Serp's occasionally updated Sketchbook!

[Serpian]

Here are some things I've been working on. Here's the Tizian copy (original here), and the Fine art/illustration thing. I'm trying to get both to some kind of level i would be proud to put in my portfolio for TAD. Time is running out... Also, here's a color chart I did with yellow ochre, alizarin crimson and burnt umber.

[OBX]

the tonal blending in that monster from the black lagoon sketch thingy is so good! Maybe think of putting him in a pose, he has the look of a puppet, and that gives the feel of being a 3d model, instead put him in a pose that really makes his weight look believable! Like hunched over and leaning on a four arm, do anything to make someone think beyond the drawing. If he was hunched over that might get you to think that he was ready to pounce or perhaps he walks on all fours with those long strong arms?

I danno, just some thoughts. Keep it up, and thanks for checkin out my book. I think you and paper are the only two lol!

[Serpian]

Here's an update on this one. If any of you like what you see, feel free to nominate me in this thread:

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/sho...d.php?t=181150

[Serpian]

Hey OBX, thanks! You're right about the pose, it's kind of basic. I did it as a concept for the CHOW a while back, and then painted it. I kept it basic so I could focus on the painting. But you're right, it would be more tense with a more dynamic pose.

Here's the painting btw


And here's the Space Marine drawing with a background. I'm not sure if I'm finished yet. This one is going into my portfolio for TAD, so please give me any crits you have!


EDIT: also, any tips for photographing graphite drawings without getting that super-grainy digital photo look?

[Serpian]

Here's the final Space Marine drawing photographed in better conditions. Options include with or without digital cleanup. I'm not sure if all that empty space up there works, but I also think that if I crop it lower down, cutting off the blade will make it hard to understand what it is he's holding... What do you think?

[ryan mcshane]

ahhh cool to see that finished! great work maan!

[Serpian]

Thanks, Ryanoir!

Here's an illustration I'm submitting to a competition. First prize is the job to illustrate the rest of a song book. Needless to say, the subject of the song this illustration is for is 'partying'. This one was fun to do, and my inspiration was this painting by Hugo Birger. There's quite a lot of photoshop cleanup painting done on top of the original. Man I need to get a tablet... Anyway, here's two versions, first the modified, and then the original that had ten figures. I removed one because he was disturbing the composition, and my wife turned my attention towards that problem. I'm posting the original version here so you can see the difference. Do you agree that it's better without him? Please discuss.

I feel that without him, the action of the woman pouring the schnaps is much more clear, and that is what I want to be the primary focal point of the drawing. Initially, I wanted the figures around her to frame that action, but in the end I realized that his arm just made it too busy, and the action was lost, making the primary focus a tie between the pouring and the singing girl to the left. I think his deletion made this much better. Do you agree?

[jeremygordon89]

I really like your style; I think you can really take it far if you keep working hard. Keep up the good work

[OBX]

yo yo, sweet stuff. Those figures are real solid!

Here is a lil goody i painted just for you!, I used your lagoon monster as a base and painted over it. lil paintover, but not to teach anything, just for fun, thanks so much for the inspiration!

[Ariel9]

Oh, gosh, I love your work so much.
Update soon the painting in post #273, because it's just AWESOME. That colour chart must have taken you a lot of effort!
Your commitment really shows, and your graphite work is up to an impressing level.
I want to see more! You're awesome. Keep it up

[Saytan VV]

I remember all the troubles you were having during the first port reviews and its good to see you are improving so rapidly. Keep it up!

[Serpian]

I guess an update is long due.. Thanks everyone for your kind comments!

OBX, that's awesome, I like the way you've upped the saturation and added a much more yellow green, it really makes the colours work better!

Ariel, thanks a lot, I'm glad you liked it! Below is the finished version of that painting, it was part of my portfolio for TAD. The colour chart isn't really that much work, but the hard thing is judging if you're doing it right, without a teacher telling you how it should look.

Saytan, thanks a lot, but I think you might have mixed me up with someone else? I did attend the first portfolio reviews, but I didn't submit any of my own work.

Anyway, here's some new work. First, as per request, the finished painting titled 'Waiting for my muse'. (I might change that title. I feel it's a bit cheesy)


And here's a copy I'm doing of Leighton's Pan


And a WIP still life I started today

[Serpian]

quick update, here is the finished onion.

[kev ferrara]

Onion looks good. Small, but something that is showing your progress.

Some thoughts: Try to break down any form, large or small, into 2 simple planes, that which faces the light, and that which faces away from the light. Light versus Dark. Absolutely binary. Where the light meets the dark will be a corner... (better to say it this way, where one plane meets a perpindicular plane, they make a 90 degree angle, which I will call a corner.)

This corner will contain an amazing amount of information.... texture, local color, form, rhythm of form, etc. This corner is a very important piece of design. And it must be designed. Nature can hide this corner from you when you look at complicated light. So you need to emphasize it and exaggerate it, so that you can get good form in your pictures.

The reason you should look at bridgman is because bridgman is making all forms blocky... and by making them block he is making the corners easy to learn.

Emphasizing the corner between the dark and light will make each figure a silhouette composed of two silhouettes, the silhouette of light and the silhouette of dark.

Once you conceive of this distinction, and learn to emphasize and design where the form corners, then you can make some of the silhouetted light a bit darker (generally where the light meets the dark on a flat surface, on a rounded surface at a highlight point (a highlight happens at the top of a pyramid of form... another corner)), and some of the silhouetted darks a bit lighter (generally not where the light hits the dark, but away from the meeting angle.). As you become accustomed to making a clear distinction, you can then find/draw even more subtle contrast of the tones where light and dark, yet without losing the demonstration that there is contrast there.. You may even find spots where you want to have a perfectly smooth transition between dark and light without any corner at all using an average value exactly between the dark tone and the light tone. If you do that, though, make sure you also have strongly contrasting corners too, so the gradual between dark and light and the abrupt transitions will play off each other.

Maybe only make 90 degree and 45 degree corners for a while. That's what many of those sculpted heads are for, the ones with the flat planes. So you can more easily learn the corners presented by bridgman.

kev

[LtPlissken]

You are such a long time present here, I cannot stop admiring your persistence. Some beautiful artwork on these pages, and a true example, how we all should draw and post on a regular basis.
You got all my respect. Keep posting.

[Serpian]

wow thanks Kev, for a very insightful post! I will try to think more about corners!

LtPlissken, thanks for the kind comments, but I'm afraid I haven't exactly been showing a great example when it comes to updating on a regular basis.... I will try to get better at it though!

[Juhani Jokinen]

Cool stuff here! You've improved immensely since my last visit. Excited to see more

-J

[Serpian]

Hey everyone! Here are some things I have done recently. There are things from life and things from the imagination. There is work in oil and pencil. There is my unfinished and unsubmitted entry for CHOW 200, The King of Music. And there's a self portrait that I still need to work on a bit.

Juhani, thanks for your kind comment!

[ryan mcshane]

wooooooah man! nice update! : D
i just noticed you're working for a scholarship for TAD?! meeee tooo, but ima apply in like 2012 for the 2013 TAD, if that made sense? cause i finish high school in 2012 idk...
im suprised you'd want to go since you've already been to the atelier O__O

anyways sick work man! love the paintss
keep it up brah!

[Serpian]

Thanks for the kind comment ryanoir! About going to TAD, what i learnt at the Atelier is but a small step on the way to being a successful artist.. I still need a solid education to be able to move forward.. That's why I'm going to TAD. As I'm sure you know, you are never 'finished' as an artist, there's always something new to learn...

Here are some sketches and stuff I've been doing lately. I went to Greece for a sailing holiday, and I drew and painted a few thins in my small sketchbook there.. But mostly I was just swimming or sailing or eating! Also in this update is work on the artorder challenge Gotta have a Hook. Here's a link to the challenge description. I'm working on the sacond stage, the detailed sketch right now. The winner will be published in the D&D magazines!

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[Pigeonkill]

Nice Tizian copy, your onion painting looks great!

The last post for some reason I can't see any images. It says "
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[Serpian]

Thanks Pigeon!

I know the images aren't working, there was something buggy with the uploader when I did it and never got around to fixing it. Here they are:

[Serpian]

While I'm at it, I might post some recent things too. Here are some composition studies from master paintings, some anatomy studies and anatomical copies from the masters, and a hand copy from Bouguereau. Also a few things from life.

It's time to start posting in this thread again!

[ryan mcshane]

wooah man, missed a lot D:
love these, great stuff bro!

[Serpian]

Hello again! Thanks for the comment ryanoir!

Here are a few things, first a couple pretty bad portraits from life, then a self portrait and a fast cast drawing and a better picture of Homer.

[Martin Eméricus]

Looking good, Davve!

Your latest self portrait is spot on. Just remember to draw some less serious stuff every once in a while, OK?

/Martin

(Edit: notice how I've been a member for four years and never posted anything...until now!)

[Velocity Kendall]

Tonnes of great work!

[Serpian]

Thanks for the comments! Yes, Martin, it's important to do fun stuff too. But when they go well, studies can be very fun as well!

Here is some recent stuff:

[ryan mcshane]

master studys look beutiful! easily recognizable and everything, how much time do you spend on each?
figures and casts look good as always too mate

[Serpian]

Thanks buddy! I can't say how much time I put on the master studies, but they're fairly quick. Maybe 30-60 mins each? The Iakovidis one is longer though.