Thanqol Learns To Draw! [Archive] - Page 2 - Giant in the Playground Forums

EsperDerek

2011-07-21, 08:01 AM

Well, let me phrase that slightly differently. Now I know how to do clouds that don't look like this:

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/2421/unledrz.jpg

(Very old Video Game Joke:)
Color it green, bring it down to ground level, and you have a bush!

Day 60: Creative Deficiencies

Two months. As good a time for any as a retrospective, really.

A couple of months ago I was making jokes about how bad my drawing skills were. I illustrated my case with the following image: The Pone

http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/75/apone.jpg

Yeah. I don't think it's possible to get any worse than that.

And so I continued, content in my terribleness at art. If I really wanted a picture, surely it was easier to commission a guy than learn how to draw myself? This attitude held strong right up until I did this picture.
But, you know whenever anyone asks anyone what the secret to anything is? Cooking, drawing, writing, playing basketball or Starcraft, or whatever? They will always, always say 'practise, practise, practise'. And everyone smiles, nods, and assumes they're being modest about their natural gifts. But they're telling the absolute truth. Sixty days, sixty days of hard work and see how far I've come from the above MS Paint Abominations. And I can't even imagine where I'll be in a year.

I dunno, man, I don't think anything will truly be able to top The Pone.
Seriously, though, your advancement has been obvious and steady, and you, indeed, should be quite proud of what you've accomplished.

Day 61: A Long Story

Damn it, Raz_Fox.

(Photoshop is really, really weird to use; pressure on the stylus has no change on the lines. The entire thing feels really slippery. Considering doing base elements in Corel and any fine tuning in Photoshop.

Photoshop is utterly precise, but you have to know exactly what you want)

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/4376/day61aedited1.jpg

Time: 1 1/2 Hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HGw2EDNQQk): Renegade

I very much approve of this picture. Ahh, bliss. A little lower, please!

Prime32

2011-07-21, 08:36 AM

Thanqol

2011-07-21, 08:59 AM

I suggest going vector.

Draw the basic picture, then place some paths (http://www.elated.com/articles/cat/photoshop-paths-pen-tool/) over it and adjust the curves until they fit. You can then have Photoshop stroke the paths for a cleaner set of lines.

Oh god, vectoring. I'm taking the grand meander through every single art process and tool.

Actually, sounds like it could be a lot of help, and I had no idea it was something that could be done in Photoshop (I thought it was an Inkscape thing). I was looking around for a tool that'd do something similar, but Photoshop's incomprehensible interface was absolutely no help. Thanks for pointing that out, I'll take a look at it tomorrow!

Prime32

2011-07-21, 11:00 AM

To clarify, I mean stroke the paths on another layer then hide the original. :smalltongue:

If it hasn't been mentioned, the common digital artist process:

Draw a pic, traditionally or digitally.
Vectorise it for clean B/W lineart.
Put the lineart on the top layer and set it to Multiply (effectively the white parts become transparent, the black parts stay black).
Put a few more layers under it, and use these to fill in colour. To avoid gaps you'll generally want to fill in each character/object with a base colour, then go over it on higher layers.
Add light/shadows.
Colour/blend the lineart to match the lighting and surrounding colours.

Kaytara

2011-07-21, 11:19 AM

To clarify, that is the common digital art process for a picture with lineart. If you're looking to do a more realistic one with no lineart, then you only need the sketch to remember where the boundaries are supposed to go, and if you have a reasonably clean sketch you can skip the vectorising in step 2.

That mafiosi image is looking evilly magnificent. :D I especially like the ear. Weird but true.

Domochevsky

2011-07-21, 02:12 PM

SiuiS

2011-07-22, 12:51 AM

Personally i'd advise against using vectoring. It doesn't add anything except construction work to your picture for minimal gain (scaling, to be specific, which for most pictures isn't important). Clean lineart is something you should be able to do on your own. Don't let a program take that from you. :smallsigh:

Seconded. The whole point of this shebang is to avoid short cuts that cost you skill in the long run.
So learning to vector solely to make good looking end products means you wot be able to draw good looking end products.

TheLaughingMan

2011-07-22, 01:31 AM

Hey Thanqol! Just wanted to chime in with how great your progress is. Keep it up! :smallsmile:

As far as advice goes, here's my two cents: Try Sketchbook Pro! It's the program I always use, and my drawings usually come out half-decent for it. (Use the marker tool! :smallsmile:)

For more general advice, remember to make a skeleton (figuratively speaking) before proceeding, and to try and use any shape tools you might have for it That way you get a better understanding of where the pieces fall into place. Remember that as a technique, it should only be used as much as it needs to, and if you can draw well enough without it then you should cease.

Here are some important anatomy tips, regarding humans:

*Legs are at least as long as arms.

*Eyes should be about one eye apart from each other.

*Arms should extend slightly past the waistline.

*The hands should only ever be as big as the face.

*Males have more jagged features than females, primarily face-wise.

You can also try measuring proportions via ruler, and keep them in mind if, say, you have a muse of some sort you wish to replicate.

Hope none of that's redundant. :smallredface:

Thanqol

2011-07-22, 05:48 AM

I'm more than happy to not learn how to vector; I've got enough things on the plate right now :smallwink: I'll stick with the linework. I'll shelve it for now and work on more basic skills and maybe come back to it when it'd be a supplement for my skill rather than a replacement for it.

Thanks for the reference points, LaughingMan; it's always great to have specific pointers like that. Those kind of quotable rules stick in my mind.

Day 62: BRILLIANT!

This worked out well! I'm going to put colour aside for a while until I've got a more satisfactory method of applying it. Overall, I don't hate this - the hand is a mess but it's less of a mess than my hands have historically been, and it was a tricky position. Also it looks suitably deranged.

Should also do some work on mouths (damn mouths!) and teeth.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/6962/day62.jpg

Time: 1 Hour
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebJFulmETMAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebJFulmETMA): The Ballad Of Spring Hill

Ajadea

2011-07-22, 02:46 PM

Nice! Very nice indeed, and very deranged. The pinky finger needs work, but otherwise I think it's great and expressive.

Thanqol

2011-07-23, 08:03 AM

Day 63: Android Hell.

Was absolutely exhausted from a tiring day of work, so I made a typical trademark dumb decision and tried to draw a somewhat simple geometric shape for tonight's project: A hexagram! Cue 30 minutes of frustration while discovering that geometric shapes are really, really hard to draw precisely by hand.

Had a bit of a mess around with the background details, experimenting with a few different things. The colour scheme of the wires worked, I'll keep it in mind for future pictures. The shine isn't perfect on the gem but I didn't have the time to go over my tutorial pages today.

Oh yes, and university starts again next week. There may be some days when I won't have access to my PC right until the evening and, thusly, minimal time for computerised drawing. Going to carry around my meatspace sketchbook and return to pencil drawing if it comes to that.

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/5360/day63.png

Time: 45 Mins
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IGS9qY7xko): The Device Has Been Modified:

Recaiden

2011-07-23, 08:22 AM

That is definitely a Shining Didecahexahedron. I don't know where you're getting this 'hexagram' idea. :smallconfused: but it's cool.

Thanqol

2011-07-23, 08:42 AM

That is definitely a Shining Didecahexahedron. I don't know where you're getting this 'hexagram' idea. :smallconfused: but it's cool.

I went into this with the intention of drawing a hexagram. What I got was another matter.

Thanqol

2011-07-24, 03:33 AM

Day 64: This Statement Is False

Sketches! Super duper rough versions, trying a whole bunch of things and looks for one of my characters. It was great fun and low stress so I might do a few more of these. It's also good to try doing the same character over and over, gets a better feel for their shape. Some of these are good, some of these are bad - but I do like the bottom right hand one. That's the character in a nutshell.

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/7933/day64.jpg

Time: 1 1/2 Hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=402asYLG_b0): Icarus

SiuiS

2011-07-24, 10:18 PM

Thanqol is a jerk. I must declare this.

I'm thinking in terms of digital skills now. I'm going to have to by a blue lead drafting pencil to continue drawing, because I don't have access to layers when sketching on paper.

On the upside, I still have rather decent compositional skills. Sure, I think of things a little too Egyptian style, everyone facing either stark right or stark left, but depth and weight are coming together, so I guess I haveto publicly thank Thanqol for kicking me back into drawing.

So thanks berk, for being a rat-bastard and also an in-progress tutorial :smallbiggrin: :smallwink:

I went into this with the intention of drawing a hexagram. What I got was another matter.

Yeah, geometry is hard. Try doing a five point star or a cog/gear that looks just as good when rotated about ten degrees.
It's one of my life's unatainable goals to draw a star that looks good while rotating freely.

Thanqol

2011-07-25, 07:25 AM

Thanqol is a jerk. I must declare this.

I always introduce myself as "I'm Thanqol and sometimes I'm a jerk" for a reason.

I'm thinking in terms of digital skills now. I'm going to have to by a blue lead drafting pencil to continue drawing, because I don't have access to layers when sketching on paper.

On the upside, I still have rather decent compositional skills. Sure, I think of things a little too Egyptian style, everyone facing either stark right or stark left, but depth and weight are coming together, so I guess I haveto publicly thank Thanqol for kicking me back into drawing.

So thanks berk, for being a rat-bastard and also an in-progress tutorial :smallbiggrin: :smallwink:

It's a hard job, but someone's got to do it.

Yeah, geometry is hard. Try doing a five point star or a cog/gear that looks just as good when rotated about ten degrees.
It's one of my life's unatainable goals to draw a star that looks good while rotating freely.[/color]

My eyes bleed when I even consider the concept.

Day 65: VOTE DOFAD. VOTE VICTORY

Let's show Johnny Alien a good Swiss uppercut!

http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/263/day65.jpg

Time: 1 1/2 Hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNyRU0fKHAY): Keep Me Hanging On

Thanqol

2011-07-26, 12:15 AM

Day 66: This Message Brought To You By Our Sponsors

Done in Photoshop. Still getting used to that thing. Need more practise drawing ray guns, tried a bunch of effects, experimented with different tools. Finding a model for this stance was oddly difficult so I did this one freehand.

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/9310/day66edited1.jpg

Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG4Nvv8w6gc): Torvus Bog (Metal)

Domochevsky

2011-07-26, 01:45 AM

Needs more hands and a better grip on that handle. :smallbiggrin:
(Way too easy to hide hands between objects in various weird poses.)

Thanqol

2011-07-26, 02:28 AM

Needs more hands and a better grip on that handle. :smallbiggrin:
(Way too easy to hide hands between objects in various weird poses.)

Urgh, yes, I completely slacked off on hands today. I'll do 'em right tomorrow, swear it.

Thanqol

2011-07-27, 12:22 AM

Day 67: The Swiss Uppercut

The main challenge today was a dynamic pose, which turned out all right, as well as the beginnings of a colour scheme. The picture is incomplete because I ran out of time. That better-hands thing half panned out; I was going to harvest some reference pictures and work on them some more but alas, meatspace concerns.

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/5596/day67.jpg

Time: 1 1/2 Hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muyG3LVocW8): Ritual

Thanqol

2011-07-28, 02:17 AM

Day 68: A Long Day

This worked out all right.

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/5848/day68.jpg

Time: One Hour
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfsS3pIDBfw&ob=av2e): Hands

billtodamax

2011-07-28, 06:50 AM

You've gotten really good alarmingly fast.

Thanqol

2011-07-29, 12:34 AM

You've gotten really good alarmingly fast.

:D

Day 69: Holy Jesus Baller

I can accept that this exists.

I can scarcely accept that I am responsible for it.

http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/8287/day69.jpg

Time: 3 Hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OTzapESrBw): The Rise of Luna

Domochevsky

2011-07-29, 03:50 AM

...wait what? How did that happen? °_°

Thanqol

2011-07-29, 04:19 AM

...wait what? How did that happen? °_°

I'm as scared and confused as you are.

Glass Mouse

2011-07-29, 04:44 AM

Whoa! :smalleek:

SiuiS

2011-07-29, 04:20 PM

...wait what? How did that happen? °_°

I'm as scared and confused as you are.

Whoa! :smalleek:

Gentleponies, I think we can agree that I speak for everypony here, when I say

Holy crap!

TheLaughingMan

2011-07-30, 01:32 AM

Holy crap!

Indeed! O_O

(To fill the complaint quota for the day, I'd try and make the light and shadow patterns have sharper edges, as it looks a bit neater. Other than that, fantastic work!)

Thanqol

2011-07-30, 06:13 AM

Day 70: Despair

I can't deny it any longer. I can't put off this decision. God help me, I wish I'd found the strength to make it sooner. If I had, all those people might still be alive.

That night changed me. I didn't want to believe it, I wanted to pretend it was different, but it's true. I am a vampire. I drink human blood in order to survive. And I enjoy it. And I've enjoyed it for far too long.

I'd take this chance to say goodbye, but I've already killed everyone I'd say goodbye to.

So I guess this is 'hello' instead.

http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/8819/day70.jpg

(Picture notes: I was having trouble finding a model in that pose, so I photographed myself in the position and used that for reference. Could do with more work - don't know un-shirted anatomy - but I'm out of time.)

Time: 1 hour 15 mins
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1x7AeEogGM): St. James Infirmary

Kaytara

2011-07-30, 08:07 AM

...

Teh art progress singularity iz upon us! Run for your liiiiives!

Thanqol

2011-07-31, 05:39 AM

...

Teh art progress singularity iz upon us! Run for your liiiiives!

I think I levelled up or something.

Day 71: Crackin'

I somehow stonewalled myself when it came to finding a shading technique I liked for this. Picked something at random and experimented with it. Mixed results, need to experiment more.

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/9701/day71c.jpg

Time: 2 Hours 15 Mins
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcukJRcmBW4): Tipitina

billtodamax

2011-07-31, 07:33 AM

Hands may or may not be the wrong size - my hands are gigantic, so I'm sorta bad at judging these things.

Thanqol

2011-07-31, 07:40 AM

Hands may or may not be the wrong size - my hands are gigantic, so I'm sorta bad at judging these things.

The reference meme I use is that the hands together should cover the face; I think that ratio is true on this picture?

smuchmuch

2011-07-31, 08:00 AM

Thanqol

2011-08-01, 03:55 AM

I am no artist but I do believe there are a few misproportion.

The head seems slightly too small, either that the torso and arms slightly too longa and the ahnd indeed a little too small.
The knee ,on the leg that is slightly bended, is too high.

I could be wrong, mind you.

Duly noted! :smallsmile:

Day 72: Supreme Deregulation

Hey guys, I figured out transparency.

Other notes: Noticed that heads aren't nearly as spherical as I've been expecting, hands are haaaaaaaaaaaaaard, monocles are excellent, this was rushed due to time constraints. Overall, not too bad a result.

http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/7344/day72.jpg

Time: 1 Hour
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FMSk9R9_JE&feature=feedf): Lower The Moon (Eurobeat Descent)

Domochevsky

2011-08-01, 05:20 AM

Needs a more square chin and a bigger hand. :smallwink:

Thanqol

2011-08-02, 08:27 AM

Day 73: Dead Tree Edition

No access to Inspired, my core computer, and the tablet today so I had to do some ancient style sketching. Now I know how cavemen felt.

where are my layers

where is my ctrl-z

On the upshot, various symbol and eye design amidst other things!

http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/8654/img0004efc.jpg

Time: ~2 hours spent sketching
Music: My friend, I heard naught but ze sound of progress.

Thanqol

2011-08-03, 06:15 AM

Day 74: This Guy Looks Legit

We should totally give him total control over our galactic empire, guys.

Quick one tonight. The moustache is meant to look ridiculously fake.

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/3203/day74.jpg

Time: 45 Minutes
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OAduig3jik): River Town

Thanqol

2011-08-04, 12:49 AM

Day 75: Vote Hugh Man!

Kisses babies and is not a Drengin.

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/5402/day75p.jpg

Time: 1 Hour
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914&ob=av3e): Take On Me

Thanqol

2011-08-04, 07:24 AM

Day 75a: Vote Hugh Man!

Or else.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/4845/day75b.jpg

Murska

2011-08-04, 08:20 AM

Thanqol

2011-08-04, 08:29 AM

Fight the powah! Fight the heavy-handed narrator-pushed candidates!

In other news, I've went through this thread now and jeesh. It's giving me hope that maybe one day I'll learn to draw as well. I need to practice more, but there's just never enough time...

Congratulations on the progress. :smallsmile:

Hugh Man is getting the support from my corner because he basically writes himself :smallbiggrin:

And thank you very much :smallsmile: As usual, the greatest thing to ever come of this thread is when people say they're going to follow this path. Really, even if it's a daily scribble, it's still worth doing. Doing is just better in every respect to not doing. Some days are earmarked as quick-sketch days, some I have more time to meander around and experiment - and experimentation helps so much.

I'm also starting to get to a level where I'll be able to include more illustrations in the LP. There's a few scenes in particular I've got planned out in my head :smallwink:

Thanqol

2011-08-04, 08:19 PM

Day 76: "And tomorrow, madame, you shall still be ugly."

Winston Churchill was a great guy.

Made this one a bit too broad at the shoulder, but otherwise I'm pretty happy with how it resolved.

http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/867/day76.jpg

Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8DbPSXzvxg): Thunderball

Thanqol

2011-08-05, 10:09 AM

Day 77: Kabbalah

Stayed up late but it was worth it. Learned several interesting things from this, some stuff to do, some stuff not to do. Also, I still hate hands but I'm gradually, gradually improving at them.

http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/8082/day75a.jpg

Time: 1 hour
Music: Make It Rain (by Setu Firestorm; couldn't find a link)

Thanqol

2011-08-06, 10:11 AM

Day 78: Burnin' Fate Points To Keep Warm

I was going to do something else. Then I got the idea to cross Ponies and Rogue Traders.

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/8823/day78.jpg

Time: 1 Hour
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzhBfalx2fw): Spark

Thanqol

2011-08-07, 09:36 AM

Day 79: Outlaw

Just a quick sketch today. It's late.

http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/9669/day79.jpg

Time: 35 Minutes
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39TUCMPmVVM&ob=av2e): Bells of New York City

Thanqol

2011-08-08, 05:59 AM

Day 80: The Angry Box

She's gonna Get you.

Character is Jayden Mavel, somewhat progressed since last we saw her.

EDIT: Minor fixes

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/6003/day80.jpg

Time: 1 1/2 Hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gd6EhRRNJc): Radio Nowhere

Trazoi

2011-08-08, 06:28 AM

Thanqol

2011-08-08, 06:40 AM

Still goin' strong! The main thing I'd see in this current image is that the outstretched arm looks a little flat because you haven't put any shadows on it like on the face.

What are you currently using to draw these? Are you 100% digital? I've been playing around with my current software looking for the one that feels the most comfortable, but all of them have some niggles that is making it hard to choose which to stick with.

Yeah, realised that a bit late. A quick edit should fix it! :smallsmile:

I'm still 100% digital; this entire recent set has been done in Corel. I figure I can start looking into the labyrinthine monster that is Photoshop on a need-to-know basis. I do almost everything with the fine point pen tool (1.5 size for my skeletons and 2.6 for my main linework). Most other tools seem to have weird side effects.

I typically make any picture 2x the desired resolution when starting off so that the minor line imperfections get smoothed over in the resize, and because having a nice big canvas is reassuring and cuddly. I've put the wash/water tools aside in favour of solid fills and the transparency slider, which perform the desired function with none of the annoying side effects. It feels like a pretty decent setup for the level I'm at; I'm not fighting the interface any more, just grabbing my pen and going for it.

Thanqol

2011-08-08, 08:58 AM

Day 80a: Out Of The Angry Box

Uh oh. Now she's a pony.

Now we're screwed.

http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/8348/day80a.jpg

Thanqol

2011-08-09, 08:31 AM

Day 81: CounterInception

Do you have any idea?

ANY idea how hard it is to wipe out an idea?

That idea, that simple idea, sound, of wings beating is the most bloody terrifying antagonist I've ever encountered in any medium ever. We've wiped it out twice now, and God help us if we're going to have to do it a third time.

Anyway, SiuiS, these are dedicated to you.

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/4626/img0009da.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/7525/img0011mp.jpg

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/5710/img0012qc.jpg

Time: ~30 mins each
Music: THE SOUND OF WINGS, OH GOD, THE SOUND OF ANGELIC WINGS

Thanqol

2011-08-10, 07:01 AM

Day 82: Applied Newton

Jayden looks goooooood as a Griffon.

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/5241/day82.jpg

Time: 1 1/2 hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5AGVdpt0KQ&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.equestriadaily.com%2F2011%2F 08%2Fmusic-mlp-kart-racing-game-music.html&feature=player_embedded): PonyKart Theme

fizzybobnewt

2011-08-10, 10:36 AM

Haha that's cool. Fire is more rounded. Can't explain myself better. Look at Mario's fireballs?

Kaytara

2011-08-10, 11:12 AM

The pose and the position of the limbs looks nice and natural and expressive. Keep trudgin'. :)

About the scorch marks on the griffon's body... Take care not to make them too uniform. Remember, they are where the fire scorched. Imagine how a flame scorches, and how it would affect the surface of the body in that particular spot.

SiuiS

2011-08-10, 05:48 PM

Yeah, realised that a bit late. A quick edit should fix it! :smallsmile:

I'm still 100% digital; this entire recent set has been done in Corel. I figure I can start looking into the labyrinthine monster that is Photoshop on a need-to-know basis. I do almost everything with the fine point pen tool (1.5 size for my skeletons and 2.6 for my main linework). Most other tools seem to have weird side effects.

I typically make any picture 2x the desired resolution when starting off so that the minor line imperfections get smoothed over in the resize, and because having a nice big canvas is reassuring and cuddly. I've put the wash/water tools aside in favour of solid fills and the transparency slider, which perform the desired function with none of the annoying side effects. It feels like a pretty decent setup for the level I'm at; I'm not fighting the interface any more, just grabbing my pen and going for it.

And with but a word, the scales fell from his eyes
The errors of the past; the wrong-doings and wrong turns
All made so clear, so vivid
And in the throes of the revelations upon him
He uttered but a single phrase, forever shaping the new world set before him;

"D'oh!"

Day 81: CounterInception

Do you have any idea?

ANY idea how hard it is to wipe out an idea?

That idea, that simple idea, sound, of wings beating is the most bloody terrifying antagonist I've ever encountered in any medium ever. We've wiped it out twice now, and God help us if we're going to have to do it a third time.

Anyway, SiuiS, these are dedicated to you.

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/4626/img0009da.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/7525/img0011mp.jpg

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/5710/img0012qc.jpg

Time: ~30 mins each
Music: THE SOUND OF WINGS, OH GOD, THE SOUND OF ANGELIC WINGS

Hahaha! Banana.
I am (probably to my detriment, given the concept behind it) curious about the soundtrack. Do one of you have a disk track that is just a wing beat? Did you snare a seagull from the far reaches by the sandy shore, and stuff it in a cage as inspiration?

Day 82: Applied Newton

Jayden looks goooooood as a Griffon.

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/5241/day82.jpg

Time: 1 1/2 hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5AGVdpt0KQ&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.equestriadaily.com%2F2011%2F 08%2Fmusic-mlp-kart-racing-game-music.html&feature=player_embedded): PonyKart Theme

Oh! Well that answers the "is that jayden as a griffon" question. Neat!
Sorry haven't been around, but you've progressed beyond the point where I'd be doing anything other than nagging you for things you can Already see. I feel very weird, posting in the Arts&Crafts section unless it's very pertinent. Poor DirtyTabs, I should lend her moral support anyway...

Going to leave this on preview, sleep on it. See if anything occurs to me. Speaking of memetic transfer, griffon seems to be the order of the day, does it not? Well done. You seem tohave gotten their basic form down pat.

Thanqol

2011-08-10, 07:18 PM

Haha that's cool. Fire is more rounded. Can't explain myself better. Look at Mario's fireballs?

I did! And I spent 20 minutes trying to draw one and failing so I went for the easy to draw option. Fire is something I need to figure out, though, so it's on the list for an entire practise day.

The pose and the position of the limbs looks nice and natural and expressive. Keep trudgin'. :)

About the scorch marks on the griffon's body... Take care not to make them too uniform. Remember, they are where the fire scorched. Imagine how a flame scorches, and how it would affect the surface of the body in that particular spot.

Ah! That's a great point, and one that I hadn't considered. Thanks!

And with but a word, the scales fell from his eyes
The errors of the past; the wrong-doings and wrong turns
All made so clear, so vivid
And in the throes of the revelations upon him
He uttered but a single phrase, forever shaping the new world set before him;

"D'oh!"

Referring to you or I? Because my reaction to finding the transparency slider was more "Ohhh, so that's how that works" :smallwink:

Hahaha! Banana.
I am (probably to my detriment, given the concept behind it) curious about the soundtrack. Do one of you have a disk track that is just a wing beat? Did you snare a seagull from the far reaches by the sandy shore, and stuff it in a cage as inspiration?

The mind mage erased all his memories of the sound and replaced them with that tap-dancing banana reminding him to Listen To Jayden the next time she warned him about that wingbeat.

The ST never actually played the sound, though. He just described it as the beating of enormous wings. Though now you've got me thinkin'.

Oh! Well that answers the "is that jayden as a griffon" question. Neat!
Sorry haven't been around, but you've progressed beyond the point where I'd be doing anything other than nagging you for things you can Already see. I feel very weird, posting in the Arts&Crafts section unless it's very pertinent. Poor DirtyTabs, I should lend her moral support anyway...

Going to leave this on preview, sleep on it. See if anything occurs to me. Speaking of memetic transfer, griffon seems to be the order of the day, does it not? Well done. You seem tohave gotten their basic form down pat.[/color]

I hope that soon I'll get the baseline competence to give DirtyTabs a hand with ponytars when I can. And thanks for what help you have been giving!

Gryphons are great and I'm going to be doing more of them.

Thanqol

2011-08-11, 09:26 AM

Day 83: The Prince

Incomplete; insufficient time. One hand got jellyfish syndrome. BUT the face is super creepy so net win. Whole bunch of experiments here, as usual tiredness leading me to try something that I think are simple but turn out to be way complex.

http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/5241/day82.jpg

Time: 1 hour
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETXWpc-Zmr0): Dormi

Thanqol

2011-08-12, 01:52 AM

Day 84: The Mask and the Mountebank

BACKGROUNDS!

EDIT: Minor fixes, was rushed out the door when finishing this.

http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/1615/day84.jpg

Time: 1 1/2 hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p1saYAMES0&ob=av2n): Runaway Train

Thanqol

2011-08-12, 07:35 AM

Day 84a: Unintentional Art

http://img542.imageshack.us/img542/9389/img0016tt.jpg

fizzybobnewt

2011-08-12, 10:53 AM

How? It's super effective!

Thanqol

2011-08-12, 05:42 PM

How? It's super effective!

As amusing as not telling might be, I took my camera up to a hill at night time and started taking pictures of the city lights using random settings and filters. Some of the pictures worked out oddly beautiful in their screwed-upness.

Thanqol

2011-08-13, 07:06 AM

Day 85: The Dove In The Storm

She wishes the chains were hers.

All kinds of trickiness involved here. Not perfect, or even done, by a long shot. But I tried a bunch of things I hadn't before and the areas I really focused on - hands, face, and body shape - I made real progress on.

Character is Ten Feather Quill, from an Exalted tabletop.

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/3940/day85.jpg

Time: 2 Hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLd5uIAHUP4): Winter Gray

Thanqol

2011-08-14, 02:05 AM

Saeyan

2011-08-14, 09:09 AM

I don't know anything about guns so I can't comment on the last image. instead let me make up for a long absence with a more detailed redline:
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b229/krysjez/adv_003.jpg

Mad Mask

2011-08-14, 09:21 AM

Day 86: Ponies. Also, guns.

That's a lot of gun for one little pony.

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/8076/day86.jpg

Time: 1 Hour
Music (http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/08/q-volume-ii.html#comments): These Guys Talking

While I'm still learning how to draw as much as you are, I can't help but notice that most of your lines are very uneven. What I suggest is taking a sketchpad and filling the pages with lines, circles, squares and triangle, drawing them as quickly as you can while making them as straight as possible. Your goal is to be able to draw them perfectly and freehandedly.

Domochevsky

2011-08-14, 10:48 AM

While I'm still learning how to draw as much as you are, I can't help but notice that most of your lines are very uneven. What I suggest is taking a sketchpad and filling the pages with lines, circles, squares and triangle, drawing them as quickly as you can while making them as straight as possible. Your goal is to be able to draw them perfectly and freehandedly.

I was going to say something similar as this, except your goal is not to draw them perfectly and freehandedly. There's this little thing called a "ruler", which you should be making use of instead. (Or the line tool, by whatever name it goes, in your software of choice.) :smallwink:

Also, what Saeyan said. Redlining over the stuff is probably the best way to illustrate corrections like this. :smallsmile:

Recaiden

2011-08-14, 11:48 AM

About the guns, they all look incredibly flat. You might want to try drawing them from different perspectives.

Thanqol

2011-08-14, 07:02 PM

I don't know anything about guns so I can't comment on the last image. instead let me make up for a long absence with a more detailed redline:*Snip*

Thanks! I appreciate it! A lot of those flaws I was aware of in a cannot-articulate-why-this-is-wrong sense and my response would be to spend another hour or so messing with the details and seeing if I could get it to look right.

While I'm still learning how to draw as much as you are, I can't help but notice that most of your lines are very uneven. What I suggest is taking a sketchpad and filling the pages with lines, circles, squares and triangle, drawing them as quickly as you can while making them as straight as possible. Your goal is to be able to draw them perfectly and freehandedly.

I've actually done this a few times, but not since I switched to the tablet and the relevant practise evaporated in translation. (Well, partially. Still better than when I initially began). I'll get back onto it!

I was going to say something similar as this, except your goal is not to draw them perfectly and freehandedly. There's this little thing called a "ruler", which you should be making use of instead. (Or the line tool, by whatever name it goes, in your software of choice.) :smallwink:

Also, what Saeyan said. Redlining over the stuff is probably the best way to illustrate corrections like this. :smallsmile:

Hm, the line tool... I considered doing that, but getting the lines perfectly parallel is tricky and one or two degrees of difference quickly becomes super obvious. Part of the reason for that day was to become less reliant on it. I think I might try the ruler, at least for a while.

About the guns, they all look incredibly flat. You might want to try drawing them from different perspectives.

I'm sure that if I added some shading there'd be a lot more depth. Those were mostly as a draw-straight-lines experiment.

Kaytara

2011-08-14, 10:00 PM

OMG there's a little Vaarsuvius there! :D

Thanqol

2011-08-15, 05:25 AM

Day 87: 1/3

Spoilers for the Deregulation Space LP.

Incomplete. There are full skeletons for panels 2 and 3 here and there's still a lot of tweaks and fixes to do. This is as far as I got in the piece during the time allotted.

http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/4185/day87.jpg

Time: 2 Hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM4vblG6BVQ&ob=av3e): Sunday, Bloody Sunday

Domochevsky

2011-08-15, 09:27 AM

The orc's thumb needs to be on the other side of his hand. (And the... table? needs ruler appliance.) :smallwink:

Thanqol

2011-08-15, 05:26 PM

The orc's thumb needs to be on the other side of his hand. (And the... table? needs ruler appliance.) :smallwink:

I saw the table but missed the thumb! Will do those and a bunch of other edits in p2.

Thanqol

2011-08-16, 02:31 AM

Day 88: 3/3

Aw yea. Action scenes.

I may stick with black and white for a while again, and perhaps try some environments tomorrow.

http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/438/day88.jpg

Time: 2 Hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0DjdveTK94): Massive

billtodamax

2011-08-16, 05:16 AM

The hand is weird in the second panel.

Domochevsky

2011-08-16, 10:52 AM

The hand is weird in the second panel.

More inconsistent than weird, in that he apparently changed grip inbetween panels. Still, the action in p2 is pretty solid as far as sense of movement goes. :smallsmile:

Thanqol

2011-08-17, 06:07 AM

The hand is weird in the second panel.

*Nod* Yeah, I should have gone back and fixed that. Oh well.

Day 89: Environmental

I know that I should look at tutorials and my books to find good techniques for this kind of thing, but I felt like just going for it and playing around and seeing what would happen.

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/9497/day89.jpg

Time: 1 Hour
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRVyqkBIlzE): A Little Too Late

Thanqol

2011-08-18, 01:30 AM

Day 90: Paints

And stuff.

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/8793/day90.jpg

Time: 1 Hour
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS3p05KX9L0): Illusion

Brazen Shield

2011-08-18, 01:43 AM

Day 90: Paints

And stuff.

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/8793/day90.jpg

Time: 1 Hour
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS3p05KX9L0): Illusion

Preeeettttty<3 <---- not helpful at all. ^^

Thanqol

2011-08-18, 01:55 AM

Preeeettttty<3 <---- not helpful at all. ^^

I'm fine with not helpful, glad you like :smallsmile:

Zorg

2011-08-18, 02:37 PM

SiuiS

2011-08-19, 04:19 AM

I'm not sure the How to Draw Manga series is a good investment. The majority of them are how to draw pretty girls.

I'm tempted to say the books are bad, and teach short-cuts that interfere with developing real skill. On the other hoof, a clever guy like Thanqol could adapt even such "useless" knowledge, and sometimes the anatomy short-cuts come in darn handy.

I know you can find some of the lessons on the online If you look. See if any of it is adaptable, maybe? One never knows. My anatomy skills cMe from anime, then anatomy classes.

Thanqol

2011-08-19, 05:22 AM

Re 88: The sense of movement in panel 2 is good (the lunge back). Problem in panel 3 is the fact that the perspective is not working.

As the shooter has returned to sitting upright, but is facing square to the viewer, firing over thier shoulder would be very difficult. It would work better if they were still leaning back, torso twisting to face the attacker more.

*Nod* The skeleton I had was actually notably worse. When I got up to that panel, I just kind of freehanded it instead rather than doing the sketch-into-inks that I normally do. In retrospect, I should have looked at a model of some kind.

Re 89: the perspective's pretty good for a first go without much reference. The only bits that really look odd to me are the benches, perspective wise.

If you're looking to work on perspective there's a great series called "How to Draw Manga" (http://www.amazon.com/How-Draw-Manga-29-Perspective/dp/4766112563/ref=pd_sim_b_12) which has a couple of volumes just on that sort of thin - practical technical drawing if you will.
The whole series is good, lots of stuff about proportions, compostition and clothing. Best of all it's available in Australia!

Aha! Aha! I actually have one of the How to Draw Manga line - I, in fact, stoleborrowed it from a friend in 2003 and it's sat on my shelf roughly ever since. I'd forgotten all about it.

Looking through it, it's a style I don't particularly like, especially the faces, BUT it looks like it has a bunch of useful stuff on modelling and sketching so I'll give it a more complete run through later.

Although it looks like the line has come a long way from this book, too.

Re 90: Adding even a little shading gives a lot more depth to the picture :)

I couldn't figure out how to do that in the moment, but I got a bunch of really obvious ideas after you made that comment.

Day 91: Market Forces

Short and simple because I'm actually working on a secret gigantic project for number 100.

It's deceptively difficult to come up with a design/logo thing like this.

http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/6648/day91.jpg

Time: 30 Minutes
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNoouLa7uxA&ob=av2e): Foolish Games

Zorg

2011-08-19, 12:20 PM

I'm not sure the How to Draw Manga series is a good investment. The majority of them are how to draw pretty girls.

You make that sound like a bad thing :smallwink:

I'm tempted to say the books are bad, and teach short-cuts that interfere with developing real skill. On the other hoof, a clever guy like Thanqol could adapt even such "useless" knowledge, and sometimes the anatomy short-cuts come in darn handy.

The same can really be said of any how-to-draw book. I personally think they're good guides, or for learning fundamental principals such as composition, perspective, technique, light sourcing etc - but actually using those components to improve one's skill takes practice, practice, practice.

*Nod* The skeleton I had was actually notably worse. When I got up to that panel, I just kind of freehanded it instead rather than doing the sketch-into-inks that I normally do. In retrospect, I should have looked at a model of some kind.

I often find that trying to get into the pose yourself (http://www.awkwardzombie.com/index.php?page=0&comic=072108) will reveal if it works or not, but that's just me (and drawing in private, lol).

Aha! Aha! I actually have one of the How to Draw Manga line - I, in fact, stoleborrowed it from a friend in 2003 and it's sat on my shelf roughly ever since. I'd forgotten all about it.

Looking through it, it's a style I don't particularly like, especially the faces, BUT it looks like it has a bunch of useful stuff on modelling and sketching so I'll give it a more complete run through later.

Although it looks like the line has come a long way from this book, too.

Yes, it's a good line to pick and chose from - some are more devoted to manga-specific techniques or styles, whilst some have a far broader application. I wouldn't buy blind, but you can probably find them in a specialist book store (don't know of any in Canberras, sorry).

I couldn't figure out how to do that in the moment, but I got a bunch of really obvious ideas after you made that comment.

Happy to help :smallcool:

Day 91: Market Forces

Short and simple because I'm actually working on a secret gigantic project for number 100.

Works nicely - I'm usually terrible at coming up with logos. Interesting to see this secret project.

Thanqol

2011-08-19, 11:20 PM

I often find that trying to get into the pose yourself (http://www.awkwardzombie.com/index.php?page=0&comic=072108) will reveal if it works or not, but that's just me (and drawing in private, lol).

Haha, yeah, point. Thanks for the advice! :smallsmile:

Day 92: Happy Ending

Quick sketch. Still relatively minor stuff due to the Secret Project consuming the majority of my scheduled art time. Dragon Tails (http://www.dragon-tails.com/) was the best webcomic ever.

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/1456/day92.jpg

Time: 30 minutes + Secret Project
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6CeR8tdmXs): Mythos - Purity

SiuiS

2011-08-20, 10:40 PM

You make that sound like a bad thing :smallwink:

I can honestly say that that is what sold me on the one book I actually bought. But drawing the female form is to me what drumming fingers is to others; I do it randomly, without really paying attention, as a sort of meditation.

Thanqol, however, seems to want an actual education in art rather than a layman's dabbling. I often pass up topics that work for me but are too 'low-brow' for our fine Hosstralian friend.

I often find that trying to get into the pose yourself (http://www.awkwardzombie.com/index.php?page=0&comic=072108) will reveal if it works or not, but that's just me (and drawing in private, lol).

Aye, I've done this. Both the advice, and the comic face-making. I gesticulate too! Most close friends can tell what I'm thinking by watching my hands. Awkward when I'm going through a kata or something in my head. "why are you chopping the air in the temple? Does my 'how I got fluffy spayed' story upset you?"

Haha, yeah, point. Thanks for the advice! :smallsmile:

Day 92: Happy Ending

Quick sketch. Still relatively minor stuff due to the Secret Project consuming the majority of my scheduled art time. Dragon Tails (http://www.dragon-tails.com/) was the best webcomic ever.

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/1456/day92.jpg

Time: 30 minutes + Secret Project
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6CeR8tdmXs): Mythos - Purity

Wow, that's pretty cool. It looks like one of Alterform's weird vectors at first glance.

Your progress is astounding. I'm starting to think you might be constrained by digital media. Or media in general; you are bustling with artz. When you learn the Moe technique of willing art into existence, Heaven help us.

Thanqol

2011-08-21, 03:55 AM

I can honestly say that that is what sold me on the one book I actually bought. But drawing the female form is to me what drumming fingers is to others; I do it randomly, without really paying attention, as a sort of meditation.

Thanqol, however, seems to want an actual education in art rather than a layman's dabbling. I often pass up topics that work for me but are too 'low-brow' for our fine Hosstralian friend.

I would like to be able to draw a set of breasts that don't look like vague triangles or rhomboids, just saying. :smallwink:

Aye, I've done this. Both the advice, and the comic face-making. I gesticulate too! Most close friends can tell what I'm thinking by watching my hands. Awkward when I'm going through a kata or something in my head. "why are you chopping the air in the temple? Does my 'how I got fluffy spayed' story upset you?"

I have to say, I don't have this habit yet, perhaps due to the structured environment I find myself working in. I sometimes channel the mood of the picture, though that could be the music talking.

Wow, that's pretty cool. It looks like one of Alterform's weird vectors at first glance.

Your progress is astounding. I'm starting to think you might be constrained by digital media. Or media in general; you are bustling with artz. When you learn the Moe technique of willing art into existence, Heaven help us.[/color]

When I get a compliment like this for a sketch like that I blush amazingly red. :smallredface:

Day 93: Has A Supercomputer Ever Been Not Evil

Evidence suggests no.

http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/813/day93a.jpg

Time: 30 minutes + Seekrit Project
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQWAcgefsQQ): Spike In The Rail

Thanqol

2011-08-22, 04:37 AM

Day 94: Carbine? Check.

Seekrit Project lineart 75% done! Phew!

Silhouette because silhouettes are awesome and fast. I think I can see a few little flaws with this one, but on the whole it worked, especially for the time investment.

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/9540/day94.jpg

Time: 30 Minutes
Music: The Pantheon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s3b5OR2YhE)

Thanqol

2011-08-22, 07:26 AM

Minor update: Finally figured out layer grouping and collapsing, and -damn- if that isn't going to be helpful for colouring. Seriously.

Wondering why Corel doesn't have a gradient function, and why Photoshop's is so bafflingly nonsensically implemented (the entire layer must be covered! No excuses! No gradienting a selection!) Can anyone enlighten me on this?

EDIT: Answered my own question. I got dis.

Mellhurst

2011-08-22, 08:18 PM

Its really kewl how you work this into your projects.

Also, nice progress!

Mellhurst

2011-08-22, 08:21 PM

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/4626/img0009da.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/7525/img0011mp.jpg

duh, wha?

oh wait, it isn't a pigeon,
it's a poney, a donkey?

*shudder* I thought it was better, but now its worse

I want my poney back, no I want the human back, rockstar, rockstar... *wobbles* *tips over* *shudders catatonically*

*blinks* (Notices: They've both got a patch on the back.) wait, is that SiuiS? Or a daughter of SiuiS and Jayden?

Hehee, anyway I like the drawings.
Oh, I especially like this one: http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/8888/day50.png

Thanqol

2011-08-22, 09:45 PM

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/4626/img0009da.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/7525/img0011mp.jpg

duh, wha?

oh wait, it isn't a pigeon,
it's a poney, a donkey?

*shudder* I thought it was better, but now its worse

I want my poney back, no I want the human back, rockstar, rockstar... *wobbles* *tips over* *shudders catatonically*

*blinks* (Notices: They've both got a patch on the back.) wait, is that SiuiS? Or a daughter of SiuiS and Jayden?

Jayden: I cannot understand any of this post, but I'm either flattered or angry.

Thanqol

2011-08-23, 08:28 AM

Day 95: A Collapse

Did a bunch of sketching away from the prime computer today but my concentration and heart wasn't in it and, resultingly, it all looks like ass. Have some practise lines and circles instead.

Mostly this was due to the excellence of today's gaming session. Jayden was actually being sane and rational and resisting opportunities to murder tonnes of people. Which worked out great given that those people were mostly cops.

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/5267/img0020zu.jpg

Time: 1 Hour

Mellhurst

2011-08-23, 10:31 AM

Jayden: I cannot understand any of this post, but I'm either flattered or angry.

probably angry, I was honestly quite disturbed by your portrayal as a pigeon that turned out to be a chimera.
Though I have to say the look suits you, so I guess it's both. : )

-
Wait, Jayden is an rpg character? Kewl!
What sort of system allows for a Rockstar Pyromaniac?

Thanqol

2011-08-24, 01:39 AM

probably angry, I was honestly quite disturbed by your portrayal as a pigeon that turned out to be a chimera.
Though I have to say the look suits you, so I guess it's both. : )

Jayden: Angry it is!

-
Wait, Jayden is an rpg character? Kewl!
What sort of system allows for a Rockstar Pyromaniac?

Mage: The Awakening. It's a World of Darkness game, real world wizards kinda deal. It's my favourite tabletop game.

Day 96: Perfection of the Visionary Warrior

He frees the arrow
And then turns his face away
He is only his craft

Decided to do a big one to make up for all the dodgy pieces recently. Was a huge ol' meander through a whole bunch of experimental techniques.

http://img830.imageshack.us/img830/8282/day96.jpg

Time: 3 Hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKbcsnA-wVU&feature=related): Oyoiyoi

Domochevsky

2011-08-24, 11:36 AM

Silviya

2011-08-24, 02:17 PM

So I've been away from this thread for a while because of a camp I went to and also some other stuff that's come up, so I haven't checked in on this thread in a long time. And now I come back, and wow, Thanqol. Just wow. You've really improved. I especially love the one you did on day 69.

Your newest piece is really good also. The one issue I have with it is the line-y stuff for shading. It works for the hair, but not so much for the other stuff.

Also, does your version of Photoshop allow for custom brushes? Because those are so much fun to experiment with. I recently found as sort of rectangular brush, and it actually works really well. I can send you the links to where to download some of the really useful custom brushes if you want.

You're doing really well, Thanqol. Keep up the good work. :smallsmile:

SiuiS

2011-08-24, 03:13 PM

Jayden: I cannot understand any of this post, but I'm either flattered or angry.

I am confused at the implications myself.
Is it the labcoat/shirt & tie? Does it having a patch remind one of my cloak?
How would Jayden and I somehow end up giving birth to Jayden? ... Scratch that, genealogy, timelines and ponies don't mix well, I'd rather not go into it http://www.electricsamurai.com/forums/images/smilies/icon_lol.gif

About rhomboid boobs... Perfect practice makes perfect, aye? So if you're willing to live through people wondering why you're doodling naked ladies all over the place, you'll get the hang of it.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/94bc3340.jpg

So here I've done as good a job of a torso as I can using my forefinger. The important bits are the sternum and clavicle lines.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/85c24f7b.jpg

These poorly done red lines should originate at the top of sternum/hollow of the throat, and curve down and slightly around the rib cage. They would be different in different rib positions.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/fc4cdd89.jpg

Here is where the subtle screw-ups of finger painting compile enough that I'm not sure the example really shows anything.
The lime green would, ostensibly, be boobs. The outermost edge (which doesn't always show up because it can line up with the natural musculature of the body. The inside connects... Anywhere from sternum to an inch and a half off-sternum. The red hang-lines are supposed to line up with the nipple but I seem to have screwed that up pretty bad.

Theoretically, this would let you draw boobs, except it adds the extra steps of "draw character naked -> sketch clothes around the body ->" before the usual just drawing the clothes around the skeleton that I believe you usually do.

Domochevsky

2011-08-24, 06:20 PM

...
About rhomboid boobs... Perfect practice makes perfect, aye? So if you're willing to live through people wondering why you're doodling naked ladies all over the place, you'll get the hang of it.
...

You say that like it's a bad thing. :smallwink:

[color="darkgreen"]

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/94bc3340.jpg

So here I've done as good a job of a torso as I can using my forefinger. The important bits are the sternum and clavicle lines.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/85c24f7b.jpg

These poorly done red lines should originate at the top of sternum/hollow of the throat, and curve down and slightly around the rib cage. They would be different in different rib positions.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/fc4cdd89.jpg

Here is where the subtle screw-ups of finger painting compile enough that I'm not sure the example really shows anything.
The lime green would, ostensibly, be boobs. The outermost edge (which doesn't always show up because it can line up with the natural musculature of the body. The inside connects... Anywhere from sternum to an inch and a half off-sternum. The red hang-lines are supposed to line up with the nipple but I seem to have screwed that up pretty bad.

Theoretically, this would let you draw boobs, except it adds the extra steps of "draw character naked -> sketch clothes around the body ->" before the usual just drawing the clothes around the skeleton that I believe you usually do.

A important point of this: always draw the torso first and then add boobage. The good news is, that boobs is one thing you can find plenty of references of. Being a artist is hard. (And yes, for one-shots, drawing characters naked first and then add clothes is the way to go.) :smallbiggrin:

Darklord Bright

2011-08-25, 04:44 AM

The best way to learn how to draw any aspect of the human figure is simply to look it up. Of course, finding real-life reference for breasts can be rather embarrassing should you have to explain that it really is research. :smalltongue:

Thanqol

2011-08-25, 08:16 AM

Not happy with his left hand, the lack of facial content and how the bow string is a) weirdly placed and b) has no energy to what appears to be a "yo, i just knocked off a arrow" pose.

Overall pretty good, however. :smallsmile:

I spent a long time fighting with the left arm and hand. I swear, one of these days, gonna get hands right.

So I've been away from this thread for a while because of a camp I went to and also some other stuff that's come up, so I haven't checked in on this thread in a long time. And now I come back, and wow, Thanqol. Just wow. You've really improved. I especially love the one you did on day 69.

Thank you very much :smallredface:

Your newest piece is really good also. The one issue I have with it is the line-y stuff for shading. It works for the hair, but not so much for the other stuff.

Yeah, you're right. I certainly wasn't happy with the line shading, especially on skin tones. I'm still randomly grappling with the concept of skin colours at this point.

Also, does your version of Photoshop allow for custom brushes? Because those are so much fun to experiment with. I recently found as sort of rectangular brush, and it actually works really well. I can send you the links to where to download some of the really useful custom brushes if you want.

Please, link me! I played around with Corel's custom brushes on 96, hence the subtle floral pattern, but I didn't figure out what to do with them yet.

You're doing really well, Thanqol. Keep up the good work. :smallsmile:

Thanks again!

I am confused at the implications myself.
Is it the labcoat/shirt & tie? Does it having a patch remind one of my cloak?
How would Jayden and I somehow end up giving birth to Jayden? ... Scratch that, genealogy, timelines and ponies don't mix well, I'd rather not go into it http://www.electricsamurai.com/forums/images/smilies/icon_lol.gif

Jayden: Standing too close to the pony threads has completely messed up my relationship diagram already.

About rhomboid boobs... Perfect practice makes perfect, aye? So if you're willing to live through people wondering why you're doodling naked ladies all over the place, you'll get the hang of it.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/94bc3340.jpg

So here I've done as good a job of a torso as I can using my forefinger. The important bits are the sternum and clavicle lines.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/85c24f7b.jpg

These poorly done red lines should originate at the top of sternum/hollow of the throat, and curve down and slightly around the rib cage. They would be different in different rib positions.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/fc4cdd89.jpg

Here is where the subtle screw-ups of finger painting compile enough that I'm not sure the example really shows anything.
The lime green would, ostensibly, be boobs. The outermost edge (which doesn't always show up because it can line up with the natural musculature of the body. The inside connects... Anywhere from sternum to an inch and a half off-sternum. The red hang-lines are supposed to line up with the nipple but I seem to have screwed that up pretty bad.

Theoretically, this would let you draw boobs, except it adds the extra steps of "draw character naked -> sketch clothes around the body ->" before the usual just drawing the clothes around the skeleton that I believe you usually do.
[/color]

Ooh, that's really helpful, thanks! I'll definitely reference this in the future! :smallsmile:

A important point of this: always draw the torso first and then add boobage. The good news is, that boobs is one thing you can find plenty of references of. Being a artist is hard. (And yes, for one-shots, drawing characters naked first and then add clothes is the way to go.) :smallbiggrin:

*Nod nod* I wasn't sure about that, actually. Thanks for the tip!

The best way to learn how to draw any aspect of the human figure is simply to look it up. Of course, finding real-life reference for breasts can be rather embarrassing should you have to explain that it really is research. :smalltongue:

"I swear these pictures of naked ladies were only so I could draw pictures of naked ladies."

Day 97: Don't Lose Your Humanity

A quick piece, but even then it turned into a bit of a fight due to those DAMN FINGERS. Gonna get hands right if it kills me. Made the minor discovery that you can't do sharp lines with a thick brush. Overall, kind of quick and dirty, but Human Revolution came out today AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS.

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/948/day97.jpg

Time: 30 minutes
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VypMb4vpzGU&feature=feedu): Ponies

Silviya

2011-08-25, 03:21 PM

Hands are definitely hard to draw. I find it's pretty much impossible for me to draw decent hands without some sort of reference.

Anyway, photoshop brushes. These are just a few, but they're the ones I found most useful. This (http://adonihs.deviantart.com/art/My-Brush-Pack-118954791?q=favby%3Asilviya7%2F44513469&qo=280) is my favorite brush pack. They're all pretty basic, but super useful. This (http://silviya7.deviantart.com/favourites/?offset=168#/d1ffete) isn't actually a downloadable brush pack, it's a tutorial, but down at the bottom of the artists comments is a link to download the custom brush that they use, which I have found incredibly useful (read the tutorial too, it's very helpful).
There are also lots of crazier brushes, like (http://metal-cx.deviantart.com/gallery/241650) these. (http://axeraider70.deviantart.com/gallery/430564) Don't overuse those brushes, but they can be fun to experiment and play around with.

Thanqol

2011-08-25, 08:52 PM

@^ Thanks! I'll check those out when I next have time! :smallsmile:

Day 98: The Demon Headmaster

Lord Protector Claudio von Baltharsar. We will not forget.

Another bit of a rush job, only had a limited amount of time on the schedule today.

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/2771/day98.jpg

Time: 30 mins
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOXSDh_Lswc): Mine, Windbag, Mine

SiuiS

2011-08-25, 09:58 PM

Thanqol

2011-08-27, 12:25 AM

You're certainly getting the hang of dynamism.

For hands, I have to ask; can you visualize 3D space?
If you can think about a "computer generated" hand skeleton, and rotate it in your mind, you'll be good.

Step one: break the 'hand' down into bones.
Step two: position the bones how you want them in your mind.
Step three: realize you've screwed up the perspective on some of the knuckles.

Step 97: feel satsified that, though the fingers look like segmented wrestling centipedes, they are recognizable as hands.
Step 98: realize that, you've been doing good hands for the las. Month or so, and have the realization trip you up.
Step 99: go back to step 14 for a bit, work your way up.
Step 100: transcend 97-99

Ah, it seems I've been following the proper process then!

Hands are fun, because 1) they combine mechanics, anatomy, perspective, and "faking it" (faking it being when you're better using three lines and some shading to get the right look instead of doing it all 'correctly'), and 2) once you get them down, they are great to experiment with. Hands can be blobs, detailed organs, lines, swirls, and Lego blocks telekinetically swirling through space, and if you've got the basic motions down, they will all be recognizable as hands.

*Nod nod* Yeah, this is all very true.

That's one o the better feelings as an amateur artist like myself; line-line-swirl-dot-line audience reaction when it's a face? Stunned applause ;D

For bewbies, I actually have a hustler magazine a customer threw at me, sitting next to my art supplies just to get the questions out of the way. They comment, I say it's for art reference, end of discussion. Of cours, I've never actually opened the thing, I'm just too lazy to throw it away... XD[/color]

Hehehehe!

Day 99: DAY ONE HUNDRED

Surprise! I finished the Day 100 project early, and this means YOU GET IT EARLY.

The challenge? DRAW THE AVATARS OF EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO EVER POSTED IN THIS THREAD.
[Disclaimer: As of post 90; people I missed will likely be in the next one of these]

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/9169/day100.jpg

Link (http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/9169/day100.jpg)for xyber hueg resolution

I want to take this moment to say thank you, again, to everyone who's commented, or given support or advice or anything. Learning to draw has it's ups and downs, and it's an eternal challenge, but overall it's been amazingly fun and absolutely worthwhile. I don't regret this for a second. And, please, what I want everyone to take away from this is that any progress I have made you can make too. Right now. Nothing is stopping you. If I want to achieve one thing by making this progression public it's that I might inspire other people to do the same.

Remember that you are amazing. Remember that if you put your mind to something you can do it. Remember that the only thing stopping you from being awesome is the fact that you're not standing up and being awesome.

As far as this piece goes, I learned a tonne from it - but the thing I mostly want to take away is an understanding of composition. When I do the next one of these I'm going to be thinking in lines running through characters and through the picture as a whole, and where the eye is drawn to. But overall, this was fun and I'm glad it's complete.

Thank you again.

Time: Many hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWUe-iwyB2M): Nostalgia

Domochevsky

2011-08-27, 01:13 AM

Oh snap!

(Man, has it been 99 days already? Time flies. >_>)

That's a surprisingly high amount of pony content, incidentally. :smallbiggrin:

Trazoi

2011-08-27, 01:57 AM

Too many pony avatars, not enough OotS/Gilbert&Sullivan crossovers. :smalltongue:

Edit: Srsly though, kudos to you for sticking with it for so long. 100 down, only 3500 more to go. :smallwink:

smuchmuch

2011-08-27, 07:39 AM

Very funny, and very nice effort on composition as well.

You know, I notice you seem to have trouble with hands and sometime limbs.
I assume you have already done so but if you haven't learning a bit about anatomy (I mean the real deal, muscles and bones and how they are related to each others) an learning to relte to them as interconnected volumes goes a long way to help.
edit: (oh wait just noticed someone already said that, my bad.)

Thanqol

2011-08-27, 07:39 AM

@^ Thank you again ^^

And yes, looking at muscle anatomy is on the list but haven't gotten around to it yet. Many delays :smallsmile:

Day 100: Day Ninety Nine

Decided to get today's out of the way early 'cause I'm out all day tomorrow. And as bonus, have three.

http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/7397/day99a.jpg
http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/2271/day99.jpg
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/9910/day99b.jpg

Time: 1 Hour
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo9g5pFgDWk): A Storm In The Desert

Shadow Lord

2011-08-27, 10:26 AM

That's pretty darn awesome, Thanqol. Your progress scares me. I'll just go hide in a good ol' fashion corner now.

Zorg

2011-08-27, 03:23 PM

Day 99: DAY ONE HUNDRED

Ha! Love it :smallbiggrin:

Learning to draw has it's ups and downs, and it's an eternal challenge, but overall it's been amazingly fun and absolutely worthwhile. I don't regret this for a second. And, please, what I want everyone to take away from this is that any progress I have made you can make too. Right now. Nothing is stopping you. If I want to achieve one thing by making this progression public it's that I might inspire other people to do the same.

Well you've encouraged me to get drawing again and try some new techniques, so you've got one point there at least.

Day 100: Day Ninety Nine

Decided to get today's out of the way early 'cause I'm out all day tomorrow. And as bonus, have three.

http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/7397/day99a.jpg
http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/2271/day99.jpg
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/9910/day99b.jpg

Your composition's really coming along here. In the second panel, aside from the odd right hand the only criticism is that the angles on the shots isn't quite right - one of those niggling perspective things.
The third panel has a great pose, though it looks like his right bicep is missing. It should probably be at least partially visible betwee the shoulder and elbow, or the hand should be shifted over to the right of frame (though I like it further out, more menacing I think).

Thanqol

2011-08-28, 04:50 AM

That's pretty darn awesome, Thanqol. Your progress scares me. I'll just go hide in a good ol' fashion corner now.

No! No corners! Being scary isn't the point! :smallwink:

Well you've encouraged me to get drawing again and try some new techniques, so you've got one point there at least.

Hurray!

Your composition's really coming along here. In the second panel, aside from the odd right hand the only criticism is that the angles on the shots isn't quite right - one of those niggling perspective things.
The third panel has a great pose, though it looks like his right bicep is missing. It should probably be at least partially visible betwee the shoulder and elbow, or the hand should be shifted over to the right of frame (though I like it further out, more menacing I think).

Ah! Thanks for pointing that out!

Day 101: Cold Water On Fire

Turns out tomorrow was the day I'm away all day.

Also, this might be the cutest thing I have ever drawn.

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/4729/day101.jpg

Time: 1 Hour
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef__vpo1gZQ): Cold Water

SiuiS

2011-08-28, 06:41 AM

And yes, looking at muscle anatomy is on the list but haven't gotten around to it yet. Many delays :smallsmile:

:smallannoyed:

I'm a rather cerebral fellow, so take this wiu some salt;
But foundational skills, like basic anatomy, is something that will give you fast returns just for thinking about it. By which I mean, I think you will go farther, skipping one day of drawing and instead actually studying anatomy, than you would if magical time powers let you get a whole week's worth of drawing in on that day.

As I've said, perfect practice makes perfect, and every day you practice incorrect form, well, is another day you'll have to spend on anatomy just to overcome that reflex. You're young, your mind is still plastic. Get the anatomical stuff while you can!

Origin and insertion of muscles is useful for;
Shape of muscle at rest/in action
Understanding what actions are possible
Understanding what you're seeing when you look at other art
Shape of bones/ reason behind structure

And that's just knowing which end of the muscle is the "beginning" and which is the "ending".

I'm fully aware that what I know of your schedule ("has a job, does some school, draws for an hour, constantly pony") isn't realistic, Nd you have time constraints, possibly serious ones. I still feel this is important enough to pretend I'm an authority on, and rag on you. :smallwink:
Seriously though. Remember how much easier everything became when you unlocked the secrets of layers? Or of using the opacity tool? Anatomy is like that, but its like figuring out the compatibility of a previously alien program; leaps and bounds! Hops, skips, adorable pony jumps! What's not to like?

I'm wordy at 04:30... Ahaha.

Thanqol

2011-08-28, 07:43 AM

I'm fully aware that what I know of your schedule ("has a job, does some school, draws for an hour, constantly pony") isn't realistic, Nd you have time constraints, possibly serious ones. I still feel this is important enough to pretend I'm an authority on, and rag on you. :smallwink:
Seriously though. Remember how much easier everything became when you unlocked the secrets of layers? Or of using the opacity tool? Anatomy is like that, but its like figuring out the compatibility of a previously alien program; leaps and bounds! Hops, skips, adorable pony jumps! What's not to like?

I'm wordy at 04:30... Ahaha.

Duly noted, and you make a good point! I certainly can't let inertia carry me at this point on such a topic. You've pre-empted my various defensive arguments too, so I won't waste our time with those :smallwink:

Do you have any specific guides or links to turn to? Otherwise I'm pretty much going to be doing a combined arms google image search + deviantart for "Anatomy" and hope they produce helpful results.

Mad Mask

2011-08-28, 07:52 AM

In this case I always recommend Burne Hogarth's Dynamic Anatomy (http://www.amazon.com/Dynamic-Anatomy-Expanded-Burne-Hogarth/dp/0823015521). Tremendously useful book.

Hawkflight

2011-08-28, 02:15 PM

Day 101: Cold Water On Fire

Turns out tomorrow was the day I'm away all day.

Also, this might be the cutest thing I have ever drawn.

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/4729/day101.jpg

Time: 1 Hour
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef__vpo1gZQ): Cold Water

Eeee! It's Whitefire! *snuggles* <3

SiuiS

2011-08-28, 03:03 PM

I suggest Trailguide to the Body (http://www.booksofdiscovery.com/). Complete body anatomy on one end, flashcards for whatever specifics you'd need for the other.

I'll be the first to say though, that just one book doesn't cut it and my suggestion is in addition to specifically art reference books. so anything the actual artists suggest would be good too :smalltongue:

Thanqol

2011-08-29, 01:42 AM

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll look at them when I don't have three days wall-to-wall of stuff lined up.

Day 102: Backslide

STEALING MY IDEAS

http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/3813/day102m.jpg

Time: 15 Minutes
Music (http://www.thefump.com/fump.php?id=1065): Goddammit Marc Gunn, Shut Up About Your Cat

Zorg

2011-08-29, 12:07 PM

101 - very cute :smallbiggrin:

102 - ah, Thanqol's finally gone totally crazy.

Capt. Ido Nos

2011-08-29, 12:12 PM

I think you've captured my likeness very well!

Silviya

2011-08-30, 04:22 AM

102 - ah, Thanqol's finally gone totally crazy.

Welcome to the wonderful world of completely crazy artists, Thanqol. :smalltongue:

Congratulations of getting to 100 days. You've shown real dedication and determination to get better. So many people will say they want to learn to draw, but then never do anything about it. The fact that you've kept at it makes me so happy. Keep being awesome, Thanqol. :smallsmile:

Just imagine where you'll be in a year. I better start working on my art more, or you'll get better then me! :smalltongue:

Also, I promised forever ago that I'd write up this huge long thing about art and what makes for good art, also including links to a ton of tutorials and recommendations for good art books. I'm not sure you even remember that, but I'll try to get it written up sometime soon. Feel free to nag me about it, it will probably make me get it done faster.

Thanqol

2011-08-30, 08:40 AM

101 - very cute :smallbiggrin:

102 - ah, Thanqol's finally gone totally crazy.

Welcome to the wonderful world of completely crazy artists, Thanqol. :smalltongue:

I was feeling it was getting too chummy in here so I decided to launch a bitter, unprovoked attack on a fellow artist in training. I promise one such for every 100 days Mr. Nos completes!

I think you've captured my likeness very well!

It's the eyebrows.

Congratulations of getting to 100 days. You've shown real dedication and determination to get better. So many people will say they want to learn to draw, but then never do anything about it. The fact that you've kept at it makes me so happy. Keep being awesome, Thanqol. :smallsmile:

Just imagine where you'll be in a year. I better start working on my art more, or you'll get better then me! :smalltongue:

Thank you :smallredface: It's been both easier and more difficult than I imagined, but it's been entirely rewarding.

Also, I promised forever ago that I'd write up this huge long thing about art and what makes for good art, also including links to a ton of tutorials and recommendations for good art books. I'm not sure you even remember that, but I'll try to get it written up sometime soon. Feel free to nag me about it, it will probably make me get it done faster.

Oh yes! That'd be especially helpful now just as I'm starting to come to grips with basic linework and starting to look at finer details / more complex techniques! :smallsmile:

I swear I'll look at that anatomy stuff soon. There's just stuff everywhere.

Day 103: What Day Is It

It's Saturday.

This was good fun! Especially for an eraserless, skeletonless (ha!) freehand!

http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/2810/img0023un.jpg

Time: 1 hour
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5JyWFMw-wI&feature=feedu): Lay Down Interview: Spanishiwa

Zorg

2011-08-30, 03:13 PM

I was feeling it was getting too chummy in here so I decided to launch a bitter, unprovoked attack on a fellow artist

So you've got the artist's mindet down pat then - good to see :smallbiggrin:

Day 103: What Day Is It

Is he flipping me off?

I'm not sure how a skull face with ears works, but I'm sure it's painful.

The collar on his jacket should fade away more sharply as it is essentially vertical as it goes around the neck.

With his pimp-stick (or any object being held), it's useful to remember that when gripped firmly in a fist a rod/handle runs behind the knuckles , but when gripped lightly will more likely cut across the palm, secured by the pinky finger.
For this guy if he had it in a loose grip (most likely with his jaunty hat doffing), it would be held vertically, or even inclined slightly to the left of frame, coming into his hand at the same spot but exiting partway through the main part of his hand - directly below the stripe on his glove or thereabouts. His pinky and ring finger would be curved in much more, but the middle and index would still be splayed out.

Silviya

2011-08-30, 10:10 PM

Oh yes! That'd be especially helpful now just as I'm starting to come to grips with basic linework and starting to look at finer details / more complex techniques! :smallsmile:

I'll get to work on that. I may not be able to get it done for a bit because I'm currently working on doing lots of novel writing, but I'll have time to also work on that. Shouldn't be longer than two weeks (if it is longer, pester me).

Hmm, maybe I should do something like this. Probably not one picture a day, I'm way to slow for that, but maybe one picture a week or one picture every 10 days. I have been looking through some of the awesome art of DeviantART and despairing that my art is not as good, maybe I should do more about that :smalltongue:

Trazoi

2011-08-31, 02:47 AM

Would it be too gauche to ask if it's a good idea that I get on the daily art drawing deal too? I've been meaning to start a webcomic for ages as an outlet for improving my art, but it's been in catch 22 limbo because I feel my art isn't good enough. :smallsigh:

My concern is that before long the whole dang forum would be full of individual threads...

Thanqol

2011-08-31, 03:42 AM

I'll get to work on that. I may not be able to get it done for a bit because I'm currently working on doing lots of novel writing, but I'll have time to also work on that. Shouldn't be longer than two weeks (if it is longer, pester me).

Ah, wordarts! Good luck with that! :smallsmile:

Hmm, maybe I should do something like this. Probably not one picture a day, I'm way to slow for that, but maybe one picture a week or one picture every 10 days. I have been looking through some of the awesome art of DeviantART and despairing that my art is not as good, maybe I should do more about that :smalltongue:

I recommend my rule of "One thing" every day. It could be a few tweaks or a little bit of work on a bigger picture, but as long as it's something rather than nothing. It gets to be a habit and it makes sure you can't put it off for too long.

Would it be too gauche to ask if it's a good idea that I get on the daily art drawing deal too? I've been meaning to start a webcomic for ages as an outlet for improving my art, but it's been in catch 22 limbo because I feel my art isn't good enough. :smallsigh:

My concern is that before long the whole dang forum would be full of individual threads...

Do it! Do it! Do it! It's absolutely worth doing, and I can't think of a better use for an Arts&Crafts forum! I will be your loudest cheerleader every step of the way!

And heck, if this trend does take off to the point where it becomes a problem, then that's the best problem ever.

Day 104: Anatomy

Finally got around to reading a bunch of anatomy tutorials, and tried my hoof at a few of them. SiuiS was right that I should have done this sooner, and chances are I'm going to spend the next week or so doing pieces like this until I've got a basic handle on the process.

http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/8508/day103.jpg

Time: 30 minutes drawing + More reading
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI0_w9aV8G0): Used To Get High

Thanqol

2011-09-01, 12:25 AM

Day 105: It's all okay.

Good gracious. I'm... learning. Things like how to set up a hand. And a body. This whole learning-how-to-do-things-teaches-you-how-to-do-things thing is still alien to me. This is way more effective than eating the pencil shavings of better artists!

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/3141/day105.jpg

Time: 40 minutes
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhfe6uoy6NA&feature=feedlik): Ballad of Autumn Dreams

Elder Tsofu

2011-09-01, 01:32 AM

Hum hum, beginning to draw naked women? Don't fall into that trap. :smallwink:

Thanqol

2011-09-01, 01:34 AM

Hum hum, beginning to draw naked women? Don't fall into that trap. :smallwink:

Don't worry, I'll be sure to do some mancandy for you :smallwink:

Elder Tsofu

2011-09-01, 01:36 AM

As long as it doesn't turn out "house of horrors"-style I'm good with that. :smallcool:

Thanqol

2011-09-01, 03:34 AM

Day 105a: Mancandy

This can't be right. Hands can't be this easy to draw.

I know hands. Hands are the mutant jellyfish that flail on the ends of arms. I can't just... replace that process with these things, right?

Damn. Why am I still surprised that learning things teaches me things?

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/6901/day105a.jpg

Thanqol

2011-09-01, 07:21 AM

Day 105b: Unstoppable Force

Now this I'm happy with, for now.

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/5820/day106copy.jpg

smuchmuch

2011-09-01, 07:32 AM

Thanqol

2011-09-01, 06:37 PM

Hands are a bit like ears, depending of the level of details you want, they can be both somme of the hardest and easiest thing to draw.

Persoanly I've alway considered them easy even for the good reason you have two models right at the end of your arms.

That said I notice you have a stange tendency to draw fingers (other than the thumb) with two phalanxes instead of three. That's bad.

The breakthrough for me came with the idea that I can draw a bunch of abstract rectangles to assist with the lines and shapes.

And thanks for the heads up, I'll work on fixing that. :smallsmile:

Thanqol

2011-09-02, 12:46 AM

Day 106: And A Liar Behind A Mask

The hardest part of this was visualising the composition. After that, it happened very easily.

http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/2483/day106a.jpg

Time: 1 Hour
Music (http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/q-volume-3.html?showComment=1314925596919#c8170161951447444 082): More People Stealing My Ideas

Thanqol

2011-09-02, 07:59 AM

Day 107: Immoveable Object

In a way, it's kind of fitting. Jayden's picture was me picking something crazy ambitious and half pulling it off. Mask's was faking her picture by blurring the line between dodgy art and "I meant to do that". And Charger made me spend two hours being a perfectionist.

http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/3425/day107.jpg

Time: 2 1/2 hours
Music (http://soundcloud.com/mistarleadguitar/tracks?page=3): How I Feel

SiuiS

2011-09-03, 12:38 AM

the undercurrent of everything I've thought since I started reading this just now has been a constant "C'mon, Thanqol! Haven't I been saying that forever?" http://www.electricsamurai.com/forums/images/smilies/icon_lol.gif

Day 105: It's all okay.

Good gracious. I'm... learning. Things like how to set up a hand. And a body. This whole learning-how-to-do-things-teaches-you-how-to-do-things thing is still alien to me. This is way more effective than eating the pencil shavings of better artists!

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/3141/day105.jpg

Time: 40 minutes
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhfe6uoy6NA&feature=feedlik): Ballad of Autumn Dreams

Tastes better this way, too XD
You still seem to be having trouble with breasts. So, I know it will ruin the mystique, but...

a human breast is a lump of fat that hangs. Take a sack, like a potato sack. Fill it with, oh, let's say a basketball. Now fasten the bag to the wall, so the opening connects to the wall like a lamprey fastened on it's victim.

That's how a boob works. It comes out but then gravity gets all up in it's business and pulls it down. Breasts come in differeing sizes and even shapes, but that is the gist of it. You do better in your second picture though, a lot better.

Hm. A quick preview tells me that this is the second drawing. Thought I'd quoted another one. :smallconfused:
Any way! The lady on the left, I see you did her torso with rectangles. As a lark next time you do a sketchdump thing, is use a sphere (not a circle! Sphere! It must be a sphere in your head!) for the connector between the rectangular ribcage and pelvis. The ribcage/pelvis move around the sphere like it's a ball bearing they are connected to.

Hum hum, beginning to draw naked women? Don't fall into that trap. :smallwink:

Trap? How is it a trap? Draw what ya love! http://www.electricsamurai.com/forums/images/smilies/icon_lol.gif

Day 105a: Mancandy

This can't be right. Hands can't be this easy to draw.

I know hands. Hands are the mutant jellyfish that flail on the ends of arms. I can't just... replace that process with these things, right?

Damn. Why am I still surprised that learning things teaches me things?

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/6901/day105a.jpg

Yay~ you're learning~

Day 105b: Unstoppable Force

Now this I'm happy with, for now.

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/5820/day106copy.jpg

dat Gryphon 6.6

Thanqol

2011-09-03, 05:03 AM

the undercurrent of everything I've thought since I started reading this just now has been a constant "C'mon, Thanqol! Haven't I been saying that forever?" http://www.electricsamurai.com/forums/images/smilies/icon_lol.gif

Yes, yes, you were right. :smallwink:

Tastes better this way, too XD

Yeah. This frees me up to eat their used soap slivers instead!

You still seem to be having trouble with breasts. So, I know it will ruin the mystique, but...

a human breast is a lump of fat that hangs. Take a sack, like a potato sack. Fill it with, oh, let's say a basketball. Now fasten the bag to the wall, so the opening connects to the wall like a lamprey fastened on it's victim.

That's how a boob works. It comes out but then gravity gets all up in it's business and pulls it down. Breasts come in differeing sizes and even shapes, but that is the gist of it. You do better in your second picture though, a lot better.

Welp! You've disabused me of the notion that learning to draw would be a somehow poetic thing!

Hm. A quick preview tells me that this is the second drawing. Thought I'd quoted another one. :smallconfused:
Any way! The lady on the left, I see you did her torso with rectangles. As a lark next time you do a sketchdump thing, is use a sphere (not a circle! Sphere! It must be a sphere in your head!) for the connector between the rectangular ribcage and pelvis. The ribcage/pelvis move around the sphere like it's a ball bearing they are connected to.

Will do! Will get back into hard research after a day or two, little mentally weary right now.

dat Gryphon 6.6

:smallbiggrin: Glad you like!

Day 108: Determinator

Spoilers for the Deregulation Space LP.

Quick and dirty, brain went somewhere else today.

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/3336/day108.jpg

Time: 30 Mins
Music (http://soundcloud.com/mistarleadguitar): Saturday Morning

Trazoi

2011-09-03, 05:27 AM

Day 108: Determinator

Spoilers for the Deregulation Space LP.

Quick and dirty, brain went somewhere else today.

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/3336/day108.jpg

Time: 30 Mins
Music (http://soundcloud.com/mistarleadguitar): Saturday Morning
"Dammit, second best in show again!"

Are you going for the shadow look as a style, or are you working on your outlines and use of space? They look good in silhouette, and I'm guessing it's a good use of limited time.

Thanqol

2011-09-03, 08:37 AM

"Dammit, second best in show again!"

Are you going for the shadow look as a style, or are you working on your outlines and use of space? They look good in silhouette, and I'm guessing it's a good use of limited time.

Little of column A, little of column B. I love silhouettes as a thing; they're easy to do and look fantastic. They also teach me to think about pose; to get this right I had to take another photograph of myself in the proper position, and then adjust for the character's body type and so on. And they're just fun, too.

Trazoi

2011-09-04, 02:42 AM

to get this right I had to take another photograph of myself in the proper position
That reminds me: there's a camera built into this computer. Getting references for hand poses should be literally a snap.

Thanqol

2011-09-04, 04:01 AM

Day 109: Half and Half

Both are bad, so updating twice.

I was trying a thing where I combine anatomy skeletoning with action poses. Arm's off in 1, so are the legs a bit, and I could work more on my shrapnel. 2's coat is wrong, as are the legs and face shape, but the colour scheme looks good. Both are pretty ugly but they were experimental.

EDIT: In retrospect, I see a bunch of fixes I could do without much trouble. I often do, looking back on pictures after a few hours. I have a feeling my process will change when I change up this daily schedule.

http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/92/day109.jpg

http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/4959/day109a.jpg

Time: 30m + 45m
Music (http://soundcloud.com/mistarleadguitar): All Across The Sky

Thanqol

2011-09-05, 03:36 AM

Day 110: Signature

I figure I should at least be able to draw my own mask, right?

Line 1: Basic shapes
Line 2: Emotions
Line 3: Variations
Line 4: Advanced
Line 5: Pony concepts
Line 6: Pony final

Wound up using one of Inkwell's designs for the pony version of the mask rather than kairaven's from the avatar; it's significantly easier to pull off and looks cuter. I can variate between the mask's design and shape in order to convey different emotions and such.

It's both simple and very tricky to use that mask, and it's something I need to practise more.

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/4328/day110.jpg

Time: 1 Hour 15 mins
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p1saYAMES0&ob=av2e): Runaway Train

Trazoi

2011-09-05, 09:40 AM

Zorg

2011-09-05, 03:14 PM

Good to see you working with anatomy (and that it's working well for you :smallsmile: ).

Day 109 (I'm not really going to go over the others to much as they seemed more technical to me [I was down in Canberra as it happens]) - I'd take heart from the fact you're learnign to pin down the exact elements that aren't working in your composition by yourself.

For the first one shrapnel is something very hard to do, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. The overall pose and dynamism is still good, and aside from the already admitted proportional issues the overall sense of movement is there.

In the secon one the thing that bugs me the most is the hood. The closer edge of the hood should be covering more of the face, especially above the left eye. It probably shouldn't be covering as much of the right side of the face either.

Day 110 - Being a mask it's a challenge to give expression to what is essentially expressionless. You're lacking eyebrows, mouth and pupils/irises to give a vast range of visula cues there. Obviously using a lot of anime tropes helps here, but I don't really see much of a variance between the ones in line 2.

Domochevsky

2011-09-05, 04:35 PM

About expressions... :smallwink:

http://wildwestscifi.net/Misc/Challenge/day110.png

Thanqol

2011-09-05, 05:38 PM

I've been meaning to ask: what exactly is your avatar, other than a masked pony?

I'm unsure of what emotions you're trying to convey. I can guess a few, like maybe forlorn for the second in row 2, but for most they look neutral. You could try Nancy Lorenz's 25 Essential Expressions Challenge (http://napalmnacey.deviantart.com/art/25-Essential-Expressions-55523083) and see if you can get 25 unique, identifiable expressions from that mask. I think you might need to fudge it and go with expressive eyes though (that's a cheat I have to use with my masked characters).

Aha! I knew that 25-thing existed in some form or feature but I couldn't find it with my weak google fu. I'll give that a definite try.

And yeah, expressive eyes seem to be the way to go. I evidently wasn't able to pull quite enough out of the angles and such itself.

And my avatar pretty much is a masked pony. Based off a commission (http://thanqol.deviantart.com/#/d30902z)I had done a while back. The Arcani, which is what the original monster I came up with was called, is a kind of Inevitable that exists to responds to minor crimes with absolute force. It'll murder a child for dropping a candy wrapper, for example. Used the design for a few other things and characters though.

Good to see you working with anatomy (and that it's working well for you :smallsmile: ).

Day 109 (I'm not really going to go over the others to much as they seemed more technical to me [I was down in Canberra as it happens]) - I'd take heart from the fact you're learnign to pin down the exact elements that aren't working in your composition by yourself.

For the first one shrapnel is something very hard to do, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. The overall pose and dynamism is still good, and aside from the already admitted proportional issues the overall sense of movement is there.

Yeah, it's something that'd be significantly improved by another hour spent on fixing the details.

In the secon one the thing that bugs me the most is the hood. The closer edge of the hood should be covering more of the face, especially above the left eye. It probably shouldn't be covering as much of the right side of the face either.

I didn't even pick up on that as a thing! I'll take a closer look at that and figure out how to fix it :smallsmile:

Day 110 - Being a mask it's a challenge to give expression to what is essentially expressionless. You're lacking eyebrows, mouth and pupils/irises to give a vast range of visula cues there. Obviously using a lot of anime tropes helps here, but I don't really see much of a variance between the ones in line 2.

Yeah, line 2 I was still more or less flying blind on getting the design constant and working out basic arrays.

About expressions... :smallwink:

http://wildwestscifi.net/Misc/Challenge/day110.png

And this is why I'm going with expressive eyes now. Thank you sir! :smallbiggrin:

Day 111: Functional Wings

Broadly solid, I think, but still annoyed by a few things. I don't like how the hair turned out so I'm probably going to leave behind that style as a thing, the shirt detail could do with a lot more time, the lips gave me huge trouble and took up a significant amount of time and even then I went for a less challenging application, and it's kinda minor but the title on the book should have been arranged differently. Skin's reflective of the background because I haven't figured out how to colour skin right yet, but I don't mind the effect here.

I am happy with the shape of the face, though. I reckon that worked.

http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/6008/day111.jpg

Time: 2 Hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypuFEGAToBI&feature=related): Eve

Kaytara

2011-09-05, 08:07 PM

On the subject of expressions, I wanted to share the best tutorial (http://fav.me/d37hme5) I've ever seen on the matter. Not just useful, but hilarious to read.

And another one (http://fav.me/d422uo7) for company.

The artist is absolutely kickass.

She is able to, say, switch fluently between this (http://fav.me/dhvugk) and this (http://fav.me/dony7a).

...Yeah, let's wallow in our amateurishness together. ~_~

Helanna

2011-09-05, 11:06 PM

Okay, for a while I've been trying to decide whether I wanted to jump on the bandwagon and learn to draw. I finally decided to wait for a while and see how school affected my schedule - I'm just not sure I'd have the time, energy, or willpower to keep it up consistently.

Then I got to my first 2D Animation class today. No textbooks are required - just sketchbook so we can practice drawing.

Soooo . . . Now that I have the impetus, I may as well jump on into it. Just a question. I picked up a (fairly cheap) sketchbook (turns out my school bookstore has a nice art section!). Now, what sort of pencils would I use? Would regular old No. 2 pencils work okay, or is there another sort I should use?

Anyway, thanks for making this thread, Thanqol! At least it's given me confidence that if I work at it, maybe I won't humiliate myself during this class. :smalltongue:

Thanqol

2011-09-05, 11:11 PM

Those Lackadaisy tutorials are the coolest things ever and the artist is fantastic. Thanks for relinking them, I'd forgotten to save them!

Okay, for a while I've been trying to decide whether I wanted to jump on the bandwagon and learn to draw. I finally decided to wait for a while and see how school affected my schedule - I'm just not sure I'd have the time, energy, or willpower to keep it up consistently.

Then I got to my first 2D Animation class today. No textbooks are required - just sketchbook so we can practice drawing.

Soooo . . . Now that I have the impetus, I may as well jump on into it. Just a question. I picked up a (fairly cheap) sketchbook (turns out my school bookstore has a nice art section!). Now, what sort of pencils would I use? Would regular old No. 2 pencils work okay, or is there another sort I should use?

Anyway, thanks for making this thread, Thanqol! At least it's given me confidence that if I work at it, maybe I won't humiliate myself during this class. :smalltongue:

Hurray! Welcome!

I found that a 2B pencil or a 4B pencil is good for sketching, and a H pencil is good for skeletoning and silvery/metallic colours. Regular, random writing pencils are crap and they knock at least two points off your art score. IMPORTANT: Get a good sharpener.

So kick up a thread and join us! You're in good company! :smallbiggrin:

SiuiS

2011-09-05, 11:51 PM

Those Lackadaisy tutorials are the coolest things ever and the artist is fantastic. Thanks for relinking them, I'd forgotten to save them!

Hurray! Welcome!

I found that a 2B pencil or a 4B pencil is good for sketching, and a H pencil is good for skeletoning and silvery/metallic colours. Regular, random writing pencils are crap and they knock at least two points off your art score. IMPORTANT: Get a good sharpener.

So kick up a thread and join us! You're in good company! :smallbiggrin:

Butbutbutbut mechanical!

The harpies take you, Thanqol, don't make me have to invest money into this! why would you suggest that?! I'm still reeling from lack of a good skeleton-making pencil! http://i.imgur.com/DrMmg.jpg

... http://i.imgur.com/jgqXQ.jpg Fine.
Fine. I'll actually start drawing. I will declassify my big sketchbook from "Nellie ladies only" to actual sketching. I may even give a hoot about what pencil I use.

You're lucky I'm in fear of your superior Kung Fu... :smallbiggrin:

Thanqol

2011-09-06, 12:10 AM

Butbutbutbut mechanical!

The harpies take you, Thanqol, don't make me have to invest money into this! why would you suggest that?! I'm still reeling from lack of a good skeleton-making pencil! http://i.imgur.com/DrMmg.jpg

C'mon, man, a decent set of pencils will cost you $10, tops. A mechanical pencil is like a cross between a 2B and a H, which makes it kinda good maybe, but you can't really shade at all ever.

... http://i.imgur.com/jgqXQ.jpg Fine.
Fine. I'll actually start drawing. I will declassify my big sketchbook from "Nellie ladies only" to actual sketching. I may even give a hoot about what pencil I use.

You're lucky I'm in fear of your superior Kung Fu... :smallbiggrin:[/color]

First you must fill your head with wisdom
Then you can break blocks of ice with it

Trazoi

2011-09-06, 12:47 AM

Thanqol

2011-09-06, 12:55 AM

I'm using mechanical pencils mainly out of habit - they're what I have with me for writing, so that's what I use. I've switched to using 2B leads though because they're more versatile. However they are nigh impossible to do shading with. Cross-hatching yes, shading no.

4B's excellent for general shading, 6B for heavy shading. 4B can even be used for lineart if you like kind of dusty or vague lined drawings.

Trazoi

2011-09-06, 01:01 AM

4B's excellent for general shading, 6B for heavy shading. 4B can even be used for lineart if you like kind of dusty or vague lined drawings.
It's slightly harder to find at the newsagent though. They've usually got 2B and 2H leads, but 6B isn't as common. Plus you burn through them pretty quick for general use.

Anyway, turns out I'm full of rubbish and you can shade with a mechanical pencil. I must of used a stupidly hard pencil the one time I tried it and didn't try it again until just now.

Kaytara

2011-09-06, 05:10 AM

Soooo . . . Now that I have the impetus, I may as well jump on into it. Just a question. I picked up a (fairly cheap) sketchbook (turns out my school bookstore has a nice art section!). Now, what sort of pencils would I use? Would regular old No. 2 pencils work okay, or is there another sort I should use?

Whatever you do, if you start getting serious about sketching, make sure to get yourself a little thing called "archivist's gloves". They're thin white cotton gloves commonly used to handle glossy prints and are sold at photo stores. Cut off the tips on the thumb, the forefinger and the middle finger to keep your tactile sensitivity with gripping the pencil.

If you don't want to run the risk of ruining a good drawing, get them even if you're NOT "serious" about sketching. The problem with drawing is that, when your hand touches the paper, skin oil can work the graphite into the paper and make an ugly, impossible to remove stain. With the gloves, it might still smudge, but at least it will be erasable. So, use the gloves, and use a transparent sheet on top of them (well, not literally, you want the sheet between the paper and your hand) to eliminate smudging completely.

I found that a 2B pencil or a 4B pencil is good for sketching, and a H pencil is good for skeletoning and silvery/metallic colours. Regular, random writing pencils are crap and they knock at least two points off your art score. IMPORTANT: Get a good sharpener.

The other school of thought is that the skeletoning is something you want to be able to easily erase later, which means it's best to do the guidelines and the rough sketch in a soft pencil, pressing very lightly, add detail in a much harder pencil, and go back and easily erase the soft pencil. Of course, that depends entirely on what kind of drawing you're working on.

C'mon, man, a decent set of pencils will cost you $10, tops. A mechanical pencil is like a cross between a 2B and a H, which makes it kind of good maybe, but you can't shade with it at all, ever.

No, because it's possible to buy different leads for a mechanical pencil. I usually use H, since it's soft enough not to scratch without smudging much.

I use a mechanical pencil for all my sketching or drawing, period. I love mechanical pencils. They're amazing. And if anyone thinks you can't shade with them, I have only to point them to Saimain's work (http://fav.me/d31gs7w).

(Having one of those white paper-y things to smudge with helps too, of course.)

It's slightly harder to find at the newsagent though. It's slightly harder to find at the newsagent though. They've usually got 2B and 2H leads, but 6B isn't as common. Plus you burn through them pretty quick for general use.

I don't know. When I use regular, non-professional pencils, I burn through them pretty quickly because I need the tip fine and sharp, but sharpening them to that extent makes the lead break or tilt too easily, which makes me keep sharpening them just to get a workable tip.

Mechanical pencils don't need sharpening, and none of the lead is wasted.

Helanna

2011-09-06, 09:22 PM

Hurray! Welcome!

I found that a 2B pencil or a 4B pencil is good for sketching, and a H pencil is good for skeletoning and silvery/metallic colours. Regular, random writing pencils are crap and they knock at least two points off your art score. IMPORTANT: Get a good sharpener.

So kick up a thread and join us! You're in good company! :smallbiggrin:

Thanks! I probably won't put up my own thread, since I still may not have the time to update nearly as often as I'd like, but I probably will go through the beginning of this thread and the other drawing threads and collect tips and exercises.

Now I just gotta find a time to get back to the bookstore and get some decent pencils . . .

Thanqol

2011-09-07, 04:13 AM

Day 112: Signed

Significant improvement!

http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/3057/day112n.jpg

Time: 1 1/2 hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlLShygsV0E): Symphonia in Duos Competitores

Trazoi

2011-09-07, 08:13 AM

That's a decent range of expression you've got on that mask there. :smallsmile:

Not sure what's going on with "flirty". :smallwink:

Thanqol

2011-09-07, 09:05 AM

That's a decent range of expression you've got on that mask there. :smallsmile:

Not sure what's going on with "flirty". :smallwink:

You don't find that sexy?

Weirdo.

Kaytara

2011-09-07, 02:05 PM

That's a decent range of expression you've got on that mask there. :smallsmile:

Not sure what's going on with "flirty". :smallwink:

The hood's down, so I'm going with "striptease". >D

Thanqol

2011-09-08, 01:25 AM

Day 113: The Resistance

Content with this. Didn't have time to finish it, but it looks good for what it is.

http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/8439/day113.jpg

Time: 1 1/2 Hours
Music (http://soundcloud.com/mistarleadguitar): The Holy and the Divine

smuchmuch

2011-09-08, 08:19 AM

Legs seems a bit short and alrge at the end but the top part is very nice.

Kaytara

2011-09-08, 09:06 AM

Ooooh, *very* nice. The pose looks solid, the proportions realistic, the clothes give the figure a nice sense of alive-ness and movement, and I like that jawline.

The only problem is the legs, and that they start too far down.

Capt. Ido Nos

2011-09-08, 02:21 PM

Looks very good, Thanqol! I'm really impressed with how you've got the clothes folding over themselves. It looks like they're blowing in the wind too, very nicely done :)

That said, his right leg looks smaller than his left leg. If anything, it should be switched, since the right leg is in the foreground, if only by a little bit.

Thanqol

2011-09-08, 05:42 PM

Yeah, when I said 'unfinished' I was referring to the legs. They could certainly have benefited from another 30 minutes of fine tuning, which I might wind up doing sometime in the future. :smallsmile:

Thanqol

2011-09-08, 09:24 PM

Day 114: Commisiarioned

No time to talk, gotta run.

http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/2650/day114.jpg

Time: 1.5 Hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyFYk4p8ABQ): Silvertown

Thanqol

2011-09-09, 08:31 PM

Day 115: Giggle At The Ghostie

Just look how happy he is!

Was an attempt at expressions (in particular, the creepy laugh). I think my ongoing problem is I'm not entirely sure how to do skin details and textures. I should start researching this.

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/2758/day115.jpg

Time: 1.5 Hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTucY9lN75g&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.equestriadaily.com%2F2011%2F 09%2Fmusic-crepuscularity-in-flames-dashs.html&feature=player_embedded): In Flames

SiuiS

2011-09-10, 05:25 AM

The other school of thought is that the skeletoning is something you want to be able to easily erase later, which means it's best to do the guidelines and the rough sketch in a soft pencil, pressing very lightly, add detail in a much harder pencil, and go back and easily erase the soft pencil. Of course, that depends entirely on what kind of drawing you're working on.

No, because it's possible to buy different leads for a mechanical pencil. I usually use H, since it's soft enough not to scratch without smudging much.

I use a mechanical pencil for all my sketching or drawing, period. I love mechanical pencils. They're amazing. And if anyone thinks you can't shade with them, I have only to point them to Saimain's work (http://fav.me/d31gs7w).

(Having one of those white paper-y things to smudge with helps too, of course.)

I don't know. When I use regular, non-professional pencils, I burn through them pretty quickly because I need the tip fine and sharp, but sharpening them to that extent makes the lead break or tilt too easily, which makes me keep sharpening them just to get a workable tip.

Mechanical pencils don't need sharpening, and none of the lead is wasted.

This is consistent with my own experience. I believe I have 2B lead because it's been the most versatile, but I haven't bothered to actually check the hardness in years.

Thanqol, skin is one of hoe funny things that's not what it looks like. For example, coloring? Skin is mostly a weird yellow and turquoise combination with some others mixed in. Next time you get the shot, stare at someone's skin. Look for the yellow and blue, it will be like having a muted bruise all over. It may disturb you, but I suspect you've seen worse.

As for texture, I've got nothing.

Finally, don't mean to badger you about the anatomy thing (responding from like, forever ago). I just knew you'd have his magical moment of "oh **** I totally see howthis works now!" and I wanted to rush you there so we could enjoy it sooner. It was immature on my part, but it benefits you, so we're even.

Thanqol

2011-09-10, 06:54 AM

This is consistent with my own experience. I believe I have 2B lead because it's been the most versatile, but I haven't bothered to actually check the hardness in years.

Thanqol, skin is one of hoe funny things that's not what it looks like. For example, coloring? Skin is mostly a weird yellow and turquoise combination with some others mixed in. Next time you get the shot, stare at someone's skin. Look for the yellow and blue, it will be like having a muted bruise all over. It may disturb you, but I suspect you've seen worse.

As for texture, I've got nothing.

Art is weiiiiiiiiiiiiird.

I need to find out how to save custom colours in Corel, if it's possible at all. I'll look at that later. I know Photoshop can do it; I'll look into it.

Finally, don't mean to badger you about the anatomy thing (responding from like, forever ago). I just knew you'd have his magical moment of "oh **** I totally see howthis works now!" and I wanted to rush you there so we could enjoy it sooner. It was immature on my part, but it benefits you, so we're even.

Haha no worries! Being badgered about doing stuff wrong is the raison d'etre for this entire thread, and now I know what to look for. Please, badger me when I do stuff wrong, it's not like I'm making the decisions consciously or knowingly :smallwink:

Also, teeth. I need to look at how to do teeth.

Zorg

2011-09-10, 01:30 PM

Day 113: The Resistance

Others covered most of it already, but I've just got to add that it's like you levelled up here something crazy!
You got the folds on the clothes, the collar works and the proportions are prettymuch spot on. So yeah, well done overall :smallsmile:

Day 114: Commisiarioned

He doesn't look as old as his moustache would suggest. For age there would be more lines around the eyes at the edges. His hat should probably be lighter on teh right side of it as well a bit.

Day 115: Giggle At The Ghostie

Gah! :smalleek:

Those are some craaaaazy eyes he's got there. The shading around his mouth is well done too.
The lines at the root of the nose should be going out rather than up/in, however. He's also got very pointy nostrils.

Part of the thing with teeth is that you've got them very square, particularly the incisiors, but teeth are rounder and not perfectly straight.
The lower right (of frame) molars are the best in some way as they overlap and have more shape to them.

It's kind of hard to pick out more details because he's staring into my soul.

Rockbird

2011-09-10, 04:11 PM

Day 115: Giggle At The Ghostie

Just look how happy he is!

Looking good there. HOWEVER!
Facial expressions are bloody hard, mostly because the things that make them 'click' aren't overly obvious when you haven't studied them very carefully. For example:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c317/Cocatrice/Untitled-1-1.jpg

Art is weiiiiiiiiiiiiird.

Not at all. But it makes you look at the world and really notice what you see, and the truth is: reality is weird. :smallcool:

Thanqol

2011-09-11, 04:01 AM

Others covered most of it already, but I've just got to add that it's like you levelled up here something crazy!
You got the folds on the clothes, the collar works and the proportions are prettymuch spot on. So yeah, well done overall :smallsmile:

Thank you :smallbiggrin:

He doesn't look as old as his moustache would suggest. For age there would be more lines around the eyes at the edges. His hat should probably be lighter on teh right side of it as well a bit.

*Nod nod* Yeah, I'm still working on getting shadows right.

Gah! :smalleek:

Those are some craaaaazy eyes he's got there. The shading around his mouth is well done too.
The lines at the root of the nose should be going out rather than up/in, however. He's also got very pointy nostrils.

I originally had them going out, but changed them to fit with the character's previous design. Hmm. I'll think about that.

Part of the thing with teeth is that you've got them very square, particularly the incisiors, but teeth are rounder and not perfectly straight.
The lower right (of frame) molars are the best in some way as they overlap and have more shape to them.

It's kind of hard to pick out more details because he's staring into my soul.

Duly noted, I'll work on that.

And good to hear! :smallbiggrin:

Looking good there. HOWEVER!
Facial expressions are bloody hard, mostly because the things that make them 'click' aren't overly obvious when you haven't studied them very carefully. For example:

Ah yes, I considered doing those eye tweaks but the objective was to make it look creepy rather than happy. A few concessions wouldn't have gone amiss, though, particularly with the cheek shapes I see.

Not at all. But it makes you look at the world and really notice what you see, and the truth is: reality is weird. :smallcool:

Hahaha, who am I going to trust, me or my lying eyes?

Day 116: Daydreaming

"Lafayette Kuisan. Beautiful girl and goes to enormous lengths not to show it. She dresses like a nun and wears her hair like a grandmother. So boring you could forget she ever existed. But this one time, when I was visiting early I saw her with her hair down. And she was beautiful, jaw-droppingly beautiful. It was only for a moment, but that instant changed how I looked at her forever. It also changed how I looked at girls."

http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/1539/day116.jpg

Time: 1 Hour
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyS3weMlxLA): Hellfire

Thanqol

2011-09-12, 01:28 AM

Day 117: Still Smiling

I swear, every time I say "I'm tired, let's do something simple" it backfires. Still, pretty happy with this.

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/4561/day117.jpg

Time: 1 Hour
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTQnarzmTOc&feature=channel_video_title): Fight of the Century: Keynes vs. Hayek Round Two

Trazoi

2011-09-12, 07:33 AM

Thanqol

2011-09-12, 07:46 AM

There's something odd about the face that I can't quite put my finger on. I know faces are the hardest thing to get right as our brains are hard-wired into recognising them, so in realistic face drawings tiny mistakes will look wronger than anywhere else. Cartoony faces can get away with being on the other side of the uncanny valley.

Is the figure meant to be anyone in particular?

Yeah, looking at it more I'm starting to notice it's a bit skewed towards the right, and chin's a bit wrong. And that's annoying because I went through basically every mangled proportion on my way to get there. It seems I managed to get it just good enough to go into the Uncanny Valley. Happens every time I try to draw a realistic-ish girl's face. Need more practise.

And the model photograph was paramore2.jpg . I think that's a band?

Domochevsky

2011-09-12, 11:15 AM

Probably because the face isn't correctly aligned on the head. You should add more construction lines. :smallwink:

(Protip: Temporarily flip the picture horizontally for a easier time in recognizing errors.)

Zorg

2011-09-12, 01:36 PM

It's the lead singer of Paramore (a sort of pop-punky group I think). Original pic is here (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/66/paramore2.jpg/sr=1).

I've done a Domochevsky and scribbled all over your picture: :smalltongue:

First off I'm going to compare to the original pic, as it's a good baseline. Obviously you can change hairstyle, face structure etc as you please and only use the pic as a base, but for my points I'll assume you're aiming to copy directly.

I matched the base image to yours with the same height between the collar and chin:

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r314/Gotthammer/40k/Traz02.jpg

Now this obvioulsy doesn't look right, but if I resize the pics so that the pupils line up, it's much better:

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r314/Gotthammer/40k/Traz01.jpg

It looks to me like the perspective on her face has 'shifted' as you did the left side of her face (her left). Almost to a straight on look, as her mouth is almost symetrical and more of the left of her face visible.

I've traced (badly with a mouse, I don't own a tablet, sorry) the originals features over the pic. Structural work is in red, shading in yellow:

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r314/Gotthammer/40k/Traz04.jpg

Some important points about the shading:
- On the neck especially the shadows are on a curved surface. For instance on her left there's a concave shadow while your's in convex slightly, making it look like she's got a stringy neck (or a large adam's apple).

- Similarly on her right under the jawline it's a softer, more rounded shadow.

- Though it's covered partly the changed hairline, the shadow along her ear and the top of her jaw gives shape to her cheeks.

- Speacking of cheeks, the shadow on her left cheek would curve inwards as went over the line of her cheekbone, or curve down as it reacher her jaw, rather than being flat.

- And peaking of the jaw, if you'd continued the jawling to the hairline it's domewhat offest the oddness of her face. As it finished with a slight upturn it indicates that it ends there, which would put her ear just out of sight behind her hair

Here's the copied linework on its lonesome:

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r314/Gotthammer/40k/Traz03.jpg

Thanqol

2011-09-13, 12:08 AM

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I'm taking it to heart and going to keep at it until I've got it fixed.

Day 118: Retry

Okay, getting closer. On advice, I'm giving water another shot for shading. Still errors and still way more time consuming than it should be, but that's what's meant by practise.

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/3230/day118.jpg

Time: 1 hour 15 mins
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2xwD-tKyjg): Big Bang

Thanqol

2011-09-14, 05:12 AM

Day 119: Paradox

She made herself some wings / her wings made themselves a body

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/4049/day119.jpg

Time: 2 Hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0gPs1NgVl0): Sabbat

Kaytara

2011-09-14, 05:52 AM

Wow, that's a cool idea. O_O

Thanqol

2011-09-14, 05:59 AM

Wow, that's a cool idea. O_O

Thank you! Inspiration struck and it happened almost instantly ^^ Here's an absurdres version. (http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/7637/day119s.jpg)

Kaytara

2011-09-14, 06:05 AM

Wow. It took me until about a year ago to start working in 3000x2400. O_O

Regarding skin and texture... Well, you're not currently trying to paint it photorealistically, but in general, there are two things that are important in realistic skin:

1) Pores. Nuff' said. Subtle and nearly transparent, so much that the eye doesn't consciously notice them and you only see them when you zoom in, but it changes the resulting effect.

2) Don't make the skin too smooth or too perfect, as great as the temptation is in Photoshop. Even normal, young, healthy skin has blemishes, subtle wrinkles (such as on the neck), areas that are coloured differently, based on how the blood circulates through them and how the light reflects that circulation.

Also, lighting and colours are the truly most important thing, but that goes without saying. They are also the hardest to get really right. Artists who do photorealism almost invariably use photo or Poser references to help determine the colour palette and where the light will fall - there's a reason even the masters of old hired models or, more cheaply, kidnapped corpses to use as reference - painting faces purely from imagination is DAMN HARD.

Thanqol

2011-09-14, 06:16 AM

Wow. It took me until about a year ago to start working in 3000x2400. O_O

Pretty much the first piece of advice I ever got was "Work on dementedly huge canvasses and resize it later". Most everything I've done here has been on 2400x1800 or 2000x2000. I love drawing on big canvasses, too, it just feels like I have room.

Regarding skin and texture... Well, you're not currently trying to paint it photorealistically, but in general, there are two things that are important in realistic skin:

1) Pores. Nuff' said. Subtle and nearly transparent, so much that the eye doesn't consciously notice them and you only see them when you zoom in, but it changes the resulting effect.

2) Don't make the skin too smooth or too perfect, as great as the temptation is in Photoshop. Even normal, young, healthy skin has blemishes, subtle wrinkles (such as on the neck), areas that are coloured differently, based on how the blood circulates through them and how the light reflects that circulation.

Also, lighting and colours are the truly most important thing, but that goes without saying. They are also the hardest to get really right. Artists who do photorealism almost invariably use photo or Poser references to help determine the colour palette and where the light will fall - there's a reason even the masters of old hired models or, more cheaply, kidnapped corpses to use as reference - painting faces purely from imagination is DAMN HARD.

Add pores, blemish skin, steal corpses. Advice taken and stored! Thank you very much!

Zorg

2011-09-14, 02:51 PM

Thanqol

2011-09-15, 12:52 AM

Retry - structure is much better, though her (?) jaw is off a little. More accurately her chin is too wide, and shoudl start to curve away sooner. Nose shold probably end at same level as tear ducts. Ear should be shaded too.

Placement of eyes/nose etc very good, and the smoother shadows work too :smallsmile:

this sort of thing really helps (http://ditroi.deviantart.com/art/Draw-Faces-Direction-112305570)

Thanks! I'll work on these :smallsmile:

Paradox - Tres cool :smallbiggrin: If it were me I'd either give her a mouth (though that may ruin the mystique) or a hint of jaw as it kinda looks like she's got a ZZ Top beard going on...

*Nod nod* The jawline is a good idea.

I look forward to reading about you in the papers.

Day 120: Excacation

Can't I have one job that doesn't end in me digging up a corpse?

(Head's the wrong size but I don't have time to fix it)

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/9266/day120o.jpg

Time: 1.5 Hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj8pG71NPi8): Just can't wait to be King

Saeyan

2011-09-15, 08:36 AM

Re: ^

Read this. (http://toysdream.blogspot.com/2011/07/perspective-primer.html)

Domochevsky

2011-09-15, 10:13 AM

He's holding the world's tiniest shovel, i see. :smallbiggrin:

Thanqol

2011-09-16, 01:24 AM

Yeah, the more I look at that picture the less I like it. I'll bone up on my perspective as best I can

Day 121: Drath Fisticuffs

It took me over four months to draw a dragon? Damn.

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/1764/day121.jpg

Time: 1 Hour
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zMUxzyt-AI): Circular Conclusions

SiuiS

2011-09-16, 05:46 AM

Haha no worries! Being badgered about doing stuff wrong is the raison d'etre for this entire thread, and now I know what to look for. Please, badger me when I do stuff wrong, it's not like I'm making the decisions consciously or knowingly :smallwink:

Also, teeth. I need to look at how to do teeth.

It's just odd correcting you when you seem to be my superior XD

have you ever had a tooth extraction? Teeth are cylinders. All of em. All the teeth are cylinders.
Using what you know of perspective, round them. Teeth that round up such as dented in teeth or teeth in a face turned upward, have rounder tops and flatter gumlines. Teeth on even keel with you will have flattish tops and gum lines that dip below the edge (like waves in a Child's drawing). Teeth going the opposite direction will have very deep troughs on the gumline, and the tooth top will round down, exposing the actual top.

Go stare at yourself in the mirror for a spell, it's actually rather enlightening!

Not at all. But it makes you look at the world and really notice what you see, and the truth is: reality is weird. :smallcool:

Truth.

Day 116: Daydreaming

"Lafayette Kuisan. Beautiful girl and goes to enormous lengths not to show it. She dresses like a nun and wears her hair like a grandmother. So boring you could forget she ever existed. But this one time, when I was visiting early I saw her with her hair down. And she was beautiful, jaw-droppingly beautiful. It was only for a moment, but that instant changed how I looked at her forever. It also changed how I looked at girls."

http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/1539/day116.jpg

Time: 1 Hour
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyS3weMlxLA): Hellfire

Very nice. Things I initially picked out asanatomy mistakes were actually clothing. I'm rather impressed; this isn't a pose I can do myself.

Her face looks like you tried to shoe-horn it in though. What order do you do things in? I find doing the face first sets the proportion scale for everything else, and I'd I'm not doing the face directly, I do a head, rough skeleton, and go right back to the face.

Who knows though? That may be a crutch.

Probably because the face isn't correctly aligned on the head. You should add more construction lines. :smallwink:

(Protip: Temporarily flip the picture horizontally for a easier time in recognizing errors.)

HOW COULD WE HAVE NOT TOLD HIM THIS ALREADY?!
wow. I feel like such a let down, now. Sorry Thanqol ^^'

Day 119: Paradox

She made herself some wings / her wings made themselves a body

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/4049/day119.jpg

Time: 2 Hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0gPs1NgVl0): Sabbat

Good lord that is terrifying. Or it is when viewed through the lens of "oh god wing-beats in my head".
Nicely done.

I think I will try your massive canvas idea, when feasible.

Thanqol

2011-09-17, 12:12 AM

It's just odd correcting you when you seem to be my superior XD

:smallredface: Impossible.

have you ever had a tooth extraction? Teeth are cylinders. All of em. All the teeth are cylinders.
Using what you know of perspective, round them. Teeth that round up such as dented in teeth or teeth in a face turned upward, have rounder tops and flatter gumlines. Teeth on even keel with you will have flattish tops and gum lines that dip below the edge (like waves in a Child's drawing). Teeth going the opposite direction will have very deep troughs on the gumline, and the tooth top will round down, exposing the actual top.

Go stare at yourself in the mirror for a spell, it's actually rather enlightening!

*Nod nod* Thanks! I'll note this!

Very nice. Things I initially picked out asanatomy mistakes were actually clothing. I'm rather impressed; this isn't a pose I can do myself.

What's to can't do? :smallconfused:

Her face looks like you tried to shoe-horn it in though. What order do you do things in? I find doing the face first sets the proportion scale for everything else, and I'd I'm not doing the face directly, I do a head, rough skeleton, and go right back to the face.

Who knows though? That may be a crutch.

Yeah the face threw that picture off and I couldn't get it right; I did it last, in fact. I still need to get ladies faces right. More time needed.

HOW COULD WE HAVE NOT TOLD HIM THIS ALREADY?!
wow. I feel like such a let down, now. Sorry Thanqol ^^'

Haha s'cool! My pictures are usually so flawed they don't need to be turned sideways to see it.

Good lord that is terrifying. Or it is when viewed through the lens of "oh god wing-beats in my head".
Nicely done.

I think I will try your massive canvas idea, when feasible.[/color]

Thanks! :smallbiggrin:

It's just like regular drawing except you can zoom in further.

Day 122: Dragony!

Dragons are super interesting and are actually one of my major obsessions. I'm sure I could spin a personality fragment out of my draconic instincts if I put my mind to it. One of the fins gave me trouble but I think I sorted it out by the end.

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/425/day122.jpg

Time: 1 Hour
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLMfQRKRedA): Torvus Clockwork

Silviya

2011-09-17, 01:03 AM

SiuiS

2011-09-17, 04:33 AM

What's to can't do? :smallconfused:

I can't get a natural curve to the spine without a model. Mostly because of the buttocks- all of the anatomical bits I've looked at in-depth take on more of the picture than the parts I haven't. End result, the buttocks, breasts, ribs and shoulders are over-exaggerated, and the spine, arms, head and other assorted bits are under-exaggerated.

I guess I need to stare awkwardly at people more, to cement different positions in memory. I might also make more progress if I drew something other than ponies XD

Thanqol

2011-09-18, 03:41 AM

I haven't been checking in on this thread this past week because I was sick, and I return to Thanqol drawing dragons! :smallbiggrin: I think it's evident that I really like drawing dragons (I really should work on drawing things other than dragons, phoenixes, and angels someday . . .).

Dragons kick ass. World needs more dragons.

There are so many different ways you can draw dragons. If you want to get into drawing lots of dragons, I advise studying the anatomy of various different animals, depending on how you want your dragon to look. You could study lizards, birds, snakes, cats, dogs, horses, dinosaurs, etc. Knowing the anatomy real world animals that are kind of similar to the sort of dragon that you want to draw really helps.

A dragon using stuff from all those things? Well... whatever you say.

Day 123: Following Orders

(Season 2 spoilers)

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/4086/day123.jpg

Time: 1 hour
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlkSepPTLUc): Sail Away

Your drawing from day 119 (paradox) is awesome and freaky. Good job!

Thanks!

It seems like quite a few people are doing threads like this now. I'll probably join in in December (I'm going to be spending most of October traveling in Europe and November is NaNoWriMo). Maybe not one picture a day (I still need to leave time for my writing), but definitely one every few days, and I'll probably give myself prompts and challenges. Challenges like working with color for once. I really need to start taking my own advice and work hard to improve my visual art skills as well as my writing.

Awesome :smallbiggrin: Every time I inspire someone else to pick up the pen I feel utterly justified in this.

I can't get a natural curve to the spine without a model. Mostly because of the buttocks- all of the anatomical bits I've looked at in-depth take on more of the picture than the parts I haven't. End result, the buttocks, breasts, ribs and shoulders are over-exaggerated, and the spine, arms, head and other assorted bits are under-exaggerated.

I guess I need to stare awkwardly at people more, to cement different positions in memory. I might also make more progress if I drew something other than ponies XD

Drawing not ponies is hard. I did use a model for that piece, though.

Trazoi

2011-09-18, 11:09 PM

Hawkflight

2011-09-18, 11:46 PM

Well, I won't be able to critique the spoileriffic one because of spoilers. And I can't really critique the rest of the art because that would be like the blind leading the guy with 20/40 vision.

So ... *Lucky Star mode* GOOD JOB!! :biggrin:

Thanqol

2011-09-19, 01:14 AM

Glancing at your image, the glaring thing to me is the shape of the vat. I'm assuming the vat is meant to be a cylinder of some type, but it's all wonky.

(Haven't seen MLP:FiM Season 2 yet, so I don't know if that's spoiling anything important. It's hard to know whether the figure in the chair is drawn right because I don't know what it is. :smallwink: Decent face on that thing.)
Edit: His right arm might be a tad long though.

Yeah, inanimate objects has been on the lesson schedule for a while but I haven't seemed to have gotten around to it. I should have folded the paper inwards a bit more to make the length a tad more consistent, you're right.

Well, I won't be able to critique the spoileriffic one because of spoilers. And I can't really critique the rest of the art because that would be like the blind leading the guy with 20/40 vision.

So ... *Lucky Star mode* GOOD JOB!! :biggrin:

Thanks! :smallbiggrin:

Day 124: Damn It, Raz_Fox.

I think this might be the nicest pony butt I've ever drawn.

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/1512/day124.jpg

Time: 45 mins
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6jCJZEFIto): Tank!

Trazoi

2011-09-19, 05:04 AM

It's always about the ponies with you, isn't it? :smalltongue:

Do MLP ponies ever have hooves, or are their legs a solid molded substance like the toys they're based from? I can't remember.

Interesting titbit: I did an Google image search on giantitp.com to see what would come up, and your image from Day 119 was on the first page. (What did the first page mostly consist of? Maps. Oh, and only two MLP pictures.)

SiuiS

2011-09-19, 05:08 AM

Do MLP ponies ever have hooves, or are their legs a solid molded substance like the toys they're based from? I can't remember.

Old toys have a subtle divot, new toys don't seem to bother. Show-wise, current ponies have no actual hooves, but they do have horseshoes, seemingly for the sole purpose of wall decoration. Oh wait, no, and for playing horseshoes.

It's one of many inconsistencies, such as the foreleg being roughly half a meter long, but when it's bent in a certain way, each of the three segments is about a third of a meter long. One of the limits of the medium, I suppose.

Yeah, inanimate objects has been on the lesson schedule for a while but I haven't seemed to have gotten around to it. I should have folded the paper inwards a bit more to make the length a tad more consistent, you're right.

Weird. Pretty much anything you draw will be a rectangular prism, sphere, cylinder or cone, connected and over-lapping. It shouldn't matter whether the object is organic or not...

I think this might be the nicest pony butt I've ever drawn.

Well Hel, now I can't see anything else.

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/1512/day124.jpg

Time: 45 mins
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6jCJZEFIto): Tank!

The anterior rear leg looks off. I can't place it, but I think it's the front of the hip/thigh. Oh, got it. The leg should be more broken up; from hip to hoof shouldn't be one long smooth contour. The knee should show some prominence; the front knee and back knee (for lack of actually looking up the parts ;D) cannot align fully- specifically the leg will always have a lightning bolt shape, because the bones don't seem to be able to move out of that position.

Thanqol

2011-09-19, 05:25 AM

It's always about the ponies with you, isn't it? :smalltongue:

It's Raz_Fox's fault. He demanded it.

Do MLP ponies ever have hooves, or are their legs a solid molded substance like the toys they're based from? I can't remember.

They are made out of marshmallows!

Interesting titbit: I did an Google image search on giantitp.com to see what would come up, and your image from Day 119 was on the first page. (What did the first page mostly consist of? Maps. Oh, and only two MLP pictures.)

:smallbiggrin: Awesome

Weird. Pretty much anything you draw will be a rectangular prism, sphere, cylinder or cone, connected and over-lapping. It shouldn't matter whether the object is organic or not...

Hmmmmm....

Well Hel, now I can't see anything else.

That's why I said it!

The anterior rear leg looks off. I can't place it, but I think it's the front of the hip/thigh. Oh, got it. The leg should be more broken up; from hip to hoof shouldn't be one long smooth contour. The knee should show some prominence; the front knee and back knee (for lack of actually looking up the parts ;D) cannot align fully- specifically the leg will always have a lightning bolt shape, because the bones don't seem to be able to move out of that position.

I finally started to see it myself before I posted here. Needs a slight tweak, I agree.

Thanqol

2011-09-20, 01:06 AM

Day 125: The Great Death

Hey, I found the lighting button! I'm gonna enjoy playing around with that! :smallbiggrin:

I like the structure of this. The colouring and shading is off, but that's due to experimentation. One leg is a bit wonky, but I'm otherwise quite satisfied with this.

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5940/day125.jpg

Time: 2 hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k46yqxYZcxM): Silver Neelson

Domochevsky

2011-09-20, 06:01 AM

I suggest you move away from the lighten button and do manual shading instead. Lighten is a trap. :smallwink:

Thanqol

2011-09-20, 06:08 AM

Aw man, all the cool stuff is traps :smallfrown:

I want to play around with it to at least see if I can get gradients working for it. That'd be a plenty big win in itself.

Kaytara

2011-09-20, 07:18 AM

Hawkflight

2011-09-20, 08:59 AM

It's similar with Dodge & Burn. Too many beginner artists fall into the trap of using them to do all shading, but they have a limited application range. Mostly they are handy for some of the shading on hair, metal, occasionally skin. The problem with those tools is that they change the hue as well as the lightness - the Burn tool, well, burns, making the colour more brownish and saturated, and the Dodge tool makes things yellowish. Depending on the lighting colour and intensity in your pic, that may be entirely the wrong thing for your image. Or not.

Now here's a point where I can throw in my two bits. Personally, I think that using that effect in shading can work really well if using the right art style, maybe a sort of grunge style. I kinda wanna see Thanqol try it with a colored pic at some point, I think he's got the kind of art style that could pull it off. Or maybe not, but I'm curious either way.

Thanqol

2011-09-20, 09:28 AM

Like all tools, Lighten is useful if you know when to use it. It's handy for quick tweaking of tone values, but yeah, usually you want a more fine-tuned result and want to do manual shading, instead.

It's similar with Dodge & Burn. Too many beginner artists fall into the trap of using them to do all shading, but they have a limited application range. Mostly they are handy for some of the shading on hair, metal, occasionally skin. The problem with those tools is that they change the hue as well as the lightness - the Burn tool, well, burns, making the colour more brownish and saturated, and the Dodge tool makes things yellowish. Depending on the lighting colour and intensity in your pic, that may be entirely the wrong thing for your image. Or not.

That's a very nice pony indeed, by the way. :D

Dodge and burn? What's dodge and burn?

*Looks, finds tools* Ooo, those are also neat!

Don't worry, I'll take that advice to heart :smallsmile: I'm still bouncing in between experimental shading techniques, though, and I definitely haven't explored the limits of the ones I know about. The shading techniques I know about are:

- Solid fill+Transparency
- Cross-hatching
- Broad Water
- Lighting
- Dodge & Burn

I've got vaguely formed understandings of how to use these, but not much detail beyond what people have specifically told me :smallsmile:

And thanks! :smallbiggrin: She's a pretty pony!

Now here's a point where I can throw in my two bits. Personally, I think that using that effect in shading can work really well if using the right art style, maybe a sort of grunge style. I kinda wanna see Thanqol try it with a colored pic at some point, I think he's got the kind of art style that could pull it off. Or maybe not, but I'm curious either way.

I'm certainly going to experiment! :smallsmile: When I finished the lineart for today's piece, I knew that I'd probably ruin it if I did it in colour rather than some simple sketchy shading. But if I don't ruin stuff, how am I going to learn? :smallbiggrin:

Capt. Ido Nos

2011-09-20, 09:51 AM

I'm going to throw in my little bit of advice in here to and say to stay the heck away from Dodge and Burn. Like Kaytara said, those guys are traps you don't want to fall into. They're okay, but are mostly very situational. You're much better doing pretty much any other method. Nine times out of ten, Dodge and Burn just look amateurish :I I am intrigued by the idea for using that for making a grungy effect on purpose, that would probably work just fine that I think of it. The problem is when folks use them on pieces that they don't' want to look grungy, haha!

I'm always a fan of multiply brushes myself, actually. But I'm admittedly not the best person to get advice on how to do shading *well*...

Thanqol

2011-09-20, 10:01 AM

Capt. Ido Nos

2011-09-20, 10:25 AM

My bad, haha ^^;;

Hm, you're using Corel, which I've never used so I don't know how much of this carries over from Elements, but in Photoshop at least they have a Multiply option that can be used in conjunction with a couple different tools like the bucket and brush tools, and layers themselves. They tend to be in seperate drop down menus, with other options (defaulting to normal, but also including things like 'lighten', 'screen', and 'luminance'). Basically, these options take the existing pixel values and does math to them.

Normal, the default, just writes over with new values, so you draw over your old pixels. But the other ones get wild and crazy, and actually pretty helpful if you know what you're doing. Now this is where I go look it up on wikipedia because I forgot exactly what the others do:

*hold music*

Ah! Okay, so it turns out these are called "Blend Modes", so that may be something to look out for. They're how two layers interact with each other, but they can be used with specific tools, and it considers the new pixels you're drawing as a layer so the math works, if that makes sense. Here's some different blend modes and what they do:

- Normal: Just takes the top value.
- Dissolve: Takes random pixels from both layers.
- Multiply: Takes the color values for and (wait for it) multiplies them together. The end result is that images tend to look darker.
- Screen: The values are negated, multiplied, then negated again. This sounds weird, but it ends up being the opposite of Multiply.
- Overlay: A combination of both Multiply and Screen, where dark colors get darker and ligh colors get lighter.

There's a lot more different ones, but you can get the idea. :)

The way that I use these for coloring is that I'll have my layers arranged like this:
- A single color background layer, usually white to start.
- Above that is my final lineart, just lines on a transparent layer.
- Above that is a layer set to multiply. This will be my base color layer. I can color wherever I want, and the black of my lineart will show over my colors since black dominates in a multiply. It's pretty easy to do quick color fills with a big fat brush, then erase along the outside edges for cleanup.
- When I'm shading, I'll make another layer on top of that and then cell shade using the exact same colors as the previous layer. It's hard for me to explain, but it works pretty well for that purpose.

Of course this all doesn't help much if Corel doesn't have blend modes >_> If they do though, I absolutely recommend looking up a help guide to explain why they do and then spend a while just experimenting with them. A lot of my early color stuff looks awful, but I had a lot of fun just throwing different color layers on top of each other and seeing what would happen. Got lots of neat glowy effects from a duplicate layer + soften blur filter + screen layer blend mode, for instance :smallsmile:

Hope this helps! I know what you mean about not knowing anything though. I'm in a funny position where I have and understand Photoshop, but I have very little of the knowledge of what to do with this darn thing. :smallannoyed:

Kaytara

2011-09-20, 05:05 PM

Speaking of Dissolve, has anyone ever used it? Ever?

I just know that I haven't. It just looks... well, pixelly. Like image quality loss. Not sure when I'd ever use it.

Concerning Multiply: It is VERY useful for making lineart darker. As in, you've got a layer with lineart, but it's faint and barely visible (usually the case if you've scanned it in). Duplicate that layer, set the top one to Multiply, and voila! And then you can toggle THAT layer's transparency to fine-tune the effect. Or add another Multiply layer.

SiuiS

2011-09-20, 08:00 PM

What's multiply brushes?

Like, I get that my special talent is faking competence, but you guys have all gotta remember I don't actually know anything. :smallwink:

Don't actually...?

Oh! riiiiiiight hence the whole "help me learn to draw" thread.

Concerning Multiply: It is VERY useful for making lineart darker. As in, you've got a layer with lineart, but it's faint and barely visible (usually the case if you've scanned it in). Duplicate that layer, set the top one to Multiply, and voila! And then you can toggle THAT layer's transparency to fine-tune the effect. Or add another Multiply layer.

Gah! I need to count something, real quick. Let's see, it's been... One, two, three, four... *grabs mask* five, six... Six years, I've been trying to find a way to make scanned line art darker.

why did it take this long for someone to tell me to use math on it?!

I'll file that away as information that will come in handy later. Thanks, mate :smallsmile:

Kaytara

2011-09-20, 08:35 PM

You're welcome. :D

Years of digitalising art, and I still only just discovered it myself a few months ago. And by "discovered", I mean "stumbled across an off-handed mention of it in a tutorial about something different (portraits)". Yeah, I know the feeling. XD

Domochevsky

2011-09-20, 08:37 PM

Another way to shade stuff which i occasionally like to use:

Before you do the following, add a circle or a x or whatever kind of marker near your object to indicate where the light is coming from. That will help tremendously.

a) Add layer 1 on top of your lineart/colors and set the transparency to 25%, then use a black brush to fill in wide shading (go nuts). Grab the Blur tool and soften out the hard edges towards the light source.

b) Repeat step a with a second layer on top of this one, this time filling the shading in within the area of layer 1 (creating darker areas). Away from the light source, naturally.

c) repeat step b with a third layer, for the REALLY dark spots. (There shouldn't be that many left)

d) Add a fourth layer for lighting, keep it at 100% and use a white thin brush to add lines in the areas that didn't receive any shading yet and are closest to the light source. Again, use the blur tool to soften these out. This only applies if you used actual color in these spots. (White areas can't be made brighter.)

So there you go. :smallsmile:

Trazoi

2011-09-20, 08:53 PM

Before you do the following, add a circle or a x or whatever kind of marker near your object to indicate where the light is coming from. That will help tremendously.
Oh man, do I have to remember to always do this rather than go "eh, the light's from up and to the right".

Thanqol

2011-09-21, 01:23 AM

Thanks so much everyone, all that stuff is really helpful. :smallbiggrin: I'm particularly looking forwards to trying out Domo's suggestion of layered shading, that seems like such a cool idea!

Day 126: Helping Out

Got a request from SiuiS to colour a sketch he did. I feel like I could have spent another hour or two playing with it until it was perfect, but my schedule's already collapsing today so I had to hurry.

Base:

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/4606/d637d5f5.jpg

Coloured:

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/6959/day126.jpg

Time: 50 minutes
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01PfuhMb56Q): Rainmaker

Thanqol

2011-09-21, 08:08 AM

Day 126a: Helping... out.

I couldn't not.

Original: (SiuiS)

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/602fdb7d.jpg

Coloured:

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/6888/day127.jpg

billtodamax

2011-09-21, 08:20 AM

Thanks so much everyone, all that stuff is really helpful. :smallbiggrin: I'm particularly looking forwards to trying out Domo's suggestion of layered shading, that seems like such a cool idea!

Day 126: Helping Out

Got a request from SiuiS to colour a sketch he did. I feel like I could have spent another hour or two playing with it until it was perfect, but my schedule's already collapsing today so I had to hurry.

Base:

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/6959/day126.jpg

Coloured:

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/6959/day126.jpg

Time: 50 minutes
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01PfuhMb56Q): Rainmaker

Both pictures are the same, i.e. awesome, and coloured.

Thanqol

2011-09-21, 08:26 AM

Both pictures are the same, i.e. awesome, and coloured.

Whoops, editing ^^ :smallredface:

SiuiS

2011-09-22, 07:45 AM

Thanqol

2011-09-22, 09:43 AM

Found a diagram of hands (http://Washu-M.deviantart.com/art/HANDS-training-259495922?qo=2&catpath=&order=11&offset=2) you may be able to learn from.

Related to prior discussion on torsos, you can pretty much break any part of the body down into base shapes all stacked and bundled on each other. Being able to make a hand that looks elegant lends itself as a skill to making almost anything look elegant. Cuz hand is complex and small. So Hands make other stuff look easy. Rambling again. Anxiety fading, should probably sleep >>;

Thanks! I'll do a practise run of this tomorrow. I need something blisteringly technical after these relatively simple ponies.

Pictures more fabulous than imagined. I need to learn how to color. with some buckling down, I could maybe make similar progress, kinda.

Definitely could, yo. As Trixie says: Anything I can do, you can do better.

Day 127: Earned

This went through a few iterations, particularly Midnight who I couldn't get right for the life of me. I eventually decided, smeg it, go for what looks pretty rather than what the reference picture says.

The background turned out surprisingly all right for the 5 minutes I spent on it. Overall, it's not perfect, but it was an original composition and I learned enough to justify the day.

After this, I'm going to go back to some more srs bsnss arts. Ponies are super fun to do, and I find it amazing how coming back to them after doing other arts results in big, unexpected improvements. But I can't pass off the hard stuff to keep doing the fun stuff. Ah, if only.

http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/6888/day127.jpg

Time: 1 Hour 40 minutes
Music (http://soundcloud.com/mistarleadguitar/the-wings-youve-earned-vinyl): The Wings You've Earned

EsperDerek

2011-09-22, 11:34 AM

*Thank You Hugs!*

Thanqol

2011-09-23, 12:34 AM

*Thank You Hugs!*

The other reason why doin' ponies is so fun ^^

Day 128: Technicalities

Did the hand exercise SiuiS linked, and had some space at the end so I added a few of my own. It was good to do, and I should do some more like it. Hands look complicated but start getting simpler when you break them down into small pieces.

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/9483/day128.jpg

Time: 45 minutes
Music (http://soundcloud.com/mistarleadguitar/kaos-rizing-work-in-progress): Kaos Rizing

Capt. Ido Nos

2011-09-23, 12:38 AM

Thanqol

2011-09-24, 01:16 AM

Hey, looking good there Thanq! Breaking hands down into shapes like that really helped me to get those under control. Haha, now I just have to worry about perspective on them >_> But yeah, you're doing good! Just make sure you get the thickness of the fingers on par. It can be easy to make the thumb too fat or the fingers too thin. Try and look at your own hand and see how thick they are in relation to each other, where the knuckles and joints are, and that can help you out :smallsmile:

*Nod nod* Will do!

Day 129: Enforcer

SiuiS seems to have forgotten there are consequences to revealing one's manform upon the internet.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/0cbf9b40.jpg

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/5758/day129.jpg

Time: 30 Minutes
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRuHk6Drj2U): The Men In Black

SiuiS

2011-09-24, 04:28 AM

Hahahaha! Wow. Good thing I never made that comment about how girly my eyelashes were in panel 3. And too bad I didn't suggest you do this so I could take credit ;þ

There are dozens of minor details I can pick out because I have spent the last 13 years drawing my own face extensively. Good heavens, what does that say?!

Anyhoo.
You don't seem to have accounted for the slight 3/4 profile style (it's not a full on side profile becUse you can see the start of the ridge of the left eyebrow, and see orbital cavity past the bridge of the nose). Other than that, smashing; and thatcould even be attributed to the style rather than a misstep. I'm only pointing it out to be thorough, since you prefer being hard on yourself :smalltongue:

And gracious, was I working all day with my collar that disheveled? Why didn't somepony tell me!? Ach. Miss being able to dress up for work.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/c9cfc033.jpg

This was done using similar, but I decided to trace over a photo using the fewest, most spare lines possible. Generally tracing is a no-no, but I think if you get the chance to do it without cutting into your time, you could learn a bit. Do several traces of the same picture (preferably a face) andcompare them, each time trying different lines to prioritize. It's baffling and enlightening, and the touch of intuition it requires could balance your technical skills a bit.

Oh to the moon with you, you cad! I just realized I could afford most of a computer. Now I have to decide whether I want to get my admiring/garbing supplies, or a desktop and tablet :smallfurious:
How dare you make me question the validity of an impulse buy? :smallbiggrin:

Kaytara

2011-09-24, 05:05 AM

That portrait is great. The nose is way too curved, but otherwise it's a pretty accurate portrait and a very noticeable improvement over the early pics in the thread. :D

Thanqol

2011-09-24, 05:07 AM

Hahahaha! Wow. Good thing I never made that comment about how girly my eyelashes were in panel 3. And too bad I didn't suggest you do this so I could take credit ;þ

Gasp! My eyelashes are super girly too!

... Conversation, GETTIN' WEIRD!

There are dozens of minor details I can pick out because I have spent the last 13 years drawing my own face extensively. Good heavens, what does that say?!

GETTIN' WEIRDER.

Actually seems like a legit strategy if you're not guaranteed a consistent flow of models.

Anyhoo.
You don't seem to have accounted for the slight 3/4 profile style (it's not a full on side profile becUse you can see the start of the ridge of the left eyebrow, and see orbital cavity past the bridge of the nose). Other than that, smashing; and thatcould even be attributed to the style rather than a misstep. I'm only pointing it out to be thorough, since you prefer being hard on yourself :smalltongue:

You're right on this. I'm still trying to not have a style until I have precision, so please don't excuse me on the grounds of style ever. :smallwink:

And gracious, was I working all day with my collar that disheveled? Why didn't somepony tell me!? Ach. Miss being able to dress up for work.

I was trying!

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee468/WizardPony/c9cfc033.jpg

This was done using similar, but I decided to trace over a photo using the fewest, most spare lines possible. Generally tracing is a no-no, but I think if you get the chance to do it without cutting into your time, you could learn a bit. Do several traces of the same picture (preferably a face) andcompare them, each time trying different lines to prioritize. It's baffling and enlightening, and the touch of intuition it requires could balance your technical skills a bit.

I've done traces twice, and in each case I immediately discarded the trace and tried to do it freehand. I did traces when I was completely bungling a new perspective or proportions. They did what they needed to do in those instants, though, so you've actually got me thinking I should overcome the reflexive bias against traces if I can do it in a way that'll legitimately teach me something.

I might give it a few tries with ladies' faces. Guys' faces are comparatively easy, but I haven't figure out how to do pretty girls yet.

Oh to the moon with you, you cad! I just realized I could afford most of a computer. Now I have to decide whether I want to get my admiring/garbing supplies, or a desktop and tablet :smallfurious:
How dare you make me question the validity of an impulse buy? :smallbiggrin:
[/color]

I love my PC so much I can't imagine how people live with tablets or phones or such. I sort of understand that you get by on a phone, but that's with an undertone of, "God, I'm so sorry for SiuiS, trapped in technological limbo."

I dropped $2000 on this computer, (she's named Inspired), a couple of months ago and it can run any game ever on maximum graphics setting without the slightest framerate drop. Seriously, computers are so cheap and so powerful these days. Make one good investment and you won't need to upgrade for five years or more.

That portrait is great. The nose is way too curved, but otherwise it's a pretty accurate portrait and a very noticeable improvement over the early pics in the thread. :D

Thanks! :smallbiggrin:

Thanqol

2011-09-24, 09:11 AM

Day 130: Design

I'm out dawn to dusk tomorrow, so this piece goes up just after midnight.

Anyway, I know I swore off ponies for a few days, but this was someone's birthday request. For reference, the text of the request:

@Thanqol: I'm still trying to cement my mental image of my clockwork pony, but so far I know that I want a color scheme similar to my avatar's, the body made of riveted metal plate with an accordion joint at the waist (is it a waist on a pony?). I'm also seeing largish gears as forming the upper part of the rear legs/flank and various bits of hydraulics and steam-punk widgets added to the legs and body for visual effect. I'd also like for him to have some feathers (red, blue, maybe yellow; certainly bright primary colors) incorporated somewhere, maybe woven in the mane (although I don't know what the mane would be made of...but if it's hair-like I picture it as green) or similar. Dunno if that's too much or too little, but I guess it's a start.

I think I slid a bit too far towards overdetailed, but I managed to avoid making the picture look cluttered, I think. Had to be very careful with my colour picks, because the picture had a lot of things happening and a clashing colour would send it straight into 'mess'. The biggest improvement came in a last-second switch of the patch lines from black to copper, that easily added 20% to the picture's effect. I also had to make a few tweaks to avoid parts of the picture looking flat.

Overall I'm happy with this and learned a few things about character design, so, BONUS.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7050/day130.jpg

Time: 2 hours
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aoaynVf0Z4): The Clockyard

Domochevsky

2011-09-24, 09:00 PM

The downside is, that i'm not entirely sure what's going on in that picture. >_>

(Shading for plasticity might help. You still have to do that anyway. :smallwink: )

Hawkflight

2011-09-25, 12:10 AM

So, the entirety of "Return of Harmony" has aired, so, I've finally watched it. And apparently, DISCORD IS Q! (Q is from Star Trek, best character ever.) So, Thanqol, I was wondering if you might take a small request. Could you draw Discord and captain Picard in the same scene? I know it's an overdone meme already, but it's just plain awesome. And I figure, I haven't seen you draw any long serpentine bodies yet....

Thanqol

2011-09-25, 12:42 AM

The downside is, that i'm not entirely sure what's going on in that picture. >_>

(Shading for plasticity might help. You still have to do that anyway. :smallwink: )

Darn!

What's plasticity? How do I shade for it? Is that that thing you mentioned before?

So, the entirety of "Return of Harmony" has aired, so, I've finally watched it. And apparently, DISCORD IS Q! (Q is from Star Trek, best character ever.) So, Thanqol, I was wondering if you might take a small request. Could you draw Discord and captain Picard in the same scene? I know it's an overdone meme already, but it's just plain awesome. And I figure, I haven't seen you draw any long serpentine bodies yet....

I've already drawn Discord, check back a few pages, but sure! I've got just the idea for how to do it too...

Hawkflight

2011-09-25, 12:57 AM

I've already drawn Discord, check back a few pages, but sure! I've got just the idea for how to do it too...

Can you link me to it? I think I avoided it for fear of spoilers. :smalltongue:

Thanqol

2011-09-25, 02:08 AM

Can you link me to it? I think I avoided it for fear of spoilers. :smalltongue:

Bam (http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/4086/day123.jpg)./10chars

Domochevsky

2011-09-25, 03:55 AM

Darn!

What's plasticity? How do I shade for it? Is that that thing you mentioned before?
.

Plasticity, also known as "faking depth" in drawn works. That is, using shading to make a object appear as "not a flat cardboard cutout". Would help quite a bit here, i suspect, to get a idea of shapes. :smallsmile:

SiuiS

2011-09-25, 04:27 PM

Plasticity, also known as "faking depth" in drawn works. That is, using shading to make a object appear as "not a flat cardboard cutout". Would help quite a bit here, i suspect, to get a idea of shapes. :smallsmile:

Ooooooooh.
I always thought that was just "shading". Creating a sense of depth and lighting is the point isn't it? I mean, aren't all differences in shades based on depth relative to light source?

Thanqol

2011-09-25, 06:41 PM

Plasticity, also known as "faking depth" in drawn works. That is, using shading to make a object appear as "not a flat cardboard cutout". Would help quite a bit here, i suspect, to get a idea of shapes. :smallsmile:

*Nod nod* I'll look into it, but not in the immediate future. Spare time just dropped sharply.

Day 131: Freeze Ray

Minimum amount of time today.

http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/2051/day131.jpg

Time: 30 Mins
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILObfEzX92k): Brand New Day

Thanqol

2011-09-27, 03:38 AM

Day 132: Mac Truck Prime

Finally getting around to perspective+Inanimate objects.

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/8622/day132.jpg

Time: 45 Mins
Music: This Is Why I Clop (Uh... you know, I'm not going to link it. Youtube it at your own discretion :smallwink: )

Fri

2011-09-27, 04:23 AM

Do you use any perspective tools in that pic thanqol? I mean, horizon line, vanishing points, lines that goes to vanishing points and such?

Thanqol

2011-09-27, 05:11 AM

Do you use any perspective tools in that pic thanqol? I mean, horizon line, vanishing points, lines that goes to vanishing points and such?

No *slaps forehead* And I just remembered I should be re-reading my tutorials on the subject.

Fri

2011-09-27, 05:38 AM

Try to redraw it using those then :smallamused:, you'll see the difference

Thanqol

2011-09-27, 06:27 AM

Try to redraw it using those then :smallamused:, you'll see the difference

But learning things properly is haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard

Fine, that's scheduled for tomorrow.

Thanqol

2011-09-28, 04:13 AM

Day 133: Messing up Perspective since '11

This is a mess, I know, I know, but I'm tired and frustrated and I'm not feeling like arting tonight and it was taking too long. Tried some perspective stuff and did some tutorial reading, but for the most part, dem's the breaks. Started and stopped a bunch of different pictures too

It's annoying getting to a level where you know you can do better.

http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/1161/day133.jpg

Time: 1 Hour
Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqjKLRzA30g&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.equestriadaily.com%2F2011%2F 09%2Fmusic-impressions-of-celestia-origins.html&feature=player_embedded): Impressions of Celestial Origins

Trazoi

2011-09-28, 09:38 AM

SiuiS

2011-09-28, 12:30 PM

It's annoying getting to a level where you know you can do better.

Good God is it ever.
Welcome to why art is a difficult profession. Don't be down, your progress has been incandescent. Everyone has a picture or two (or thirty; i got better but god that slump!) that just don't work as intended.

I suggest trying the truck again, even as a sketch, with guidelines on it. I believe it would be worth your time.

Thanqol

2011-09-28, 06:16 PM

:smallconfused: Were you trying to use perspective for any of the objects in that image, or is that an alternative? It doesn't look like there's a lot of perspective related stuff required.

If you're stuck on perspective it wouldn't hurt to try drawing something with one-point perspective like looking down a corridor, fence or railroad track.

There was a bunch of stuff in the sketch/skeleton that didn't get carried through into the inked version. It does use a horizon line level with the POV's eye and the idea that things below the horizon line are viewed from above, which you gotta remember are still new and groundbreaking concepts for me.

I sort of bounced off the one-point perspectives because I thought they'd be too fast/simple to do but now, in the cold light of morning, I see that was a dumb decision.

Good God is it ever.
Welcome to why art is a difficult profession. Don't be down, your progress has been incandescent. Everyone has a picture or two (or thirty; i got better but god that slump!) that just don't work as intended.

I suggest trying the truck again, even as a sketch, with guidelines on it. I believe it would be worth your time.

I'm going to try the truck again, just yesterday wasn't the best day for it and I didn't feel like I'd learned enough yet to significantly revise it.