Tuesday, 4 April 2017

DRAGONS

Here are the breakdowns for the drop in calss last week. 
You will recall that the finished drawing is on green paper as an exercise in producing colour images with limited materials. In this case, a sheet of green paper, a Faber-Castell superfine pen, a Copic Caio, (it doesn't have to be those brands though) a red pencil and a white pencil.
I drew the rough working sketch on white paper and then traced it onto the green paper.
The black and white ink pics are just for clarity.




I used a Copic Ciao brush nib to block in the solids


I used a Faber-Castell Super Fine for the finer detail



To create the illusion of separation form the paper colour, I used a red pencil. I used a Faber-Castell coloured pencil, but any brand will do.

A white crayon pencil was used to create the highlights. White gouache or ink , will provide the same effect, use which ever you prefer.

A Copic warm grey 5 was used to give additional tone
And , finally, white crayon pencil for the smoke


Sunday, 2 April 2017

LEARN TO DRAW FANTASY ART-NEW TERM!

I brand new course of  HOW TO DRAW FANTASY ART, begings Tuesday 25th April 2017 at Swarthmore Education Centre
There is no no exam involved , it is purely aimed at the individuals development of drawing, what ever level they are at.
It’s not a big class,… usually no more than 12 to 14 people. The environment is very relaxed and students often make new friends in the process.
I have coached two students in putting a portfolio together to show talent scouts at Thought Bubble comic convention (Leeds) which led both of them into dialogue with Marvel Comics (getting that all important foot in the door).
However, if it is just some down time recreation you need to give you a break from the weekly stress ( be that, work, study, or just life), then this is also the class for you. 

Swarthmore Education Centre
2 – 7 Woodhouse Square
Leeds
West Yorkshire
LS3 1AD
England
Phone:0113 243 2210

Saturday, 25 March 2017

Jan-March 2017. WEEK 3:COMPOSITION / LAYOUT






Following our class discussion of Bruce Pennington's work, here are the developments of the tutorial, inspired by that discussion.

In most cases, before embarking on a drawing that has a number of components and scenery, I produce small , rough layouts.

 For the purpose of this tutorail, I have  kept to rough A4 layouts and crudely shaded the images in photoshop. This is purely due to lack of time due to other work commitments. I intend to produce inked versions some time in the not too distant future. For now though, use this tutorial as a guide only.
In fact, use everythynig I post here or discuss in class as a guide only. 
Always question and find your own solutions when creating your work.


Below are some further explorations into other possible  layouts. 
Here is the layout I chose to  continue with 
Notice the pov is looking up at the floating building , and dwon upon the guy on the dragon, therefore the building is above the horizon line, and the guy on the dragon is below.

Consider the possibilities of how this layout may be developed using tone and lighting.
How would you chose to approach developing this layout?

Below are a couple of suggestions


Are the tonal values in the back gorund too close to the ones in the foreground?
Does this kill the illusion of distance between the forground and background?

By adjusting the density of the background tones, does it help create an illusion of distance?

Sunday, 19 March 2017

BERNIE WRIGHTSON R.I.P.

As most of you , who attend my class, already know, Bernie Wrightson is one of those artists who mean a lot  to me. I grew up with Wrightson's work . It entertained me, inspired me and taught me.
The man is nothing short of a legend. Not just as a comic book artist but as true artist.
Sadly, Bernie wrightson has now left this mortal coil, but his work will live on.










Friday, 17 March 2017

FREE EXTRA CLASS!!! TUESDAY 28TH MARCH

FREE HOW TO DRAW FANTASY ART CLASS
TUESDAY 28TH MARCH, 5PM TO 8PM

Swarthmore are having an open day and have asked if I would run a free drop in class, that existing students can take advantage of , and visitors can drop in and sample the class for free.
The class will run between 5pm and 8pm. As it will be a taster class , the content will be very much entry level with some more advanced stuff thown in, plus I will be answering any questions you have regarding technique, shading, anatomy, etc
And it is all for 
FREE!!!
And it's happening at
Swarthmore Education Centre
2 – 7 Woodhouse Square
Leeds
West Yorkshire
LS3 1AD
England
Phone:0113 243 2210
Email:info@swarthmore.org.uk