At the Buzzer ...

  What a year. Spent a little over an hour answering year-end questions about productivity/self-improvement. I went from trying to improve portrait drawings to focusing on the anatomy of the body; from Photoshop to traditional pencil and paper so I could focus on technique without technology; from anatomy specifics to learning how to simplify the body into basic shapes. A lot of backtracking, but I still managed to get ahead.

 

 

Still have 3 more pictures of her I want to draw. 

In the spring I initially set out to have two characters modeled and textured by the end of the year. A video by Ryan Kingslien inspired me to learn anatomy. "Can't paint a house until it's built" and all that. Below are a few samples of my December efforts - legs, pelvis, feet:

FunkyMonkey1945's page on Deviant Art was instrumental in the way I now look at constructing the human body. 

Kyle Kane's style is super clean. I'd love to see his illustrations in an anatomy book.

I've built the necessary momentum to forge ahead and if there's one word I'd use to describe my 2013 it would be, 'capable'. It's important to believe that about ourselves as close to 100% of the time as possible. For years after I didn't finish school I was confused as to how to proceed, thinking I needed some external catalyst to trigger growth. After the 'incompletes' I experienced with school, the military and a relationship I've discovered over the past two years that I had everything I needed to succeed the entire time. I didn't realize it on my own, though. The books on my Facebook page played a large role, also.

     I'm currently doing gesture drawings and will probably spend January doing a 'review' of the body. I've been itching to do some life drawing so that's next. That is to be followed by cloth/drapery studies and light and shadow with color being last. I'm leaning a bit towards character design (conceptualization) as I think there's more freedom in that than just sculpting a creation someone else thought up, but we'll see. I'd prefer to do it all as far as characters (concept, sculpting and texturing - even backstory), but I can't get ahead of myself. One area at a time ...

Still Climbing, Though the Pack is Heavier

Started a new job a few weeks ago, which is physically demanding (three bruised toenails). The practice has been a bit scarce, but I'm gaining speed. My hand drawings come out quicker now. I didn't feel right moving on to legs and feet until drawing them felt less foreign. I don't understand sign language, but I do feel a new line of communication opened up from staring at so many sources.

Oh yeah, finally finished 'Think and Grow Rich' by Napoleon Hill. Definitely one to refer back to from time to time.

Handiwork from October

Am I sensitive to eclipses and full moons or what? My "slumps" have been coinciding with celestial events. Anywho, I've been practicing drawing hands and am going through Hogarth's book at the moment. Legs and feet are the next area I'll be focusing on.

Armageddon Better at These Headlines, Armen't I?

So, turns out switching from 'B&W Document' to 'B&W Photo' on my scanner produced better results. Minor brightness changes in Photoshop.

A bit more systematic with my pencils. Sketch/shade with 4H and lay hard lines/shading down with 2B (sometimes 3B).

These and the ones below were copied from a copy(student that color coded muscles) from a copy (her instructor's handout) from a copy (Loomis' book?). I found a discrepancy (anconeus mislabeled on one diagram). Charts were very helpful, though.

Typical guy to focus so much on arms, right? Can't wait to move to ZBrush so I can make a 'gun sculpting' reference.

Couple Torsos from October

Observing body fat percentages. Still messing with the scanner ...

Three male, three female.

Proko had a new video I watched and I decided to look at one of his head tutorial videos that I hadn't seen. I miss figure drawing, but I want to focus on different body parts some more.

Youtube is excellent for reference. The top two are from videos of an aesthetic bodybuilder. In the future I'll be watching how muscles flex and extend as they use different machines and pause at different intervals.

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Long Time, No Post! A Few Excerpts from September ...

I had been focusing on the torso for a little while and browsing different Pinterest pages and other sites - comparing and trying out different methods.

I had always had issues drawing the back so it was a primary focus for a bit. Have to calibrate my scanner or something - lost a lot of shading information on these! 

Ah, Almost Forgot About These Two

Whew, I had to leave her alone for awhile lol. I think it was the nose I had an issue with first. Also, my perspective was off (on the painting, not the sketch). I had to warp the crap out of her eyes and brow ridge as it was painted too high. I may post the original for comparison. I don't know why, but I like spending time painting the hair. Therapeutic, I guess.

This guy looks nothing like the reference. They could be brothers, but the other dude had a much narrower face. It was meant to be quick, anyway. Quick for me is about 4 hrs (for now). 

Focus on the Face ...

A few skull studies I did from a website  that sells anatomy models.

Following a technique for drawing the head by Proko and a Redmayne (Eddie or Simon?) sketch from GQ magazine. 

Notes and sketches from a Glen Vilppu DVD. I may watch it again.

Notes and sketches from the same dvd. 

Decided to try my hand at the head without reference. I forgot that the face isn't as wide as the head so it's a little off around the eyes. That extra spacing on each side should account for the temporal area and zygomatic process (Yeah, that's right. I've been watching the Acland Human Anatomy DVDs, also. Foramen Magnum. We DO have a hole in our heads). 

Halftime is Almost Over ... Refocusing ...

Figured I better make more use of my New Masters Academy subscription and followed a video on drawing the head (top three). After seeing a link to Proko on another blog, I viewed a few of his videos and followed his outline for setting the head up. I have dozens more to do, obviously.

I threw in a few more women's eyes. Still messing around with brush settings, though the top right was somewhat comfortable. Lashes and brows are still improving, but putting lashes on a separate layer and smudging them works. I need to vary the lengths, direction and thickness. I'm growing fond of building up with low opacities - not sure if that's good or bad.