Ambi's Sketchbook

[Ambiguity]

Thanks greg'.


Smol update:


I painted this last one 4 times, but I couldn't get it right, so I guess you'll just have to enjoy it for what it is, or hate it, either way is fine.

P.S.
I've just noticed how retardedly big I've been making eyes in this cartoonier style, it's not even part of the style I studied lol; I gotta fix that.

[Artloader]

Really nice work in here Ambi :). I know you said you were having a battle with legs but they're looking pretty good to me. Do you try studying the underlying muscle origins and insertions? I find that really helps me construct the overall form a bit more easily.

Keep going!

[Ambiguity]

@Artloader: Thanks, and yes of course I do :).

I was trying to figure out the secret to Nurzhan Bekkaliyev's form, I think these came out alright:


I was seeing which of my styles people preferred, it seems #2 is overwhelmingly the favorite:


I did this after that style test, but I'm still struggling hard with painting, this looks too chilidish in execution to me :\ :


Saw a video of a Chinese artist painting in a style I really enjoy, tried to figure it out by site:

Not that great, but not that bad either I guess.

[Ambiguity]

And another one....:

[Ambiguity]

Sorry for being so inactive, and I'm even more sorry for not having much to show for my time away. I've just been in a bit of an art depression between stagnating heavily last year despite drawing more than I ever have before, and not really knowing what I want to do with my art anymore. Boo hoo, I live :P.

[John]

I've just been in a bit of an art depression between stagnating heavily last year despite drawing more than I ever have before

Maybe you're looking at your progress too close, with you being so caught up with the elbow work you put in. If you step back a little bit and flip through your past works, you might see things differently.

From an outsider's perspective, I see you doing more bolder figures, and your poses in your studies are starting to get more dynamic. That's a hard leap to pull off and your latest studies make it seem you're taking it in stride.

That feeling of stagnation you are, or were feeling at that time is the shokunin's (artisan or craftsman) curse. You would not calling it stagnation if it wasn't for your yearning to get better. Some lose that drive and rest on their laurels; being 'okay' with what they have. And being just 'okay' is a scary proposition for any artist. Growth, especially when you're in the process of growing, is hardly ever comfortable.

You're doing alright Ambi. Don't give in.

Not really knowing what I want to do with my art anymore

Not sure what you mean by this, but it does sound depressing. You mean you're running out of portfolio ideas?

[Ambiguity]

Thanks John, I'm sure it's partially just a thing of me trying to constantly do new things, so I can't possibly top the quality of things I'm comfortable with, but I still feel like even things I've done over and over aren't getting any better with brute force(i.e. mileage). In fact, when I made a collection of my best figures of 2016, some of them were even worse than those made earlier in the year(I wasn't the only one who thought so either). I don't want to ever lose my humility and become complacent, but not knowing how to move forward is often just as scary. I guess all I can do is try for another 5 years and hope for the best :P.

As for your question, you are correct. In recent months I've realized I'm not actually applying what little I know to anything that would get me a job or even just brings me joy in terms of entertainment, it's all just fundamental focused practice. I just want to paint cool looking shit, but I have trouble coming up with anything specific. I'm pretty sure I just started drawing as a kid just because I liked the act of drawing lol.



More figure practices:





I run out of ideas for posing really fast q.q

Been working on this for a few days:

http://orig12.deviantart.net/be1d/f/2017...b0qj06.png
↑click for full view↑

I'm still pretty bad when it comes to backgrounds and presentation, but at least it's something.

[John]

I still feel like even things I've done over and over aren't getting any better with brute force(i.e. mileage)

I gotcha. I can totally relate. The worse scenario is that feeling of not progressing. And on top of that, feeling like you're slipping back. There are times I draw a torso from memory. Even though I think I've drawn enough torsos, during that instance, it looks as if I never had drawn one rib cage in my life. I end up nuking everything, study and start over. It's brutal! It happened to me more times than I would ever expect!

It was difficult to be in that mess because there's that nagging feeling that all the work, studies, and past pieces were for nothing. Maybe it's true. But often than not, it isn't. It's our way of reassessing our knowledge of the fundamentals, seal in the cracks while adding on more information to it. The progress might not be apparent with the output we're churning out, but that honestly of saying: 'maybe I'm being complacent with such and such', is enough to put our hands into action and work out the kinks. Even though it's a venture to familiar territory, it never cease to amaze me that there are times I can still find new discoveries and ways of doing things.

All I'm saying. You are doing alright. If you need crits, or second opinions, you know where the paint over section is. I'm sure a lot of people here are more than willing to help and you don't have to deal with it alone.

(But let's be honest, most of the time you *will* be dealing with it by yourself. We can't paint what's in your head! Haha!)

I guess all I can do is try for another 5 years and hope for the best

Hope I'm not being too nosy, but why do I get the feeling you're going to turn on the art kill switch in 5 years?

[Ambiguity]

All I'm saying. You are doing alright. If you need crits, or second opinions, you know where the paint over section is. I'm sure a lot of people here are more than willing to help and you don't have to deal with it alone.

Thanks man I appreciate that :).

Hope I'm not being too nosy, but why do I get the feeling you're going to turn on the art kill switch in 5 years?

Nah I didn't mean it like that. I just mean I have no idea if I'm heading in the right direction, that being the case I just have to hope for the best as far as improvement goes. I don't know if I'll have to pull the kill switch in 5 years, but if I do it won't be my choice. Life isn't going to wait for us to get good after all, I can't mooch off of people forever.

[Triggerpigking]

Yeah I agree with John you seem to be doing just fine :).

Nice sketchbook btw, i'm really liking how you draw figures.

[Ambiguity]

Thank you Trigger.

Another Google Hangout art buddy portrait:


Figures and other nonsense:





Style Exploration:

[Ambiguity]

Thanks Mari', glad you like it :).

Been sick for a week now, still tried to gets some practice in though:

[Ambiguity]

Few more figs from ref', I woulda done even more, but my niece is here and she likes to randomly walk into my room unannounced:



Goofing around, still trying to get comfortable with these figures:






Decided to go back to trying to figure out the proportions and how it all fits together, only to quickly realize I can't draw orthographic views for crap. I did at least 30 front view drawings, but they were all bad, here's the only 2 I didn't delete just to have something to show lol:



Did a painting from life, I accidentally shifted in my chair so the perspective is off :P:

[Ambiguity]

Guess what I drew since my last update? Yup, more figures:





Uhhhh....:


Studies:








This is actually a few weeks old, a concept art thing I was doing with a friend, but I didn't end up taking it further:


Critique I gave someone in a Discord group:


This was for an art trade I did with a friend, it's his dead OC Tamara:

[Fedodika]

This dude and I totally don't know eachother, we've never met, I was never his Daddy.

[Ambiguity]

@fedo: My daddy? I think you got it twisted buddy.

Old Stuff I forgot to post:







A friends's line art, was trying to emulate an artist's painting style for him:


OC's, don't steal(characters of art buddies I caricatured):




Been doing a lot of this industrial design drawings in digital and traditional(most of the digital ones got delete by accident):


Timed gestures:







Commission for a friend:


Cloud poop practice:

[Fedodika]

Love the last two!!

[Ambiguity]

@fedo': Thanks :).

These probably aren't that exciting to look at, but I've noticed for awhile now that most concept artists and illustrators are more scribbly in their rough sketches than peeps like Proko and Lemen. I think it lends itself to "discovery" better when trying to invent a pose, so I decided to start doing that too instead of worrying so much about drafstmanship in the early stages:



This one started out the same as the others, but I wanted to see if I could take one of those to completion. I think the pose got a bit too stiff on me, and she doesn't really feel well grounded either :P

[Fedodika]

yea in the initial stages, go wild with the medium being whatever it is, then pick what you like and start over with that careful technique!

[Ambiguity]

Painting practice, no under drawings:

Harder to get the drawing to look correct this way, but definitely more fun for me than starting with lines.