]

I don't know the Sargent pic that was your reference but you worked in a much more painterly way indeed Except some sharper parts. I love the clothes

[hu-ha]

I think You did very well with ship and master studies, only thing i find awkward are heads. In #156 and #160 they're pretty big. Keep updating bro))

[Raphire]

A rather rushed study. I was halfway through it when the time for course registration came, and let's just say i lost a lot of the working mood when it was over. Had a headache to boot. Well I shan't work through this crappiness. To a better tomorrow!

Went for life drawing yesterday and sad to say i haven't improved, but I picked up some knowledge!

[Mila]

I rather like the studies. Don't give up. If I was capable of producing a study like that, I would be thrilled.

Keep it up !

[Raphire]

Pretty pleased with this study.

[Raphire]

Some half assed crap i cooked up with no reference. I'm still very far from doing anything decent from imagination. Gotta keep pushing.
It feels like an improvement from previous memory work though.

This is more of a memory study than anything.
probably not gonna finish it :p

Onward!

Yes I have a thing for stupid hairdos

[Koh]

Woah man, the studies are fantastic, keep it up!

[Liberty]

Oh man, you are killing me with amazing studies. Keep at it...

[n1frit]

Eh agree with above comments! U do a great photo studies! Keep it up)

[Creusa]

lots lots of photostuds, try some still life stuff too

[Raphire]

Ok it's hard to classify what this image is. It's a composition/color/memory study. Very loosely referenced some stuff. I don't like it. Learnt a bunch of stuff though. I learn the most from the crappier paintings it seems. haahah

Also this is a long overdue environment study.

I'll get a still life done soon!

[Raphire]

Failed fan art of Motoko Kusanagi. Don't ask me why all the anime characters I happen to like have purple hair. I don't know. I don't even like purple hair all that much. no ref for practice

[shiNIN]

I learn the most from the crappier paintings it seems.

I can relate It's good then, not like it would be a bad painting...

The study in #168 became quite nice indeed. Maybe the farther eye position is a wee bit wrong.

I wondered for a while what's wrong with the one in #169. There's multiple little flaws, maybe the closer brow and the farther eye is the most apparent and I guess the mouth is at fault too. I can't explain it with words and looking at a reference would do it much better anyway.

Fan art: perspective of the eyes are wrong and it's a not very good lighting, it hides too much of the face. But there's something really nice in the face and expression, it's likeable and lively. I can't explain it well but you surely know the feeling, some faces are like dolls, nor real humans but this one isn't one of them.
{I dig male characters with silver hair and redhead girls With a few exceptions.}

Keep at it, I'm looking forward to your still life

[Raphire]

creen cap study from the movie Contact (1997)

didn't learn much from this. business as usual. will go into applying what i learnt in terms of facial structure with a portrait from imagination soon. gotta fix that crappy problem of mine.

I should be doing a still life or some such but well I just can't seem to get myself to be awake in the day. haha

[Raphire]

Another shot at Kusanagi Motoko fan art.
No ref. This was fun

[Raphire]

Study of Spanish Dancer by John Singer Sargent. :p Noooo I keep sleeping in the day so no still life yet

[Creusa]

/still waitin for the still life XD