Nicola's Sketchbook

[Nicola]

Hey guys (:
So here's my sketchbook. I'm going to try to avoid uploading finished illustrations and instead focus on studies.

Looking forward to getting some useful crit!

Recent studies: (Life Drawings and photo references)

[Jmob]

Hey! Great start, I'm looking forward to seeing more studies. Maybe you could say what you were focusing on studying in each or groups of studies. There's plenty of different approaches to painting subject matter/ drawing and perhaps if you were to state what your approach was each time we'd be of more use to you in our critiques. That way we could analyze harder and ask better questions as we become more knowledgeable with your weaknesses and strengths.

My biggest crit and perhaps the one that may help you the most is that you should stay away from a very dark outer contour line in relation to the inner contour lines. In other words, your values are very blown out. I think if you "lost some edges" it could help significantly and help you to see things more structurally than graphically. Also, the rate of turn on most of your forms aren't gradual enough. I know this because it makes your values look "blown out". Someone you can look at is Sargent's charcoal drawings if you'd want to study how to use edges and how to turn the form efficiently. In order to get that global turn that Sargent was so aware of, it will take a lot of practice. Someone else I suggest looking at is Ryan Wurmser and Ted Seth Jacobs. These guys know how to turn the form magnificently in a structural manner. Here's a link to Ryan Wurmser's figure drawings. http://ryanwurmseratelier.blogspot.com/2...-2010.html . Looking forward to more studies!

[Nicola]

Here's a link to Ryan Wurmser's figure drawings. http://ryanwurmseratelier.blogspot.com/2...-2010.html . Looking forward to more studies!

Those studies are beautiful. I have such a long way to go. Every time I pick up my tablet I just feel guilty that my fine art skills aren't up to scratch let alone my digital skills. Thanks for the help I'll definitely keep those artists in mind in future.

I've had a bit of a hectic term at university and my dog doesn't look like he'll be with us for much longer so this art business has been put on hold yet again.

I have however updated my photoshop brushes completely and recently got a razer nostromo>> https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/image...2PX8okpEh4 for only £15 which I have started to set up action hot keys for photoshop on :). I'm hoping it will speed up my work process a little and I can have some new studies to share in a while.