Ramblings, delusions & sketches

[Baoto]

One hour left on this. I must force myself to continue more often. Once I stopped thinking that it was too hard, it started being fun again.
But having breaks between the stages is pretty helpful. Something I have to keep in mind when I think up my new schedule.

[BenFlores]

huge improvements with this last one! id suggest some highlights in the hair and overall more values. nice work baoto :)

[Baoto]

@BenFlores:Thanks Ben! I tried what you suggested and added another value and made the shadows a bit deeper.

I feel it's time for some greyscale value/edge studies, I'm not too confident when it comes to that, especially not when working digital.
That aside, I feel I've learned good things from this particular study. Limited practice time works surprisingly well.

[Baoto]

Move is over! Tomorrow I'll start my new job. Time to set a new drawing schedule and find a lifedrawig class. I've got a million things left to do, but I'm super psyched! :D

I worked a little on this piece, and I want to bring it to a point where I could call it finished confidently. I noticed that the skin especially looks very blurred and soft. Maybe Im using brushes that are too soft or I'm blending too much...? That happened in the last study too, so for this week, I'll definitely do those edge studies.

[aechling]

Nice work on those figures you did earlier, they all have good proportions.
With skin, it's really easy to get it to look too airbrush-y. I'd suggest maybe trying a harder brush to finish out the shading, especially where there are harder edges due to the plane changes.
And I know what you mean about feeling like having a full day but not having much art to show for at the end of it, it's something I'm dealing with myself.

[Baoto]

@aechling: Thanks! You reminded me that the problems I have with getting the edges right is probably related to me not thinking in planes. It's logical actually, but I never made that connection.
And with the other thing you mentioned, somehow I begin to think that less practice time is more. Or at least, the mindset "I have 2 hours where I want to do this study and work on this piece" works better for me than " I can draw the whoooole day today". With the latter, I get distracted by small crap and the day is over before I know it. Quality practice is everything.

So yeah, this week it's all planes, values & edges! Here are the first 3 studies. Tomorrow I'll have to pay attetion to the proportions too. I'm way too tired to change it now though...

[Baoto]

Hmmm, I was a little sloppy today. I actually intended to switch to color studies soon, but I think more greyscale practice doesn't hurt.
I'm thinking about re-scheduling my day, so that I'll do my studies before going to work. Problem is, I'm anything but good at rising early. I'm an all-nighter person, but my concentration is lacking after an 8 hour workday. Or maybe I just need to adapt to the new situation.

[Baoto]

Mooooreee Studiieees~
I still suck, but at least I feel good today. xD

[Baoto]

Started a new piece yesterday on a whim. I'm taking a break from the studies and just want to try out new suff and have some fun.

Sorry for the bad quality. I'm a shitty photographer. :P

[Baoto]

Quick Update.

[Baoto]

Um yeah....It started as a study and ended with re-scheduling my day. I'll try this out the next few days, maybe that way I can keep some energy for drawing.

[Baoto]

Maybe I should do a longer study next?

[Baoto]

Weeell, rising early didn't work out so well yet. Was super tired the rest of the day.
Next attempt: Doing the hard work in the morning and the easier stuff in the evening.
Thought about turning this into a thorough study, but then I felt more up for smth different instead.

[Baoto]

Was having lots of fun with this piece I started a while ago. Not sure if I'm leaving the freckles in though. Also the combination of rendered and 2d doesn't look as good as I imagined.

And I also started a longer value study. I was adviced to do more definite drawings before starting to paint, so I redrew this quite a bit to make it as exact as I could.

[Baoto]

Edge study: 4 hours in. I'm slow, but so far, it's going well.

Plus a small blurb, just to kill time.

[Baoto]

6 hours total. I think my personal timelimit for this one was 8-9 hours and that's still doable for me.
I wonder if I should set more tight deadlines, or if that would just lead to rushing...?
It's fine as long as I'm doing studies I guess, but I'll set 'ambitious' limits for imaginative stuff from now on.

[missimoinsane]

Hey you have some utter fantastic concepts. I really am loving the stylized works and the improvement in such a few short posts here on CD. I do look forward to more from you! I hope you don't mind me going over to you dA either. I can't wait too watch you grow and hopefully learn from you too. Cya around ~mii

[Archreux]

Hey, your stuff is looking pretty good, there's definitely a marginal improvement from the last page. These form and light studies of yours are looking better and better with each one, and I'm liking some of the faces you'd done on the first page, although they are a but more stylized they read well.

I think you could definitely start implementing some of what you've learned into some person stuff. You've already got a few things in here that are looking nice, but none of those pieces really seem finished. Take some time and really spend a while on something from imagination.

You're stuff is looking good, lot's of learning going on. Keep it up. :D

[brianjohnson]

This stuff is looking good, but I wouldn't worry about time limits and stuff. Just focus on getting better. The proficiency will improve as you gain experience.

As you improve, less thought is required to put things in the proper place, value, etc. and that is where your speed will come from. Setting unrealistic deadlines just leads to rushing. I am by no means professional, but I was falling prey to the same thing, and had been stuck in quite a rut. Back in April, I decided to force myself to slow down, and as a result my output has gone up as I improve. I still have a LOOONG way to go, but I feel like I am improving much more quickly due to the change in approach.

There is some nice progress showing through in your SB, and I am really looking forward to seeing your continued improvement.

[Baoto]

@missimoinsane: Thank you so much for checking my stuff out and also the kind words! I don't mind at all, but my dA is kinda...empty-ish, because I keep that for finished works. And since I hardly ever finish anything...weeelll... ;P

@Archreux: So true. I do WANT to finish personal pieces. I just always seem to prioritize the studies. But finishing things is good focus for this week. Thank you for stopping and giving me good ideas. :)

@brianjohnson: I agree with you and I know this is right, but when comparing my output with other people's (which is stupid I know...) I just can't shake this feeling. Like when I used a good amount of time over the day for drawing I'm kinda 'Yeah today went well I'll just post my one wip that I'm working on for ages and look at what other people are doing'->*looks in random sketchthread*->*sees massive output on a daily basis*-> :(
It is quite silly...Thank you for reminding me of what's important! I really need that sometimes.


I'm calling this study finished now. I could improve it to death, but I rather want to see if I can apply what it taught me to other pieces now.
And just randomness for cooling down. xP