Seer's sketchbook - Upd 26th June

**Seer** · March 22nd, 2006, 12:24 PM

See the last page for far newer stuff.

A mech copied from that same site (forgot the name)

Tried using markers on top of my pencil. Turned out pretty bad.

Some Bridgeman stuff (I ordered some books too last year).

The most recent one of these.

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**flatliner** · March 22nd, 2006, 01:08 PM

Looks like you visted Polkarbon.com from the mech, that was one of the first websites I visted when I started try to draw figures. You will proberly get more out of Bridgmens books.

'hey, I forgot how much fun this is'

Thats what it all about man, keep @ it up and don' ever stop!

.

hope to see more.

**darkwolfb87** · March 22nd, 2006, 01:37 PM

Good to see Bridgeman studies, keep that up. I'd like to see you copy some of Bridgeman's drawings exactly as they appear in the book, without any guesswork (loose, scratchy lines). I know that might sound like a poor use of time but if you can put a drawing down on paper as Bridgeman envisioned it, you are that much closer to understanding why he put the lines where he did

**Pixeldragoon** · March 22nd, 2006, 01:54 PM

A good idea for now, is to forget everything you think you know about faces. Learn the right stuff all over again, learn how wide it is, how it is divided, How big the eyes are, where they are placed, etc.

Sometimes, you have subconscious memory of forms, that, because you haven't really payed SUPER CLOSE ATTENTION your whole life, you aren't Positive what they look like, but you trust your memory anyways. Try to purely describe form without any prejudiced choices. Stick strictly to what you see, then you can start adding what you know.

**Dile_** · March 22nd, 2006, 02:15 PM

hehy nice body sketches!!

well the face sketches can be better but your improving !

**NikitaDarkstar** · March 22nd, 2006, 02:35 PM

well I dont' really know what to say, I'm trying to learn humans too.. but I like the mech, it's cute in a non-cute sort of way ^^;

**Orozc0** · March 22nd, 2006, 02:56 PM

Eh yea you gotta stop procrastinating and gettin to work if you wanna make art.

**Seer** · March 22nd, 2006, 06:03 PM

Wow, thanks for the feedback everyone.

I'll do some more Bridgeman studies next flatliner/darkwolf

Pixeldragoon: Yeah, that's one thing I guess I've forgotten about doing.
Orozc0: Maybe I need a disciplinary whippin'

Here are some quick PS images that I made just to get rolling. Too tired to keep on working on the last one. More tomorrow hopefully!

A monster of a baby (literally).

Is it a random girl or Michael Jackson?

Looks more like a stereotype surfer than a pretty blonde.

**quesadeist** · March 22nd, 2006, 06:38 PM

I see a definite improvement in the PS images from your linework. One thing, the brushstrokes are a bit distracting, but considering I know nothing about photoshop I wouldn't have the slightest clue on how to fix them. The ambiguous Michael Jackson piece is very nice. You've got a good start here.

**Seer** · September 1st, 2006, 02:18 PM

An old thing just before I decided I'd concentrate on music. It seems that has changed to be a 50/50 thing. Will scan some new stuff later.

**Seer** · September 2nd, 2006, 11:06 AM

Some misc stuff. The hands were fun.

**Seer** · September 6th, 2006, 04:55 PM

Hmm. I'm not sure whether or not to invest in a real scanner. I'm using an old combo lexmark which I'm not too happy with.

**Seer** · September 6th, 2006, 06:45 PM

Just feeling out some new brush settings/techniques.

**Seer** · September 7th, 2006, 04:58 AM

Some quick unreferenced digital sketches

**Alzorath** · September 7th, 2006, 10:24 PM

Hmm...probably best to keep studying from references when creating your images. Your 'from imagination' images are still a bit shakey, but are getting a little better (the bottom center one on this last one reminds me of Bevis from Bevis & Butthead though

). Life is the best teacher.

As for some digital help - maybe bump up the opacity of your brushes a bit to force you to choose a mark, and keep it. Because right now in the digital pieces, it seems very shakey and iffy - which doesn't leave the viewer with a content feeling when looking at the work. Similar thing I need to do with my lines is what this would help with (making a mark and leaving it alone

- although I feel mine is more nervous habit of 'thinking with the pencil' lol).

Anywho...looking good, definitely improving, keep at it.

**dindon** · September 9th, 2006, 02:38 AM

The hands you posted a while ago look quite good. As for the faces, you should do a bunch of referenced drawings. Drawing faces from scratch is definitetly hard, for that you could start with some guidelines that are common to the majority of faces (eg the eyes slightly above 1/2 of the face, distance between pupils is the width of the mouth, etc.)

**bunny** · September 9th, 2006, 03:43 AM

best advice from me to you? I don't want to sound redundant, but practice practice practice and do some studies from photos or some self portraits to get your facial proportions straight. What I see that is you're becoming more comfortable with drawing, however, you're developing some bad habits that WILL become an obstacle in the long run.

Map out your faces before you draw them. draw some guidelines to dictate the placement of the eyes, nose, etc. and to nail down the form of the head. Study facial proportions.

Anyway, you're improving I see

Just keep at it, follow our advice. As an artist, your progress may very well be at a perpetual state of fursteration but that's okay. We learn to deal, right? right.

P.S. those hand studies are pretty dope.

*subscribed

**Spats** · September 9th, 2006, 09:01 AM

Keep doing those studies mate, it'll pay off.

Nice start on the sketchbook, keep it up!

**Seer** · September 9th, 2006, 10:34 AM

Sorry for the late update, couldn't scan anything yesterday.

Went to a park and drew some people and scenery today, but the scans are way too bright to show, even after I duplicated layer and set it to multiply.

Alzorath inspired me to dig out my loomis books and begin going through them. I'm going to start with "Figure drawing for all its worth". Did some proportion studies. The bottom figure is unrefed.

I'm going to add something later, probably a digital sketch because I'm tired of using the scanner.

Edit: Are you supposed to be able to sketch well on a wacom? It's so hard to make a straight line compared to the real thing.

**dindon** · September 11th, 2006, 09:37 PM

I agree with you... Sketching is harder on a tablet. I quit sketching on the computer with my wacom. Drawing is more fun, and easier.

One thing I noticed, especially in the second image, is that the figures are quite asymmetrical. Stay aware of keeping the proportions constant.

**Seer** · September 14th, 2006, 12:33 PM

It's aggrivating that I've been so busy the last couple of days and still I know it's not an excuse. The scanner situation sucks too. I'm working on a solution though. I'm going to build a camera stand for my sony V1 cam so I can shoot my sketchbook, saving me some money (from buying a scanner). I'll take some progress shots of it when I get started. Here are some crumbs til I fill up the pages of anatomy studies I'm working on "right" now. Just felt that I had to upload something.

Edit: Added some more Bridgeman

**Darktwin** · September 14th, 2006, 01:48 PM

Seer, wonderful progress, I'm really liking how your stuying anatomy and faces, then trying to apply it from your imagination. Keep up the anatomy studies, its all about repitition. Also try to work on your line quality, challenge yourself to put down 3 to 4 lines when creating the gesture of the figure. Your line quality will improve the more you push yourself when drawing. keep it coming.

**Seer** · September 15th, 2006, 11:23 AM

Working on getting more comfortable with painting in PS.

**Alzorath** · September 17th, 2006, 01:13 AM

Heh...I know the thread you're working from on that painting in PS thing

- I've been meaning to try it out a bit (in painter though). Pretty good thread for coloring imo.

As for the figures, I know the goal is to get a LOT of practicing in, but try and slow down a bit and think about how and why the lines are going in certain places. If you need to, try usuing your thumb to compare proportions from reference to image.

Doing good, just keep practicing and don't forget to step back and think about the 'why' behind what you're doing with the images

.

**dindon** · September 17th, 2006, 02:01 AM

Looks like you've watched V for Vandetta! Your fruit looks good. I say fruit because I'm not quite sure if it's an apple or nectarine or something. Whenever I do stuff in PS I like to use the calligraphy brushes, you could try them out and see how they work for you.

**Seer** · September 20th, 2006, 05:28 PM

Thanks for the replies guys

My improvised "cam-scanner" is finished. I'm still trying to set up the optimal shutter speed etc for capturing the lines. I also need to set up the lightsource in my room better so I don't get the uneven lightening. Tried it out on this page from my sketchbook (more head studies and some loomis weight balancing stuff). Any advice on how to process the scanned images in photoshop to get the best out of them?
Edit: Bleh, all the details are lost in the "scan". I'm going to take some new shots and try to get them better, the lines are all blurry now.
Edit2: Doh, I had the camera set to a wrong ISO setting. It's a lot better now.

**Alzorath** · September 21st, 2006, 01:59 AM

*little bit curious as to what you blocked out digitally

*

Probably want to do some drawings from life (ie like holding your off-hand and drawing it with your dominant hand...drawing your foot, drawing yourself in a mirror, drawing the people on a bus/at a store/etc.) - right now many of your works 'have the right idea', but don't have the information/experience to back it up.

Anywho, you're moving forward, just keep drawing and don't forget to work from life (or at least from reference) - the books help you see how, but it takes experience to really utilize it.

**Seer** · September 23rd, 2006, 05:18 PM

Thanks Alzorath, will definitely do life studies next.
It's been an unproductive week for me, I better shape up if I want to get anywhere. Here are some more heads (bridgman and unrefed). Seeing the page scanned helps me see many of the errors made (the heads in the middle are making me sick, even though the right one is exaggerated). A tilted table would be nice, maybe I'll build one.

**Alzorath** · September 25th, 2006, 06:27 AM

One thing I'm noticing is a bit of 'skewing' - so maybe some perspective exercises would be helpful? (vanishing points...cubes...etc.) There's some mention of them in the Loomis books (If memory serves "Fun with a Pencil" has a little rundown of perspective in it). I think Loomis also recommends a book for perspective in one of his books (I'm wanting to say "Earnest Norling" but I could be wrong - and likely am spelling it wrong even if not

).

The ears are the best pieces in this latest sketch, it looks like they were more closely followed from the reference image in bridgman than the others. (I think the 'what you know' is getting in the way of the full faces).

As Cup of Joe said "we all have a library of objects in our brain. That library sucks. Through art we try to break down our notions of objects and rebuild a better library of objects."

Your library is still being built, just have to remember that we won't be keeping all of the objects in our old libarary - because some of them are necessary to get rid of to reach the library we want (in other words: draw what's there, not what you know for now). Later on, after studying these things in-depth, you'll be able to create new interesting things derived from this knowledge.

Good Luck, and Keep Drawing

.

**dindon** · September 26th, 2006, 02:05 AM

I'm not sure if you're doing this or not, but before you get into the details of the face like the eyes, mouth, etc. draw the underlying geometric shapes first. Like for a front view of the head, the basic shape is an oval, probably divided into quarters. The dividing lines being general guidelines as to where to place the features like eyes.

As the direction of the face changes, the guidelines will change to reflect the change of position of the features. I'm sure you've seen this stuff done before.

Sorry if I'm pointing out something obvious. It just really helps to break things down into managable chunks like geometric shapes.