42 replies to this topic

[Slightly Wonky Robob]

Just given my website a small makeover, and added some sketches and renders, so I thought I would advertise post it here too

I've been trying to improve my digital sketching skills, since I used to only sketch in my sketchbooks and this process was time consuming (finding my sketchbook, and my sketching materials for a start... as well as having to scan my sketches) and there are also many benefits to sketching with a graphics tablet... You have unlimited supply of "pens", by changing brushes and properties in Photoshop... and you can easily edit things with minimal effort. Most of my practising sketches I either never saved, or have lost them in one of my many folders, but I have managed to find one:




I've never really been any good at drawing the same character, they usually end up looking like a completely different character, or they just turn out crap, so as a result I gave up trying to actually draw the same character twice. It's been quite a while since my last attempt, so I made it my mission to try and create a character and draw her in different positions and from different angles. Most of my attempts didn't turn out great, but I did manage to finish 4 sketches.



Since they didn't turn out too bad, I've started rendering the first successful sketch.




Finally, I've saved the best for last, one of my first anime renders that I have actually finished (and am happy with) in quite a while.



Don't forget to register on my website, and leave me a comment or 2

Edited by Bob, 12 February 2009 - 21:24.

[Pav:3d]

You actually drew this?!

Just wow...

[E.V.E.]

Nicely done indeed, I must say!

It looks very well made and must have taken some time. I am looking forward to see more Art from you, Bob.

- E.V.E.

[WNxMastrefubu]

great drawins man

[Overdose]

You got some serious talent. You should try drawing doujinshi.

[Nem]

I think the nose and mouth features on Ryoko need to be a bit more pronounced. Other then that its top notch stuff just like the epically awesome second render.

[General]

Its all good, especially the second one, very well done really, despite I don't like anime style that much, yours look good I must say

[Destiny]

Started off without the clothes, I see. Well, it's the basics so I cannot say anything against it...









Also, needs moar cleavage linez. lol j/k

[Stinger]

After seeing the first sketch I am tempted to buy a posable wooden figure for visual reference purposes. I can imagine it is a useful tool to have when you're figure drawing and experimenting with light and value. Great work capturing the victory pose, Bob. It looks superb, a credit to your sense of proportions.

Furthermore, while shoujo anime/manga style isn't something that I am keen on personally, it is clear that you possess some serious skill at capturing the details.

Having seen some of your sketches in the past, I was beginning to wonder lately why you hadn't updated your thread. Now that you have a site I'll be following your progress more closely.

Keep 'er lit, man.

Edited by Stinger, 13 February 2009 - 14:50.

[Slightly Wonky Robob]

Thanks for the comments guys and gal, greatly appreciated.

Anyway, I've added a sketch and a W.I.P render, you can check it out here

Don't forget to register and comment on my website too /broken record

[Camille]

not a fan of anime at all but you did a good job there

my only criticism could be that all the pictures are maybe a bit flat and... boring (sorry).

[General]

Bob, on 18 Feb 2009, 22:27, said:

Thanks for the comments guys and gal, greatly appreciated.

Anyway, I've added a sketch and a W.I.P render, you can check it out here

Don't forget to register and comment on my website too /broken record

You are going pro man

[Admiral Wesley]

Neither am I a fan of anime, but HOLY SHIT that last pic was hot. Someone get me a plane ticket to Japan RIGHT NOW, and I need to have my doctor on speed dial.

"Consult your doctor for an erection lasting longer than four hours."

By the way, I also appreaciate this for its artistic flair. You have style man. And serious balls to point this on this family-friendly forum. (FFF!)

Have you posted your work on deviantart?

Edited by General Wesley, 28 February 2009 - 04:00.

[Slightly Wonky Robob]

General Wesley, on 28 Feb 2009, 3:59, said:

Neither am I a fan of anime, but HOLY SHIT that last pic was hot. Someone get me a plane ticket to Japan RIGHT NOW, and I need to have my doctor on speed dial.

"Consult your doctor for an erection lasting longer than four hours."

By the way, I also appreaciate this for its artistic flair. You have style man. And serious balls to point this on this family-friendly forum. (FFF!)

*sigh*

General Wesley, on 28 Feb 2009, 3:59, said:

Have you posted your work on deviantart?

Not yet, but I have been thinking about it.

[Admiral Wesley]

I apologize for any offense my last comment may have caused. I understand that it's a serious piece of art, and I can see you put some effort into both. Consider joining an art group in your area for additional advice and encouragement, I reccomend it. Plus, you get to make your art more known to other people.

[Stinger]

ka1000., on 21 Feb 2009, 17:57, said:

not a fan of anime at all but you did a good job there

my only criticism could be that all the pictures are maybe a bit flat and... boring (sorry).

This is the first of two inappropriate comments that I have seen from you in the Artwork section. Having seen your "akay" comment in the other thread I am not letting this one slide.

Telling someone that their work is flat and boring is just plain insulting when you offered no constructive criticism. Saying sorry doesn't reduce the impact of your statement.

This is how your post reads to me:

Quote

You did a good job but all the pictures are flat and boring. Sorry.

The irony is that being an artist yourself you should understand all of this better than anyone else.

[Camille]

for starters, be very careful with what you call "artists" and "art" alike. people tend to easily confuse it with far less art-oriented work.

because that's how i think; you have art and you have work. art is something that makes you think and is aesthetically pleasing at the same time. something that has even a minor psychological background and a minimum of technical expertise to it.

work on the other hand is something that can be amusing and in most cases nice to look at but hasn't got much of a background/story/thought behind it. work needs to be practical and there is what you can call a thread throughout the whole. this is why i and many others see comics and strips as work and not as "art". how much i do love them, i think there's a clear line.

now the case with what i've seen here in this thread: the work displayed here is of (in my honest opinion) high technical quality and is a good example of nice work. however, i wouldn't dare to call it "art" as so many people do mindlessly.

about the comment: yes, i've been a little harsh but hey, at least im being honest. im not going to soothe people into thinking their work is worth millions. i rather make clear what i think of it.

and bah, in the end it's all a matter of opinions.

[Slightly Wonky Robob]

I've been trying to write a reply for the past hour or so... and tbh I don't really no where to begin, or how to express myself properly, but I'll do my best. Ever since I started doing art at school, especially when I was doing art for GCSE and A-Level, I never followed mainstream art, I most certainly never followed the crowd... going for famous artists ... doing things like silk screen printing or collages or any of this modern art crap, I personally always thought it was load of bull. Sure it may fit under the definition of "Art" but I never could, and probably never will understand how people can be impressed by paintings that look they have been done by a four-year-old. People say, "but it's done in such and such a style", I really couldn't care less it still looks shit. (To put it bluntly)

I guess this all boils down to how I am as a person... I took 4 subjects at As-Level, Art (which I already mentioned), Maths, ICT and graphics Design... and the last three all involve a certain degree of technical skill and logic. I have always enjoyed maths, having an equation and working out the answer. In art there are no real questions and there are no real answers, art just is, it should have no "purpose", and this has always been my biggest floor. I am no good at just thinking things up on the spot, I like have a challenge and fulfilling goals.

At GCSE I got a C in art, if you asked me now what specific subjects I did my coursework and exam unit(s) on, I really couldn't tell.. I couldn't even tell you how I managed to get a C, I just did little projects, pretending I had a clue what I was doing, but I really didn't, I started a new project practically every lesson, but never really finished anything. I remember doing an artist study on this guy who made replicas of eschers work in lego (fun times, getting to play with lego in class :3) and I tried to make a robot out of empty smint packets, I didn't complete either of them because deep down I knew that what I was doing was a load of crap and really wasn't me as a person.

Even though I didn't get a spectacular mark at GCSE, I still enjoyed art, making things that looked good and people said I was "good" at it, so I went ahead a did it at A-Level too. I started of the first year much like GCSE, just doing things, not really getting anywhere... but I had a pretty good teacher that actually managed to push me in to doing something I felt comfortable doing, rather than doing things everyone else was doing... that I really hated. So I eventually started drawing manga/anime. Even though I was finally doing something that I enjoyed doing, I still really didn't get anywhere with it. Most of "my" work was just sketches and paintings of already existing anime... and I didn't do this because I wasn't capable of coming up with ideas of my own, the reason I did this was for fear of getting it "wrong"... even though I knew then ,and still know now, that there is no right or wrong in art, it's all about expressing yourself. Even though I know this, it doesn't change the fact that I (in general) don't like getting things wrong, or doing the wrong thing.

As I said, this still applies now... all of my work is a display of my technical ability not my artistic flare. I never show anything that I don't consider to be worth showing (even if others disagree). I don't, however, have a hug stock pile of work that I simple don't think is worth showing, simply because if I start something and it's not turning out very good, I just give up... and I guess I am never going to improve if I only finish work that looks like it might turn out OK, but I guess that is just how I am.

I appreciate your comment, I really do, because I think you are the first person to actually understand that my work is not art and most likely never will be (at least in my own eyes). I hope one day that I will be comfortable enough with my style to actually just create things on whim, but at the moment that just isn't possible with me.

I currently use photoshop to render this anime and probably unlike most "artists" that use photoshop, I can just use one or 2 layers. I use undreads, if not, thousands of layers, all in different groups with masks on. Why? Simply for the fear of getting something "wrong" and not able to simply go back and correct the mistake.

Anyway, sorry I went out that little rant. I think this was more for my benefit than anyone else's... I just needed to get that out into the open. I am still very early on in the development of a style that actually suits me and appareciate any feedback I get. In fact I probably prefer negative feedback more... because I know my work isn't great, and I know most of it isn't complete... but knowing about that doesn't really help me in changing that.

@Art vs. work argument: This may just be my weird views on life showing through again... but at the end of the day does it really matter what something is labelled with? because no matter what you label it, it doesn't actually change what it is.

[Camille]

you're absolutely right.

it's just that people tend to become snappy when it comes to someone's "art" when most of the times they have no clue of what they're looking at.

again you're right about the label thing. it does indeed not change a thing. but this is more or less connected to my previous statement of people caring too much while not really caring in the right context.

ugh. opinions :(

[BeefJeRKy]

ka1000., on 3 Mar 2009, 10:41, said:

ugh. opinions :(

Is that not why the Internet is so successful? It is an interface for people with differing opinions and mindsets to meet and exchange their views.

[Camille]

yeah and then opinions clash...

ah well.

[Slightly Wonky Robob]

Another update:

Quote

I've moved from sketching from a wooden mannequin + reference images to using a 3D model. So to start things off, I've designed a new character, that I have named Akiko. I've tried go down a more adventurous route, by going with more extravagant positions and camera angles, as well as more unique/anime style of clothes. Anyway, not much more to say, except to go look at the pretty pictures :3

Source: here

Edited by Bob, 06 March 2009 - 12:25.

[Rai]

All of your work is very nice, indeed Bob. But with a little more effort you can do better Bob. (much better than japanese manga artists.

Edited by Papaya Master Rai, 06 March 2009 - 12:48.

[Mr. Mylo]

pretty nice work. I am not really a fan of anime... but yours is quiet good though

[Libains]

On the whole, very nice indeed Bob, you're becoming very successful as an artist. I do have a few criticisms, partly my views, partly a few critiques. The body form in all of them is exceptional, and the poses look exactly like I would imagine them of a natural figure. From my perspective, I'd like the figure to have little more clothing around the waistline, as one of the things I'm not partial to in anime is seeing girls with too much on display, but that is just personal preference, and putting that aside, it works for me, it really does. On the first image, I would suggest that you make the sleeves of the shirt just a little more visible below the crease that has been drawn in about 1/3rd of the way down the arm, as it looks a bit like the sleeves are rolled up - the differentiation between the two is a little sparse for me, especially on Akiko's left arm. I would also suggest a little bit more detail on the front of the boots on the first drawing, as they seem a little bland. Second picture is great. Can't make any critical observations of it. The third image is very nicely done, and looks sharper, crisper and more detailed than the previous two. However, Akiko's left hand is a bit odd - it looks flat against the rest of the image, and doesn't seem to be doing anything at all, whereas I imagine your initial thought was to have Akiko's head resting on it. Perhaps closing the hand into a fist and putting a bit more behind the head would prove better? The fourth image, like the second, I can't really find anything wrong with. The pose is especially good here, and looks completely natural. All of these are niggling points, though, and shouldn't detract from your work/art (whichever you choose to see it as), as it is great. The human form is said to be one of the most difficult things to draw, and you've done a great job of doing so. Plus, miles better than anything that I could achieve.