amazing amazing amazing!!!!
your stuff is just amazing!!!!!!!
your coloring skills are so good!
keep posting! :D
Tell us a bit about your preferred techniques, won't you? What kind of Wacom and brushes do you use? Always looking for new tricks of the trade.
Hi everyone, thanks for the kind comments :)
Cartuneman: thanks! yeh, these were all done in Artweaver. The snow pic had a bit of touching up done in The Gimp
Nonsense: Thank you! much appreciated
Heathen: haha thanks! Means a lot. I will keep posting.
Jabberwocky: Sure :) I use a wacom volito. Its the cheapest wacom available, I bought mine for 35 UK pounds. I couldnt afford a higher model, but I have found the volito to be fantastic. For the price, it is well worth it.
As for brushes, I use a program called Artweaver. I generally just use the oil brushes. I use the presets. 90% of the time I stick to a Hard brush. occasionally I use a soft brush, but not often. I tend to vary the opacity, when blending, using about 70 -80% opacity.
I really recommend artweaver! Its free!!!!
As for technique, im still learning. At the moment i tend to scan a sketch, lay in some overall colour on a multiply layer, then keep working until I can eventually swith off the sketch layer and work on the colour.
Ive posted a progress painting, just for fun!
thanks again guys, i really appreciate the comments, and any advice :D
once again, awesome stuff!
love your caricature type drawings, the exaggerated facial expressions and designs are really really good!
And also love your color progression! I find watching how things progress or watching an artist draw or paint or whatever helps me immensely... plus it looks cool. :D
no probs nonsense, its a good link. cheerS!
thanks heathen! mucho appreciated. :D Yeh I like seeing paint progressions too, its very informative! and your right, its cool to see how everyone works and approaches thier work!
whoa, that is coming out beautiful...sweet character, you still have the rough drawing around? id like to see how you go about the building of your characters.
AAAHHHH!!!! I love that pic of the gnome (it's a gnome right...?) and the fire!!! Amazing colored fire effect!! I can't color fire, it's so hard to do right.
nonsense: Thanks mate! :D sure I have posted the line drawing and the coloured layer below. The coloured layer sits on top of the line on multiply mode. Actually, looking at the coloured layer, i notice some huge flaws! Whats the strip at the left hand side? whats that big smear?? haha. whoops!
heathen: thankyou! much appreciated. hehe yeh a gnome, or a troll, or something. He is a pipe gnome. whatever that is! As for fire - start with the darkest tone and work your way up and inwards to the brightest! black to red to orange to yellow to white... cant go wrong ;)
ya that's a sweet design for sure... you did a great job on the hands, I still struggle doing them up,...thanks for showing your lined version, always my favorite part to see from a pro designer...i like to steal techniques ha, only way to self teach yourself :D .... by the way thanks for the help on my character, i should have another version up tonight, im gonna see how far i can push that expression..
Thanks dude! thats very kind of ya. oh man... hands! I hate drawing hands, they are so hard. I struggle too. only once in a while do i feel I manage to draw them 'right'. Yeh man, totally, u know I found the best way to learn is just by observing other peoples work. I didnt do it much, until recently. But the more u look at all kinds of work, esp the stuff you like, the more that seems to seep into your head and come out in your own work. I read somewhere about a scientific experiment (with octopuses!) which deduced that people learn more by observation alone.
octupus study is fact!, ive learned so much from self teaching ha.... hey i did another quicky on my chick drawing, im thinking one solid " pear typing organic shape" will be good for that expression look im shooting for....what is your method on the chest waist shape as far as cartoon style? i like to use two shapes on a more realistic pose but doesnt work so well on this type of drawing ive notice......unless my line of action is completely off, probably is.. oh well, i had to work on another drawing last night for a competition, tonight I should have some more roughs up along with my entry to blizzard.
I love that WIP gnome. It looks like a gnome spirit and only the flame can be seen physically. I just love it the way it is. Keep posting your awesome stuff!! :D
thanks heathen :D it makes me happy to think people enjoy my work!
I have to say I'm jealous of your digital painting. Can't wait to get a tablet some day. How's the Pipe Gnome coming along?
thanks mate! although my digital painting is still in its infancy, so much to learn. A tablet is a fantastic purchase, whats stopping you! you can get them fairly cheap these days :D ill post an update to mr gnome soon ;)
wow that's a lot of practice sketches... and so well done for practice too.
how much do you draw everyday? timewise i mean.
Thanks Heathen!
Hmmm hard to tell, my job involves art, so most of my day im doing some kind of artwork. Not always drawing though. maybe on avergae an hour a day drawing? Ive been concentrating on painting u see, maybe doing 2 hours avergae a day of that, outside of work.
However! Im leaving my job to travel and draw for a year, hopefully I can spend 8 hours a day drawing! :D
Which illustrators do you like? Among my top faves are Arthur Rackham, John Tenniel, Tony DiTerlizzi and Brian Froud. Ah, the classic British school ...
Maulik: thank you! glad u like my stuff :)
bupaje: Thanks mate! much appreciated :D
Jabberwocky: Ilustrators? hmmmm.... not sure... most of my inspiration comes from animators and friends and random things I see hehe. But I do like Drew Struzan, Bobby Chiu, Hyung Tae Kim, David Hughes, frank frazetta is cool... I like sylvain chomets style, Nick parks work, Joe bluhm..stephen silver.... hehe a bit of mixture. Hmmm not familar with those names, but I googled them and thier work is pretty cool! hehe i need to research more british artists, being british and all :D
here is a work in progress painting im doing... any crits/advice?
Looking very good so far. I think some of the surrounding elements could do with structure and attention to detail similar to the motif's focal point, like adding more skulls to the ground or detailling the extisting ones more, or maybe highlighting the creature's contours with a strip of reflected silvery moonlight.
Tony D. is American, by the way, but an all-around groovy guy and a disciple of Rackham. Froud and Tenniel are true-born Englishmen, of course.
bupaje: thanks! so u think it might be your monitor? i think Ill work on that a bit anyway, it could get confusing :)
Jabberwocky: Thank you! Yeh I agree, Im gonna do more detail in the surroundings. Thanks for the advice :D and im gonna check out those artists further. Dont suppose you know any Scottish illlustrators?
nonsense: thanks! much appreciated :)
Reality Twist: Thanks mate, just some of the drawings make me cringe. Im out of practice hehe
love the look of the young lady trying not to get eatin hahahaha and the slime on her leg is a nice lil touch too. Man I have to use that program and paint a pic and see what you think. Love your stuff.
cart:D
as far as critiqing your pic....I agree with jab that the lighting needs to pump up a bit but I really didn't want to say anything, less you were not complete with the pic. but as even for my pic of the stressed out roman guy jumping hahahahahaha it needs alot of help hahahahahaha
Hey man! Thanks! much appreciated :D Sure try the program, I really recommend. Down with huge corporate companies who charge us so much! glad ya like my work.
and thanks for the crit dude! yeh, the colour/lighting needs a bit of tweaking and work, and obviously some more details all over. haha man! your being too hard on yourself hehe :p
Jabberwocky: Thank you! Yeh I agree, Im gonna do more detail in the surroundings. Thanks for the advice :D and im gonna check out those artists further. Dont suppose you know any Scottish illlustrators?
I'm sure there are a fair share but no specifically Scottish illustrator has come to my attention so far. I lament the fact that Scotland is the only part of the UK I haven't had the chance to visit yet. I'd like to spend some time in the countryside because I still have a concept called Moon Pirates sort of "on hold" which I'd like to set in a similar surrounding.
By the way, you use the guy with the afro as you avatar yet in your blogspot there's a pic that I think is meant to be a caricature of you, so ... are you the afro guy or the other one? ;)
Scotland is the only part you havent visited? but its the best bit!!! haha. The countryside here is beautiful. I recommend coming if u get the chance. Moon Pirates? Pirates are cool!
haha, on my blogspot? do you mean the squirrel picture? or do you mean a caricature I did? hmmm well, u see, neither picture represents me. i dont have an afro!! haha. Im not even black. Im very white, not even tanned haha. so i guess neither!
Okayyyy, you shouldn't be hard to miss, then.
You're right, I'm very interested in Scotland's countryside, especially the highlands and moors. Illustrators like Froud or Allan Lee, who are also fantastically talented landscapists, use the influences of the countrysides of the UK in fascinating ways.
yeh totally, there is something nice, and kinda mystic about british countryside... I think the history and legends and folklore help give it something special.
love your sketches and I'm attempting the free program you turned me onto. I'm learning all the brushes now it's a fun program. Oh by the way I'd love to visit Scottland myself some day. My great Grand mother (rest her soul) was from there. some plase called Gleene? hell it's been so long and can't remember.
glad your testing out that program - what do you think? is it as good as I say it is? hehe. your great Grandmother was from Scotland? cool - you should definetly visit, lots to see! Gleene? hmmm doesnt ring a bell. Myabe Glen something?
yo man..hows the traveling going? cool doodles, i have a crap load of pages with heads all over it too ha.
by the way i have recent drawing up on my gallery..i love to hear your thaughts on my coloring as im very new to photoshop, and i do it all on one layer ha :rolleyes:
hey nonsense! thanks for that! as for travelling... I leave one week today... been busy preparing, I hope I can continue posting on my travels! And i commented on your thread :)
great stuff man,
are these also done in that paint program you where talking about?
cart:D
http://john-cartunemansdoodles.blogspot.com/
wow ken this is great stuff! the snow painting makes me feel like im actually standing there haha...nice!
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=103621765
amazing amazing amazing!!!!
your stuff is just amazing!!!!!!!
your coloring skills are so good!
keep posting! :D
Tell us a bit about your preferred techniques, won't you? What kind of Wacom and brushes do you use? Always looking for new tricks of the trade.
Hi everyone, thanks for the kind comments :)
Cartuneman: thanks! yeh, these were all done in Artweaver. The snow pic had a bit of touching up done in The Gimp
Nonsense: Thank you! much appreciated
Heathen: haha thanks! Means a lot. I will keep posting.
Jabberwocky: Sure :) I use a wacom volito. Its the cheapest wacom available, I bought mine for 35 UK pounds. I couldnt afford a higher model, but I have found the volito to be fantastic. For the price, it is well worth it.
As for brushes, I use a program called Artweaver. I generally just use the oil brushes. I use the presets. 90% of the time I stick to a Hard brush. occasionally I use a soft brush, but not often. I tend to vary the opacity, when blending, using about 70 -80% opacity.
I really recommend artweaver! Its free!!!!
As for technique, im still learning. At the moment i tend to scan a sketch, lay in some overall colour on a multiply layer, then keep working until I can eventually swith off the sketch layer and work on the colour.
Ive posted a progress painting, just for fun!
thanks again guys, i really appreciate the comments, and any advice :D
http://www.charactercube.com
http://www.kennethanderson.blogspot.com
My sketch thread
Great tip, thanks! I'll definitely download Artweaver tonight and give it a go. Very nice picture progression, too, I like looking at stuff like that.
No probs man, hope u find artweaver good! And yeh I enjoy seeing other peoples colour progreessions too hehe
More pics:
http://www.charactercube.com
http://www.kennethanderson.blogspot.com
My sketch thread
yo ken..really appreciate the link you gave me on character design :) ..love learning from the pros. keep up the art! looking good man.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=103621765
once again, awesome stuff!
love your caricature type drawings, the exaggerated facial expressions and designs are really really good!
And also love your color progression! I find watching how things progress or watching an artist draw or paint or whatever helps me immensely... plus it looks cool. :D
no probs nonsense, its a good link. cheerS!
thanks heathen! mucho appreciated. :D Yeh I like seeing paint progressions too, its very informative! and your right, its cool to see how everyone works and approaches thier work!
another pic i did tonight - colour isnt finsihed
http://www.charactercube.com
http://www.kennethanderson.blogspot.com
My sketch thread
whoa, that is coming out beautiful...sweet character, you still have the rough drawing around? id like to see how you go about the building of your characters.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=103621765
AAAHHHH!!!! I love that pic of the gnome (it's a gnome right...?) and the fire!!! Amazing colored fire effect!! I can't color fire, it's so hard to do right.
nonsense: Thanks mate! :D sure I have posted the line drawing and the coloured layer below. The coloured layer sits on top of the line on multiply mode. Actually, looking at the coloured layer, i notice some huge flaws! Whats the strip at the left hand side? whats that big smear?? haha. whoops!
heathen: thankyou! much appreciated. hehe yeh a gnome, or a troll, or something. He is a pipe gnome. whatever that is! As for fire - start with the darkest tone and work your way up and inwards to the brightest! black to red to orange to yellow to white... cant go wrong ;)
http://www.charactercube.com
http://www.kennethanderson.blogspot.com
My sketch thread
ya that's a sweet design for sure... you did a great job on the hands, I still struggle doing them up,...thanks for showing your lined version, always my favorite part to see from a pro designer...i like to steal techniques ha, only way to self teach yourself :D .... by the way thanks for the help on my character, i should have another version up tonight, im gonna see how far i can push that expression..
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=103621765
Thanks dude! thats very kind of ya. oh man... hands! I hate drawing hands, they are so hard. I struggle too. only once in a while do i feel I manage to draw them 'right'. Yeh man, totally, u know I found the best way to learn is just by observing other peoples work. I didnt do it much, until recently. But the more u look at all kinds of work, esp the stuff you like, the more that seems to seep into your head and come out in your own work. I read somewhere about a scientific experiment (with octopuses!) which deduced that people learn more by observation alone.
Cool man, I look forward to your update! :D
http://www.charactercube.com
http://www.kennethanderson.blogspot.com
My sketch thread
octupus study is fact!, ive learned so much from self teaching ha.... hey i did another quicky on my chick drawing, im thinking one solid " pear typing organic shape" will be good for that expression look im shooting for....what is your method on the chest waist shape as far as cartoon style? i like to use two shapes on a more realistic pose but doesnt work so well on this type of drawing ive notice......unless my line of action is completely off, probably is.. oh well, i had to work on another drawing last night for a competition, tonight I should have some more roughs up along with my entry to blizzard.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=103621765
hey dude, i replied on your sketch thread! hehe, less confusing that way :D
http://www.charactercube.com
http://www.kennethanderson.blogspot.com
My sketch thread
I love that WIP gnome. It looks like a gnome spirit and only the flame can be seen physically. I just love it the way it is. Keep posting your awesome stuff!! :D
thanks heathen :D it makes me happy to think people enjoy my work!
heres some crappy practice sketches:
http://www.charactercube.com
http://www.kennethanderson.blogspot.com
My sketch thread
I have to say I'm jealous of your digital painting. Can't wait to get a tablet some day. How's the Pipe Gnome coming along?
thanks mate! although my digital painting is still in its infancy, so much to learn. A tablet is a fantastic purchase, whats stopping you! you can get them fairly cheap these days :D ill post an update to mr gnome soon ;)
http://www.charactercube.com
http://www.kennethanderson.blogspot.com
My sketch thread
wow that's a lot of practice sketches... and so well done for practice too.
how much do you draw everyday? timewise i mean.
Thanks Heathen!
Hmmm hard to tell, my job involves art, so most of my day im doing some kind of artwork. Not always drawing though. maybe on avergae an hour a day drawing? Ive been concentrating on painting u see, maybe doing 2 hours avergae a day of that, outside of work.
However! Im leaving my job to travel and draw for a year, hopefully I can spend 8 hours a day drawing! :D
http://www.charactercube.com
http://www.kennethanderson.blogspot.com
My sketch thread
wow that's really nice drawings, you have a good hold on it. And really appealing characters :)
=~My Animation Blog~=
Hey, very nice work. Love that berserker swinging away at the critters in the snow.
My blog at AnimationBlogSpot
Which illustrators do you like? Among my top faves are Arthur Rackham, John Tenniel, Tony DiTerlizzi and Brian Froud. Ah, the classic British school ...
Maulik: thank you! glad u like my stuff :)
bupaje: Thanks mate! much appreciated :D
Jabberwocky: Ilustrators? hmmmm.... not sure... most of my inspiration comes from animators and friends and random things I see hehe. But I do like Drew Struzan, Bobby Chiu, Hyung Tae Kim, David Hughes, frank frazetta is cool... I like sylvain chomets style, Nick parks work, Joe bluhm..stephen silver.... hehe a bit of mixture. Hmmm not familar with those names, but I googled them and thier work is pretty cool! hehe i need to research more british artists, being british and all :D
here is a work in progress painting im doing... any crits/advice?
http://www.charactercube.com
http://www.kennethanderson.blogspot.com
My sketch thread
Very cool. My only comment is that the back with the wings didn't register as part of the critter at first.
[EDIT: Looks ok at work so might be my aging monitor at home which made it much darker]
My blog at AnimationBlogSpot
Looking very good so far. I think some of the surrounding elements could do with structure and attention to detail similar to the motif's focal point, like adding more skulls to the ground or detailling the extisting ones more, or maybe highlighting the creature's contours with a strip of reflected silvery moonlight.
Tony D. is American, by the way, but an all-around groovy guy and a disciple of Rackham. Froud and Tenniel are true-born Englishmen, of course.
that's sweet man! loving the girls pose.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=103621765
Why are you so down on your sketches. They are a great excercise and show us a little on how your mind works.
Reality is stranger than Fantasy
http://rabidelf.deviantart.com
bupaje: thanks! so u think it might be your monitor? i think Ill work on that a bit anyway, it could get confusing :)
Jabberwocky: Thank you! Yeh I agree, Im gonna do more detail in the surroundings. Thanks for the advice :D and im gonna check out those artists further. Dont suppose you know any Scottish illlustrators?
nonsense: thanks! much appreciated :)
Reality Twist: Thanks mate, just some of the drawings make me cringe. Im out of practice hehe
http://www.charactercube.com
http://www.kennethanderson.blogspot.com
My sketch thread
Duyde!
love the look of the young lady trying not to get eatin hahahaha and the slime on her leg is a nice lil touch too. Man I have to use that program and paint a pic and see what you think. Love your stuff.
cart:D
as far as critiqing your pic....I agree with jab that the lighting needs to pump up a bit but I really didn't want to say anything, less you were not complete with the pic. but as even for my pic of the stressed out roman guy jumping hahahahahaha it needs alot of help hahahahahaha
http://john-cartunemansdoodles.blogspot.com/
Hey man! Thanks! much appreciated :D Sure try the program, I really recommend. Down with huge corporate companies who charge us so much! glad ya like my work.
and thanks for the crit dude! yeh, the colour/lighting needs a bit of tweaking and work, and obviously some more details all over. haha man! your being too hard on yourself hehe :p
http://www.charactercube.com
http://www.kennethanderson.blogspot.com
My sketch thread
I'm sure there are a fair share but no specifically Scottish illustrator has come to my attention so far. I lament the fact that Scotland is the only part of the UK I haven't had the chance to visit yet. I'd like to spend some time in the countryside because I still have a concept called Moon Pirates sort of "on hold" which I'd like to set in a similar surrounding.
By the way, you use the guy with the afro as you avatar yet in your blogspot there's a pic that I think is meant to be a caricature of you, so ... are you the afro guy or the other one? ;)
Scotland is the only part you havent visited? but its the best bit!!! haha. The countryside here is beautiful. I recommend coming if u get the chance. Moon Pirates? Pirates are cool!
haha, on my blogspot? do you mean the squirrel picture? or do you mean a caricature I did? hmmm well, u see, neither picture represents me. i dont have an afro!! haha. Im not even black. Im very white, not even tanned haha. so i guess neither!
I look kinda like this:
although hopefully not as scarey :D haha
http://www.charactercube.com
http://www.kennethanderson.blogspot.com
My sketch thread
Okayyyy, you shouldn't be hard to miss, then.
You're right, I'm very interested in Scotland's countryside, especially the highlands and moors. Illustrators like Froud or Allan Lee, who are also fantastically talented landscapists, use the influences of the countrysides of the UK in fascinating ways.
yeh totally, there is something nice, and kinda mystic about british countryside... I think the history and legends and folklore help give it something special.
Some rough practice doodles I did:
http://www.charactercube.com
http://www.kennethanderson.blogspot.com
My sketch thread
Dude!
love your sketches and I'm attempting the free program you turned me onto. I'm learning all the brushes now it's a fun program. Oh by the way I'd love to visit Scottland myself some day. My great Grand mother (rest her soul) was from there. some plase called Gleene? hell it's been so long and can't remember.
by the way Love your self prtrait hahahaha
cart:D
http://john-cartunemansdoodles.blogspot.com/
hey man thanks!
glad your testing out that program - what do you think? is it as good as I say it is? hehe. your great Grandmother was from Scotland? cool - you should definetly visit, lots to see! Gleene? hmmm doesnt ring a bell. Myabe Glen something?
haha thanks!!! its slightly exaggerated... :D
http://www.charactercube.com
http://www.kennethanderson.blogspot.com
My sketch thread
yo man..hows the traveling going? cool doodles, i have a crap load of pages with heads all over it too ha.
by the way i have recent drawing up on my gallery..i love to hear your thaughts on my coloring as im very new to photoshop, and i do it all on one layer ha :rolleyes:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=103621765
Nice sketches,
nothing more to say-:D
hey nonsense! thanks for that! as for travelling... I leave one week today... been busy preparing, I hope I can continue posting on my travels! And i commented on your thread :)
thunderobot: thanks mate!!! much appreciated :)
http://www.charactercube.com
http://www.kennethanderson.blogspot.com
My sketch thread
Hey guys! long time no post! I am currently in Australia! heres some sketches from my travels
Ken :D
http://www.charactercube.com
http://www.kennethanderson.blogspot.com
My sketch thread
Hey Mate,
Great faces !!!!!
It's been to long.....so how is the world down under? What are you doing there? on holiday?
cart:D
http://john-cartunemansdoodles.blogspot.com/
yea traveling is great for getting another perspective...nice stuff.
damn that's alot of eye candy ha...loving the sketches as always sir :D
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=103621765
cartuneman: thanks mate! yeh im spending 6 months here... doing nothing!!! just travelling and having some adventure hehe
Katana: indeed it is!! And its also great for seeing lots of new faces hehe. thanks man!
nonsense: hehe thanks mate! :D
http://www.charactercube.com
http://www.kennethanderson.blogspot.com
My sketch thread
Doing nothing!!?
looks like your hard at drawing though!!!! must be nice to just sit and do nothing hahahahahaha if I was doing that my wife would have my neck!!!
cart:D (remember: take it like a husband!)
http://john-cartunemansdoodles.blogspot.com/
wooooaah!
That's really cool stuff!
Where in Oz are you holidaying?
Might be moving to Melbourne in a while myself.
Yours Truely
Da' Phreak
Neville Howard.
WWW.Comicwrx.com
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