Wolverine Gestures

Hello boys and girls.

Well it's just hit the crack of dawn over here in Australia and I'm off to get some much needed shut eye. Can't say I'm looking forward to the 40 degree forecast they've predicted for today. May have to crank the air-con if there is any hope in hell of productivity taking place.

Before I turn in though I'm going to quickly throw up these Wolverine gestures. Hard to look at I know...

But I have high hopes that these little gems are going to help me out greatly with the 30 plus villains I need to smash out in the next two or three months. After a bought of inking and coloring, the drawing side of the coin tends to get a little rusty.

-Clayton

Wolverine Gestures

http://www.claytonbartonartist.com/

Space Marines

Made up these new concepts for the Luna marines I’m going to use in my next 3D scene. Someone needs to fruitlessly fight off the hideous Muntkey I posted a few months back. I’m thinking I’ll go the third one; it does after all seem to be the choice of the people.

Space Marines

I noticed my motivation and drive recently slipping away as the all too tempting yet subtle procrastination began to take up more and more precious hours of would be productivity. I just didn’t feel like doing any art work. Ah yes, this battle is known to many creative souls, the battle to keep up the energy and motivation to constantly create, a battle that must be won if one hopes to keep a job in that which he loves most. But it’s always so hard to push yourself when you just aren’t in the mood to do something.

Here’s what I discovered though. Is that, if one does bite the bullet and really sit down and just push themselves to do the work or practice they know they need to do, that drive and motivation slowly starts to regenerate, at least in my experience. It’s odd, and it kinda sucks because in a way you need the right kind of motivation in the first place in order to express your creativity, but I do have a theory. I think, at the end of the day, as people, we want to conserve energy. We want to be lazy in other words, doing only the things that need to be done and not the things that should be done. Ideally, that’s the way we work, at least biologically. But, the brain can be tricked into overcoming this. How? Well by sitting down and literally forcing yourself to do something, after a while your brain will stop resisting and actually want to do it. Your brain will stop resisting because it wants to take the easy way out, it wants to be lazy and just go with the flow, so it’ll do as it’s told after a while. The brain says to itself, “hey, this guy keeps on drawing despite thinking he doesn’t want to… He actually does want to, and he’s being stubborn, so I’ll accommodate that and stop resisting, cause that’s the easier alternative.”

Okay. It’s a bit of a crazy way of looking at it, but it seems to work for me and maybe for you (if you too happen to be going through a dry patch). Once I jump in the deep end and just get into it, sure I’m not gonna suddenly change my mind over half hour or even an hour, give me a night though, or a couple of days and I’ll be right in the zone again. Our brain, basically loves to do what it does most. So if you haven’t drawn or whatever in a while, you’re not gonna feel like it until you do (or that sudden burst of inspiration you’ve been waiting months for eventually rocks up).

Enough ranting. And onto some awesome news! Getting a new PC 4 times more powerful then the PC I have now, meaning 4 times the resolution and 4 times the polygons! A much needed upgrade that has been on the agenda for a while now. This also means more video tutorials aswell, especially over the Summer break. So keep a look out for those.

Until next time.

http://www.claytonbartonartist.com/

Still Practicing Environments

Working on some more environments. Still quite speedy, haven't spent too much time adding in details yet. I guess that's what I need to work on next.

http://www.claytonbartonartist.com/

More Environment Concepts

 Did up some more environment concepts last night, just to keep up the practice. For these I spent a little more time adding in detail, but the colors do not seem as vibrant as in the previous speed paintings. This could be because there was not a strong, direct light source in them as such, no vibrant yellows or oranges from the sun, and no harsh cast shadows. This is probably due to being too careful.

http://www.claytonbartonartist.com/

Jumping Headfirst into Color and Environment Concepts

Over the last week or so I've made it a point to face my fears and look them dead in the face - Color, Lighting and Environment Art. It can be intimidating, trying to become good at something you've always struggled with and never really understood. Of course I knew the basic gist of these subjects, knew the theory, watched the video tutorials by masters of the subject such as Feng Zhu and Scott Drake, but this alone cannot improve one's practical skills and unfortunately I never really took the time to bite the bullet, and really sit down and put the information I'd gathered into practice. There's no way around it. If you want to be good at something (which I did desperately want) you have to practice it, and make the mistakes you need to make in order to learn and get better.

Well, although my progress has not been astounding, it is still progress and a big leap from where I left off in my eyes. I hope to practice more of these environment speed paints, along with the lighting setups and color - Wish me luck.

This was the first set of exercises I did. Focused mainly on lighting set up here and how different colored lighting might effect the color of the objects themselves. Also this is my first set of environments, not the best, but it was a start.

This was the second exercise which primarily focused on color and quick environment concepts. I used a different method here to the first few environments - This method closely follows the technique concept artist Feng Zhu teaches. Also my first time properly making use of a color palette - Funnily enough I never really understood the concept of a palette or how to use one as dumb as that sounds. My understanding has improved a lot through doing these. I took about 15-20 min on each of these.

 If anyone out there has some feedback or suggestions on areas where I can improve, or just a few tips that might be able to help me out I'm am eager to take on board your pearls of wisdom.

http://www.claytonbartonartist.com/

Value Study Speed Paints - Featuring Ms Fox and Breaking Bad's Walter White

Some more value studies. Again using references to focus on lighting, shadow, and the construction of the painting itself. These studies help to refine my workflow, so that when I need to pull this stuff from my head I can focus less on those elements and more on the design and composition.

Yep. It's Megan Fox. I know I know... Most of my subjects tend to be celebrity crushes.

Another entire year of waiting for the second half of Breaking Bad season 5. :(

Flippy Floppy Hat. 


http://www.claytonbartonartist.com/

Anything Worth Doing Never Comes Easy

I did these sketches a few weeks ago, when I first decided to get serious about my drawing practice. Again, these sketches are mainly referenced from the work of comic artist David Finch. I think what attracts me most to his style is his use of shadow and rendering, and the sheer amount of detail he manages to fit into his work without it ever looking over done. I guess I have always been attracted to that grungier, darker comic art style and it is defiantly a style I am looking to incorporate into my own work. 

These sets of sketches are the newest ones I’ve been working on. Nothing special, just more practice, getting up that experience. It can be hard doing these every day and night, as the motivation slowly drains and procrastination sets in. But I have to be tough and learn to get past it because the matter of the fact is there is no better way to develop my skills then to practice, practice, practice.

  

And here is some of my own work, straight from my head. The first image is of a character called Reptile from the Mortal Kombat game series. I did him a few weeks ago now, he was kinda my first guinea pig in regards to testing out some of the stuff I’d learnt from drawing the work of David Finch and Marc Silvestri. The only thing I referenced in the reptile picture was his clothing. I have been playing a fair bit of Mortal Kombat lately and I really like all the unique characters available to play as. Reptile and Noob Saibot are the two fighters I like the most though, probably because of their creepiness.

The cone head zombie guy is more recent and is actually a creature I had lurking around in my dreams the other night. He seemed to have the ability to raise the dead, and I was there defending myself against the zombies with nothing more than a small hand gun. It was a frightening dream but very cool at the same time. I like nightmares for the reason they can often provide one with quite unique and profound ideas for a new art work or even a story. As you can see with the cone head drawing though, it stands as much cleaner and confident when compared to the reptile one, so I do think all this practice is rubbing off on me. 

 It is hard for me to upload my own work, because I feel at this point it is very inferior compared to where I want the quality of it to be. I wouldn't say I'm embarrassed of it exactly, but I do feel like I'm putting myself out there on the line. 

This is still something which I think is necessary though. I want people to see how I progress. I want other artists to watch me as I take on this journey, and how I will get to where I eventually want to be. This is a big part of why I created this blog. I think some people just think an artist is born with their skills already there; the reality is talent can only get you so far and you have to work hard to grow as an artist. I wanted to show people who make these assumptions that we all start out on the same level. And I want other young artists who are at the beginning of this long and treacherous path that they will get out what they are willing to put in. The more you practice, the more you sacrifice, and the more pain you are willing to go through in order to get what you want the more you will be rewarded. Anything worth doing never comes easy; it's as simple as that.

I have often wondered what talent is really, and the way I see it is it is that drive to better ones self. And it just doesn't apply to art; it applies to anything someone can have a passion for. It's the thing inside you that tells you not to give up.

Quantity over Quality

I didn’t get a chance to upload this set of sketches the other night. These ones in particular were referenced from photos rather than art. Although I think that drawing from the work of artists you admire is important, using photos as a reference during practice helps you to gain the ability to transmit real life onto paper, perceiving it in your own way, similar to the way a caricaturist interoperates their observations into their own exaggerated interpretation. 

 And here is some more work I did yesterday, some studies from Marc Silvestri and Ed Benes. As I re draw the work of these comic artists I notice more and more that I am picking up bits and pieces of their techniques. It looks like I am trying to emulate their style, but it’s more the fact I am learning how to use shadows and render effectively, not to mention practice with the human proportions and anatomy something I really need to know how to use and have a solid knowledge in as a comic artist. I feel I should defend myself on the matter of copying other artist’s art as a method of learning and source of study for fear of judgment, but at the same time feel that there is no need to as all artists have their influences. I will take away the knowledge and practice I have attained through the experience of drawing the work of the talented people I admire, and I will apply it in my own art.  I do feel that seeing and doing is the best way one can learn, so going by that, if I draw enough of the magnificent work these artists have done, my skills will rise to meet theirs at some point given enough experience.

Some of these sketches do have mistakes in them which aren’t too hard to find. I just wanted to mention that the reason I have not corrected these errors is because I draw these sketches in pen from the beginning. The reason I use pen (a regular ball point biro to be exact), is because of my belief that to get the most out of experience and practice what matters most is quantity over quality. So, by doing these sketches in pen, I do not have the luxury of spending hours fixing up a single drawing using a pencil and eraser which in turn forces me to move on from one sketch and get multiple more done. Some will disagree on the quality over quantity remark, but this is simply my own bias, and the reason for it is that a few months or a year from now, regardless of how errorless my work may seem now I am probably going to look back and see that it is nowhere near the standard it will be by then. It makes more sense to smash out as many sketches as I can, because the more I practice, the more of that volume of work standing between me and my eventual goal I will get through.

These drawings are of my own, completely from my head without the aid of any reference what so ever. I don’t have many of these right now for the fact that I am still learning, and if I don’t have the skills there yet, there isn’t too much knowledge I feel I am able to retrieve from myself at this point to further my learning. I do think that drawing my own work without reference is so so important, and possibly the biggest step toward my goal with the most to gain, but right now it is a lot of experimenting and applying what I have learnt from my experiences, practice and memory. I do think I could and should do more of these, I guess I have been avoiding it because of the fear of going out on my own. It’s very hard to create an image entirely from your imagination without any other sources of reference, that’s why I applaud comic artists so much for their abilities to do this every day. Yes, most of them use reference, but in large they rely on their skill to draw a 2D picture of a 3D scene from no place other than their mind.

I sketched out this gun toting gal this evening, using pencil. I am fairly happy with her, although she isn’t perfect, I can see a clear rise in my skill level since cracking down on my drawing practice. It has only been two weeks since I’ve starting getting serious and really committing myself to drawing every day so I am look forward to seeing where I will be at in a few months’ time. I just need to be patient and stick with it.

I accept now that my work will never be perfect, but that will never stop me from thriving to reach that perfection. And this is the beauty of art. A good artist is never satisfied with their work and so they are always trying to improve, and alas, they always do.

Getting into Gear

It hit me a few weeks ago that I really need to knuckle down and practice my drawing far more then I have been. I feel such a long way from where I want to be at with my art and I see that the reason for this is simply because I am just not putting in enough. The procrastination and laziness needs to cease, I have been guilty of both these things way too much lately. It is a slow process, and I know that it is going to take me weeks, even months if not years of consistent drawing every single day before I see a noticeable rise in my skills. This is something I need to get past. I need to realize that patience in my development is a virtue. I need to stop expecting  my talents to exceed at such a fast rate, it takes time, a lot of time. Those artists I admire, such as Todd McFarlane, Greg Capullo, David Finch and Marc Silvestri only reached the level of expertise they are at through commitment and constant practice. This is my problem, failing to stick at it. I need to keep digging this hole, digging it deep enough until I hit water. I know this is the only way, and there is no getting around the huge volume of work I need to get through before I can call myself a pro. 

So I bit the bullet last week and made a promise to myself that rather than pulling the ol’ sketch book out once or twice a week to do some drawing, I am going to pull it out every day and try my best to do as many drawings in it as I can. It’s been two weeks since I made that promise, and I have stuck firmly to it. I can see that already, drawing from photos, and the works of various artists such as David Finch and Marc Silvestri, I am gradually improving. The things I am learning while doing these sketches are starting to stick in my head.  The improvement isn’t huge, but it is there. I know there are going to be those out there who say it is wrong to draw from another artists work, but all I know is it is helping me to  build my confidence and solidify my own style. Yes I am copying their work, but solely for practice and nothing more. And I suggest other aspiring artists do the same, copy the artists you admire. It is wrong to call it your own, and all it will ever amount to is experience, but we must not forget that experience and practice is the key to developing as an artist. I think if you do anything enough times it starts to build itself into you. 

I have a little over half a year left until I begin drawing up my graphic novel. The fact that I am already starting to see my skills improve in only two weeks tells me that if I can stick with it and be consistent, with enough patience and time I will reach my goals. Now in saying that I am going to start uploading scans from my sketch book to my blog, very possibly on a daily basis. This isn’t to show my work off, but rather it will be a tool to motivate me to draw every day, it will serve as a kind of dead line that I need to stick too. Also, my blog has been kinda quiet, so if nothing else it might bring a little life to this place. 

 

So I’ll talk a little about these first few sketches from my new sketch book. As I mentioned, I started this sketch book less than a fortnight ago and have tried my best to do at least one or two sketches in it a day. I still have to do some more scans (I don’t have the time to scan anymore tonight), but the sketches are from a range of works by the artists David Finch, Marc Silvestri and Ed Bene’s, all of which I feel will serve as the greatest influences over my work. I admire these artists, and although I am endeavoring to develop my own style, the works these artists do in particular definitely lye in the direction I want to head in with my work.

 

 

I will be uploading some more scans from my sketch books, hopefully tomorrow with any luck. So if anyone is reading this, keep a look out for my new daily updates.