Brian's sketchbook

[Samszym]

Hey man, thanks for dropping by my SB, really cool stuff! Awesome to see you pushing your colors and values and environments. To me it seems like you know how to render forms very well, but the forms don't really feel lit. In other words, I can't identify a single light source other than sort of frontal light, and you seem to avoid cast shadows and throwing large shapes into shade. Try and experiment with light that comes from all different directions in your painting!
Cool stuff, keep pushing it :)

[pnate]

Awesome sketchbook, especially with the creatures! I will be returning regularly to watch from the shadows. A pointer for the environments that may help is to do lots of quick grayscale thumbs to practice composition without getting caught up on the details. I also found that putting in some very quick lines for your perspective can help make it look more like a real space instead of a flat image. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uBjtN1Qgd8 This explanation from scott robertson helped me i think :)

[brianjohnson]

Thanks Sam! I really struggle with shadows, as they tend to flatten out as I tend to have a hard time varying my values with the shadow. I will definitely work on it. Thanks again.

pnate: Thank you Sir! I do need to practice with value thumbs. I tend to start everything with line. Mr. Robertson's videos are great...need to go back and watch his Gnomon DVDs...

Here is a quick TMNT: Slash design attempt:

[Bjulvar]

That turtle just made my night! I can't get enough of them. Would be really sweet if you continued on it :D
I think the pose could get even more dynamic if you curved his left leg more. It's going in a straight direction that is almost parallell to the direction of his chest and right shoulder. Could move the leg forward I reckon!

And on the note sam brought up, maybe you could try some sort of extreme lightning situation just to experiment. Get rid of all the midrange values and shoot for high contrast.
Also, check out Shaddy if you haven't already. He talks about large shapes and values for studying environments, but it applies to your own imaginative work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NygkJEc3yu4

Have a nice monday!

[Samszym]

Are you familiar with that saying "put your details in the shadows or in the lights"? I don't think varying your values within the shadows would be a necessary if your lights have a lot of detail. Same deal if you have a lot of detail and variance in the shadows and relatively simple, flat light.

Bjulvar's suggestion is good, along with varying the light direction you should also experiment with the intensity and color of the light. I'd like to see something with a ton of ambient light and midtones along with the intense lighting! Check this out, these are both Rembrandt self portraits but the light practically makes him look like a different person!

It's really exciting how many different ways light can look :D

[brianjohnson]

Hey Bjulvar, I am definitely planning on continuing on this piece. And you're right about the leg. The rest of the sketch came together quite easily, but that leg gave me all kinds of fits. I will try and rework it before moving into paints. I like your suggestion regarding the extreme lighting. I will give it a go with this one...I tend to be too timid with my values.

And thanks for the link...haven't seen that one. Will check it out tomorrow for sure. I have been trying to stress big to small with any of the works that I do, as I tend to jump into the details before I have properly established the overall read, and the image suffers for it.

Fantastic examples Sam! Thank you. But when you are looking at the first image, there is still subtle variation in the values, like a very soft bounce light. I tend to get so caught up in the basic mechanics of rendering the form, that I do not include the other influences within the environment, so the results are rather flat. Your example takes this to another level with the details being almost solely in the shadows.

Here are a couple quick lighting attempts I did yesterday while reading your post. A bit Azevedo-influenced as I had been browsing his works earlier in the morning.



You've given me a heck of a lot to think about. So much to try, and not enough time to do it...Thanks again for the comments.

[mikeorion22]

its good to see you experimenting and trying new stuff, can see the growth in your work

[JonHop]

Those last creature heads you did <3, they're fantastic (Azevedo's work is some of my favourite to look at). I really enjoy browsing your updates, I also agree with the others about the creatures left (our left looking at the image, his right leg) needing to be adjusted. Other than that keep up the hard work :).

[brianjohnson]

Thanks Mike! Good to see your on CD as well.

Thanks Jon.

I have attempted to correct the leg, and was able to get some time to start in on the paints during my lunch break. Here is where it sits at the moment:



The dark values seem to be a bit blown out once I have saved to JPG...oh well.

Could probably have gone more dynamic with the lighting, but maybe I'll give it a second go once I have finished with this one. I hope to find a bit more time this evening to work on this, but we'll see.

[brianjohnson]

Hey folks, here is a WIP of a toon viking guy that I started on yesterday. No refs, but keeping in mind the recent crits from Sam regarding lighting. Trying to really think through how the light would fall. Thanks again Sam.



And Bjulvar, thanks again for pointing me to the Shaddy vids. Those are fantastic. I had a blast watching/listening to his process.

[Ignatz]

Hey Brian. Great sketchbook. I particularly love your line drawings; there's a really nice sense of weight and movement in them.

[TristanGuts]

Really interesting stuff so far. You brought a really original take on familiar concepts, keep pushing this angle, i think it will get you very far!

[brianjohnson]

Thanks Guys!

Been squeezing in a bit of drawing here and there, but the last month or so has been nuts. Kinda fell off the map. Found myself in a bit of a rut...too exhausted for any sort of idea generation, so I took a few requests the other day to get me going again. Here are some of the sketches:

[brianjohnson]

Here is a quick sketch of Ares...still trying to find my groove.

[Ralee]

Wow, I really have nothing to say other than I really like your work. So good, especially the quick sketches.

[brianjohnson]

Thanks Ralee!

Here is one of my own from late last night...



and here are a couple Marvel characters from today...

[ramalooke]

Awesome sketchbook mate. A tons of imaginary work which is always good. Love that viking dude ;)

[BenFlores]

cool work man. really liked the guy from post #50, the lighting is great

[brianjohnson]

Thanks ramalooke, and Ben.

Here is a doodle of Marvel's Caliban from this morning. Playing with brush settings, and focusing on edge control.

[RealityFix]

I like your environment thumbs as well! Good use of colour.

Hope you post more as well :3

- also like your creature portraits and stuff. I've been meaning to do some more stuff like that but I honestly don't have the time :/