Beau's Sketchbook

[chubby_cat]

Hi Beau. Just a quick message to say really sorry to hear about your diagnosis man. Good on you for keeping your chin up and continuing to focus on your art goals. Looking forward to see your work progress :)

[beau]

Thanks Artloader, I might use that advice. In the past I never really tried for stroke economy, let alone in longer studies/ figure drawing sessions. I really treid to focus on that here... I spent around three hours on the face/neck study, first doing a drawover of the models, and then trying to recreate them on the side.

These were both done on my stream this morning! Woo! I'm so happy, I feel that more driven artists would make the creative side of twitch a better place and I hope to facilitate that- rather, help to do my part in making that happen.

[beau]

Oh yeah, since I was streaming, I did not study any figure drawing because of the nudity restrictions, but I will do that shortly.

Thanks for your support chubby cat! I'm just happy it's not worse, lol

[beau]

Update on this piece. I eliminated the legs for compositional reasons and I think if I light the dress right I can make this composition really nice. Haven't finished inking, I'm going to study more fabric before moving on with the dress- this is I did those smoke studies, and the dresses, obv :) I'm seeing a lot of gain in my visual library already. note: the shadows are a mock up, and will be decided on when I finish the image, very last thing I do besides some hilights.

[beau]

Studies on stream. Two is my per day minimum

Second is a fabric study, I could go back and finish that later. I'm going to do figure drawing off-stream later today after I get back to the house, and speaking of, I should draw some houses. Other than everything, perspective is my weakest area. No, but it goes perspective, wrapping form, and anatomy- then backgrounds, lighting, and creatures. I think the, first three are the biggest areas that I need to confront in terms of my overall growth, but I'm going to do my best to level up all of them at once.

I lliterally just got the perfect metaphor for how i want to handle this (in an ideal world): my perspective is level 10, and it evolves at 15 so it's first in my party, and I have the exp. share on for the rest of my guys. But Perspective eevolves soon, and when I evolve it, it'll carry the team solo, and I can devote more time to my other boys.

Nailed it.

[RickRichards]

Hey Beau, glad to see that you´re studying hard and studying from photos, as well as structural drawings.
The key is to balance hard work that really gives fruit and balance it with relaxation time.
Time management can do wonders, and i´m still perfecting it.

Perharps this may help, perharps not, let´s try haha.

1) Decent likeness in post #55 and awesome job in post #59. Starting to see some fruit!
    Regarding value, it think you´re in the middle tones and you avoid the darkest darks and the lightest lights.
    Think first on the following three; Mid value, dark and light, from there you can structure value.
     

    Try to do grayscale studies so you can try your eyes and also exercise the muscle to accuratelly see value.
    I guarantee that you will be much confortable when you make the transtition to colour.


2) Anatomy. Anatomy is a must. I think this site has very very good references; colour, anatomy, character design and may help; http://www.characterdesigns.com/ and has decent contrast. I usually stick with the non nude section, has fantastic cloth/ colour and poses.


3) I can be very messy with lines as well, one trick that may help you clean the drawing as well as train your hand for the next draw is to scribble at will on one layer, then reduce it´s opacity and create a new layer above with the previous layer as a guide so you can draw above accurate lines.

I did a mini tut a few years ago, if it helps, cool.


Cheers!

[beau]

Thanks RickRichards. Yeah, I've never done greyscale studies, aside from the woman on the previous page. I can see how it would be helpful... I've always just tried to combie it with color but I could get more out of it by also doing greyscale studies... I'm going to do some greyscale studies on stream today, and post them on here.

I haven't seen that site before, Ill check it out.

Then, figure drawing- and finally some compositions. I like to do client work and personal work and studies all in alternating time blocks, usually i'll study for a couple hours, do personal work for a couple hours, client work, personal work, study. Ny usually, I mean I'm striving to get back into that habit. i'll post studies in a bit. Sorry for meandering! Lol

[Sifter]

If you try to do wireframe studies for the anatomy, it might help to think of the basic geometry, cubes spheres cylinders etc, as you trace. That way you'll have a clearer understanding of how anatomical forms sit on the basic geometry of the figure. Otherwise, your study will not be effective enough. 


Same goes for the rest of your sketches, so try to spend time on making them clean, even for just presentability's sake, if nothing else. It will help you and your peers to diagonose your issues easier. Also, some basic 3D modeling can help you understand how wireframes work. Just learning 3D in general can drive you a long way.

I hope that was helpful!

[beau]

If you try to do wireframe studies for the anatomy, it might help to think of the basic geometry, cubes spheres cylinders etc, as you trace. That way you'll have a clearer understanding of how anatomical forms sit on the basic geometry of the figure. Otherwise, your study will not be effective enough. 


Same goes for the rest of your sketches, so try to spend time on making them clean, even for just presentability's sake, if nothing else. It will help you and your peers to diagonose your issues easier. Also, some basic 3D modeling can help you understand how wireframes work. Just learning 3D in general can drive you a long way.

I hope that was helpful!

Yes, Sifter, it was helpful :) I'll do wireframe studies today.

Here are yesterday's studies and one from today. I traced some anatomy, drew some gestures based on the images above, and tried imagining some anatomy.
Greyscale study-
A couple of traceovers on the woman. the one overlapping her and the upper right one were traced.

[beau]

Starting a multi-day study... roughs, cleanup, greyscale, color. Should be four days total, and other studies on top of it. I'm making progress on my Betty piece, but not as much as I'd like. I now to put my studies into practice though, which I'm lacking in. I need to do perspective studies!!!

I went to characterdesigns.com and saved like all of the Louvre sculptures... Wow. That's gonna be fun to study.

Here's a picture of the figure I'm looking at.

[beau]

Wind down sketch. The number is for Kootenai medical care lol

[beau]

Jesus, that looks bad, lol. I was so in the zone I didn't realize what I was doing with my lines. Redoing it because I like the basic idea. Some gesture and figure studies, along with progress on the goku figure study coming later. Not a portfolio piece, just for fun.




I made a couple of goals after reading about the old Deathline challenge from 2012... If you aren't familiar, it was, ass far as I know, a year long challenge by you for your specific needs- improve yourself by these three, art or not, main aspects that affect your career and progress.


1. Move into a better environment.

I am living at home with my parents, and we do not get along. There's a certain toxicity to our relationship that makes me arrange my day around avoiding them, and this is bad for me mentally and physically, as more often than not I am confined to my room. We also live in the middle of nowhere, and I don't drive yet (that's a whole other thing), so if I want to go anywhere I have to walk 30 min to the bus, or taxi there. This adds tremendous strain on my relstionship with them, and stresses me out, because most times I end up asking them ffor a ride, and neither of us like that. That said, I'm not in danger, so it's not like I can't be around them at all, but it's exhausting.

2. Make a professional portfolio tailored to the jobs I want to have

This speaks for itself. I already have a portfolio, of course, but it's not very good, and it's very hard to see a work environment I can fit into for employers. I want to do something like card art, editorial art, fine art, book covers, comic book covers, or concept art, but my portfolio just looks totally amateurish and without purpose. So I want to recreate my entire portfolio and fill it with quality work- and that means studying hard and working when I'm not studying. I'm not great at anything else, this is my only skillset, so I'd better inncubate it.

3. Stop looking at P**n

Yep, tmi, but it's a really big one. even as recent as January, I'd spend 21-30 HOURS A WEEK wasting my time on these sites. Through lots of determination and focus, I've cut that time to maybe 12 hours at most, but that's still unacceptable. I could be working on triple A video games right now if I'd spent all that time studying. also, the depression and anxiety you get when you know you're wasting your time, and you're in your parents' house, and you're not making any money (spoiler: I'm not, though I am under contract for an art job), and no one would date you even if you made yourself available.... it's like falling into the sunken place, lol

So, these are my goals, and I will have reached them by March 6th of next year. I'm not aiming to be completely sufficient off art income, and i don't want to be married or be the best artist in the world a year from now... I just want to be realistic and push myself past my current limits. I'll be posting comparisons of my art each month to catologue my visual progress to myself, and to stay motivated.

Have a good day, whoever reads this! :) I hope it inspires you, and if it does, please post your own 'Deathline' goals.

http://danwarrenart.blogspot.com/2011/11...lenge.html

[beau]

A couple of studies. I really focused on communicating planes in the perspective study... Did the traceover, and then tried to recreate the perspective. The anatomy on the lower right I tried to show form on, but it's really hard for me to put it into space yet, because I lack so much in the perspective department. Each stroke On the perspective study was hell- I held my breath and was stiff for each one, but now my hand feels steadier- I don't know if mentioning this sounds like complaining or something, it's not that. I feel like I'm giving myself an excuse with every line I don't think about, so it feels rewarding after making a grid by hand. :)

Spent a lot of time gathering reference today- I have what I think is a complete collection of anatomy reference, and I think I'm good as far as reference goes for the next few months, except for backgrounds.

[Sifter]

Well just to comment on your UI Goku fanart, you still have your issues with scribbliness. Get into the habit of drawing flowy lines in fell swoops. The goal is to be economic with your lines, for clarity's sake. Maybe you can capture the energy in a rough, sketchy form at first, but it's nothing like you have above. Great effort I'm seeing, and I hope to see more : ).

And good luck figuring out your life stuff

Edit: Just realized you posted something else as I was typing lol. Yeah, still with the scribbly lines, but try to avoid medical diagrams.

https://sketchfab.com/a4s/models

I think you'll learn more by studying 3D models. And like with photographs, be wary of inaccuracies, because they can throw you off quite easily. 3D models are the next best thing, next to real life.

[beau]

Progress on this piece, calling it 'Blood'. Second image is what the image is what is will look like roughly in the next stage, and after I lay on the red armor stuff. the blue stuff will be clay, he sculpts gargoyles and gives them his blood, he's an ancient vampire. (Just some context :)

And a fanart comp of Yusuke, Genkai, and Toguro, and alternatively, just Yusuke and Toguro. Composition is an upside down triangle balancing on a small point (the spirit gun), representing the huge challenge yusuke has in that fight. I like the idea of Genkai in the picture, covering Yusuke's ears protectively, as Toguro looks like he's going to squeeze him

bottom is the original Blood piece I did in 2017


I was working on client stuff all day, no real study time, but I forced the Yusuke comp. Wanna get one fanart comp, at least, per day from now on, and work up the good ones between other personal work and client stuff.


Edit: It's the nextt day, I don't have any time for studies or personal work because I have volunteer work and client work for like 12 hors today, studying and personal stuff all day tomorrow bfore starting on a new client's project

[Hobitt]

Feels like you are really rushing your lines, build a habit of working slow, and ironically by being slow you will become fast....eventually.

[beau]

Thanks Hobbit- been really trying to keep that in mind, I did some concept art here this morning, and started working on a final for modeller. I'm trying to make as little lines as possible in the final image here, other than nicks and form defining stuff. I copy and pasted the base gesture in the first image, which was basically a quick gesture with lots of arm movement (still in the bad habit of coloring and inking at the same time)

I need to focus on using my arm and my elbow when I draw- I don't use my wrist that much, but I tend to use my fingers for most of my lines, which makes that hairy line and chicken scratch look.

Concept is egyptian skeleton enemy, nothing fancy

[beau]

Final Ehyptian skeleton warrior concept, only took me 12 hoirs with color and inks- still too long, but better than the forty spent on my barbarian commission. I finished the portrait painting on this page or page three in like 45 hours, which is just for reference.

Included reference images, didn't reference the white skirt part or the red cloth.

[beau]

Some Yu Gi Oh compositions, I think I'll make a more polished one of the top middle Yugi one. Really rough and loose, focusing on general composition and framing.

[Hobitt]

Slow down on the comps make them tighter, that way you can learn a thing or two from them!