Sula's Sketchbook

[Wolkenfels]

cool - thinking of joining you in this task (even when daily is not possible for me). any other restrictions or just 1skull/day?

[JacobJanerka]

Woooow those copics are awesome!

[Tygerson]

The Long Game vid was a great find!

I like the environment. Sort of a bright hope defying the crushing weight of despair close behind.

[Psychotime]

This daily stuff you've been doing is pretty inspiring, I have to say.

[Ursula Dorada]

@Wolken: already replied, for anyone else curious: 1) If possible, from life. 2) Freehand. 3) no mechanical pencils. Focus on form and shape :) Have fun!
@Jacob: thanks man :D I want more time to play with them!
@Tygerson: hey, glad you liked it! And thank you :D
@Psychotime: Thanks man! I can't wait to get back to it, but real life just happened :(

Quick updated with the dailly skulls. After I have scanned the 1st one, Chris' urged me to try to loose the lines completely and suggest charcoal. But it's been well more than 10 years since I have touched it, so haha look at this smudgefest

Now let me prepare class, and start the other assignments!

[Ursula Dorada]

PD2's thumbs and color comps for this week
Oh, and another charcoal skull. I had to miss one of the skulls-a-day to work on the assigmnent :(

[Ursula Dorada]

[Lyraina]

What is the incentive for the pd2 thumbs - analyzing value structure from photographs? Looks interesting. The color comps are nice, as is the portrait in the latest post, they somehow look different from your usual portraits - quite some variety in facial structures and such. That's cool :) Eye placement looks a bit off in the last portrait, but not sure if that's just me searching for something to critique D:

[Ursula Dorada]

@Lyraina: The focus was storytelling through pose and light, so they're all from imagination :) They also had to be pretty closed-in portraits, so not a lot of shoulder or props. On the color comps, they're just quick thumbs so the anatomy is really off! And on this last one, I was very lazy I didn't use reference. I am bad like that lol
Someday I'll learn. Or not.

Here, for PD2 assignment. Oatley is trying really hard to get the damn edges things through my thick skull, but I really can't grasp the concept.
Here is my problem: if you say soft/lost edge, my mind thinks of it as a blur. But I think there is an incentive to use more looser brushwork - the problem is, visible brushtrokes means lots of hard edges. So when he ask me to "soften up those edges" I end up overdoing the brushwork to... blur it up. So my edge is now soft my brushwork got lost in the process.
So yeah, it was why I short-circuited when he asked me to do studies in full soft edges. Why would I do something out of focus? Seems nonsense.
So the whole loose brushwork came into play and I though I was getting it right, but in the end of day, I simply cannot make it work on a f*cking portrait. It creates a lot of unwanted texture OR makes it look like a sketch.

I don't know man, I'm too dumb for this

[Mr. Toodles]

I know those clothes from fb, looking good haha

[Wolkenfels]

hope you give Oakley the exact same thoughts you give us - he will make something of it. I like that girl - looks like a good person to have a good day with. :)

[denikina]

I got lost - was the problem to make soft edges or visible brushwork? Or both? :C
(Who's got the thick skull now? :D)

[Lyraina]

Ooh that's interesting @ storytelling thumbs. That last portrait is lovely, lost edges or found edges or whatever... those cheeks and the rim light at the nose, delicious <3
Wish I could offer some help with the edges, but unfortunately you're ahead of me in that regard (and my mind also thinks of lost edges as blur, or texture-smudge).
You say you overdo the brushwork to blur the edges, did you experiment with some new/different brushes? Maybe some that are less scratchy/hard than those you used on the cap, but more defined than a simple airbrush might help?
Other than that, look someone up whose edgework you think is great and dissect their exact brushwork and edges?

That said, I do think you did well on that portrait, nice focus on the face, less defined in other areas and all that :)

You will get there, Sula <3

PS: Edges Tips and Tricks

[Ursula Dorada]

@Toodles: hehe I loved snow <3 Tried to capture the childish wonder I had at the first time seeing it :)
@Wolken: I will :) <3 And thanks hehe <3
@Denikina: haha <3 Well, it's a bit of both. I'm lost too :p I'll send message if I find the answer.
@Lyraina: <3 Thank you! Texture smudge, hmm, I actually I haven't though of that. :hug:

Some updates. Last skulls, going wild on the experiment for the assignment, and master study:

[Ursula Dorada]

One more skull, one more assignment

[constructicon]

Amazing updates! Your latest portraits are soooo gorgeous! keep sharing :-)

[Ursula Dorada]

@Constructicon: Thanks :D

On a completely slow saturday, had my second to last painting drama 2 class. Last one is in a month, we have to make a finished personal project in that time. I hope I can do it :)
Meanwhile freelance, and also painting puffy clouds from the window. The clouds were so cool today, but very fast moving;

(haha boring yes? Uneventful. I'll miss class)

[Ursula Dorada]

Sula tries to be painterly
(I don't even know why I fucking try)

[Wolkenfels]

oh - i missed some posts - wonderful stuff, Sula - can you get me a date with that red head? ;)
Seriously - nice features - the shape of the head is maybe a bit off - but you cannot really tell with all that hair.
Good aproach on Daernys. If you were going for likeliness to the actress the chin part is a bit long. But i totally love how you did that hair. the hightlights are coming over wonderful and even in this rougher painterly technique the viewer gets a great feel for that smooth, silky hair.
Keep it on!

[ShinOkami]

Nice portraiture ! :D

Definitely the skill i always wanted to have so inspired by you, i'll work harder !

Keep it up ! :)