ebi's digital sketchbook.

[ebi brain]

basic intro:
I want to learn to draw. I want to go beyond stickfigure level.

Will be experimenting with: pencil, water color, inking

Currently working from:
Loomis
Vanishing Point
The art of Perspective
Water colour for beginners


On the way: Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expression + obitsu doll male (but won't be lonely for long lol) + Jame's Gurney's light book.

Can''t type much due to RSI. Sorry.

artists that I dig:

KAORI WAKAMATSU
http://www.graffiti-bunny.com/news.html

Tatsuyuki Tanaka
http://gallery.digik.net/gallery/474

Mike Mignola
http://www.artofmikemignola.com/Art

Yusuke Nakamura
http://www.flutterscape.com/product/no/411

Gil Elvgren :3
http://www.gilelvgren.com/GE/

if you think there''s an artist I might like, let me know please:)

some betty edwards hands to start with:








expect mediocre sketches from here on until I improve ><

[ebi brain]

Messing with gimp ... trying to draw a character from my test game.
i cannnoooootdraw a face...
i should probably study anatomy (much) more.


Does anyone know how to keep the transparenr background when turning your work into jpg?
or does it need to be something else....

[ebi brain]

trying to draw a face...
Though after this attempt I'll probably go back to my loomis book... And draws much from pictures as I can, as drawing from real is still a bit too frustrating for me><
I'm having fun trying out all the different things in gimp thoughXD

[wingzofdarkness]

Are you using a mouse? The lines seem choppy and unkempt. In the second picture, based on the hair length and volume in comparison to the face, the character is missing ears. That, or they have extremely small ears. In addition, the neck should be fleshed out when it connects to the collar bones.

The first picture is good. Though, his arms are longer than the average human. The elbow should meet close to the height of his waist line, and his shoulders should be wider than the rest of his body.

I would highly recommend you to stick with studying the human anatomy of real humans, not anime characters. Get the feel of the face shape, body frame, and muscles. To all beginners, starting with the human anatomy is very time consuming and can be frustrating, but the outcome of it all is what counts the most. You will definitely benefit from studying real models and yourself. So far, you've done a nice job drawing hands. A round of applause for you because I can't do that.

Tip: try flipping your image vertically.

[ebi brain]

Thanks! I was hoping someone would give me a little slap in the face XD
I looked at my drawings again and you.are.so.right. ( i knew there was *something* wrong but i couldnt tell what.. So, having someone point it out really helps.)

Actually that was my first time using gimp/drawing anything on the computer since like.....the mid-nineties...and the first time using GIMP, so the choppiness seems normal :p I'm using a bamboo tablet with pen.
But I have noooo idea how to make the lines nice and smooth :/ It frustrates me to no end.


On paper, I usually do life drawing ( random stuff on my desk etc.) and Those stick figure poses from Loomis until I feel confident enough to tackle muscles etc.

But, while I like drawing on paper, I also want to practise on the computer 'cause once im ready to draw characters ( long time from now lol), I'll want to do it on the computer:/
But....maybe practising "regular" anatomy on the computer would be a good idea?..

I am going to stick to anatomy for a while, though, I don't really have a place nor sufficient experience to draw from a live model, and im not confident enough to draw out in public ( and it's winter and my country is having MAJOR rainfall at the moment. - we're talking dikes breaking down rainfall here).....


But maybe i could use a mannequin or obitsu ( very poseable action figure) as a temporary substitute?... Im a little iffy about copying photographs, as I heard it makes you form bad habits ( just like copying cartoons btw -_-)

Any suggestions are welcome:)

Thanks again, wingz!


Oh oh and I JUST stumbled accross the "flip your image"/ hold it in the mirror tip in one of my water colour books Im so going to try it out on my next drawings.

[wingzofdarkness]

We perceive what we see. If you draw blindly, you will not succeed. If you have seen and remembered, you will most likely do well. Copying from photographs is not a bad habit. It's like stating you should not copy from memory. There is an image in your mind or in front of you, then there is nothing wrong with drawing it out. We have to start somewhere. Later you will automatically flesh out and move on your own. It depends on how much effort you want to put into this. If you go on deviantart.com, you can look up stock images of models. They can be very useful anatomy studies.

As for GIMP, I think there are settings for your tablet (pen pressure) somewhere in the menu's option bar. I can't really help you with that since I do not own the program.

Earlier, you wrote that you wanted to make a transparent background. I just looked it up on google. There should be a layer setting for transparency. It should be clicked on. Or you could use this tutorial and follow the steps. However, I would suggest using Photoshop or PaintTool SAI instead. It has transparency features without having to select the areas you want to delete. The areas you have not drawn in would be transparent when you save it as a PNG with transparency checked. You can try 30-day free trial from them.

Edit: I also like turning my paper around and holding it to the light. Therefore I can see it without a mirror. Also, use the flip image feature in your paint program.

[ebi brain]

Thanks again!
What I meant with the transparency thing, is that I don't know how to get it to come out transparent once I save it.
for example, I usually get rid of the white background before saving my work as a jpg/png file, but even so, the drawings still get a white background. But I'll tinker with GIMP some more and take another look at that tutorial... Maybe I'm just not doing it right.

I have looked at paint tool SAI and it's on my wish list, but I don't want to get it until I get down some of the basics of drawing first.






Some watercolors, whilst I wait for my mannequin to arive.
I must say, I love masking fluid. XD

I wonder if, when scanned properly and once my skills actually improve, I can use watercolors for backgrounds..
But then I wonder what I should do once I make sprites:/
Or maybe I should use gouache for the backgrounds? Since they seem to be less transparent, so they would clash less with sprites?