Two more sketches for Inktober

Here two more sketches done in Crescent Rendr sketchbook.

Day 2

Day 3

I think I will start doing pencil work first and then ink them. Also, I will take my time with the drawing.

#inktober2016 #inktober

My first InkTober

This is my first time participating in the InkTober challenge. Last year I shied away from it because I am not good at inking, or ink work. This year I decided to embrace the challenge for what it is, an opportunity to practice, create healthy drawing habits and improve my skills.

If you don't know what it is, InkTober is a challenge created by artist Jake Parker, where artists from all around the world create a daily ink drawing during the month of October. The drawings have to be done in ink; pencil is allow for the under drawing. Post it online and hashtag it #inktober or #inktober2016.  If you need prompts, there is a prompt list for each day. I am not using it yet, but I might.

So in the month of October you might see some of my messy drawings, but hopefully at the end there will be some good pieces that will show improvement. I am not planning of do this challenge completely blind, without researching and study a bit. That is why I will be using some books to get some advice and techniques about drawing with ink.

Join me and other artist this month to create and to grow as artist and creative people.

What other challenges do you know of? Which ones have you been part of?

So far I know of 29faces challenge by Ayala Art and Inktober.

Digital portrait study and speed up video

 Here is may realistic digital study portrait, drew with Manga Studio 5x. I wanted to keep it within a one hour frame, but still went 5 minutes over. This was a great exercise to do and it was fun to learn a bit about how the program works and what I can do with it.

For reference, I used Rembrandt's Portrait of Haesje van Cleyburgh. There are many issues glaring back at me in terms of resemblance, but I am happy with what I have accomplished with the program so far.


Here is the speed up video, enjoy!!

Growing in the imperfection

I have been having a hard time giving value and recognizing my quick and experimental sketches as something important and worth showing. Just because they don't fit the mental image I have of how I wanted it, doesn't mean they are not good. Nor the fact that I was just experimenting and playing around and things didn't work out as I thought they would.

Warm ups for figure drawing

 

 

Every little sketch, word, musical note, sculpture that is created, regardless of our opinion on it been successful or not, is worth something. It mark a step closer to our goal, to the final product, to something maybe even better than the first image we have of it in our heads.

Hand studies

  

That is the reason why I decided to start counting the faces I am making or struggling to make as part of the 29 faces challenge, regardless of how much they represent or not my best skills and art. This is not easy, I feel raw, exposed and vulnerable. Why? Because I want to show you my best, I want my art to touch you in the best way possible. And it is with that thought in mind that I am showing you the not so perfect, because I want to inspire you to practice and keep moving forward regardless what your art is; I want to grow in this artistic endeavor with you.

Faces #16 & #17 (Distress and Tombow watercolor markers)

Face #18 (Inktense blocks on Stillman & Bin Beta Series Sketchbook)

Face #19 (art journal page in progress)

Face #20 (Study for future painting)

Not everything is perfect, we are not perfect, but there is beauty in the imperfect and the possibility to grow. Looking at how we progresses in our respective arts is very rewarding and fill us we pride and even more motivation to continue honing our skills and craft.

Markers and more markers!!

The 29 faces challenge is almost over and I am still trying to catch up. This is a goal I set for myself, so I am really trying to finish all 29 faces, even if it is after the challenge ends. As with all of the other faces, I have been experimenting and practicing with a variety of media.

Face #14 is another alcohol marker (Copic markers) on Copic marker paper, this time, as you can see, with inked lines.

I have always admire those beautiful line and marker illustrations, so I decided to stop postponing it for a later time and start practicing. I am way far from where I want to be, however I am feeling more inspire to continue practicing and see how much I can improve. 

Face#15, the same approach as with face #4.

Here I tried to get a better blending. I really like how the face came out. It is fun and challenging at the same time, such an unforgiving but also liberating media. 

Daily sketching challenge

I have decided to work harder to improve my drawing and sketching skills, so I decided to challenge myself and try to sketch daily. The objective is to sketch random stuff that is around me and fill up a whole sketchbook in a month. For me the biggest challenge is to sketch out in public, so I am pushing myself to do it. So far I have only sketched at a dinner once and so fast that you can tell; but it is a learning process and I am sure that I will get use to it.

Although I haven't sketch daily, I am trying to narrow the gap between days and sketch at home.

I like to start my drawing/art sessions with warm-ups. This is an example of a warm-up in newsprint paper.

These are my daily sketches so far.

For the eye I used Caran D'Ache Neocolor®I.