Crimson Daggers — Art forum

Thanks Kaffer :)

Not really happy with my work lately so thats why im kinda goin study crazy, I really wanna push myself.





I turned him into a thundercat on accident...

Hey forrest! Nice studies.
Hope you don't mind the paintover, it's something small to keep in mind.


Highlights are VERY important to the way you read the form. So manipulating well your highlights helps a ton to give the effect of volume So here:

1- Beak the highest light on the elbow. The muscles and shifting inwards there, so they aren't catching as much light. Just stop the straight white stripe of the highlight there or you'll get spaghetti arms.

2- The pectorals aren't one flat solid form over the chest; If you can get the feeling that it connects to the sternum there and is not perfect smooth and round, it will also help with the idea it's organic. Just break the big form so it's doesn't look too round - like a doll.

3- Another highlight break for end of the muscle/part of the bone. That is a straighter part of the arm where the skin is almost direct on the bone - so we indicate the muscle is ending, again, but lowering the highest light there. It can be subtle, but just improving the shape your highlight have gives a ton of information about what you're painting.

4- Pushed a bit the highlight/shadow for the ribcage. It is a major form and help giving roundness to the torso, and it was looking flat on that area.

5- I know you don't see if like that in the photo, but I just added a subtle shadow to separate the muscle from the clavicle. I think it's the tattoo that messed up the value reading there. Again, this is just a change to the highlight to make the form read better. Remember photos kills the midtones, so we use our knowledge to bring it back. Its more important to the form to read better than to be 100% accurate to the values to the photo.

Thanks for the paintover Ursula :)

Studies and doodles and junk :O Hopefully I can show some finished work I'm actually proud of soon

I've been doin figures and gestures traditionally lately and lovin it. I need to quit doing gestures as drawing the contour lines but instead work more on the inside construction so I'm gonna work on that.

Other then that there's some other stuff here... yeah.

So here's some experimentation stuff and some studies and what I have so far for my Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls contest submission, I think I'm gonna change some stuff about it though cuz it looks too much like he's in danger and instead I want him to be surrounded but still confident he can kill them all, any critiques would be fantastic! :)

Awesome work and studies man. Really crisp line on those pencinl drawings.
Keep it up!

Thanks razvanb08 :)

Been experimentin with stuff a lot lately. I had a little hiccup (Diablo 3 addiction) in my study habits but I'm slowly breaking off and containing my self :) Expect studies soon!

Hi Forrest,
I've seen your work around the net now for a while. I think it is very good. Your skills at rendering and composition have gotten much better over time. I am also impressed by your attitude regarding studies and self-improvement. It's great to see someone create good work so consistently.
The only critique I can offer is that your figures tend to seem stiff overall. This is a difficult thing to nail down, both on a conceptual and practical level. I would advise you to exaggerate the implied angles expressed by the figure's pose more, to really push the feeling of the pose. Making more gesture studies would help, but I think its more of an issue of FEELING the pose your characters are in. I think you record the details and factual information really well, but the emotional aspect seems to fall short. Why are your characters doing what they are doing?
Your images are great. I just think that their impact would be heightened by adding a bit more emotional content (this goes for studies of figures too). Hope this helps in some way. Keep up the stellar work. I find your work ethic to be an inspiration.

Thanks very much Javier, I definitely need to work on my characters stiffness that's for sure :/

Just more studies, experimenting with brushes and photos, and the start on my crimson arena entry. I reeeeaaaally need to get better at values :/

Studies, my unfinished crimson arena entry, and some more studies for lient work that hopefully I will be able to show soon :) I love you all, have a great day/night

Sexy Forrest, sexy.

Killing it so hard, you're like the Jason Voorhees of digital art.

If I'm Jason than you're my Freddy Krueger, Craig ;)

Some experimenting and doodles, studies, and a finished client piece :)

Here's a finished commission of Zeus, some work on my Leading Ladies Crimson Arena submission and a WIP of X men Elsa :D

Sorry I forgot to post on here, been gettin distracted over on the permanoob forums :P But I'll be sure to keep all of my sketchbooks up to date from now on.

If you have a sketchbook over there link it so I can go talk shit.

http://forums.permanoobs.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=187

Here's stuff from today, all studies done for a bit of client work that hopefully I'll be able to post a WIP of tomorrow. I'm also working on a video talking about my study habits and what helps me personally learn the easiest way possible and it's going to basically go through the whole process of me making that lady knight in my last post so that'll be fun :D Hopefully that'll be done by the end of the week. Until then, more studies!

Slow day today, got some studies and some client work done, hopefully tomorrow will be a little better :P

Forgot to post last night, hopefully will have more stuff to post later tonight :p

studies for client work and a finished piece of client work. I'm doin landscapes! :O Also a doodle :)

awesome studies! especially the notes , i really need to put those most of the time when doing studies, i dont see any reason not to ...

Thanks foxfire :)

Not much for today unfortunately :/ I'm a slacker, shoot me now.