Moleskine II

And last update finally lol. Playing around with profile and different hairstyles besides the one I always do. I think I may make this into another re-draw of this character I used to draw called Fweeb Keeper (old drawing, and old drawing two). There's an explanation but don't ask XD.

- Staedtler Mars Lumograph graphite pencil HB

- Moleskine sketchbook 8.5ish x 5"

- kneaded erasure

- standard vinyl eraser

It's not great quality because I don't like to rip pages out of my books so phone pics. I'm inking this now to play with my new Pentel Pocket Brush Pen (droooool). It's such an awesome pen and came with 3 extra cartridges (it bloody well should for $22). However it's probably best for me to use it with bigger projects. It's hard to get tiny with this guy so I still use my wee pigment liners for fine details. So fun I LOVE INKING!!

p.s. this is just a thumbnail the real one will have a body and such lol. The lips are a bit big in proportion to the head and the hair looks like a wig so will definitely be doing more thumbnails of this to get the concept down etc. In the end it most likely will be ink and watercolour on 8.5x11.

Studies - Loomis - Figure Proportion

Wow something that's not heads! The first attempt was very bad I wasn't going to post it. I definitely won't subject the interwebs to the horrors of my timed gesture drawing. They look like someone blind folded a two year old and made them draw people XD. It's very humbling when you go to do studies like this to realize how shit you are. Oh well. When I tackled it today I decided to create a head units chart so I didn't have to inaccurately try and do it with a ruler every time I started a new drawing. I created the chart in InDesign based off the chart from the Loomis figure drawing book (examples below). And it made all the difference. So much more efficient and I did a bit  better:

The above is the original example from the Loomis Figure Drawing book. Obviously all credit to William Andrew Loomis!

- Staedtler Mars Lumograph graphite pencil HB

- printer paper

- kneaded erasure

- standard vinyl eraser

I'm so happy I decided to create that chart I can print it out whenever. Of course I lost some drawing time! However this is all just helping me get better so it is what it is. I'm happy with the last one only way to go is up!

<3natasha.

Studies - Loomis - Heads III

Hoooo shit more heads. I think my issue with the 3/4 is that I need to shrink down the roundness off the ball once I start to put the details in lol. They're all too wide. Plus I think I need to adjust my centre lines on the faces to go straight down more as they all appear to have their faces off to the side. I'll experiment with that next round. I've made myself a schedule, fixed up a new artsy space which is bright and awesome, and am basically treating this like a full time job as much as possible. No more messing around dammit!!

- Staedtler Mars Lumograph graphite pencil HB

- Staedtler pigment liner 0.3 and 0.1

- printer paper

- kneaded erasure

- standard vinyl eraser

I tend to ink the ones I like haha. Oh well I have lots more studies to come weeee.

<3natasha.

Supply Haul 4 - MASSIVE SUPPLY HAUL

So I lied last haul post when I said I'd cut myself off. If anything I've gone more crazy than ever. I discovered there's a DeSerres a few blocks from me which is closer than the other stores I frequent. They also have different selections for things like watercolours which is handy but it is probably the most expensive of the art stores in Toronto which I discovered today. So there's some things I won't be buying here again :/

- 16x20" masonite board

- Reeves brand gouache (not sure i should have went with this brand since I've all but ditched the watercolours of the same brand already)

- 12x18" cutting mat

- 18x24" masonite board

- 18x24" newsprint pads x 2

- 6x6" watercolour field journal with Fluid brand paper in it apparently 140lb

- Pebeo Studio Gouache in Carmine, Lemon Yellow, and Ultramarine Blue

- Touch Twin Markers in Deep Red, Cosmos, Verona Blue, Marine Blue, Lavender, and Colourless Blender (USELESS)

- Pentel Pocket Brush Pen (EXPENSIVE LOL)

- Winsor & Newton Cotman splurge: Indigo, Prussian Blue, Cobalt Blue Hue, Cerulean Blue Hue, Viridian Hue, Pthalo Green, Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow Hue, Burnt Sienna, Alazarin Crimson, Cadmium Red Hue, Permanent Rose, Burnt Umber, Payne's Gray

I think one of my issues with paint is I'm not sure what brands to use. I've definitely decided now on the Cotman series for watercolour for now but in terms of gouache it's a hard medium to find info on since barely anyone uses it anymore not to mention it's expensive. I probably should not have bothered with the Reeves brand but it's only like 8 bucks lol. I'm using the white in that set for now but I think it's ok to practice with anyway. We'll see. I'm really happy with everything although the Cerulean blue paint tube bust open and spilled a bit in the bag on my way home and so it got on the edges of the field journal lol. So lame! This was purchased over the last month or so not all at once. Today I picked up the larger masonite board, newsprint, and Pentel brush pen. I need a larger format for gesture drawing. Will NOT be buying newsprint or masonite from DeSerres again. Newsprint was like almost 3 bucks for 40 sheets of this stupid branded pad and the masonite was almost 8 bucks. I'm sure it would be cheaper at Curry's or Above Ground not to mention I'd get way more sheets of newsprint for like .79 on an unbranded pad. Again so lame ha!

Aaaanyway that's it phew! Hopefully I'm done with supplies for a bit. Except to maybe flesh out my Pebeo gouache set. They are really nice better than the Reeves obviously!

<3natasha.

(art supply addict)

Studies - Loomis - Heads II

Last dump of these for a minute. I realized during this last batch that because I slacked I got rusty and took several steps back. These are basically all shit except the one that looks like Archie! Lol  So I've moved to figures just to switch it up and stop obsessing over heads. Aaaaand on with the heads!!!

- Staedtler Mars Lumograph graphite pencil HB

- Derwent Graphic graphite pencil 4B

- Staedtler pigment liner 0.3 and 0.1

- printer paper

- kneaded erasure

- standard vinyl eraser

Like some of those I just don't even know hahaha. Musn't stop anymore. Now I'm affraid that even over night I'll forget everything and start from scratch again lol. Anywho when I return to the heads again tomorrow I need to really focus on proportions and where the features get placed and stop worrying about getting it to look like Loomis' examples. Each page I did like 3 or 4 heads from reference then did the rest of the page from memory but I still feel like I'm trying to get it to look like his instead of paying more attention to the actual fundamentals of it. Also think I'd like to try stylizing them a bit not too much but like different hair instead of that boxy thing lol. Figures to come! I'm off to my personal sketchbook fun to draw block letters XD

<3natasha.

Studies - Loomis - More Heads (simplified bone structure)

Sooo I kind of burned out for a bit. 13 days ack. Back on the trolley here. I was doing some paint buying and swatching but nothing really conducive to improvement sadly. I have a problem with dabbling and not really doing anything productive and improving. I do have a nice extensive mixing chart with my new bunch of cotman watercolours though lol. It's an addiction I can't stop buying supplies.

Anyway on to more heads. Still going through the Loomis book on heads. I probably need to do more than one page of each of these but I found the bone structure to be the most fucking annoying thing ever. There I said it. I'm not all misty eyed and inspired by studying bones I'm just not. I'm not going to let that force me to quit or anything it just means I have to force myself more unfortunately. There are parts of studying I'm excited about but drawing bones and skeletons for figures has always turned me off. BORING haha.

- Staedtler Mars Lumograph graphite pencil HB

- Derwent Graphic graphite pencil 4B

- Staedtler pigment liner 0.3 and 0.1

- printer paper

- kneaded erasure

- standard vinyl eraser

Back to the books I go. On to another set of bone structure plates JOY. I will try and do a fun project after the studies to keep me going and in the habit instead of burning out and not practicing at all times. I THINK I want to try some landscape. I heard advice that it's good to keep your hands in all disciplines if you're planning on learning them all (portrait, landscape, figure etc) so you don't obsess over one area and lose skill and take steps back in other areas. I need to actually just start in landscape and background since all I do is pretty girl heads. I got some gouache as well and think I may try something monochromatic we'll see!

<3natasha.

Studies - Loomis - Heads

Loomising. It's scary when you realize how long you have to go but I've really been procrastinating on just getting started SOME FUCKING WHERE lol. It's then funny because once I get started I'm like a machine. I get distracted hella easily however with art communities, and youtube videos on the internets. So technically I should be getting way more done than I am but at least I've started something holy cow!

These were drawn in order left to right:

First try:

Second try:

Third try:

- Staedtler Mars Lumograph graphite pencil HB

- Derwent Graphic graphite pencil 4B

- printer paper

- kneaded erasure

- standard vinyl eraser

Unfortunately the set on the second page are not as great until we reach the last three on the far right. And even then the bottom one 3/4 view facing downward is my problem angle so have to keep drawing the shit out of these. Terrible!!! lol

Waaaay more of these to come. I need to make up a training regiment but at the moment I'm working on heads and figures with some gestures sprinkled in. Will probably try to detail out a training regiment and goals in a new post soon.

<3natasha.