# Arshes Nei's Sketch Blog



## Arshes Nei (Nov 29, 2007)

Starting a new Sketch blog, why the heck not.

This one is just me experimenting in Painter doing something similar to a traditional piece I did long ago, where I let the background be the shadow. Nothing really completed but just a quick paint.

AniMage in Echidna form. LOL Sonic art style D:

[attachment=2085]


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## Arshes Nei (Nov 29, 2007)

This was a freehand illustration of a drawing found in George Bridgman's Fifty Figure Drawings, page 23 by E.P Nowlen.

The book itself is extremely cheap. It's *five bucks*. It contains some really nice illustrations and variances of how people drew the figure.

I have a No Erase sketchbook, in which to help me become better at judging distances and getting proportions down right. I did this on the bus, just as an exercise. I wanted to create form by only using the pen, so I didn't have the ability to use any real changes in values. I only had dark and medium. I also wanted to see how well I can understand space.

I have quite a few studies like this but this one demonstrated the exercise I'm doing to study pretty well.

This is also a good way to understand how to color by knowing where to add light and shadow.

I don't think this one is mature due to the fact that the nudity isn't even explicit, unless silhouette butts are that offensive these days

[attachment=2090]


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## Dragoneer (Nov 29, 2007)

I really like the sharp contrasts of light on that. Very subtle, yet broad!


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## Icarus (Nov 29, 2007)

Arshes Nei said:
			
		

> *five bucks*


Where could one get this book besides the internet?


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## Arshes Nei (Nov 29, 2007)

Icarus said:
			
		

> Arshes Nei said:
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http://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Figure-Drawings-George-Bridgman/dp/0486451208/ref=pd_sim_b_title_4

This is also available at your bookstore. I got mine from Borders.

Like I said this is a freehand copy, but I changed it to study extreme parts of light and dark.


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## Arshes Nei (Nov 29, 2007)

Preyfar said:
			
		

> I really like the sharp contrasts of light on that. Very subtle, yet broad!



LOL, which pic?


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## Dragoneer (Nov 29, 2007)

Arshes Nei said:
			
		

> LOL, which pic?


The butt. The one with the butt.


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## Arshes Nei (Nov 30, 2007)

This is one of the Master Copies I've worked on while on the bus.
The original is put next to the copy (in red of course) to show what I was doing.

Side by Side comparison, you can see how my spacing/judgment was off when doing the study.

[attachment=2097]

WARNING: Long Description Ahead

Pontormo has some interesting quirks in his works, there's the "Pontormo Eye" which you can associate with "anime" in the case they're really circular eyes. It's not LIKE anime but it made me think of that.

He also likes to pinch the joints as a way of foreshortening.

I need to work better on composition of a pic so I can set it up better, as you can see my masses aren't quite there. Though, it's little hard to sketch on a rocky bus because of motion sickness. 

I'll probably try doing the pic again, and a few other works from him. I would like to work on some Michelangelo and Raphael ones and really go for a Bouguereau http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/database/art.asp?aid=7

I have to admit I think years ago I would have panned the idea of doing master copies because people really do get stick up their butts when it comes to copying because "it's not original" even worse if you post it. I then read Master Copying was done as a tradition in a lot of schools for art, even other Masters copied each other. 

I think though I learned a lot from doing this, mainly because after studying anatomy so much I understand how Pontormo came to some conclusions in massing the forms.

Are to find sketches for Master Copies is http://www.artrenewal.org/

I actually got this one from the Master Draughtsman series which if you look on Amazon or find a good art Store, these books go for five bucks. 

One other thing I like about studying the old Masters is that you also see they have made their fair share of errors in anatomy, you can see Pontormo re-sketching the arm, in one Michelangelo study women's breasts looked REALLY odd. Pontormo had quite a few odd breasts too. It gave you comfort and made you realize the great Masters are just like every one of us who like to learn how to draw.

Yeah some of you want some furry porn, but there you go...just something to explore because you can always apply it to your drawings.


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## MDTailz (Nov 30, 2007)

Arshes Nei said:
			
		

> I have to admit I think years ago I would have panned the idea of doing master copies because people really do get stick up their butts when it comes to copying because "it's not original" even worse if you post it. I then read Master Copying was done as a tradition in a lot of schools for art, even other Masters copied each other.



Yep =D

For my figure and Anatomy class we have to do copies of master works.
When studying Gesture, proportion, balance, anatomy, technique it is very acceptable and encouraged to do so.

But it is generally frowned uppon to do it to copy style. I think it's ok to do it to an extent, but only doing works of someone elses style doesn't really help you much, in fact it'll make you think your work is getting a lot better when really your just wasting practice time.

It looks good to me ^ ^
some of the very minor details are different, but that's not what it's about.
On my last one i made the arms and legs too fat, now that's a problem ^ ^;


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## Arshes Nei (Nov 30, 2007)

MDTailz said:
			
		

> But it is generally frowned uppon to do it to copy style. I think it's ok to do it to an extent, but only doing works of someone elses style doesn't really help you much, in fact it'll make you think your work is getting a lot better when really your just wasting practice time.
> 
> It looks good to me ^ ^
> some of the very minor details are different, but that's not what it's about.
> On my last one i made the arms and legs too fat, now that's a problem ^ ^;



I think someone said it best, and I believe is was words passed down to a friend of mine who worked with comic artist Jim Lee (who may have gotten it from Spielberg).

"Don't study what I do, study what I do study *why* I do it"

I was not looking at so much Porntomo's style but looking for the major forms in which he constructed the figure. I see two large trapezoids for the torso and waist, there is some smaller ones in the forms of muscle mass..

..what was another saying... "beginners see details, professionals look for the shapes."


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## Arshes Nei (Nov 30, 2007)

Umm, this was an unfinished trade. I just did a quick color over it. Too many anatomy errors. :/

[attachment=2100]


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## Arshes Nei (Dec 3, 2007)

I actually got the original art from a commission long ago. Ronzo Murphy is the artist

I told him I'd color it, and I just finally got around to doing it.

[attachment=2112]

I think I was one of the few artists that commissioned a human character at a furry con >.<;;;

AniMage is my character, he actually had to use some old lineart I had as reference and an old color pic.

Done in Painter.

I don't use blending tools, my brush is customized.

I may take some notes and break down the picture to go about why I color the way I do if people may find this useful.


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## MDTailz (Dec 3, 2007)

Arshes Nei said:
			
		

> I may take some notes and break down the picture to go about why I color the way I do if people may find this useful.



That'd be cool, I like the coloring =D
I havn't found a method of digital color that i like. =?

Your making me want to start up a sketch blog =P


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## Arshes Nei (Dec 3, 2007)

MDTailz said:
			
		

> Arshes Nei said:
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Sketchblogs are highly useful and fun. I wouldn't worry about making finished pieces, even just exploratory doodles like "ok this is how a leg looks" can help you out tremendously.

I'll start working on a breakdown of how I do color too.

These are basics but I think a lot of people know this already:

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/251784/


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## MDTailz (Dec 3, 2007)

Arshes Nei said:
			
		

> Sketchblogs are highly useful and fun. I wouldn't worry about making finished pieces, even just exploratory doodles like "ok this is how a leg looks" can help you out tremendously.



Ya, I've been doing a lot of studies lately, but I hadn't really thought of actually scanning them in and starting an online blog, just been drawing random things in my sketch books (and of course lotsa stuff for class =P)
A lotta the stuff is too big to scan though ><;;
Sounds like fun, we'll see how much stuff i draw today =P




			
				Arshes Nei said:
			
		

> I'll start working on a breakdown of how I do color too.
> 
> These are basics but I think a lot of people know this already:
> 
> http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/251784/



You can never go over the basics too much, they're the most important part.
I just have trouble with all the technical stuff, I really want a good oil paint simulator or something on the computer, but like I dun know how to work everything like that, all the tutorials kinda have a pastel feel to it and I'd kinda rather do it IRL

sorry if i'm taking up your thread, I'll probly start my own tonight =D


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## Arshes Nei (Dec 3, 2007)

Nah you're not bothering me with responses to the sketchblog, if it starts up inspiration and ideas, then that's a GOOD thing.

I would say Painter is very close to generating Oils, I just tweak the brushes to suit my needs. Then again Painter is the natural media king, least close to simulating it. It can simulate markers like copics too.

Painter Essentials will come with certain Tablets and Painter Classic may come with older Tablets.

I adapted to Painter pretty quickly once I understood brush methodology.


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## Arshes Nei (Dec 11, 2007)

Due to the fact it's not work safe, here's another coloring job I worked on: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/938902/


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## Arshes Nei (Dec 18, 2007)

Done at a Deviantart Meet in SoCal while people were ice skating, I was painting.

Ringo from Air Gear

[attachment=2186]


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## Arshes Nei (Jan 13, 2008)

I forgot I told Rose that I did draw her character but didn't finish. I do this often, so I'll just dump the sketch here to show I fail as much as I "succeed"

[attachment=2311]


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