Author Archive for Stan Prokopenko
Reacting to Your SELF PORTRAITS! – Stephen Bauman #Prokochallenge
The results are in for the August Self-Portrait Proko Challenge. Artists were given the freedom to stylize it or be as realistic as they wanted. Stephen Bauman is a professional portrait artist and is the guest judge for this month. He goes through the submissions and provides feedback and also picks the top 3 winners.
Taking Risks to Get Your Dream Job (ft. Marvel Artist Anthony Francisco) – Draftsmen S2E19
Senior Visual Development Artist Anthony Francisco joins us to talk about creature design and how he went from a minimum wage job to his dream career as an artist! Anthony has worked on some of the biggest movies in the Marvel movie universe. He designed Baby Groot, costumes for Black Panther and many more. You’ll hear how Anthony’s fake portfolio and his sketchbook landed him his first few jobs, how his life in the Philippines influenced the direction of his art, and the advice he’d give to artists who want to pursue the kind of career he’s had as a concept designer for blockbuster films.
Anatomy of the Foot
If you’re a Premium Member of the Anatomy Course – View the Lesson It’s time to dive deep into the anatomy of the foot. In this follow-up to How to Draw Feet, we’ll really examine the muscles of the foot so you can draw them like a pro! If you want more examples on how […]
Painting the Head from Imagination – Lighting without Reference with Marco Bucci
Marco Bucci drops in as a guest to teach you about the basics of the asaro head! You’ll learn how linear drawings and a finished painting each convey form, how lighting affects the planes of the face, how their direction and positions influence how you’d paint the forms of the head and the values you’d apply to it. After watching this you’ll be able to use this info to create natural lighting without reference.
Showing Off, Saying No, and Marshall Gets a Prank Call – Draftsmen S2E18
Marshall and Stan field voicemail questions about balancing time an artist should devote to input and output, what kind of message they want to convey with their art, how much showing off is too much, and whether an artist should take a pay cut to create artwork for friends.
How to Study Masters – Draftsmen S2E17
In this episode, Stan and Marshall discuss studying from masters. You’ll learn the difference between a master study and a copy, how beginners should approach studying masters, the artists that Stan and Marshall have done studies from and lessons they learned from them, a breakdown of the creative process, and how to figure out which artists are worth studying.
From Graffiti to Fine Artist – Stephen Bauman Interview
Did you know Stephen Bauman used to be a graffiti artist? In this interview he talks about how he transitioned to fine art, his time studying at the prestigious Florence Academy, the differences between how Florence Academy teaches students vs a traditional university, and what he had to learn after going beyond the sight size method.
The War of Art – Draftsmen S2E16
Drill Sergeant Stan and Major Marshall review the book “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield. The book was written to help artists tackle some of the mental challenges that get in the way of creating. Using war as a metaphor, the author offers solutions to get things done by defeating ‘resistance’ – the difficult obstacles artists face. Both Marshall and Stan have caveats with Pressfield’s advice though, and like everything else, it depends on how you apply it.
Illustrate a Space Mission 500 Years from Now! – Sinix Judges #Prokochallenge
3…2…1… LIFTOFF! It’s time to announce the winners of the July Proko Challenge! In light of the recent Space X / NASA launch, artists were challenged to illustrate what a space mission might look like 500 years from now. Sinix, fellow Art YouTuber, picked the winners based on originality, consistency of vision, well-thought-out implied story, and convincing execution in terms of design, color, lighting, dynamics, and perspective.
How to Learn Composition – Draftsmen S2E15
Composition is technical, creative, and incredibly subjective. Marshall teaches us how to learn composition and suggests artists and resources that will help you learn more about it. Marshall talks about breaking apart master paintings to learn how to compose, focal points, contrasts, metaphors, harmonic armatures like the golden ratio, among many other things. Marshall has years of experience teaching this subject so there’s a lot to absorb and be inspired by when it comes to composition.
