Digital Painting Final

Hello!

Here is my final for Digital Painting. I enjoyed it very much, and can't wait to start my next digital painting. Finally, some finished work.

Digital Illustration Progress

Illustration Sketches

These are a few sketches for my final in Digital Illustration and my final in Technical Drawing, and some sketches for fun!

November Paintings

I believe the title is self explanatory. The first is a portrait in oil of my friend Eben 25 minutes. The second is the beginnings of a self portrait in oil, and the last piece is an assignment for my Media Techniques course in acrylic.

It's December and I'm Painting

Paint! Paint! Paint! I love painting. So much, in fact, that next semester I am going to be in the Painting department at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Here are a few works that I did last week and the previous week.

The first photo is a section of a drawing/painting (time: 15 minutes). It was done on cardboard using pencil and watercolor pencils. I has been in the middle of watching a lecture being given by John Maeda, president of RISD when I was so inspired that I needed an outlet for all of my inspiration. I wanted to completely avoid the pressure of creating a work of art and just simply create, so I took a scrap piece of cardboard and the one medium that I hardly ever use. There you have it.

The second is a portrait of an in-class model, done in gouache in my Media Techniques class with Scott Bakal.

The third painting is in oil and was started three days ago. This is a small section, about a quarter of the whole painting, but the section that I made the most progress on. (time: 1 hour)

I am becoming increasingly inspired by contemporary artists and composers, and it's beginning to truly shape the work that I do for myself outside of school. I can't wait to post more work that I do independent of school work!

Enjoy!

A New Perspective

Hello! With this post I am diverting from my pattern of posting two dimensional art. There is so much to be said about 3D and 4D art (4D being time based media, e.g. animation and music!).

WARNING: These photos are for fun, they are not meant to represent aesthetic brilliance by any means; they're just fun thoughts that should open your mind!

Here are two fun photos. The first is a quick sculpture I did of a man, who is hollowed out for the purpose of growing plants inside of him (of course he had to be hollowed out regardless as to avoid his explosion in the kiln). There is a hole through the other half of his head and in the base, for the plant to grow outward and the water to drain.

The second photo is a brilliant discovery called "modern throne" by Dante, my boyfriend. Who would think after peeling a banana that the end of the stem resembles a modern chair or throne? It's quite inspiring to think about the potential that we all have in thinking creatively. Dante goes to Berklee College of Music, plays guitar and writes his own music. You can hear his art here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSbA3pUlZyw

Well, I suppose that's all for this post. The moral today is: don't limit yourself to one medium (2D, 3D, 4D...) and don't stop thinking outside the box! It's amazing how much this world has to offer us, so explore!

I will be posting real sculpture quite soon, so be on the lookout!

Exploring with Digital Painting

Hello, all. Here are two digital painting illustrations I did this past week. The illustration of the girl was done in Photoshop CS4. After trying out a few methods of digital painting, I fell in love with this splotchy, fun, painterly style. The boy is my second illustration executed in Corel Painter 11. I also threw in a photo from my Intro to Painting class I took last year, and I think I'll post some of my other painting work soon as well. Enjoy!

Continuing with Gesture Drawing

Hello, again! As promised, I've brought you a post on gesture drawing, a both fun and crucial exercise in drawing. Gesture drawing is extremely useful when it comes to drawing what you see, and I want to share it with everyone that wants to improve!

Gesture drawing is a crucial method in developing your skills as an artist, as it relies heavily on your ability to look more at what you're drawing than your sheet of paper, thus giving you a more realistic result! Here's a quick introduction to gesture drawing. (Remember, anyone can do it, and it's one of the fundamental stepping stones to drawing well!)

1. Choose your medium! Pencil (for a smaller sketchbook) or charcoal (for a larger pad) are fantastic for gesture drawing. (You do not need an eraser, and should not use it. Taking time to erase your lines will only leave you less focused on looking at the model).

2. Set up your surface (sketchbook or easel) so that you can see both your drawing and your subject at the same time, using your eyes and without moving your head.

*(tip: I find it helpful to stare at the subject for a minute or so before starting to get a good sense of the shapes, values and contours.)

3. Begin drawing! Draw while you're looking at the model as well as

while you're glancing down at your page. Draw quickly and don't worry about the final outcome.

Most importantly, trust your judgement. Even if you don't think you know how to draw, you really do! You just have to let go of your fear of screwing up, because let's face it, we all do. Only with practice will you begin to see the results of your hard work, so don't get discouraged, just keep practicing!

Additional tips:

If you see that a line you put down is wrong, redraw it. Quickly. Redraw, and keep drawing. Do not look at your page for more than a second because t he most successful gesture drawings are done by hardly looking at your paper at all.

Again, don't worry about your final image. This isn't about rendering a perfect or detailed picture. It's about enhancing your drawing process and developing your skills in drawing what you see! Anyone can do it, and it's a fast way to improve! Questions? Comments? Comment on this blog, or email me at carlynx@mac.com for information on personal lessons.

Enjoy, and keep drawing!

November Sketches

I recently purchased a load of Faber-Castell brush pens. They're fantastic for sketching and don't bleed or smell! Here are a few pages from my sketchbook using these pens with red ink and my favorite pen (currently), the XS Faber-Castell Pitt artist pen.

Introduction to Digital Painting

I've just started Digital Painting at Mass Art with Scott Bakal this semester... and I love it. It's probably the most suitable class for what I want to do when I graduate, and that is: Character Design & Concept Design! It's fantastic. However, this is virtually my first time trying to "paint" with photoshop, so I have a lot of work ahead of me. Here's two studies that I did in my free time. The illustration with the computer was done a few weeks ago. The unfinished girl with a dress was done a few days ago (hence it is not finished). I'm absolutely in love with Digital Painting, and I will post all of my progress up here! Enjoy.

Digital Sketch Work

Hello! Well, it's the third day of my sketch blog and I figured I would upload some digital sketches that range from about August up until now. When I sketch digitally, I tend to work from a very loose gesture. I start with something like the top left two sketches below and then begin to work details in after every every area is roughly and loosely formed in the gesture. I highly recommend this method to everyone. Although it's fun to place in the details, you'd be amazed at how much better and how much more anatomically accurate your drawings will become when you start focusing on quick, loose gestures. I'll upload a blog with some sketches to give you a firmer grasp on what a gesture truly is.

I've been working with the company, "61 Solutions" testing their software for drawing digitally. The two sketches on the left, below, are done in this program. This company has a contract with Disney, Pixar and Marvel to build this software for the artists there, however they intend on selling this product (called "Sketch") nationwide. I highly recommend it, as it is an extremely pressure sensitive and accurately responsive program. This project is still in the air, but when everything has been worked out you will certainly hear word from me when it is available to buy online (and it will be a lot cheaper than having to purchase Adobe Suite).

A Few More Sketches...

Here's a sketch I did in my moleskin of 150 Mass Ave (a Berklee building), a scene that I'm all too familiar with from the windows of the closest Starbucks.

Also, two pages from my Cachet sketchbook of observational portraits/gestures. Enjoy!

Details

Here are some details from my previously posted sketches and a sneak peek from my digital work, coming to you soon! Make sure to follow my blog so you don't miss out!

Welcome to my Blog!

My name is Carly Sanker. I've been drawing for as long as I've been able to hold a pencil. I got serious about drawing and began focusing on drawing from observation about six years ago when I entered middle school. Now I am a sophomore at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, majoring in Illustration. I'm beginning to shift my focus from strictly observational drawing to letting myself work on my own individualized style, and this blog will be a record of that.

The title of this blog, "Is She Drawing Me?" is based on my daily dedication to drawing people from observation; in a café, on the T, or in class. I'll get quick glances from people, and there's always the awkward eye contact. I know what you're thinking, and:

Yes, I'm drawing you.

I'll start off by showing some of my sketch work. Here's a sketch that I did last night in my moleskin (in gouache and pencil) along with two pages of sketches in my sketchbook from the past couple of weeks. Enjoy!