lifedrawing log - 09.29.09

Back to basics...there's a lot about this guy's look that distracts one from focusing on gesture.


Dongs.

lifedrawing log - 09.26.09

Busted out the laptop for the first time yesterday. Tonal one was done over 2.5 hours, and the gestures were 1-3 minutes per.



It's funny how mesmerized people are by technology. I've been attending lifedrawing sessions in Austin for two years now with pads and pencils, and the one morning I bring a wacom, I get an unprecedented outpour of interest.

In any case, it was a fun experiment. More useful in long poses than gestures, for sure.

Muthafuckin' puuuuuuumpkins....

Totally unrelated : Saw this porn where this chick's boobs were crazy-elastic, like Stretch Armstrong. Blew my mind.

Tatties.

lifedrawing log - 09.22.09

Ever get a model you can't do justice to? Who's such a privilege to draw, you don't feel you deserve it? Yeah, it's like that...

lifedrawing log / studies - 09.21.09

Hooray for Verithin black colored pencil on cheap copy paper!

Top two figures were from Saturday lifedrawing. Rest were from various printed sources, with my stank slapped on. Hands are still way, way big.



Recent kicks to the art 'nads :
-James Jean's Process Recess 3 : The Hallowed Seam
-latest Juxtapoz magazine with Rockin' Jellybean spread!!!

Gettin' to be about that time...

...not that I need much of an excuse...

lifedrawing log - 09.15.09

lifedrawing log - 09.08.09 / Dragonpants crit

Also, here's a solid crit from Dado Almeida on dragonpants. He eliminated an awkward overlap/tangent and gave a little character to those once-taut underoos. Thanks, Dado! Good calls, both!



Plus, everything looks better under a sepia tone for some reason.

Dragonpants - remix

Pencil scan --> Photoshop (cleanup) --> Sketchbook Pro (ink lines) --> Photoshop (color)



I couldn't resist the urge to give him a bulge, even thought it's sort of distracting. So sue me!!!

P.S. -- Labor Day goofed me up, so I totally blanked on Monday Morning Mecha. Next week...

Dragonpants - reboot

Started over at the pencil stage.




Too bad my friend Tiffanny totally trounced my version in her thoughtful critique. Just goes to show : all the polish in the world can't beat a good, clear gesture. *tips hat*

Dragonpants - burnout

Today was a 12 hour exercise in bad decision making. Opened up 'dragonpants.psd' at 9AM this morning...just the dragon in his undies, like the thumbnail. Simple. Then I got the "bright idea" of sticking a girl in there. One girl turned into three, and before I knew it I'd completely obscured the original concept. To top it off, I "brilliantly" added a background. By this I mean 'copped out by pasting in a net image and working over it.' Serves me right. What made me think I could pull it off?



Starting a piece is like picking a fight; it's easy enough to get into one. But without a plan -- without "finishing moves" -- you get your ass handed to you.

Hello, ass.

Wet T-shirt Friday / Elvgren studies

Been a while since the last Wet T-shirt Friday. Figured it was time...


Also had fun analyzing Gil Elvgren pinups the other day. The dude was really into lopsided hairstyles and using props as design elements...the next girl I draw will have some cool prop, for sure.

Dragonpants - thumbs

Doing an illustration of a happy dragon in tighty-whities! Got the pose ironed out last night.



I just like the ring of "Dragonpants."

paint test - render composite

Clearly I don't understand light and edge treatment the way this guy does, but it was fun to attempt his method.


<--sketch loosely based on Chris "Telekinetic Frog" White, who recently hopped aboard the Vigil train

Still not clear on what ambient occlusion is. As far as I can tell, it's like sharper definition directly around edges mixed with some soft shadows...? Guess this is shit I need to learn if I'm going to roll with the big boys...

Thanks to local artist Jim Perry for passing the tutorial along, and of course to its author Adam Ford -- open source at its awesome-est.

lifedrawing log - 09.01.09