Monkey Madness Sketch Thread - Update 25/5/05 - sweet update - check it out!

[-MonkeyBoy-]

Hello all,

figured it was time I got my arse in gear and started posting stuff (especially with San Fransisco just around the corner! ) So without further ado I present a bunch of recent monkey doodles for your enjoyment. I will endeavour to keep the sketching daily, an update here as often as possible. I'm really trying to improve so please crit away...

These here are from my previous sketchbook (last 2 months or so) - mostly drawings from TV with a few random doodles thrown in:














And a few don't-take-the-pen-off-the-page studies:



These ones are from my mini-sketchbook. They are almost all drawings on the bus or other public places. (Compiled a bunch onto one page).








Thanks!

MonkeyBoy

[rollb82]

your sketches have a lot of character, keep posting. and drop a crit sometime.

[-MonkeyBoy-]

Thanks for yer comments! OK, I've been trying to get around and put in such helpful words as I can, so if anyone wants to drop a few crits my way it would be much appreciated

Just some more from my mini sketchbook: I will post more frequently (these are from the last few weeks) and put up my life drawing stuff too.

On the plane:


These first ones were drawn during the recent lunar eclipse. Normally I'm not into that kind of thing, but I saw it on TV where the guys described it as "all the sunrises and sunsets from around the world shining on the moon, and the reflected back to us" which gave me kind of a funny feeling. The others are airport drawings:


And more on the bus:

[-MonkeyBoy-]

As promised, life drawings from the past few months. Apologies for the crappy scans - most of these are pretty big and had to be scanned in pieces.










Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[-MonkeyBoy-]

And a few from the sketchbook:
Just messing around - quick colours in PS.


More chicas from the telly.


This one was from life.

[-MonkeyBoy-]

OK, more... 2 life sessions and some more on the CTA:

1 and 5 mins:


25 mins:






1 and 5 mins:



10 and 25 mins:









Some of these are not from life - can you guess which ones?

[-MonkeyBoy-]

Ok - having been delinquent for the past month I've finally got around to posting. Here are the latest batch of life drawings.









Sketchbook stuff to follow shortly.....

[Ink_Monkey]

Man ppl are choosy on who they comment on . Ah well. WHOOT anouther monkey whoow aaaa aa a eeeeeee ah monkey noises. Your sketches are wicked and I'm digging your life drawing. I gotta find out if our local college is still doing drop in for life classes I gotta get back into that. Any who just paying my respects. Awsome work I can't wait to see more . Later

[-MonkeyBoy-]

Hooray! A response!

And from a fellow monkey!

Thanks dude - much appreciated. Definitely see about getting back into the life drawing - I've been doing just one session a week for the past 6 months or so and I've seen a definite improvement. Keep on drawin'!!!!

[IanE]

Really good figure drawings and sketches!

Only crit is your eyes are too big or too close to eachother sometimes... just a little thing!

Overall, awesome job! Really enjoyed this sketchbook.

I'll be checking back in soon for sure!

Ian

[-MonkeyBoy-]

IanE - thanks a lot man! Yeah, eye placement has been giving me some problems - I'll work on it.

Ok, here finally is the San Fransisco sketches, including my Thunderdome challenge, which has a few of the sort of glaring errors you get when inking at 3 in the morning. But just hanging out and drawing in the hotel lobby was one of the highlights of the weekend for me - such great energy.
There's also a bunch of fellow CA-ers, so if you see yourself, please stop by to say hello!







And mini-sketchbook stuff from about the past month.

[Zebz]

You've got some nice stuff up in here! I really like all the contour work you're doing. There's a really nice lose line you've got a hold of. One thing I'd like to see more of is your adding some value to these forms to give s'more depth. Nice, nice stuff you've got cookin' though. Keep it up!

[-MonkeyBoy-]

ok here are some more - fighting with PROPORTION primarily. That was Ron
Lemen's main pointer at SF, so I figure thats got to be worth taking to heart.
Also trying to get a bit more rendering in, building up 3D form a bit more, etc...
Apologies for the crappy quality of some of these - I'm still working out the
best way of getting them onto the computer.
Well, here we go:





Coffee-shop sketches - I gotta do more of these...


Now this is something I have quite gotten into recently - drawing from movies. Especially with the freeze-frame feature on DVDs - can get lots of interesting compositions, poses, facial expressions etc....


Pam Grier, mmmm.... she so sexy....

[-MonkeyBoy-]

OK, here's a decent update: life drawing stuff experimenting with a new
pen-and-ink technique. Brush and ink means I can get the basic shading
down really quickly. Then drawings of people on the bus and at the coffee
shop. A cookie if anyone spots which artist I'm copying in one of the pages
(frankly I think I'll deserve a cookie myself if I got close enough for anyone to
recognise it). Comments/crtis most welcome

[-j-]

cool stuff here. those figure drawings are shweet.

[-MonkeyBoy-]

Hey thanks -j-, glad you could stop by.

OK here's some more - last week's life drawing, a bunch of people at the coffee shop round the corner, and a few from watching TV. I should really try posting these when I'm awake enough to actually write something... O well. Crits welcome as always :-)

[-MonkeyBoy-]

On another note, does anyone know if this page is going to break eventually or do I have to do it manually?

[arkain]

your life drawings are very nice , keep it up!!!!
do you have tips on drawing people in the bus , i try to do this but they seem to always be moving their head and i barely can get the overall shape of the head and the face features are very hard to remember.
if you can give me tips would be very kind

[-MonkeyBoy-]

Hey Arkain,

thanks man, glad you like the life drawing.

For drawing people on the bus, you have to work quickly and simply. I'd say maybe only half of the drawings I do actually work out because I either mess it up or they move or get off. So first off, do lots and don't worry if they all work out. I try to just draw quickly, don't stress out too much, try to put down some broad shapes that will help as guidelines (like the shape of the hair, can help placing the facial features). Also be patient, someone who looks away or shifts position may shift back so you can fill in what you missed. Just do it a lot, you'll figure it out.

Also, the combination of life drawing, drawing on the bus, drawing from TV or movies (freeze-frame can be very helpful here ) and my own sketching is much more helpful than any one in isolation.

Hope that helps, keep it up and post some of your stuff!

[-MonkeyBoy-]

Hey all - haven't posted much recently - moving and so forth. So I'll try to catch up now:

[-MonkeyBoy-]

Sketchbook stuff:




There you go!

[-MonkeyBoy-]

Jus' makin my time....

[-MonkeyBoy-]

oh my god! I'm a mad updating monster! That's twice in one week!

-ahem-

These first ones are sketchbook pages. The first one is from the head (and pretty late at night at that) and the other three are from TV. The second ones are mostly politicians/pundits. The third ones are mostly from "The Thick of It" a comedy show about politicians and another show about comedy shows about politicians (jeez - you can tell I'm back in the UK). The last ones are mostly from "Night of the Generals" which is a pretty good movie. I'm rather proud of the two profiles in the bottom right because they actually look like the people, which is a slippery goal I have been grappling with unsuccesfully recently.

[-MonkeyBoy-]

I am posting a new message for these ones in the hopes of finally breaking this hideously long page. If any of you felt behooved to post a comment or to to help towards this noble goal, it would be greatly appreciated.

Anway, these are from my mini-sketchbook - people in cafes and on the street, except for the last two (the glaringly more detailed ones) which I did at a fantastic photography exhibit that I saw earlier today in Edinburgh. The guy is called Steve McCurry and if any of you happen to be in Edinburgh in the next two days it is well worth checking out - totally free - at the City Galleries behind the train station.



And these last ones are from my new life drawing session - notquite as good as my old one in Chicago (only two hours instead of three, not so much quick sketch, and not so many hot models ) But at least I am keeping up the practice...


Ok that's it for now

[aan]

wow these are great...some of the life drawings are very unique, and sketches on the bus are nice. I tried sketching once with people walking around and it was hard haha

[Teigrob]

Hey MonkeyBoy, thanks for posting I really like the hair you do, especially when you work on it a bit longer. Hair can be hard, and I always like to see people nail it. I also like the watercolours you do - like the one of the old man lying down. That was really nice. BTW, the thread doesn't go to page 2 until you've got 60 posts. Sorry man, ya got awhile! Unless you post lots...(hint hint) You've really improved since you started this thread, so way to go, and keep posting!
(You live in Scotland?? I'm so jealous)

[-MonkeyBoy-]

aan - thanks! Yeah people walking are hard - I think you need a lot of experience because you only get a quick look and then have to do the rest from memory. I'm not there yet Try catching people sitting down, waiting for the bus etc... they keep still a bit longer.

teigrob - hey thanks - glad you like the colours - I just started trying that out. BTW, Scotland is miserable and rainy - you aint missing all that much.