MeTaL-Mikes's Sketchbook

**MeTaL-Mike** · June 23rd, 2008, 05:43 PM

1 hour painting from imagination.

**MeTaL-Mike** · June 30th, 2008, 09:39 AM

OK, the Hellmouth Sketchmeeting has just ended yesterday. man what a blast that was!!! except for the bugs that were litterly eating everybody the sketchmeet was awesome.

here's the stuff i producted during this meeting. of course i did a lot of drinking and smoking by the camp fire, that was awesome!!

Life Drawing

from imagination

collaboration with Hyver (well he did most of it, i just added some random stuff).

Thunderdome entry (not a winner).

**polydrawer** · June 30th, 2008, 11:32 AM

nice work mike, i really like the gestures

keep it up i can see your really improving

**MeTaL-Mike** · June 30th, 2008, 04:05 PM

Thanks ravenslayer, have to do much more!!!

here's a quick self portrait. i didn't really feel like doing anything today but i had to do a quick one.

**[LITTLE-FEET]** · June 30th, 2008, 11:11 PM

Dig Your Strff! Loving Them!

**Slash** · July 2nd, 2008, 05:05 PM

Hey man! It was a blast hanging with you in helmond, thanks for being so helpful with everything!

Keep on practicing those forms and lighting, i saw improvement from the first things you did and the stuff you did towards the end! It seems like you're about to change gears, having gained new understanding.

I see it already in your self portrait, you're focusing more on the larger shapes, which is good. There are some likeness issues tho, but those aren't as important as getting the fundamental stuff right.

**JanDaniel** · July 2nd, 2008, 06:03 PM

awesome stuff man!

**MeTaL-Mike** · July 6th, 2008, 05:17 PM

Slash - thanks man. working of this shading thing. by the next meeting i'll be better at it i hope

JanDaniel - Thanks!

Ok i was kind of too lazy the whole weekend and didn't do much drawing. here are some 30sec - 1 minute gestures. really quick and dirty

**Trashy** · July 6th, 2008, 05:35 PM

Sweet work Mike. Every time you post those gestures they keep getting better. All your hard studies are paying off.

**Texahol** · July 9th, 2008, 05:17 PM

thanks a ton for the hellmond sketchmeet

I had a blast!

I hope you weren't too drunk/stoned to remember a lot of the great advice you got from the meet

Just remember when rendering stuff, it's all about the large forms, you need to turn your brain into a 3d rendering engine

[think big!]

about the mac...yeah it's a powerbook g4 from 2003. I think that you'll be happy with whatever new computer you purchase, tabletpc or mac or whatever. I don't know much about the modbook, but sketchling is selling his tabletpc for a modbook, and I think nonie has one too. So I really don't know how 'bad' they would be compared to a tabletpc. I'm one of those mac idiots, so I personally prefer a lot of the OS stuff, just 'cause I've been using macs since the early 90s...you tend to get used to certain things, and not want to switch.

But ultimately just do your research and whatever you think will make you happy. I've been debating getting a modbook/tabletPC for about a year and a half. I've just been stuck on indecision...probably will stay that way for a while too

keep up the studies man, and just try to think of stuff in simple shapes

**Pandora's Eyes** · July 21st, 2008, 08:22 AM

hey, good work here! i'm digging that big charcoal study of the woman's back on your easel!

about the gestures, are they perhaps from magazine or web photos? they look good. but some of the poses seem stiff like what we see in glamour shots. if i'm wrong then ignore this. and good work. but if this is the case you might want to try more gestures from life so the weight distribution of the body is more lifelike.

i enjoy sketching gestures in the mall food court. i grab a plate of food and a drink and sketch people as they walk by, stand in line, sit and eat, etc. plus, i think it's best to bug friends and family to do quick 30 sec poses for gestures. they're free! and they normally won't say no (hope).

keep it up!

**MeTaL-Mike** · July 30th, 2008, 04:22 PM

Trashy - thanks man.
Texahol - no worries man. i still remember

i wassn't that drunk and stoned

i'm working on it.
kauser.ali - Thanks man.
the gestures are from online pics from all sorts of sites. i generally download all the pictures i like from the net. i know what you mean with the stiff poses. i'm trying to do more life drawing but there's a lack of that in my area

need to get around those malls more i guess

thanks man.

it's been a while. here are some sketches. don't really know what to draw so i'm usually stuck with faces and such.

and a quick environment.

**Zeitwolf** · July 30th, 2008, 04:29 PM

Nice vervy (is there such a word) pencil lines, Mike. I ike the more comic-like sketches of yours.

**MeTaL-Mike** · July 30th, 2008, 04:35 PM

wow! that's fast

thanks Zeitwolf!

was cleaning up my folders a little and found some more. bunch of crap really. Damn i need to get organized!!!

**MeTaL-Mike** · August 10th, 2008, 09:46 AM

Ok i've been asked to do a poster for a dude a while back. I've been doing some sketching and came back to him with the following ideas.

he liked the second image the most. he liked the attitude a lot. so i've been doing some drawing to come up with something similar and came up with the following.

what do you guys think? i having great difficulties to take a thumbnail and develop it into something good. any advice?

**jedininjaman** · August 10th, 2008, 10:10 AM

the pose looks fine but you definatly lost some of the "attitude" with the less exagerated curves and the lack of a facial expression that you had in the thumbnail
keep it up though mate your figure drawing are sick
-jedi

**MeTaL-Mike** · August 11th, 2008, 08:51 AM

jedininjaman - i think your right man. i did loose the expression from the face a bit. have to work on it some more.

here's a quickie done in painter.

**MeTaL-Mike** · August 11th, 2008, 04:44 PM

Tonight's paintings

**staticpen** · August 12th, 2008, 08:32 PM

You're a posting fiend! Hahahaha. So intense. I love those gesture sheets, man. Keep it up! And would you mind linking me to the spartan thread? It might give me extra motivation to keep at my figure and head studies as intently as you do.

**hurricane** · August 13th, 2008, 09:06 AM

keep on working hard, you're doing good.
Thanks for dropping by my sb!
Cheers

**MeTaL-Mike** · August 13th, 2008, 04:25 PM

staticpen - Thanks dude appreciate it.
hurricane - thanks a lot for the visit man. any advice from you would be greatly appreciated man.
Here's today's quicky. i just had to do something with this so here it is.

**Envisor** · August 13th, 2008, 11:45 PM

I agree with hurricane, you've improved since you've began your sb. And if you continue, your sure to improve more and more. Keep working hard. Cant wait for more.

**Mr_S_14** · August 14th, 2008, 06:02 AM

I think the power/attitude in your poster sketches show in the twist of the hips and the covering of the breast with the hands, perhaps if you exposed one of the hands to make the image a little more dynamic, and even show a little more muscle mass to the final like in the original sketches/ideas it would still hold that attitude. However your client could be seeing something else in the attitude. so those are just my thoughts.

**MeTaL-Mike** · August 14th, 2008, 11:23 AM

Envisor - thanks a lot. i will :d
Mr_S_14 - yeah, i have to change the face anyway and i think i'll experiment with the hands some more as well. thanks for the crit.

here's something i just finished today (bored at work

) it's from imagination. i see i still have loads of work to do. learning color and such. want to do more enviros so i'll be trying those a lot.

**MeTaL-Mike** · August 14th, 2008, 05:21 PM

some sketchbook scans. didn't have time to do any drawing tonite

figured i'd post these and go try to do at least 1 sketch in bed

**MeTaL-Mike** · August 15th, 2008, 10:12 AM

here's today's study. no ref used.

**Tmza** · August 15th, 2008, 11:21 AM

Dude, serious improvement here!
It seems to me that your studies are really paying off.
Gestures look very good and I really like those "boxed" females.
I think that last piece is evidence how hard you´ve worked.
Cheers.

**polydrawer** · August 15th, 2008, 04:24 PM

nice updates mike
i like how that last environment is coming along
your really improving by doing all these drawings

i tried to correct the last head you posted a little because it is out of perspective.
You allso try to maken a really flat surface of the side of the head while it makes a much rounder transition at the top.
The ear was a little too small i think.
I'm not the best artist and still have to do a lot of study myself but i hope it helps you out a little

keep it up

**krossj** · August 15th, 2008, 07:27 PM

nice digital sketches man! keep up the anatomy and life studies. cheers

**MeTaL-Mike** · August 17th, 2008, 07:33 AM

Tmza - Thanks
ravenslayer - thanks for the correction, i see what you mean, it does look better that way.
krossj - thanks, i have to. my anatomy is still very poor, need to work on that some more.

Ok here's some sketches i did yesterday. didn't have much time to draw