Ally Albon's Sketchbook

[AllyAlbon]

Hello everyone,

I used to draw a great deal, in fact I originally wanted to be a concept artist in the games industry. In the end though, life changed and I now have a completely unrelated career and haven't drawn properly in about ten years! I lost heart and decided that I wasn't any good and moved on.

However, the love has been growing to get back and drawing again. My big mistake first time around was to spend all my time drawing dragons and fantasy animals and ignoring the fundamentals, so this time around I will start at the beginning and learn things properly and see what the next few years brings!

[AllyAlbon]

Few more! A bit of a rotten self portrait too. I promised myself I would post most of my work, even if bad, and then it would hopefully give me even more inspiration to get better...

[AllyAlbon]

Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong, why my first image doesn't appear as a thumbnail on the forum page?

A couple more. Working on some bigger pieces this week! Feeling more into it, a lot less still than I had, which can only be good!

[AllyAlbon]

Aaand some more. Haven't been drawing as much as I would like, and I don't have a sketchbook! - that will soon change.

[BlightedArt]

A great start, and welcome back to the world of drawing. Ten years is a long time but it looks like you've retained a lot of what you learned for sure! Keep going, with a couple more posts like that we'll all get a very good idea on where you're at (we do already, but I just wanna see more ), and you'll get more feedback.

For now: your studies are looking good, love the bust in the first post. And your penmanship is sweet.

[AllyAlbon]

@Blightedart - thanks, and all going to plan, I am going to try and draw something every day, and hopefully a (semi) polished piece every week! Trying to draw from life / reference rather than imagination until I have the basics down again.

* * * *

Drawing people is my absolute weakness. Avoided it like the plague previously but no more. Practice makes perfect and although these sketches make me cringe, I am starting to feel the form a lot more....

Plus a horse. Just cos.

[AllyAlbon]

Ugh, I am really uncomfortable, awkward at drawing people. I am making myself promise that I will draw at least two sketches of people before I can draw anything else, and hopefully....

Old self portrait, uploading in preperation to do another one, hopefully better and actually looking like myself.

I still can't get an image to show on the forum page - just a blank space. Can anyone tell me what I have forgotten to do?

[Midnight_Oil]

Good stuff! Looking forward to seeing the new self-portrait.

[Clur]

Hi, thanks for stopping by my sketchbook.

I love your digital paintings, the way you use colour is fantastic! Your faces seem a little flat to me, though. Maybe trying working with the planes of the face more?

[AllyAlbon]

Couple more. Can't believe how time is flying. Between hectic work, taking new classes after work and attempting to catch up with Fringe (best show ever), I haven't done anything all week...

[AllyAlbon]

My favourite artist of all time.

Have made a deal that the remainder of the year is going to be spent working on still life, anatomy, and copy work to improve basic skills (With a leetle bit of fun thrown in)

Making a copy of Frazetta's work was actually really revealing, trying to work out how he put down colour to obtain the final results. Have learnt a lot. And discovered a distinct love of drawing woman with a few more curves.

Thinking of taking up oil painting, too.

[AllyAlbon]

Portrait. Well, kinda. Getting closer. Looks like me and doesn't at the same time.

[AllyAlbon]

Robin Study

[AllyAlbon]

A set of sketches including an awful, awful sketch of a bloke, and a study of an old master. Really, really enjoyed doing the study.

[AllyAlbon]

Busy week! Sketched quite a lot, but just found out scanner is totally bust, so going to have to scan at work.

Feels like I am starting to get it....

[AllyAlbon]

Still waiting to scan in my sketchbook. Amazing how essential a scanner really is....

[Rhubix]

Nice stuff so far- I really like the super dramatic apple in post 11.

[AllyAlbon]

Thank you Rhubix. And dramatic apples make the best kind of apple pie. Fact.

[AllyAlbon]

Having a quick go at environments. I just don't seem to have enough hours in the day. By the time I get home, am already tired. Going to try and commit to doing at least an hour a day.... lets see how that goes.

[Ainaredien]

I really like your studies They look great and your doing a great job with your figure studies too, looking forward to see many more

I wish my portraits would look that good! I completely lost my patience with those, especially when I'm drawing on the computer v_v

[AllyAlbon]

@Ainaredien - thank you. I am really uncomfortable drawing the human form, especially faces, but I figure the only way to get around it is to keep doing it until it starts to look more human and less alien!

Spending too much time watching horror moooovvviieees

Makes me want to draw zombieeeeees.

Instead, have some equally terrifying sketches. I am still without a scanner, and I probably won't have the finances to spare till next month, so my apologies for the quality.

[AllyAlbon]

Seeing as it is sunday, and time to go iron the workclothes, will call it a night with a couple more. Awful, awful self portrait. Still, it is better than the last one. Probably shouldn't draw when I am sleepy.

Aaand I just got my sticky hands on a couple of Loomis books! So I will be starting with them soon.

[weashell]

yo mate nice studies, your paintings gettin really cool. i'v been looking to your strokes, what you do might be hard with such brush setup. maybe experience some different brushes for example check zhuzhu's brush.

http://zhuzhu.deviantart.com/art/Z-P...es-V2-55088505

[alexson]

Nice sketches! The anatomy studies are looking good! Just keep at it with drawing from the books and then apply it when you are doing figure studies from life/photos and also from imagination. Keep up the good work!

[AllyAlbon]

A few more!

[AllyAlbon]

Ok, a slightly more promising portrait! Not great, but it actually looks a little bit like me, for once!

[Marian Rowling]

Hey Ally thanks so much for your comment in my sketchbook. I'm glad you did because you are off to a great start and I see loads of potential so it's great you've come back to drawing. I especially like your line work in your bird sketches and I wonder are they from life, reference of imagination?

The only advice I can offer is to keep it fun and not to pile too much pressure on yourself. So keep doing your dragons and Frazetta copies and when you get a chance give those oils a go and then come and help me with them!

[AllyAlbon]

weashell - Thanks very much for that link to the brushes - will have a good loo k this weekend!

Alexon - thanks muchly, practice makes perfect.

Marian - thanks! The pressure part is hard, as I believe its the idea of the next pic being closer to "perfect" and that endless frustration that keeps me going! The birds are a mix - some are reference, some, like the blackbirds, are imagination. It's all I drew as a kid and I am actually about to start a "50 british bird" project.... Thanks for visiting!

Another self portrait - again, starting to see a likeness which is exciting! Still a loooong way to go.

[AllyAlbon]

I had made a promise to myself that this year, I would only draw from observation and reference... but I couldn't resist one of my favourite topics. DINOSAAAAAURS. I really want to colour them, but am going to stick by my promise and draw no more dinosaurs.

So have a modern dinosaur. This is Birdie 1, in my 50 birds for Christmas project ( I am going to attempt to draw 50 birds by Christmas. Easy.)

[AllyAlbon]

Lots of Loomis sketches and a couple from posemaniacs. First pic is meant to be a drawing of a poopular comedian, but somehow looks more like my Dad?

Hey hey hey - Page 2! Good start.