Joseph's shiny new sketchbook

[JosephCow]

These are some of the still lifes I have done, each one I worked on for just a week, focusing on color. I am starting a more refined one now. 

All these oil paintings have sunken in, so the darks are all greyed out, so not great presentation there, but that's how I run my sketchbook I guess lol

[Damien Levs]

Absolutely incredible work. How long have you been doing this? I mean, when did you start art with a more serious mindset?

[VorpalBug]

Your work has a really nice soft quality, and the forms are so convincing. If I squint at these studies they look perfectly real :O Really inspiring!

[JosephCow]

Absolutely incredible work. How long have you been doing this? I mean, when did you start art with a more serious mindset?

Thanks! I started studying in high school, like when I was 17. I now am studying at an atelier and I am 26. So it's been like 9 years, which weirdly feels like nothing and feels like a lot at the same time lol. I think because it's been almost a decade of studying art and I'm only just now getting started with a career

[handsomekorean]

nice brushstrokes and values on the portrait.
the proportions also look perfect. good job

[Jephyr]

Excellent updates. Your portraits, studies and those still-lifes are so tasty. Your sense of lighting is exceptional. They stand alone as great pieces so it's hard to image what you would do if you had more time than just a few hours.

[JosephCow]

Excellent updates.  Your portraits, studies and those still-lifes are so tasty.  Your sense of lighting is exceptional.  They stand alone as great pieces so it's hard to image what you would do if you had more time than just a few hours.

Thanks, man. I'm working on one now that's supposed to be more refined and I'm actually really struggling with it lol. It's actually quite hard to push past the kind of impressionist stage, for me anyways. But I'll figure it out.

[cgmythology]

Incredible updates, your use of shadow/light is masterful!

[Cruptic]

Wow, very cool paintings dude! I wish I could study at an atelier :o
I hate it when my darks fade or as you say sink in haha, do you just trust them? I tend to paint over them and make them darker again but not sure if thats good or bad.
Anyways really looking forward to seeing you progress even more, keep em coming, do what makes you uncomfortable.

[Jephyr]

Excellent updates.  Your portraits, studies and those still-lifes are so tasty.  Your sense of lighting is exceptional.  They stand alone as great pieces so it's hard to image what you would do if you had more time than just a few hours.

Thanks, man. I'm working on one now that's supposed to be more refined and I'm actually really struggling with it lol. It's actually quite hard to push past the kind of impressionist stage, for me anyways. But I'll figure it out.

Yeah, adding polish to a piece is a particular challenge that definitely requires more time — and I KNOW you will 'figure it out' it as you work at it. 

Please post it as you do.

Ciao

[JosephCow]

Decided to do a study tonight because I saw this little golden apple shaped knick knack at the thrift store, and it got me thinking about how often this material comes up in concept art and illustration, and how hard it can be to paint this type of metal specifically without kind of doing tricks and stuff that aren't quite right. 

I think I really understand it better now, the bottom left is from imagination based on the other 3. It really needs to be like you're painting a scene inside the object, that is warped, but then also taking a step back and seeing the object as a solid form that you can sculpt with the different values reflected in it.

[darktiste]

Juicy juicy eye candy

[Leo Ki]

It really needs to be like you're painting a scene inside the object, that is warped, but then also taking a step back and seeing the object as a solid form that you can sculpt with the different values reflected in it.

I like the way you approach it. Most surfaces are more or less reflective in a more or less blurry manner. A human face is a super complicated shape and we simplify the highlights and shadows on it, but come to think of it, it's a highly distorted, horribly blurry mirror for the surrounding direct, diffuse and reflected lights and all the colors of them. Plus the skin adds its own color to the mix, way more than metal does, even diffuses it internally, making for some intricate mess.

[JosephCow]

It really needs to be like you're painting a scene inside the object, that is warped, but then also taking a step back and seeing the object as a solid form that you can sculpt with the different values reflected in it.

I like the way you approach it. Most surfaces are more or less reflective in a more or less blurry manner. A human face is a super complicated shape and we simplify the highlights and shadows on it, but come to think of it, it's a highly distorted, horribly blurry mirror for the surrounding direct, diffuse and reflected lights and all the colors of them. Plus the skin adds its own color to the mix, way more than metal does, even diffuses it internally, making for some intricate mess.

Yeah it is. Basically the same map of highlights and reflected environment is on every object. But only the highlights are really noticeable since your skin isn't polished. I don't really think about it that much, and just think like this is matte therefore I paint it like this, and this is mirror, therefore I paint it like that. But technically yeah it's all just on a big spectrum.

[Kilillan]

Just want to say your still lifes are incredibly sexy

[JosephCow]

Just want to say your still lifes are incredibly sexy

[cgmythology]

Great job with your latest study, the golden tones and use of light are ridiculously convincing. Well done!

[dimensional-knight]

I'm doing a light necro on this thread merely to fangirl over your latest works. Holy shit, Joseph! Looking at them is pure bliss, if I were to list everything I like about them I'd be still writing tomorrow, hah.

I'm looking forward to seeing what else I've been up to in the meanwhile.

[JosephCow]

I'm doing a light necro on this thread merely to fangirl over your latest works. Holy shit, Joseph! Looking at them is pure bliss, if I were to list everything I like about them I'd be still writing tomorrow, hah.

I'm looking forward to seeing what else I've been up to in the meanwhile.

Aww thanks! The fact that someone had to necro my sketchbook means I should definitely add some stuff soon lol. 

I've been hard at work but just haven't felt like posting my academic stuff, and I don't have much personal work going outside of that right now.

[dimensional-knight]

I'd love to see that academic stuff if taking photos and formatting it isn't too demanding. But if it is then don't bother; We all know what's being buried in work, study, and general life feels like!