Joseph's shiny new sketchbook

[one_two]

Dig the sunlight in your latest scene. Good job.

[darktiste]

What i like in the new piece is the light interact with the pillar as well as how the scatter light harmonize the scene bouncing some of the color around.I also feel like it more focus in term of focal point.The throne feel more important because of how thing are lit and the camera angle help put the viewer at a relatable level in the scene.

I think the low angle just work better to give a sense of importance to the thrown. The bird eye view to me just remind me of a security camera angle. I think it also important to ask yourself how you will create a point of interest and how will you compromise to give that point in the image the space to breath. With a equal lighting or a more muted light you rely on other form of mean to create visual contrast and other principle of composition to achieve the flow toward that focal point. For example in the first attempt symmetry was something that gave a clear path to the focal point. I think in that piece the problem is that the lightning of both window take away from the contrast you could have achieve by putting let say torch around the throne and reducing the light elsewhere. But if let say you choose for ray of light to be directed toward the thrown you would have created a strong use of light such as the one that was achieve in the second version even if it more lateral the cast shadow and the biggest chunk of bright value lead to the stair which lead to the throne.

Anyway good job it suck that you have to spend so much time modelling but i hope it still giving you new blood in your process. Keep being great

[JosephCow]

Thanks darktiste I'm happy to hear that because I was considering that the scattered light makes for a more difficult to read composition and I was afraid it wouldn't center the throne enough. I tried actually having a spotlight on the throne and doing it that way, but decided to just try this instead. I totally agree about the viewing angle as well, the security camera is kind of spot on lol.

I think in the original, I was just wanting to show the throne and platform from above maybe because that was easier for me to draw, I wasn't that great at perspective. but I didn't end up thinking it looked good, even then.


I also do really like modeling so it's fine. I make most of the items myself and usually learn some new stuff with every project. I just like painting more though.

[Zvarthav]

It's cool that you have the commitment to learn 3D, I don't know if I would be able to do that. The new background definitely looks a lot better, and I imagine it's fun seeing how much you've improved when you redo an old piece. Sorry I can't critique it.

[JosephCow]

Thanks! I hit Blender really hard around this time last year for a few months and then kind of only did a little bit here and there since then. It was kind of fun actually. Now I kind of get the basics but I'm still a noob at it. It was difficult, but it didn't take long to learn enough to use it successfully for illustration, so I would just give it a go if you're interested.

[cgmythology]

Nice, the latest painting looks gorgeous! The lighting in particular is very dynamic and natural looking, great stuff!

[smrr]

ugh, I'm obsessed with your sketchbook Joseph! There's so much beautiful art in here and thought-provoking words

I'll need some more time to go through all it's pages
(I'll need to find a balance between savouring and being eager to see what's to come)

[JosephCow]

thank you smrr that's really too kind.The same to you, you have a lot there that I think is interesting I will have to take some time to look through your journey.

[JosephCow]

sketch of white rocks from imagination. nothin' too crazy just wanted to post.

[JosephCow]

I've also been working on this process to make painting metal from imagination more realistic/make more sense by taking the reflection map from a different, real object and painting a different metal form based on it. Which this does work, I think, I'm just not that satisfied with this result yet.

[JosephCow]

study of pots and pans done in rebelle from life. Kind of to the same end, but mostly because I'm very bored today.

[darktiste]

Remember if your bored well it might show in the painting. Consider going beyond your own feeling or perhaps you can use that feeling to tell a story... just the reflection alone could have told what was on the menu that day. Study don't need to be boring and they are not always inspiring but that an invitation with the right attitude.

It Might just be one of those day... like everyone of us as... where it just a question of attitude. It ok it not always were day, were month, were years but it always were attitude that define the character we are in the moment.


Boredom
Boredom is a state of failing to find meaning, which is a deeply uncomfortable feeling

Don't fall into an existential crisis over a knife and a pot sometime you just feel uninspired by the subject matter just add some spice if you can afford to... or just relax and see what boredom bring.

[JosephCow]

being real, I think my existential crisis started long before this still life lmao

[TrashPanda]

These studies look dope man!
Especially taking in consideration that you did them from imagination.

Since Im really bad with painting and I dont want to give advices in topis where I
dont have much experience ,- take this tip or idea with a grain of salt.
It seems like the green / blue tones are a bit too saturated.
It probably is accurate to the reference or the vision you had
in your mind for the light and environment setup.

I only mention it because Im recently on a old masters study grind and there
is one artist called: Edmund Blair Leighton who is into medieval subjects.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c...Shadow.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c...ighton.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c..._Peril.jpg

Besides the fact that this guy was a insane artist he has a strong sense how to play with colors.
I guess the green, blue or general colder tones on the armor parts are almost thinly glazed
on top of the base color and not very prominent. They appear a bit muddy / dark but
they still convey enough saturation to separate the warm and cold contrasts.
In the end it is probably just a style choice but maybe you get some inspiration from him
for your future studies.

Keep up the studies!

[JosephCow]

study of rocks, this time real rocks. I actually had some trouble with this. Rocks don't look right without the pitted texture, but I also want to focus on the actual form, not just surface texture.

[darktiste]

I think this one pose a bit more challenge you actually get large and also deep pit that if you want to practice the inner detail.

What i would say help to make rock from imagination is to add more break up in the silhouette than you would normally do otherwise you go toward stylization also between the plane change making sure you don't get to much straight line but a good mix of angle and curve to create a realistic ''break'' look not as exaggerated as piece of glass breaking and certainly less angular.

What i also suggest is you to try not only studying from reference but doing your own and that way you can find the detail that bring out the quality of a good rock it help to ''destroy'' the preconception of the symbolistic way we see thing.

(Also talking about study if you study from ref i always advise posting the reference otherwise the viewer can't tell if it from imagination or from life otherwise i would say using the term study from life instead of study would also help differentiate if you are using reference or not it probably unnecessary concern since i doubt pretty much anyone really draw without reference but personally i believe drawing without reference as some use. It help us become aware of the symbolism we rely on when we are not looking at the reference. This is not a problem when we actually take the time to draw what in front of us and not in were mind. That a problem normally when someone is not train to take the time to observe a break down the subject matter.

It always to me important to be reminded myself every time i study something i never draw i have to observe the subject for longer period and acually use internal dialogue to describe what i am seeing.Seeing is in a way being able to describe the subject matter with great detail then it turning that ''vocabulary'' into concept that translate into either line(turn into shape) or gradient(turn into form change).

[JosephCow]

Oh yeah, the one I just posted was from life, I didn't take a picture of it though, I forgot. The one from last week was without reference, and it definitely looks less realistic. I decided to study from life for exactly the reason you said, to get away from preconceptions and symbols and see how it actually looks. I think it's kind of funny how such an exercise doesn't always occur to us. I've seen a lot of rock studies over the past couple weeks, and most are tied to doing a course, youtube tutorial, or copying a painting in order to learn specific rock techniques. And I'm among them. I momentarily forgot that you can just look at the real thing, as it's about the most common thing on earth.

[Noone]

Nice metal studies Joseph, and yeah rocks can be a nightmare to paint plein air a lot of the time! Simplifying enough yet adding enough implied textural surface detail is a balance that can be hard to maintain!