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The legend of Peas the deadbeat continues 2021 edition NSFW

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    PeasPeas Registered User regular
    edited August 2016
    Thanks for your advice @tapeslinger! I will be also using actual pencils for practice as well, used a mechanical pencil because it's really convenient when I have to move around from place to place

    Really dropped the ball this week, didn't manage to get anything significant worked on. On the plus side I just got myself a bunch of high quality color pencils and they really do look and feel so much better compared to regular ones and it's kinda insane

    21st of August 2016

    BclVN1p.jpg
    eiIjyOF.jpg

    Peas on
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    PeasPeas Registered User regular
    GNXgiSJ.jpg
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    How has it been 1 month since I've updated the thread already
    *Looks at sketchbook
    Urrgh i guess i know why....

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    GolemGolem of Sand Saint Joseph, MORegistered User regular
    wow! Im really impressed by the faces I am seeing. Your definitely ahead of me on grasping perspective, proportions, and shape there. I'm Jealous! Keep up the good work!

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    PeasPeas Registered User regular
    edited September 2016
    Just spend like 3 days trying to draw a motorcycle in a pose I wanted but ended up just using the reference photo instead

    195851-1000-0@2x.jpg?rev=2

    Tools used: 0.5 Mechanical pencil, 4B in the beginning, then swapped to B lead on A5 sketchbook

    In chronological order:

    LeSFEkN.jpg
    vAGkEtH.jpg
    t7xQVZl.jpg
    qkiUbxI.jpg

    26th of September:

    sQW3gbG.jpg
    GxWj7Is.jpg

    Final:

    YWCALcH.jpg

    Well I hope I can do much better next time

    Peas on
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    Angel_of_BaconAngel_of_Bacon Moderator mod
    edited April 2017
    Hey, this is looking pretty good! I've just got a couple of minor thoughts that you may consider going forward on this/for future paintings.

    (rough unpolished PO)
    peas_girlPO.jpg

    -The articulation of the anatomy of the pec/shoulder area is a little vague, and could use a little bit more care given to describing how the form is working in those areas.
    -Curved the line indicating the top of the receding arm sleeve/glove thing a bit more- having it be mostly flat works against the foreshortening needed to make it look like the arm is moving back in space, which in turn makes the arm look shorter than it is. Curving the line a bit helps articulate that the form is moving back in space.
    -Took in the contour of the butt a little bit, because it seemed to be implying that the pelvis was going to be twisted a little bit more than it is to get a more profile view of it, which isn't actually the case.
    -Simplified the curves on the torso, to emphasize the overall shape and give less promanance to the wrinkles in the midsection. Having the detail there is good, but too much and you can lose the shape of the body in what appears to be a pretty form-hugging costume.
    -Added a darker area in the sky behind the wing glows- since light is additive, a light glow on a light background tends not to show up, and having areas like the blue of the glow be darker than the background behind it doesn't make sense, physics-wise. Though this is often a thing that gets stylized in games/cartoons because it's not always an easy thing to design around, the more realistic the rendering gets the odder it tends to look.
    -Related, a thing an old painting teacher of mine often brought up in critiques is looking to make sure that each corner of a painting has something going on that's different from the others. While I would hate to apply this as a general rule and there are plenty of great paintings that don't do this, it can still be a helpful thing to think about in trying to make sure your compositions have some interesting variety. With the additions of some subtle darks in the left corners the composition gets a little bit more variety.
    -Tried to break up little areas of symmetry where possible. For example on the forearm I chose to straighten out one side a bit so there is a straight side and a curved side, rather than a symmetrical forearm that is equally curved on both sides. This may been like a very subtle, arbitrary, nitpicky thing at first blush, but the human body is made up of opposed straights and curves, and when you can design to work those principles into your work, it can give a drawing a lot more impact than it would otherwise have.
    -Kicked in a little light from the right to help describe a few forms a little bit more. Though this is kind of a 'cheat' considering the very diffuse look of the initial lighting setup, it is the sort of cheat that you'll see a lot in movie lighting to add impact.
    -Toned down the stark 'white' of the eyes. This happens with a lot of painters in the early days, where they thing of the eye as being 'white' and not a white object that is effected by light like any other object, and as a result will rarely actually be pure white. Again, they may always been cheated to be white in cartoons or comics, but the more realistic the rendering the more out of place it's going to look. I also played up the lashes to give more shape to the eyes.
    -Expanded the mouth a bit- remember the general proportion of finding the mid point of each eye and extending a vertical down the face to find where the corners of the mouth will be. Though depending on the level of stylization intended this may not be spot on, it's still a good thing to keep in mind.
    -I actually didn't do a good job here, but some indication of the anatomical form around the iliac crest/oblique/lower abdominal region is functioning behind the dress would help solidify how the torso is connecting up to the pelvis/leg.
    -Used some Curves adjustment layer magic to get a little bit more red into the skin tones.

    Again, these are all little things that I think you could pursue to push it to the next level- the pose, composition, idea, and figure drawing is pretty solid and has already done a lot of the heavy lifting, so you should feel really good about how far you've gotten already.

    Angel_of_Bacon on
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    PeasPeas Registered User regular
    edited April 2019
    Hi folks it's me
    I've forgotten how to draw and paint again, think it's even worse this time round
    I thought I would actually draw something before reviving the thread but I feel that if I don't push myself to do something, I won't be able to do anything ever again

    Been practicing on drawing lines, I know they are not perfectly straight but the main thing that's bugging me is they feel blurry and soft to me
    Using the default hard brush, I wonder if there's anything I can do to make my lines feel crisp and clean?
    hdjc7608488t.png
    g1hkarvtnw5v.png
    hi9bo1rjw6sc.png

    People have been telling me that I could have used the line tool or something and I am know that I am being stubborn, stupid and unproductive, but I just want to draw them lines myself
    I am currently using photoshop cc 2019



    Peas on
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    SublimusSublimus Artist. nowhereRegistered User regular
    Glad you're back to making some stuff! The one thing I would say about these line exercises is, make sure your motivations for doing them have purpose.

    Were you making something, and then realized your lines were not good enough, and that was what was holding your piece back?

    Kind of like if you play a sport and start going to the gym, but then forget how to play the sport. Sure you may be strong, but using your muscles out on the field will teach you plenty! (even if your muscles aren't huge.)

    Looking forward to you making some more art!

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    tynictynic PICNIC BADASS Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited April 2019
    If you want to make a perfectly straight digital line, once, sure you can use the line tool.
    If you want to train your hand to be able to produce lines of any thickness, taper, angle and curvature, then the line tool doesn't help you at all, so you're on the right track!

    The softness you're seeing is a function of the digital brush you're using, turning pressure taper and hardness off/ down would probably help get the line crisper, though it will also be less forgiving.
    When it comes to eg. training hand steadiness, I'm a big proponent of going analog (ie pencil/pen) , partly because it takes away some of the overwhelming quantity of choices available in software. Sometimes with software brushes, it can be difficult to figure out how much of the mismatch between 'what you want' and 'what you get' is due to your own lack of mastery, and how much is just that you're using the wrong tool/settings. Working with pen and paper removes the engineering decision layers getting between you and the resulting drawing.
    But that said, the fundamentals remain the same - controlling pressure and tilt to manipulate lineweight and thickness. (worth noting also that in both the real world and in software, every tool will have its own learning curve).

    Like Sub says, with any practise of any skill you'll get more out of it if you're mindful of what your aim is, and can be critical of your own results. With the line exercises you've shown here, is there anything in particular bothering you (aside from 'fuzziness')? What exactly would you like to improve? Can you show us any linework from other artists that you particularly like, and what it is you admire about it?

    tynic on
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    PeasPeas Registered User regular
    Lineworks which I admire a lot:
    yl15pi22tglx.jpg
    245yd73xp5g5.jpg
    sma2j4tvttau.jpg
    0vxf0hbfp3qx.jpg

    I know it's not just the linework and most of the time they are not done in one shot, but they just feel so fine, elegant, expressive and powerful
    Besides the fuzziness my lines are really wobbly and I couldn't get them to go exactly where I want them, I am not sure exactly how long I have to train before I start to have a beautiful and stable linework, if it's even possible for me at this point

    Someone I wish I could be, an artist who can draw whatever they want
    https://youtu.be/19dIqWdgpzY



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    IrukaIruka Registered User, Moderator mod
    Those all seem like great sources to be inspired by.

    You seem upset that you aren't further along, it is a thing everyone goes through off and on. It's a reasonable feeling that will continue to pop up as you work on your skills. Knowing where you want to be is a good thing, and recognizing qualities you want in your work is also a good thing. The trick is to not let goals get tainted with an equal weight of effort feeling futile. You need to have things to reach for to keep improving, don't let that devalue the effort you've already made.

    Studying requires concentration, which is a combination (in my opinion) of patience, comfort, and focus. If you feel rushed, if you are looking at the paper and just wishing something else was on it, or if you are more in your head about where you want to be than where you are at, you're setting yourself up for a bad time while drawing. If you can put on some music you like and have a cup of tea and do some studying while relaxed, its alot easier to repeat the process.

    These artists probably never got to a day where they just thought "Im comfortable with the basics now, and I'm allowed to draw whatever I want finally" they just kept drawing the things they wanted to draw, while thinking critically about what they wanted to improve. That video you linked is apt, as it shows how long that artist takes to just think about the ideas, and keep hammering away at them 90% of the process is him thinking and iterating, looking at reference (he mentions it, but doesnt show it on screen which is too bad). It's a showing of being equally committed to the process of working and not married to the end result.

    The take away isn't "they can draw whatever they want" its that, they are happy to draw the same scene over and over, from different angles and with different arrangements, until they've learned enough about their reference and what does/doesn't work. The process is yielding results that make it look effortless, but the very video is about the effort and repetition and concentration it took. If you can find some joy for that effort and not focus on when you'll finally, one day be happy with the results, you'll be better set up to burn out less.

    The truth is, most artists aren't happy with a finished work of their own for very long. You come away from something and feel good about it for a bit, and then you're immediately thinking about what else you could have done, or the next idea you have. Feeling chuffed about what you've done is nice, but it's usually temporary. Keeping that in perspective can help with motivation too.

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    PeasPeas Registered User regular
    edited May 2019
    Have been trying to draw lines freehand everyday since then, adjusted tablet pressure setting (turns out i feel better when I turn it down instead of up, but i am not sure if that will form any bad habits) and set up my desk to be as comfortable as possible for drawing. The lines look better I think but I am not sure if it's normal for my lines to still be at this stage even though I practice drawing them for at least 2 hours every day. It's still not clicking for me yet. Been drawing with my whole arm.

    Lines as of today:
    vhsi4bygy9xf.jpg
    2p8ytl940v2f.jpg
    Converging lines
    f9p2p7r392ed.jpg
    Scatter lines
    qfymj1fn42h6.jpg

    Attempts to draw and paint in chronological order (omitted daily lines stuff):
    Tried to get back into painting after a year but this got too overwhelming for me to finish, I should have started with something less random and small scale, also yea I don't know how to paint anymore I guess
    qdanmf20r1l3.jpg

    Forcing myself to just draw something, anything instead of just lines. I still find it really hard to draw with my whole arm and still fall back on using my wrist and elbow
    kn6t5xi27c3b.jpg
    b4zkxfaphj10.jpg

    Trying to get back into anatomy, my attempt at doing the Cranial Units from proko tutorial
    wmopj6xfhyj4.jpg

    edit:

    Trying to get back into learning anatomy again, very rough sketches for the pelvis bones before I go out, hopefully i can do more deliberate studies and construction after I'm back
    51zo0ub5osg2.jpg






    Peas on
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    SublimusSublimus Artist. nowhereRegistered User regular
    looking good! keep going!

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    PeasPeas Registered User regular
    edited June 2019
    Hi folks, still hanging in there trying to draw daily everyday, mainly working on my lines and anatomy. It's not going well to be honest, I struggle to draw clean, beautiful lines and I just can't retain the anatomy knowledge for some reason. Shoulder and pelvis bones are killing me. Currently the things I do is drawing lines, attemping gestures using quickposes, studying Proko's anatomy course, drawing boxes and figuring out perspective. I want to get back into digital painting again sometime soon

    Not giving up I hope to myself. I've grouped my current "progress" through the days under the spoilers

    May:
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    June:
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    Been trying to do gesture drawings, these are mostly 30 seconds but I've started doing longer stuff recently which goes up to 2 minutes so I can also do forms in time:

    In chronological order:
    8al66g2rotaa.jpg
    9hqp2i2l7hoq.jpg
    x9pvhmxkc1r7.jpg
    j57s0tdz4sev.jpg
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    Just realized that I didn't save most of these, they look slightly better now I think, going to upload more as I progress























    Peas on
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    acadiaacadia Registered User regular
    It may not feel like it, but you're 100% improving. It's hard to gauge improvement if 'my pelvis doesn't look like Proko's pelvis' is your measuring stick. Don't forget to apply this practice to a piece of art that you want to make every now and again. You're just trying to be a better you. Take a look back in this thread and your improvement is clear as day. KEEP IT UP!

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    PeasPeas Registered User regular
    imjvnh2z9cgy.jpg
    agz6qlt6pylt.jpg

    I feel like I am getting better at sketching these but recalling it from memory is still a no go for me. Going to push myself to start tackling muscles tomorrow though

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    PeasPeas Registered User regular
    quzzrtf48hs1.jpg
    The proportions are kinda wack, hopefully I will get better at it later on
    Nothing much to show today, drawing just these took all my time, I wish I could draw faster so I can learn more stuff

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    IrukaIruka Registered User, Moderator mod
    It always feels like a slog, so I know the feeling. Its a really good sign that you are taking your time and noticing mistakes though! Really, its an excellent quality that you are sticking with it through these difficult, often emotional, parts of improvements. I'm really impressed with the improvement so far and excited for whats to come for you and your work!

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    SublimusSublimus Artist. nowhereRegistered User regular
    I think the last image shows tons of improvements. Keep it up!

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    PeasPeas Registered User regular
    edited August 2019
    Sketches using Proko's 3d models
    j3w3yg5if6p7.jpg
    upzzx5fyikl6.jpg

    Attempt at "studying" from photo reference
    3i53f5nas71r.jpg

    Peas on
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    PeasPeas Registered User regular
    edited August 2019
    9mmgrw75plr5.jpg
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    Sketches attempt from Proko's 3d model

    edit:

    bzjqh4yvneyh.jpg
    5eu6w7s77sna.jpg

    edit:

    rb596uf9s6gp.jpg


    Peas on
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    PeasPeas Registered User regular
    edited October 2019
    bgg0fq9y9tl7.jpg
    jq76mpecjai0.jpg


    I kept saying that i wanted to get back into digital painting but i kept putting it off
    Doing it the least efficient way with single layer and just the default soft and hard brushes to try to get the feel of painting again, though i must say i never found a intuitive digital painting workflow which feels good
    I can tell those are the least of my worries though, with the wonky rendering and awful(also wrong) shadows

    Peas on
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    PeasPeas Registered User regular
    edited October 2019
    3othzb2mh10r.png
    Still trying to get into the groove of painting, forgive me for being so sloppy, i am having extreme difficulty trying to render light correctly in various directions, i feel i need to do that first

    edit:
    11mq9gmuluro.png

    Peas on
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    PeasPeas Registered User regular
    edited October 2019
    21imc2tjopmm.jpg
    Pelvis and shoulder bones kills me, i could not remember how to draw them if even my life depends on it, my mind just don't register their forms
    Using proko models as usual

    Peas on
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    PeasPeas Registered User regular
    vogxzqx67t4a.png

    Attempt to render more interesting forms
    This took me all my time (5 hours) which is pretty fucked up
    Gonna need a miracle to be a competent artist in my lifetime

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    acadiaacadia Registered User regular
    Uh this looks pretty competent to me.

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    SublimusSublimus Artist. nowhereRegistered User regular
    Are you using reference for any of these shading studies? I ask because some of the lighting feels inconsistent, especially on the the latest ones.

    The beauty of reference is, it's a shortcut to making things look realistic. Because you don't have to figure anything out, since all the info is there.

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    PeasPeas Registered User regular
    edited October 2019
    I didn't use any reference yet because i have trouble imagining the lighting on forms in various directions as well as blending so i want to at least be able to at least do that for a bit in my mind first
    edit: But you are right i will try to do studies with reference later on

    Peas on
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    IrukaIruka Registered User, Moderator mod
    Still life work is good for figuring out lighting. Get really simple objects (Some people paint wooden blocks) and arrange them and paint them in various light situations.

    You're imagination is generally something you rely on after studying reference really intensely, instead of the other way around. If you haven't studied the object itself critically, your mind has very little to work with! You are asking it to recall something it wouldn't intuitively know, we dont really have a reason to keep that sort of calculation in our brain naturally. Moving blocks around your desk and painting them very accurately WILL help you do that from imagination later, if you do it while thinking critically about whats happening.

    I agree that these studies are going in the right direction though, try not to beat yourself up the whole time!

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    SublimusSublimus Artist. nowhereRegistered User regular
    Agreed with Iruka. These are going great, so don't feel bad! Reference should help you improve faster though!

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    PeasPeas Registered User regular
    uu72wmhuln4t.png
    One last attempt for the night without reference
    I will try with reference after i gather some good material online

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    PeasPeas Registered User regular
    edited October 2019
    brc6grj30ovm.png

    Not a lighting practice, for this one i try more specifically to get more comfortable with blending and visualization with lighting direction, i realize i have a very bad habit of over blending to the point where everything looks like the same over all again because i couldn't get things to look smooth

    Peas on
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    PeasPeas Registered User regular
    edited October 2019
    ftyob22ipo6b.png

    Transitioned to clip paint studio from photoshop because my annual plan is done today, i really like the feel of drawing so far, never tried out the brushes yet
    Tried to sketch some eyes from photo references online

    Peas on
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    PeasPeas Registered User regular
    edited October 2019
    elmzufnnzq03.png
    Photo reference study attempt using image from quickposes, hoping to hone anatomy, value and painting

    Peas on
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    DidgeridooDidgeridoo Flighty Dame Registered User regular
    Peas it's really inspiring to see your progress over the years! Thank you for posting updates for so long. You've improved tremendously!

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    PeasPeas Registered User regular
    edited December 2019
    It's kinda embarrassing because I stopped for a bit recently and I am trying to pick things up from scratch again hahaha...



    Peas on
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    acadiaacadia Registered User regular
    The thing I really enjoy about drawing and painting and visual art is that, yes, while it can feel like you're 'starting from scratch' if you stop for a long time, you'll quickly find that is not the case. The hole feels a lot deeper than it actually is. You still have all that knowledge you've picked up, you just have to work the muscle memory out again.

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