Weekly Sketch Thread -
- Thread starter EddyWoo
- Start date
Ok here's the sketcbook pages from last day or so... I've actually just mixed in the Samurai with everything else. I try to stick to not treating any of it like fine art so I will absolutely cram the page. The process not the product perhaps. Even on both of these pages I will go back and fill in a bit more as time allows.
I did a bit of sketching while watching the latest Japanese samurai extravaganza... 13 Assassins. That accounts for the tiny sketch of a samurai on horseback! The rest are just random sketches over cups of coffee and people watching.
I did a bit of sketching while watching the latest Japanese samurai extravaganza... 13 Assassins. That accounts for the tiny sketch of a samurai on horseback! The rest are just random sketches over cups of coffee and people watching.
Thanks man... it doesn't feel that way. 
Just wish I had more discipline. Especially when I look at mates that are full time animators and character designers. I keep thinking to eventually work back towards that industry. But who knows... for now it's just time to get the chops back up to speed.
Just wish I had more discipline. Especially when I look at mates that are full time animators and character designers. I keep thinking to eventually work back towards that industry. But who knows... for now it's just time to get the chops back up to speed.RPMcMurphyaFreethinker
New member
I'm sure someone must have asked this before, but why do a lot of pros use a blue pencil? Is it something to do with it not showing up as strongly on photocopying or you being able to filter out the blue channel in photoshop to remove guide lines?
twincreektaz
Member
A few different reasons maybe. I picked up the habit when I worked at Disney. No doubt many of the animators had the habit of using non-repro blue pencils... meaning they didn't reproduce on xerox machines back then. For me I had the habit as everyone had to get their work corrected by the senior artist... and he'd throw a tissue on your drawing and correct on the tissue in red pencil... then once you understood you tightened up the drawing on another clean sheet on the lightbox and penciled it in graphite pencil.
It's handy way to work. I still use blue pencil for a lot of things I find it's easier for me to not get so muddy then I can go back in and pick out what I like with a standard 'blue' which is darker. Though oddly enough these pencils are getting harder to find. Scanners now do away with the need for non repro blue as you can easily make any sketch look like graphite.
Graphite isn't a wax based pencil generally so sketchbooks tend to go very messy with graphite sketches if you work all over the page. The way around it is to keep another clean sheet of paper under the hand so the edge of your hand isn't smearing your previous work... with blue pencil this is less of an issue most times as it's wax based.
It's handy way to work. I still use blue pencil for a lot of things I find it's easier for me to not get so muddy then I can go back in and pick out what I like with a standard 'blue' which is darker. Though oddly enough these pencils are getting harder to find. Scanners now do away with the need for non repro blue as you can easily make any sketch look like graphite.
Graphite isn't a wax based pencil generally so sketchbooks tend to go very messy with graphite sketches if you work all over the page. The way around it is to keep another clean sheet of paper under the hand so the edge of your hand isn't smearing your previous work... with blue pencil this is less of an issue most times as it's wax based.
Your drawings look solid to me (not that I'm qualified to judge since I sketch more as a hobby when I can find the time) and I love the caricature of the shopping ladies. Looking at your drawings, just how much better would you have to be to be full time back in that industry? It's hard for me to imagine you'd need some kind of massive improvement.
GabriellaB
New member
There are people out there so good that I'm really just a naked hairless ape scratching in the dirt.
But seriously... on a professional level... I'd have to up my game a fair bit. At least to do it and feel good about it. It easy to always be your own worst critic... but too far in the other direction - eg. thinking you are the best thing since sliced bread... is just as bad if not worse.
The best thing about working in any fields like animation or character dev. etc is it forces you to really draw to parameters. It's easy to draw stuff you want as opposed to have to draw within someone else's parameters... so their camera angles, their sense of story rhythm... and probably most importantly their time frames.
Stress of a time frame or deadline can sometimes be a great tool for an artists to emotionally distance himself from his work and get down to the brass tacks of being a competent render and an illustrator that can work the required spec.
But seriously... on a professional level... I'd have to up my game a fair bit. At least to do it and feel good about it. It easy to always be your own worst critic... but too far in the other direction - eg. thinking you are the best thing since sliced bread... is just as bad if not worse.
The best thing about working in any fields like animation or character dev. etc is it forces you to really draw to parameters. It's easy to draw stuff you want as opposed to have to draw within someone else's parameters... so their camera angles, their sense of story rhythm... and probably most importantly their time frames.
Stress of a time frame or deadline can sometimes be a great tool for an artists to emotionally distance himself from his work and get down to the brass tacks of being a competent render and an illustrator that can work the required spec.
Go back and read through the thread. That's exactly what is happening. In fact it was PASmith that suggested the samurai theme!
Mind you it's within the parameters of being a sketch book type thread. Massive, overworked finished pieces aren't really what I want to see in the thread. Not that they don't merit viewing but the quick sketch is the foundation for becoming an artist who can render competently. And... most people simply don't have the time to post up masterpieces in oil and canvas.
And to that end... here are some quickies from today on a coffee break (next post down).. Mostly quicksketches of tourists milling about... and then off into samurai fantasy land for the bit at the top. Not very well thought out the layout in some ways. I seem to be mainly influenced by the wide shots of Sergio Leone and spaghetti westerns.
Mind you it's within the parameters of being a sketch book type thread. Massive, overworked finished pieces aren't really what I want to see in the thread. Not that they don't merit viewing but the quick sketch is the foundation for becoming an artist who can render competently. And... most people simply don't have the time to post up masterpieces in oil and canvas.
And to that end... here are some quickies from today on a coffee break (next post down).. Mostly quicksketches of tourists milling about... and then off into samurai fantasy land for the bit at the top. Not very well thought out the layout in some ways. I seem to be mainly influenced by the wide shots of Sergio Leone and spaghetti westerns.
Grannyjill
Member
let me see if I can get a better image up
anjil_bebe2002
New member
The new theme is NOT the president of Venezuela... that's right folks:
MANUAL LABOR
This theme fits well because you can pretty much get sat off anywhere and see some manual labor. In cafe... at a pub... the donut shop. Here in HK we are chocka with people... so roadworks are always a stones throw away. It's a great theme to draw because not only do you get some real characters... you get people doing something besides... standing and waiting, sitting and waiting... and walking. So yes awesome theme.
As for the hands.. yeah I try to get my head wrapped around them... I've focused on them for a long time. The way I reckon... after hands most other parts ain't gonna be too tough. And the beauty is I usually have at least one free as reference.
Hands are interesting in that there is always a curl to the fingers the way they lay. If you actually observe hands a lot... they are very different than you might first think. The fingers don't move nearly as linear as you might think. Lots of interesting things going on when they wrap around something or as they hold things. Many art directors that work in comics... especially the Franco-Belgium comics (bande dessinée) will go through a portfolio and specifically look for how well the hands are rendered. And in my opinion the Franco-Belgium comics are the best in the world. A far broader range than the American comics scene.... the artists are on a whole other level. They have more in common with the animation design artists and concept artists in companies like Disney and Pixar than they do in any of the comics like Marvel or DC. Well worth looking into for inspiration.
MANUAL LABOR
This theme fits well because you can pretty much get sat off anywhere and see some manual labor. In cafe... at a pub... the donut shop. Here in HK we are chocka with people... so roadworks are always a stones throw away. It's a great theme to draw because not only do you get some real characters... you get people doing something besides... standing and waiting, sitting and waiting... and walking. So yes awesome theme.
As for the hands.. yeah I try to get my head wrapped around them... I've focused on them for a long time. The way I reckon... after hands most other parts ain't gonna be too tough. And the beauty is I usually have at least one free as reference.
Hands are interesting in that there is always a curl to the fingers the way they lay. If you actually observe hands a lot... they are very different than you might first think. The fingers don't move nearly as linear as you might think. Lots of interesting things going on when they wrap around something or as they hold things. Many art directors that work in comics... especially the Franco-Belgium comics (bande dessinée) will go through a portfolio and specifically look for how well the hands are rendered. And in my opinion the Franco-Belgium comics are the best in the world. A far broader range than the American comics scene.... the artists are on a whole other level. They have more in common with the animation design artists and concept artists in companies like Disney and Pixar than they do in any of the comics like Marvel or DC. Well worth looking into for inspiration.
Manual Labor? As if art wasn't labor intensive enough...
I haven't been keeping up to date with this thread because I've been lazy, playing video games. I love Assassins creed, and I can't wait for the next game in the series to come out. So I made a steampunk inspired design based off the original logo, the design took me about 3 hours to come up with.
*Any advice on what format I can use to stop my image from looking distorted?*
OFF TOPIC IMAGE REMOVED
I haven't been keeping up to date with this thread because I've been lazy, playing video games. I love Assassins creed, and I can't wait for the next game in the series to come out. So I made a steampunk inspired design based off the original logo, the design took me about 3 hours to come up with.
*Any advice on what format I can use to stop my image from looking distorted?*
OFF TOPIC IMAGE REMOVED
Ok... sorry...
This is NOT the thread for I was busy being lazy and playing video games so I couldn't be arsed to post something that actually pertained to the thread... so I posted something that's off topic. That just doesn't cut it. Post a new thread... I'm sure you'll get lots of feedback... but it doesn't belong in this thread. Thanks.
Ironically... many of the issues with what you posted can be solved through sketching and working through them with sketches.
This is NOT the thread for I was busy being lazy and playing video games so I couldn't be arsed to post something that actually pertained to the thread... so I posted something that's off topic. That just doesn't cut it. Post a new thread... I'm sure you'll get lots of feedback... but it doesn't belong in this thread. Thanks.
Ironically... many of the issues with what you posted can be solved through sketching and working through them with sketches.
sillybrunette
New member
Manual work