Finished another on the backburner.

An edit as I think I'd like to add some notes to the picture. I've practiced for about a decade now, how to just open myself up when I work and let whatever shit I carry deep down come out. I use music as a medium to space myself out and go somewhere far, and for that I have my significant other to thank for teaching me how. Before I met her, my life wasn't the best, and I teetered on the brink of suicide. After her death, I fell much further into these particular depths.

I can remember during these phases my affinity for heights, in which for some reason I was at a very distinct peace while up high, until one day the notion that I could jump and die sunk into the corners of my mind. It sunk in there until I was at peace with death, looking down onto the world below. My life was in such a terrible state that death was the only thing of meaning, and it called out to me.

Even today, looking at towers and high places, I feel that somewhat unsettling feeling of peace. It's pretty clear, studying my own work in self reflection that this was intended to evoke that feeling, both the despair and duality of beauty to it in my warped state of mind.

I can always count on sketching graffiti or abstract art when I'm in an art block.

You ever do any street art?

Quote from: E on July 27, 2020, 02:10:55 AM

Quote from: Aether on July 07, 2020, 08:40:46 PM

I can always count on sketching graffiti or abstract art when I'm in an art block.

You ever do any street art?

I've done a few things in the past, but not for many years now. The last time was in 2012.

Was it on trains or buildings?

Quote from: E on July 30, 2020, 08:36:45 PM

Was it on trains or buildings?

No train yards anywhere near where I lived. It was on brick walls and tarmac.

Here's a shitty flip phone picture of my first ever piece.

Full color sketch:

Do you know much about street art? Because I sure don't. What is it about the particular style that appeals to you more than other forms? Looking at the way your work is done, I think it's relaxing when you do it. It reminds me of the "paint by numbers relaxes you" deal. I can imagine that in the methodology of making your work you tend to disappear into it as you work.

Do you know much about street art? Because I sure don't. What is it about the particular style that appeals to you more than other forms? Looking at the way your work is done, I think it's relaxing when you do it. It reminds me of the "paint by numbers relaxes you" deal. I can imagine that in the methodology of making your work you tend to disappear into it as you work.

Well I wouldn't claim to be an expert or anything. I just enjoy it and follow many graffiti/street artists and am part of various online graff communities. I like basically every type of street art but letters are my favorite. I just like the different geometric forms, the composition and flow you need, and the many different styles there are.


And yes, when I do a graff sketch it's usually a pretty calculated process.

Quote from: BaconShelf on August 04, 2020, 06:12:31 AM

Finished final project now, here's some pics.


I posted some more pics and a video over on Artstation if anyone is particularly interested. I did a lot of work with flow maps to make the steam particle effects so its an area I'm pretty happy with.

Very strong Foundry and The Storm influences on the environment. Looks good.

Spoiler

I think I actually used Foundry for some of my texture reference yeah, though for the most part I was sticking to the original Titanfall 1 concept art (linked in my Artstation post) and the Titanfall levels Drydock and Airbase. Thanks a lot!

i dont hang around here often but if i  see discussion about practice and improvement, i feel compelled to say something

of course this is just what worked for me and it this isnt necessarily what counts for all types of art but art based on style and accuracy

the most important thing for this is your visual library and focused practice

without either you will find it difficult to see improvement or technical variety in your work

first things first, your visual library can only really be improved through reference, every time you draw from reference you strengthen the repository in your head for things that you understand the shapes/forms for

this means drawing something over and over again, with reference, to improve

if you feel like drawing from reference feels like you are not creating, i understand; why draw something that is already there? the reason simply is so that you will eventually be able to draw it without reference eventually. if all you have ever done is create, and are eager to make your work as distinct and unique as possible (within the style you choose), i understand the desire and contradiction this sort of practice has with being "creative"

the truth is, nothing you ever create is entirely unique; everything you draw is in some way inspired by reality, if you close your eyes, can you picture a color that doesnt exist? this is why your visual library is important, especially if you want to create with coherent accuracy; every piece of art is in some way a deliberate mishmash of various inspirations and ideas, all of which have some connection to reality, visual or otherwise

as for what i mean with focused practice, this means you make every mark with a goal in mind. every time you sit down a practice, ask yourself what it is specifically that you want to improve with. single it out and plan exercises that will give you mileage, draw it over and over again. drawing aimlessly or saturated with too many goals will  slow down your progress; improve on a few things at a time, and narrow your scope to specific areas of practice; combine them in practice or with the actual work you plan to finish when you feel you are ready to

lastly, it is always important to revisit fundamentals. this is crucial if you have a lot of frustrations with your own rate of improvement or lack of progress/exploration. there is a very good reason why learning the "baby" stuff is unattractive especially when youve already been drawing pretty much your whole life.

some part of you feels like some of these things are below your level of skill, and overall, that might be true; but this doesnt mean there might not be gaps in your knowledge that may have missed either due to lack of formal education or because you simply improved in other aspects where these other things have been sidelined. i had already been drawing for nearly 2 decades when i discovered drawabox and i cannot tell you how much it has improved my work speed and ability to recognize shapes and forms. it was shortly after this that i felt comfortable working at a pace that allowed me to sell my work.

practice and repetition can be quite fun if you have a goal. i have not had this ipad for very long, but i will have a few pages of practice sketches every day not because i think "i must practice" but because it becomes fun





feel free to add me on discord if there is more you want to ask about art. i have plenty of resources and references from artists who have already figured out the things i have not learnt yet. Zhvo #9878

on another note, if you have the money and are so inclined, pay for an art school, invest in a skill that you love if you want guidance and feedback. there is no shame in learning this way, and you will likely improve much faster than most who go it alone. i would certainly pay for an FZD degree if i could afford one.

Quote from: snurch on August 09, 2020, 11:40:35 AM

I hadn't heard of Drawabox before. I'll have to check it out.

I am curious about what resources you use for practicing anatomy/figure drawing. It's the thing I want to improve most of all currently, but my practice is pretty aimless and without any clear direction or guidance. I don't really know where to find a good source of references to study.

drawabox is more for markmaking and seeing forms than anatomy, but theyre habits you want to build and keep moving forward; it took me about 2 weeks to get through lesson 1 cause i was doing everything thoroughly and trying to internalize the lesson content, some of the things there are habits you want to keep for the rest of your life

as for anatomy, anything interesting you can find online really, senshistock and line of action are good for this, focus on accuracy and speed; you can pause timers and skip poses you dont like or are uninteresting

bargue drawing is also a good place to start for anatomy, and is still used today to practice anatomy. you basically try to copy what are called "bargue plates" as sort of anatomically accurate bits and pieces of drawings, as accurately as possible, doing that repetitively will etch it into your mind

dont be afraid to copy the same thing twice or three times or as many times as you need to remember it well

if you can find medical anatomy references too, those are also helpful.

https://sketchfab.com/demoon/collections/ref_anatomy

starting out, id recommend you try to draw things like these exactly before trying to draw females or any stylized bodies. understanding where things go first is more important

Quote from: snurch on August 09, 2020, 11:27:11 PM

Cool, thanks for the help. That line of action site is nice.

I actually think I remember hearing some artist talk about finding references for poses in martial arts and parkour videos, now that I think about it.

yeah, anywhere at all you can find cool shapes that you like is good

don't expect to be good at it starting out, especially if you're not used to picking out forms and draw it multiple times/iteratively; think about the progress you're going to see in months or years, not weeks, and ask for feedback if you are having trouble figuring things out

stagnation can be disappointing and art can be very slow to improve on, keeping focused practice on your mind and having goals to work towards will eventually get you there

Did this demon girl a few weeks ago. Hands are a fucking pain but I received some good crits on these in an art group at least.

WIP digital portrait of some random cosplayer I found on Instagram called Zekia. Only the second digital portrait I've ever tried doing. Kind of hesitating to work more on the scarf as it has a ton of knitted details. . .

WIP digital portrait of some random cosplayer I found on Instagram called Zekia. Only the second digital portrait I've ever tried doing. Kind of hesitating to work more on the scarf as it has a ton of knitted details. . .

Hey dude that's a pretty bitchin job for only your second portrait.

Quote from: Aether on September 01, 2020, 07:21:55 PM

WIP digital portrait of some random cosplayer I found on Instagram called Zekia. Only the second digital portrait I've ever tried doing. Kind of hesitating to work more on the scarf as it has a ton of knitted details. . .

Hey dude that's a pretty bitchin job for only your second portrait.

Thanks, but it's just my second with a digital medium. I've done a few traditional portraits in the past.

Some pen sketches.