Bookend's Sketchbook

[Piotr Jasielski]

You have some very good study ethics. Keep that up! I'm glad you do environments.

My small piece of advice would be to focus first on basic elements before you do a study of a full photo/painting. I found that it is a way easier, more enjoyable and way more effective approach. Doing a full study is usually to big of a challenge for a brain to chew on, you struggle to get similarity of the original, while neglecting the actual purpose of attaining the understanding.

So in simple words what I mean is to, for example, before you do a full study of a face do 5 line sketeches, 5 value sketeches and 5 color studies of a nose, the same with eyes, lips, hair, head structure (loomis or such). Do a value study of a skull. Only after doing that approach the full piece.

Similarly with any environment - firstly do studies of some particular elements such as a stone, tree, leaves, color tonation etc.

When you build that visual library it becomes much easier to assemble all these elements in a single painting.

Hope that helps. Keep up the good work :)