Biggest issue I think is the amount of detail actually works against it, so I end up losing clarity. Stuff just bleeds together. I need to plan out larger swaths of dark/light areas to create more contrasts. I could've darkened some areas up but Jesus I already spent so much time on this. I am so tired.
One benefit that cross hatching has over stippling is you can alternate the direction of your hatching to create clear divisions where you want it. Bernie Wrightson was a master at that. Stippling I guess needs to rely more on dark and light areas and if you mess it up you get a big muddy mess.
Really loving your work lately man, the stipling/detail is absolutely on point (no pun intended but gladly taken) and the atmosphere created due to the detail makes you really feel like you're there. Keep it up!
I super appreciate that! That's basically exactly what I'm going for with my stuff. I'm glad it's coming across.
Trying to get back to it. Plan is to inlay the bones and the skull with bits of gold foil. Haven't quite worked out what I'm gonna do to fill the left side of the page since its leaning heavy to the right.
I totally didn't plan this out enough and I'm struggling with the bottom half. I also got coffee droplets on it and I don't know if I can cover them up so this thing might be trash.
Its stonehenge it may be sturdy enough to actually stain with coffee.
Last time I tried that though it did... not work out well. Worst case I may be able to add strategic gold flakes there in and aboots what to hide my shameful shame.
Going for maximum cheese. Been listening to a lot of like, scumbag folk and weird, dirty southern blues lately like The Dead South, Tom Waits, Colter Wall and some Johnny Cash for good measure. It's a weird mood, just wanting to get real low down on whiskey and shoot a gun into a cactus or something.
Thank you! I didn't want to draw his feet because feet are hard so I Rob Liefield'd it by covering his feet in roses. But drawing 1 billion roses is also super hard so I am an idiot???
About ready to start inking I think. Some things might look a little skewed because I had to take the photo at an angle and then edit it.
The roses are gonna suck and I can already tell they'll be the weakest part. The perspective on them is... not great. I'm not really sure how to correct that now, though and I kinda don't want to because fuck me I'm not drawing anymore goddamned roses.
I started inking this skull because I remembered I had some white gouache I was all excited to use with a dip pen but then I couldn't get the tube open so I dunno. I'll either have to buy a new tube of gouache or just never finish this.
I got my new gouache and results were mixed. That piece ended up being the testing ground so it got covered up in weird scratchy lines and dots as I tried figuring out the consistency to get the white to not immediately soak into the paper and turn translucent and kinda blue over the black ink.
Its driving me insane. I see artists use white gouache all the time over black ink and it's very opaque and yet, I have been completely unable to replicate it. Gouache and bleed proof white are all too thick to flow through any kind of nib or pen so you need to mix it with some water but too much and it has the problems describe above. Not enough and it won't flow.
I need some kind of semi rigid, super thin paint brush that has enough pliability to give me some line variation should I want it but is stiff enough I can just load it up and do super fine details.
This is why people draw on the puters.
Edit: I did get a new tachikawa nib holder and some G nibs. Waiting on the smaller Maru nibs I ordered but I messed around a little with them the other day while social distancing in my apartment. The G nibs definitely feel different and will take some getting used to. I may not be able to work as small as I usually do with them. I need my maru nibs to hurry up and get here so I can try them out. I think they tend to be a little stiffer so you can get fine lines.
I'm weird and use watercolor paper to do most of my inking. But I mainly use rapidographs so I kind of use the grit in the paper to give me some interesting textures that I wouldn't normally get with a cold press paper like Stonehenge or Bristol. Makes everything have an almost wood grain or acid plate kind of look. The G nibs absolutely need a smooth paper, I'm seeing. Any wobbles or bumps immediately stand out in those strokes and make the lines look shaky. Gonna have to adjust my paper choices when using the dip pens.
Not been drawing nearly enough during all this but I made a little progress the other day. Gonna try and work more on this the next two days. I'm going to do another pass or two over the jacket to darken it up and make sure its virtually black towards the bottom of the casket.
I am not really happy with this at all. I had no real idea going in and kinda forced it and it just looks muddy but whatever I said I was gonna do one and I did.
Thank you. It's just really muddy and hard to read. Some of it is how I had to photograph it but you know, I need to account for that.
Also the feathers are really stiff and unnatural and alright I'm gonna stop shitting on it.
I've just been in a major art block and I knew the first thing I drew was gonna be garbo I just wish I felt like I was bringing more to it here, considering it's a sort of collab with like, my favorite artist ever.
Which I forgot to mention the skull is not mine. I drew everything else but that.
Posts
That's about a month and half I guess I've sunk on this thing? I basically just used a .25 and a .00 rapidograph.
One benefit that cross hatching has over stippling is you can alternate the direction of your hatching to create clear divisions where you want it. Bernie Wrightson was a master at that. Stippling I guess needs to rely more on dark and light areas and if you mess it up you get a big muddy mess.
I super appreciate that! That's basically exactly what I'm going for with my stuff. I'm glad it's coming across.
What am I gonna draw next?
Oh god what am I gonna draw next?
This is phenomenal, beautiful job!
The books?
The books sucked.
Trying to get back to it. Plan is to inlay the bones and the skull with bits of gold foil. Haven't quite worked out what I'm gonna do to fill the left side of the page since its leaning heavy to the right.
Let your muse guide you
I feel like the beard needs more bobbles and stuff.
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
Last time I tried that though it did... not work out well. Worst case I may be able to add strategic gold flakes there in and aboots what to hide my shameful shame.
Anyway working on this now.
I definitely don't have time to be drawing a huge pile of individual roses and wood slats but I'm gonna
The roses are gonna suck and I can already tell they'll be the weakest part. The perspective on them is... not great. I'm not really sure how to correct that now, though and I kinda don't want to because fuck me I'm not drawing anymore goddamned roses.
I got my new gouache and results were mixed. That piece ended up being the testing ground so it got covered up in weird scratchy lines and dots as I tried figuring out the consistency to get the white to not immediately soak into the paper and turn translucent and kinda blue over the black ink.
Its driving me insane. I see artists use white gouache all the time over black ink and it's very opaque and yet, I have been completely unable to replicate it. Gouache and bleed proof white are all too thick to flow through any kind of nib or pen so you need to mix it with some water but too much and it has the problems describe above. Not enough and it won't flow.
I need some kind of semi rigid, super thin paint brush that has enough pliability to give me some line variation should I want it but is stiff enough I can just load it up and do super fine details.
This is why people draw on the puters.
Edit: I did get a new tachikawa nib holder and some G nibs. Waiting on the smaller Maru nibs I ordered but I messed around a little with them the other day while social distancing in my apartment. The G nibs definitely feel different and will take some getting used to. I may not be able to work as small as I usually do with them. I need my maru nibs to hurry up and get here so I can try them out. I think they tend to be a little stiffer so you can get fine lines.
I'm weird and use watercolor paper to do most of my inking. But I mainly use rapidographs so I kind of use the grit in the paper to give me some interesting textures that I wouldn't normally get with a cold press paper like Stonehenge or Bristol. Makes everything have an almost wood grain or acid plate kind of look. The G nibs absolutely need a smooth paper, I'm seeing. Any wobbles or bumps immediately stand out in those strokes and make the lines look shaky. Gonna have to adjust my paper choices when using the dip pens.
I finished it at least.
I am not really happy with this at all. I had no real idea going in and kinda forced it and it just looks muddy but whatever I said I was gonna do one and I did.
Also the feathers are really stiff and unnatural and alright I'm gonna stop shitting on it.
I've just been in a major art block and I knew the first thing I drew was gonna be garbo I just wish I felt like I was bringing more to it here, considering it's a sort of collab with like, my favorite artist ever.
Which I forgot to mention the skull is not mine. I drew everything else but that.
I dont have a good photo of it inked though.