@Zero Angel
Thank you! I like pretty things, heh, so it's fair I try to keep up with my standards. xD
@Jabrosky
Yeah. Feathered dinosaurs and creatures like the dragon from the Neverending Story played some part in this creature idea. I wanted to deviate from the classical dragon, create a gracious creature to fill the role of pretty-but-deadly predator.
One old sketchbook page with dragonling doodles:
I've never painted one until this artwork in my last post. Tell me about procrastination... :x
***
Oh, anyone here reads the Order ot the Stick? Here is my take on Durkon:
I was proud I got out of my comfort zone with this one. A little disturbed by the wonky result, but still happy I've accomplished something heh.
Thank you, sir! I'm glad you like my work this much, that means a lot to me.
I'm trying to learn to sketch as those insanely good people who sketch things I drool all over. I'm bad at shading and I hate to get graphite smudges on my hands hahaha. Here are the pages immediately after the one I posted, with studies from random photos and stuff.
Since I'm already posting, one close up from one old piece I'm working on right now, aka Ms. Badass:
Things on the right page of the sketching book are from Dark Souls, no? I recognize the talismans used by clerics. And the big shield looked familiar too.
I should probably go finish that game sometimes, even though it has caused me several depressions so far.
It's a beautiful game with great atmosphere. The game mechanics are wonderful, the visual style very appealing and very much in tune with the game's content.
But you should probably invest in some handkerchiefs before playing it.
I read your first post and did a quick run through of the rest of this thread. I love your work. This is the opinion of someone who lacks any artistic ability, but I think you have talent. Keep it up!
Actually, I've been posting with some delay even there. Some things I'm supposed to post on fridays or earlier, but I'm just not having enough time to do that. I have a stash of nearly finished personal WIPs just waiting to be finished and brought to the daylight.
I've always wanted to learn how to paint well, and got my butt up and started practicing this week. Now I'm not sure at all, your work is just mind=blown good; hard to imagine ever being able to paint like this, not even after a decade's worth of practice ^^
Construct, you can keep your ear and invest time and effort instead. It's very similar to writing. =P
Oh, Foah... You know nothing, Jon Foah. :x
If you don't slack off like me and keep your mind open you'll be much better in 10 years.
In 2008 I had this character. This unfinished painting is a good example of the apogee of my skills at that time, and I had gone through a looong journey of in-class doodles already.
In 2012, I was here:
In December of 2011, I tentatively painted this scene. I had already entered my textured/no lines phase, but I had no clue of what I was doing, and landscapes were terrifying.
In December of 2012, I repainted the scene recreating the same conditions (time, level of finish, random canvas ratio...).
(I have a better example, from 2004, my first digital painting, but I didn't finish the rework yet, so you'll have to wait for that one. I can say it's gold, haha!)
Sometimes you progress in leaps. Others it's incredibly, painfully slow. You look at your work, you clench your teeth, you ask yourself why do you bother, you wonder if you'll be ever good. It's never good enough. During 2008—2012 I spent a whole year not drawing; I suspect that even if I kept drawing I wouldn't have improved during that convoluted times. I hadn't the eye, I hadn't the maturity. To put it simply, I wasn't ready.
During 2011—2012 my skill level didn't change that much, but the way I perceived the world changed. My dedication also changed.
Give one step at a time. If you try to grasp too much at once you will fail and get upset (I do, at least!). Observe the world around you, try to understand it instead of literally copying it and never skip something because you will never use it, "it's not your style" or something. That's self sabotage!
In 2008 I couldn't imagine I would end using nearly no lineart and texture work. I kept my lineart discreet but shied away from mixed colors, same-layer works, messy edges. It wasn't "my style", I didn't want to even try, I feared them. Silly me.
P.s. because I can't post 5 images at once: If you want to see Doon grinning creepily in another thanking post...
I know I can do better but I didn't bother–my lack of patience is my greatest enemy nowadays, sometimes I just think "**** this ****" and leave personal works kinda half-assed. I'm still giving one or two steps at a time.
I'm actually really interested in what sorts of Photoshop brushes you use for your technique. A lot of what I've done so far comes out looking quite soft--an uber-airbrush sort of look which is okay, but I'm not super wild about. What I really like about your stuff is that textured painterly effect to it. I don't know if you have any tutorials or work-in-progress flows for your pieces, but if you do please point me that way.