24 Hour Sketch

Just a quick one, I've been doing a lot of "full on" drawings lately so I wanted to do something messy. Took me about 15 minutes. I'm not really a big fan of this though; I know it could have been better. I wasn't at all careful or precise by any means and so I'm not surprised at how it turned out. But for what it's worth I accomplished what I set out to do.

No, we're not pregnant, nor are we discussing it. This was just a cuter than cute photo, and I chose it for that reason alone. Well, my wife did ask a week or so ago, "Have you ever drawn a baby?" To which my reply was, "Nope." So, now I have. In fact a lot of the things I've been drawing here at the 24 Hour Sketch are new to me. Feels good!

So, here's a sketch to warm your insides as the days are getting colder.

I'll admit, I made the mistake of drawing on off-white paper. So to bring this handsome duo into the light I ran it through an exposure and contrast filter. It's my artwork, I'll run through as many goddamn filters as I want.

If there are any artists, or non-artists that know technique, out there that know how to draw a blur, please let me know how this can be accomplished. I can't seem to figure it out. This one was drawn quick, down and dirty. There are practically no truly defined lines, save a few here and there. The semblance of any line really in my opinion is more of a sweep, but a line non the less, I suppose. Though this drawing was done quickly with no no intention of developing any specific technique I serendipitously discovered a couple. The landscape for one, which was done in a similar fashion to my normal technique, was altered slightly to a wisping motion with varying pressure and vector. The other technique I discovered will go mostly undisclosed for now until I fully realize it. All I'll say is I might have a great idea for putting those white lines on white paper.

Water vapor is hard to draw. That's all I've got to say about this one.

I'm tapping into nature a little bit on this one. I'm also exploring cardboard boxes, specially when those boxes are placed on somebody's head. The trees look good, the ground is a series of dark and light scribbles which works but I'm not particularly fond of my technique. The two guys wearing boxes, they are in the center of the drawing, should have been drawn bigger. However, the size of paper I used was rather small and the best thing about this image is those two guys are sitting in a wood clearing. It wouldn't have the same impact if I zoomed in on the two guys at the cost of losing some serious landscape. So there you have it. Make what you want of it; I'm still not sure if this photo is trying to make a statement or taken just because it's amusing.

First off, it's an eye, with a seriously complex reflection showing up on the iris. The photo was amazing and unfortunately I was unable to capture the image. I do like the lower eyelashes, that stroke is a difficult one for me: towards and away. Overall I drew everything I saw but making lines and tones is not all that encompasses a drawing. For instance I could not for the life of me figure out how to translate the "wetness" of the eye. This amongst many other imperfections based on lack of know-how provided for a sketch that I feel, "eh" about. However I always like running my drawing through filters just to see what will come out and I found one that I really like. So today I'm posting two images. One, the drawing. And two, a soft filter version of it. I enjoy the filter much better, it's subtle, sort of, but adds so much of that "special something" I was trying to capture with just the pencil.

I started this one out the worst possible way. Before planning and sketching the basic form down for the entire drawing I started detailing. I was completely done with the head and working on the coat when I snapped out of it. My eyes, neck and brain were hurting. I was literally analyzing, lining up, making sense of and correcting the forms, tones and proportions...On The FLY!! I stopped for a second and reanalyzed what I was doing. I got back to business and staring planning out the rest of the drawing. I lightly sketched the remaining pieces of this puzzle I created to make sure everything was still in proportion and jived. As it turned out, I was riding a fine line with the potential of really uckin' this sketch up. After regrouping and mapping out the drawing the rest of the details came out easily. Lesson learned, everything needs a plan even if your winging it.

When drawing this, which took over an hour, I had my doubts about how well certain things would turn out. I always do when starting a drawing. This one, specifically, had me wondering how I would figure out the folds of the sleeve, the shape of the hands and of course the hair; hair always elates the hell out of me when it comes out looking alright. Truthfully, I'm always surprised at how well any of my drawings turn out. This one is just that, a complete surprise, and I am impressed with myself. Tell me what you think.

Continuing with the topic of things you can do with a meerkat, this young girl thought it would be fun to put it on her head! And I thought it would be fun to draw! When drawing, or drawing quickly I try to think about the basic shapes of an object before going into any detail. Such as with the braids, instead of drawing the lines which would have taken a long time, I picked out darker and lighter areas and with the edge of the pencil tip drew erratic lines with varying tone. This is just one of the many techniques I use when drawing, and one that I am trying to perfect. Let me know what you think!

This dog was a lot cuter than I could convey with line. But all in all this was a pretty easy drawing. Due to the contorted figure of the dog, I really didn't have to be all that accurate. I spent most of the time on the face. I wanted to capture the surprised, playful look and not make the dog look mean. Which is what he started looking like. Now he just looks like a dog eating his leg because he's so surprised at how much fun it is! Queue the laughter, as if this is another one of HGAR's films!

I can't believe how fast a month has gone by. It seemed daunting at first and was, trying to get a sketch in everyday but it got easier and get's easier still. I'm sure there will be days that I feel less motivated. But overall, I'm really enjoying this daily thing.

The sketch: This picture just amused me so I had to sketch it. And I finished! Don't act like you've never seen one of these walking around.

It's unfinished. I was hoping to get this one done, but Wednesdays are busier than I'd like. It took me about three tries. Yep, I'm admitting it, I crumpled up two sheets before I got the form down. My one complaint is that the interlocked pinkies are not more pronounced. After all, that is the picture. I hope you enjoy this one. I do.

I knew going into this it was going to be tricky. I've never drawn clothing this complex and the reference picture I used, though detailed, was very gray. This isn't to say that it was void of black and white; it had a healthy dose of white wash, which is fun to work with. The gray was so complexly varied and incremental that too much pressure on the pencil would produce too dark of a tone. I'm happy with how it turned out even though it is unfinished, but my time for today has run out and I must post.

Some film noir scene. Not sure where from. I really laid into this one with the lead, and I thought I had it dark enough, but once again taking a picture of it really produces a different atmosphere. Lesson possibly learned, probably not.

The feline has been a big topic this week, if you didn't know then you haven't been paying attention. I never know when I should go full on when drawing the hair of an animal. Sometimes, as I did with this sketch, I just scribble it in. It's bad technique, but really, does anybody care? If you do, comment! Let me know how smart you are!

Welcome, if you didn't already know, one of the programs I used to watch as a child had an art segment in which the artist was drawing a futuristic world of space chipmunks. They lived in hollowed out circles that look like the eyes on the drawing I am posting today. I don't know what else to say about this drawing. Most of the things I draw have curves, this has lines and circles. No straight edge, stencil or reference was used and I pulled this shit right out of my back pocket. Thank you.

What a relief. Im glad this one turned out alright. I was afraid that it might be too dark. Actual it looks to be too light compared to the picture. The real photograph is much darker, hardly any light at all. Now what would be really cool is to create a negative image of this. That's something I'll have to practice.

Keep coming backs folks, it's only gonna get worse! The only saving grace of this sketch, if it can be called even that, is that it looks like something. Not sure what.

Another request! I've been growing tired of the posemaniac.com references, though there are still some I would like to draw. They are basically all the same. I needed a new character, a new pose, and a new style. My wife suggested I do a yoga pose, and I have no idea what this posture is called. I just know that when I saw it I said, "That's the one." As far as the style goes, I was reading an Andrew Loomis book and he stated a few things about bad technique that I was noticing myself doing. So in this I created clearly defined lines, something I do not like doing. The lines are exaggerated and that is the point. I wanted to see them. And it turned out alright. I'm happy with it.

I am proud of this one! My eyes are crossed and strained, my neck is stiff, and I don't care. The hour I spent sketching this was painstaking but worth it. About a quarter of the way through I didn't know where it was going; this is a familiar feeling that I take as a good sign. Usually when that feeling comes, my stubbornness kicks in and something great happens. There are some imperfections and I could scrutinize this one all night but as a whole it really comes together.

Zooming in... I used the L'Ecorché iPhone app for this detail of the hand as it provides, as the name suggests, no skin, just muscles and bones. I can see myself buying the pro version of this app cause it's just that cool. One thing about this reference that I like better than posemaniacs.com is that I can swing it around 360°, zoom in incredibly close and of course see the bones! I can do the rotate thing on posemaniacs.com but only on a web browser supporting flash, and the detail level lacks on the iPhone. Damn, I feel like this is an app review more than a blog about my drawing. The detail in the sketch, as you can see, is definitely there, but the proportions are a little off. This kind of drawing takes practice and I intend on getting better. What I really enjoy is the marriage of the two models that I put together: the bones and muscle together. The little flap hanging off the wrist is my version of what a dorsal carpal ligament might look like if it were severed. I pr…

Here's another strange perspective. I altered it slightly from the original in that I left out what I believe was the right arm. It took me a while to decipher the anatomy of the guy and the piece I left out looked like the right forearm but the placement was odd; it extended from the lower back, underneath the left hand and disappeared behind the right leg, if that makes any sense. It didn't make sense when looking at it and I feel like I should post the reference file just to show it, but I won't. I assume that given the odd perspective it was the right forearm, so I shifted the perspective just slightly so as to not have to deal with this enigmatic appendage. That's the great thing about drawing! Sometimes…

As quoted by the commissioner of this sketch, "Where's my fuckin' picnic basket, Bobo?" this brings to light a whole new idea, if there is something you'd like sketched let me know. Maybe an alligator sitting a picnic table, a giraffe? Oh, the possibilities are endless!

Today I spent too long sketching, trying to get the drawing too perfect. I liked the reference and thought the pose would present a great challenge. It did, and I might draw this again at some point in the future as I think it could be done better. I do like the feet and arm, it turned out nice.

I like this one. The back muscles are beginning to make sense to me and shaping them seems to be getting easier. I am definitely struggling though, it doesn't come easy. Also, I really like how the hands turned out, not extremely detailed, but clearly defined. Tell me what you think.

Okay, to make up for the last four days of quick sketches I spent some time on today's. Its larger and detailed. Not a complete drawing as There are a lot of features that I don't like about this sketch, the eyes for one. Which, some will attest are the feature I usually draw best. Oh well, all the stuff I like about this one easily outweighs the rest. Hope you enjoy, and critique freely.

Well I can't seem to shake this "micro" sketching that I've been doing over the weekend. But, one good thing about it is I have fulfilled my blog post for the day and its only 8:00 am! I may not have said it before, but I'll pretend to say it again: it's not the quality of the blog that counts, but the quantity! See ya tomorrow, and keep commenting.

Well if you've been following the past few days the style of this sketch should be no surprise to you. I'm on a kick for the past few days of small drawings. Happened on accident as I was crunched for time and I've stayed with it for the same reasons as it does not take as long to draw something small. However, it brings a different kind if difficulty to the table. With larger drawings there is a forgivable zone. When it is scaled down that zone scales as well. So, the image can lose its proportion quickly. I do think though it will become my weekend sketch practice, during the week I'll get back to the larger.

As promised, here it is! This one is another small sketch, about an inch and a half square. I was able to wrap this one up in half of an hour. Already I can feel myself growing more confident when I put the pencil down on paper. As such with this sketch, I started out confidently, but about half way I lost my focus on where it was going. This happens from time to time with my artwork but as I push through the misshapen textures of the sketch it does begin to take form and structure. It feels good to triumphantly push through that barrier as the alternative is to crumple up and start again. This one presents itself as a learning tool, I think given the angle at which the pose is taken. The head could be smaller and the hand could be bigger but I'll plead my friend's afore mentioned observation. This, in fact, could be a person with an abnormally large head. Catch you tomorrow, and, please, if you have comments let's hear 'em!

Or is it 12, whoowee! Almost screwed the pooch on this one. Don't know where the time got to, well I do and I kept telling myself, "get your sketch in!" but better late than never. This little lady is about 2 inches tall. Not very precise but in all honesty I'd say this drawing is the first true sketch I've done here at the 24 hour sketch. I sat down, pulled up my reference and worked it out. I really like how it came together. And even though I technically missed Saturday, it does not mean I'll not do another one later today. Expect it! It will be here before the next 24 hours is up!