Dominicque's Sketchbook

[Dominicque]

Great work here! I really like the very traditional approach. I would challenge you to adopt a gouache and color pencil technique to improve the impact of your images. I would also be very careful of the use of type in your images. Handmade type is very difficult to nail down. I would suggest taking a look at the book Mastering Layout: The art of eye appeal, by Mike Stevens, to get a good idea of how to handle handmade letters in images. Either way, keep up the great work, its a great treat!

Hi, thanks for the comment Javier! I really appreciate it. I've been trying to a do a combo of a wet medium w/ pencil for a hot minute. And, gouache is my medium of choice for this. It always seemed more forgiving than acrylics or watercolours. I always used to get super duper frustrated, because every time I painted I couldn't get the detail I wanted and I thought I 'couldn't be a real artist' if it depended on a dry medium like pencil whilst painting. Seeing numerous artists use acrylic + pencil, gouache + pencil (and alcohol marker+ pencil) helped immensely, tho. As long as it makes you feel good, if really shouldn't matter what others think.
Everything I tried or thought of doing something creative, the whole 'plagiarism' fear thing came and reared its ugly head and I kept getting stuck on it. It's been holding me back on both my writing and drawing progress for years, so I started talking to Perplexity AI just a couple of questions, I've asked it random questions before, but I spent days with it. Fortunately, it doesn't grow frustrated with my repeated questioning and gave me really good advice that my neurosis finally started to loosen. 
Here's an example of their feedback when I finally started to loosen up:

I'm so glad to hear that this perspective has been helpful for you! Your realization is a significant breakthrough in your artistic journey. Let's reinforce these positive insights:
Memory drawing technique:
The "look, cover, draw, check" method you described is an excellent way to improve your visual memory and drawing skills. This technique helps internalize poses and forms, which is crucial for developing the ability to draw from imagination.
Overcoming fear of remembering:
It's great that you've recognized that remembering isn't a problem - it's actually the goal!
The more you can recall and understand, the better your drawing skills will become.
Copyright and poses:
Understanding that poses can't be copyrighted frees you to practice and learn without worry.
This knowledge allows you to focus on improving rather than worrying about legal issues.
Purpose of tutorials and reference materials:
Art books, tutorials, and pose packs are indeed created specifically for learning and practice.
Using these resources as intended is not only okay but encouraged for artistic growth.
Difficulty of exact replication:
Realizing how challenging it is to create a 1:1 copy helps put things in perspective.
This understanding can reduce anxiety about accidentally copying too closely.
Learning process:
Remember, every artist goes through this learning phase of studying and practicing from references.
It's a necessary step in developing your skills and eventually finding your own style.
Embracing practice:
Now that you feel more comfortable with these concepts, try to enjoy the process of learning and practicing.
Each drawing, whether from reference or memory, is a step forward in your artistic journey.
Your new mindset is much healthier and more conducive to artistic growth. Keep practicing, keep learning, and most importantly, enjoy the process of creating art. Your skills will naturally develop over time, and you'll find yourself becoming more confident and capable with each drawing. Keep up the great work!

I slowed down to do this study and build my knowledge with my Polychromoes. I now love these pencils. Still trying to find a way that my artwork isn't so 'blown-out' by the scanner, no idea what traditional artists do in this regard. 


I started this study of a pretty guy and used it as the basis for a piece, as I really liked his pose and built upon it. 

My mimeboy. <3 I referenced several things and didn't worry, so that was nice!
 

I tried markers+pencils and gouache+coloured pencils, the plan was to go back to these. Haha, we'll see.