Cuppa Joe's Sketchbook- Occasionally Updated...

[White Rose]

. .
perspective *gulps*
are u using any books on perspective....
and what are transition values

[Oddo]

Loomis rocks, keep at it and your figures will improve .

[Cup of Joe]

Thanks for the comments everyone!

White Rose- I got a video on perspective from my library, but I can't remember the name. Lots of good stuff on it on the 'net too. And transition values are the values used to blend two values. It's not a proper name, just what I call them.

Oddo- I should spend some more time on Loomis, I've really only skimmed it. It's great stuff, I should treat it as such. Thanks man!

Wow. I love unconcious sketching, brain-farts, whatever you want to call them. I'm sitting here, I've done just about nothing all day, I'm tired and unfocused, but i decide to pick up the pencil one more time. I drift off...Bam! When I get back this was on the paper. The pose suck and proportions and anatomy is off, but I love it all the same. Let's see how it looks after a good nights sleep.



And a little more work on this, keeping it simple untill I'm sure I won't make any corrections. I also accidentally started in in grayscale, so I can't switch it unless I want to flatten it.

[Spade]

hey there! nice work going on here, your perspective work is looking good. Try and do some more anatomy study, other than that - keep it up!

ps thanks for stopping by my thread!

[Cup of Joe]

Spade- Yeah, I should do wore anatomy. Thanks for stopping by!

Not much today, just a rework of yesterday's plus some tomfoolery/skuldudgery.



I have a little more, but my scanner haywire and they're not worth fixing it for.

[afgal]

The white rabbit study rocks!! That's very cool. Keep at it your showing awesome improvement! can't wait to see more.

[Cup of Joe]

Thanks Afgal!

Finally got around to doing more Bridgeman today. I think I'm getting better at studies, I'm really starting to think WHY a line is there instead of just drawing it. It really helps imagine the underlying forms.
Coming SOON (maybe)- The Return of Loomis to this Sketchbook!

[Kitsu]

The bridgeman studies are looking pretty good! It looks like you are starting to pick up some line tricks too -> Like how to use line weight to emphasize your subject, and how he uses hatches to describe form. Remember to close your forms though - when you leave little gaps in your silhouette you make the inside/outside of the subject indistinct and it flattens your forms. Remember that your lines are wrapping around the subject in 3d.

Also on some of your recent from-mind stuff your figures are looking a little flat. Again try to imagine the space around the subject, try to imagine how shapes overlap and how they shrink as they get more distant. Perspective applies to the figure too. Just as a box gets smaller the farther away it is drawn so too does the far leg or far arm of a figure. You might be suprised how far you can push the figure perspective-wise before things get wierd.

Anyway keep trying everything and building your skills. Everything you do makes you better at everything else. You've got a good mix of stuff going so far and that should really help you out later. BTW I'm trying to do another sketchbook thread; you can get there by clicking the happier of the two smilies in my sig.

[mentler]

Ok cup looking at what you are working on keep the values to 5 (black and white and three middle values) <> the focal point should include all 5 values as things move back in space use fewer values <> this will create perspective in the value structure.

Thanks for bringing my thread back from the dead!

[Cup of Joe]

Kitsu- Your back(again)! Never thought about gaps flattening form. Some people still seem to be able to pull it off (Even Bridgeman does it sometimes). Hmmm, bending perspective sounds fun, I'll mess around with that later. I might take some advice from the Dirty C thing you linked to and start experimenting more. I got some ideas about messing around with color. Something like a super-over-saturated painting that's all red and green, but a tiny blue focal point off to the side. I also want to experiment with scale. Anyway, I dropped by your thread, keep this one going! (Stay away from dem Video games man!)

Mentler- Wow, that makes so much sense it's almost too obvious. Is this related to atmospheric perspective at all, or is it because of the way eyes percieve things? Just asking. No prob about the comments, just keep the awesome art coming.

Got to draw alot today. Bridgeman stuff.





Imagination-



Wierd idea I had yesterday, a little better then he last imagination.



More BR with some thumbs from mind.

[Dile_]

Hey, Thanks for looking by my sketchbook again Joe!

I would say nice bridgeman/anatomy stuff! keep it up! your anatomy is just improveing!
However, I would like to see an digital by reference, were you take some time!
(I assume you have a tablet right ?) great work overall

[MasterOfChaos]

Hey Joe, thanks for stopping by my sketchbook man. I like the work you are doing with anatomy and perspective. I'm not sure what I can add to the previous comments to be helpful, but I will say that your work is very solid. Maybe you should be an architect Anyway, keep up the good work. You have some very interesting things going on here.

[Cup of Joe]

Dile- Thanks! I sjould do a digital where I actually spend some time. I was thinking of doing some master studies. I was originally going to do a Bouguereau copy, but I don't think I'm quite up to it yet. Maybe I'll do a Sargent copy.

MasterOfChaos- Thanks man! Architect? Never thought of that. I don't like to plan very far into the future.

Wow, today sucked, for drawing that is. Otherwise today was awesome. I went to an art's festival, and discovered the awesomeness that is Wolfmother!

All I did today was a crappy PS thing messing around with focal points through hue variation. Ugghh, I can bearly look at it. Maybe tomorrow will be better.



On a side note- Purple haze is in the SKYYYYYYY!

crap. I could've sworn we had a rockin' out smilie. I guess this dude will have to do.

[Ledd]

Hey cup ... cool studies.. I just think that you should study more from life...
Try to observe more the world that surrounds you , The schemes for capture the gestures and geometry are really good.. I just suggest study more from life... well Keep it up!.. cya

[Kitsu]

Yes, I agree. I think you've got enough basic skills to start doing more from referance/life. Just look around for something cool - then try to draw it!

When working from photo-ref it is important to look into the photo and try to understand the forms in 3d. It is far too easy to just recreate value shapes without any real understanding (though it is fun as an occasional exercise).

When working from life I think it is important to try to really see your subject. Your mind puts all kinds of filters on what you see; many 'normal' people when they try to draw something just draw the symbol there mind uses to represent the thing. Try to anylize the shape of the subject and how it is effected by perspective. Try to see where there really are lines defining its surfaces. Look at how the surface is effected by light. Look at the big shapes and the small shapes.

Oh, and before you ask - If you want to know the difference between working from a photo and working from life just do some sketches/paintings from both. In my limited experiance most photos are dead, flat, lacking color depth, and occasionally missrepresent what they show. In real life you can see depth, your eyes are more sensitive to light/color that most cameras or photo printers, you can see a wider range of light/dark, etc. etc.

If you doing these type of exercises though try also to balance them with stuff from imagination. Observation and re-creation are great tools for learning, but imagination is where the money's at

[ewing]

I see great improvement, the bridgeman studies are fantastic.

[Dile_]

if you should do a master painting.. check out this.. got the link from Darktwin.. really awsome
Best
http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/database/contents.asp


oh, about your latest one.. You should try out doing a forest with pencils!
or by reference.. cause that one looks really madeup-in-your-mind
anyways. go on, you have improved since your TD entry !

[Cup of Joe]

Replies!

Ledd- Thanks for stopping by! Yeah, I should do more life. I'll try and work it into my schedule more.

Kitsu- Cool ideas there! Yeah, I'll do more life. For photos, I forget who said this but it went along the lines of "Don't just draw the photo, use it." i'm also realizing how important imagination is. You can learn stuff from studies, but you'll lose it if you don't use it!

ewing- Thanks!

Dile- Thanks! Yeah i know about ARC. Cool site. Yeah, I pulled that one out of my ass, I didn't really care, since it was more of a color study, but I should really stop half-assing things.

Today= Awesome! I did a lot of experimentation, and it really helped. I messed around with some Bob Ross-esque tree simplification in the trees. I also fell in love with the traditional pencil all over again. It can just do things a mechanical pencil can't.
I also figured out something really cool. Mullberry juice makes an awesome purple ink. I'll probably be messing around with this for a while, because they grow everywhere around here, so I don't have to bring a purple pen with me!(If I had one that is)

Church from life. Messing around with simplification.



Mullberry related arsin' around





Getting a little tired here- starting to suck



Another tree. Aw crap, now I suck again.



Also-
QUESTION- What is the difference between a warm and cool grey marker?

[afgal]

You don't suck. Your church drawing is very nice. Just keep at it... one day you'll wake up and see how far you've come and that'll spark the desire to keep at it more and more. Trust me on that one. Can't wait for more.

[Ryn]

Hey, sorry I haven't stopped by in so long.

I see you're just as dedicated as ever! Those buildings are looking quite nice. You're still making your figures a little too stocky, and the legs a smidgeon too small. Getting there, though, slowly but surely!

It's a good thing you're thinking about focal points and composition. Maybe try putting some characters in scenes? It'll be challenging, but you can put your knowledge of anatomy up against the other methods you're starting to get a grasp of. Might be fun.

Goodluck!

[Cup of Joe]

Afgal- Thanks alot!

Ryn- No problem! (I do the same thing) I usually don't notice the stocky thing untill someone points it out. Sometime I'll re-review Loomis to fix what I missed. Good Idea! I'll do that soon.

Pretty good day today. Experimenting more. Soon I'll go back to studies. All from life.
Also, Tomorrow's my birthday! What did you get me?

Went a little far with the simplification of this one. I'll try and find a middle ground between symbolism and realism.




Edit no.1- Thanks Ryn. Better now? Looks better to me. For those who missed it, ORIGINAL

[Ryn]

The simplified blocking may have worked in the first one if you didn't use the big, thick outlines. You should probably only outline stuff at all in an environment if it's right in the front, or make outlines in the distance thinner. Or so Jason Manley told me when he critiqued a similar drawing of mine.

[Cup of Joe]

Ryn- Thanks for the crit, I got to watch how I use line.

It may be my Birthday but the drawing don't stop! No more today because the new Cloud Cult CD MELTED MY FACE OFF through the magic of AWESOME!

Coke bottle from life. Tried to get it right without line. If it looks squashed, it's because it was one of those tiny ones.
(Testing new attachment abitlities)

[White Rose]

Happy Birthday to u :3
..good work on the coke bottle :3

[mentler]

Keep filling the page <> the best drawing book ever written is a full sketchbook <> keep putting mileage on the pencil and the rewards will come.

Up u go.

[Goog]

Happy Birthday!!!!

Nice Bridgeman stuff, those postures are amazing. Keep it up!

[Ryn]

That coke bottle is immensely better than your other digital life studies. And on that note, ever think of picking up acrylics and/or oils? Might be worth looking into.

And Happy Birthday. Hope you had a good day :>

[Kitsu]

Wow, the last few posts were great! The Mullberry pages are really nice, and I like the new way your using the pencil. The coke looks pretty good too.
That is actually a very difficult subject - It is symetrical, transparent, shinny, and reflective, which all are difficult things to render! You pulled off the shinny plasticy look well, but if you looked closer you would see some reflections on the surface (probably of you and any nearby light sources), still closer and you would see through it to the inside surface on the other side, still closer and you would see the reflections on the inside surfaces, and finally down to whatever it was sitting on/nearby. It is easy to become confused trying to do something like this accurately - your brain seperates the image into layers and filters your perceptions, and if you start looking past the filters it may become hard to see what your looking at... Fortunatly you can usually get away with a flatter rendering of this kind of surface for the same reasons that it is so hard to see!

[Dile_]

uh what the fuck happend ? You eat an Super-Improve-Me-At-Drawing- Pill ?
Those last one are really awsome!
You seem to see on what your drawing now, instead of just have it in mind!
great!
About your digitals, your improveing, but spend
some more time on them!! however.. Im really wanna know if it was you (Joe) who
drew the latest pencil stuff

[Dile_]

Uhm, the edit button is gone ?? huh..
anyways, I wanted you to know that I really love this one
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/2...ifeedit3mg.png
You have used the contrast in a really nice way!
you only missing the perspective a little bit, otherwise that one is great!