Tales of a fantasy scribbler: Eliza Wyatt's Sketchbook

[ElizaWy]

So, I'm new here. I suppose I'll start with what I've been working on. Here's hoping this helps me improve!

Cheers!
Eliza

(Updated thumbnail)

[ElizaWy]

Today's quick sketches-- I'm going to try to update this often. We'll see how that goes.

Incidentally, the feudal Japanese had the right idea, as far as fashion. Men look so much better in dresses.

[ElizaWy]

Another WIP! I'm (slowly, painfully) starting to figure out how to draw white-white skin.

And... a cutesy fake landscape speed sketch. I think I just wanted to make some puffy clouds.

[ElizaWy]

Starting another draft of my 'Painted' novella cover.

I still like the original composition, but I should have started with the background first. This sketch is my attempt to recapture atmosphere and put in some setting. Then I'll re-paint the characters; hopefully they won't look so stiff this time.

[Sepulverture]

Good start on your sketchbook!

You seem to be afraid of hands. That was one of the first impressions I got. Hidden in shadows, unrendered, or only basically formed.

Do a bunch of hand studies. The hands are so expressive and can add or take away a lot of life and expression in your art. Do a few pages of hand studies and revisit some of your ideas (but in the form of new work!).

You got the right idea posting up some gestures and figure studies. do many of those and apply what you learn in your creative work.

Identify what bothers you the most in your work, and make a plan to flesh those out.

In addition to that just some cookie-cutter suggestions. Do your anatomy studies, draw from life and from reference. Learn more about color theory, and do some color studies to help you understand light in action.

[ElizaWy]

You are right; hands definitely intimidate me. I'll spend half an hour now on them, and try to put more in my practice sessions. Thank you for your advice!

[AllyAlbon]

Your novella covers are coming along nicely, although it would be nice to see the colours tightened a little bit, and I would remove the black around the tree in "painted" as it is quite distracting. Looking good.

[ElizaWy]

@AllyAlbon - The black lines will definitely be going away, once I think I've got a good grasp on where I'm going. And thank you!

As promised to Sepulverture, one half an hour of hand practice (wow, I needed it). I've decided that if someone takes the time to offer some helpful exercise advice, the least I can do is follow up on it. So guys, you're allowed to give me homework. I appreciate it!

[ElizaWy]

More hands, more detail.

[Michelle Rakar]

Very nice work on the hands! They're very fluent and the line quality is great. I also really enjoy your digital pieces; you have beautiful choices of colors in your works and use a nice variation in tones to create a lot of contrast. Some of the digital works, such as the tree, could be blended a bit more, but it's a great start!

[ElizaWy]

So, I killed myself, doing Spartan Camp this week. Too much time spent on every sketch.

Also! A cartoon sketch.

[ElizaWy]

Updates!

I've been doing Spartan Camp while the site was down, but I did manage to eke out a submission for a 'fat female superhero' contest being held on DeviantArt.com.

[ElizaWy]

It's probably obvious, I suppose, looking at my stuff, that I've really specialized in the human figure and done little else. So... this is a (short, incomplete) list of things in art that scare me. I'll try working on each of these in turn.

* drawing children
* drawing two or more characters interacting
* drawing crowds
* drawing architecture / buildings
* drawing cityscapes
* drawing machinery
* using vivid colors
* drawing characters interacting with their environment
* drawing clutter
* painting outside the 'lines'

That's hopefully enough to start with?

Also, last week's figure studies:

[ElizaWy]

This week's Spartan Camp. Most of these are two minute sketches, and none longer than four.

[ElizaWy]

Gah! Men! Your... square but not bodies! Your curves that aren't actually curves! Your straight lines that aren't actually straight lines! /falls over

[ElizaWy]

Started doing figure studies, decided that I've been studying anatomy without drawing anyone from imagination for two long. Decided to combine figure studies with my pre-existing characters.


Took the first sketch, cleaned it up into a quick painting. Took great lengths to stop being a saturation weenie.

[ElizaWy]

Here's how Adelynne came out. The posemaniacs sketch pose needed lots of adjusting, but I'm pleased.

[ElizaWy]

Long time, no posting. (Bad Eliza.) I promise, I've been drawing in the interim.

Here's my new stuff!

The finished cover that I started with in the beginning of this sketchbook:



Some black and whites I was doodling recently...




And some other random things. Do I even have a style? I have no idea.

[ElizaWy]

And, the newest images. Book covers seem to be taking over my life. (WIP).

[swigganicks]

I love those covers! Makes me want to read them (just curious, what are they about?) Your rendering is coming a long really well! My only tip (since I'm a beginner) is that be careful when painting with a lighter color with low opacity over a darker color. This tends to produce the "muddy" color effect that takes away from the clean finish.

[Xcarbon]

keep up the good work...i love post 12 so much stuff!!

[ElizaWy]

I love those covers! Makes me want to read them (just curious, what are they about?)

The series is a high fantasy about a cursed immortal trying to find Death, as well as a love story (the same way Homer's Odyssey is a love story). It's episodic, and we keep changing the sub-genres, so the 'what are they about' changes from book to book. I wanted to write a series that wasn't the same story retold over and over again. First book's a romantic intrigue, the third book's a comedy, the fifth book's horror, the sixth is science fiction... If you want to check it out, here's the link. I'm giving away downloads of my first book for free.

Thank you!

[mustawd]

Hey Eliza, very nice paintings. I really dig your figures. You have a way of expressing a lot of motion and information with a minimum of line work.

Look forward to seeing you tackle your drawing "fears".

[ElizaWy]

New WIP! Maybe an hour into gathering my thoughts.

Rough sketch and some color ideas. I was going for a 'playing card' composition.

Not liking that mostly-hidden hand; I'll try out a few things, I think.




Oh, and I completely forgot the second book's cover. (Also not finished; those black patches. I think I'll move the mountains down and expand on the sky-- cover composition is an odd thing.)