Taking a break from drawing roosters, hippos and buffalos! Gave Robert Montald a go today. Trying ballpoint pen was a lot of fun. There were several interesting lessons to be had from copying his lines. My main takeaways were: 1. His shadows often go in a direction from the light source (not as much following form, I think). 2. He uses smaller lines to indicate form (the short ones on the arms). First I thought this was to show the texture of the jacket. However, I later found the same lines going over skin in other drawings. 3. He has fantastic control over tension in fabrics. It looks as if he draws lines towards points of tension (eg a button) and then fills out shadows between the lines. I enjoyed the tension in the shirt as opposed to the loose suit pants. 4. Montald has great knowledge of anatomy. Same as any other master I enjoy copying. I came to think of this because he indicates the extensor tendons on the back of the hand. Also, he has fantastic sense of gesture! Any critique is most welcome!

This was a challenging exercise! Happy for any critiques or suggestions for improvement! I spent a looong time on figuring out the hippo. I ended up doing studies of the animals, simplifying a bit more with each drawing. The rooster and buffalo were easier once I figured out the method. I was more happy with a sketch triangle rooster than my "final drawing", included a closeup. I’ve also included a 'Roosterpotamus' as a fun bonus!"

This project just made me appreciate Karl Kopinski even more. Studying this opened my eyes to how in control he is. Trying to emulate the taper and organic feel of his lines made me realize just how NOT in control of my lines I really am, and how much I need to study and practice. Tried to do some self-critique as well. I realized after watching a like 25 of his Reels that he definitely doesn't always start with the eyes. Looking forward to more studies like this!

Wanted to play with shapes a little before starting the official assignments. But simple does not fit into my vocabulary so I went and finished my design :3

I tried master study from Glen Keane.

Would love any critique! These are a lot of fun to do! Its an easy assignment to fall back on when not feeling very creative. References included. I kept going with the De La Torre studies after watching Stan's demo. I did the Old Hun in his entirety as well as a Viking study. Found it hard to work with graphite so I wanted to try with ink which worked much better. Main takeaways were: 1. Separate your lines. Spacing the lines can really alter the perceived value. - I could've improved this in the Hun and did a better job with it with the Vikings. 2. Use lines that go with (and imply) the underlying form. This was a reoccurring theme in both De La Torre's and Watts's works. - I could've thought about this more in the Hun.

After doing a couple of Jeff Watts studies I wanted to do an original (with a reference image) but with "Jeff Lines" as Proko calls them. I am fairly happy with the end result, though I think I could've had more line variation and some crisper edges to make it pop a bit more.

Great demo! Had a bit of an epiphany while following along. Even though it is really discrete, Watts seem to be using harder lines on the lit side of the subject, with more cast shadows. I find this interesting, to me, it feels counterintuitive compared to the "light/shadow"-studies we did earlier in the line chapter, but I love the effect it has on the end product.

I chose Jeff Watts to study. As many have commented before me - I found it hard to analyze why certain lines were drawn the way they were. I think he outlines cast shadows with hard lines, which he does to great effect!

My rhinos turned out pretty bad so I tried to make it simple. Started with a simple still life photo, progressing to my shoes and then a photo from Lisbon. Really enjoyed the process and the progression, I never really considered lines to make such a difference!