Hello, my name is Joseph, I'm a 21 year old from Iowa.
I've been studying drawing and painting and I really like what I've seen from this community so far in terms of feedback, though I've noticed the forum's popularity has waned. But all the more reason for me to join!
I am mostly practicing traditional art, though I also do digital (studies mostly) and I will be posting that as well. Please don't be shy with advice!
Welcome, Joseph. You have some cool stuff! I think, you are great at values in your works. And I assume you’ve recently started digital. If so I suggest to check out ctrlpaint resource. You can skip part about basics, but there are really great tips, how to use tools to organize and speed up your process. So keep it up!
(05-13-2018, 01:48 AM)Peter Wrote: Hey Joe, been following your sketchbook over at conceptart, it's great to see you start positing here aswell. :)
Thanks Peter! yeah I just came across your sketchbook at CA today actually, good to see you here, too.
I've been doing some digital study. Notans, lighting (I didn't do the drawing, just the rendering) and color study.
darktiste: I'm pretty committed to traditional art/realism at present but I do a lot of digital study, and I want to do more illustration in the future. There was someone else here that I read went to an atelier when I was lurking, not sure who it was.
(06-18-2018, 05:10 AM)Peter Wrote: Are you studying at an Atelier at all? just curious since your paintings from life look really good.
Thank you! No, and actually I'm going to make a post about my school. My current plan is to attend Great Lakes Academy in two years to be trained in the Classical method. My current training comes from incidental help and self study.
Darktisse: thanks! would recommend, it really shows you where your presumptions about form are wrong. For instance my cast shadows turned out to be off.
Your still life pieces are excellent. I really like the colors in the one with the skull. You seem to have a good grasp on values as well. Keep up the good work :)
I think you have some solid foundations, yea going to a school will really help push you. Dont be shy about doing invented stuff to see what you dont know, even if you dont want to put any invented work in your portfolio :)
Here's a sketch I did of myself from a mirror. Applying some of the things I've learned lately.
Fedo: I gotta be honest and say that I wish I could invent more but I'm just bad at it. Once I have something going I can do quite a bit, but sitting there with a blank canvas, I feel like I can't make anything appear. Maybe I'm just not going about it the right way for me. I do want to get into illustration and I'm starting to think about how I can use the skills I have to make my ideas flesh.
I think you could get more into indicating the clavicule.Defining the ears also.Just push yourself to indicate some of the small detail since you seem to be able to define form to a decent level.I think you could also gain from study skull and the eye a little more since the eye doesn't seem to sink in enough specially the lower eyelid.You have a good understanding of the brow i can give you that.
For the invention rent we all have the blank canva problem.I think you just need to practice visualizing this is done by drawing simple geometric FORM that you eventually combine and place in perspective.
It much easier to start from reference than it is to straight go into invention that why it frustrating alot of artist from following there creative potential locking them in copying from life.Once you unlock the power of construction(combination of geometric form) it become less intimidating.
One of the big problem of creativity is that it so large that you have to limit yourself.By limiting yourself you eventually can solidify an idea it doesn't mean it the final idea you can than start to iterate on that idea once the page as something on it.
One of the other trap is to fall in love with the first idea or to be never be satisfied.
You should limit yourself this doesn't mean being boring it mean to be able to make step forward and not hesitate every at decision.
invention is tough, because you have nothing to check to see if youre spot on correct. Just start from the ground up as you did with your traditional training. Idk if they teach sight size at your atelier or construction, but say you start with a figure: The ribcage is a circle in space, the arms and legs are basically tubes, the head is a circle with the skull socket shapes on it etc.
I'd get micheal hamptons figure drawing book and practice from that. If you want to invent just try to draw a simple constructed mannequin, dont sweat doing anything flashy or finished. Once you can do those decently, then think about say rendering them or composing them, but yea it is a lot to know because its all raw knowledge coming straight out of your head.
But since you understand a bit about realism, it will be a helpful guide of what you could do better and will accelerate the learning curb :)
I have some ideas for doing some of my own illustrations. But really I think I'm doing what I need to be doing. Studying the masters, and working on my basic skills. I need to learn to draw and there's just not a way around it.
Nice studies here Joseph, I particularly like your traditional work, I love seeing the brushstrokes :). Are you using oils or acrylics?
Also, I like the way you map out the shadow shapes, that really gives your pencil drawings a 3D feel.
I wonder if it would add an extra dimension to your skills if you studied some construction - if you're interested checkout the lessons over an drawabox.com. It would be interesting to see you apply those to your traditional media work.
Hope that helps a bit, if not please ignore.
Keep it going anyway dude!
“Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.” -- H. Jackson Brown Jr.
(08-01-2018, 01:02 PM)JosephCow Wrote: I have some ideas for doing some of my own illustrations. But really I think I'm doing what I need to be doing. Studying the masters, and working on my basic skills. I need to learn to draw and there's just not a way around it.
Right on Joseph! I agree that learning these skills are important, however if you want to create an Idea just go ahead and create it, don't let your skills stop you.
The benefits of doing that is that you
1. Actually get your Idea out there
2. you gain experience with your creativity
3. When you fail you get to see your flaws and what you can concentrate on more effectively to get better rather than doing study after study in your comfort zone possibly getting really good at a fundamental that isn't needed as much in what you're doing. (all fundamentals are important and it's important to have a good grasp on all of them, but in some professions you're using less of one fundamental than the others)
4. You got to do both!
No one is stopping you from doing both the studies and your creative piece, so why not both? If all your artwork is in your head nobody will see it, don't get discouraged if its not as good as you were thinking as well, that means later on down the line; when you do learn said fundamentals you can redo the idea and fully realise your vision.
(08-13-2018, 01:06 PM)Mylqin Wrote: No one is stopping you from doing both the studies and your creative piece, so why not both? If all your artwork is in your head nobody will see it, don't get discouraged if its not as good as you were thinking as well, that means later on down the line; when you do learn said fundamentals you can redo the idea and fully realise your vision.
Yeah you're totally right! I'm going to get to work on some illustrations.
