gavindel stARTs from the very beginning

gavindel

Here's my first month submission for the Watts challenge. I have no idea what I'm doing. Watts really doesn't cover rendering much, and the forum submissions are very inconsistent in their approach, reference and rendering. Not particularly impressed by the result on this one, but I've got to start working on rendering eventually.

Other than that, working on the second half of Head 1. Stuff like this:

I remember trying a few of the classic asaro shots in December 2015 and being just completely unable to manage them. So, progress. And in the vein of artists everywhere, progress means higher standards. Definitely a bit of a skew on that last head.

gavindel

I should update. I'm working on Watts' course Figure 1. I tried a few assignments and had a lot of difficulty, so I decided to do the assignments without turning in at first. When I know a picture is "for" something, I tense up like a vice. So I'll put in some practice runs. Slow down, breathe, focus on basic shapes and proportions.

Iruka

Its really fun to watch you progress, and to see watts be effective even when its all online. It seems like you are getting better at self correcting, which I think is fairly difficult/slow without a teacher and direct feedback in a pretty constant stream.

The heads are starting to come around! I can be pretty bad at proportions myself after years of anime, so I have a tendency to stretch people out.

gavindel

Yeah, its probably a whole other world doing this in the actual atelier with the instructors correcting on a regular basis. Still, I'm out here doing this on my own. Nobody I know does art in any capacity. The AC is the closest I have to an art community, and you guys can't sit over my shoulder all day. I have to give myself more time do this than a dedicated art student. Something something patience, something something meditation.

I even got a complement from a friend a few weeks back. "Yeah, I'm amazed at how long you've been doing this. I figured you'd have quit by now!"

gavindel

Part of my assignment for the ovoid mannequin. Work has been an ass kicker these last few months, and my practice time has suffered.

Angel_of_Bacon

I feel like the legs are a little short on most of these- it may be helpful to keep in mind the general proportional guideline that the distance from the top of the head to the base of the crotch, is generally equal to the distance from the base of the crotch to the bottom of the feet.

gavindel

Really? Bah. Last I got a critique, they said my legs were too long. Suppose I overcompensated the other direction...

Angel_of_Bacon

gavindel wrote: »

Really? Bah. Last I got a critique, they said my legs were too long. Suppose I overcompensated the other direction...

Yeah, that sorta thing does happen- all I can say is try not to get overly worried about it.
There's always going to be a period of 'this porridge is too hot, this porridge is too cold' with any concept, before you hit the porridge that's just right, and can hit it consistently.

gavindel

Mini update just to keep things fresh. I stopped explicitly working on the Watts program and took a week's vacation from drawing. I'll still be effectively using Watts as my primary source, but everybody needs a bit of variety in their program.

A warmup head that I thought turned out alright for what it was.

I lied. This update is actually cats.


But you can see the corner of my art 'studio', so this totally counts.

Iruka

nice cats, effectively rendered napping.

Mixing in some non watts drawing will help fight a slow burnout, for sure. Variety is good, and you never know what advice will work better for rooting you with good principals.

gavindel

Perspective studying. Brutalist evil buildings seem to fit the mold.

A couple measurement errors, a couple unforeseen tangents. Otherwise, as far as I understand, the perspective is correct.

gavindel

Nothing exciting. Trying to do a round of every major topic as I prepare for the boot camp in September. It won't be a cheap thrill - my $400 in art supplies attests to that. Tried some painting at home, and it looks pretty terrible. Mixing paints in correct shades is a bigger bottleneck than skill. Hopefully I can figure it out before I get to the workshop.

Staring with the head once more...

Trying to pay more attention to proportions.


A skull study. Yep.


Need to practice shading a ton more. I still can't figure out how Watts does his crazy detailed shading patterns.


Facial features are a bottleneck for believable faces.

Iruka

It might feel like a slough, but every time you post I see a little improvement and it's very exciting! I hope the boot camp goes well for you, I can't wait to see the results. Keep at it, man!