iPod Turtle

Continuing one of my current themes, here's a TMNT hand, drawn and colored on an iPod Touch using Sketchbook Mobile.  I thought I could draw and ink something more substantial today, but being errand day, it was next to impossible. I was constantly bumping into little obstacles that took up the extra time I was counting on. So worked on this piece, bit by bit. Coloring is always fun. Doing this in public, folks would seemed to think I was busy "playing" some game. People fiddling with iPods and other mobile devices are usually taken for granted these days. If I had a sketchbook out, it would have been a different story.  I didn't get to draw much with pencil, but I got some ideas down for the piece I really want to do.  This was just something to keep me warmed up, and entertained.  I like how it turned out. It helped me pass the otherwise boring time, waiting in line. I hope you like it. Have a great art time!

Quick Sketch And Guest

Out for a quiet family dinner. Sketchbook out 5 min before the order was ready. Drawing duel vs daughter. I drew her, and the beautiful lady next to her. She drew mom and dad with great skill. I love those smiles. She wins! Get you next time!

Ninja Must Practice

Still on a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle kick (no pun intended) I'm practicing the forms. This warm-up is based on an awesome reference wallpaper by Capmoreno found in Deviant Art. I did give it a few alterations. The breast-plate sort of follows the standard. Capmoreno had done his own interpretation, beautifully colored, and someone had pointed out that the collar area was different. Critics are good, but sometimes they get too picky. The original piece is simply awesome, gritty, and tending towards realism. I mean, why get so picky when the original idea is a cartoon. Artists can interpret and give anything their own "flavor" or twist. I believe that is what makes art original.  Thanks so much for the inspiration, Captain!

Turtles And Loomis

Tonight I wanted to practice some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and some expressions from Andrew Loomis' book "Fun With A Pencil". The turtles were fun and practice for something I'm planning. They were from reference, but I loosened up a bit, trying not to "copy" so much this time. They're fairly easy shapes, and great to give them character, so to speak. With the expressions, I was just exploring the lines. Other than happiness, surprise, and maybe despair, I had not tried any others. They didn't come out too real for my taste, but they'll improve with practice. Lots of face muscles involved that are not that evident. I can tell Loomis' "shorthand" all over, and its the first time I realize feel the fact that you only need a few special lines to convey emotion. I didn't render any of these too much. I wanted to do them quickly, and used very few construction lines. I'm trying to get away from the copy "vector" I take when trying on new things from reference. I'll get there, little by little. My favorites tonight were the turtles. I'm really getting to like these guys. I think there's lots of potential to give them a personal style, but I don't have them quite down yet to let go completely of the references.  Well, that is all. I hope you enjoyed them. Any comments will be greatly welcomed. Thanks for stopping by!

Dentist Office Sketch

Here's a quick sketch I made while waiting my turn at the dentist's office this morning. This lady was waiting for her companion, and the impulse to sketch hit. I couldn't stare at her, so I drew her with a few glances. She seemed bored and worried at the same time. Picking up her cell phone to talk about some party going on later. People using cell phones in public are mostly unaware everyone can hear them. They should be more aware of their surroundings. A few glances gave me enough visual information for this warm up sketch.  Call me the roving sketch artist.

Loomis Blocks

Today I went back to "Fun With A Pencil" by Andrew Loomis, for some practice. And here's some process too. His variation this time teaches that using "blocky" construction shapes, one can achieve more character or personality on these heads. I've included construction lines/shapes in the 1st scan.

Then fleshing out the features in the second image. For the third image, I erased my work until faint, and went at it with darker lines. I've varied the original models a little bit, and was tempted to give them a good personalization, but time got the best of me.

This was page 23. The next page is is titled "Blook Poses", which corresponds to the first Loomis drawing I posted as "Mr. Blook". The following section is all about expressions. I have a feeling I'm going to have fun with that one! I hope you liked these.Thanks for dropping by!

Loomis Heads - Will They Ever End?

Yes, I know. Even more Andrew Loomis heads for practice.  A few of these a day will hammer down the principles. These are from page 22 of "Fun With A Pencil". The impulse tells me to forge on because they will teach me something. I've learned there are many methods to draw heads. Let's call them "tricks" or "recipes". So far I know of 2 methods (actually 3 because 2 of them are Loomis' own). I'll branch out and test others that my good art buddies have pointed out too, but for now, its Loomis! These kind of take me back to my dad's younger times (at least that's how I associate it). Nostalgic style, yet proven basic lines. I'm also learning to draw tilted heads. Can't wait to draw heads that don't belong to older men, though. I do like that first one. Thanks for dropping by!

Shiny Rubber and The Science Patrol

Ultraman! One of my childhood tv heroes. Watched the Spanish dubbed versions, on schedule, after-school.  I remember pretending to transform using a 50 color fat retractable ball-point pen held up high! Today I look get dizzy looking at all the character spin offs.  Oh, and that pin that he wears, I wanted to be in the Science Patrol. The helmets were dorky, but the suite was cool! LOL.
So much for fan boy stuff. This pencil sketch was done from reference images, and please excuse the ill-planned hand at the left edge.  Looking at the "uniforms", I bumped into the multi-faceted looks the "Ultramen" wore, and decided on the original's silver/red rubber suit. I couldn't resist including the uniformed SP officer. The actual changing pen device turned good enough to be a prop. Focus on Ultraman! :)  Proportion is good, but the officer's shoulders still kind of through an optical illusion vibe when I look at it. All in all, happy with it. And also happy I finally drew Ultraman.  Hope you fan-folks enjoyed. Thanks for stopping by.

Enough Loomis Heads Already!

I wanted to include something non-Loomis here today, but time got the best of me. Here's page 20's exercises.  Why are all these older folks?. This is from FWAP (AnCome one, it's easy, and you don't have anything to loose! Thanks for dropping by!drew Loomis' "Fun With A Pencil").  I think I understand the building process enough to experiment later on.  I'll apply "Loominess" to a future drawing, and see.
I'm working on a sketch of one my favorite hero characters from the late 60s.  Clues: Name starts with a "U", and it is not "Underdog", and it is not a robot (I think). Here's the deal.  If you guess it before I post it, I'll sketch something for you!  The "winner" must guess using Twitter (I'm @gonzalexx) OR, just leave a comment here! Only one correct guess. Hope you folks try!  Thanks for dropping by!

More Loomis Heads

I was going to post yesterday, but things got complicated, so I added some more practice to this batch. You can see now I'm getting a bit looser (and sloppier). The idea of using shapes on the sphere to mold the final face is excellent. This brings me to page 19 of "Fun With A Pencil", and there's plenty more coming, but I'm not going to bore you these all the time. I'll pick and choose from now on.

This exercise is great. I'm beginning to see the method to the madness. On the lighter side, why do all of these have huge ears, and are mostly aged men? (I added a goofy young guy) - You can tell I started variations about midway on this run, and a couple of them ended up so different that I had to try them again. I'm really enjoying this, and I think I'm going to explore all of Loomis' books (even if the rest look more serious than this one).  Thanks for dropping by. Leave me a comment, with a request, or suggestion. It will make me happy. Have a good one!