Thanqol Learns To Draw!

[Thanqol]

Day 190: Back In Business

Awright. Very happy with how this turned out.

Spoiler

Show

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Music: NACP Tribute

[Silviya]

Some nice foreshortening on the arm there, and the expression on the face looks good. Your anatomy skills have very noticably improved since the beginning of the thread.



Speaking of anatomy skills, I found these tutorials a few days ago. I'm not sure if you've read them or not, but if you haven't, you definitely should, because they're super helpful:
Part one.
Part two.
Part three.
Part four.
Part five.
Part six.
Part seven.

It's all super useful information and tips on drawing anatomy. Part six also has links in the artist's comments to three websites that you can use for gesture drawing, and I've found those websites incredibly useful. I've been doing 15 minutes to half an hour of gesture drawing a day, of gesture drawing ranging from 30 seconds to one minute each, and it is so helpful. Be aware, though, that the first two websites listed are NSFW, as they both use a lot of nude pictures.


Anyway, great job, Thanqol, and I hope you find the tutorials helpful.

[Capt. Ido Nos]

Heck, I find those tutorials helpful, thanks for sharing them!

GG as always, Thanq. I love the veinwork on the hands.

[Domochevsky]

Day 190: Back In Business

Awright. Very happy with how this turned out.

Spoiler

Show

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Music: NACP Tribute

Not bad, but... explain his colar to me, please.

[Thanqol]

Some nice foreshortening on the arm there, and the expression on the face looks good. Your anatomy skills have very noticably improved since the beginning of the thread.

...

Anyway, great job, Thanqol, and I hope you find the tutorials helpful.

So much learnding @_@ And video games are murdering my productivity. Thanks so much for the links, I'll start practising right away!

Not bad, but... explain his colar to me, please.

It looked like that in the priest reference picture I used?

Day 191: How Do They Work?

Just a big ol' mess 'round with paints.

Spoiler

Show

Time: 45 mins
Music: One Letter Too Late

[Domochevsky]

...

It looked like that in the priest reference picture I used?
...

I somewhat doubt that. A collar reaches all the way around the backside of the neck and then folds outwards in half.

Shoddy illustration, go! o/

Spoiler

Show

[Thanqol]

I somewhat doubt that. A collar reaches all the way around the backside of the neck and then folds outwards in half.

Shoddy illustration, go! o/

Spoiler

Show

Baller, thanks for this

Day 192: Appreciation

Without the art of Kojiro I would probably have never started this ridiculous learning to draw project.

And that would have been an absolute shame.

So, fanart time.

Spoiler

Show

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Music: I'm Too Sexy

[Thanqol]

Day 193: Means Cleaning Up After Yourself

Not technically the best, but I wasn't in a highly focused mood and just kind of drifted.

Spoiler

Show

Time: 1 hour
Music: The Road Left Alone

[Thanqol]

Day 194: Horizon's Stare

Started and finished after midnight SO IT COUNTS. I'll probably do another one tomorrow as well.

Experiment at drawing a Warforged character I came up with today, character designed completely from scratch. Pretty good for a first attempt!

Spoiler

Show

Time: 1.5 hours
Music: The All Powerful Trixie

[Thanqol]

Day 194a: The Throne

Pencils shading experiment, with a bunch of features and brushes. Bad but exhausted.

Spoiler

Show

Time: 35 mins
Music: Nightmare Night

[Thanqol]

Day 194b: Pony Time

Oh good heavens look at the time.

Spoiler

Show

[Silviya]

Two main pictures I'd like to comment on:

Day 192: I like the lighting and expression on this one, as well as the colors. The reds, oranges, and yellows contrast nicely with the grays and blacks of everything else. My main point of criticism for this one is the shape of the head--it's too round. The eyes should be about halfway up the head, and they're at least two thirds of the way up in this picture. Basically, he needs to have a bigger forehead.

Day 194a: Thrones and other complex, angular objects like that are hard. With this sort of thing, you basically half to use some sort of straightedge to make the lines perfectly straight, and it helps to measure things. You really have to think about perspective, foreshortening, and how the angles intersect and interact with each other to make it look right.


Also, you're less than a week away from day 200 . Keep up the good work!

[Thanqol]

Two main pictures I'd like to comment on:

Day 192: I like the lighting and expression on this one, as well as the colors. The reds, oranges, and yellows contrast nicely with the grays and blacks of everything else. My main point of criticism for this one is the shape of the head--it's too round. The eyes should be about halfway up the head, and they're at least two thirds of the way up in this picture. Basically, he needs to have a bigger forehead.

*Nod nod* Fair point.

Day 194a: Thrones and other complex, angular objects like that are hard. With this sort of thing, you basically half to use some sort of straightedge to make the lines perfectly straight, and it helps to measure things. You really have to think about perspective, foreshortening, and how the angles intersect and interact with each other to make it look right.

I started off using a straight line tool and then I deliberately opted against it so that I could practise pencil lines and textures. I'll remember this advice for next time I do something like this!

Also, you're less than a week away from day 200 . Keep up the good work!

I know, and the contrast between today and Day 100 is profound. I'm so glad I'm doing this.

[Hawkflight]

Also, you're less than a week away from day 200 . Keep up the good work!

I know, and the contrast between today and Day 100 is profound. I'm so glad I'm doing this.

And just in case you're drawing everypony's avatars again, I shall now cycle through my avatars at warp speed just to make things annoying for you!

j/k (maybe).

[Thanqol]

And just in case you're drawing everypony's avatars again, I shall now cycle through my avatars at warp speed just to make things annoying for you!

j/k (maybe).

I'm probably not going to do that this time around (maybe for 1 year), but even if you did my process is to save copies of everyone's avatar into one big folder and work from there, thwarting your plan.

Day 195: From Life

You haven't lived until you've tasted a thunderstorm like this.

Have some art.

Spoiler

Show

[Hawkflight]

I'm probably not going to do that this time around (maybe for 1 year), but even if you did my process is to save copies of everyone's avatar into one big folder and work from there, thwarting your plan.

Curses! Foiled again. I'll get you next time, Captain Australia! *shakes a hoof*

You haven't lived until you've tasted a thunderstorm like this.

Oh boy, let me tell you about thunderstorms, I've lived through some of THE. BEST. EVER.

[the_druid_droid]

Day 190: Back In Business

Awright. Very happy with how this turned out.

Spoiler

Show

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Music: NACP Tribute

Been lurking for a while, but I'll use this as an excuse to post...

Like I said in the other thread, I really like how this version of Tarin turned out, and hopefully once I figure out how to draw people, I can whip up a version for some neat compare/contrast stuff.

Day 194: Horizon's Stare

Started and finished after midnight SO IT COUNTS. I'll probably do another one tomorrow as well.

Experiment at drawing a Warforged character I came up with today, character designed completely from scratch. Pretty good for a first attempt!

Spoiler

Show

Time: 1.5 hours
Music: The All Powerful Trixie

Although I haven't posted any to the ponythread, I have been doodling around with robot drawing some. My advice here is to practice geometric shapes - cylinders, cones, spheres, ellipsoids, and squashed or twisted versions of them as well. Basic shapes like that pop up a lot in things that have been engineered rather than naturally given form.

[Thanqol]

Been lurking for a while, but I'll use this as an excuse to post...

Like I said in the other thread, I really like how this version of Tarin turned out, and hopefully once I figure out how to draw people, I can whip up a version for some neat compare/contrast stuff.

Looking forwards to it!

Although I haven't posted any to the ponythread, I have been doodling around with robot drawing some. My advice here is to practice geometric shapes - cylinders, cones, spheres, ellipsoids, and squashed or twisted versions of them as well. Basic shapes like that pop up a lot in things that have been engineered rather than naturally given form.

Makes sense, I'll work on this next time!

Day 196: Alternate Reality #1: Adamantine Arrow

I'm doing a series of character redesigns on Jayden Mavel, based on alternate histories in which she joined one of the other Orders.

Adamant Jayden did something Free Council Jayden never did: Beat her friend Gilda in a race. And that changed everything. Now it was Jayden getting the sports scholarship, becoming one of the most promising young athletes in the school system, and leaving her friends behind her in the dust. The military was the logical next step; it was the ultimate test of her abilities, and she didn't have any friends or family she cared about. She signed up with the U.S. marine corps and took a tour of duty in Iraq. When her squad was pinned down under fire, radio shot to bits and unable to call in for support, Adamant Jayden grabbed it and made it work, shouting an inaudible order across the ether and calling down celestial fire on her enemies. She lost her eye in that engagement, along with the last of her childish dreams. Adamant Jayden is a professional, with unbreakable resolve and none of the psychological issues that trouble Free Council Jayden (even going so far as to give up the pretence of 'Jayden Mavel' and wear her real name openly). If Adamant Jayden has a weakness, it's ambition. She knows the world is a proving ground, that constant danger and constant trials make one stronger, and she's determined to be the strongest. The cause is immaterial, as is success or failure, what matters is that she's stronger after it.

Unbreakable, unstoppable, and dangerously mercenary, Adamant Jayden is not a nice person. She's getting back to Heaven no matter who's body she has to step over.

Spoiler

Show

Time: 2 hours
Music: The Good Soldier

[Thanqol]

Day 197: Alternate Reality #2: Mysterium

When she was just getting used to her magic and what she could do with it, Jayden jumped off a building to test her force fields. Free Council Jayden landed safely, Mysterium Jayden messed it up and broke both her legs. As a result, she had to spend the next few months indoors with her computer and came to appreciate Magic in a very different light.

In particular, Mysterium Jayden became an internet addict, really pushing the boundaries of what she could accomplish with a computer. She became a total recluse and a master hacker, breaking into secure websites, downloading reams of sensitive data, and just reading it. This kept up until she met a server with encryption like nothing she'd ever imagined, and spent over a month trying to break in before she finally managed it. Five minutes after she got access to the server, the Mysterium knocked on the door and offered her a job.

Mysterium Jayden is incredibly isolationist and physically weak, preferring to do everything she can from as far away as possible. She's lazy, trying to find shortcuts or solve boring problems with minimum effort. But she's tapped into more information than any of her other incarnations could possibly imagine, and is devilishly creative when it comes to solving problems.

Spoiler

Show

Time: 1.5 hours
Music: We Want Revolution

[Thanqol]

Day 198: Alternate Reality #3: Guardians of the Veil

When Jayden was high on newly discovered magic, she drove her car through the front window of an electronics store. She started throwing around electricity and starting fires casually, destroying for the sake of destroying, completely out of control. Where these stories diverge is that Guardian Jayden invoked a Paradox at this scene, and her magic went haywire, electrocuting the friends she'd brought with her. Jayden desperately started trying to undo what she'd done, calling the police and the hospital. None of the calls went through; the Guardians were on the scene first, shutting down her rookie magic with devastating efficiency and healing the worst of the injuries to her friends. Jayden was taken away before she could see what happened next.

The Guardians are extraordinarily cautious about who they recruit, and Jayden had already shown that she was unstable, so their general plan was to teach her the basics and then shove her in the direction of one of the other Orders. But the change they saw in her after that event was astounding. Jayden had learned exactly what she was capable of and why she needed self control. In particular, she became a fervent student of Life magic so she could heal others. The Guardians, after some discussion, agreed that she'd changed and had become a potentially valuable recruit and began putting her through the Veils.

As part of her training, Guardian Jayden spent a lot of time shapeshifting, and found to her surprise that she was much more comfortable in a male body. She still changes between the two, but has come to see herself as a boy. This exploration and embracing of her own sexuality has made Jayden far more self assured and far less tense. Guardian Jayden disdains violence of all kinds, and focuses on powers that can counter and undo it's consequences. Her weakness is perhaps that she's too open minded and too weak in her convictions, prepared to consider compromise, retreat, surrender if it minimises risk.

Spoiler

Show

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Music: The Quiet Place

[the_druid_droid]

Unfortunately, I have very little practice with figure drawing, but I'll chip in my two cents anyway in the hopes of being helpful. The first thing is that in the picture of Jayden as a soldier, her stage-left arm seems to be too curved; it looks a bit like it has an extra joint. To get the positioning you want with that pose, I think her upper arm needs to be closer in to her side, which will push her forearm toward the midline where the trigger is, without making the elbow curve as much. The other thing is that in a couple of the pictures, the feet look too large in comparison to the body (particularly relative to head size) which is something to keep in mind as you're laying things out.

That said, I'm enjoying this character redesign session and I find the logic behind them just as interesting as the finished product. I am curious though: will we see a Seer version of Jayden, or is that too far away from her personality even for an alternate universe?

[Thanqol]

Unfortunately, I have very little practice with figure drawing, but I'll chip in my two cents anyway in the hopes of being helpful. The first thing is that in the picture of Jayden as a soldier, her stage-left arm seems to be too curved; it looks a bit like it has an extra joint. To get the positioning you want with that pose, I think her upper arm needs to be closer in to her side, which will push her forearm toward the midline where the trigger is, without making the elbow curve as much. The other thing is that in a couple of the pictures, the feet look too large in comparison to the body (particularly relative to head size) which is something to keep in mind as you're laying things out.

Right! Good points! Must remember!

That said, I'm enjoying this character redesign session and I find the logic behind them just as interesting as the finished product. I am curious though: will we see a Seer version of Jayden, or is that too far away from her personality even for an alternate universe?

Of course you'll be seeing a Seer Jayden. Heck, I've been seriously worried about her incredible Seer tendencies for a long time in the game she's from. I think the only reason why Free Council Jayden is never going to be a Seer is because they recently kidnapped her and performed brain surgery on her to 'help' get rid of her Paradox. And only really then because she thinks they did it wrong and are therefore stupid.

(Kidnapping and brain surgery are legitimate means of fighting that paradox in Jayden's eyes. Kidnapping and incorrect brain surgery is inexcusable. Studying from the Exarchs, maybe. Studying from stupid Exarchs, hell no.)

[Silviya]

I'm enjoying these alternate reality character drawings, even though I don't know who the character is (from what you've written, she seems like a really cool character, in an interesting world). It's always good to try to draw the same character multiple times to learn how to draw the same character consistently, and to learn to capture the personality of the character in the drawing. I love how you can see the different personalities of the character in the different drawings. I do agree with The Druid Droid, the feat look a little big, but other than that it looks like you're proportions are pretty good.

Also, as a writer, I love the idea of tweaking events in a character's history to see how it would affect their present personality. This character also seems very interesting. What's she from? A story that you're writing, an RPG that you're in, other?

[Thanqol]

I'm enjoying these alternate reality character drawings, even though I don't know who the character is (from what you've written, she seems like a really cool character, in an interesting world). It's always good to try to draw the same character multiple times to learn how to draw the same character consistently, and to learn to capture the personality of the character in the drawing. I love how you can see the different personalities of the character in the different drawings. I do agree with The Druid Droid, the feat look a little big, but other than that it looks like you're proportions are pretty good.

Yeah, it's been an awesome challenge and I've loved thinking through the visuals; what changes and what stays the same. And the reason why the proportions have been so good is because I've actually been marking them out with a quick eight-heads reference before I start drawing, it's amazing how handy something small like that is.

And I'm especially happy with how doable this is; it has to be the sign of a developed character that I can come up with five alternate reality versions of her and still have them all be basically the same person in my mind.

Also, as a writer, I love the idea of tweaking events in a character's history to see how it would affect their present personality. This character also seems very interesting. What's she from? A story that you're writing, an RPG that you're in, other?

Ah, there's a good point, I knew I was forgetting something.

Here's Free Council Jayden, the canon version, a commission I had done just before I started drawing myself. She's a Mage in a World of Darkness tabletop game I've been in for over a year. Most of the major events in her past are the basis for these Alternates. Here's the start of what should hopefully be a much longer story about her background.

The short version:

Neglected daughter of a superstar model grows up bitter and self destructive and basically snaps when she Awakens as a Mage. Magically controls lightning, fire, force, and especially sound. A bundle of insecurities held together with a tie and positive thinking.

And on that topic...


Day 199: Alternate Reality #4: Seers of The Throne

When Jayden Mavel finished burning down the electronics store, she and Gilda staggered home in a drunken haze. High on the rush of magic, Jayden grabbed Gilda and kissed her. They passed out together on the couch in the living room, almost intimate, but not quite.

The next morning the police knocked down Free Council Jayden's door and dragged the two off to jail. They never arrived for Seer Jayden. Seer Jayden woke up in the morning with the girl she wanted. She'd had the night of her life. She'd caused indiscriminate property damage. And there were no consequences. Looking out at the rising sun, Seer Jayden learned the most terrible lesson: She could do what she wanted, and no one and nothing could stop her.

Seer Jayden's first decision was to get revenge on her stupid, insipid, neglectful mother. And not through any mere violence, but through a transcendently cruel re-invention of her image. She embraced her celebrity status, her incredible musical talents, and put aside her opinions on what music 'should' be. She changed everything about herself into a twisted mockery of her mother's life and career. She sang songs that were almost dirtier version's of her mother's. She staged a drug addiction, shouted racist slurs at police officers, and appealed to the absolute lowest common denominator. Her popularity rose meteorically, eclipsing her mother's. And that destroyed Liza Mavel - in her heart, she loved her daughter, and she had no response to such a systematic and comprehensive attack on everything she'd ever done and ever achieved. She crumbled.

But through all this, one thing remained constant: Jayden remained with Gilda, loving and affectionate, faithful and devoted. A true romance of equals, never abusing her power where her lover was concerned. And therein lies the darkest truth of Jayden Mavel: She would sell her soul to the Exarchs in exchange for one healthy relationship.

Love conquers all.

As it must.

Spoiler

Show

Time: 1 hour
Music: Centrefold

[Thanqol]

You know what the best part of having made it 200 days without a single missed update? I'm not thinking of this as day 200. I'm thinking of this as Sunday. I don't need to strive for milestones; this is just a thing I do.

This sequence of five was really fun to do and think about. I know that there are mistakes throughout them, and those mistakes really bug me. But that's because I'm really starting to put all these thousands of pieces together. Only solution is to practise until it's right. Practise, practise, practise.

Day 200: Alternate Reality #5: Silver Ladder

When Jayden was locked up following her arson, someone broke in to the prison to get her out. A Free Council maniac named Billboard. He offered her a way out and an apprenticeship. Free Council Jayden accepted, and learned that she could run away from the consequences of her actions.

Silver Ladder Jayden refused. She stayed where she was, refusing to leave her friend in prison alone. She showed loyalty, restraint, and humility. And, of course, no Mage was going to stay in prison for long - it wasn't long before a Silver Ladder recruiter got to her and got her out.

Silver Ladder Jayden is the best possible outcome for Jayden Mavel's mindset. She's wise, courageous, loyal, compassionate and has a sense of duty and self respect. When she messes up, she owns it, and deals with it until it's done rather than running away. She's similar in lifestyle and objectives to Free Council Jayden but she just does everything better. She gets along with people. She has patience and forethought. She's even managed to produce the Pattern as it was meant to be, not as the twisted nightmare Free Council Jayden produced.

Spoiler

Show

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Music: Ascension to Cosmo Canyon

[Domochevsky]

Mhm, alright, this is starting to get places.

(Protip: The "boobs smooshed together" lines on the chest don't actually occur unless you got really big boobs and/or a ludicrously tight top. )

[Thanqol]

Mhm, alright, this is starting to get places.

(Protip: The "boobs smooshed together" lines on the chest don't actually occur unless you got really big boobs and/or a ludicrously tight top. )

Huh. I must have been exposed to so much art with improbable breast sizings that I thought that was the done thing. Damn you, comic book industry. Damn you.

Also, if this sequence has taught me anything, it's that Free Council Jayden is the evil one.

[Domochevsky]

Huh. I must have been exposed to so much art with improbable breast sizings that I thought that was the done thing. Damn you, comic book industry. Damn you.
...

Tell me about it... until recently i've done that myself. >_>

[fizzybobnewt]

And it may be the same with those you learned from. How can we know when the giant boobs started? It's a cyyyycle!

[Thanqol]

Tell me about it... until recently i've done that myself. >_>

And it may be the same with those you learned from. How can we know when the giant boobs started? It's a cyyyycle!

Every generation the inflation continues. God help us.

Also, I figured out a whole bunch of "Oh, so THAT'S how I should be doing this!" things this morning. Moments like that justify sequences like these.

Day 201: Alternate Reality #6: Praetorian Ministry

Right, well the guy I'm doing these for asked me to tour Jayden through the other Seer Ministries; the existing Seer Jayden is Hegemonic; this one is Praetorian. Let's explore.

Jayden Mavel Awakened when, after a lifetime as a do-gooder Catholic schoolgirl listening to classical music and avoiding mainstream music, she stumbled in to the mosh pit at a rock concert. The experience blew her mind, shattered her soul, and sent her to the Aether where she stood in the sea of noise so loud you heard it with your soul.

But in another life, she went to a rap concert instead of rock and roll.

It wasn't the crash of guitars and pounding drums that Awakened Praetorian Jayden. It was bitterness, rage, fury, and undying devotion to the cause. It wasn't a fist punched into the air, heralding victory and defiance, that called her. It was a gang symbol, clasped against the chest, speaking of servitude and brotherhood. Jayden, white upper class Catholic schoolgirl, had found her path lay in the muck of L.A.'s gutter and violence of L.A.'s gang war. She left her life and former friends; they thought her mad, but they didn't know what it was like to be part of something greater.

As Praetorian Jayden explored the Bloods as an organisation, using her musical talents to earn herself mascot status, she came to realise just how stupid they were. Clan loyalty, inspired by music, gave way to contempt: These were fools who would throw their lives away to protect the meagre income of a drug corner, for less money than she got in her weekly allowance. But having experienced that loyalty, briefly, herself she realised what they were really dying for was a song, and the emotions that song inspired.

And she was the singer.

Part crime lord, part superstar, part figurehead. Untouchable and feared. Praetorian Mavel has an army, and she is the General.

Spoiler

Show

Time: 1.5 Hours
Music: Lose Yourself