My latest drawings

[nycsteve]

Very nice drawings apex! As an art student(communications) I suck at drawing. I couldn't draw a chair to save my life!

[Apex]

Originally Posted by Miles_Prower

i was really digging this one here

http://www.fanpop.com/spots/jill-val...aries-3d-photo

but those look amazing!! diggin the hair!

Thanks!

I'll give it a go later if I have a chance. I will most likely omit some of her extra gear. Heavy details, though great for a pinup, are not good to have on my dinky sketchbook. LOL

[Apex]

Originally Posted by nycsteve

Very nice drawings apex! As an art student(communications) I suck at drawing. I couldn't draw a chair to save my life!

I bet all artists started with stick people when they were young, I know I did. Granted, there has to be some talent, but art is basically a learned skill. Talent just gets you that extra "umph" to get you noticed. There are a good amount of people on this planet that can draw what I draw.


Start with simple stuff. Straight lines. In order to get the body right, sometimes I use guidelines to make sure my proportions are correct.


Knowing how to see the shapes is the trick. I see shapes without even thinking about it. It was a learned skill, nothing more.

Start drawing people simply. Then add that second line to give arms, fingers, etc, some thickness. Then slowly work on certain things. I gravitate towards women because I prefer flowing and smooth lines, and an overall soft look. Guys are still a big challenge for me, but I will get them sooner or later. I won't post those because 99% of those are horrible, and the 1% left over is just so-so.

Just like a characters height. Use the head measurement system. Real life drawing is about 8-heads, but some people use 7. I kind of wing it. If I give my characters any extra height, it is in the legs. I like long legs on the females I draw, so I use that.

This should give you an idea...


Using the height and width of the head, you can get all kinds of measurements. Shoulder joint to elbow=1-head. Elbow to wrist=1-head. hip joint to knees, 2-heads (about). Knee to ankle, 2-heads (about)
On a guy, outer shoulder to center chest is about 1-head (a little more if muscular). Waist width is about 1 head as well.

So you can use the head as a great measurement tool. That is why artists hold the pencil up. The pencil is a form of measurement to transfer to paper. I typically will use my finger instead, but same process...

[Apex]

Had a quick 20 to work on this. Drawing helps keep me awake on this graveyard shift.



Meh, the head looks a tad big, nose and mouth too low. BLAH! I'm not "tweaking" that though.

[Apex]

I had some fun with it...you could say I Jiggles-ized it.

[Miles_Prower]

Originally Posted by Apex

I had some fun with it...you could say I Jiggle-ized it.

i love both, yea the head is a little squarish but thats ok, hardly noticeable. can i save the picture??

the second one is definitely jigglesized..a nice enhancement hahahaha

[Apex]

Originally Posted by Miles_Prower

i love both, yea the head is a little squarish but thats ok, hardly noticeable. can i save the picture??

the second one is definitely jigglesized..a nice enhancement hahahaha

Yeah, I can name at least 10 things I'd do different if I did it again. lol

Sure, you can save it. Just ask that it isn't used (posted elsewhere, etc) w/o permission. Personal use, no prob.

[Cab305]

Unfortunately, I haven't had time to do much drawing.... sucks I miss it.

Here are a couple of things I have up on Deviant Art.
And I threw in a bit of the ole' 3d......

[Little Green Machine]

Wow, those are really good, kinda reminds me of that Esurance chick in the cartoon commercials.

[Cab305]

LOL, just came across these looking for old art....

They are photoshop fliers for local skate contests, some of my finest work. LMFAO





Hope you don't mind I highjacked your thread.

Do you have a scanner and photoshop Apex? You need to be able to start going digital. You are good enough to consider going pro, are you in school now?

[Apex]

I love your work Cab! The Bush one is pretty funny. I have done head swapping and body alterations and they are hard to tell I worked them. So I have some PS experience (bloat tool, matching skin tones, etc).

Nah, no school. Long story short, art teacher in JH didn't want to bump me out of art-1 (7th grade), even though she said I could skip art-2 and hit art-3 in 8th grade. Problem with that, the assignments for the class in art-1 I was doing like 4 years prior and got bored with it. Those assignments were putting me asleep. I would finish an assignment, that normally lasted a whole hour for most art-1 peeps, in 15-20 minutes. She struggled to find stuff for me.

I got fed up and quit the class, going back to music. I am out of school by several years, and changing to art would be awesome, but would cost tons. Besides, I need to build a good portfolio. I have CS5, I just need to scan and digitize the drawings. Been a LONG while (PS6) since I even tried that. CS5 is supposed to be pretty sweet, so I should give it another go.

Funny you mention DA, I haven't posted any work on there in ages.

[Little Green Machine]

You ought to try taking a pic from the random photo site and sketching it out then putting them side by side in a thumbnail to show how they compare? One with a rider on it and do it in the anime style you seem to do so well?

[Apex]

You know what is funny? About 3-months ago I had the hardest time drawing anime...now it is the easiest for me. *scratches head* I don't understand it, but it is what it is!

I'll dig something up (slow night at work tonight). I should have brought my larger sketchpad.

[Little Green Machine]

Definitely should, I know what you mean, slow night at work here too!

[Cab305]

Thank You,

You really don't need school. I'm self taught and I do this for a living. Not necessarily drawing, but art in general. It's good to be rounded, I can't stress how important illustrator is, photoshop is great... Illustrator is Awesome, once you learn it.

But I must tell you..... DON'T DO ANIME. That sh-t will zap any creativity you might have and spew it out into a vile of infantile ultra neon glam pop.

You know why it came so easy..... cause a blind retard can do that crap. It's the same exact character wearing different outfits with different color hair.

Find old Heavy Metal magazines and learn from those. You'll see plenty of different styles unfortunately driven to extinction by giant robots and schoolgirls from outer space.

[Apex]

Quickly done and it shows...

[Apex]

Originally Posted by Cab305

Thank You,

You really don't need school. I'm self taught and I do this for a living. Not necessarily drawing, but art in general. It's good to be rounded, I can't stress how important illustrator is, photoshop is great... Illustrator is Awesome, once you learn it.

But I must tell you..... DON'T DO ANIME. That sh-t will zap any creativity you might have and spew it out into a vile of infantile ultra neon glam pop.

You know why it came so easy..... cause a blind retard can do that crap. It's the same exact character wearing different outfits with different color hair.

Find old Heavy Metal magazines and learn from those. You'll see plenty of different styles unfortunately driven to extinction by giant robots and schoolgirls from outer space.

Yeah, it is fun right now. When I tend to do portraits, like above, I tend to dodge the HUGE eyes (I have to go out of my way to draw big eyes). I try to make it more realistic. Still, I don't want exact. If I want exact, I use a picture. I like adding things I like to a subject. If I rush, I tend to hold back more.

I'd say my art is more along the realistic/Disney/J.Scott Campbell mix. I like what JSC does, I just don't want to do it to the degree he does. I like more realistic with a slight flair to make it my own.

Anime is easy, and fun to draw, but I don't like it to the degree most people draw it. I like smaller eyes, a more defined nose, more defined lips, ears, etc. It is good for quick sketches and has helped me get my proportions down with greater ease than previously.

I'll check out some heavy metal, been a while since I've looked at any HM mags...

Truthfully, I really like the old school pinups, like what was painted on the old WWI planes back in the day. Those were awesome.

[Apex]

On a side note Cab....




I couldn't resist. hahaha

[Little Green Machine]

Awesome job Apex! You should do a cartoonify yourself site and do that for a lot more people!

[Apex]

Thanks.

That would be kind of fun. I can't go overboard, because like Cab said, anyone can draw big eyes.

The more elaborate the anatomy, the harder it gets to tell characters apart. So keeping eyes smaller, the shape of them stand out more. The details do tell people apart, but the trick is finding balance. To me, the eyes are the main item that people identify with. So the shape is critical. Unfortunately, I did not put enough focus into them in the drawing of Elena Myers above. You couldn't tell it was her unless you knew the number she raced with, even still, it would be a guess. I could have squinted her eyes more and followed the lines better. Meh, I could always fix it in photoshop.

[Cab305]

Here is a pin up I did for WarBirds a while back, and some sketches I found.

Just say no to big eyes!





It's important to every once in a while commit to a piece, I have tons and tons of sketches and very little finished stuff, I'll star and jump onto the next idea before I even finish. If you look on the line paper you can see the original sketch for the dinosaur girl I posted earlier. I'll see If i can post some more sketch stuff.

[Apex]

I've done several fully committed pieces...i just can't...ummm..post them on this family site.

Being an artist and practicing anatomy, nothing is better than drawing people who aren't clothed. So yeah, I'll refrain from posting those on here. Several drawings, even these sketches, are finished pieces.

For example, I finished this one, but only can post part of it...
It doesn't show anything, but only hints to it in the pic. Still, I will have to scan it to fix some problems with it in PS.

[nycsteve]

Originally Posted by Apex

I bet all artists started with stick people when they were young, I know I did. Granted, there has to be some talent, but art is basically a learned skill. Talent just gets you that extra "umph" to get you noticed. There are a good amount of people on this planet that can draw what I draw.


Start with simple stuff. Straight lines. In order to get the body right, sometimes I use guidelines to make sure my proportions are correct.


Knowing how to see the shapes is the trick. I see shapes without even thinking about it. It was a learned skill, nothing more.

Start drawing people simply. Then add that second line to give arms, fingers, etc, some thickness. Then slowly work on certain things. I gravitate towards women because I prefer flowing and smooth lines, and an overall soft look. Guys are still a big challenge for me, but I will get them sooner or later. I won't post those because 99% of those are horrible, and the 1% left over is just so-so.

Just like a characters height. Use the head measurement system. Real life drawing is about 8-heads, but some people use 7. I kind of wing it. If I give my characters any extra height, it is in the legs. I like long legs on the females I draw, so I use that.

This should give you an idea...


Using the height and width of the head, you can get all kinds of measurements. Shoulder joint to elbow=1-head. Elbow to wrist=1-head. hip joint to knees, 2-heads (about). Knee to ankle, 2-heads (about)
On a guy, outer shoulder to center chest is about 1-head (a little more if muscular). Waist width is about 1 head as well.

So you can use the head as a great measurement tool. That is why artists hold the pencil up. The pencil is a form of measurement to transfer to paper. I typically will use my finger instead, but same process...

Yea, I know what your saying. I know the pencil trick, I already had "life" drawing haha. That class is probably the best as it really helps you to commit to a piece, and the Professor had us do a 10-15 min sketch session at the beginning of class where we had to do 10+ sketches on 18x24 paper! Much better than still life drawing, even considering the old guys. And the "heavier" the better!

Originally Posted by Cab305

Thank You,

You really don't need school. I'm self taught and I do this for a living. Not necessarily drawing, but art in general. It's good to be rounded, I can't stress how important illustrator is, photoshop is great... Illustrator is Awesome, once you learn it.

But I must tell you..... DON'T DO ANIME. That sh-t will zap any creativity you might have and spew it out into a vile of infantile ultra neon glam pop.

You know why it came so easy..... cause a blind retard can do that crap. It's the same exact character wearing different outfits with different color hair.

Find old Heavy Metal magazines and learn from those. You'll see plenty of different styles unfortunately driven to extinction by giant robots and schoolgirls from outer space.

1. School isn't necessary but I recommend it. By trade, I'm a graphic designer. Side stuff is web design & development and photography. And I have yet to get my associates in Art & Design! I started in High School on a printing press (won citywide comps), then school magazine and finally to prep rally videos. I have been to the many ends of the communications spectrum!

2. Yes, Anime drawing can throw off you real life drawings. I can see it happening with all the posts he's doing already!

3. Pen tool FTW!

Originally Posted by Cab305

Here is a pin up I did for WarBirds a while back, and some sketches I found.

Just say no to big eyes!





It's important to every once in a while commit to a piece, I have tons and tons of sketches and very little finished stuff, I'll star and jump onto the next idea before I even finish. If you look on the line paper you can see the original sketch for the dinosaur girl I posted earlier. I'll see If i can post some more sketch stuff.

Very nice work sir!

Originally Posted by Apex

I've done several fully committed pieces...i just can't...ummm..post them on this family site.

Being an artist and practicing anatomy, nothing is better than drawing people who aren't clothed. So yeah, I'll refrain from posting those on here. Several drawings, even these sketches, are finished pieces.

For example, I finished this one, but only can post part of it...
It doesn't show anything, but only hints to it in the pic. Still, I will have to scan it to fix some problems with it in PS.

Life drawing is the best learning route in my opinion. I learned how to control my hand the most in this class, and prefer it to still life drawing!

[Apex]

Originally Posted by nycsteve

2. Yes, Anime drawing can throw off you real life drawings. I can see it happening with all the posts he's doing already!

I don't think you have seen any of my life drawings. A face that isn't quite as life like just appeals to me, so I draw it. I am getting the hours in, working on small items at a time. I can draw a face when I need to, butI honestly prefer drawing like this (that is still more of a sketch). I just like how it looks.

I have done life drawings for a long time and I just got burned out on it, so I started moving away from that. The main reason is time. I just don't have the time like I used to to commit to a demanding piece. Back in high school, I had tons of time. Now I don't have nearly as much. I still find myself working on some pieces over several days, but that is only like once a year. I would like to be able to spend more time on my drawings. I could look at a picture of a person and draw it almost identically. I got the nickname "the human xerox machine" because of it.

So now I am just having fun. I still prefer life drawing, because it is like capturing the moment, but I like the loose style of the things I've been drawing lately. The volume alone has helped me on positioning of eyes, nose, lips, etc. I am now seeing errors long before I commit to it by moving on to the next part of the drawing. So there is a lot going on "behind the scenes" to help me get better. The anime style is so easy that I can get a higher volume in without feeling like I need to spend a lot of time on the details like I would on a life drawing.

Oh, and I still suck at hands and feet. Gotta start working on that soon...

[Apex]

Had a small window of time at work.

[nycsteve]

Originally Posted by Apex

Had a small window of time at work.

[Apex]

Originally Posted by nycsteve

You know what is funny? A year or two ago that same drawing would have easily taken me 3-5x the amount of time I spent on this one. Practice does help indeed.

[Apex]

Lunch break today:



I think the nose needs to move a bit to left...meh, I'll mess with it if I turn it digital.

[nycsteve]

Originally Posted by Apex

Lunch break today:



I think the nose needs to move a bit to left...meh, I'll mess with it if I turn it digital.

You are really forcing me to dig up my old sketchbook and start practicing! I really liked my drawing classes, I just wish my drawing didn't take so much time and actually looked better. I guess with enough practice, it wouldn't take me so much time to draw small simple things.

What would you recommend to restart/practice drawing again? I like you're style

[Apex]

Simple, just draw what you like and draw lots of it. That is all there is to it. Also, don't be afraid to try different styles. By utilizing different styles, I end up with what you see above.

Just don't get in over your head. Start simple. Like if you want to draw girls, start with basic sketches, skip the details. It is easy to want to get to that nice finished product, but honestly the most progress I made in art was when I dropped the details and just sketched. Use light lines (or a harder lead) and as you go, step back and look at the drawing from a distance. That really shows you items that are out of alignment that you don't see when up close. All you see in this thread was done on a 5x5 sketchpad and a 0.5 mechanical pencil. No need to get fancy.

[Apex]

Early this morning


Man, I still need more practice...


Yay for fuzzy pictures!

[Jiggles]

Do you do erotic art?

[Apex]

Oh how I wish I could unsee that image...

[Apex]

Right at the end of shift...



I do believe I made her hair just a tad too big. lol

[nycsteve]

Originally Posted by Apex

Right at the end of shift...



I do believe I made her hair just a tad too big. lol

Just a bit!

Keep em coming. I'll be starting my next semester at the end of this month, so when I go shopping for supplies, I'll get another sketch pad.

PS: I've read a few articles on your blog, good stuff!

[azn77]

Nice , i used to draw DBZ lol

[Apex]

Originally Posted by nycsteve

I've read a few articles on your blog, good stuff!

Thanks!

[Apex]

Latest super quick sketch. Looks like I got a bit rusty in the past month...

[Apex]

Ok, now I feel a little better...not as quick, but much better quality.

[Apex]