Iruka's Thread, Sketchbook Dumpin' since twenty ten Y'all.

SeveredHead

the frog lady is missing an arm, yet still so sassy.

Iruka

I'd really like to mess around with some color on those crews, I like the frog lady a lot.

This week though, I've been messing around with the creeps:

acadia

I kinda want the slug to get tiny creep eyes on his stalks there, just to tie it all together. Liking that pastel-y color scheme.

ElJeffe

I love the creepy crawlies! It does seem like there are places where some cast shadows could add some depth - by the slug onto the spider, by the snake onto the rat, etc. - and the snake's heads look strangely flat compared to the rest of the drawing.

I love the palette, though. It's a really fun piece.

Iruka

Thanks! Yeah I wanted to keep the thing overall flat, but didn't really decide how to tackle it either way. I probably wont go back into this one, it feels more like a doodle than something worth revisiting.

ElJeffe

I can only hope that someday I get to a point where that qualifies as a doodle.

Iruka

Doodles, as I get used to the Ipad more. Some quick orcs


A still unfinished cat

Sublimus

Man, I love that weird cat!

SeveredHead

that cat looks like hes at burning man. and it just kicked in, man.

Doodmann

Did you ever settle on a logo?

Ash of Yew

I only wanted to pop in and say I love your art Iruka and wish ya posted more

Iruka

@Ash of Yew Thanks dude! I'm hoping with the ipad I can sketch more and post more.

@Doodmann

I think I made vectors for two of the logos, but never got around to doing more after I realised I had missed the window for making new business cards before the local print con. Still want to work through some branding ideas in general, before I put together another zine.

Next time im at my PC, I'll open up those files and see where I got.

Iruka

Have I really not posted in here since February, I've become part of the problem, jeez.

Work I did for penny arcade, for their court of cups podcast:

https://twitter.com/PA_Megacorp/status/1119278088280473600

Did an album cover for a friend:

https://death-adder.bandcamp.com/album/flesh-devourer?fbclid=IwAR0_LlQPurNmL6aO2nmqYhrCwHvlCZujtFxcL9Mhz-GOI6cVsKdmojhtieg

Did a commission for a card game:

https://twitter.com/silent7seven


Played around with this concept for a bit:





Studies that built up to that




More the usual shit:




just fucking around on the ipad, but I didnt actually plan out the drawing so its a little too messed up spend more time on


more trash

acadia

I love the textures in the mermaid one

Angel_of_Bacon

<scrolling down post>
DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANGGGGG
<gets to another melty eye>
WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY must you do thiiiiiiiissss

Iruka

It's like, the least drippy one I've ever done

Sublimus

So good!!!!

acadia

Question: what is messed up about that drawing which prevents you from spending more time on it? What does it fundamentally lack that 'planning it out' would have given it? I I find myself noodling on drawings and paintings a lot, not knowing that there's some internal balance or symmetry I'm AIMING at, but can't quite define. Which is to say I always feel like I approach it, but never feel like I have it, and I'm wondering if it's to be found in some initial planning phase I ALWAYS SKIP.

Iruka

@acadia sure!

I basically have three modes of painting:

A) Gather reference, take photos of poses, sketch till I feel like I understand whats going on, then start rendering
B) Fuck around in my sketchbook until I kinda like something, throw things at it in photoshop till I like the mood of it, gather reference if I can strengthen it, finish it.
C) Just studying from reference without an end goal in mind, I might never "finish" it or post it anywhere. Usually sketchbook stuff

I am much more naturally inclined to work in mode B, but the "Fuck around" and "throw things at it in PS" phases produce much more inconsistent results. Things that come out of mode B can be really hit or miss, I'm playing around more than I am concentrating. Also takes a lot longer. Things that come out of that process are things like the weird dog paintings, though, which I enjoy very much. Certain subjects, like dogs and skulls, come out better from this mode cause I've drawn them so much I have more of a foundation to work with.

Mode A is the process I follow for things like commissions where I need to communicate a bunch of things and have it approved at multiple steps. The results, at this point, are as predictable as I can muster.

The card commission and the PA work was done in that A mode. Because of that, I really worked out some of the problems I may have had if I just went right into winging it, but It also lacks some of the freedom of just erasing something and making it weirder for the fuck of it. I dont totally mind working this way, but without the motivation of an outside influence or deadline, its pretty rare that I sit down with that level of intent these days.

When you look at the colorful ladies, If I had gone through the whole shoot a bunch of reference process, I could probably have chosen more interesting poses. The blue lady in particular has no rhyme or reason to her actual body other than I needed to get it back there. There are cool shapes here and there, but overall I could probably take it as a sketch and try again, same basic designs, but with a stronger Idea of how they should be on the page together.

Outside of that, I cant really think of something I could to to it to make it stronger, so I abandoned it. I could render out but I wouldn't be able to actually do anything with the blue lady without redrawing her anyway. I could play around with some inking techniques on it, but I dont think I'd learn much as is. If the concept strikes me enough I could do some more sketching and try a more planned out final.

acadia

Thank you for the thought out response! I tend to the B process, and agree that I get bum results about as often as I get good results from it (sidenote your Dags always make me think of Darkhounds from the Wheel of Time books and I love them). It sounds like my 'gather reference' phase is too short, doesn't happen enough times in the process, and I don't take pose references myself and I'm thinking maybe I should. My reference game is weak. I'm also due for a period of time where I focus on specific practice from ref without trying to immediately use it in some project or other.

You do a great job of creating clean, balanced, and iconic art, and I guess I was just wondering if there was some abstract shape compositing phase you went through to help set up your compositions (or help decide whether an already set composition is up to snuff). I know some artists are big believers in circles and ratios and having shit line up EXACTLY 'behind the scenes' across the page.

Iruka

That's high praise that I feel underqualified for, but I appreciate it.

I know the kind of processes you're referring to, and I probably have absorbed some of those ideas over the years, but the only one I really do myself is basic thumbnailing. Usually I'll just dive into a sketch in the sketchbook, fuck up the placement on the page, then I'll have to chop it up and finish it digitally.

I invested in a relatively cheap, but nice tripod and a cellphone mount. Combined with a little bluetooth selfie clicker, I have a pretty simple system for taking basic ref. They are the highest quality refs, but I can cycle through 20 poses in a few minutes instead of laboring in the sketchbook. Its helped with the character focused stuff.

Iruka

Also, I forgot this one.

barcs

these are all great but that card game commission is fantastic!

Iruka

Sketchbook dump! My sister made me a bunch of little sketchbooks since I got her a book binding kit. they are wonderful and lie flat and I have so many that they feel very casual to work in. I'm one of those people who get weird, sketchbook jitters.

Doodmann

So much of your stuff seems like it would translate to tattoos real well.

Iruka

hah, thanks! I thought about it briefly but I dont have any tattoos, or want any, and people don't really trust tattoo artists who don't have any themselves! That and apprenticeship is a bit of a racket.

Doodmann

I still day dream about a later in life pivot.

I have and will continue to get more so that part isn't the problem, it's the whole "starting your career over" thing.

Iruka

Worked on the cat