Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Adventures in Arting


It seems that a important part of learning path in art is to fall flat on my face, painfully, and then flop around like a dying fish while trying to figure out why I suddenly can't draw anymore.  I think it happens - big time - maybe once or twice a year.  I am chugging along just fine - creating art better than I ever had before - and then I'm on the side of the road with a flat tire and have somehow forgotten how to operate a car jack.

I seriously could not draw a straight line for a while there.

I think it's because I started to use my pencil differently - trying to sweep with my shoulder more than my elbow or wrist.  Things were okay for a couple of pictures, then BAM - crap crap crap.

I THINK that the change kind of laid bare some of my lazy drawing habits - like just shifting facial bits and pieces around without having a good grasp on the anatomy of the skull and fleshy face bits. Same goes for the body.  Sure, I can look at a reference and copy it, but constructing the forms underneath - well - I could use some work.

I THINK.  I don't know.  Arting is also like a big old stack of Jenga.  Each one of those Jenga stick might be knowledge or techniques, etc.  But a fair amount of them are just chunks of confidence, and without confidence, the whole thing goes splat.

So, I sat a stared at some videos of artists I like on Youtube, watching how they hold their pencils and move their hands.  Well - they all have different ways of doing it.  But not a single one of them does it the way they are "supposed to." :)

I shoulda known.

Of course this is all happening when I'm going through some of the most stressful times at work in a decade.  That probably has something to do with it too.

So, I'm chugging along, doing exercises out of Andrew Loomis' Drawing the Heads and Hands.  I feel like I am in rehab.  But it's working.

Anyway, I'll keep drawing.  And preping for the last section of Hoard of the Dragon Queen.  The players are in the last bit.  Could be a TPK.  Good times.

- Ark


Saturday, December 13, 2014

Lines


Today was a painful, horrible day for sketching where nothing went right, so I tried going back to basics and do some simple lines.  Newp.  Can't even draw straight lines.  It's like a busted a circuit in my brain or something.  Oh well, maybe tomorrow I'll remember how to do this.

- Ark

Friday, December 12, 2014

Clumzor's Bambi

Apparently the coffee assault on my drawing pad was repulsed.  While it wasn't working yesterday, the Wacom is working today.  Perhaps it just needed to dry out?  I don't know - maybe it is sentient and self-repairing.

Whatever the case, I drew Clumzor's Bambi - a tiefling from his comic - to test out the pad. (I love Clumzor's style.)  The pad seems to be working just fine - even if it does smell like a Starbucks.

Um . . . if you don't know about Bambi . . . well . . . don't Google Clumzor's Bambi if you are at work or anything.

:)

- Ark

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Sad Pad


When you add a cup of coffee and a rambunctious cat to your Wacom drawing pad, you get . . . well . . . let's just say I'll be going unwillingly back to pencil and paper again.  Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

- Ark