Conjue Flashmobs

I'm back!
This year I will be sharing my sketches for flashmobs and contests as much as possible. Cause it's time go get real with sketching and move to another level.

So Natalie Ratkovski conjure renewed her art flashmobs this year and the first subject for 2017 is a seashell.

These are two of mine:

Seeing these sketches I am trying to figure out how to become braver with color, how to make the sketch more alive and not as pale as it is at this moment.

Any suggestions?

It's February 2017 and it means it'a time do do my  "You can draw in 30 days" by Mark Kistler session.
I found this book several years ago and boy did I love it!
The book is a collection of lesson dealing with various subjects such as basic drawing, perspective, shading etc.
While I cannot really say tht one would learn to draw in 30 days, but this book is actually really fun to work with. I've done the program twice already and after the last time I've decided tio go over it every six month.
It's time to start again. The goal is to draw every single day and perfect my drawing skills. Already setting the date for the next year's session.

A year of the obvious

Last year I tried to get rid of the obvious drawing ain my head. They say that in order to create something extraordinary one has to get rid of the ordinary.

Projects for 2017

It's not a Yearly resolution list. Not at all. It's a statement of those three large personal projects I'm planning for this year.

1. 365 mugs in 2017. I plan to decorate 365 mugs this year.
2. 52 new recipes. Something I actually planned on doing last year but for some reason I didn't work very well.
3. Weekly drawing on a kid's chalk board: for some reason I feel so free in my sketching when using chalks! I don't know why, but it's for real. So I though if this medium works for me even on that level, I should let it be. 
4. 365 postcards. A6, free media.
5. Go back to stock illustration.
6. 100 lable tags.

And, of course, there are some general self-discipline and self-development issues like sports, healthy foods, procrastination control etc. Just like everybody else on these, no surprises here.

Back to drawing.

The holiday season here in Israel is over, for now, kids are back to school and I found myself (at last) sketching again. I try to make up the time I've lost and try to be as efficient as possible. No TV during drawing time, no background noise. Just pure work.

I really missed the action of sketching and seeing results in my sketchbook. 

To have this great feeling of a little achievement, the feeling of satisfaction when you actually leave some mark on a page. So right now I try to draw as much as possible. 

I didn't sketch for almost a month and I missed it. I am back. At least until another holiday season :))

Loren Ipsum for illustrator

A few days ago I was asked to prepare an advirtising poster for a HiTech paresentation that included some text. I was asked to put a standart Lorem Ipsum in before the client actually writes a proper text. So apparently, Illustrator doesnt have this kind of option. But, hey, what is internet for? I found this post wih a plugin for Illustrator that allows you to put the demo text in your work.

Thought you migt find it useful.

Crocodile day, view from above

A view from above, week 40:

For more sketches go here.

Angry bird, first images

To tell you the truth, I didn't expect it to be so difficult.

I mean, I've always realized that copiing anything is a difficult task, but not like this. I mean, Angry Birds? They all seem like such an easy project to copy!!! But no. Not only are they angry but they also have character. Literally!!! I've been fighting almost every line to get the curve right! 

These three birds were done in one set.

I obviously didn't get it right but it's a start. We'll see what the future brings. 

P.S. This session actually made me think again about sketching emotions, which is crucial for character design. Obviously, it is already on my to do list.

Copiing Angry Birds, the Title!

So for the first cartoon I chose was Angry bird.

Just to remind you, the first game of angry birds was released in 2009 by Finnish company Rovio Entertainment for Apple iPhone (read more). Since then it became a cartoon, then a movie and many many spin off games in between. Kids love it, adults love it and it seems that there will be no end to it for a very very long time. Which is great.

The reason for choosing Angry birds as a first copiing project is simple. They seem pretty easy to draw and I love them. I might also finlay learn the characters names. Birds', pigs', etc.

I usually start a series of sketches with a simple title: 100 mushrooms, 100 flowers etc. But here I thought, hey! The title is an image too! It also has a character! After all, creating a winning title is a very important step of creating any written/drawn/filmed - add missing - world! Be it a book or a movie, a cd or anything else ,designers and illustrators spend a huge amount of time and effort to create a perfect title. And I should respect that.

So first thing first - the title!

It wasn't easy, I must say! I really should have measured time because for sure since it took me a lot more than an hour to copy.

This is the result. I first created a pencil sketch. Then I outlined it with a very thin liner and then with a thicker one.

I'm not sure this is identical but it does look like an original title. So I guess it was probably worth the try.

One thing I know: making an exact replica of an original is not easy at all. I'm not sure that this is something I would want to do in the future, but it's obviously one way of learning and gaining experience.

Copiing favorite cartoon characters.

This post was ready to be published a month ago. Before pushing the Publish button I though, but why? Why would I want to copy from cartoon character in the first place? Is there a real learning experience in it? What would I really learn from this? If at all? Another thing that bothered me was that I actually didn't have any proper marker in my possession to make the experience complete and colorful. I am buying and buying  materials and since they are pretty expensive here in Israel sometimes I have to really think twice before purchasing something new. But then I though, ok, I don't have the colors but why not doing it in black and white and just contour it? Yes, it might be a bit boring, seeing black and white all over again but it will be way better than doing nothing. So I ordered some simple brush pen set and started working.

So...

To copy or not to copy, that is the question. Great masters of the past always copied from their teachers and fellow artists for the sake of the study. They used a life reference for the same reason. Some years ago copiing from others became some kind of a Tabu. Be original, they screamed, draw what's on your mind! My biggest difficulty in college was to be able to express my own ideas, when they came. (but that is another subject for another post). How can I do something if I don't know how to technically express it.

Only recently do I see people starting copiing from reference, they take somebody else's picture and they copy from it; a very popular do in recent years.

At this point of my artistic development - remember, baby steps - copiing portraits of people/animals etc is not really interesting.

But I've decided to copy my favorite cartoon characters. First - I love cartoons. Second - they are cool and fun, so why not?

I will be doing several poses of each characters, all in different media. A brush pen, some markers, colored pencils - time will show.

The main thing is just to get in to action.

My 2016 wish list: 9/158.

I recently went through my Would like to do list for this year checking out projects I've completed and I felt pretty sad. It's only 9 projects out of 158 that I checked out. And one goal that I simply ddn;t reach on time. And although I do realise that most of them are pretty big, I look at my list and I think, how come I work so slow? How can I increase to become more productive?

I guess that the only correct answer for this one is to just keep on working.

Here's the list of what I have done since I started this list:

1. I had a go with some Porcelain drawing. I didn't really like the outcome by the experience was really nice.
2. I watched and with some Peter Han's preview classes that I found on YouTube, highly recommended.
3. I watched all Hulk and Spiderman movies, just to know who's who. Definately a one time experience for me.
4. I've done some 100 seashels project (drawing from reference)
5. I got familerd with a Sting repertouare (love him!)
6. 100 leaves project (drawing from reference)
7. 100 mushrooms project (drawing from reference) and getting bored, so I stopped in the middle.
8. 100m lampshades (also from reference)
9. Comleted a class in Skillshare (highly recommended).

And that's it, actually.

I failed to reach my diet goal, but that's ok, I already weigh less then before so I'm happy to keep on going.

P.S. My list got longer since the furst publishing...

Changing a working routine

I've recently changed some of my daily routines and one of it's outcomes is a sketchbooks moveing.

I have seveal sketchbooks, each for a different subject. I used to have a to do list with all the things I have to work on during the day, including my art projects. Now I don't have this thing anymore. I simply move my sketchbooks from one side of the table to another. I take one sketchbook, work on a project, finish it whenever I feel that I did enough and put it on the other side of the desk.

This is funny because in a way it feels like being a clerk doing his everyday job, signing papers. On the other hand it gives my day a certain order. I do everything without looking for reminders, without this crazy stressing need to check a box on my list. A feel of a certain relief of this tiny fear that I won't manage to do it all in time. I don't plan anymore, although I did it for so many years.

The only thing left to see is will this ethod really work. But I guess it's just a matter of time.

Scribbling with Jazza

Josia "Jazza" Brooks, an Australian animator created an application for people who want to stretch and develop their creativity. The app suggests some challenges, like a color challenge, a copy challenge and the two that I do at the moment - a scribble and a design mix challenge. The idea behind a scribble challenge is that you get a couple of scribble, you copy them into your notebook and the you work with it trying to create something.

A design mix suggest the user to combine to of the everyday objects that has no connection whatsoever. Like a photo camera and a aid band or a bow and arrow and an electric plug.

At this point my scribbles are pretty lame and obvious but here's the cool part: it does the work. These lines challenge your grey cells like nothing more and you try your way around it trying to be as less obvious as you possibly can. But the obvious just comes out, and it's ok. 

It's ok because it's still a learning period . It's ok because the grey cells are not as flexible as they should be. It's ok because this is something new. 

I am so glad that I was tipped about this app, and since i installed it on my phone I can now do these challenges everywhere, If I don't forget my tiny A6 sketch book, of course :).

Everyday monsters, part 8

As I previously stated, I am finishing this project. I created around 130 creatures including a monstrous ABC. This was a very fun projects and now I have loads and loads of images to work with. Who knows, I might open a new shop on Zazzle or something like that :)

These are the last two of my monsters.

On to my next projects.

I am registred to a Kalacheva online art school (russian) and this autumn they do a new free sketching extreme course. You get a lesson every other day and you work with a teacher on a different subject.

This course deals with sketching with markers but since I didn't buy them yet I've decided to work with some colored pencils.

Of course, the effect is not the same - and it shouldn't be, but it's still working a bit on a form, the sketching itslef and mastering the colored pencils.

As of moment of writing these lines only two of the lessons where published so I'll keep no updating as they get released.

I might also do these in b&w, see what happens.

Everyday objects

Recently I've talked about my need in drawing from life and not knowing exactly what will the subject be. Some time ago I decided to just start with what sits on my desk: an eraser, a PC speaker, a broken wooden treasure box. Just some everyday objects.

As always, I won't be posting my sketches daily but once a week.

P.S. I can't believe I actually sketched a mouse and a scissors! Big achievement for me!
And the nicest thing is that in about a year or two I can sketch the same objects to see my improvement and compare them.

Daily monsters, part 7

This is a part 7 of my Daily monsters series and after drawing almost 100 characters I feel that this project is coming to an end.

I don't know many of these creatures will I be able to draw and for how long but I am pretty satisfied with the result.

These are the most recent that I did.

And here you can see all of them.

The benefits of daily sketching.

Daily drawing is one of these moves I've taken lately and the question that keeps on floating in my mind is will I ever see a change in what I do. In style, in technique, and, the most important, in state of mind.

I've been sketching a lot lately. More than a lot. one of the the goals is to sketch daily, as much as possible. It's not always happening but the intention is definitely there. There are days when I draw more than two or three hours and there are some when I don't draw at all.

The idea behind this is to just do stuff. To see progress one must do. Do anything but stay still.
To master a technique. To create a state of mind. To move from one goal to another. And that could be accomplished only by movement.

Recently I've read an interview with Tammie Bennet who talks about the moves she's taken to become the artist she is today. It inspired me and I'd like to share it here.

"...I remembered something my law school roommate had told me. Her English professor had said, “a writer writes.” I figured if I created art every day, then an artist I would be.  

"So on October 9, 2012, I filled a page in my sketchbook. It was not very pretty, but I didn’t judge the work or get discouraged. The next day I showed up to my sketchbook again and filled a page. My streak of a page a day in my sketchbook is still going strong 4 years later. I haven’t missed a single day." Read on....

Skillshare lesson: Core design sketching with Marouane Bembli.

I've been watching a lot of Skillshare lessons since I registered on this site but this lesson by Marouane Bembli was the fןrst one I ever did assignments on. Which is really cool, because learning from watching is one this and learning from doing is completely different.

So after watching the whole 1 hour class I started working.

There are some basic warm up exercises.

Some parallel lines,

Waves; dot connecting;

 Shading and cross shading

Some objects sketching.

And in the end - cars. I must say that I've never actually sketched a car. I adore industrial design sketches and one day I hope I will be able to produce something like this one:

(source image)

So now there's a new item in my to do list: 50 sketches of a car.

P.S. To see the whole class you have to register on this site. 

Daily monsters, part 6

Since most of these monsters are an intuitive sketching, the first result is not always satisfying. This time I came to a conlusion that if I have to imrove the idea, I should.

This is why there are doubles on these pages. I really had no idea what I was doing and only after finishing I realised that I want to change some things. I almost don't use eraser in this project and since the sketches are really fast and simple it is pretty easy to resketch the whole thing.

You can see more of the monsters here.