Hi hivians! Earlier today, my USB hub decided to crap out, which means that I can't really work further on my sketches until I get a new one tomorrow. I thought it would be a good opportunity to assemble this motley crew of some of my first attempts using the XP-Pen drawing tablet.
The guy above is Skwarehead, just a bust drawing, and my first try at painting shading. That was on May 5th. Looks like I've been drawing daily for a week now, since the 4th. I can't believe how much I've learned in that short period of time and highly recommend to anyone to just dive in and fill a page with small versions of whatever object you want to practice drawing. When I've done the multiple-head studies it has taught me a huge amount.
I guess I'll just write a little bit about each sketch below the image and maybe will be able to post a more complete sketch tomorrow. Actually, I'm not sure since I don't know when my new USB port will come, so we'll see. I will keep @sketching one way or another though.
The guy above is Skwarehead, just a bust drawing, and my first try at painting shading. That was on May 5th. Looks like I've been drawing daily for a week now, since the 4th. I can't believe how much I've learned in that short period of time and highly recommend to anyone to just dive in and fill a page with small versions of whatever object you want to practice drawing. When I've done the multiple-head studies it has taught me a huge amount.
I guess I'll just write a little bit about each sketch below the image and maybe will be able to post a more complete sketch tomorrow. Actually, I'm not sure since I don't know when my new USB port will come, so we'll see. I will keep @sketching one way or another though.
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I want to get better at heads facing different ways and practice lighting from one consistent source. I haven't gotten around to fleshing this one out yet. Hopefully soon!
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This was my second day using the tablet and you can see the messiness on the right side of the face. I remember being frustrated at not being able to control the pen stylus at all and abandoned finishing it further. It helped me make the second Skwarehead version at the top though.
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This was the first sketch I made and my first time ever using the stylus. I remember it was weird and hard to control but I was also amazed how easy it was at the same time, especially compared to trying to draw with a computer mouse, which is terrible. You can see how lopsided everything is due to no muscle memory. I remember being proud of it as a first try, though.
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This was my first try making a true "digital painting" and first time trying to draw a butterfly. The background is OK but the perspective on the butterfly is not very good, nor the proportions. I don't get too frustrated though because I really love learning to make digital art. Overall, I am very impressed with how accessible it is and can imagine how much progress anyone can make if they practice a lot. I plan to be @sketching daily and keep this blog to share my progress in exploring the world of digital art. Thank you for viewing this motley crew of Skwarehead and other failures!
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all images are my original work made for Hive.
thank you so much for your support, much love,
and be safe out there!
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@Sketching on May 11, 2020
Your "fails" are great and give insight on your attempts at shadowing and concept of light. I like the way your charcters are personified like square head. I also like your choice of color.
The butterfly looks professional not novice. Whe you work at something you really show proof of work.
Hi @mineopoly, nice to hear from you! I remembered another resource that was really, really helpful to me when it comes to lighting and shading. It's a tutorial series called "Landscape Painting Crash Course" by a great digital painter named Aaron Rutten. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLo_kbikcLfN-g0XcF48qyZfsE0xTkly3q
I watched a few of these in the couple of days while I was waiting for my tablet to arrive in the mail. The way he explains light and shadow was really simple to understand. Basically, shadows are cooler in hue (towards blue) and less saturated (towards grey.) Areas facing the light are warmer in hue (towards red) and more saturated (towards pure color.) Starting with that basic concept was very empowering for a beginner. Otherwise I think I would have been picking colors at random and not have a clue where to start!
Actually, I need to watch more of his videos and complete the series. It is so amazing how he talks about objects reflecting the colors of the sky, the ground, and other surrounding objects. He also helped me understand that there is often a glowing edge of highlights around the shaded edges that is reflected from the sky or background.
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Your sketches are so refreshing! I'm looking forward to seeing more 👋
Oh, I'm so happy to hear your comment! That is really encouraging for me. Thank you @enternamehere =)
These are cute and simple. Im also practicing sketching but not that adept as you. ^^