Never Give up Never Surrender: Learning is KEY!

[Psychobuddy]

Hey Pete, sorry I haven't stopped by for a while.

Uhm the faces aren't looking too bad, it's a nice improvement. But uhm, the do look squished, almost like you're trying to force the features into the face, one thing that I've found that helps for this is to work on all the parts consecutively, it's a little tricky at first but I do think it helps to fit everything together more naturally. I would also recommend doing studies of just different facial features, it really helps to have a solid knowledge of how to draw the features separately when you go to put them all together.

Keep it up man.

[Clur]

Wow, you've got an amazing work ethic with your studies!

I agree with Psychobuddy about your faces, the features need some work. Studying them individually like he suggested will help you a lot. Keep what you've learned about value and form in mind when you do - I notice you have a tendency to just do a dark outline around your mouths and eyes, I think that's what's making them look so flat.

Try think of things in terms of blocks of light and shadow rather than bundles of lines, it's always helped me a lot.

I did a quick demonstration of what I mean about form and value in features, you can see for yourself which is more convincing.

Keep up your amazing energy!

[Pete Hidalgo]

Psychobuddy & Clur I couldnt agree with the both of you more. The features of the faces I do are lacking and I dont have a good visual library for different features. However I have been looking very closely at different features of faces trying to identify them based on what I have learned. I will have to pay closer attention now.

[Clur]

Oh yeah - I forgot to say earlier that the easiest way to study facial features is to just grab a mirror and draw your own!

[Pete Hidalgo]

Got some stuff

1 & 2: Gestures from my 14x17 book. (To large for my scanner had to take photo)

3: Some gestures from Drawing script.

4: Gestures from life. these were done in a total of 15 min on my break at work.

5: Current painting I am working on from reference. Mostly for study purposes and it is only on 1 layer. About 2 hrs so far. I am pushing this one for the sole purpose of learning to paint on one layer with a hard brush and a soft. (no line work just blocking in and then defining.)

6: This is a before and after. The first one was my thinking I was drawing a still life. (VOMITS). How ever after watching a video by Feng zhu, I then took the same bottle. Blocked it out thinking only of capturing the 3d form and I personally think the second one, even with no value looks better than the first one. (Though both are shit.)

7: a few eye studies from Michael Hampton and 2 randoms from ref. Very small.

From now on I will be doing a lot more 3d drawings of what I see before I further my drawings. Unless doing life drawings and sketches. Those will mainly focus on recording WHAT I see. Maybe I am approaching it wrong but I think it will work best for me and how I think when I draw. I tend to over analyze things when I just try to draw. So if I think about the form and block it in thus grasping a better understanding of it in space I feel I have accomplished more than just drawing something. But I leave with the understanding of what I have drawn at the same time. (Dont know if that made sense to anyone but I get it ha ha.)

Enough talk I'm off to study some Jack Hamm

[Pete Hidalgo]

Got some stuff from last night. For got to upload because I passed out after eating dinner. Fail.

Did some environments after reading some jack Hamm.

then a random sketch for fun using a ref image as a color palate.

Then hand studies on paper and a few in PS

ending with 2 pages of 120 sec gestures.

[Merē.Jorg]

Your latest skeletal drawings are great! Very nice. You also are making really good progress thus far. Keep that up.

And thank you for the recent visit.

[Pete Hidalgo]

Thanks Mere Jorg: I need to draw more than I am though. I have a hard time balancing imagination and ref. I think I do to much ref and I dont want it to become a crutch.

[Steeliebob]

Man, those hand studies. Great stuff!

[Pete Hidalgo]

Thanks. Glad you like them. I just need to stay focused on one subject long enough to get better at it ha ha.

[Pete Hidalgo]

Some stuff from tonight.

Did some tree studies during a 15 at work.

some 30-120 sec PS gestures. Hard with one monitor so I am going to try something different with my set up tomorrow to try and have a better view of the figures.

120 sec gestures on paper with pencil.

Last thing is something different. Tried doing figures and using a black marker lay the shadows down with no mid or half tone. Courtesy of James Gurney [http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.fi/201...-mumbling.html]

[Pete Hidalgo]

LEG-o-My Leg Studies!!! Trying to focus on contours but meh. Could use a lot of work!! Making it a habit to draw every night is becoming easier. But focusing on one thing still varies to what I feel like doing. I think some shapes and perspective are in order.

[Pete Hidalgo]

Not much today.
Spent another hour messing around with my digi. I am wasting to much time on the little detail toooooooo early.

[QPK]

Those hand studies are AWESOME !!!
Kudos for chippin away some more at the digi too. Do you find it hard to go back into pieces, at least initially, or is it just me ahaha

[Pete Hidalgo]

QPK Thanks man. And yes I totally find it hard to jump back into digis. But I also have a hard time pushing through a piece for 2-4 hours. so jumping back into it is a good thing. Pushing to finish her cause i feel it will push me to do more and finish.

[LongJh]

Hi Pete,

Lots of hard work here! There really is a lot of steady improvement going on, which is really awesome to watch. Nothing inspires me more than seeing the growth process of other artists.

I do have a bit of advice that might help you when doing studies. I think you may have heard of it before, but - squint your eyes. It blurs out and simplifies the picture you are referencing. It may feel weird at first, but keep squinting and looking back and forth the reference and your own drawing and make honest judgements of what the differences are. Are the edges darker on the reference? Is the background more of a greenish colour then blue? Are there highlights on areas of the reference that aren't on your drawing? Stuff like that. And then make the neccessary adjustments.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

[Little-Maiden]

Thanks for stopping by, always nice to have comments on the SB.

Regarding your last digi, remember to flip an squint. More importantly however, break your image into basic shapes.
Don't hesitate to use red lines after laying down the initial shapes to see where you're off and close.

Here's some red/green lines I did.



So for example, your shoulders are wide which gives her a manly/swimmers look when you're going for small and feminine. The width of the shoulders affects her hips (which you got spot on the right size) but due to the shoulders look less womanly.

Also her head is actually tilted just slightly where as your own work is dead on flat horizontal. It's a small detail but the subtlety adds a lot to the mood and look.

It'll help you see. Self correcting your own work will help a lot in the overall learning process. It'll also help you identify your own mistakes which will ofc help you avoid them in the future. Do it long enough and you'll see where you are having constant problems.

(for example i have major problems with the mouth/nose/head connecting to neck areas of the head)

Either way, it's good to see you're keeping at it. You're gonna improve as much as you draw. Hope this helps, and keep it up mate.

[Candra H]

Hey Pete, thanks for stopping by my sketchbook, and sorry I took so long to return the favour.

Looks like you're doing great and have lots of people helping you out with advice and suggestions, so I'll just say keep doing what you're doing and you'll get where you want to be in no time.

[BlackLightG]

Hi Pete, I love your black marker figures. And great studies!

[Pete Hidalgo]

LongJh Thanks man! It is weird squinting but I am starting to get used to it.
Little-MaidenI am flattered you took time to do the line work. This is a great help. I will definately taking more time to go back and line up and watch my proportions
Candra HThank you! And no worries about the responding thing ha ha.
BlackLightGThank you

Wow Its been a few days. I haven't been uploading because I have had nothing worth uploading. Mostly I have been drawing shapes and stuff. Nothing really post worthy. However I did spend the better part of the day today doing some stuff.

1st another female (Censored)! I cant help my self . The female form is so delightful.

2nd noses and box tumbling

[kevin_]

great updates! i see your practicing a lot but you are not following though on a lot of it, try and develop these studies some more! don't be afraid to follow through!

[Pete Hidalgo]

Following through Is definitely my BIGGEST Weakness. Something I am still trying to work through.

[I-Bomb]

Thanks for the comment in my sketchbook here's my crit on your sketchbook

Practice some more on adding depth to your sketches cause right now most of them look a little flat. You have a good start at studying anatomy just work a little more on perspective, depth and rendering. Try experimenting different styles and do a few master studies as well good luck.

[Jaik]

nice studies man! been a while..

I really like the shadow shape figure drawings you did a couple of posts back, they turned our really cool. Keep on pushing ahead my friend.

[element1988]

man your already at 3 pages lol haha you have made a lot of progress since I last check out your sketchbook, nice job.

When shading its really important to take your time with your values, especially when using something like pencil. Start light and slowly build up your values and try to get a very even and smooth tone. It takes a lot of time but makes a huge difference.

[Murderotic]

Cool SB man! nice updates, i like them. keep them coming :-)

[Dahlium]

Hey man it's so fun to see your journey! Keep posting!

[vatteh]

Your doing all the right studies; Just be persistent. I would only recommend on the more longer studies that you squint your eyes and take your time with the big masses. Get down the simple, important masses down first, then work on the details. Good Luck!

[Pete Hidalgo]

Its been to long since I have been here. I let my self get drawn down with lazyness. But cant cry over wasted time. Just gotta make up the time. Here is some things I have been working on these past 2-3 weeks.

[Pete Hidalgo]

A quick wip from last night. I defiantly want to finish her because Im actually proud that its looking the way it is. Main focus is laying out color.