BMC does her best but needs to be better~!

[jondawo]

It's good to see you taking advice onboard that other people are suggesting and working on your weaknesses.
I liked your pencil work from the first couple of posts a lot and you have some neat ideas for your characters.
You're doing alot of work. Keep going

[PeopleEveryday]

Thanks for the encouragement. It helps me more than you know.

Anyways. I've realized that I've been taking myself a bit too seriously lately with the art stuff. It's been getting me down a bit. So, to stay true to myself, I decided to just fart around and do something ridiculous.

So here's the WIP of my butt-girl. Though in keeping relevant to critiques, I've managed to shade with a black and a white (critique from: everyone) AND trying to blend the tones a little more (critique from: Revidescent.)

Haaaa.

[PeopleEveryday]

Here's a random update with some stuff that I've done throughout last month or so. It's all older than what's posted, but I want it up here so.

First just some cutey doodles for a meme.

George Harrison portrait, 45 minutes.

Self-portrait, about an hour.

Gesture painting, about 5 minutes.

I realize that I don't draw/paint a single thing for more than an hour or two before I feel finished with it. Maybe I should be more patient.

[PeopleEveryday]

Here's a phone-photo stand-in for some sketch studies that I've done. I'll be buying a scanner this weekend. But still! One post a day.

[Hyunjae]

Thanks for the visit on my sb
You've got some great stuff in here. I like all the quick gesture drawings you are doing, and George Harrison portrait looks fantastic! Keep up the good work

[PeopleEveryday]

Thank you, @Hyunjae!

Here's a weird painting that I did yesterday, about 30 minutes. Ended up looking horror-y, but anyways. Tried to work with high contrast. Think it just ended up strange.

[rumpenstiltzkin]

those pencil sketches is lovely!

[Morningtea]

those pencil sketches is lovely!

I second that~!
Keep it up!

[GEB]

The pencil sketches look lovely

I think you need to be a little more subtle and softer with the shading on some places, like on her chest for example. Then have a crisp line where the drop shadow falls from the straps of her top. If you look at the drop shadow you've done for her top, you've got the shadow falling wider where the collar bone is. If anything the strap will be touching that area so the shadow will sweep up to nothing. Does that make sense?

I think you should start with a simple round brush with opacity set to pen presure to sketch out your basic shapes and values. Then with areas like her skin go over that with a soft round brush so you can get the smooth feel of skin. Do the same with the different arears such as her top, you can always add detail like ribbing later. Remember that her skin will have a different value range to her top, try to keep them as distict areas and the shading fairly subtle. Get these value studies nailed first and then apply your colour. Have a look at some black and white portraits to get a grasp of how values work on different surfaces.

[PeopleEveryday]

The pencil sketches look lovely

I think you need to be a little more subtle and softer with the shading on some places, like on her chest for example. Then have a crisp line where the drop shadow falls from the straps of her top. If you look at the drop shadow you've done for her top, you've got the shadow falling wider where the collar bone is. If anything the strap will be touching that area so the shadow will sweep up to nothing. Does that make sense?

I think you should start with a simple round brush with opacity set to pen presure to sketch out your basic shapes and values. Then with areas like her skin go over that with a soft round brush so you can get the smooth feel of skin. Do the same with the different arears such as her top, you can always add detail like ribbing later. Remember that her skin will have a different value range to her top, try to keep them as distict areas and the shading fairly subtle. Get these value studies nailed first and then apply your colour. Have a look at some black and white portraits to get a grasp of how values work on different surfaces.

Thanks for this.

The drop-shadow under the shirt's strap is actually a bra strap (I think,) but that only contributes to the fact that it isn't functioning well.

I do need some direction with brushes, and will definitely try what you've told me with the brushes. I hadn't really gotten specific brush instruction otherwise, so I'll definitely give it a go. I've been experimenting with different brushes and trying to get a feel for it while also working on values. This one actually started as a black and white piece, but I went round in circles with it before I stopped. Your critique makes it all more obvious why, thanking you.

I've got some black and white portraits available, and I'll be drawing all day tomorrow.

[PeopleEveryday]

You ever have those moments where you feel like you randomly lost ability to art? That's me. Now.

Regardless, I drew some thumbnails and picked one I liked to fidget with. I never really had to come face-to-face with my value issues, but I can sure see them when I stare at this image. I hadn't looked at it for a day.

Anatomy issues aside (I'm talking to you, Mr. Background-Looming character), please, feedback all over this thing.

[PeopleEveryday]

So I painted today! Woo!

Did some redo on the girl painting from above, taking your critique, GEB.

Then, further listening to your advice, I did a black and white study of one of my favorite sexy devils, Adrien Brody.

Both are still works in progress.

[Black Spot]

I don't know about you but pretty well all light isn't white. Using black and white on a coloured piece will deaden in (bra strap is excused). Use a yellow light and green or purple shadows with the rest of the rainbow in between. Photos kill the myriad of colours that are actually in flesh and you need to recapture it.

I like the vector work, but the arms are a bit odd on 3 of the 4 on that last one.

George Harrison was the sexiest Beatle. 'Nuff said. I'd like to see the woman with the bat on the previous page worked on a bit more - it's kind of interesting.

[PeopleEveryday]

I don't know about you but pretty well all light isn't white. Using black and white on a coloured piece will deaden in (bra strap is excused). Use a yellow light and green or purple shadows with the rest of the rainbow in between. Photos kill the myriad of colours that are actually in flesh and you need to recapture it.

I completely agree. I would say that's how I normally work. However, my main issue has been contrast (from previous critiques) so I've been trying to get my brain to see the blacks and whites in an image. I'm having difficulties wrangling both color and contrast at the same time. Any advice? Thanking you.

[Vritra]

I'm having difficulties wrangling both color and contrast at the same time. Any advice? Thanking you.

I thought I'd drop a comment here, but then realised that there are way too many great links out there, where people far more proficient that me have already succinctly put forward their views on the matter. So, here goes:

Arne/Prometheus' Tutorial - this is the most easy, accessible, and incredible lucid colour tutorial on the net (I think). Short, to-the-point and so effective.

David Briggs' huevaluechroma.com - this might get a little technical sometimes, but again, a wonderful in depth introduction to colour theory. Mr. Briggs is thoroughly experienced, and definitely knows what he is talking about.

Andrew Loomis' Creative Illustration - download 'Creative Illustration' from there and peruse the 'Color' section. This is Loomis' definitive guide to colour theory. Easy to understand, and extremely efficient.

Richard Schmid's Alla Prima - linking to this would be illegal, I think. If you can, get a hold of this book, the section on colour is highly educational. Mr. Schmid is a modern master, and this is his how-to text.

[PeopleEveryday]

Did some drawings today. The scanner I went to buy was gone. =( I'm still a poor scannerless fool. So the photos aren't the best. Sorry!

Anyways.

The first isn't quite finished yet, but she's getting there.

The second was a 20 minute drawing of a teacher. She asked me to draw her after she saw the first one. So I did.

[8smoku8]

Love your pencil sketches! Want to see more!

[Klaustrophil]

Nice works you have. your portraits are really good and I really admire the way you use values, forms and shapes.
greetings
klausio

[Liberty]

Hey , I like your drawings, very strong. Painting will come in no time, self portraits are looking nice too.

Take care.

[IntoTheVoid]

You ever have those moments where you feel like you randomly lost ability to art? That's me. Now.

Ah, the feeling of hitting a plateau. Don't worry about it. It's what happens when your perception catches up to your ability, which is always a good thing.
To be more specific, what's happening is you're focusing on a lot of new stuff you're trying to learn, so you're subconsciously putting the basics on auto-pilot - this causes some errors you weren't expecting to make. This goes away once you get more comfortable with the new, more ambitious work you're trying to do now

Looking at your recent pencil sketches, I can assure you, your core skills are all still there.

Try reducing the number of values you work with. Maximum of 5. Even 3 are enough. At the moment you're trying to capture contrast with a full range of values which gets confusing from all the subtle lighting differences and photo distortion.
Use 3-5 values and remember that contrast is always secondary to form.

[JulieSS]

Nice to see you are still posting. I think you will greatly benefit from doing the black and white studies, I've tried a couple myself and when you get into it, it's actually quite fun and it can help lots.
I like the one of Mr. Brody, the second attempt of the woman also looks way better than the first one.

[LtPlissken]

The moment when I opened your pages the first time,
I immediately knew that a new chapter has started in my life
and art career. Something like a frozen nomad in a desert when
he saw the first rays of the morning sunlight. A cold breeze
of summer refreshment went back and forth on the back of
my neck, caressing my mildly hairy back. From first post
to last post, there is an immediate signs of improvements, and
one can see that you are no stranger to pain. You went through
battles and battles. That is why your art is so refined and unique.
Its clearly visible that you are a hard worker, and no obstacle
can slow you or stop you on your way to glory and success.
I know, you never dreamt about this as a child, you never
thought that you will became some day what you are today,
an outstanding artist, with lot of painting experience under his belt.
And the scariest thing is that you are still improving, you are an
ever improver. No one can stop you in a few months from now.
That is why I want to be your friend and to hold together with you
from day one till the end of the world. A truly amazing experience
is all this for me. My eyes shine like in a five year old never badly
handled euphoric happy child. You are the ONE who can make
miracles to happen, and you are the only ONE, your existence
is beyond undisputable. I will be back to discuss things once again,
until then, please hold my hand cause the
darkest hour will soon arrive.

[PeopleEveryday]

I awaited the day I'd get a post from you, Plissken. You did not let me down.

Anyways, here's a quick RDJ doodle (~30 minutes) where I only used 5 tones from IntoTheVoid's advice. Probably will fudge around with it later.

I was on vacation last week, but here's to getting back on track. *Clink.*

[PeopleEveryday]

Some quick photoshop doodles for some Game of Thrones fan art, yeah!

[PeopleEveryday]

I worked on this for a little more today, addin' that contrast.

WOW CONTRAST

[IntoTheVoid]

Well now, that's what I call some good ol'-fashioned improvement
Nicely done!

[PeopleEveryday]

I realized that I hadn't opened Corel Painter in a while, so I decided to give that a go for yesterday. After realizing that I had completely forgotten what I was doing, I ended up painting more like how I'd draw. Results as such!

It's my hot boyfriend. ラブラブですよ〜

[PeopleEveryday]

Drew my mom Mucha-style--as is tradition for Mother's Day.

Have a few things to fix, but this is the gist of it.

[GaussianRaider]

Love those pencil sketches! They're great! I think you have a good eye for color...altough in my opinion the painting stuff could use some more structural qualities! Have you tried oils?

[PeopleEveryday]

Love those pencil sketches! They're great! I think you have a good eye for color...altough in my opinion the painting stuff could use some more structural qualities! Have you tried oils?

Well thank you!

Structural qualities... I don't quite understand.

And nope, I've actually never tried oils--digitally or manually. I don't have the means to do any traditionally work at the moment, so that's unfortunately not an option. But I can give it a whirl or two in Corel.