Atomic_Knight

Here's my take on tracing:

Don't do it.

When you trace something, you're not understanding what you're drawing. You'll see a muscle shape, but not know why it's there. You won't know what it'll look like at a different angle. In a different light. With or without cloth.

No matter how close of a trace you get, somehow it'll look a little off. The human mind corrects your drawing, and sometimes you leave out the purpose of an original line. If you knew anotomy of some sort, you could adjust. If you didn't, you'll copy a line, without knowing if it's needed there.

For example: When I was starting to do sketch books because of my Disney job, I found that I could capture a figure from a live pose than from a static picture. I had more success from going to the zoo and drawing a lion, than drawing one from a picture in a magazine. Why? By seeing a real lion, I understood the form.

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Hey, I know what we should do...for someone seeking a sample of every artist who posts on these forums...we can just direct them to TA's webpage! Donel.

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Aww...I only did a quick animation style drawing for him there. And THAT was for teaching purposes too. If I were to do one, It'll be in my normal style...

And no TA, that doesn't mean I'm drawing you again....least not right now...


Oh, and another thing (to get this thread back on the track). How about linking a sample picture when you mention an artist you like? Showcase the work you're remarking on.

Well, untill I can get back to the drawing table, i thought I'd repost some art for my group, the Legendaries, here. The old post is so lost on the pages, It might be better here anyway.

First up, Pep Rally!

Because of Peps example, I was inspired to pick up the pencil again and show all of you guys what I can do.

Can I have a "Rah-Rah" for Pep, please?

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I had a little bit of a drawing bug tonight, so I decided to get it out of my system. Once again, pose in brain turned out entirely different... for the better! I don't know what it is, but by the time I get the head's shape and angle sorted out, I see a different pose to fit it.

Before commenting how sloppy / dirty it is, I just realized I'm fresh out of eraser! I have one itty bitty eraser piece, but it's smaller than a pea (which split in two while working on this btw).

Without any further delay, I present my representation of Dragonberry. (I'm a sucker for the costume, and so I had to draw it.)


I'm pretty proud of how this came out. Sure, there are things that look a bit out of whack (waist seems a bit thin to me, left hand could be repositioned, better job shading, details such as scales, tail seems flat), but... I still like it despite the short comings. I'd say this took me about an hour from start to finish. I'm such a slow poke.

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Very nice indeed! The pose suggests a personality, so thats brilliant!

And what I use instead of an eraser (especially if it was a messy job), is Paintshop Pro and I airbrush the fingerprints and smudges out. Also, you could place a piece of paper between your drawing and your hand, or use white out if it's going to be photcopied (white out will show on a regular scan if you're not carefull).

And I apologize for my tangent, but the image was too good to pass up trying... I'll give one to you. Can you do Batman cleaning a catbox?

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Would you rather see batman eating a dounut, or crouching in the shadows ready to pounce?

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I'd rather see Batman eating a donut.

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okay.

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Ooooohhhh!! That is so cool...I feel as if mine's not quite up to par. I may go back and try to redo some things on the one I did for ya.

Btw can I ink and color Rox...don't like to unless I have permission.

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No need for permissions, anyone can do anything with what I do here. As far as i'm concerned, the drawing is yours. By the by, if anyone wants to ink or color a drawing i'm going to do for them, let me know and I can pencil it so you can ink and/or color it easier. (it's also faster than full pencils..)

i'm very flattered! Thx!

(gonna cross post this on both your post and my thread as well)

Excellent job on the detail. You did exactlly the right thing, in my opinion. You layered the armor pieces on the body. Many artists just "paint" lines over a body, but cloth and muscles are layers upon layers. Bravo! I'm a sucker for detail, though. If I draw an apple, it won't be an apple to me untill I can capture that slight bruse on the bottom. But thats all just a style choice.

And yes, Atomic Knight is a very hard figure to draw. lol

Now the critique: Don't discount the pose. That can convey a lot of personality to a drawing. Would you rather see batman eating a dounut, or crouching in the shadows ready to pounce?

Also, don't be afriad to exagerate! A common animation mistake is that when you draw something, the artists mind will subconsiously correct it even more. What you learn in animation is over exagerate the pose and look, when the mind tries to correct it as you draw, it makes the drawing look dynamic and you wont lose the style. Make Ak's head more angled than you think is right. Angle the wings on the helmet back more. Enlargen the muscles beyond what you think is "fine". Don't be afriad to go far beyond what you see.

I'll later post some examples on my thread. But I have to say I really like your style and pose choices, especially the latest ones.

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Hey I finished Atomic Knight. And just in case you forgot here's Roxstar in his new uniform for trade.

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no no nope! Didnt forget
Roxstar

had a lil' time to whip this out. Hope ya like it!

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Ok, I finished my Atomic Knight sketch. so now I have KidRaid, Dragonberry, and Hemily. Am I forgetting anyone?

I'm not sure when they'll be done. I'm going away to Maine with my parents, sisters, and 3 nephews from Saturday until Tuesday, so I'll be away from my computer. I'm gonna bring my sketchbook, but I'm not sure how much time I'll have to draw with my nephews attacking me.

Have a fun 4th of July everyone!

-Pep

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Thx loads much Pep!

Like always, you know AK better than anyone, and it shows! Fabulous concept and drawing. The attention to the detail is astounding!

And...I finally got my PepSketch (trademark)!

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I agree with the majority of recommendations above.

Mostly, just draw whatever and whenever the feelign hits you. I find myself carrying sketchpads everywhere, and whenever I have 10 spare minutes, I'll draw something out. Most of the doodles are loose, unfinished impressions. Some evolve into polished pieces. Some remain impressions for years until I take that idea further. There's no need to crate a materpiece with every page... just log ideas and thoughts.

Your main focus is to strengthen your hand, improve your eye, and open up the neural pathways between your creative center and your pencil.

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"Every artist has 1000 bad drawings in him he needs to get out, before his first good one.."

Probably the best advise I ever got from a teacher. Draw anything, not just humans. Draw a tree, a house, a phonebooth, a fire hydrant...everything. You'd be surprised how this helps you later.

Look forward to seeing your stuff!

It look like i'll be doing a comic and a few covers in the coming months. When that comes, my production time here might slow down quite a bit.

The linework i'll use for the comics will be less detailed, as to facilitate inking and color (my detailed linework would just be digitally painted over, so theres no need to add more details such as shadows). So, I wont know untill then how much work this will entail...

But until then, I think i'll always have time for this thread! Just my turn around time might be slower.

Later on, I might post another "how to" on muscle structure. Let me know what ya guys want

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Oh, and about that price... (thought I forgot, didn't ya?) Here is
The Atomic Knight with Atomic Cyro-Discharger Modular Upgrade

I hope you like it... I took a few liberties with his armor, I hope you don't mind but I couldn't find a single screen shot of him with his feet clearly shown -had no idea what boot's he wore, so I just made some up. And I altered his chest plate a touch to make it look more knightly

And I kow I promised graphite... but Watercolor was just faster and easer for me ... hope ya don't mind.

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I quite like it! And i love the direction with the boots. I wish those types of gear was available in game. But, alas...

Thanks very much...and eventually, I'll make a Absinthium pic I'll like...lol

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Wanna know how much it bugs me that i didn't capture the look i wanted? I sketched this in my lil' sketchbook while at work

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I noticed that, after posting the first one, you mentioned that she looked too old for the age of the character. However, in this revision, you made her head smaller in comparison to her body. To make her look younger, you should probably give her a bigger head.

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Yeah I know. Like I said, that was an idea sketch while on a 10 minute brake. When I quick sketch, I don't do what I usually do, and size everything up. In this case I just drew face on down as it struck me, just to form ideas quickly.

Propotionally, she would look like this: 5 minute sketch

Edit: I also forgot to mention, bigger eyes = youth. So, pump up those goggles!

Wanna know how much it bugs me that i didn't capture the look i wanted? I sketched this in my lil' sketchbook while at work:

Revised Abby

A little better, but not best, IMHO. I'd probably push the wild look a bit more, leaner limbs, and a more feral pose. Like a joke gone bad. At least thats what I get, so far. I've been using a scarf wrap. In CoH scarfs and some cape just are "pinned" to the back of the hero. I like to have some base in reality. And since I couldn't cover the spiked choaker with a tight wrap, I went for a very loose one.

And the pose? I wanted to simulate a striaght jacket. If I do have time to redo this, I'd have her scarf and arm wrapings REALLY give that look with an almost tangled design.

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Jeez! Does everyone have black costumes? LOL...
I'm not made of pencil lead!

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Actually, if you go back to page 1 and review my costumes, you'll find that the largest bulk of the cloth is white... so,.. um... save your lead and do Abby... I mean, draw her, gawd, get those thoughts out of yer head! perv!

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well, here ya go. Here's Abby...

Note: after I drew this, I saw the fact that she's a bit nutz. I made her way too sane, and way too old (should be 15ish i think) So, i'm not too happy with that I drew at all. Knowing what I know now, I would have drawn her totally differently. This Illustrates the importance of having a bit of personality and history with a subjects screenshots.

Jeez! Does everyone have black costumes? LOL...
I'm not made of pencil lead!

And for anyone else, I can finish up layouts and rough pencils pretty quick. So, if any aspiring artists wants me to finish/ink a layout or drawing, I could do that almost anytime. Just link a good sized pic here, or drop me a email, and state what you'd like me to do, and I'll see what I can fit in between my pieces...

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I started working on my version of Atomic Knight

Here is my main KidRaid

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Sorry for the delay. I've become very busy lately. But, I carry my sketchbook with me now, and I got you this. Hope ya like!

KidRaid

Hello RowR,

I'm here to offer my advice and two or three cents. Thats all the change I got and I need the rest for the bus.

Firstly, anything artistic is an opportunity to improve. And, it's an opportunity to take. I don't care what artist you talk or look up to, it could be a "masterpiece" in your eyes...bu all the artist sees are flaws and the frustration of not getting whats in his/her head onto paper. One may never get that exactlly. As long as we all as artists acknowledge that, you can learn and grow.

My first sktechbook showing to an artist was to Sergio Aragones of Mad magazine and Groo fame. He told me SO much of what I was missing from my inking, and what I should do. And this is from a man who doesnt even pencil a page, he straight inks them from top left to bottom right! And even he told me he doesn't think his inking is what he envisions!

Now an Inkers job is not, as they say in "Chasing Amy", a tracer. The inkers jobs is to augment and enhance the drawing more than the penciler envisioned. You apply the weight to the drawing, solidify the light sources, balnce the laypout with positive and negitive shapes, even correct the flaws of the penciler...depending how loose the rough pencil layouts are.

By inking a cylinder, you can convey that is's plactic, heavy, metal, flat, round, reflective, or matte. You've got a lot of choices. Is that line fabric? Should i place the nose in cast shadow?

A favorite story of mine is one of Bill Seinkiwicz drawing a Moon Knight cover with a werewolf. He made some beautifully tight pencils of the wolf, then started to ink. It didnt look ominous enough. he started to apply more inks, darker shadings, changing the light source. Still not the feeling he wamnted, so he inked over more pencil. When he was done, the cover consisted only of a completely black cover with two wolf pupils, teeth, and blood dripping from them...thats it!

try using different mediums to ink (i dont suggest softwear, inking is organtic). I use technical pens, gel pens, markers, brushes. Use a sketchbook and go out into the world (or mall) and quick-ink things and people. work out your hand, and mind!

Sorry for the length, but having taught art before, I get in encouraging mode...lol

I usually "ink" tight pencils on my work, but I'd be happy to do some really rough sketchs, with some subtle lessens built in, so you can practice line weight and light sources.

You don't know how much we pencilers appriciate inkers. I coinsider them as important, if not more.

I got a few messages asking how I draw what I draw. In my previous post (Sketches from "when a legend falls"), I showed how I drew in a Bruce Timm-like animated design.

Here, I'll show you my rendering process.

First, I get the images (hopefully bright ones) from the player of Mighty Electron. And I also prefer a short summery of powers and a personality description. The description really helps me come up with a pose and attitude. You wouldn't have Batman sitting on the sidewalk in broad daylight enjoying a frappacino with a huge smile, now would you?

I then doodle quite a bit to capture a look. I wont bore you with those drawings here, but it can be quite a few. it helps loosen the cobwebs from creativity.

Then, I draw a basic shape sketch. It gives me a guide to go on. And if you notice, with as few lines as I put down, I retain a 3D look to it. How? The human body is made up of shapes. You draw a flat dick, you create a flat disk. If you draw a sphere, you get a image with dimension. It all flows together, and knowing human anatony is essental.

Notice, too, I draw out parts, or at least lighty sketch, areas of the body that you as the viewer will never see. The far shoulder, some of the defining musculature hidden by the black costume (does everyone wear black?!). This also is essental to make the finished work look more than a collection of taped on body parts. It's more than a ball join from the shoulder to the arm. It's also muscle, and bone, and wieght. Action and reaction.

If you turn the image upside down, and it LOOKS upside down, you did well...

Also notice that I pay special attention to the hands. Hands are very nice at expression, and you can see I changed them a few times.

Next comes the light details rendering. This is were I place the facial details, the hair (which is another opportunity for expression of the character), and basic costume. Notice i "place" details of the costume on top of the body, and just lines over a form. This is very important to show that the suit is leather, metal, or cloth. The various shapes are also #D in my head when I do this. It must not look like decals on a model plane. The "large forarm" pods on the hero are also added, and you can see I draw OVER the exsisting forarm from before. If you just drew the lage shap on the end of an elbow, it just wouldn't look right and unbalanced. I need to show that the forarm cover is a cover for the arm beneath.

Then the finaized drawing. Here's where I select the fabric texture and light source. I tighten up the detail and "ink" the image. She had metal, and a black jumpsuit. Both items would not be inked the same, as light would play differently across the texture. The black suit itself would show shiney musculature (once again the benefit of knowing how the human body looks). You can exagerate, but you can't invent new muscles.

Well, this was long winded, but quite a few of you asked! LOL

If anyone has any questions, well...class is in session. I'll give anyone any advice on what could be done to improve oneself or a piece of art. Remember, an artist entire career is trying to improve oneself. You will never be a master (if your lucky), it's the journey there thats important!

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Here ya go! One cute little radioactive bunny robot tanker!!!

Atomic Knight

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Thanks for the portrait, Starchasm! And here's yours!
Radey Ayte

Notes: I had some time trying to find the right look. I don't like to just pencil a generic pose and slap on a costume. I want the pic to show what the hero/villain is about. I think I finally got it, when from her stories and profile, she's a very pissy character (lol). So, I had to heap on loads of attitude. She's seemingly always angry. Drew her at about age 17 (she's in the Teen Squadron), but I could make her younger looking if need be.

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And it's my lunch hour, so here comes the Lupun shots!

Zack in his Civies
Zack raising his fist into the air and shouting "HENSHIN!" to transform
Zack spins in a whirlwing of gold power
Zack appears as the Lunar Lupun as he slows his spin
And Lupun in all his glory

Whee!

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thanks for the fine Pic of Ak, Lupun!

Heres one for you... HENSHIN!!!

Note: I love the manga influence. reminds me of "Gatchman" And "Viewtiful Joe"!

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I will do this, and only because I want a pic of one of my characters in your very interesting and unique style!

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The Mighty Electron!

looking forward to your artwork!

Ah! I say, 'Nay, Pep! Nay to you!!" as i'm giving back what I get!

And with all the unique styles around, I'm quite interested in each and every persons personal view in the form of creativity.

Whats also cool are the mails i've been getting from people saying that what i've drawn has inspired them to try their hand at it themselves. Being a former teacher, that is just so cool to hear!

And i'm gonna lay down a fire patch on that and fan the flames! lol

You already got mine, pep...lol

Cough it up!