----- Zirngibism's book -----

[Zirngibism]

ABOUT ME

I've decided to get a fresh start with a new sketchbook.
I was unhappy with the old one, not as much because of the work (which, in general, was worse) but because of the WAY I went about it it. It wasn't really a proper sketchbook, because I'd wait long spans of time, and then drop in a giant dump of art to make up for it. In my opinion, it was tedious to browse, and not properly classified as a sketchbook.

I'm currently a student at TAD, so much of the work you'll see me post here will be done for that program.

Keep in mind that a big fraction of what I've been doing for TAD lately is not allowed be shown... yet. But I'll post what I can on a more regular basis.





SO... here's a sample of some of the stuff from life I've done recently (like, last semester-ish):










Here's some where I changed the lighting from imagination:










Here's a cast drawing in charcoal, from cast drawing class at TAD.


And an oil paint study from a Jon Foster sculpture:

[Zirngibism]

And here's some imaginative studies and concept-art-ish stuff...




This is an oil painting I did at the IMC, of a crash site on a snowy planet.


WoW TCG illustration project (for school, not pro)


This is a figure study that I kind of turned into an illustration.


Collab between Colin Boyer and myself as an entry into this year's last man standing.


Here's another figure study.


And another, though based on a photo by Peter Hapak... so I think I'm still allowed to post but just not make money off of it...?


I got permission to post this even though it isn't published yet, but it's just for this site. So please don't download or put anywhere else... thanks.







NOW... how about some concept-ish/production stuff?




(Please don't post this one anywhere else, either. Same thing, I have permission for it to go on just this site.)











Just some structural sketches. I like freehand sketching in colored pencil. Hope to post stuff like this as my sketchbook continues...










Oh yeah, I can also do 3D but nothing super fancy yet. Still learning!




So... sorry for writing about not wanting to post big dumps in my sketchbook, and then doing it right off the bat. But I'm just kicking it off, so... THIS DOESN'T COUNT!

[Metal Fingers]

Nicework kirsten, and its good to see you in the sketchbook area of this here site! everything is pretty rad but those cthulu mechs just don't do it for me. The leg areas/construction seem a bit strange/awkward.

[berniebakari]

Drawing Mechas scares the hell out of me lol! but your stuff is really inspiring me mate thanks for sharing, I better get on doing doing some of my own. Well done

[Egg0]

Great studies ! keep the nice work

[bhaskarrac]

Loved the Pilot sketch and the concept. Infact all the works... great creative style.

[A-May]

Oh wow! I am absolutely in love with the way you paint! What are you studying? I'm about to start a degree in design for film and TV, and the stuff you do looks quite similar to the work they do there (only better, I think ).. Anyway I mostly wanted to say, i really love and admire your work, especially the concept stuff! Definitely subscribing to this thread!

[ryan mcshane]

kirsten! rockin work man
is that sculpture study for jon foster really oil paint? man it looks digital! really great work, nice and cleaan
keep it up

[Zirngibism]

@Metal Fingers: Hi Alex, good to see you on here too! It's definitely been awhile for me since I was really active on here. Looks like you've got a pretty rocking sketchbook going - I plan to check it out today.
As for the Cthulhutech mechs, yeah those legs are a little wonky, but unfortunately I was very bound by the style sheet/existing leg designs in the mech's families, and AD's paintover sketch.

@berniebakari: Thanks! Mechs can seem intimidating, but in some ways they're much easier than organic anatomy. Both organic and robotic are both based on simple, geometric shapes going back in space. Mechs just make it harder to hide perspective problems with curvy muscles. And just study existing mechs and construction equipment for joints and stuff.
I think a good challenge to them is making them "your own" with your own shape ideas, though it seems hard to avoid when working for a client...

@Egg0: Thanks!

@bhaskarrac: Thanks. Yeah, pilot was fun for sure. I never really fancied myself as liking characters before doing this, but I feel more comfortable with them now.

@A-May: Much thanks! I'm studying Entertainment Design at The Art Department (TAD, the school associated with CA). I think it's a great program so far, though it's brand new and nobody knows quite what to expect. So where are YOU studying?

@ryan mcshane: Thank you! Yep, it was totally oil paint. 11" x 14" on gessobord. If you use big, flat brushes, you can use the front "edge" of the brush to make precise shapes. I first played with the technique when doing watercolors a couple years ago, and have only recently tried it with oil in the last couple months.




OK, here's another figure study!
This is with the "Zorn Palette". I love Anders Zorn's paintings and the penetrating warmth in them, and I had so much fun with this!

The palette:
Ivory Black
Titanium white
Yellow ochre
Alazarin Crimson
Burnt Sienna (not always listed, but he definitely used it)


The painting is 95% acrylic, and 5% oil. I tried a new surface, sort of a textured, clayboard panel. Trying to combine the quick layerability with the subtlety of oil in the best of both worlds.



Acrylics on my palette

(I would post the ref but I'm not sure I'm allowed to since it's property of TAD. All I'll say is I changed her hair and changed her color scheme to match the scene and Anders Zorn, but did not change her pose.)


Beginning stage


Scan of acrylic underpainting, keeping it warm.



Version with some oil and some digital correction (GAAAAH stupid light glare!). Hope I'll have time to take it to the next level, but probably won't...

[ryan mcshane]

wow that figure looks fantastic! you nailed that pose for sure (i have the reference hehe)
really nice colors

[Revidescent]

Everything that comes out of TAD is so damn good, oh man. The figure study in your second post is especially awesome; I love the brushy, sculpted look. Good job on the latest one, too - you're great at indicating planes.

[andres333]

my god..no ass kissing intended but your work is outstanding...I checked your website too, I like every bit of sketch is in there...we seem to share the same interest in combining art and analytic design ...and your resume is just impressive, you've studied under the best...I can't even imagine how cool would that be...successful and young, it's inspiring when you come across exceptional people ^_^
Definitely subscribed to this thread and 5 stars for you.

[Forrest_I]

very nice stuff Kirsten, you're structural drawings especially caught my eye and are very well done

[Metal Fingers]

Nice paintin kirsten! and word, AD and client needs always come before everything else (even if they aren't the best decisions..) Cheers!

[Eightball_]

i, too love the combination of art and analysis. your structural sketches are amazing and it looks like a lot of thought and narrative are put in your designs. keep up the good work! always nice to see some variety on ca

[A-May]

I'm studying at Nottingham Trent University, in England I love that last figure, It for some reason reminds me of the Art Deco period painters, I think it's the colour and the cleanness of it! lovely work

[thegrayslayer]

Nice design work - love the latest oil painting too.

~Slayer

[Ninjac]

Go Kirsten Go!!! Great work, I'll be checking in lots.

[Verehin]

beautiful!

[Mikko Voipio]

Though everything is really great here, one thing that really stands out to me is the structural sketches. Really beautiful stuff. Wish it wasn't so hard for me to draw those. *****

[Zirngibism]

@ryan mcshane, Rorrest_I, Metal_Fingers, Eightball_, the grayslayer, Verehin: Thanks!
@Revidescent: Thanks, TAD is a great program but it's like any other school - you gotta be willing to do the work and push yourself.
@andres333: Thank you! You're well on your way yourself, love your gestures.
@A-May: I have a recent fascination with the whole art deco aesthetic and time period in general. Don't really know why!
@Ninjac: Thanks, Josh!
@Placeboast: The hurdle to get over with structural sketches is don't use a ruler, and don't erase. Practice drawing straight lines freehand (much faster), and then start with really lightly drawn basic shapes like boxes. Divide the box and connect the divisions to make more complex shapes. When you get comfortable with that, you can start skipping steps. Your recent figure studies are really excellent. I can tell you obviously understand form, so you've got the hard part out of the way!

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Well... I've got some stuff to post! Unfortunately, 3 of the projects I'm working on are not allowed to be shown.

I recently took up an internship at Massive Black Shanghai where I'm doing concept art for a fantasy MMO. It's going to be a while before I can show that stuff too, so my sketchbook's gonna be a little dry right now.


Here's a master copy I did in acrylic on a 16 x 20 canvas. I didn't focus on copying each stroke, but more about the look/feel/color interaction/approach of it. I learned a lot about it, and hope to apply this kind of technique to some of my future work. Fechin is hard to figure out - there's not a whole lot on how he painted, and he experimented a good bit on top of that. But it got me over my fear of thick, drybrush painting.

Original:

Mine:


And here's a process shot featuring my monster palette knife!


Oh, and here's a mech I started, I call the Lotus. This it the most involved 3D thing I've done so far:

It's kind of a personal project, but I'm getting feedback from Josh Nizzi in Industrial design class.

Here's a render test with Keyshot.

These are not the final colors or materials, though I'm starting to be happy with this look. Ultimately this is going to be as part of a (hopefully) sweet background scene as well.

Oh, and here are a couple watercolor figures with limited value for figure class.
30 mins total:

1 hr total:

(Oddly, they don't look much different timewise haha)

Anyway, I'm starting a sketching initiative that should hopefully turn out some stuff to post more frequently.

[Ninjac]

Great update Zirngibl! Looking forward to seeing your MB work. Lotus mech is coming along great. Not crits atm other then what we talked about with design integration. Keep on rock'n!

[Metal Fingers]

That mech there is pretty cccooooooolllll.

[ThomasM]

WOW i mean seriously. wow. I saw your last sketchbook and this work seems like an almost impossible step up! Nothing to crit at all, particularly as its TAD work and sort of open and closed now. Just keep doing what you're doing

Oh and btw I love those blueline pencil sketches of the industrial design type stuff. Knocked my stripey socks off!

[Tugelbend]

I'm impressed. Awesome work

[Zirngibism]

@Ninjac, Metal Fingers, Tugelbend: Thank you!
@ThomasM: It really means a lot to hear you say that. I almost always feel like I'm not getting any better. I guess it's like the whole "frog-in-boiling-water" thing. To hear it's a real step up helps to look at the old stuff in a new light... And by the way, I love stripey socks. Thanks again!


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OK, new news... as you've probably noticed at the top of the page, I'm the next student spotlight and first MB intern, so yay for that. A big thank-you to Jason!
You can see a better formatted version of the article here: http://www.theartdepartment.org/stud...rsten-zirngibl


So now for some projects going on:
A couple new presentations/revinement of the lotus mech:



An alternate light one - less of a clear read though:



Here's a Bougereau detail master copy in a new medium. Oil pastel! This was very difficult because I didn't have shades of gray, just black, white, and sort of a clear blender. I was kinda fingerpainting it, which gave it a muddled look. I also realize I've got some stuff to learn about feminine beauty, because mine's a lot less "elegant" and a little older looking than Bougereau's.



...and I've started a new painting! Just oil this time.

Here's my color study:


Here's my workspace:


Underpainting:


Latest progress shot:


Here are some painted texture spheres I had to do for my entertainment design class at TAD. It's an exercise art schools should (but hardly ever) do. I've got more of these coming.



Here are some sci fi fashion designs - had fun with these. I'll post some full color finals of some or all of these.



Oh, and I'm in the process of developing a personal logo. I'm leaning towards the bottom center. Any thoughts? (Initials are KZ)

[JakehC]

can you explain the mixing oil and acrylic paint stuff you mentioned earlier. how does that work, and why do you do it?

[snatti]

Very beautiful work and congrats once more on the intership at MB shanghai look forward to see you'r work from there once your allowed to show it

[Aondê]

congratulations,
concepts, paintings, studies, 3d, all admirable

[NakedZergling]

so good! thank you for sharing. truly an inspiration