Destroy my sketchbook

[FabianSaravia]

Hey people, my name is Fabian. I'm an aspiring illustrator and concept artist. Over the years I've started and abandoned different sketchbooks on different sites under different nicknames, but the idea is to stick to this one now. I'm also posting stuff on permanoobs and ca. So maybe you recognize my stuff from old sketchbooks, I hope not though because that shit was terrible haha.


 I'm making a serious attempt at keeping this thread regularly updated this time though. I haven't really neglected art although I've been through some unproductive periods, so I'd like to think I've made some progress since last I posted here. What I have realized though, is that I've been very bad at being social at all, often becoming isolated for long periods of time and not really knowing or interacting with a lot of like minded people with similar goals to mine, other artists to bounce ideas off and stuff of the likes. Unsurprisingly it seems that kind of situation leads to a lack of optimal productivity levels, working alone all the time. I guess what I am trying to say is that I'm back to be part of the community , obviously improve and to make friends  and help them improve as well :D, so don't be afraid to talk to me, I'll be extra friendly ( wink ) . I do studies everyday, but saying right from the get go that I'll be updating this thread daily might be a bit unrealistic, so I'll start with a couple of times per week and see where that takes me. I will check the forums everyday for sure though, and I'll do my best to answer everyday.

So, right now I'm kinda trying to get work from publishers like Paizo and similar ones, and maybe when I get rid of some of my rough edges even  Wizards of the Coast. I sent a portfolio to Paizo a couple of weeks back ( you can see some of it here www.fabiansaravia.com ) but I still haven't heard from them so I'm already working on a new portfolio I plan to be sending on February. You gotta be insistent. So that's kind of what I'm aiming at right now. 

Studies-wise I'm trying to get my process to be more composition-driven and my work to be less dependent on infinite rendering, you know, tightening the use of focal areas, edges and all that. I'm also eternally working on improving anatomy, portraiture, and well, basically everything.

So here's some of last week's studies. I'll be posting more probably in a couple of days. I'm looking forward to exchanging critiques and thoughts with you cool insane people, who share the intent of making a living out of art, on a regular basis to keep the juices flowing, so don't hesitate to contact me if you want to give me pointers, tell me I suck, want me to critique something of yours or anything at all really. Thanks for looking.

This is one of the portfolio illustrations I'm working on. I'm trying a new process so it's kind of an experiment also.


Some character work




Assorted studies 


















Fuck me up guys.

[John]

Why abandon your old sketchbooks from those websites? Not that you should or shouldn't. Just wondering why!

Hey Fabian,

Speaking of isolation, have you tried the CD Discord (https://discord.gg/azX8fwT)? Lots of nice people over there. Lots of interesting art and non-art conversations, I mean, who wants to be in the same thing day in and day out? People would be sick of steak if that's the only thing they ate everyday!

 so don't hesitate to contact me if you want to give me pointers, tell me I suck, want me to critique something of yours or anything at all really.

I hope you'd be active all around, not just updating, but also handing out crits. Maybe this might give you a little bit of perspective: http://crimsondaggers.com/forum/thread-6522.html 

A lot of members here are a lot like you when it comes to critiquing policies, and I sort of understand why that is. Maybe you're hesitant to give out the wrong critique. Maybe the critique you hand out might just be dismissed.. Whatever your apprehensions may be, formulating these thoughts, verbalizing them in word form and putting that on a pedestal to be judged and be re-evaluated also pushes your understanding on art.

But then again, there's also something right about holding back critiques.. Sometimes people do need to find that breakthrough themselves to make it worth something. (Whew, that's a whole lot of nothing since I just contradicted myself.)

Actively crit to your own discretion! Dude, you got good pieces under your belt. People can learn a thing or two from you.

I'm saying this because of your track record. Just in case you leave this place for someplace else, hope you understand that this place is like Hotel California: check out anytime you like, but you can never really leave. You're already a part of this thing.

Welcome (or welcome back?) to the Crimson Daggers. Don't be a stranger.

*edit: And oh! If character design is your thing, Vandall is holding a biweekly character design challenge! Check it out whether or not it's right up your alley! http://crimsondaggers.com/forum/thread-8...09553.html

[Artloader]

Hey Fabian welcome to back to Crimson Daggers :).

You've done some nice pieces there, I love the perspective on the mole in particular.

There's a lot to be said about joining a forum like this and sharing your art journey, particularly if you are a self learner. Personally I get so much inspiration from being part of this community, there's so many excellent study techniques and resources to be discovered.

John has made some good points about critiquing, I definitely agree that the person giving the critique gains as much by giving as the person receiving. Even if the critique turns out to be wrong, someone else will probably come along with a different direction.

Anyway good luck on your journey, looking forward to more updates on here!

[FabianSaravia]

Thanks for the answers guys

@John: Well I think it was about the energy and time that keeping the sketchbooks updated and going around the forums being social consumed. I am not naturally a very social guy I guess so it usually ended up with me  deciding I could use the time for studies and such and abandoning them. I never really kept those going for a long time so not a lot lost. It was some time ago and I kind of lost them, so i thought a fresh start would be better. I've gotten to the conclussion that the long term benefits of being part of a community of colleagues is actually not something you can ignore, after having tried the alternative for a while. That should be obvious right? I guess I'm kinda slow that way haha.

I don't really mind critiquing at all! I think each of us giving away the most valuable resource which we have (time) to actually evaluate each other's work and try to help people improve is an awesome thing. I'm no master but i think I can probably give some useful crits in most cases, so i'm definitely gonna be doing that :D.

Thanks for those links dude, cool stuff! I'll probably be jumping on to the cd Discord at some point to see what's up haha.
And yeah, character design is one of my favorite things so I'm definitely gonna check that out.

Btw, you've got some cool stuff on your sketchbook, I'll be paying it a proper visit soon!

@Artloader: Thanks man! I am self-taught indeed, so yeah, I guess I've really been missing a community. I'm looking forward to giving it and taking it, if you'll pardon the innuendo! 

Cool stuff on your sketchbook as well, I'll be paying a visit there soon as well! 

A little update on the character, just so i don't make a post with no art update.

[dodeqaa]

Nice work Fabian!

The character of the mole I like very much!

I ask if the folds on his scarf need to be so many and well defined ?

Looking forward to the finish!

[John]

I gotcha. I hope this time around you'd find it meaningful to stick around. 

I've gotten to the conclussion that the long term benefits of being part of a community of colleagues is actually not something you can ignore, after having tried the alternative for a while. That should be obvious right? I guess I'm kinda slow that way haha.

Being in a community has it's advantages for sure. But believe me it's not that apparent. I can see why the lone-wolf route is so enticing for a lot of reasons. Maybe you hold the same opinions too. You're not slow, because I couldn't blame you if you choose to disengage from all this. Some people here do this: periods of activity followed by long periods of inactivity before being active again. Regardless whether or not members are super active, semi-active or even rarely active, I don't think anybody here would judge them as any less of anything.

I'd say, seeing you have a tendency to be a social recluse, this is a nice step to be open-minded about things. You're alright. Just saying, whenever you feel that you hit that social dry spell, you know where to find us.

[FabianSaravia]

Hey guys,

@John: I agree with you! I'm definitely gonna do my best to enjoy the benefits of being part of the community. It's something that's specially useful to those who don't get to meet a lot of people that do the whole art thing in person, it's not a big thing where I'm from. It's always good to be in touch with peers. Thanks for all the love man ahaha

@dodeqaa: Thanks! Glad you like that chara! You are right about the folds in the fabric, that's actually something I struggle with, I'm trying to get better at not over rendering everything and at administrating the level of finish throughout the images. It's hard to break old habits.

Here's the finished image, I'm not crazy about the whole background/ foreground thing but it was requested.



I'll be posting some studies next time.

[RottenPocket]

There's not much to tear up about your work. I think you're at the stage where if you need direction you need to be critical of your own work and use your learned knowledge to make your own decisions. This doesn't mean don't look for critique, but just don't be surprised if critique of your work is no longer as obvious or strict as it once used to be.

Basically, it becomes harder to be critical about what is already sufficient. For specific advice you need to be the one asking specific questions. what don't you like about your work, what do you want it to be, where do you want to take it etc.

Your studies are very well done and show you have a really good understanding of painting what you see, and your character designs prove you are capable of transferring that understanding to works from the imagination. The only advise I have at this time is to decide what you want from a work, maybe put your completed works side by side and analyse what parts of them you like best, what flaws do you see need to be worked upon.

[Fedodika]

DESTROOOYEDDD!!!!