As part of my English course in college, we’re currently studying Sheridan’s “The School for Scandal” and Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock”. I did a presentation on “The Rape of the Lock” – specifically, Canto V, lines 37-70. Here are some illustrations I made for the presentation.
In between many coursework and college projects, I’ve been doing a little bit of experimenting – what I love about figure drawing is it really is just 10/15 minutes, dotted in, and really easy to get in/out of considering these really are just warm up sketches. Slightly bored of regular pen and pencil work, I found my watercolours and thought – well, why not?
So, yesterday, I did two, signle tone, watercolour sketches. It’s really fuin actually – you have to be loose, and there’s no guidelines so your best chance is just to go for it and realise what you get is what you get. And realise it’s all just in good fun. Sometimes I think I lose that art, is you know, supposed to be fun. But I really enjoyed these!
Continuing on my “I need to do more drawing and referencing” I’ve started trying to do some figure warm ups every day – or, at least, when I have time. Here are two: they’re ten minute poses, one in pencil, one in pen. The site I used was Pixelovely which I definitely recommend, it’s been really helpful.
My big art goals for this year? I don’t really have some nice, easy summable things, but I suppose there are a few things that I’d like to do.
I realised the other day that I’ve been at this whole drawing game for five years now – I started in January 2007, and have come on leaps and bounds since then. And each year, at the beginning, I say to myself, “this year, you’re going to draw more”. Well, I still want to do that. But I’ve realised what I really need is not to draw more, but to draw smarter.
What do I mean by that? Do studies, reference, go back to just drawing and really learn the basics. If I can’t do something in an image, don’t give up or change it – learn how to do it. I really want to try and puch myself this year. I’ve realised that just more isn’t so much an option, when I have to balance things, but definitely be more disciplined about the way I do work.
And onto an example; I have always been awful at drawing hands. I think everyone is. They’re crafty little buggers. And for the front cover of Emily’s Story, I really wanted to get something right:
After a while, I got it. But it just proved to me that I really do need to work on studies and referencing, and to make these things work for me.
And a round up of the end of the year. I usually don’t get round to doing these, but it was really nice to do it for once.
It’s odd sometimes, looking back on old work. In ways I don’t think I really started the year until about April; everything I find before then is sketches and scrappy bits of work, goodness knows what I was doing. I hadn’t connected the dots; in terms of art this year, I think I’ve been focusing on my progress in the last 6 months or so, and forgetting how much progress I’ve made in the last 12 months.
There are still problems, still issues, but for the first time, really, I am really really happy and very proud of the work I’m producing. I’ve loosened up in terms of my sketching, attempting to be more spontaneous and get more life into my images (though this is an area which still does need a lot of work), and tightened final production values and started turning out better pieces. Really looking forward to where I can take my work next year~
Things to work on:
- Anatomy, life drawing, movement – figure work.
- Background and location details.
- Colour theory – I’ve worked out a way to colour, now to really use that to my advantage.
As part of my Christmas present this year from my parents (okay, most of my Christmas Present) I got the Adobe Design Suite CS5.5. Which, I have to say, is absolutely fantastic. I have now got Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. While Photoshop I am relatively familiar with, it’s the other two which are the learning journeys.
Illustrator, and Vectors in general, have always been a bit of a mystery to me. I drew out some drafts for the Team Manginy logo ages ago, in Novemeber I believe, but have only just got around to actually working them out within Illustrator. I did have to go looking for a few tutorials, luckily, the Adobe website is quite helpful in this regard, so I got myself navigating the bits I needed to know in very little time.
I’m not sure I’m completely happy with this – I think it deserves it’s place as first draft of the piece – it’s taught me a lot of basics and information and given me a new skillset to use with my work. Now all I need to do is to actually go learn some colour theory. Maybe my next blog post will be about that. (or hopefully I’ll manage an end of year round up this year.)
Wander No More: Eric’s Story (the first chapter) is here in print! So excited, really liking the look of these! I’ll be selling them at MCM Expo for £3.50 each on a table with the lovely Jade Sarson if you would like a copy!
And some Team Manginy badges as well! Now got a complete set.
A collection of the sketches I’ve done this year. I’m definitely trying to sketch more, and actually get those images recorded somewhere – there are of course, lots more things floating around on scraps of paper and sketchbooks, but I’ve gotten better at just sketching and leaving and recording. And then there’s a lot that doesn’t make it to this folder, all my comic work.
I think my one real goal for this year is to just draw more. More of everything, just producing more work. And I think I’m succeeding in it. I might have less finished work to show for it, but I think the practice is being got and there is definitely improvement. I can feel a breakthrough coming, and it’s wonderful!
Despite the fact I still don’t quite get what makes Karen Gillan quite so attractive, Amy Pond is still extremely awesome. And very cool to draw fanart of. And stuff. Also, trying to figure out a work process for photoshop. This was supposed to be a warm up sketch like thing, but considering it took quite a bit of my morning, probably is no longer so. I would ramble about A Good Man Goes to War, but I don’t think I have anything to say that hasn’t been said, and I need to get back to drawing pages. ALSO… I think I just hit a typography level-up! Not much, as it was way way down, but I hope one day to join the ranks of awesome design and presentation-y people.
Bundle of sketches that I haven’t scanned or posted before. A few may have been seen in a few places, sorry if you have seen any before.
Done for a friend to help her with her German speaking exam; as neither I nor the other friend in this image speak very much German at all. (It comes down to Madchen, nimm meine Ohrinnge and Ich werde dich schliessen. I’d be okay in a cat fight)
Routine silliness showing various college friends on twitter. Yes, one of us can totally float. I believe it to be so.
Sketches of characters for an upcoming project. I swear Eric (the guy in this image) gets angrier every time I draw him.
Note to self: when drawing watching the television, try and at least make sure your pose makes some sense.
Inspired by the Heather Dale song, “Brother stand beside me” More Legendary Saviour concepting. /someday I’ll actually write this comic I swear. Also, failed perspective. Really ought to practice that more.