Page Two

...of the SW comic, that is. I dunno, still not happy with page one I submitted some time ago. This coloring scheme sort of appeals to me more than what I used for page one: there I did the value sketch underneath and then started coloring. Didn't work out , so I used a simpler method visible here (e.g., no value sketch, went straight to colors).

Jake Lamota

Hope you find this worth posting. I just love Scorcese-De Niro-Pesci movies, they're like a subgenre in their own right!

Anyways, Im sticking to pencil and charcoal, as my classes progress, trying to nail down the values most of all.

Moderate illo dump

The coloring of my SW comic takes up most of my time dedicated to artistic endeavor. I am yet o post the two pages I've done, so in the mean time, to buy the time, I decided to post some of my previous work never seen here on this blog.

Spring

I walked in the studio today eager to do another one of my composition lessons, and found a spring-like uneven brass spirall and a small cardboard box on the table. Anyway, it was boring to begin sketching, but got more interesting as I progressed towards rendering. So, this was my last lesson in basic stuff, from next Thursday on comes figure, portrait and nude. I discovered several important things in these two lessons and homework I did, most important of which was how to set up objects on paper. Had I done this piece on my own, for example, these objects would have appeared either too small or too big, off center and disproportionate in relative sizes.

Yet another composition

I guess I'll be doing these well into next week. The idea is to try to reproduce the real proportions and relative distances of objects, and to be able to set up an overall composition. I guess I really needed that, because I think the composition has so far been the weakest point in my art. This is just a crash course, because my instructor told me that I'll do only two 3-hour long lessons prior to starting nude, figure and portrait drawing. So, this Thursday I'll do my last lesson on basic composition, and then, from next week's Thursday, I'll start with the real deal. I am glad that it worked out this way, the two preliminary lessons will have helped me understand the basic concepts, but it will not have been too long, just a worm-up. These basics will then make my life easier when I start with the more demanding stuff.

Another study

This blog might start looking like a sketchbook, the way I started. I think I better focus on practicing classical skills than trying to produce comics and illustrations for a while. If I could hack two sketches per day, I could generate 300-400 of them by the time I finish my preparatory course in June, prior to entrance exams in July. I started doing this sketch just to practice composition, but it evolved into a value study.

Art course

I just had my first lesson in my preparatory class for the Academy of Arts entrance exam next summer. Just basic stuff. As of two weeks from now, however, they'll put me in the real deal - head and figure drawing. Looking forward to it, but it isn't that easy. So many things I didn't know about composition, for example, so I was feeling like a blundering novice. The teacher told me to approach the subject with a series of measurements. Namely:

1. Mark the boundaries of the picture in terms of height and width
2. Measure the objects relative to each other
3. Connect the important points of the with diagonal lines
4. Use grids to position details in the picture
5. Mind the space between objects

The teacher instructed me to draw a simple line drawing, having in mind these five points:

Bell Tower

Did this a while ago w/ ink and watercolors. Thought of posting it here...

Nudity

Another one of them nudes. I guess I'm into "Nude a Day" drill. I try to do those most demanding and most suggestive poses.

Posing

I sketched these two pieces off Virtual Pose 3 package. Its basically a collection of 360-degree photographs that can be viewed and turned around with a Quicktime application. They made these photos by placing one or more cameras in a circle and taking photos from various angles while subject was being still. Camera was probably affixed to a circular rail, so that it maintained the same distance from the subject regardless of the angle. I think they made those jump-kick special fx in Matrix the same way. Anyways, Virtual Pose to me is the closest thing to a live model. Having said that, I hope to have more access to real models, since as of this Thursday, I am joining a genuine art course.

Small Comics Dump

All three pieces are related to the comic convention held last weekend in Zagreb, Croatia. The topmost one-page comic I submitted for the official competition, while the remaining two drawings I did at the workshop that was also included in the event. The last image depicts participants in the workshop, sketching their own comic characters.

SW comic color scheme

I guess I might do it this way. I gave up on the acrylics, because it would take too long, and I want to move on. Also, these inked sheets are way too small, should have drawn bigger.

Preview of a page with an inked outline

This ist he first page of a 14 pp. comic from a Star Wars universe. I intend to color it with acrylics, like Juan Gimenez does.

En plain air

While I'm at it, why don't i publish this little devil, sort of a watercolor memoir of a daily trip I took yesterday. We went to a small pitoresque town of Samobor in North-Western Croatia, situated just off Zagreb city limits. The town lays on this sort of a creek, with happy little houses and pretty little bridges...gosh I sound like Bob Ross.

DSG 1139

As you probably already know, the legendary conceptart.org forum has a Daily Sketch Group (DSG) with challenges being given out to sketch-crazed enthusiast. The 1139th in a row was titled: FANTASTIC SHIP SAILS AMIDST GIANT PURPLISH JELLYFISH. So, I did this piece, which, i must admit, resembles more an octopuss. I used ink and photoshop.

On Giraud, Moebius and Blueberry

Hi, I am revisiting Jean Giraud, a. k. a. Moebius, the artist whose work I'd admired since I was a little kid. Did this little doodle after watching a short french documentary on his technique (link). He truly is the king. I love the way he throws pencil and ink strokes on the paper. It also convinced me that the best way of drawing comics is to use large sheets of paper. I just completed inking a 14-page comic with 8 or 9 panels per page on 210 x 297 mm sheets (standard A4). I should have used either the sheets that are double that size, or done large panels, one or two per page, and then stiched them together after scanning. I suppose that in the latter scenario I would have to know the proportions in order to fit these panels within boundaries of the page. I think I should definitely consult a professional on these issues.

Comic previews

Here are some concept sketches and a preview from a one-page comic with which I entered competition for the best vampire-themed one-page comic. The winners will be declared during the comic-con to be held in Zagreb 24-26 November.

Test

Testing 123