Punky Sketches

[Punk-A-Cat]

Just some comfort zone stuff, been feeling rather crappy recently, some stomach thing, been doing the comic work and figure drawing and not much else (and I cannot be bothered scanning and posting pages and page of figure drawings daily)

[Bookend]

Well, the important thing is that you're drawing everyday. You don't need to post here to improve, it's just a great way to have incentive (When you're not feeling sick).

So, keep up the great work, and feel better soon!

[Cyprinus]

Lovely kitty! Is it your cat? (I love cats.........)
I'm sorry to hear you are sick ): I hope you'll feel better soon!

In addition to my reply to your question about the flatness of characters in the other thread:
I had a look again at your comic and I don't think that your figures look too flat, I think you're already heading in the right direction! Adding a bit of line weight here and there will help the general look though, I think. Of course that's only a hint about the pages that are from the beginning of the month. Maybe you can post some newer pages in the future (: First of all though, get better soon!

[Punk-A-Cat]

Thanks Bookend and Cyprinus
No the cat was just one I saw on tumblr, I have two, but generally only get gesture drawings because they have a second sense about me drawing them and they run away.

I don't want to post all 24 pages of the comic here (it'd take me a half hour and I'd rather be drawing) but they are all here http://punk-a-cat.deviantart.com/gallery...Ravens-Paw
I still need to do a cover - but i'm trying to study texture using ink and water colours at the moment so that I can do a nice job of it.

I guess I'll just keep plugging away with trying to get line weight and placement right, I normally try to draw the figure, then think about the type of fabric and how it will crease and hang/ sit, and add it over, but it's still a big struggle to be able to see it in my head - I have references for the clothing, but as soon as you shift the body you get to the 'must imagine this now' thing.

My current daily to do list includes figure drawing, facial expression drawing, very basic perspective practice and studying the style of a bunch of comic and watercolour and ink artists, as well as attempting some ink and watercolour texture studies.

[Punk-A-Cat]

Todays ink and watercolour sketches.. I /need/ my .03 or .05 pen to work .. done with a fountain pen which went crazy and a .1, which is way too thick for this kind of fine stippling and hatching work.

Shiny surfaces today, I need to work more on wax, it didn't come out well. The scan seems to have washed the colours out a little as well + bigger than the actual drawing size.
Much learning curve!

[Cyprinus]

Aww, haha! It's the same with my cat, although it sometimes works out a little better if he's deep asleep!

Looking at your comic, I think Amit expressed it best in the other thread! I'm sure what he told and showed you will help you tremendously.
Nice work on the studies! (:

[Punk-A-Cat]

Thought I should post /something/ I have been working, just scanning and uploading to dA so I can link here takes so freekin long I don't tend to bother.

I have had a rough week all up in my own head, almost quit, but figured it out, and I'm hoping I'll stay on track now. Grinding will be done, but for a purpose, not just for the sake of 'learning' because that was like beating my head against a wall. I also realised external pressures to be a 'successful person' aka earn lots of money - which isn't something I've ever believed anyway, has been sucking my creativity and motivation away. So now I shall focus on what I regard as successful, rather than taking on other peoples baggage.
My def of a successful person, is someone who is doing something they love (even just as a hobby, no judgement there, but having a passion and pursuing it makes people happy), and is nice to other people.

Anyway, timed studies I did today, still doing figure/gesture as well, but trying to nail down face and hands, because I've been struggling with them. I'm hoping once I have the formula ingrained via repetition I'll be able to invent and simplify.

[Amit Dutta]

Awesome! I see progress in your hands! keep it up. :)

[RottenPocket]

Agree with Amit, There's progress in those last few sketches, and the watercolour isn't too bad either. Keep posting, you're doing great Punk.

[Bookend]

I'm so glad you haven't quit! Keep working hard and you'll keep seeing results!

[lurch]

i like the balloon, things like that are hard to pull of and that's looking pretty good to me, it's definitely communicating the right kind of feel if that makes sense.

looking at your notes on the head studies, I can see what you mean about the eyes, i guess that will come with more eye studies, but what I did notice in the bottom sketch is that to me, the eyes and lips look a bit too big, I think if you scaled those features down slightly, the head's starting to look pretty good.

those gripping hands on the left of your hand studies are looking really good. keep at it.

[Brian Hermelijn]

Keep up the good fight punk! 

[Punk-A-Cat]

Thanks everyone!
@Lurch I think you might have nailed it, I'll try and get the eyes and mouth smaller and see if it fits together better

[CoreyH]

Glad you didn't quit. I felt very similar, and started drawing a lot more when I stopped focusing way too much on getting better. Happiness is the journey, etc etc. It's funny how focusing too much on something can be the exact reason you'll never achieve the thing your focusing on. Just make sure you're having fun I guess!

Anyway, sketchbook is looking great. With your faces your might want to focus on structure a lot. I think that'd help. Looking forward to seeing more!

[Punk-A-Cat]

Thanks Corey, yep, face structure is something I'm still struggling with - I've done /tons/ of skull studies, and tried to build the skull under the face, but still can't get it right. I can - given enough time, do a decent portrait, the timed thing throws me, so I clearly don't have it nailed down yet. Only just started with serious daily study of faces though (was really on and off before), so gimmie another 9 mths, should be getting there :D

[Punk-A-Cat]

Blatant playing here.. I needed to prove to myself I could still do this, so one comfort zone piece, plus playing with food colouring - using it in the place of watercolour inks. It's apparently light fast (idea is from a podcast "make it then tell everyone" brand is Queens - other brands will fade) It's /much/ brighter than my watercolours - which are low pigment due to being cheap, so the food colouring is basically perfect for getting the brighter hues. The finish isn't perfect - the coloured pencils layered over started to lift the paper (cheap paper, see a trend here :D )

Chose a bird because my best mate loves birds, and has basically been my sounding board while I sorted my head out, so this was kinda a thank you for the support.

Any critiques or suggestions would be cool, the background wasn't meant to be quite so in your face - the rock salt concentrated the colour instead of sucking it out like it does with watercolour, so I’m aware of that, but the colour wouldn't lift up, so stuck with it.

[insbox]

Hi Punk-A-Cat, man i like the bird painting. its so cool, btw i think for the background the colour you used, attract my attention because its complementary colour (green and red).its my opinion tho, but the bird seriously looking really awesome. Drawing head can be tricky, just try to find the connection between the ear to the eye to get the perspective of the head, and you can make the rest have the same perspective unless you want to do more into fisheye. i hope this can helps :D

Cheers

[Bookend]

Cool bird, looks psychedelic. I think it fits the theme, though. I love birds, haha. Well, all animals, really. You have a real gift, my friend. Keep it up!

[Broadway]

Looking good! And lol @ food coloring, that's awesome. Looks just like watercolor to me :)

Good on you for not quitting. For what it's worth I've heard many people who are now awesome say stuff about how when you're trying to get good, you'll push and push and push and feel like nothing is working but eventually something clicks and you start to "get it". But they all talk about that period where it seems like nothing you're doing is going the way you want. I assume this feeling is a really common one that everyone goes through. So definitely don't give up!! I think it helps to just be confident in the usefulness of what you're working on - by which I mean, just have faith that if you keep going, you WILL get good eventually. As long as you keep TRYING to learn and get better, it's gonna happen. Even output that you consider bad will still serve your goal - you can probably look at a drawing you think isn't up to par and still at least identify ONE thing you learned from it.

That's what makes me feel better when I have those moments, anyway :)

[Punk-A-Cat]

Thanks Broadway, I honestly felt like I'd run full force into a wall, but once I sorted myself out, I feel like things /are/ easier.. ideas I was struggling with make more sense. I don't see any change in my art, just in my mindset towards my art, which I guess is the biggest battle anyway.
Pretty sure this will be something I'll have to face again, but having made it through once, I know I can work around it.

And food colouring, who knew :D it's /fun/!