Jordan's Sketchbook - The Long, Cold Road

[Jordan_]

Started the morning with an anatomy study, it didn't go too well but I think that's largely because I haven't been painting enough. Will be getting more done this afternoon so hopefully more to post later.

[JackGriffin]

Hey, great work and work ethic, you're progressing nicely and I can only hope that you keep it up! For the above study, I think you could look into some colours you find in skin tones like purple and green and where you generally find them along with a bit of red to bring more variation and life to the body. The pose is a little stiff as it has too many long straight lines, you need to break the straight lines up and bring some more curves with fat and muscle.

Try to do quicker studies, you will learn a lot more rather than spending time smoothing out skin tones, worry about really finishing pieces later. Sorry if I was a bit of an ass clown!

[Jordan_]

@JackGriffin - Thanks for the comments, really appreciate it. I think in terms of form and shape you are on the money, when I'm painting with a tablet I really struggle to get the same level of control as drawing with pencil. This is why I think my figure studies often look so wooden. I'll definitely take your advice and try and work on a bunch of smaller studies that will help me learn much more. I also want to start trying to push my values and experiment with colour without worrying too much about matching reference exactly. Gesture studies are the next big thing I need to concentrate on I think, if I can start to show form and pose in a more natural way I'll be really happy. (Also, you definitely don't sound like an ass clown ) Thanks for the advice.

A few pages from the sketchbook today to update, currently working on some referenced work so that will be posted when finished.

[Jordan_]

A quick film still study from this afternoon. Nothing crazy but these studies help keep my motivation up. Also unfinished, that explains why he has an eye missing.

[Erudite Celt]

Very good grayscale image, the best I have seen in a long time.
PS I like your conservative brush technique.

[Jordan_]

@ Erudite Celt - Thanks for the kind words I always used to paint (traditionally) in grey-scale, which although helped me understand tonal value and contrast, has meant I struggle quite a lot with colour. But practice makes perfect and CA.org is a huge motivator.

I should have some studies to post this evening but I wanted to quickly show some of my other work. I studied animation at university and film making is a huge driving force behind my life as a whole. The great thing about studying animation is that you get to explore a huge range of techniques. Below is my graduate film, a 15 week solo project that enabled me to not only create a short film, but model, texture, rig and animate everything within the world of my story. It was a lot of work, and it certainly isn't perfect, but it was great fun and helped me learn an incredible amount.



These are some of the images from the art book I created for the project. (I hope these are all ok to post in my sketchbook)

If you would like to view the art book or find out more about the animation, check out the work on http://jordanbuckner.blogspot.co.uk/...minor-key.html

[Jordan_]

A photo study of Darren Aronofsky from tonight, about an hour and a half spent on it. It was going all a bit wrong at times but when that happens I create a new layer and just try to completely rework the structure in linework before moving on. Still has some problems but learnt a lot about contrast and value.

[Jordan_]

A study from reference again tonight. This still from "I Saw the Devil" went well in terms of form but I had to use the colour picker to reference colour because of the extreme lighting. I think I'm going to try and get a lot of gesture / anatomy sketches together this week and also try and fit in an environment. Busy with work at the moment so just trying to keep painting in any time I get free.

[Jordan_]

Some 90 second gesture studies from today. This was the first time I've really done this sort of exercise and it was a revelation. The time limit and random poses forced upon me by posemaniac's tool really helped me draw gestures that I would normally be too scared to tackle. Some of the came out looking really odd but this is definitely a practice I'll keep coming back to and hopefully it will not only warm up my skills but help me improve.

[Jordan_]

Another page of 90 second gesture studies from today. I've been working on some character design for an animation as well, so as soon as I'm allowed to show it I'll post it.

[Vezarez]

Good sketchbook man! Those film stills are coming along nicely. With the gestures, posemaniacs isn't really the best tool you could be using. It gives you a pose, but you don't see how the muscles stretch and contort and behave naturally, it's all very rigid. Plus there's no natural lighting on the figures. >This< is a much better resource as it uses real models, just go into the figure drawing section and away you go!

[Jordan_]

@Vezarez - Thanks for the comments also big thanks for pointing me towards a good site for pose reference. I've been finding it a really good way of warming up before doing any real painting plus it's really useful practice. Unfortunately, I didn't read your message until after I completed another page of poses from posemaniacs. But tomorrow I'll do some more based on the reference you've suggested.

[Viking Raider]

I really like your portraits and film studies! That lion was awesome. Gives me a lot of inspiration to keep at it. You've made a lot of progress pretty quickly! Keep it up, man! I'm learning a lot from looking at your posts and the crits from others, I'll be watching your 'book.

[Jordan_]

@Viking Raider - Wow, thanks man, that's a huge compliment and means the world to hear such nice things I've already found that just painting and drawing constantly are a great way to keep focused and motivated. I'll be trying my best to post as much as possible over the next year and see where it all goes. The community here is such a huge inspiration that simply seeing sketchbooks filled with incredible work is keeping me going.

A speed painting from tonight went better than expected. I really struggle with environments so I thought I'd try and be a bit more expressive with the paint work and try to not worry about matching any reference. This was painted with referencing a few photos but largely came from just laying down brushstrokes and seeing where it all went. Even though the lighting / shadows are a off and there are other problems, it feels good to start painting environments with a bit more confidence and freedom.

[Jordan_]

Another study from tonight, from a still of The Machinist. Hopefully I'll get some time to do some more studies tomorrow.

[Flaskpost]

Those repair man paintings are really cool! I love seeing that kind of development

[Jordan_]

@Flaskpost - Thank you very much. The character design part of the process is the really fun but often difficult stage where you are trying to form a history for a character simply with visuals, all the while also trying to create the stylistic aesthetic for the work. I've currently been working on further character design stuff for an animation (will post soon) which has created the same type of issues. But after it is all over, it feels so rewarding. I actually made an artbook about the project which documents all my concepts and work from character design to final renders. If you would like to take a look you can view the full book at the link below.

Blurb Article - http://blog.blurb.com/jordan-buckners-minor-key/
Book Viewer - http://www.blurb.co.uk/books/3334840...-the-minor-key

I decided to do something a bit different from the usual studies last night so instead painted a character piece without reference. I wanted to take inspiration from the Lucian Freud and Dishonored style image to create this. There is no real story of goal for this character, rather just an attempt to start creating things from my head rather than constantly doing referenced work. I'd also really like to get some serious character designs completed soon that I can take forward to model and render in 3d.

[Jordan_]

It's been a bit of a busy week so I've not had a great deal of time to get any studies done. I've just started working on a new project which is based around the idea of creating abstract animation for a live orchestra. In order to generate ideas, I've been creating abstract speed paintings in response to sequences of music. I know this isn't really a study, but the reason I'm posting it is because the incredible sense of freedom that came from it. I think I'll be exploring similar techniques to help generate environments etc.

[Jordan_]

I decided to create another environment painting tonight without following any close reference. It's great to feel like I'm starting to create new work rather than purely studies. However, one thing I've noticed from this piece is how I struggled with perspective, so it seems like a good time to start exploring this with studies later this week. More abstract stuff to come soon too.

[Jordan_]

An environment from last night. This time I wanted to move away from the green palette from my last two so decided to do a desert landscape. Even though it's pretty generic in concept and composition, it's still a big step for me compared to my older environments. More to come very soon.

[Jordan_]

Also forgot to post these abstract pieces which will soon be developed into an animation for a live music event.

[Jordan_]

It's been a busy week or so, which means unfortunately I don't have many sketchbook studies to show. This week will also be busy but I'll try my best to get some studies done and get them posted. The first set of work is again, more abstract stuff for an animation.



I also started a study last weekend which unfortunately I haven't had time to return to. This one from a movie still of Funny Games. Some proportions are a bit off, resulting in a slightly manly and angry Naomi Watts. If time permits, I'll get it fixed.



Also, some 3d work I started this week, this will turn into a fully rendered character in the short future. Some supporting concept art will be posted soon which should solidify the idea behind the character and the style I'd like to achieve.

[Jordan_]

Back to painting studies, tonight I quickly worked on this piece, it was from reference but I wanted to be a bit more impressionistic with my brushstrokes etc. I've not been painting much in the last 2 weeks and immediately felt out of practice with this, but I'll be working hard over the next few weeks to make progress.

[Jordan_]

A quick speed painting from tonight. I've just finished reading a superb book called "The Devil in the White City" which narrates the story of the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. The key figure responsible for the creation of this amazing event was an architect named Daniel Burnham. The book is a big inspiration for the upcoming Bioshock Infinite game and so I decided to use some images of Burnham as reference for this speed study. Not too happy with the final form of the piece, it seems somewhat flat but now that I'm back on the painting train, practice should help change that.

[Jordan_]

A quick study from reference tonight. This was to see how I got on with a heavy perspective piece. I found it really tricky and it has a lot of problems, but even so, this should be a step in the right direction. Definitely more pieces like this coming soon as they are forcing me into areas that I'm not to comfortable. The perspective may seem really, really off, but it is in fact a building with a sloped roof.

[Jordan_]

A female anatomy study today. This went better than expected so it could very well turn into a more finalised study that I'd like to work up to a really complete standard. Any crits at this stage would be a great help. The wings were part of the reference image, but I think the piece could look more elegant without them.

[Eightball_]

the deer forest is quite a nice environment! i can see you're doing some studies from posemaniacs, but i'd really recommend drawing from life if you can. having your brain translate a live 3d dimensional is invaluable. keep it up!

[Jordan_]

Eightball - Thanks for the advice and kind words drawing from life is definitely something I don't do enough. I'll put a sketchbook in my bag and try to use it every time I'm out and about. It is definitely an area that I lack confidence in so facing it head on seems like the way forward. I'll see how it goes and update with some studies soon. I also really need to get back to some life drawing classes, so that will hopefully be in the future.

Tonight I tried to experiment with some brushes and see how I could affect mark making. This painting was a step away from my normal approach, and although not as refined, it yielded some interesting results. This is an aspect I'd also like to introduce into my environment work, trying to take away from the smoothness of digital.

[jondawo]

I think your studies are taking you in the right direction at the moment. If anything, I'd say that studying form is the most pressing one, although that's just my opinion.
What helped me study form was doing lots and lots of black and white value studies. It keeps colour complications out of it and lets you focus entirely on terminators, core shadows, reflected light and so on.

Keep it up, I really like that last study :)

[Jordan_]

@jondawo - Thanks for the comments man. I will definitely start some form studies. Black and white studies seem like a great way forward, do you have any suggestion on what sort of studies will help most at this stage?

Here's a study from last night. A life study of some objects laying around, trying to make sure I can capture simple forms quickly. Unlike previous life studies, I tried to develop my brushwork and not get too stuck with very smooth looking objects. This was actually a study that formed really quickly compared to the life studies I tried at the start of the sketchbook. Although there is still plenty to learn, it's encouraging to know that I'm getting quicker and laying down the groundwork for a painting.

One problem I did have was transitioning between computers. The colour mode of the painting seemed to change so that the saved jpeg came out darker than the original image. I've done some searching and I believe it's because of the colour mode Photoshop / my monitor displayed. If anyone has any suggestions on how to properly calibrate and understand the colour profile / monitor colours correctly, that would be an awesome.