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My "Art Journal"

18K views 252 replies 18 participants last post by  Caitlinpalomino 
#1 ·
Okay guys so as you may or may not know, I used to draw back when I was in school. I took Art for a GCSE and if I say so myself, I was pretty good at it! I havn't drawn properly since then and I really want to get back into it.

As some of you may or may not have seen, on a previous thread I posted a picture of an eye (horse) because it is known this is the major part of any drawing. I have since been practicing my eyes and I think I have improved a lot.

This "journal" is more for me than anything else, but of course I would much appreciate kind words of criticism. And, the fact that some people care what I post about means something too!

There won't be much going on here really, I am bogged down with coursework and other boring things.

First couple of posts to follow :lol:
 
#44 ·
Okay, so I added the throatlash, the whiskers and pimples, aaaaand now i'm stuck! Why does it look so cartoony?

I can't stand the thought of giving this to someone who is paying! Do you think I should start over?

Here is the referance picture:



And my drawing:

 
#45 ·
Bear in mind that he is a black horse, so he should be very dark in shading :) See how dark you've done the mane? Now compare the mane and the horse's actual colouring in the picture, they're very similar :)
The horse you're drawing also has quite a sleepy eye look, and I don't think you've put in his eyelid the right way.
 
#48 ·
I agree that after looking at the reference picthat he should be a tad darker...not so much that u lose all detail but truer to the horse. That may help with the 'cartoonish' look too. I always ha e to tell myself that i cant outline everything. Sometimes if you cant see a definite ending point,feel free to let you line of aight just fade. I hope that makes sense. I worry when i confuse MYSELF that im not making any sense! Lol.
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#51 ·
lol Snizard - you and me have that dark thing going...lol
I really like it, each picture you do gets better. But yes, I think it's the eye making it look cartoony. When I cover up the eye, it looks so more 'real' if you know what I mean. I LOVE the muzzle, although he has more dark on the end of it, whereas your drawing it too light on the end. I also think you need finer strands of hair on your picture.
There is also some detail missing on the reins, buckles etc. and shadows missing from the face. Look at the eye in the photo - there is like a ''V'' shape shadow sloping to the left and there is also another curvy shadow under the noseband. Make him more 'black' overall too. Your drawing looks like he could be a chestnut colour instead of black, but this can be developed.
I don't think you should start again, this is my fav out of all them.
However.... I am a fine one to talk when it comes to adding dark to my own drawings LOL
 
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#53 ·
Nooooo! Not the 'D' word!!!! LOL

Ok, the eye thing. I don't know. Think of the eye like a sphere enclosed in a case. In the photo, there is an eyelid on top of that sphere with eyelashes covering it, whereas (having gone back and looked back a few times) the eye just seems to be all eye, without the attention paid to the eyelid, eyelashes, light shine placing. And there is a white line around it, which the photo doesn't have...?
 
#56 ·
My scanner has decided to remove some of the detail, so try and imagine some more detail on the face... I've darkened it and changed the eye again. Let me know what you think! Do you think I can show it to the client now? And just ask if she would like anything changed? Gotta show her sooner or later :shock:

 
#66 ·
I'll just have to see how it goes :shock:

Just thought I would update you all (well, whoever bothers to read my waffle!) on my latest commissions!

This is Diesel Bear :lol: Client wants an A4 pencil drawing. Mega cuteness!!



And here is Spirit. Woman wants an A3 portrait but she isn't sure on whether to have pencil or charcoal.



She asked if I could do an A4 practice in pencil and an A4 practice in charcoal so she can make up her mind! I said yes. I finished the pencil one, but havn't started the charcoal one yet. The real thing would have much more detail and would also have more shading etc :lol:



Anyone else think I am slowly getting better with... HAIR!? :shock:
 
#69 ·
lovely lovely! I still think you need to concentrate on other details than the horse in the picture, e.g. the rope halter doesn't look like rope, it looks like it's attached to the face rather than sitting over it (no shadows), but I suppose it's just the practice sketch and the next one will have more detail :) I like the horse a lot, you are getting better with the hair, definately.
I really like that kestrel!
 
#77 ·
the bird of prey one is awesome and I love the way you did two views on one page.
The puppy will be lovely when it is done. the horse, with the rope halter, is not quite right. It looks tense and or frightened. I think the eye you have drawn is too round and the angle of the eyelid isn't right, I makes the horse look like he is wary and oogling somewith fear. and the mouth also looks tight. I realize the photo is dark, which makes it hard to see the details. I deal with that all the time.
Glad to hear you are getting some commissions!
 
#78 ·
Thanks for the kind words about the bird of prey and the puppy tiny. I know what you mean about the horse with the rope halter on, but in the picture I think she looks kinda "mareish" shall we say... I don't see how I can change the drawing if that's how she looks in the photo. What do you advise?
 
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