Zapattack's Sketchbook

zapattack · January 2016

My New Year's Resolution for 2016 is to post my sketchbook all year. Something I always tell myself I'm going to do and then talk myself out of.
No more. No being too picky, no editing, just opening it up and leafing through.
Here's pages from Jan 1st on:

Iruka · January 2016

this makes me so excited. I love your sketches

NightDragon · January 2016

Yessssssssss!

zapattack · January 2016

Thanks Iruka & ND, you guys are giving me the power to keep going. Not a lot of sketchbook stuff last week, very tied up with other work, but heres a quick casein painting I did of the view behind my tent at Joshua Tree this weekend. It was cold enough out that the paint started to clump up.

Sublimus · January 2016

Really nice!! is that gauche?

zapattack · January 2016

@Sublimus Thanks! It's casein, which is very very similar to gouache. I like it cause it's cheaper.

Wassermelone · January 2016

I don't really post much in the ac anymore (Im sorry Iruka!)

But this is super goddamn nice as always

zapattack · January 2016

@Wassermelone Gee thanks Wass, means a lot coming from you. Good to see a post from you.

zapattack · January 2016

A page from yesterday.

zapattack · January 2016

A digital "sketchbook" page from yesterday.

Sublimus · January 2016

Daaaaang. Very nice!

zapattack · February 2016

@Sublimus Thanks sub! Have stuff to scan, will do this weekend. Heres a tiny digital sketch.

lyrium · February 2016

great lighting on the faces in the digital sketchbook page!

zapattack · February 2016

@Lyrium Thanks! Lighting is tricky.

Some Sketches from the weekend so far. We'll see what Sunday holds- there's always tomorrow.. I normally wouldn't post some of this stuff but I feel like I really need to discipline myself to share more.

Iruka · February 2016

love the colors on that first one. All of these have great light and mood.

zapattack · February 2016

Morning warm up of a helicopter. Probably should have looked at a damn helicopter.

zapattack · February 2016

A couple pages with zombie Jons.

Lamp · February 2016

Zapattack, I have nothing very constructive to add but I want to say that I find this thread very inspiring. I'm in love with your sketchbook pages. Looking forward to seeing more!

zapattack · February 2016

@Lamp If I'm inspiring you even a little that makes it all worth it! Here's some stream of consciousness ink pages from the sketch pile:

You will never walk again, Bran, but you will fly.

lyrium · March 2016

The ink work is really pretty. It might be intentional but the big heads look kind of funny.

zapattack · March 2016

@lyrium Thanks! Ah it's not really intentional, just always happens when I'm doing the direct ink sketching cause if I start with the head I always feel like I don't have enough room for the body on the paper. It's a tick. I really have to work harder to iron that out...

Here's some stuff to not post without art.

YA KNOW, I don't know why it seemed like such a good idea to make my new year's resolution showing the whole damn world all my weak points through my sketchbook.

Good thinking, Steven.

NightDragon · March 2016

No no no, they're awesome.

zapattack · March 2016

@NightDragon Daw thanks.

Not much sketchbookery to post- my nights after work have been consumed by some rather large scale ink drawings I've been doing on commission, but they should be done within the next three weeks, and then I can post them! After I find a reasonable way to scan at 40x30... For now, here's a little study of Robb Stark grieving from my sketchbook. He's very emotional. You know...dad stuff...

zapattack · March 2016

And here's one of Cersei Lannister. It's actually on the other side of the sheet with the grieving Robb...which feels...correct.

Iruka · March 2016

Love the colors there, nice glow to the hair.

What kind of sketchbook do you useing for these? The weight of the paper must be great.

zapattack · March 2016

@Iruka Thanks! This is the one I'm using:

http://www.dickblick.com/products/strathmore-hardbound-400-series-watercolor-art-journal/

It's exactly like the the Moleskine watercolor sketchbooks, from what I can tell. The paper feels the same weight, but I think the show-through is a little less on these. I think? They're probably exactly the same.

Iruka · March 2016

Nice. I find Moleskines to be a little pricey for they are, usually. I know people love them though. I prefer shit sketchbooks because I feel no trepidation putting stuff down, when ever I see stuff like yours in a nice book I'm like "Crap how the hell are they doing that without freaking out".

Ash of Yew · May 2016

I need more of your art in my life Zap!

Flay · May 2016

The values in that last painting are spot on, amazing work dude!

zapattack · May 2016

Thanks guys! Welp haven't posted in a while. I just finished a couple months of spending nights working on some big ink drawings. Will post those once I'm cleared. For now, just gonna dump some sketchbookery and a couple unfinished things I found in old folders. Just to get back in the groove.

My first attempt at a ghoul based on some demon masks, I abandoned this one at the head and completed a different one with a body I liked better.

I don't remember drawing this at all.

zapattack · May 2016

A tree.

Iruka · May 2016

@zapattack I cannot even fucking handle your shit dude, its off the charts. love the little bits of texture in the tree there.

Are the big ink drawings contract work or something? Cant wait to see them.

bdonoho · May 2016

Lovely work! Great figure studies, pencils and inks! Have you been doing mastercopies for the painting?

zapattack · May 2016

@Iruka Thank you thank you! Yes the ink drawings were some commissioned filler art for a friend's album release, I just don't want post them before he drops the album and steal his thunder. Should be in early June. I'm into trees lately.

@bdonoho Thank you! I've done a few "exact" master copies in my time, but lately I just do little sketch copies when I really like something.

Can't post without art:

This page made me want to paint a monster made of succulents. I'm going to try to do that.

zapattack · May 2016

Here's a first night's work on me trying to culminate my tree kick. It's a tree I saw on my hike this morning that had a magenta trail blaze on it.
I liked it. So I decided to paint it and its thicket. Love a good thicket. "Trailblaze"

Iruka · May 2016

So much love. I really enjoy the way your sensibility transfers so easily between digital an real paint.

zapattack · May 2016

@iruka Daw thanks. Some days are easier than others. Most of the time I'm griping. Here's how it came out, lots of little things:

NightDragon · May 2016

That is super beautiful! The hot pink seems a little *too* eye catching, but it's minor critique.

zapattack · May 2016

@NightDragon thanks ND! I'm prone to gaudiness.

zapattack · May 2016

I want to be 10 again.

He's a jock.

zapattack · June 2016

Trying to work on something long form, so here's some head studies from the sketchbook.

Penny Arcade

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