Rotten's Pocket

[AngeliquevdMee]

I really like the direction you are going. I think you have a really good foundation of the digital aspect already. I feel if you don't like it as much maybe you can try to only do touch ups but paint everything in traditional. I think it both looks great though - and it's nice to see how much you are leveling up. Great work! Love the new stuff :)

[RottenPocket]

@AngeliquevdMee

Thankyou, a lot of people have commented on my progress/direction. I'm just going with it, no clear picture of what I want it to look like just yet which I think leaves a few more doors open.

I do like to do mixed media. I think I'll start pushing for finished illustrations this year, using what I've learned in digital painting.

for now, new year's late-night doodle touched up this afternoon.

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[meat]

Each sketch and painting is like a piece of the big puzzle, the more of them you have, the clearer the picture will get. This is true. What get to most people is that they think the puzzle is a 500 piece little thing, when in fact the puzzle is more like an 10000 piece epic. Just keep art-ing :)

[RottenPocket]

I'm going to say the puzzle is self-replicating and infinite :D


This week's digital sketch. I've got a good feel with this one so I've printed it out and I'm going to draw it traditionally before attacking it again on the computer and have it end up like the mermaid on the previous page...

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[RottenPocket]

Hey guys,

 I wish I had more to post but I've been filling in extra hours at work and as I've addressed before, I often run myself ragged before I can put any energy into my art. That and it's been so freakin' hot here in Queensland, it makes drawing traditional graphite virtually impossible without each piece of paper sticking to me.

So here's an update on the carried away digital sketch from last week. I decided I couldn't keep going digitally without destroying detail or changing it irreparably, so I printed it out and drew over it. Ideally I'd print it out in a blue hue but my printer was bust so I used a toner printer, which left a very obvious half-tone pattern. Call it an accidental texture. It wasn't so blatant as I drew over it but when I scanned it in again it was very bold and hard to get around so I left it. Lesson learned. 

Having a sketch done digitally and establishing the concept before making the commitment to print it out and carry it through to a final sketch makes the process faster and more definite. Digital sketch to traditional illustration is becoming an ideal practice.

'It started as an unconventional relationship.' 

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[Chris Rob]

Hey Nice sketchbook, your line is so clean , keep up the good work

[RottenPocket]

Thanks Chris. 

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Today's digital sketch. Blorp.

 Click Here For Image ↓

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[meat]

What are you using to color them traditionally with? When I print stuff out, the light printing paper takes very badly to any wet medium, and even my best color pencils just deposits the pigments on top of the paper so that the powders blow off.

Also, I totally understand that feel of being exhausted mentally after work to do any kind of art... it's really bad... the only way I got any little thing done was waking up at 5am ish to do art stuff _before_ work, because even my lunch break was just not art-able.

[RottenPocket]

@meat

I'm not sure what you mean, or how you think I do it.

Say, if we're looking at the mermaid or the dragony-demon-thingy-carrying-off-his-gal I actually draw it traditionally and edit/colour it digitally. 

I'm not overly fond of traditional means to colour my drawings because it's so easy to destroy it. 

Although in situations like the Demon where I started digitally, then printed it out to draw over him traditionally - I don't use ordinary printing paper, which is hot pressed and overly smooth. Also it's weak, like 80gsm, so if I were to apply a wet medium it would buckle. I printed him out onto a sheet of 110gsm cartridge paper before drawing over it. I imagine a smooth, but not hot pressed watercolour paper would work just as well if you intended on layering in more traditional mediums like ink, pastel and paints. Hot pressed is harder to absorb wet mediums so they tend to just sit on the surface. They're only really good for doing washes over drawings. 

I know, I'm still working extra hours and got word today that it'll stay that way until further notice so I'm glad I had yesterday off and all this evening before a 7am-9pm day tomorrow. I travel a lot between jobs so reading helps. I fell out of the habit and just felt really, blegh... unmotivated and un-enriched. Reading when I can't sketch is like feeding the mind and keeping the machine working. 

I hope that helps you.

[Leesment]

Got to say you have done quite the leap in progress since page one, better values, forms and there is quite a cool texture to it as well.

You got a cool variety of the stuff you do, you happened to mention reading in your last post, is these creations inspired by books?

Keep it up!

[Amaral]

Your style and pencil drawings are so damn good, they remind me of some of my favourite fantasy illustrators.
You've also made a HUGE progress with digital, keep it up! :)

[smrr]

Shit girl, you're struck for time and you still manage to finish more sketches than I do.

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this before, but I really dig your style <3

[RottenPocket]

@Leesment No books in particular. I've done very very little fanart in my life, and am kind of prejudiced against derivative characters and concepts. I do like to read a variety of genres and I'm a strong appreciator of their own style. If I find something interesting I try less to mimic a style and more follow the same processes an author took to get there. Having said that It makes it harder than most artists find, actually wanting to avoid replicating other professionals, so I'm happy to hear you see variety in my work. :)

@Amaral Thankyou, that's very kind, I hope I can become a favourite fantasy illustrator. 

@Smrr I am ferkin' wrecked, girl. Don't -ever- work more than two jobs. I am that person on the forums now. Every post - just don't do it. What's keeping you, an art funk? Those things can burn in hell. You'll pump them out when you feel right to don't worry :D. And you have! And I appreciate it it greatly - I still have your critiques written out for me. I know I still ignore some tips people give me but only when I feel something looks fine without it. Yours were very clear and helpful.

[RottenPocket]

Something I thought I'd work on before another wasted weekend. 

Lord of Spores - WIP

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[IrishWhiskey]

That monster on post #62 is just the best! Its eyes are looking into my soul or empty space where my soul would be if you believe in that sort of thing 

Your sketchbook is visual ecstasy by the way! and i'm trippin balls 

[RottenPocket]

Cheers Irish. I always appreciate people leaving such kind words ^_^

[RottenPocket]

Oh what a lovely day. A rainy, dreary, miserable day.

I even crammed in the rest of this drawing over my lunch break, leaving me free to begin digitizing its ass. 

 Click Here For Image ↓

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[Amit Dutta]

Great work on that last one, push it out. Get that shit done! :)

Not sure if I mentioned this before but all your female faces are pretty much identical. Might want to think about branching out sometime, just for kicks.

Hodor!

[RottenPocket]

The expressions are, and the poses. I've brought that up myself :D i.e. All are a certain degree of pissed off. I do make the effort to branch out with features. Lately very roman-esque faces where I used to do very oriental and eastern european. Scenes, dynamism, expression are on my to do list.

[tinDeer]

you really have a very beautiful style and I love your concepts!