Rognoll's Sketchbook

[kerm]

Wow.. you're really good with comic stuff :) Those avatars are so nice. They look like from some sketchy-comic rpg game. You should add a "choose your character" text at the top of them. :D
When it comes to your aliens, they have cool design, but try not to treat the color so localy.
I mean, for example the skin tone would reflect in shiny metal armor and so on.

Here, this might be helpful:



The best execise to get understanding of this is actually painting from nature. You can really learn a lot from fruits, cutlery and mugs :)

[califfguzman]

your comic stuff is strong and im def diggin the dynamic poses.

[Rognoll]

Wow.. you're really good with comic stuff :) Those avatars are so nice. They look like from some sketchy-comic rpg game. You should add a "choose your character" text at the top of them. :D
When it comes to your aliens, they have cool design, but try not to treat the color so localy.
I mean, for example the skin tone would reflect in shiny metal armor and so on.

Here, this might be helpful:



The best execise to get understanding of this is actually painting from nature. You can really learn a lot from fruits, cutlery and mugs :)

Thank you, Kerm. You always give such great advice!
And yeah, they could use a "select your character"

your comic stuff is strong and im def diggin the dynamic poses.

Thank you, man! I actually enjoy doing these way more.

---

Now, my lastest character design

[kerm]

Hey, nice comic piece. You have your own style. Maybe it's worth it to push it forward instead of trying to paint like everybody else?
Try avoiding tangents a bit more: http://mcoats.tumblr.com/post/6788371150...-these-art
Your comic style is definitely worth exploring.

[Rognoll]

Thank you! You know, I have thought about it a lot and I do enjoy doing these way more, but Is there really a market for theses stuff? I have no clue where to place it. Painting has a huge market if you're good enough, but this non-sequential comic stuff, I don't know!
Anyway, thanks a lot for the insight, and for the tangent thing, I've got to keep an eye on that!

[smrr]

I do much enjoy your comic characters Rognoll ~

There will always be a market for good art.
I reckon you should push your style further, although there will always be debates on realism vs style. But if you have a very good understanding of the components of realism, you'll be able to harness and tweak your style even more so.

But yeah, keep it up, if you enjoy this kind of art - go for it man! :D

Be bold, be daring!

[kerm]

Well, I think Bobby Chiu has a nice answer for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJtVlMmxD2Y
Doing comics doesn't mean you should stop your "foundation" learning. Just learn new things and try to use them in the pieces that you feel like doing in the way you like.
About the market... who knows, maybe doing comics is even better idea if you will have something unique to your work.
About the enjoyment, doubts and so on... I read somewhere, don't remember where that a person had a lot of doubts, asked others for help in making decisions. Everybody gave resonable opinion, but still, the person didn't know what to do. Until someday he/she stumbled upon a guy who said: "You actually know what to do, you just add "but I don't know" at the end of each sentence. Try following your guts a bit. I know it's easier to say than actually do, but I'm on the same path. I've been into webdesign/ui design for few years and this is maybe crazy, but I want to be a digital artist/painter, not a designer. It is just how I feel and that feeling I try to follow. Even though it's kind of naive and maybe even stupid coz I'm now really shity painter compared to ui skills :)

[Rognoll]

I do much enjoy your comic characters Rognoll ~

There will always be a market for good art.
I reckon you should push your style further, although there will always be debates on realism vs style. But if you have a very good understanding of the components of realism, you'll be able to harness and tweak your style even more so.

But yeah, keep it up, if you enjoy this kind of art - go for it man! :D

Keep it up as always,
And be bold, be daring!

Well, I think Bobby Chiu has a nice answer for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJtVlMmxD2Y
Doing comics doesn't mean you should stop your "foundation" learning. Just learn new things and try to use them in the pieces that you feel like doing in the way you like.
About the market... who knows, maybe doing comics is even better idea if you will have something unique to your work.
About the enjoyment, doubts and so on... I read somewhere, don't remember where that a person had a lot of doubts, asked others for help in making decisions. Everybody gave resonable opinion, but still, the person didn't know what to do. Until someday he/she stumbled upon a guy who said: "You actually know what to do, you just add "but I don't know" at the end of each sentence. Try following your guts a bit. I know it's easier to say than actually do, but I'm on the same path. I've been into webdesign/ui design for few years and this is maybe crazy, but I want to be a digital artist/painter, not a designer. It is just how I feel and that feeling I try to follow. Even though it's kind of naive and maybe even stupid coz I'm now really shity painter compared to ui skills :)

Kerm and Smrrfette, you are right. I've gotten some portfollio reviews and all of them said the same things you said.
Thanks a whole lot for your feedback guys.

Kerm: Yeah, I totally get it now. Thanks a lot man.

Some character concepts for (maybe) a webcomic.



and two extremely crappy landscapes. Be warned, crap ahead.

[Rognoll]

Quick study

---

Aaaand another piece of crap. I'm tryong to speed up my process.

[Archreux]

Man, it's been a while since I've last seen your sketchbook and there's been a great deal of improvement since last I saw most of your stuff. :D

I'm really like all of your more stylized things, they're definitely some of your strongest works in here overall. Your paintings have gotten a lot better as well, and I can agree with everyone's suggestion of focusing on values, and form. Another thing I've noticed is that your values tend to be a bit muddy, and there's a rough distinction between the light and shadow. So keep that in mind when doing your value studies, I suppose that just comes with studying values in general, haha. :p

That's enough of me. You're stuff is looking good, man.

[Rognoll]

Ohhhhh I get it! Thanks a lot, Archreux! I've got to study values a lot more! Thanks so much for the critique! Spot on!

Now, this started as a values study but I added it a bit color.

[ramalooke]

you improve so much since your first page xd. keep on rocking ;)

[kerm]

You shouldn't use word crap so much. Nothing is crap. Every piece pushes you forward. But I kind of understand how you feel. I felt the same and it probably never stops if your eye exceeds what your hand can do (which is actually good thing after all, it keeps you growing). Sycra gives a good lecture of this here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb0g_gWrNf8 So don't worry. :)
You said that you're trying to speed up the process. Maybe it's a better idea to slow down a bit, take your time, enjoy yourself. Plan everything, do a mindfull, step by step process. Speed will come after all. The other thing... the muddy value might not be your fault actually. Did you try to set up your brushes a bit? Watch Feng, he has a point here I think: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYB6Ztgwd3M
What resolution do you paint in? Maybe you should think of a greater image resolution. If you have to put the detail with 1 or 2 px brush, that's bad and that's what limits you. Try to set up the brush according to Feng, try bigger resolution and then do a value study again. It might improve automatically. Because you know a bit of stuff and you keep on working so... it might be the device and rushing trough process what limits you.
When it comes to values, keep it simple, really.
Those are a good things to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG7qa9daAbw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxiM4uORjq8
Try painting some cuttlery and fruits from nature. Skip the colour at first, do the values only. I know it's quite uninspiring but fruits are a good teacher, really. It helped me a lot.
Keep up! Keeping my fingers crossed.

[Nika]

Hey Rognoll, your hard working its incredible and it shows into your art! Try just not fall in the error of doing only portraits, try full bodies as well. keep it up!

[Mike Tenebrae]

You're really busting those digital Quills Rognoll. Very inspiring.

[Tygerson]

Okay, so you probably are getting this a lot, but I look at your lineart characters, and then at your paintings, and it's like they are done by two different people.

It's good to practice realism. By all means, do the anatomy and still life and portrait studies. But it sometimes seems like you get all tense and perfectionistic when you are in "painting mode." Your characters go stiff and serious. The lively colors drain a bit.

So here is something to maybe try. Take a lineart you've already done with dynamic posing, striking color, and loads of attitude. You've got lots of brilliant characters to pick from. See if you can turn it into a painting. Sort of like maybe you did with the fiery dwarf. Try to break that "painting is oh so serious" trap!

[Rognoll]

you improve so much since your first page xd. keep on rocking ;)

Thanks!

Hey Rognoll, your hard working its incredible and it shows into your art! Try just not fall in the error of doing only portraits, try full bodies as well. keep it up!

Hey Nika! Thanks! Yeah now that you say so, I'm doing too many portraits lately.

You're really busting those digital Quills Rognoll. Very inspiring.

Thank you, man! But if I'm going to work myself out of suck land, I've got to work much more.

You shouldn't use word crap so much. Nothing is crap. Every piece pushes you forward. But I kind of understand how you feel. I felt the same and it probably never stops if your eye exceeds what your hand can do (which is actually good thing after all, it keeps you growing). Sycra gives a good lecture of this here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb0g_gWrNf8 So don't worry. :)
You said that you're trying to speed up the process. Maybe it's a better idea to slow down a bit, take your time, enjoy yourself. Plan everything, do a mindfull, step by step process. Speed will come after all. The other thing... the muddy value might not be your fault actually. Did you try to set up your brushes a bit? Watch Feng, he has a point here I think: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYB6Ztgwd3M
What resolution do you paint in? Maybe you should think of a greater image resolution. If you have to put the detail with 1 or 2 px brush, that's bad and that's what limits you. Try to set up the brush according to Feng, try bigger resolution and then do a value study again. It might improve automatically. Because you know a bit of stuff and you keep on working so... it might be the device and rushing trough process what limits you.
When it comes to values, keep it simple, really.
Those are a good things to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG7qa9daAbw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxiM4uORjq8
Try painting some cuttlery and fruits from nature. Skip the colour at first, do the values only. I know it's quite uninspiring but fruits are a good teacher, really. It helped me a lot.
Keep up! Keeping my fingers crossed.

Woa! Thank you so much, Kerm! It may not be a big deal for you, but this helped me a whole lot! Thanks a lot for all the support. Seriously.


Now, some more stuff. Investigating a style, trying to develop it more, to make it professional.
And what better excuse, than the turtles.

---

@Tygerson: (just seen your comment) Yeah, I do get it a lot.

That is such a great advice!! Thank you! I'll put it into practice!

[ramalooke]

Nice style exploration. Just remember to back it up with solid anatomy studies ;) Great stuff, Keep it up <3

[Rognoll]

Thank you! I will, definitely!

last turtle

---

And some more character studies.

[Nika]

Oh yeah... that's the spirit Rognoll. I can see improvement, your last posts are so dynamic. Keep up the work!