Sketch practice #1

I've been meaning to do some master studies of concept sketches since a long while ago, but always felt like I didn't know where to start when I look at the hundreds of badass sketches from crazy artists such as Paul Richards.  So today I finally got around to doing one... hopefully more to come.  I also tried to sketch my own, much lamer, versions of the same subject-matter in an attempt to internalize some of the study.

What I forgot to do in the study was to figure out a purpose for these devices, and to try to communicate that.  Doing so may also help me keep my shape language consistent.  Could have also pushed the main screen a lot more.  These are notes for tomorrow, when I hope to do more and better sketches of the same subject-matter.

Also, it's actually incredibly refreshing to draw with a pencil for a change.  I did realize that my sketchbook is just a tad too large for my scanner though... ugh.

Last Ourdoor Painting Group of This Year

San Juan mission was a pleasant surprise.  It didn't look big at all from the outside, but the inside features surprisingly beautiful ruins and some nicely laid-out courtyards.  The slight overcast lighting also worked really well.  The low angle of the winter sun was perfect for painting.

Selection Tool Test

I've always thought about trying out selection tool + airbrush, but it took me this long to actually do it for some reason.  It's actually a lot of fun.  Maybe I can try to integrate it into a serious painting next.

Pin-up

For the weekly sketch thing titled "pin-up".  I hope this came across as more funny than disturbing... but maybe a little of both is ok.  Actually had a lot of fun trying to mimic Gil Elvgren's style.

Cyborg and Dude

Doodles!  First one was done while listening to sketch group demo.  Second one is for the weekly activity with my friends at work.  I decided to try to draw a guy because I very rarely do.

Forest Faerie

Rushed again... oh well.  This is what I get for slacking off till the weekend to paint.

Forest Faerie WIP

Again... I procrastinated till the weekend to get started on my weekly painting.  Can't do this next week, because Skyrim comes out on Friday!!!11!!

Work in progress.  I guess I'm painting a lot of spooky stuff lately.  I guess growing up with the fear of darkness has its advantages... or at least this one advantage.

Zurg

From Toy Story series.  Trying to draw more robots, but procrastinated seriously on this one and had to rush through it tonight.  I blame Dungeon Defenders.

The Boogeyman Final

Wow, I actually finished something outside of work or WoW cards.  Crazy.

I might wake up tomorrow and decide I want to do more with this piece, but for now it's final.

The Boogyman WIP 2

Took the Boogyman a bit further.  Really trying to push the anatomy.  It was very difficult for me, but thankfully my art director extended a helping hand.

Wine Cup

I have a Chinese poem stuck in my head tonight.

Even though I now mostly dream in English, the Chinese language still feels 100 times more flavorful than English.  The more I experience in life, the more some of the ancient poems I learned so very long ago ring true.  There are so much layers of subtleties and undertones, the kind of connection I do not yet and may never have with English words, that I could entertain myself for a long while at a time just reflecting upon each and every word in the verses.  If you have ever heard a song that seems to be written just for you when you are feeling melodramatic, I guess that's kind of how I feel when I remember the poems.

The particular poem that's stuck in my head right now is titled "Drinking With Myself and the Moon".  It's a lonely poem, in which the poet describes a drinking party of three consisting of him, his shadow, and the moon.

This doodle is done to two verses of the poem, somewhere near the end.  Please excuse my terrible translation.


I sing as the moon wanders, I dance and my shadows scatter
We laugh and chat till we are drunk, and we'll go separate ways after

我歌月徘徊,我舞影零乱
醒时同交欢,醉后各分散

Moar WoW Cards

I guess I do a lot of casters :\  I'm a sucker for colorful lights.

The Boogyman WIP

Halloween-themed stuff, work in progress.

Barbarian Fan Art

Just really feel like doing it.  Didn't turn out as wild and aggressive as I had hoped, but I guess this'll work to reset my palette from the over-sweet cartoony stuff.

Sweetums Colored

I like food.  I like cooking food, eating food, and painting food.  A midnight snack would be pretty nice right about now.

Meet Sweetums, the new superhero.

With great power comes... greater temper tantrums.  Okay, that was terrible.  I'm sorry.

Here's sometime else... a black dragon I did for a website front-page and doubling as a background image with text going over the left portion, hence the right-heavy composition.

Lunch Doodle

Just felt like doodling at lunch.  Should totally laid down perspective grid... just felt like painting randomly...

Dany

Daenerys Targaryen from TV series Game of Thrones.  Study from photo.

Robuts

Inspired by Ian's ease in drawing robots, I try again to loosen up and tackle these fearsome hard-surfaces, starting from crazy doodles.

Crystal City

Another idea that came from my high school years, where I spent almost all of my classes drawing and writing instead of listening because I had no patience.  I'm still an awful listener.

The capital city is built around a huge crystal meteor. The people worship this glittery rock and guard it feverishly, believing the shard to be a physical projection of their god.

The crystal is harder than any known tool. Many ignorant thieves who wanted to pocket a bit of wealth ended up returning empty-handed. If they by chance managed to escape from the righteous wrath of the city guards, that is.
 

Wolf pups

Another take on Moling, a character I made while in high school.

The Little Match Girl - Sketch 2

Slept over it and felt like the previous sketch was indecisive. I couldn't decide if I wanted her to look pure and innocent or wild and fearsome. So today I made up my mind and redid the sketch - I want her to be as uncorrupted as newly fallen snow. In her dying hallucination, she thinks that she's making the world a more beautiful place - and by setting the cold, uncaring city ablaze, in a twisted sense she has done just so.

For those unfamiliar with the dark tales of Hans Christian Anderson - here's a link.  Also, if the only Little Mermaid you know is the Disney version, I highly recommend seeking out the original story done by the same author.  It's a sadder tale, but in many ways all the more beautiful.

edit: ended up managing a color block-in before bed.

The Little Match Girl - sketch

Sketch for CGHUB challenge " Fairytales Re-Imagined".

Trembling, she struck another match. The world suddenly became very warm.

Gladiator Goddess

More messing around with textured brushes.  Just pushing around shapes and textures for fun.  I should be practicing more seriously... well, sometimes I wonder if I'm trying too hard to be serious.

Blonde in Red

Trying to loosen up.  Used some brushes I would normally never use, plopped down rather random shapes, and reigned it in a little with air brush.  Completely blotched those hands.  I'll need a hand model to hold a pistol for me.  The trigger finger kind of blew my late-night mind...

Warrior - Line

To me, drawing seems to be a more serious process since everything is out there in the open, without fancy brush strokes to cover up the mistakes.  Maybe if I do it more it will become less painful?  I sure hope so :P

Warrior - sketches

Going to try to ink this one, and bring back some of the flow I lost when I added armor to the sketch.

I repeatedly muttered to myself "Everything is an artistic choice" as I was doing this.

What's a "paper"

A couple of traditional stuff from this month and last.  Thanks a ton to Oliver for letting me hog the white chalk after stealing a sheet of brown paper in last night's life drawing session.

Midnight Doodle (cont'ed)

Trying to make the doodle into an actual painting of sort.  Hating the composition... I still have no logical work process whatsoever.

Midnight doodle

Doodle before bed.  This doodle is based on a character I made up in high school, when I used to write for fun.  Maybe I should put some real efforts in learning to write in English, as I sure as hell cannot write in Chinese the way I used to anymore.

WoW TCGs thus far

These are the ones that have been printed and pulished to-date.  They are a ton of fun to do and I think they are helping my artistic skills tremendously.

Warrior Doodle

I still remember a time where I felt a lot more comfortable drawing than painting.  Now I can't stand my own drawings and can't wait to cover them up with digital paint... which is not a smart way to work at all.  I need to do more doodles.

Freedom speedies

Now that I'm free from the dominance war stuff, the freelance stuff, and the WoW card, I can celebrate my new-found freedom by cranking out a couple of hourly speedies.

DWV - God of Oblivion - Final

Kind of rushed, last-minute as usual.  But I might even have time to do a model sheet and actually submit a completed entry... hmm.  Decisions...

DWV - God of Oblivion - Color rough

Finally largely free to work on this.  I want to try to learn how to paint a translucent skin tone, and we'll see where I get to tonight.

Edit: Here's the result of tonight's experiment.  I'm not quite getting the effect I want, but it's getting closer.

DWV - God of Oblivion - WIP

Painting in process.  Have not done straight-up painting without color overlays for a while, and it feels strangely refreshing.

DWV - God of Oblivion - Reboot

Reboot.  Trying to unify the design, clarify the idea and choose an easier/more majestic pose to do.

DWV - God of oblivion - WIP2

Wow, I actually feel a bit rusty.  Gotta get back to painting more.