JANUARY-MARCH 2014: WEEK 9 and 10. END OF TERM REVIEW

I am really pleased by everyone's progress this term. Everyone was so productive and pushed ahead to new levels.

Excellent work!

So, in no particular order or favouritism, here is a review of your progress this term.

ANN

Wow!  you were unstoppable this term.

Good composition. You have  got the lighting spot on.

Nic composition on the two below.

RICHARD

Just great!

So glad you added the darker tones to this piece. It has made all the difference. I hope you will continue to have the confidence to  give your work this extra  lift.

Three examples below show your adventurous spirit in trying something new with new materials. Keep this up.

GAVIN

More completed work from you this term , which is  good as it shows you are deliberating lass and getting on with it. There  are times when deliberation is a good thing (as long as it doesn't grind you to a complete  creative standstill) but when you are trying to develop your confidence, just getting stuff down on paper is the main priority.

OMAR

The same goes for you as I have just written for Gavin. Get the ideas down first then experiment with the lighting and solids after. Also maybe try some really loose sketches  that you don't feel to worried about  spoiling and practise throwing slabs of solids or tone just to get used to the idea of rendering your work more  3 dimensional

TAMSIN

Not as much finished work form you this term but in the work you produced I could you confidence in use of lighting , tone and solids developing in a very positive way. Good work.

LAUREN

A very god first terms work from you. For my money, your animal drawings  are your strong point.  Excellent stuff!  Your figure work was coming along nicely too. Overall, you definitely show a lot of promise.

GEORGINA

 When you got down to it you  really worked hard and fast. Figure work is also developing nicely.

EOIN

Good work!

Not a smuch completed work form you as I had hoped for but yout develpoment is solid.

 If you can focus on finishing some pieces  I think you will find it  rewarding. You have a lot of good ideas , they just need some focus.

VANESSA

I am really pleased with the work you have produced this term. Excellent stuff.

EMMA

 I think that you definitely have ability , I just think you need to develop your confidence and  just go for it and have fun. Don't measure your  progres and successes by other student's progress.  Don't be afraid to be yourself on paper. I think you have some cool ideas to offer.


Hey, guess what?
I have a new book out soon. you can preoder it here.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Draw-Fantasy-Worlds-Characters/dp/1782126376/ref=la_B0034PUV9I_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396702697&sr=1-3

PICK OF THE WEEK

...well two pics , actually.

 Batman by Gavin

WIP by Vanessa

Art Exhibition by Ann Wildgust BA (Hons.)

One of my students , Ann Wildgust , is having an exhibition of her paintings. It's not fantasy art, it's a collection of work produced over the years during her travels. Ann likes to paint architecture and landscapes using vivid colour on location.

NEW ART EXHIBITION

A Collection of 16 Vividly Coloured

paintings by Ann Wildgust BA (Hons.). 

St. HELENA’S CHURCH AND THE PILGRIM FATHERS.

ST. HELENA’S CHURCH, AUSTERFIELD, 

SOUTH YORKSHIRE (8 miles South of Doncaster).

BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY, 10.30AM – 5.00PM, 5TH MAY 2014.

If you live nearby,or if you just fancy a day out, go along and show some support

How To Draw Fantasy Art Vol 2

There will  be a new volume of How To Draw Fantasy Art arriving in the book stores and on amazon very soon......

http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Draw-Fantasy-Worlds-Characters/dp/1782126376/ref=la_B0034PUV9I_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396702697&sr=1-3

Me so haughty, I curse you long time

There can only be one Maleficent #siouxie #siouxsiesioux #maleficent

This is a warm up sketch. I've not drawn anything at all since last Tuesday (apart from a couple of scribbles on Thursday). I feel so rusty and also very, very clumbsy, splashing ink all over it and  leaving halva grease stains (don't eat and draw at the same time !). Good job I was just messing about.

These two below are a bit better.

JANUARY-MARCH 2014:WEEK 5, 6, 7 & 8

Due to moving house and studio, it has been difficult to write blog posts to recap on each class, so this particular post will cover weeks 5-6.

Since week 4, when  I reverted back to drawing on a flip chart (see pic above),  I have noticed you all be more productive, producing more completed work, taking chances , working faster and being less overly concerned with being 100% accurate with the initial putdown and then refining the work as you went along once the layout was established. This is a good development and in my opinion has improved your work. There is a time and place for being meticulous  but for the weekly exercises where  the objective is to nail the layout, establish the lights and solids and then produce a finished scene, just to work fast and loose will be enough to enable you to achieve all on these in 2 hours. . You can always produce a more finished, detail version at a later stage.

The sketches above are not partucularly mind blowing but  acieve an acceptable level of figure work,composition and contast in a very short space of time.

 The sketch below was going to be Batman but  at the request of Anne and Richards it changed to a gargoyle. Unfortunately I had already drawn the cape  but it was good enough to follow.
This only took a few minutes which left plenty of time to follow with a Batman sketch . I chose to use te same pose rather than change direction so it was easier to follow.

After Vanessa posted this pic on Facebook and I noticed how many "likes" it received, I decided to use it for the next class.

The images works fine as a photograph idea for Facebook but it's not all that great to copy for a drawing as the angle is not very exciting.

If colour were to be added, it may look something like this (I've very crudely thrown some colour on in photshop)

.
I saw one of Vanessa's WIP drawings on Facebook today. I was most impressed and thought it worthy of posting.

Vanessa, please finish this, it looks great so far.
To prepare you for next class, if you have time, have a go at doing some loose sketches of horses.

JANUARY-MARCH 2014:WEEK4

I think that went rather well! a bit old school but I am pleased with the results. 

Emma,

you hide this form me???Wtf, girl? this is good! definitely the start of a breakthrough. 

Lauren, nice work, this is good stuff.

 Eoin, like it. This is good too.

Omar, good work, I will be talking to you about some pieces you've kept hidden from me. They're really good. 

Vanessa , full of aggressive strokes and bloody weirdness! Ace!

 Love it. 

Gavin, good work. 

Are you pleased with it too? 

Richard, good work as always. My camera doesn't do them justice. Maybe I should scan these.

 I just think the guy on the horse needs pulling out a bit with some darker tones, apart from that, epic.

Ann, you are getting really quite and your eye for layout is getting better.

 Tamsin , nice work.

Georgina , good work. Do you think you will find time to finish it for next week? It's looking good. 

So, how did the old school lesson stack up against the digital version?