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nomichi sketch thread

nomichi
polycounter lvl 17
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nomichi polycounter lvl 17
Hello. I'm starting a little sketch thread to put up my work as I practice my drawing. I may eventually add some modeling if/when I start practicing that. For now it will just be pencil/paper and perhaps some digital if I feel like attempting to work with my tiny 4x5 grapphire. I really need to get a 6x8 :P

Now to start this thread off I did some heads from the book Dynamic Figure Drawing. I'm not really a big fan of Hogarth, his figures feel a bit tense or overflexed, but I feel it is a good book to study the figure in deep space. And besides, it's the only book I have available at the moment.

I haven't drawn much in years, so for now I'm trying to work from reference to familiarize myself with the figure again. I guess I could use some other reference from online but I find it easier to work from a book. Also my time is pretty limited so I don't know how often I will get to update this but I want to do this as motivation to keep working on my skill.

Any crits/comments are always appreciated. Sorry if the scans are bad, I'm working on tweaking my scanner settings. The numbers next to the heads are the order I drew them in. This was for reference to see if I improved any or to compare if I changed how I was doing something. And finally the pics...
sketch019qr.th.jpg
^This one I didn't do any erasing cause I didn't have an eraser nearby :P I think it came out ok.
sketch026xw.th.jpg
^I did erase on this one. I feel most of the heads turned out ok but some are a bit off. I'm not too happy with my shading, I seem to suck at crosshatch and I need to stop trying to make a perfect copy.

I think I need to experiment with how I hold my pencil and how hard I draw. If anyone has any advice on this please tell smile.gif

Replies

  • hawken
  • nomichi
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    nomichi polycounter lvl 17
    Thanks for the link but I don't understand. Is this for inspiration or are you saying I shouldn't use my own thread and should post there? I'll post wherever you think is best to get some tips/feedback.
  • almighty_gir
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    almighty_gir ngon master
    posting your own thread is good, because you will get a lot of feedback and critique.

    i think if the link is what i think it is (havent clicked it yet), then hawken is saying your art should also be pimped in our forums uber sketch thread.
  • nomichi
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    nomichi polycounter lvl 17
    thanks gir. In that thread should I just post totally original pieces that aren't reference studies like these?
  • almighty_gir
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    almighty_gir ngon master
    i think you can post whatever the hell you want mate, youll find these forums are pretty relaxed.

    i wish i could give you some advice, but my drawing skills are the lose haha.
  • nomichi
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    nomichi polycounter lvl 17
    haha ok, thanks man. I'll just post whatever unless someone says otherwise :P
  • nomichi
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    nomichi polycounter lvl 17
    Did a few torso studies today.
    sketch030sr.th.jpg
  • gauss
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    gauss polycounter lvl 18
    i think these studies are going to pay BIG dividends in the long run, keep studying. the head studies in particular are nice. this new crop of torsos are good, but it looks like you need to sharpen your pencil smile.gif

    keep it up, and keep scanning! smile.gif
  • Ninjas
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    Ninjas polycounter lvl 18
    I learned a lot from the Hogarth books, which it looks like you are drawing from. His anatomy can be a bit uninteresting and at times simply weird looking, so I wouldn't think of his stuff as the end all, be all.
  • nomichi
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    nomichi polycounter lvl 17
    [ QUOTE ]
    i think these studies are going to pay BIG dividends in the long run, keep studying. the head studies in particular are nice. this new crop of torsos are good, but it looks like you need to sharpen your pencil smile.gif

    keep it up, and keep scanning! smile.gif

    [/ QUOTE ]

    yea I am bad about sharpening my pencil. I actually don't like these pencils I have now. I think I need to pick up a different brand maybe. Anyone recommend something good?

    @Ninjas: yea, it's from Hogarth's Dynamic Figure Drawing book. I agree about the anatomy but it seems a good book to study the figure in interesting angles.
  • Snowfly
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    Snowfly polycounter lvl 18
    What've you got? I like Derwents for traditional, and Pilot 0.5 HB mechanical pencils. And my all-time favorite Mongol No.2

    You need to break down those torso further, and start from basic swooping curves before getting into the details. Good start!
  • nomichi
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    nomichi polycounter lvl 17
    I have some Kimberly drawing pencils. I think they are some cheap ones but I'm not sure. I've been noticing some hard spots in one of them that scratch the paper so I think they aren't good ones. That or I could just have a bad pencil. I have a zebra 0.5 mechanical pencil but I tend to draw too hard and dent the paper with those, if that makes any sense.

    I'm really not sure how to use the different types either. Is there somewhere that talks about them like 2B 2H HB etc. Is it just preference of feel?

    Can you explain in more detail about starting with the curves? I try to block the figure out with some general shapes to get the volume down and then add some detail. I don't really have a good workflow yet as I'm still learning so any advice is appreciated.
  • nomichi
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    nomichi polycounter lvl 17
    Was gonna do something in photoshop but I dunno it just felt weird. Not sure how to explain it. Anyway, I downloaded the free version of artrage 2 and did a few heads. No reference used to see if I could make something close to right. Played around with perspective a bit but I don't think I did too well. Done on my sucky 4x5 grapphire. I haven't done much digital work at all so don't laugh smile.gif

    arheads18zc.th.jpg

    So anyway, artrage felt more like drawing on paper so I did better with that. Still not great but better. I'm sure my tiny tablet doesn't help and maybe PS is better if I have the right brush settings etc.

    Think I'll check ebay for a 6x8 intuos. Anyone know much about intuos 2 vs intous 3? I think I could get a 2 for a decent price but a 3 is much more expensive.
  • hawken
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    hawken polycounter lvl 19
    [ QUOTE ]
    Thanks for the link but I don't understand. Is this for inspiration or are you saying I shouldn't use my own thread and should post there? I'll post wherever you think is best to get some tips/feedback.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    if feedback is what you are after here is the place.

    regular sketcheroos post in that thread however.

    an intuos 3 is more expensive but it really is like buying a pencil no other money can buy. I went for an intuos a4 last year but found it too big. I have settled on an a5 wide, suits me fine. Intuos 2 is like a step back, but they are cheap. For the same money you can get a bluetooth graphire, which is worth it for the gimick smile.gif
  • Joseph Silverman
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    Joseph Silverman polycounter lvl 17
    Not to derail Nomichi's thread, but where would you suggest purchasing the Intuos2 from?
  • nomichi
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    nomichi polycounter lvl 17
    Another Hogarth torso study. I was gonna do some shading but since my free time is so limited I just decided to scan it in.

    sketch046zi.th.jpg
  • hawken
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    hawken polycounter lvl 19
    [ QUOTE ]
    Not to derail Nomichi's thread, but where would you suggest purchasing the Intuos2 from?

    [/ QUOTE ]

    ever heard of PM? laugh.gif

    Dunno, ebay is always cheap but the wacom shop (at the wacom site) has re-furbished tablets at a cheap price too. I got mine in a shop.

    (they are a bit cheaper here in Japan because this is where they are made)
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