Hi,
I'm Simon, used to draw a lot as a kid, droped it somewhere in the past and trying to get back at my late 30's
So here are my paintings / sketches from last week. Dunno really if I'm on the right track. Tried to study some good artists, film grabs, tried some notan sketches but sometimes I have a feeling that I'm not going in the right direction. Which excersises would be best on my level ? My current routine are color studies and notans based on photo, paintings and movies. Please help an old guy with your critics :)
(11-09-2021, 07:40 AM)SimonS Wrote: ..Dunno really if I'm on the right track...
...I have a feeling that I'm not going in the right direction...
Let me know if I'm wrong, but I get a feeling you're not sure what final pictures you want to be making in the end. Which is normal. If that's the case, it looks like you are on a right track.
At that stage It's all about trying a bunch of things out and seeing what you like the most. That said, it is hard to do while also not being happy with the results. To get overall skills up I feel like most important skill/exercise is being able to copy anything really accurately, it will level up the observational skills, hand/eye coordination, all that stuff.
So I feel like you got two separate quests going at the same time, figuring out what you love and want to make in the end, and then improving the skills. For figuring out what you love part, remember to make personal pictures, not just studies or you'll burn yourself out. Personal pictures add the meaning to what you're doing all that studying for.
you're 100% right, I struggle a lot when it's going to design anything, I start something from scratch and then in few seconds I just have to leave it cause I have no clue what I should paint at the moment. I have to work on the planning/designing stage. Nowadays it's really easy to be overhelmed by all the pro works on youtube or artstation. Guys are making magic there and it all looks just like they just throw designs without thinking about them.
What I know is that I really like to paint, and quickpainting is somehow relaxing for me. I need to plan more, get out of my safe space.
Some notans I did last few evenings ( some based on other artists works, and few mine - the really simple ones :P )
I think you're on the right track as long as you follow your gut. After all, the usual tendency of people is to be dissatisfied with their own work, so stagnation is unlikely to be a problem.
That last set of black and white thumbnails is incredible. Very readable and full of atmosphere.
If I were you I'd take some of the thought process out of deciding how to develop your painting further. Make a very simple plan in advance. Something like: for every 10 speed paints you pick your favourite and develop one aspect of it further - colouring, texture, fine detail - picking one in advance so the decision is already made for you.
You don't have to spend that long developing it either, an hour at most. It's a way to expand the range of what you're doing without moving away from the speed painting process which is already working well.
(11-09-2021, 07:40 AM)SimonS Wrote: Hi,
I'm Simon, used to draw a lot as a kid, droped it somewhere in the past and trying to get back at my late 30's
So here are my paintings / sketches from last week. Dunno really if I'm on the right track. Tried to study some good artists, film grabs, tried some notan sketches but sometimes I have a feeling that I'm not going in the right direction. Which excersises would be best on my level ? My current routine are color studies and notans based on photo, paintings and movies. Please help an old guy with your critics :)
Hi and welcome. IMHO it's NEVER too late to start (again). And — it looks like YOU ARE on the right track.
The most important trick to improving is to just keep doing the work — and by the looks of your first posts you already know that.
Your Black and whites give me a warm fuzzy Alberto Breccia feel, in my humble opinion the master of B&W illustration. I would love to see more. Using these thumbs as a foundation for grasping some complex fundamentals will serve you right in future pieces. you have a solid feel for tone, and composition and i would love to see some taken a step further and push the storytelling a bit more. I would check out some of Breccia's work on Mort Cinder if you haven't already. It really shows how far you can push this style. Nice work Keep it up.
