Sketch A Day #11 - Nude Figure Study

another figure sketch on the toned paper. still working out ways to play with the midtones, but I've not really done one to my satisfaction yet. Second half of this sketch done with my cat Voldemort curled up on my lap and occasionally pawing at the sketchbook.

I do NOT recommend this for beginners.

toned paper, Mirado Black Warrior HB, Generals White Charcoal pencil

Sketch A Day #4 - Woman's Face in Shadow

A new sketch on the very lovely tanned paper.

So here is the deal. I hate the sketchbooks section of the art magazines. Do you know why? Because the sketchbook is the place that you can make mistakes, take chances, screw up and its OK. By cherry picking the best of the Adam Hughes sketchbook, or the Kevin Nowlan sketchbook, what we end up with is even doubly defeating to artists like myself.

Because what it says to us is, "Not only is their finished work better than yours, but their sketches are practically flawless." Not fair, not fair at all. So the deal is, for the next year, I'll show you all the sketchbook pages, warts and all, and i won't hide even the stuff that I'm utterly embarrassed by.

Thats the sketch a day manifesto here.

Today's sketch (well, actually from last night) has its problems.

Sketch A Day #3 - Nude Figure Study

More toned paper, gonna be working this sketch pad for a while. A figure study of a nude, draped over what looks to be a medium sized ottoman. Artistic, and very comfortable looking pose.

Generals Charcoal White pencil, Ritmo Charcoal HB pencil, Strathmore Toned Tan 400 series

Sketch A Day #2 - Female Head on Toned Paper

working on freeing myself from the same materials i've always used, so moving to do some sketches on toned paper, and using that as a midtone, is just one way to do it.

also using white and black charcoal pencils to work against the grain of the paper. Should be interesting. Could be terrible. You'll have to let me know. My critical filter will be up, probably higher than yours.

A female head, study in contrasts, not bad, not great. Page 1 of this sketchbook.

Quick Sketch: Manhunter ala Walt Simonson

Finished my warm up sketch on my board, and i blame the subject matter all on Alex Sheikman, who is quite the Simonson devotee.

So, when last we hung out, Alex handed over a couple great Walt Simonson issues for me to read/study. Those, of course, got me to realize that it had been a number of years since i'd perused the astonishing Manhunter series that Archie Goodwin had written with Walt on art chores back in the 1970's Detective Comics.

Well, one cheap special edition later, and a number of hours poring over the amazing "Cathedral Perilous" chapter, I decided that i had to try my hand at their version of Paul Kirk.

Incidentally, I had started the initial layout on Jack Kirby's 96th birthday, and toyed with making this a 1940's Paul Kirk ala Simon/Kirby, but the modern era won out. Perhaps next time.

Dave Cockrum 1975 Sketch: Nightcrawler & Storm

Just wanted to post this because, well, Dave was great. The Nightcrawler is actually pretty generic and the face is a bit long, but the Storm... well, Dave clearly has actually looked at women and captured the languid sensuality of her body language. The delicacy of her left hand in the grass is a small be delightful touch. Well done Dave. Miss ya.

In Experiment: Girl #1

Been a long time since i've experimented with color, but getting the new Robert Maguire book (Dames, Dolls and Gun Molls by Jim Silke) for Chanukah, i've felt the need to play around a little bit.

Comments?

Work In Progess: sketches for The Carnival

Not having a good time trying to make this figure work. Not sure why, I "saw" the body language in my head, but when I tried to draw it, the figure simply didn't work, making me wonder if I had perhaps exaggerated the movement in my head... resulting in a stilted and unnatural figure on the paper. The second scan if a more finished version of what i went with.

Anyone else ever have this trouble?

The Human Hourglass Page 12 sketch

Sometimes I just love the energy in the pencil sketches.

Pencil on 8.5 x 11 paper, photocopied to darken the lines. For The Human Hourglass page 12.

New Work: Digging into The Carnival

Finally have decided that The Carnival, long promised and hardly delivered with all the indecision and changes on my part, will finally arrive via the web comic route, sooner than most will believe. i'll be posting the prelim work here as well as some of the finished work as we go, as well as providing a link to get people to the webcomic itself.

For all those who like to see the process, I thought that I'd start with a single panel, thumbnail blown up a couple times on my copier so that i can lightbox it to finished pencils.

New Work: Carnival sketch

A study of Santiago, the main character in The Carnival, done in wash, two beers and a shot of Centenario Anejo tequila.

Sketches

... from the sketchbook.