This is a depository for my sketches and thoughts on the process of learning human construction. Feel free to offer criticisms. Dialogue is appreciated, especially if you are also an aspiring artist.
Learning to Fly

Painted 06/29/2014
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Break
I'm gonna have to take a week or two off. I'm juggling midterms and research papers over here, and my exercises are suffering. I'll be back with some inkwash paintings.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Hand Figures
A few hand figures, which I’ve by no means mastered. Some of these were drawn with the help of Bridgman’s Book of a Hundred Hands, and it shows. My problem is I’m too meticulous. Vilppu and Bridgman are okay with understating the tones so the very gets the idea. But if I see that the plane is *technically* not entirely facing me, I’ll try to shade it slightly where Vilppu would leave it white. And until I learn better control, that makes my drawings messy.

I started with a few doodles to test my
knowledge of proportion and flexibility. I’ll admit, it is kind of fun to shade
hands, despite the tedium. The biggest challenge for now is keeping my pencil
sharp, and I’m thinking of buying a few 2mm mechanical drafting pencils to help
with that, but I can wait until I’ve used these Royal sketch pencils (still
in the pack).
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Graphite Sketch - Downed Pilot
Upon watching a demonstration of a graphite landscape, I was struck with this little idea. I've isolated the problem with my technique: I start with the contour instead of the shadows. It's ultimately to do with my inability to visualize poses and forms properly, and this will hopefully improve over time.
This is also a good chance to compare editing software. Until now, I've been using Windows Photo Gallery to edit pictures, but since I took the time to learn, Photoshop should be the tool from now on. The "Dust & Scratches" filter is interesting. I can see myself using it often in the future.
The Photoshop edit does seem to push the midtones a little further back than they should be, but I'll figure out how to fix that soon enough. Besides, it emphasizes what I want to be emphasized, so it still works.
This is also a good chance to compare editing software. Until now, I've been using Windows Photo Gallery to edit pictures, but since I took the time to learn, Photoshop should be the tool from now on. The "Dust & Scratches" filter is interesting. I can see myself using it often in the future.
The Photoshop edit does seem to push the midtones a little further back than they should be, but I'll figure out how to fix that soon enough. Besides, it emphasizes what I want to be emphasized, so it still works.
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Original Scan |
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Windows Photo Gallery |
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Photoshop |
Sunday, November 2, 2014
On Ink and Watercolor

Vilppu has his own little guide on fountain pen sketching, but something tells me he's mixing his inks in a certain way that makes this work (possibly with soap). He also writes this:
"Not all inks are good for fountain pens, and may clog them or even cause damage. India inks, metallic inks, and other specialty colors can create a great deal of grief, and could possibly necessitate an expensive repair."
Yet I've got other sites telling me India inks are exactly what I should use. This should be simpler than it is.
I need material that will hold ink on the page without absorbing it for at least a few minutes. That's the whole point of wash, but nothing besides the watercolor ground seems to do its job at all. So until I find something that works, I'm stuck thinning inks with water before putting them in the brush pen in a crude parody of wash.
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Derwent Inktense Blocks |
Meanwhile, I'm finally ordering a large pad of hot press watercolor paper. If that doesn't work, I'll order cold press and cardstock. If those don't work, I'm out of options.
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