Kirsten’s Old Sketchbook consisting of mostly non-sketches

[Zirngibism]

This is a colored pencil drawing I started early this year. You can probably generally guess what it is, but I'll explain what's happening when it's done.

The areas with color are a little rough, but I'll clean it up later.

[Envisor]

OOOOooohhhhh!!!!!! This piece is looking good, how long might you say youve been working on it so far?

[seanblanton]

i may just have awful colored pencils but I cannot do colored pencil to save my soul. I can't get them to blend to the hues and values i want. can you offer suggestion? you definitely know what you're doing. haha

[megadubitably]

That new picture is gonna be awesome, you're so creative!

Your ccad signature made me laugh.

"I hardly had time during the school year to paint, so I had to do "good" work when I could."
^ same here... I was too busy entering contests or finishing deadlines for AP and independent study that I never really got to explore the medium that much... can't wait for those painting fundamentals x)

[Zirngibism]

Eric (or should I call you Envisor?)--> This was something I worked on in class so that I was doing something. I'd say... 5 hours? Maybe 6? However, I was getting distracted by the class a lot and had to pack up/put away during periods. So it's really hard to tell.

Sean--> First off, what kind of colored pencils do you have? If you have Crayola or some other "school supply" brand, good luck getting nice blending. I use Prismacolors (yeah, expensive, but worth it and last a long time if you don't keep breaking the leads).

I haven't done pencils much, but this is what I've found (could be "wrong" though):

Try going very lightly on the paper with a darker color, then work your way up with lighter colors, and the lighter the color, the harder you press. You should end with white or yellow, pressing rather hard compared to the first layer. That's just with middle tones, though.

Wait, I feel like a hypocrite because I started out with the way I just described but ended up sort of going with the opposite on the piece I posted above. If you start with a light color and press hard to begin with, you change the consistency of the paper. Then, the darker colors you lay on top will sort of "slide" around on it. And if something doesn't work out the way you want, you can (sort of) wipe off the color you layed on top of the light color, heavy layer foundation. It's kind of tedius and (just a little) messy but the overall result is kind of nice and a little different.

[Kman.]

Hey there. Cool to see more CCAD peeps on here. You've definitely got a lot of good work to show. Maybe I'll see you around campus sometime.

[Master 25 Days]

The new piece looks like it's gonna turn out great. The flash from the camera is drowning out a few area though. Your commitment to your work is very commendable. I tend to lose interest on a piece after 2 hours haha.

The 2nd colored pencil method is the correct way from what I remembered. Light to dark. Since the paper can only hold so much lead.

[Zirngibism]

All right, prepare for some terrible-quality photographs of sketchbook drawings that were originally very small, and also very lightly sketched (I used a mechanical pencil, rarely press hard, and they're around 20-30 square inches).

I tried to up the contrast and I darkened the color immensely but they're still hard to see-- bear with me.

Anyway, I don't have a huge amount of sketches to put up because I never sketch on my own time, just when I'm bored at school (which was kinda busy this year) or waiting for food at a restaurant or something. Most of them were done around half a year ago, some before, some after.


1st & 2nd ones-- This is a "Fishdragon"-- {this shows how I can never stay with a project long enough to finish shading, if I even begin shading to begin with (which is rare).}

3rd one-- This is one of my mechanical ideas: a concentric internal combustion engine. It's not very accurate when it comes to how it would actually look like; I just drew it out to solve some of the problems it'd have to overcome (such as staying airtight despite a changing distance in the airtanks between the pistons). I doubt it would be more efficient than the types we have in our cars, but it was fun to think up anyway: I'll probably use is in my art somewhere along the line.

4th one-- These were an idea of mine of a type of building that had to keep air moving very steadily at a certain speed, to keep out a kind of bacteria. However, the idea kinda fell flat I guess or I started something else... don't remember.

[Zirngibism]

Now for some self portraits.

I haven't really had much figure training (except some stuff from Marie Walsh Sharpe and school). The body I know best is my own, so when I draw people from my head, they usually end up looking like me, or like my brother if they're male.

Proportions aren't a major factor I care about when I sketch, because usually it's not the people but their surroundings, or machines they're interacting with, etc... my point is that people, in sketches, to me, are like mannequinns to a fashion designer. I'm just pointing that out because you're going to see some pretty badly-proportioned figures.

Second of all, I've intentionally altered figures to serve

1st one--> An attempt at a slight caricature of myself- I think I sorta captured my personality. "O RLY" isn't my thing though, it's an inside joke with someone else.

2nd one--> This I might do a remake of. It's another exaggeration- I tried to show my awkwardness. If it wasn't cut off, you'd see my arm dripping into this sphere-like case thing, like I'm embarking on a journey and I'm making my baggage heavier while it gets harder to carry because my arm's disappearing.

3rd one--> Just a profile I copied from a photo- I was going to show me looking at some sentimental memories but I got bored with it.

4th one--> Yet another figure exaggeration in an attempt at an interesting self-portrait-- this is showing how I'm an acrophilliac (the opposite of the fear of heights- I feel safer in high places).

[Envisor]

Eric (or should I call you Envisor?)-->

You can call me Eric.
Is one of these sketchbook pages drawn at orientation, because I seen you sketching for a while during one of the seminars. They are really nice, the characaiture you drew of yourself turned out cool, Im not sure what kind of personality you have, but it just looks great. You seem to have no trouble with drawing facial expressions which is a nice advantage.

[Jas0n 0n a Bike]

You kill me, you really do. x_x I wish I painted that well at 8th grade level.

[Zirngibism]

Is one of these sketchbook pages drawn at orientation, because I seen you sketching for a while during one of the seminars. They are really nice, the characaiture you drew of yourself turned out cool, Im not sure what kind of personality you have, but it just looks great. You seem to have no trouble with drawing facial expressions which is a nice advantage.

Thanks- I'm not exactly sure what my personality is either, to tell you the truth. But it's kinda enthusiastic about a very wide spectrum of things- hence the goofy eagerness.

Anyway, all the sketches I posted above are rather old.

This is one of the things I was sketching during the redundant parts of that orientation (it's like half the size of this though).

[Zirngibism]

I have a good many more old little sketches to post, but now I have a piano lesson to hijack.

[Envisor]

Im not really sure what kind of personality I have either, I can be real open at times, and then I can be hiding in the nearest corner from people. Ah poor me right. That sketch is real wierd, but oddly attracting. You have a talent for shading. Yet another great asset for your skills as an artist.

[Master 25 Days]

The fishdragon has some major detailing going on. SOme of it is hard to see though. What kind of setup are you using to take the pictures? I put the sketchbook under a strong light, tilted to avoid glare, and take the pictures with the flash off. Even though you haven't had much figure drawing trainings, your observation skill still allow you to create pretty life-like drawings.

[Zirngibism]

All right, I've posted the rest of my oldish sketches here. If you want descriptions, have fun counting!

I only wish I had more things that I really tried to look lifelike. I like to show awkwardness, (I guess you could call it a theme of mine) or sort of take Meg's route in making everything very slighly exaggerated in key places. I probably should have more balance but... eh, I think I regret stuff too much.

Also I note-- Almost all of these things are kind of complicated. I didn't really feel like explaining them all (and also don't know how many people actually read them). If there's something you're wondering, (like how one of my drawings might work, or why something looks the way it is, etc...) please ask!

No. 1--I decided that the classical jetpack design is too unstable, and this is the solution. The guy looks unusually tall- while I didn't use a model, I again repeat that I subconciously know my brother's proportions better than any, and this is basically my brother's body (but the neck's still too long... oh well, heh).
No. 2--This is a closeup of one of the rocket engines on "No. 1"
No. 3--This is a kind of transportable (collapsing design) building that can easily change its shape to a very uneven terrain while still remaining airtight.
No. 4--Alas! I have found a sketch I did of a figure who came from study hall and modelled for us (drawn in pen with a little pencil). It's one of the few things in my sketchbook that's done from life.
No. 5--A design for my future children's book (maybe) on the premise of the "flying guinea pig" I posted some time ago. However, this one uses a jetpack system similar to "No. 1".
No. 6--A kind of warrior that uses weapons that generate a forcefield between them. It's done in a teeny tiny book I worked in while waiting food at an Indian restaurant (useless info, haha)
No. 7--This is a dead tree I drew when I decided to make an evolved "bog" (perhaps if the ecology was to adjust to pollution, something nobody else seems to have brought up). Eh, didn't get very far but the "new" bark was fun.
No. 8--Dumb little sketch of someone who mutated themselves but regrets the decision. Most of my stuff has a positive, optimistic outlook though. It was supposed to look like a cartoon but I kinda took the life out of it, so now it just looks like a badly-proportioned face.
No. 9--This is a "customized" flying machine that I was going to make look like it was made of PVC pipes. It originally had me saying "so long, suckers!" and flying above my high school (it was done at the time when it sunk in that this was actually my last year of high school). Meg, I guess you could call this "steam punk".
No. 10--I really love exoskeletons and insects!
No. 11--I started drawing a poiensetta- It came out really accurate. Too bad I had to go home before I could shade it.
No. 12--This is another one of my invention ideas, (though it's more like science fiction because it would cost so much to build). It has to do with mass of extentions that stiffen completely when a certain force is applied- has to do with ground travel on "impossible" terrain.
No. 13--Another guinea pig idea for the children's book- it looks painful, but isn't supposed to be...
No. 14--Ah, 5th grade! Year of gell pens and... Pokemon! Way back, soon after I got into Pokemon, I started to create my own Pokemon. This particular one is "fearon". It was a drawing I did all those years ago, but I "revisited it", making its body longer and doing it in pencil instead of neon gell pens. Its name is "fearon", stage 3 of a 7-stage evolution.

[Zirngibism]

@Eric Thanks- I think it's a little haunting. It's a variation on the insect design- something I always marvel at. And shading is easier with a .5 mechanical pencil in my opinion.

@Phong Basically anything with an orangish tint was not taken in the best lighting. The ones I recently posted are a combination of these and greyish ones. You should notice that the "grey" ones are of better quality (I had used a technique similar to yours that time).
When I took the orangish ones, the light was coming from above, and sketchbook was laying on a table. It's basically all I had at the time (and now I realize I should've waited until I had better light). So my shadow sort of cast on a lot of them. I'll try to upload a better form of the "fishdragon" (or even better, finish it first ). But redoing all that would kinda be a pain...

[Master 25 Days]

First of all, very interesting design for the jetpacks. I can't help but feel like the rocket engines aren't secure enough. They look like they won't stay stiff when ignited. Another ring structure going around securing the bottom of each engine should do the trick.

Nice figure drawing! It looks like you not only captured his pose, but his thoughts as well. Extra props for the floor reflection. The guinea pig in #13 does look painful indeed. is that a variation of the hamster ball? I think I was in 6th or 7th grade when the Pokemon craze hits. At first I thought the name of your pokemon was "Fearamon" and it would use the power of scent to seduce other pokemons.

[Earendil]

Wow Data, these concepts are cool...I really like the winged hamster :lol:

You're attending CCAD? I'll have to look into that program.

[Zirngibism]

@EarendilThank you. Yeah, CCAD seems like it's going to be a good school, but to be honest I haven't looked around that much. My parents don't want me to leave the state, so I'm glad it's here.

As for the guinea pig, I'm thinking of starting a children's book based on that drawing (I've already started another)

@Phong I'd have to partially agree with you about the stability of the jet contraption (good advice about the bar!). While I think the individual engines can tackle the guy's weight no problem, I do think because of their angles and the slight difference in direction so that they might accelerate the devices wear over time (warping it, perhaps). I was originally going to have 3 multiple bars (added support, and a couple more stability engines) but I thought it took away some of the "sportiness" of the device.

A complication with the second support bar is that it doesn't allow for pivoting (then again, I hadn't drawn in the pivot joints, so the viewer had no way of knowing). I had wanted more thrust to come out of one side of the engine than the other, that way, if it rotated, it could allow for additional direction control.

I did a little paintover (below) of what I was going to do to finish the drawing, but I guess I never drew it in . You can see a partial "second bar" connecting the back thrusters, and hopefully varied thrust coming a couple of the engines. It's partial because I think the larger (front and side ones) have a stem bar that curves enough so that two support bars would make sort of a triantular support system, which is quite strong. (Oh, and ignore the support sticking out of the "backpack"- I decided it was a bad idea because it would make the thing harder to control).

[Zirngibism]

I decided to start working on that MSPaint portrait of my brother.

It still needs some major refining, as well as barren alien landscape in the background. (That light part on top of his hair is the beginnings of the background).

[megadubitably]

You're so good with MS paint! It's coming along nicely. All your sketches and ideas are so intricate and thought out, I love reading your picture descriptions
haha... pokemon. I was more into neopets (although I suppose that became popular later).

[Master 25 Days]

Wow that's pretty hardcore for msPaint! Is that something you like working with? It seems like a lot of unnecessary work, that other programs like photoshop or painter could cut out.

[Envisor]

I agree with 25. Alot of uneccesary work that other programs could cut out. But it turned out great and I commend you for it. Theface is already mind blowing, just seeing all the values and colors form the body and face. How long have you been working on this one.

[Zirngibism]

@Meg I know very little about Neopets-- If they couldn't critically injure each other, I likely wan't interested . Perhaps you could give me a rundown?

@Phong Yeah, you're right about Paint being probably not the best program to work with. However, I'm used to it. I just downloaded Painter, and only tried a little bit with it (I'll post what I started I suppose- it's below).
See, I started that one with Paint because it was the only program I had to work with, so I want to follow that through in this one.
However, there's one thing I really like about Paint- when you select a color, it instantly reverts to the drawing tool, making Paint about as fast (when it comes to color picking) as Painter (from what I've seen so far).
Does anyone know how to make Painter do that?

@Envisor About 2-3 hours, not sure exactly, though. I was really surprised at how fast this came together. I think it's because it's so easy to grab colors from a different part of the work. Keep in mind this is sort of the "basic sketch" and I still have to polish it a lot and add a background so... yeah.



The attached is my first Painter project- this is a one of my City of Villains MMORPG characters-- very unfinished!

[Zirngibism]

Guess what was waiting for me when I got home? My artwork I'd sent away for the AP studio art exam had come back, and I found that portrait of my brother seemingly "ruined". The back of the matte board of another work came off on the painting's surface (which is naturally a little tacky due to the medium- takes probably a couple years to dry "all the way").

The matte sticking out above the painting should've provided a buffer unless a smaller and heavy object was placed on top, assuming this thing was packed in peanuts... I thought it would be packed better than it was!

Even worse, I know it was packed like this before being shipped, meaning that the judges saw it like that! I'm so mad... If I find out they docked my score (I'm counting on them being reasonable, here) I will be even madder.

However, this is fixable. I can use water, perhaps alchohol, and some extremely fine sandpaper to sand it down. However, I put some of the most detail on the top layer, so I'll have to be extra cafeful

[Master 25 Days]

Yike's. That's quite a mess. I sent my portfolio in on a CD since the oil pieces weren't completely dried. You could try a hairdryer on low heat and peel the stuff from the matte board off slowly. In painter, when you have a brush selected, you can hold down the ALT key to switch to the color picker, when you let go of ALT you will go back to the brush.

As for the City of Villains character, it's starting off great. The lighting is a little inconsistent but it's a WIP after all. What kind of brush are you using and what are you using to blend? I find that painter is a bit harder to handle than photoshop because it mimics the real mediums so well, but also a lot more fun to use than photoshop. If only my computer could handle it.

[Alvaradolol]

oh no!

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by the way, do you have a pet hamster?

[Envisor]

Thats a sorry sight. Hoping the best for you. I need to get a part time job or something so I can get some of these painting programs. I needs them. *kicks can*

[Gunther409]

Oh man that totally sux! Such a good painting being trashed like that before it was even judged T_T Hope you can fix it up and make it look right again.

On the up-side at least all you other work is still there and looking awesome by the way!