Sketch of the day

[bluerider]

Ok here is one for today, its called "Nomadic hearts". I've spent my live traveling about the place.

[agv]

I like that! Nice colors and interesting form.

This forum is a great idea; I hope we make good use of it. I'll jump in as soon as I get me some talent.

[bluerider]

This is another variation on the same theme I just completed. The first sketch is with Crayons, board chalk and scrapbook paper.

This one is done using a Cinciq with Aura.

[bluerider]

here it is

[bluerider]

I like that! Nice colors and interesting form.

This forum is a great idea; I hope we make good use of it. I'll jump in as soon as I get me some talent.

I don't worry about any techniqual elequence, just post up a scribble. :)

[agv]

I dig the second one too!

Are you taking this into 3D at some point, or are these the final pieces? I think they stand on their own quite well.

[flakester]

Good call on this thread! :thumbsup:

I prefer the first piece for its definition of musculature and atmosphere through the highlights and shadows.

The second piece is also nice, I like the flowing immediacy (for want of better words, please don't think I'm Brian Sewell in disguise!!) and pure look of thought flowing straight through the hand onto the medium.

Nice work.

flakester.

[CMT]

I really hope this takes off. I love concept art just as much as a fully detailed 3D rendering.

[bluerider]

flakester,
Thanks for the compliment about my work. Your humour gets you a gold star for making me laugh.

agv,
"Are you taking this into 3D at some point, or are these the final pieces?"........

Good question. The answer is definatley yes.

CMT,
Thanks for the encouragement. :) Wow your greyhound, I'm jealous. Quite superb.

[bluerider]

This piece was done in a resturant, a japenese resturant at SIGGRAPH last month. I had a purple and red crayon on the linen napkin. The black is the pen I was given for the recipt.

Its one of the few times I got dirty looks from the waitress for my scribbles. Most places don't care :devil:

[flakester]

Again, very nice lighting.
Liking the sense of movement and the ethereal feeling a lot too.

I'll have to dig out some of my old works when I find the time!

flakester.

[bluerider]

Just scribbled this in a meeting.

[Cougar12dk]

You have some twisted imagination there :)

Very nice doodling

[bluerider]

yes....the approach to my sketching is unbridled, its usually a process of pouring out a set of volume representations on to a flat surface with a crayon and paper along with the vagist theme of some creature. Then hopefully it ends up being some legible form.

I don't like to waste time procrastinating with scribbles/ sketches. :)

[Cougar12dk]

Oh alright :)

[bluerider]

However, sometimes the creatures I design are based on fellow workers. Fortunately people I work with have a good sense of humor.

[bluerider]

I dig the second one too!

Are you taking this into 3D at some point, or are these the final pieces? I think they stand on their own quite well.

Yes here is a sketch I did http://www.spinquad.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=25616&d=1170239427

Then Proton modeled it from the sketch I put on the thread= http://www.spinquad.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=25776&d=1170788616

I am meant to texture this and I am ashamed to say I have not been able to do it yet.

I have sketched plenty then modeled myself. I'll maybe provide those examples at some point if anyone is interested. :)

[andrew_y]

MMMmmm .. Guiness! Good!

:thumbsup:

[bluerider]

You must have put your beer down to answer this thread Yaplemister :)

[agv]

Graham, this is all top notch stuff and I'm quickly becoming a fan. Your work reminds me a little of Cirque Du Soleil. I especially like the napkin drawing. So you drew that on a restaurant linen napkin, not a paper napkin? Only a really good artist can get away with that!

[bluerider]

agv,
Ah....drawing on linen napkins. Its purely the naughtness factor that makes me want to do it.

The problem with paper nakins in cafes and resturants is the inconsistancy regarding quality. Some of it is so bad, it reminds me of the loathsome thin transparent digit breaking bottom paper of our the glorious British state school system. Any pressure with with a crayon on this paper and its unmost certain to tear. Forget a ball point pen.

French resturants usually have descent paper napkins, and so do their "bog" standard cafes.

[flakester]

snip... Some of it is so bad, it reminds me of the loathsome thin transparent digit breaking bottom paper of our the glorious British state school system. Any pressure with with a crayon on this paper and its unmost certain to tear. Forget a ball point pen.

**now wash your hands**

Lmao!

And if it didn't break - it would crease.... turing the crease itself into a tiny tracing-paper bushido.

Brings back memories, not all of them happy ones!!

Sorry for bringing the tone down. I'm a Cockney, it's my job.

flakester.

[andrew_y]

Gram is notorious for drawing on stuff whenever he is out. Someone needs to drag him to a local fast food joint and test his ketchup painting skills!

[bluerider]

flakester,
Bushido, I had to google that. I glanced through it only and picked up samurai which makes me think....sharp swords, OUCH !!!!!!!

Heres another example here a draw out the idea then think....."mmmmm I'll try modeling that in LightWave".

[bluerider]

Gram is notorious for drawing on stuff whenever he is out. Someone needs to drag him to a local fast food joint and test his ketchup painting skills!

I've been beaten to that by a Brazilian chap called Alexandre now at DAVE school. He did an awesome soy sauce painting on his dinner plate then took a photo.

Heres the link http://www.tofutheveganzombie.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=31

[agv]

Yet again another great sketch in post #24! The 3D is okay, but I think it's going to be tough to use 3D to capture the quirky energy you have in your sketches. Maybe that's true with a lot of sketch art.

[bluerider]

agv,
Yes, I failed to capture the energy in that particular piece, stilted would be a flattering comment. It does work sometimes though. Heres an example where I was happy with the translation=
http://www.spinquad.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13732

I think though the consistancy of translating that energy is becoming better. Shear experience and watching and listening to others who "have it down" has helped me improve.

[agv]

agv,
Yes, I failed to capture the energy in that particular piece, stilted would be a flattering comment. It does work sometimes though. Heres an example where I was happy with the translation=
http://www.spinquad.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13732

I think though the consistancy of translating that energy is becoming better. Shear experience and watching and listening to others who "have it down" has helped me improve.

I like the texture on the hand creature; it helps capture some of the energy of your drawing style. Those color studies on that thread are pretty cool too; it's inspiring to see how you work. I skimmed through the thread and might have missed it, but is that piece completed and posted there?

[bluerider]

Yeah its finished, there is a final render. Its res is a bit small though. I need to redo. But for now here it is.

[bluerider]

Sketch of the day is the black horse.

[agv]

Again, great stuff. This sounds corny, but were there any artists that inspired your style? When you were a child, you probably studied Dali whereas I was watching the Three Stooges.

[bluerider]

Well Spike Milligan was a genius so I can't fault you for watching/ listening to the Three Stooges. I love his book, I think they are the only pieces of literature that make me laught out load.

Influenences, Dali was certainly the first because there was always books about him in my class at school. I visited his major bodies of work at St.Petes in Florida and of course Figueres.

I am also a big fan of the English and French symbolist painters of the late 19 and early twentieth century, Richard Dadd espically. However, the individual who work I am most enthralled by is Heinrich Kley. I was fortunate enough recently to meet a curator who told me how the main body of his work was destroyed at the end of the second world war.

His work in any comprehensive publication is rare to get hold of. I thought at some point a John Canemaker was working on a publication, perhaps its being finished now?

Anyway heres a link to Kley http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Heinrich_Kley

[agv]

I wasn't familiar with these artists. I like Dadd's work and wish there was more publicly available about Kley. That DisneyWiki site is pretty cool!

[bluerider]

agv,
I did a LW tour abot 4 years ago and along the way I was able to meant relatives and friends on the west coast. One friend at the end of a seminar I did, took me to visit a truly awesome comic shop in Menlo, near Foster/ Redwood City.

In the comic shop I discovered "The Varerboncoeur Collection of images" periodicals. One of them featured my hero Kley, it was issue one. There was lots of other periodicals by the same publisher, unfortunatly they were twenty bucks a pop, 23 pages a periodical.

I haven't come across them since, but it's amazing the awesome stuff you come across by chance.

The best examples I have saw of the French symbolist of the period I gave was at the muse D'orsay.

As for what you said about Dadd......wow, yeah he is awesome. All the fantasy work we see today, much of it, I feel you can trace to his visual influenences, hopefully not his mental influenences?

[bluerider]

did this at a resturant. Italian place where you can draw on the paper table cloth cover. Its crayons.

[agv]

I feel like a broken record...another great sketch.

I visited your site http://www.grahamtoms.com/ and wow, more great stuff. It's inspiring because I'm in the process of producing a more creative portfolio than the corporate work I've done for so long. Not that corporate hasn't been good to me, but it's just not creative enough. The kind of work I usually get is often limited to what I've shown I can already do.

[stevecullum]

Brilliant sketches, full of imagination as always!

[bluerider]

agv,
I love the orange themed image your created. The Santa one, thats looks awesome. My kids will love that as well. My website is really old. I don't think I have provided a new image for that in about 3 years. I am amazed its still there. A friend of mine must have continued the subscription for that, I'll have to thank him.

stevecullum,
Thankyou and thanks once again for the references you gave.

[agv]

Thanks Graham.

[bluerider]

Title "all invited"
Medium= Board chalk, pen, crayon and colored paper.

[stevecullum]

Nice..its the last supper in the woods :)

[bluerider]

Lol...your warm. :thumbsup:

[bluerider]

.................................................. ............................... :)

[agv]

I love "all invited". One of my favorites of what you've shown so far!

[bluerider]

Thankyou agv,
I'm a big fan of the line drawing of Penguin Publication, the illustrator Pauline Baynes in particular. She was responsible for the origonal artwork for C.S.Lewis and his Narnia series.

That style meant alot to me because I could hardly read up to that point, that series of books really opened a door to me and Pauline Baynes somehow capture the essence of Narnia's magic.

I have obviously adapted to my own style, but the poignancy of the peace was done in the county the author loved most, County Down doodled listening to a sermon . :devil:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Baynes

[bluerider]

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[bluerider]

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[agv]

This last sketch, as well as some of your others, reminds me a bit of Rolly Crump's designs for the Museum of the Weird. That was to be an attraction at Disneyland, but it evolved and became what is now the Haunted Mansion. Crump's original designs were both kooky and occult.

There is an article on him at Doombuggies.com (http://www.doombuggies.com/history2.php). Scroll down that page and you'll see some of his work. And there was another great article on him in E-Ticket magazine #38.

I really like Crumps work as I do yours!

[bluerider]

agv,
Wow....Rolly Crump. Thanks for the link. Fascinating reading, I've booked marked that link. I love the history behind the design of the Disney theme parks. :jam:

[agv]

...I love the history behind the design of the Disney theme parks. :jam::agree:

If you haven't checked out The E-Ticket (http://www.the-e-ticket.com/) magazine, it's amazing. It has so much great material: interviews, pictures, preproduction sketches/artwork, and so on.

[bluerider]

very cool :thumbsup:

[Piolla]

Man, I really like your style! Specially the cretures you create.

[bluerider]

The cool thing is your technical excellence of human anatomy really makes me inspired to push myself. :)

[bluerider]

.................................................. ..............................................

[bluerider]

This was done during a meeting. Doodling helps me focus.

[agv]

You're killing me, Graham. This is what you do in a meeting??? I suggest you keep going to meetings.

[art]

One of my favorite SQ threads came here. Great!

[bluerider]

art,
Thanks for the comment. I hope to be inviting other artists to contribute here plus encourage anybody else to submit their own scribbles. Hopefully we can inspire and encourage each other.

agv,
Yes I scribble in meetings. Its how I concentrate, I'd fall asleep other wise and that would be rude to the rest of the group :D . Usually for meeting I draw metaphors related to content in discussion, then I write a short summary explaining the visual complexities which may occur. Its a great way for me to remember the focus of the meeting.

Heres another scribble

[bluerider]

I doodled this in Barnes and Noble tonighht in the Childrens sections while my children browsed the books and played with friends.

[Piolla]

Those are great! Your job should be going to meetings and to librarys. At the end of the month you make a monthly "expo doodling"...

[agv]

Are all the color works you've posted done with crayons? The look is great. You make them look like pastels.

I was thinking about trying pastels for a project, now I wonder if I should try crayons. It's been so long that I've done color sketches that I'll have to experiment. What are your preferences for sketch medium?

[bluerider]

agv,
I use crayons and board chalk. Board chalk is more durable.

I use crayons because is basically a buck a box? How can you beat that for value. However, the brand is important because there are plenty of brands where the wax is to hard and coarse with little pigment. I go for Crayola Crayons, and standard, nothing funky.

I layer to get a nice rich texture, the surface can be important plus the ground color. Pastels have such great color luminostiy and if framed under glass and out of direct sunlight have fantastic longevity.

Degas used steam to fix his layers, I just use fixative. Hairspray is cheaper to fix but the chemicals over time will discolor the pastel. With pastel there is a special toothed paper for that medium that gives an extra special quality.Here is a link for some paper types regarding pastel.
http://www.dickblick.com/categories/pastelpapers/

[Piolla]

I envy you guys. I've never manage to control pastels though I find it one of the most beaultyfull media. I'm too messy and I usually go too far and spoil my pastels. The closest thing I did to pastels were digital ones. Not as beaultifull bu also not so messy for me...

[bluerider]

Piolla,
That looks like pastels, it incredible what effects can be achieved digitally to mimic traditional mediums.
I hope to get the chance later to day to do some more artwork. Weekends are so busy with the family.

[Piolla]

This was all done in Photoshop. If you think this looks like pastels, take a look at those... all photoshop and he does one of these in 40 min....

They're from Beto Campos a super talented Illustrator and concept artist that works with us. You can see more of his work here... http://betocampos.deviantart.com/gallery/

[Cougar12dk]

Wauw! That is excellent work. Good on 'im for that :)

[bluerider]

More pastel looking technique. Whats better is your not having to fix it to get the layers.
The aspect though I most like is I am having a window into another culture when I look at these pieces of a Brazilian yester year.

Bravo :bowdown:

[agv]

Thanks for the tips, Graham.

Piolla, great conductor sketch; in addition to looking like pastels, I really like the composition and use of space.

Those sketches by Beto really have some great color subtlety.

[bluerider]

Yeah, truly awesome work Beto Campos :bowdown: .

I've booked marked your website.

[bluerider]

I quite like this subject.

[bluerider]

longhorn

[bluerider]

stuff and that

[Piolla]

I like them! Specially the last one. I'm in a B&W sketches mood these days...

[agv]

I like that last one too. The natural lighting adds to it almost as a gradient sky would.

[bluerider]

Thanks,
Its just pencil the last one. The other two are digital sketches.
This was in done in black marker pen,

[agv]

Do you do much mixing of real and digital? I've done sketches on paper for the ease of drawing, and then added color digitally for ease of changing it if need be.

[bluerider]

Hi agv,
For digital painting, I scan in the drawing, massage the the sketch with a smooth tool then add my color in layers. :)

[bluerider]

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[jnddepew]

hey bluerider. you sure do a lot of cool work, though you do seem to prefer drawing disfigured horses with renaissance statues rolling around on them :)

[stevecullum]

hey bluerider. you sure do a lot of cool work, though you do seem to prefer drawing disfigured horses with renaissance statues rolling around on them

"The horse is strong with this one!"

I love Blueriders style - which is something I've been chasing for years - actually having a style :bowdown:

[agv]

Agreed. Graham has nailed down a strong style and executes it well. I'm like you, Steve, I'm working on perfecting a style but I'm not there yet. It takes time and lots of work.

[bluerider]

hey bluerider. you sure do a lot of cool work, though you do seem to prefer drawing disfigured horses with renaissance statues rolling around on them :)

jnddepew, PMSL.....OK thats the funniest summary of my subject matter I've heard in a while :D

stevecullum, agv, thank you for the compliment. The oddest thing about style is this. I spent years trying to get a style and it was elusive. So I gave up and just concentrated on fundamental aspects of which I still struggle with.

Whats interesting is that I forgot about pursuing style but apparently I have developed one. The important thing is consistency. That for me has been drawing at least once aday even if it is only for 10 minutes. Drawing 6 hours in a day then not bothering until another week is not going to improve your skill, in my opinion.

Now since reading this post I better start a drawing :question:

[bluerider]

this is a sketch for an idea I have to create more work on the theme of Faeries.

[bluerider]

.................................................. .............Blue marker pen and some orange ink.

[agv]

...That for me has been drawing at least once aday even if it is only for 10 minutes. Drawing 6 hours in a day then not bothering until another week is not going to improve your skill, in my opinion.

Graham, thanks for that.:)

Nice stuff again.

[bluerider]

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[joewight]

Really great works, Graham!

Thanks much for the tour and coffee today.

Here's a few pics that are quite off the path of this sketch thread. They are far and away from interpretive, inspired id, or creative right brain. I did these in pencil and ballpoint, then colored them in Photoshop 3.0.

You can check out my DeviantArt gallery here:

http://joewight.deviantart.com/gallery/

where you will find lots of wacky comic pics and my infamous Star Wars chibi alphabet (in progress)!

[bluerider]

joewight,
Well I found that inspiring, all you chaps from Antarctic Press are extremely talented artists. I love the comics you are all creating.

Personally it was a privilege to share ideas and techniques about art with all of you. My favorite one is the one on the left. Its because of the depth of field and the sense of scale through your use of aerial perspective.

How did you get interested specifically in comics, where did you develop your skills?

Twilight X rocks.

:) :rock:

P.S. thanks for providing link to your site. Gina is just to cute :thumbsup:

[MIghtysabo]

Aye mein' This is Lee from yesterday, thanks for everything ma' man.

Got a question-
What are you using to illustrate you digital sketches?....as in what type of tablet and software combinations etc...

hollah back and keep up the great work!

-L

[bluerider]

MIghtysabo,
Hey, thanks for your very cool ideas the other day :) .

The digital sketches are done with the Wacom "Cintiq". It's the quality of touch with that tool thats a pleasure to work with. the digital pen has tip changes that keeps the friction good, but the screen on the Cintiq has incredible pressure sensitivity.

I use Aura to paint with, somethings I combine it with photoshop.

[loki74]

but the screen on the Cintiq has incredible pressure sensitivity.

a bit OT, i know, but I thought the pressure sensitivity in Wacom tablets is in the pen?

I know that contact with the surface doesn't really matter with my Intuos (ie, I can hold the pen in the air above the active surface, and as long as it's close enough to detect the pen, if I push the nib with my finger, it will register a stroke), is that not the case with the Cintiq?

honestly I was a little skeptical about the effectiveness of the Cintiq, but after experiencing my Intuos... I KNOW that one day I HAVE TO get a Cintiq! Seriously, Wacoms are amazing devices, and I think that EVERY digital artist ought to have one.

[bluerider]

loki74,
Sorry yes the pen :)

[bluerider]

Sorry for neglecting this thread for a good while. I've been sketching but not transferring them here. I'll start remembering to do that again.

Heres a painting a did last week from a sketch though.

There are alot of glazes that are used in the painting. Unfortunately this does not transfer digitally.

[Cougar12dk]

Crikey! That's a good 'un there Graham. Sweet atmosphere :)

[bluerider]

Thanks Cougar12dk,
Theres about 12 layers of glaze on that painting so I was able to build up the gradients this way to create atmosphere.

Unfortunately as already stated , the digital representation here doesn't translate very well, the colors look flat.

[Cougar12dk]

Yea, a shame that. But if you have camera (or even a fairly good phone camera) how about taking a picture and upload it?

[stevecullum]

Yeah - thats real nice!

How long did it take you to do?

[bluerider]

stevecullum,
I think it amounts to 8 hours approximately. It was painted over a 3 evenings.

[agv]

Gorgeous! You just put a little sunshine in my day!

[bluerider]

agv,
I've been busy on the painting front for the last month or so.

Here is the simple sketch I did before the painting.

[agv]

Nice. I always wonder how much preproduction goes into a work. I like looking at preproduction artwork on the Pixar DVD extras. I find that I don't do much preproduction sketching of lately. Maybe I should do more!

[bluerider]

Heres another doodle.

[agv]

That's cool.

[bluerider]

..........................................

[GregMalick]

Aloha,
I love rough sketches,
This one makes me yearn for my days of charcoal drawing.

[bluerider]

Hey Greg, thanks for popping in. Have you been sketching on your bus trips.

:)

[IgnusFast]

Sorry for neglecting this thread for a good while. I've been sketching but not transferring them here. I'll start remembering to do that again.

Heres a painting a did last week from a sketch though.

There are alot of glazes that are used in the painting. Unfortunately this does not transfer digitally.

Man, I have to tell you, that is absolutely beautiful. I've seen some amazing art in these forums, but for some reason that little painting really speaks to me.

[GregMalick]

Hey Greg, thanks for popping in. Have you been sketching on your bus trips.

:)

Aloha Graham,

Embarrassingly, No. I've been so exhausted I've been sleeping.
I've spent the last 6 months remodeling our kitchen.
Today is another day of cutting and cementing 18" limestone slabs.
The only way I can save some money is to do it all myself.
I'm trying to get this done by Christmas so Alice can do some cooking.

I really need to start drawing again.

[bluerider]

GregMalick,
Remodeling the kitchen, thats impressive. I'm fairly incompetent as a D.I.Y. individual.

IgnusFast,
Thanks for the kind words. I try to get an ethereal quality with use of light. I have started a series on this theme and finished the second painting last weekend. I started preparations for the third on Saturday. Hopefully I'll finished by next weekend.

Heres something I doodled yesterday. Its about attempting something thats seems as if the odd are overwhelmingly against you.

[bluerider]

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[bluerider]

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[bluerider]

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[bluerider]

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[bluerider]

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[bluerider]

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[bluerider]

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[bluerider]

Willow Charcoal

[bobakabob]

Great work. Love the grace and movement in all of these!

[Kuzey]

Graham....super work :thumbsup:

I'm going to get a sketch book soon and was wondering what kind of pencil you are using, I love the quality of those lines :D

Kuzey

[bluerider]

Hey Kuzey,
They are usually done with either a black crayon, a black China pencil or willow charcoal.

[Kuzey]

Mmmmm.....I had to google 'china pencil' to find out it's used on glazed ceramic and stuff :D

Thanks for that, I'll have to give it a go.

Kuzey

[bluerider]

Kuzey,
The great thing about the china pencil is that you can draw on almost any material....I know this because I've tried :D

[bluerider]

...........................................to start the day and freighten myself by looking in the mirror.

[Tzan]

Kuzey,
The great thing about the china pencil is that you can draw on almost any material....I know this because I've tried :D


I once used a white china pencil to grid off a smallish mirror so I could more easily do a self portrait. I lined up my nose with an intersection. The image is trapped on my AtariST so dont ask to see it :)

Oh yeah I suppose a photo would have been easier, but were is the fun in that.

[Kuzey]

I haven't found a china pencil yet but maybe I'll come across one this weekend :hey:

Cool portrait, I was just thinking the other day when we'll see one.

Kuzey

[bluerider]

.................................................. ...............
Sketch was done in Charcoal then color added with Aura applied with a Cintiq.

[bluerider]

Black crayon

[bluerider]

Happy Valentines day.

[bluerider]

Graphite sketched, touched up in Aura with some color.

[bluerider]

Got this subject idea from a Texas periodical. David and Golith kinda thing.

The dog has got heat stroke or the virus from the film, 28 days later.

Anyways, when your developing ideas, to gather as much material as possible. Your research and development is like a muscle, the less you use it the less latitude you have to give your pictorial idea any latitude.

I'm always collecting magazines and going to the library for books with good pictorial ideas. Goggle search is a great help also.

[bluerider]

This attachment is how I started the sketch. Just a simple black and white. By beginning that way with just a graphite stick i am only thinking of composition and the basic forms of the two subjects, the bull and the dog.

Then i took this image into Aura, and added some color. Adding the color again was done rapidly using a Cintiq. The total time expended on the the final color sketch from this mono tone scribble is about 15 minutes.

The trick is trying to discipline myself to do this everyday. After a year or two one can build up quite a large library of ideas.

For this particular piece i think i will develop it further.

[bluerider]

The purpose of this sketch is purely practice. Practicing the scales if you like. The idea is to sketch as rapidly as possible, merely gesturing the form but capturing the essence of the subject.

The idea is to develop an approach to drawing that is spontaneous and as natural as breathing. No line has time to be pondered.

What is important about understanding this approach is that problem solving is speeded up rapidly.

Theres is no point spending 30 minutes on a drawing procrastinating and making mistakes when you can make the same mistakes in 3 minutes, learn from the experience quicker and develop the hand eye coordination from there. In half an hour you can have 10 drawing done and develop a rapid understanding of the volumes you are depicting.

The exercise was drawing with my left hand. I am right handed but have developed coordination with both. Using your opposite hand develops good hand eye coordination. After a few minutes using my left I swapped the graphite stick to the right hand.

[bluerider]

Quick sketch, I didn't have my digital camera so I used the Scanner and the page is to big.

I drew the whole hippo but could only fit part of the page onto the scanner.

This was a lot of fun to sketch, a marvelous subject. Its a sketch of a child's plastic toy.

[bluerider]

Forgot the camera again....flat bed scanner to the rescue.

This is another toy animal I bought from the house this morning.

I think I want to visit the zoo, but not right now. :)

[bluerider]

I didn't get space this morning for a sketch of the day. So i went out for lunch with some developers. While I rattled and blabbered on, I managed to scribble on some napkins.

So because i'm talking to much and not letting anyone else interrupt me, I am not concentrating on what I am drawing. You can see its looks like synergy of the previous days drawings.

[bluerider]

I did this at lunch with severe heckling from a large tribal gathering of programmers. :help:

This group consists of two cyber ethnicities, the Mac programmers and the PC programmers. A strange species who talk in raptures about various algorithms/ coding and stuff I'm sure they just make up to confuse anyone who is nosey enough to eves drop.

I will not use black oil pastel in conjunction with crayons again I think, bad combo but interesting experiment.

I bought a plastic Stegosaurus with me as my model, not life size of course but a very very small biddy one. The fun bit was sticking birthday suit people over the Stegosaurus. It make it interesting then on how to merge the shadows to interact with the volumes of the creature.

It certainly made me forget reality for a moment and lose myself in a world of a plastic Stegosaurus and romping miniatures characters. :)

[stevecullum]

Very nice - and obviously much better fun than listening to a bunch of talented, but stressed out coders heckle you ;)

[bluerider]

A mind altering experience.

[andrew_y]

<Homer> MMMMMMmmmmmm, Stegosaurus </Homer>

[bluerider]

Hi andrew_y,
I gave it the wrong dinosaur name at first?

Here is a another quick sketch. I then proceeded to color digitize some color. Awful, but at least its something and not nothing.

[bluerider]

Again a plastic toy then just throwing some characters in the scene to give some hint at narrative.

I am using a graphite stick that has no fine point so it really forces me to gesture and not get bogged down in detail.

Though I think I am going to try detail with gesture in tomorrows sketch.

[bluerider]

Good morning,
Today I used a regular pencil with a graphic stick.

I started off with drawing my hands as quickly as possible then added the romping characters with their K9's.

[bluerider]

this is graphite stick again.

The challenge here for me is really trying to get some sense of scale and distance while keeping cohesion with the overall composition.

Its basically been a lot of fun this one. A plastic elephant and again adding the figures in out of memory and playing around with the volumes.

[bluerider]

Today I had a plastic toy of....guess what.

I used a big graphite block for this so no detail.

[Olaf]

wow! ... cool scetches.
im impressed.

[bluerider]

Thankyou Olaf,
Heres another sketch of the day.

When i got to the end of this I was not pleased with it.

I spent another 2 minutes adding in a procession of following camels. Its changed it into its own narrative besides the fact that compositionally the eye has a sweeping path of action to follow.

[bluerider]

Week days I start the day off going to a Deli here in San Antonio. I get a good breakfast and great coffee.

With those conditions I call that perfect for doodling. You can see one of my models, a plastic Dinosaur, such an agreeable creature for posing :)

I have a little exhibition of my paintings in this Deli, you can see a few in the background.

It was raining this morning and all i can saw is thank goodness, my grass in my back yard needs it. I need to change the fuse in my sprinkler system, so more rain I hope in the mean time.

[bluerider]

Went to the Fox and hound at lunchtime to catch up on the European Championship. I went along with another work colleague and we had the match all to ourselves. However getting the staff to switch over to "sissy soccer" took 3 attempts :D .

Drawing this was fun. Again i bought a trusted plastic dinosaur along then tried to fill in a few characters to match the perspective. Getting a low angle to get the feeling of massive scale was a good exercise.

[Marius Roth]

Week days I start the day off going to a Deli

Nice to see (greyhaired :)) people drawing in public, couldn't do this, in a caffee

[bluerider]

Marius Roth,
I have no shame :p

[bluerider]

I bought in a book at work called Bridgman's Life Drawing, was inspired by his breakdown of structure for the hand.

Thats was my inspiration for today.

[bluerider]

I saw this pose of a bride in a local magazine publication. I thought I'd adapt it and play with some dramatic lighting.

[bluerider]

This is a lead mounted soldier that represents the standard bearer for King Henry the 2nd during the hundred years war.

The juggernaut weapon of the time.

[bluerider]

A quick self portrait with pencil then highlighted and colorized in Aura.

[bluerider]

This is all about migration, unrest etc.

Pencil, the highlighted in Aura.

[bluerider]

A colleague showed me an image sent to him of an elephant at a zoo. It was such a playful wonderful image I had to do this. :)

[DiedonD]

A colleague showed me an image sent to him of an elephant at a zoo. It was such a playful wonderful image I had to do this. :)

Lovely elephant Graham. Powerful, kinda lovely dumb I dont know what you call it. Yeah, pretty lovely overall.

[bluerider]

Thanks DiedonD,
Here is a sketch i did at lunch time. Then scanned the image in Aura broke up the layers and ajusted the levels.

My inspiration for this was because a colleague bought in a Star wars book. The artist featured was McQuarrie. I love how he tackles composition and simplifies the elements without hardly adding detail.

[bluerider]

Ok...since lunch, its been a question of render test for camera angles and its taking time.

I had a chance for a 10 minute gap and play a little more with the sketch i posted earlier. I think tonight I'll elaborate this to a more detailed digital panting.

[bluerider]

This idea is again based on an inspired by the work of Ralph McQuarrie.

Graphic, digitised then a few white highlights added in Aura with no Cintiq.

I used a mouse, it was a horrible experience, I am so spoiled. :thumbsdow

[archijam]

.. ok i was curious what aura was ...

http://www.bunkahle.com/Aura/Winaura/Winaurae.html

I'm not sure if you are using it properly .. :)

j.

[bluerider]

archijam,
Your right, I'm not using it properly.

But it comes so intuitively, not using it the right way. :devil:

[Jarno]

I had a chance for a 10 minute gap and play a little more with the sketch i posted earlier.

That one reminds me of the game Another World.

---JvdL---

[bluerider]

Hey Jarno,
Have not seen that game Another World, must check it out.

Heres a quickie sketch I did today. Its an animal and it does stuff 'n' that.

[Cougar12dk]

I think he means the old Amiga game, that right Jarno?

[bluerider]

Yes your right. I just check a website out this some concept. It was way ahead of its time in regard to artistic development.

[bluerider]

Today I had a chance to sketch my dogs. Just drawn with a graphic stick.

Before that I was thinking about a character for one of my fantasy environments. I used black pen, blue felt pen, crayons, digitized the image in then added some highlights.

[bluerider]

I started my day off in my favorite stop for cafe and had a chance to sketch this.

[bluerider]

This sketch is done with traditional media, willow charcoal, compressed charcoal and White Pastel on yellow rice paper.

I hope to develop this more tonight digitally. :)

[bluerider]

The theme of this sketch is called "Ziggaurats and Benemoths".

Pencil sketch, digitized and highlighted with touches of white.

The fun with this type of sketch is trying to think of a basic structore and think up shapes as you go along while keeping some type of reference to a vanishing point.

The importance of adding characters creates a reference to scale, without those the scene could be a Lilliput rendition.

:)

[bluerider]

This sketch exercise I split the drawing up into layers, change color levels and added two riders in from a previous sketch.

[archijam]

I love how literally you take sketch of the day ;) ..

So productive!

The image form post 170 is really strong .. can't put my finger on it, but great work ..

j.

[bluerider]

archijam,
Thanks, its obsessive compulsive perhaps for the once a day.

Post 170. Strange how that worked out, it has a certain ambiance. I was thinking classical History i.e. Sumerian.

I've been interested in certain corners of history for a few decades now. I always hope that something of that permeates through to your core so that when you imagine it and depict the subject, something else happens besides it just being a bunch of marks. That of course is very probably a romantic notion and nothing more. :)

[bluerider]

I was at my favorite Deli this morning and was able to get a sketch in, therefore start the day off with something. Something which we all know is better than nothing, so "its something".

[bluerider]

No time to waste today. This was done this morning, but have not had time to post.

[Chilton]

I think the person on the top of the wrist is about to do something rude.

[Chilton]

I find it fascinating that Graham draws hands so well, and so often, as they're considered one of the hardest things to draw. But he does! They show up as the centerpiece for tons of his work.

BTW, if any of you ever get the chance to visit NewTek HQ in San Antonio, you'll see Graham's work all over the place. It's tres cool.

-Chilton

[bluerider]

I think the person on the top of the wrist is about to do something rude.

The anticipation of debauchery can be so much more a pleasurable umbridge/ relish than the graphic acts of debauchery itself.

The imagination can be so much more sewer plummeting than reveler's act of debauchery.

However, I know of no such things, they are abstract concepts to me of course, i'm to busy working :dance:.

[bluerider]

This is titled "destruction of a cigar smoking giant kangaroo with joey in puuch".

Yes, a real tear jerker this one. Even though Giant kangaroo stuffed tobacco in its pouch. Irresponsible parenting.

The Joey's nick name as chewiebacky. Not any longer.

[bluerider]

My own critique here with this sketch is....."its more than nothing".

[Chilton]

Graham,

Was this your original vision, or was this the result of you drawing a kangaroo, and someone else saying it needed a vehicle with a missile?

-Chilton

[bluerider]

Oooo...well I was drawing the animal I realized there was no spark what so ever, so I added that in just for fun. Which should always be the attitude anyway I suppose. Off course it constitutes bad composition.

[bluerider]

................................

[rakker16mm]

That's great. If you don't mind my asking, how are you doing the highlights?

Oh yes, and I really like the excellently titled "destruction of a cigar smoking giant kangaroo with joey in puuch". Am I wrong in thinking that there is an anti smoking aesthetic there?

[rakker16mm]

Study of a Corbel Bracket on an Edwardian period building in San Francisco.

Charcoal and graphite on newsprint > digital photo > Photoshop

Originally drawn in isometric perspective, but I cheated perspective using edit transform. I wanted to give it the look of a blueprint so I played around with colorize and layers using exclusion.

[bluerider]

That's great. If you don't mind my asking, how are you doing the highlights?

Oh yes, and I really like the excellently titled "destruction of a cigar smoking giant kangaroo with joey in puuch". Am I wrong in thinking that there is an anti smoking aesthetic there?


I digitize the drawing into the computer, then add white highlights in a 2D paint program. Sometimes though its white pastel or the highlights are areas were I have used an erasure

Theres was no subtle anti smoking stuff in this. What happened was I basically made it up as I went along.

Nice Study of a Corbel Bracket by the way.

[bluerider]

........................................

[Chilton]

Very nice dragon! I love the arms and legs. The front left arm is almost Giger-esque.

-Chilton

[rakker16mm]

These are some concept sketches originally intended for a film but now for a graphic novel... which hopefully will become a film at a later date. I use a lot of metallic and iridescent pigments which don't come through to well in these photos.

[stevecullum]

These are some concept sketches originally intended for a film but now for a graphic novel... which hopefully will become a film at a later date. I use a lot of metallic and iridescent pigments which don't come through to well in these photos.

Nice pieces!

I particularly liked the morbid shelf with the eyes in a jar - reminded of something I did in an old art class once. I would love to give that one the 3D treatment as some point! :)

[rakker16mm]

Thank you,

Here are some pictures from a few years back when I was in college. I was going to upload a couple sketches but either my internet connection isn't up to it or I have reached my storage limit on the message board. If any one here happens to know what the storage limit is please let me know.

[bluerider]

I don't know ehat the storage limit is I'm afraid.
Here a quick sketch from this morning though.

[bluerider]

.................................

[Chilton]

I see your fancy dancers in charcoal and I raise you one Taco Bell fence in cheap ball point pen.

I drew it while I waited for my 7-layer burrito.

-Chilton

[Digital Hermit]

Yes, I love the dragon, bluerider. Its lines and body position give a statement of motion and power, well done. :D

[gerry_g]

I see your fancy dancers in charcoal and I raise you one Taco Bell fence in cheap ball point pen.

Ball point pen is fine by me, I habitually drew with one as an art student – I'd just read Froids Theory of Dreams, very trendy back then in the late seventies, and as per his example had started to keep a dream diary (yeah I know I aught to be shot for unmitigated pretentiousness but I was only eighteen), here are two example pages

[bluerider]

I see your fancy dancers in charcoal and I raise you one Taco Bell fence in cheap ball point pen.

I drew it while I waited for my 7-layer burrito.

-Chilton

I like the detail a lot. Its an analytical study, your going all technical 'n' all. :D

Ball point pen, great choice.

[bluerider]

Digital Hermit,
Thanks for the comments about the dragon.

gerry_g,
Wow, could we see more examples pages :thumbsup:

[bluerider]

OK, have been away from Sketch of the day due to commitments at NAB. So i am back again and will not hopefully get into a routine again. Nothing great, but its something.

[GregMalick]

Nice sketch.
Makes me think of Don Quixote.

[bluerider]

Hello Greg,
Don Quixote, I started listening to that story on BBC Radio 7

[Chilton]

Gerry, those are fantastic! I gots nothin' on that!

Personally, I've always hated pens. I really prefer pencils. I don't know why, but when I see things like those drawings you did, it makes me question my pencil/pen preference.

-Chilton

[bluerider]

I am using tracing paper from the Deli I stop off at most mornings. Graphite stick is great because I rarely sharpen it.

Hey gerry_g,
Why did you blur out the text on your diary of dreams?

[bluerider]

I was at life drawing last night at a local university. The teacher taking the class made it challenging with a number of limitations forcing me to really think hard.

[bluerider]

Went out for lunch and managed to find a piece of paper and a pencil.

[rakker16mm]

Went out for lunch and managed to find a piece of paper and a pencil.

I really like this one. It reminds me of a study you might find in the sketchbook of the old masters.

[bluerider]

rakker16mm,
Thanks very much for the encouragement. :)

[bluerider]

My parents have been over to visit my family for a holiday. they wanted me to take them to a British Pub in San Antonio last night. I found a couple of napkins and the barmaid had a very nice ball point pen.

[bluerider]

I was away for a little business trip on the West Coast. I managed to find some paper of course.

[bluerider]

...........................

[gerry_g]

Sketches are very interesting but has it ever occurred to you to white balance them with the Photoshop levels dialog before posting, I mean to say if they were worth sketching in the first place surely they were worth digitizing properly, apart from that, very nice

[bluerider]

gerry_g,
Good point about white balance. Yes when scanning in the white balance is cool. However I have found even when I want to develop a more finished digital painting from the original sketch, I love mixing in the digital garbage.

Unless I am going for a particular house style, I don't bother with pristine line quality.

[parm]

Your drawings are a delight.

wonderful rhythm and terrific imagination. I find myself looking forward to new updates all the time.

Thanks

[bluerider]

Thanks parm,
Got a chance to draw in my favorite Deli this morning where they serve a great breakfast and wonderful coffee.

The exercise here was blocking out perspective for the volumes as quick as possible.

[bluerider]

...................................

[bluerider]

............................

[bluerider]

More warm up sketches. I've been spending a lot of time at work drawing as well. So I find time to do these quick sketches in the morning.

[bluerider]

.................................................. .......

[bluerider]

I got a Cintiq 12WX the other day. It comes in its own little shock proof brief case with lots of side pockets. Its very lite and you can treat it like a sketch book and put it on your lap.

Heres some scribbles I did at lunch using the Cintiq12WX.

[bluerider]

Its been a while since I posted. Sorry about that. However, I have been drawing.
Heres a sketch I did today of an Italian Greyhound, 14 years old.

[bluerider]

OK .....I have been sketching plenty since posting the last time. I just need to get back in the habit.

[bluerider]

This is done in chalk and wax crayon.

[bluerider]

Heres another

[Matt]

Whoohoo! Just got my first ever tablet! Only an entry level Wacom Bamboo:

http://www.wacom.com/lightbox/images/bamboo_1.jpg

But it's enough for what I need.

Anyway, being a product designer, here's my _very_ quick sketch of the day! (Still getting used to drawing with a tablet)

No idea what it is, just a "random product"!

Tell you what though, my mouse feels sooooooo clunky and heavy after using the deftness of a pen!

:)

[rakker16mm]

Congratulations. I agree it is hard to go back to the mouse, or even worse the track-pad.

I tend to favor the larger Intuos tablets myself, and some day I hope to get a Citique. In some instances the entry level tablets are not only good enough but actually seem to perform better than their bigger cousins. When I am using the Intuos tablet it seems like its higher resolution feeds a lot of unnecessary data which can slow things down a bit on an older computer. Of course I only experience it on the old G4 we use for storyboarding. So I can't really be sure this is the reason, but it doesn't seem to happen when I use the smaller tablet.

I wonder if any one else has had the same experience or knows anything about it.
Sorry for being :offtopic:

By the way great sketch!

[Matt]

Congratulations. I agree it is hard to go back to the mouse, or even worse the track-pad.

I've just been messing in LightWave Modeler with it, it feels totally different, much more hands on, like you're almost touching the model with your finger!

I can see myself getting hooked on this!

The only downside is not having a scroll wheel right there, although my Wacom has a little touch pad gadget for that, which helps!

Matt

[cresshead]

hey matt, love the sketch..what you using for drawing software on that pikky?

[Matt]

hey matt, love the sketch..what you using for drawing software on that pikky?

Just regular household Photoshop!

[Matt]

Another quick (unfinished) mess about, this time in ArtRage, loving this tablet, great fun!

[bluerider]

Hello Matt,
Yeah with that Wacom product you can never go back to a mouse.

Thanks for contributing to thread. Art Rage is a neat product.

[bluerider]

.....................................

[Matt]

Hello Matt,
Yeah with that Wacom product you can never go back to a mouse.

Thanks for contributing to thread. Art Rage is a neat product.

Been wanting to join in for ages, but having no scanner meant no hand sketches, and no tablet - no digital art (until now!)

So, when are you going to do a Don Bluth Dragon's Lair sketch for me! ;)

[bluerider]

:bangwall: I think I promised that perhaps at the UK beta users meeting....

OK, when you come out to visit Texas then :thumbsup:

[Matt]

:bangwall: I think I promised that perhaps at the UK beta users meeting....

OK, when you come out to visit Texas then :thumbsup:

Awww, looks like a long wait then! :(

;)

[bluerider]

.................................................. ......

[bluerider]

Oil sketch for a painting I have yet to start.

[Matt]

Oil sketch for a painting I have yet to start.

Cool, what does it represent?

[bluerider]

Its an idea I have for an exhibition in the new year. Its a series of apocalyptic visions. She is one of a series of angels I an using to cut seals and pours bowls of wrath.

I have a couple of paintings finished on this theme already.

[bluerider]

..........................................

[bluerider]

........................................

[bluerider]

....................................

[cresshead]

just looked thru all 17 pages...some amazing ideas drawn on paper there!

[bluerider]

Thanks cresshead.

Heres another, its ball point pen, chalk and black china marker.

[cresshead]

okay..i'm in!

now...i'm not much cop at drawing but it's fun to do something NOT dependant on polygons...i hope to get better at this art lark but it may take some time!:D

looking at dragon head designs...using the demo of painter x and the full version of art rage..plus my hp tablet pc!

[bluerider]

The second dragon reminds me of an illustration from a Roald Daul children's book. Very nice, so it means you should be doing more drawing Mr.cresshead :)

.............. Heres an idea for a contraption.

[cresshead]

hi

a little off topic but worth posting i think>

just been looking thru some of my old apps and seeing as i'm evaluating painter x currently i dug out my old metacreations painter 5.5 web addition... which was the last version of painter i bought [£99 upgrade waay back when] then looked via google to se if it's supported/works on vista 64bit...the search came back with it will give you an out of memory error due to the programming of the app not expecting more than 512ram

but...

here's the nifty thing!...
rh click the app's exe and select properties and then the compatibility tab...then select to run it in xp mode sp2 and boot up painter 5.5 and your good to go!..


seems to work fine...just doodling currently but the brushes work okay


i might not need to bother with painter x unless i discover some goodies i really like!:D

[gerry_g]

Find that odd cos 5.5 was the first version I used on a Mac and I always got out of memory errors when I made the brushes too big, going from twofifty megs to one gig mostly solved that, still even painter X on a machine with six gigs will still do that today which just tells you how crap Corels coding is and how little the program has changed

[cresshead]

Find that odd cos 5.5 was the first version I used on a Mac and I always got out of memory errors when I made the brushes too big, going from twofifty megs to one gig mostly solved that, still even painter X on a machine with six gigs will still do that today which just tells you how crap Corels coding is and how little the program has changed

to be fair it's fractal design's code...then metacreations code and THEN corel's code!:thumbsup:

of course painter 5.5 doesn't have pshop style layers or rotate canvas like the new painter x/tvpaint/art rage etc but it maybe enough for me..as i just wanted some water colors ot play with!

anyway back to doodling!:)

[bluerider]

...............crayons then highlights added digitally.

[bluerider]

..................................