Hey y'all, I feel like this might be the best place to ask this. A while back, years ago, someone posted these amazing bits of art somewhere on the forum.. It was nature macro photography, with tiny fantasy architecture features drawn into them by hand. There was a stump with a cliffside village, and a roman coliseum on a mushroom, and others I don't remember the specifics of. Anyone remember these? I've been googling everything I can think of, but haven't seen a trace.
Hey y'all, I feel like this might be the best place to ask this. A while back, years ago, someone posted these amazing bits of art somewhere on the forum.. It was nature macro photography, with tiny fantasy architecture features drawn into them by hand. There was a stump with a cliffside village, and a roman coliseum on a mushroom, and others I don't remember the specifics of. Anyone remember these? I've been googling everything I can think of, but haven't seen a trace.
Do you remember if it was the artist posting them here or just a shared thing? It doesn't really ring a bell to me.
I don't think it was the artist posting them.. I remember people being really into them though, and rightly so, they were fantastic. I'm actually not even sure if they were posted here in the AC, might have been in a different part of the forum.
Atheraal I have tried every combination of terms I can think of over the last few weeks and I cannot figure it out. Closest I've gotten is "fairy garden" drawings and such, but I don't think it's what you're after. I was really hoping to find 'em because they sound super cool!
On another note, I finally strayed into the 'art resources' part of the forum and the Drawabox stuff is exactly what I was looking for. Remedial drawing stuff like "draw a single line and stop doing chicken scratch" and "drawing from the shoulder is a thing, learn it" is perfect for me. I'm gonna work through it slowly. I really appreciate his advice about doing 50/50 serious learning time to fun doodle time. Thanks @Iruka for putting together the resource section!
Glad someone is finding some use out of it. I Siphoned all that stuff off so long ago. I consider rolling it back into the AC, but I think at this point it would over take the couple art posts a month we get.
Okay dumb question but... how can you tell if you're drawing from your shoulder? I'm doing the "ghosting planes" exercise from Drawabox and my lines are coming out with a slight arc to all of em.
I 'ghost' and I'm PRETTY sure the ghosting is from the shoulder, but when I put the pen down to do the line I suspect I might be switching to wrist or elbow for the actual stroke.
I think one of the benefits of drawing larger, and with softer mediums (Like charcoal gesture drawing) is that it essentially forces you to draw from the shoulder and really feel out the movement. This is harder to replicate digitally, and especially on smaller tablets, in my opinion.
I'm nursing wrist strain that I think is coming from drawing on my Ipad curled up on the couch. Its a freeing device, but the small scale and tiny UI has a negative effect on my position. when I draw at my yiynova, or even in my 11X14 sketchbook, I seem to be a little looser.
Not sure what medium you are tackling, but its something to take into consideration. Get a big ass pad of paper and really exaggerate what it feels like to draw from the shoulder on a few test pages, then go back to "normal" and see how it feels.
yeah if you have a big workspace you can use, that'll help feel things out. An easel is ideal, but if you guys have a dining room table just put down the biggest paper you can find and try to consciously hold your wrist and elbow stable while you do sweeps and lines. Not stiff, the movement should still feel fluid, but just make sure the bulk of the arc comes from using your shoulder as a pivot.
Thank you both for the tips! I've been working with pencil and fineliner pens on a sketchpad, curled up in a little ball at my computer desk and both feet propped on the seat so uh that explains a few things.
After trying it out at a big table as you've suggested and actually being able to lean over the surface properly instead of trying to prop up the sketchpad on my knee, I've learned I absolutely was drawing from my elbow before. I was able to make an actual straight line and now I need to start the Drawabox Ghosting Planes lesson over.
Ordered myself a cheapo desktop easel, but for now as long as I'm at a real table I should be able to make do. :P
Hey AC. I'm heading to Seattle. If any1 wants to grab a slice, or some coffee I'll be exploring out here a bit. I've met a couple AC'ers in the past, and so far noone has murdered me yet!
I keep meaning to take a reference photo of myself for a half formed idea I have but my camera died and I've been meaning to charge it for like... 3 days.
I think I may have burnout. I just need to do something but huff ugh sigh grumble I just want to sit on the couch and play a video game when I'm not working.
awesomeing for the first bit, not the second!
But it probably just means your eye is getting better - there are always these annoying plateaus where you know enough to see what's wrong, but haven't quite levelled up enough to avoid the issues.
Seconding the 'you're getting better' diagnoses. Eventually you'll spot mistakes as they're happening rather than after the fact. Then, dream of dreams, before they happen like some kind of precog! Then Tom Cruise will bust in your window and arrest you for future thoughtcrimes.
Hey folks anyone mind recommending a good online community for artists if they exist? I feel like I have been closing myself off and is out of touch with the world
Hey folks anyone mind recommending a good online community for artists if they exist? I feel like I have been closing myself off and is out of touch with the world
@Peas On the internet? No I am afraid not. The AC is the only one I ever messed with because nobody had the good sense to run me off when I showed up with my garbage. I've heard mixed things about ArtStation but I really don't know much about it.
My big recommendation would be to try and find a local art scene. Look for drink n draws or meet ups or what have you. If there isn't one try and start one. A friend and I started a Drink n Draw and while small, it's been pretty successful with a core group of people who show up. I guarantee there are other artists around you who are looking for the same thing you are so if you build it they will come.
I've been having way more opportunities and meeting tons of cool artists and making art pals just through getting involved in the art scene in my town. It also has the added benefit of making you not be a hideous recluse who shuns the Day Star and eats bones under a rock somewhere which, as you may know, is my natural state of existence.
As somebody who has had to work fairly hard at being better around people myself I can more or less guarantee they're just as scared of you as you are of them. People are also way more forgiving than we tend to give them credit for. Couple that with being your own worst critic and understanding that your percieved social flubs either weren't nearly as catastrophic as you imagined or weren't even a flub at all, it gets a lot easier to interact. It still takes work and it isn't always comfortable, but it gets easier.
Just like drawing it's something that takes practice and commitment and has to be learned over time.
Also, just to be clear, I'm definitely not trying to come across as a "suck it up" type. I totally understand everybody's track has different hurdles to get over that makes some things more difficult than others. I'm just offering some of my own perspective on the things I've learned in the last few years.
Also, also. A lot of the opportunities I've gotten by networking were less networking and more trying to be an amicable and easy going fellow who is fun to be around. So like, no star fucking. We all know that person and they're the worst. Sincerity is key. Just if anybody happens across this post from the wild internet.
On a different note: I've kind of stopped setting art goals for myself this last year. So I think my 2020 resolution is to get enough finished pieces to have a small art gallery showing.
I'm pretty sure I could find the space easily enough, it's just finishing enough stuff to make it worth it.
That would give me a good reason to really get back to drawing on all my days off.
Hey folks i really want to start a physical sketch book for ideas and doodles but year after year i kept failing
Do you have any strategies or simple work flow (with any particular mediums) that I will be able to attempt to apply at creation and also maintain the habit?
I'm not very good at keeping up with sketchbooks myself, but for a while I managed to commit to doing at least one physical sketch or painting per day for around three months. I maintained the routine mostly by being very relaxed about the 'rules' (some people might find they need a more rigid approach)
- the sketch could be anything, from a 30s doodle to a full chunk of anatomy studies
- could be drawn on anything, at any time, not necessarily just in one particular sketchbook or at a particular hour.
- Subject wise, I had some anatomy books i was working through, so that was always a good fallback if I had time to spare, but I also picked up weird leaves and shells when I was out and about, so I'd always have new subjects for studies and sketches. Drawing your own hand or face is also a solid option*, or a pet.
I also didn't beat myself up about dropping the ball occasionally. I think it's very easy to look at a streak of non-productivity and think 'well what's the point, I've already blown my goal', but much like exercise, every day you DO do something leads to improvement.
* remember that guy on I think ConceptArt who did a self-portrait every day for like two years? that was a crazy thread.
On the first day of the year I pulled out an "old" sketchbook which I only used two pages to learn how to use watercolor before I gave up around a year ago
Speaking of which I guess I have a portable watercolor set lying around somewhere...
Oooh, looks like fun! I love the gradient wash effect.
Meanwhile, the last homework of lesson 1 in Draw a Box is kicking my ass. Rotated Boxes already melted my brain, and the Organic Perspective exercise is making me come to terms with how little I understand 3D space when drawing.
On the plus side, it definitely explains why my drawings in general feel so 'flat,' since I seem to have a tendency to unconsciously skew perspective so everything ends up at a side-on view. Hopefully this will help me correct that tendency.
I'm trying to tell myself that I just have to draw a bunch of fucked up boxes to get to the good boxes. Because boy oh boy am I drawing some sad boxes.
Depends on what I'm drawing. I spend a lot of time thinking about something before I ever really sketch it out.
I usually try to think in terms of flow and composition or key elements. What is my focal point? What do I want people to look at? And from there I mentally build my image. Then I'll sketch out a really rough draft to make sure my composition works like I thought.
Once I start actually working I use a ruler and compass and whatever I need to lay down my sketch accurately. Sometimes I'll add things from there if I think it needs it.
But really it's going to be different for everybody and the only way to really figure it out is to just start working. I'm very analytical with how I draw. I also know people who just throw down a big blob of ink and then go in and make something based on what they think the blob looks like.
Also, if you search for Thumbnails on there you can see a some nice blog posts where Dan Dos Santos goes through his entire process of making book cover illustrations and the like.
Actually, there are all sorts of posts about artists going through their processes if you look through the Education posts.
I have officially passed DAB lesson 1, and am on to the 250 Box challenge. Sometimes I find myself drawing boxes in the margins of my to do lists. When I close my eyes, boxes stare back at me. So many boxes. They whisper cuboid secrets to me
When I am drawing boxes as warmups and whatnot I will usually open Blender or Sketchup or something and rotate around the default cube in x-ray/wireframe mode.
Matching the angles and distances on those dang boxes is pretty tricky and very good for the old observation skills.
Plus, in Blender, you can change the camera lens size in the viewport, which is fun to see how it can skew and flatten things.
update: i did the thing, as anticipated it was good for me and my art and I enjoyed it. Join me next week when I'll inexplicably drag my feet on this exact same activity.
Posts
Do you remember if it was the artist posting them here or just a shared thing? It doesn't really ring a bell to me.
On another note, I finally strayed into the 'art resources' part of the forum and the Drawabox stuff is exactly what I was looking for. Remedial drawing stuff like "draw a single line and stop doing chicken scratch" and "drawing from the shoulder is a thing, learn it" is perfect for me. I'm gonna work through it slowly. I really appreciate his advice about doing 50/50 serious learning time to fun doodle time. Thanks @Iruka for putting together the resource section!
I 'ghost' and I'm PRETTY sure the ghosting is from the shoulder, but when I put the pen down to do the line I suspect I might be switching to wrist or elbow for the actual stroke.
I'm nursing wrist strain that I think is coming from drawing on my Ipad curled up on the couch. Its a freeing device, but the small scale and tiny UI has a negative effect on my position. when I draw at my yiynova, or even in my 11X14 sketchbook, I seem to be a little looser.
Not sure what medium you are tackling, but its something to take into consideration. Get a big ass pad of paper and really exaggerate what it feels like to draw from the shoulder on a few test pages, then go back to "normal" and see how it feels.
After trying it out at a big table as you've suggested and actually being able to lean over the surface properly instead of trying to prop up the sketchpad on my knee, I've learned I absolutely was drawing from my elbow before. I was able to make an actual straight line and now I need to start the Drawabox Ghosting Planes lesson over.
Ordered myself a cheapo desktop easel, but for now as long as I'm at a real table I should be able to make do. :P
INSTAGRAM
I keep meaning to take a reference photo of myself for a half formed idea I have but my camera died and I've been meaning to charge it for like... 3 days.
I think I may have burnout. I just need to do something but huff ugh sigh grumble I just want to sit on the couch and play a video game when I'm not working.
I'm also at a stage where I am endlessly disappointed with everything I draw. Still drawing! But I kinda just want to burn them all.
But it probably just means your eye is getting better - there are always these annoying plateaus where you know enough to see what's wrong, but haven't quite levelled up enough to avoid the issues.
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
@Peas On the internet? No I am afraid not. The AC is the only one I ever messed with because nobody had the good sense to run me off when I showed up with my garbage. I've heard mixed things about ArtStation but I really don't know much about it.
My big recommendation would be to try and find a local art scene. Look for drink n draws or meet ups or what have you. If there isn't one try and start one. A friend and I started a Drink n Draw and while small, it's been pretty successful with a core group of people who show up. I guarantee there are other artists around you who are looking for the same thing you are so if you build it they will come.
I've been having way more opportunities and meeting tons of cool artists and making art pals just through getting involved in the art scene in my town. It also has the added benefit of making you not be a hideous recluse who shuns the Day Star and eats bones under a rock somewhere which, as you may know, is my natural state of existence.
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
Just like drawing it's something that takes practice and commitment and has to be learned over time.
Also, just to be clear, I'm definitely not trying to come across as a "suck it up" type. I totally understand everybody's track has different hurdles to get over that makes some things more difficult than others. I'm just offering some of my own perspective on the things I've learned in the last few years.
Also, also. A lot of the opportunities I've gotten by networking were less networking and more trying to be an amicable and easy going fellow who is fun to be around. So like, no star fucking. We all know that person and they're the worst. Sincerity is key. Just if anybody happens across this post from the wild internet.
I'm pretty sure I could find the space easily enough, it's just finishing enough stuff to make it worth it.
That would give me a good reason to really get back to drawing on all my days off.
Meanwhile, my cat just cannot fucking deal when I try to concentrate on something.
Do you have any strategies or simple work flow (with any particular mediums) that I will be able to attempt to apply at creation and also maintain the habit?
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
- the sketch could be anything, from a 30s doodle to a full chunk of anatomy studies
- could be drawn on anything, at any time, not necessarily just in one particular sketchbook or at a particular hour.
- Subject wise, I had some anatomy books i was working through, so that was always a good fallback if I had time to spare, but I also picked up weird leaves and shells when I was out and about, so I'd always have new subjects for studies and sketches. Drawing your own hand or face is also a solid option*, or a pet.
I also didn't beat myself up about dropping the ball occasionally. I think it's very easy to look at a streak of non-productivity and think 'well what's the point, I've already blown my goal', but much like exercise, every day you DO do something leads to improvement.
* remember that guy on I think ConceptArt who did a self-portrait every day for like two years? that was a crazy thread.
On the first day of the year I pulled out an "old" sketchbook which I only used two pages to learn how to use watercolor before I gave up around a year ago
Speaking of which I guess I have a portable watercolor set lying around somewhere...
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
Meanwhile, the last homework of lesson 1 in Draw a Box is kicking my ass. Rotated Boxes already melted my brain, and the Organic Perspective exercise is making me come to terms with how little I understand 3D space when drawing.
On the plus side, it definitely explains why my drawings in general feel so 'flat,' since I seem to have a tendency to unconsciously skew perspective so everything ends up at a side-on view. Hopefully this will help me correct that tendency.
I'm trying to tell myself that I just have to draw a bunch of fucked up boxes to get to the good boxes. Because boy oh boy am I drawing some sad boxes.
Links for fun:
https://drawabox.com/lesson/1/rotatedboxes
https://drawabox.com/lesson/1/organicperspective
That sure is a great omen
Feel a little like crying lol
edit:
My laptop is too big to place a tablet directly in front without flipping and it's driving me nuts
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
edit: Also what do you think is the best medium for learning how to apply light intuitively?
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
I usually try to think in terms of flow and composition or key elements. What is my focal point? What do I want people to look at? And from there I mentally build my image. Then I'll sketch out a really rough draft to make sure my composition works like I thought.
Once I start actually working I use a ruler and compass and whatever I need to lay down my sketch accurately. Sometimes I'll add things from there if I think it needs it.
But really it's going to be different for everybody and the only way to really figure it out is to just start working. I'm very analytical with how I draw. I also know people who just throw down a big blob of ink and then go in and make something based on what they think the blob looks like.
And then I find a few of them that aren't awful and I flesh them out.
Then I decide that I hate all of the things I've fleshed out and go back to thumbnailing.
This process continues until I have run out of time and I have to move on, so I pick the ones that I dislike the least.
Ron Lemen did a post on Muddy Colors about various types of thumbnailing that is pretty good.
muddycolors.com/2018/12/five-distinct-thumbnail-types-and-why-all-of-them-are-important/
Also, if you search for Thumbnails on there you can see a some nice blog posts where Dan Dos Santos goes through his entire process of making book cover illustrations and the like.
Actually, there are all sorts of posts about artists going through their processes if you look through the Education posts.
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
Matching the angles and distances on those dang boxes is pretty tricky and very good for the old observation skills.
Plus, in Blender, you can change the camera lens size in the viewport, which is fun to see how it can skew and flatten things.
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
and or I should probably figure out how to just make my ipad pro one of those...on my windows PC. This is why I haven't tried.
I totally can go tonight but ugh I'm having real trouble motivating myself.
For artists going though tough times,
Georgia O'Keeffe
Be sure to like my Comic Book "Last Words" on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Last-Words-The-Comic-Book/458405034287767
and Magenta the Witchgirl!: http://www.drunkduck.com/Magenta_the_Witchgirl/
Georgia O'Keeffe
Be sure to like my Comic Book "Last Words" on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Last-Words-The-Comic-Book/458405034287767
and Magenta the Witchgirl!: http://www.drunkduck.com/Magenta_the_Witchgirl/