who's moping Cap'n? :)
I'm so glad you're back.
I almost asked where the windmill was 'til I actually read a little. I seem to be a mostly visual person now, not little details. Just pictures... lots and lots of 'em....... I love pictures................... lol
sorry, starbucks again. I have to drink it sometimes to get through the rest of the day
so far so wonderful.... and all that jazz ;)
Since I'm unemployed, I don't get out of my apartment as much as I used to. It can feel... oppressive, at times. So I have to remind myself to self-motivate, and also not to make excuses for myself.
Self-conscious insecurity is a Goddamn plague on mankind.
Thanks guys. I'm going to put in one last revision tomorrow and move on. Hopefully some slight changes to perspective, proportions and lighting solve the "toy building" problem I seem to be having.
I guess I mean it looks more cartoony than I want. My intention was to make something that looked like it was painted from a real photograph, and even though what's there now is good that doesn't mean I'm accomplishing what I set out to do. It's a tendency of mine to make structures with cartoony or children's-book-esque proportions, and although there's nothing really wrong with that on a per-picture basis, it's frustrating to consistently end up in a style other than what you envision in your mind's eye. Thanks though. :)
Now that you explained it, I see what you mean. As gorgeous as it looks, you wanted it to look more real.
I have that problem too. But with the big difference that I can't draw anything that comes close to looking as complicated as your drawings.
yeah, if you think about a toy the pieces are chunky, seamless and mostly without much texture. the little details you added help but i think the scale of the beams is still too 'chunky', and overall it needs some textures to provide the subtle detail that wood/brick might have.
Good point. I establish my structures mostly through outlines and probably more rounded shading than would actually be there, and my proportions are usually pretty chunky. Thanks, I'll keep that in mind for my next picture.
hummm i dont think it needs definition at all, this reminds me so much of final fantasy like the ff9 this is dreamish i envy your style this is sweet you are so good with colors
Very creative work. You seem to be pretty independent from refs. I like such artists.
On your issue:
Maybe I'm wrong or everyone knows this already...anyways maybe it helps someone...
If you want to make paintings that look like reality, then you have compare your work carefully with reality itself. It's hard to compare paintings which were made from imagination with the real look. That's why actual reference pictures come in quite handy. They give you a perfectly defined ideal, and it's easy as pie to compare your work with the ref when you use modern image editing software. I'm personally not a huge fan of using references, at least not of how they are used, and how some people praise themselves on how well they copied some other picture. Because it can be practiced it in a way that the *artist* still doesn't know jack shit about proportions, composition, lightning and perspective after he has finished his perfect copy. This wrong way I am speaking of is when you look at the reference every second. What's so wrong about it? You don't necessarily learn what's really important to remember from the ref. You are all the time just focused on a fraction of the image and don't have the whole picture in mind. All in all just learn strategies of how to copy something instead of understanding it. You take a step, compare, repair, next step,..
That's not how learning works in my eyes. We have to take a series of steps again, not just repair one them and then proceed.
So this is my strategy for using refs in a way that improves your skills of being independent:
Get some good reference-pictures of buildings or the that you want to draw and choose one of them:
- Look at it shortly and try to remember as much as you can, then put it away.(no reference around you whatsoever)
- Draw the scene without looking at a ref and try finishing it.(not just quick)
- look at the reference again and compare carefully
- put the ref away again
- now start a new painting, and try to meet the same reference better
- compare
- ...repeat until you feel like you've learned something, then you can take a new ref.
but don't forget to make paintings completely from your imagination :) Because they let you realize even more what's important for your independence.
Good explanation Dr. M. Does this 'rule' also go when drawing from a live reference? Live being not a photo.
Anyhow, Zack, I still love your drawing very much.
Great comment, Doctor! Reminds me of something James Gurney said, about building up a "visual vocabulary" or something like that by just sketching stuff you see that you like. Drawing from references is laborious, especially when you're striving to understand rather than merely replicate, so I haven't done nearly as much as I should. Time for me to take the next step, then. Thanks!
drawn in 48 min
drawn in 22 min
I'm so glad you're back.
I almost asked where the windmill was 'til I actually read a little. I seem to be a mostly visual person now, not little details. Just pictures... lots and lots of 'em....... I love pictures................... lol
sorry, starbucks again. I have to drink it sometimes to get through the rest of the day
so far so wonderful.... and all that jazz ;)
Self-conscious insecurity is a Goddamn plague on mankind.
drawn in 1 hour 16 min
drawn in 54 min
drawn in 20 min
I have that problem too. But with the big difference that I can't draw anything that comes close to looking as complicated as your drawings.
drawn in 1 hour 10 min
ungrateful jerk! gosh.
On your issue:
Maybe I'm wrong or everyone knows this already...anyways maybe it helps someone...
If you want to make paintings that look like reality, then you have compare your work carefully with reality itself. It's hard to compare paintings which were made from imagination with the real look. That's why actual reference pictures come in quite handy. They give you a perfectly defined ideal, and it's easy as pie to compare your work with the ref when you use modern image editing software. I'm personally not a huge fan of using references, at least not of how they are used, and how some people praise themselves on how well they copied some other picture. Because it can be practiced it in a way that the *artist* still doesn't know jack shit about proportions, composition, lightning and perspective after he has finished his perfect copy. This wrong way I am speaking of is when you look at the reference every second. What's so wrong about it? You don't necessarily learn what's really important to remember from the ref. You are all the time just focused on a fraction of the image and don't have the whole picture in mind. All in all just learn strategies of how to copy something instead of understanding it. You take a step, compare, repair, next step,..
That's not how learning works in my eyes. We have to take a series of steps again, not just repair one them and then proceed.
So this is my strategy for using refs in a way that improves your skills of being independent:
Get some good reference-pictures of buildings or the that you want to draw and choose one of them:
- Look at it shortly and try to remember as much as you can, then put it away.(no reference around you whatsoever)
- Draw the scene without looking at a ref and try finishing it.(not just quick)
- look at the reference again and compare carefully
- put the ref away again
- now start a new painting, and try to meet the same reference better
- compare
- ...repeat until you feel like you've learned something, then you can take a new ref.
but don't forget to make paintings completely from your imagination :) Because they let you realize even more what's important for your independence.
Anyhow, Zack, I still love your drawing very much.
Thanks to sonzai, Sketcher, and enjoy too. :)