Patrick Bosworth
Los Angeles
Editor at Proko!
@lynzendra
added comment inProject - Simplify to CSI
3d
Asked for help
CSI~
2d
Awesome job! Really clean simplifications, I love the personality of the camel! Keep up the good work!
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2d
Asked for help
Top: before the demo | Bottom: after the demo. Also mandatory comment on laces.
2d
These look great! Nice job!
Asked for help
For my 1000th post, I thought I would share a project I'm working on. This is for a T-shirt design, I'm working on.
In this case, I did the first draft without checking any reference. If I have a strong idea for something, I'll have a go at it to see what I can pull from my head. At this stage, I'm just looking for interesting shapes and compositions that will work for the Marines in this particular unit.
On my second draft, I'll start bringing in the reference. I looked a few great white sharks for some details and as I'm not that familiar with the vehicles, I had to find pictures for all of those. Because I couldn't find the vehicles in the positions I needed them in, I just had to get a sense of their proportions and apply some simple one point perspective.
All the text is added in Adobe Illustrator.
Still a ways to do before it's done, but for those who like process stuff, these are the steps so far.
2d
This is the Street Sharks + GI Joe mash-up I never knew I needed! Awesome design!! Great thumbnail, you really had a clear composition in mind, and it reads clearly. Awesome to see it translate so smoothly to the next stage, can't wait to see this one finished!
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3d
Congrats on your new tablet!
Here's a great Procreate Dreams demo from Aaron Blaise!
https://www.proko.com/lesson/procreate-dreams-animation-tutorial-with-aaron-blaise/discussions
Also check out Alex Grigg's channel "Animation for Anyone," he has some GREAT free tutorials!
https://www.youtube.com/@AlexGriggAnimation
Can't wait to see what your animations!
3d
Hey Mark, great pages! For future assignments, you only need to post work in the lesson assignment page to be considered for the critiques. Looking forward to seeing more of your work! https://www.proko.com/course-lesson/assignment-page-layout-and-thumbnailing/assignments
5d
Thought I’d put a spin on the traditional portrait. Sentinel head done on ipad. Did more of an eyeball approach here. Fairly happy with it, a few minor issues.
4d
Nice work!
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4d
Excellent brush set! Great feel, and awesome results right out of the gate!
10d
Asked for help
I. Am. Struggling.
So after drawing a whole lot of yawning hippos that all look very similar, I have gone to the internet to look for other hippos and I’m posting the first drawing that I actually think is cute.
I am having a lot of trouble making the hippos look appealing. No offense to hippos. To be fair, it’s not their fault.
Still struggling. Not giving up. Gonna find more hippos.
6d
Nice work, cute hippo! I noticed you're using a lot of curvy C, and S lines, but not a lot of straights. Stan also mentions in the project video "don't be afraid of corners!" Try to balance your curved lines with straights, and corners. It will help to add structure to the bony areas of the hippo like the eye sockets and muzzle. The straights contrast the soft roundness of the neck and body and make it feel like it has some structure underneath. Keep up the good work!
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6d
Hey @ickabod! I mostly switch between Photoshop, and Clip Studio with a Cintiq, and Procreate on the iPad. I find myself using Procreate a lot lately, mostly because it's quick, portable, and I don't always want to break out the Cintiq. Infinite Painter is another great option for both iOS and Android. Procreate and Infinite Painter are the most affordable programs with a one time purchase price and it's yours forever. Photoshop and other industry programs have moved to a subscription service which is hard to recommend. I've had a good experience with Affinity Photo as a Photoshop alternative. It's a one time purchase, and a great Photoshop clone. Hope this helps!
9d
You mentioned Brian Hitch as great reference for laboratories etc, but when I Google image search his name plus terms like "Ultimates" or "laboratory" or "backgrounds", all I get is his character art. I'd rather not buy the entire (expensive) Ultimates omnibus just for a few ref images of labs, since superhero comics aren't really my style; but I have no idea how to search for reference for specific things like sci-fi robotics labs (which is a setting in the original comic I'm working on). In particular since I'm not into mainstream comics (again, not really a superhero gal) I don't know all the big names for artists or who to follow for ref. Any tips?
6d
Hey @lemayelyse! I like to search whatever artist I’m looking for + Pencils to find the original pages without ink or color, so “Bryan Hitch Ultimates Pencils” will usually get you started with some decent images to begin your research. The Libby Library App will let you download comics to your phone or tablet for free using a library card and The Ultimates series is on there! Jack Kirby is known for his sci-fi technology in comics and there's a ton of it out there to look at. It might seem a bit dated at first glance, but he's a master of suggestion with his work. All of his creations are believable, solid industrial designs, and are built from primitive shapes that seem to connect and function believably. Worth checking out! Manga/Anime is also a good spot to look for convincing tech and sci-fi inspiration. Shirow Masamune and Ghost in the Shell is an essential Manga/Anime for robotics and sci-fi labs. Pinterest is also a great resource for pulling together a ton of reference images that you can use to piece together different elements for your backgrounds. When researching it helps to start with real examples of what you're looking to design. Pinpoint what kind of work your lab does and research images for actual robotics labs like Boston Dynamics, or industrial fabrication facilities/Steel Manufacturing plants, CNC Fabrication or Machinist Shops, etc. Starting from real examples of how these spaces look will help you build your own convincing locations. Also look for real industrial designers or concept artists like Scott Robertson to pull some ideas for how to design believable tech. Simon Stalenhag is another favorite illustrator who uses mechs/robots in a lot of his painting/storytelling. Your reference doesn't have to be limited to comics, so feel free to compile references from anything that speaks to you creatively, it will all make your work more unique to your artistic sensibility. Hope this helps!
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Did this one while watching the video, still figuring it out. Any advice would be great! :)
6d
Nice job!
Lots of great options out there! Wacom has long been the industry standard for digital art tablets and pen displays, also check out the options from Xencelabs, Huion, and XP-Pen, they all make really great tools to fit every budget! If you're looking for a portable pen display where you draw on the screen also check out the iPad Pro and Procreate, it's a great option. Hope this helps!
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After demo attempts. Holy cow laces are no joke! Need to practice those. I found announcing "S CURVE!" or "C CURVE!" out loud to the ether while alone in my workshop helped me focus.
9d
Nice work! I also found actively asking "What is this line? Is it C, S, or I?" before making the line was actually really helpful when simplifying. Keep it up!
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9d
Asked for help
For my Master, I chose Josh Hunter Black, (he has an anatomy course on Proko now!), someone whose line I have admired for a few years. He creates amazing gestures and designs super clean. I reached out to him on Instagram to ask some questions about his method and he was kind enough to answer them for me. I previously purchased a tutorial of his from GumRoad, and I could see how he moved his brush in Photoshop, and other important nuances.
Here is my effort at understanding his style. He uses softer lines for edges perpendicular to the light rays from the source, and harder edges for those parallel. Further, he darkens his lines when he wants to show a t-overlap, to indicate which is wrapping, as well as for perspective - those objects closer will be thicker and darker than those behind.
9d
Excellent work!
10d
These are awesome! I LOVE the chickens!!
10d
Very eye-opening exercise! I'll be staying here for a few more attempts to get the feel of this, especially after watching the demo.
I'm definitely struggling with holding the pencil and focusing on moving my arm instead of my wrist. Additionally, I need practice with my values.
Now I wanna eat a pear.
10d
Nice work! Great shape breakdown!
10d
Asked for help
After Bill Watterson, Dave Dorman and Heinrich Kley
10d
Excellent studies, love the Watterson!
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11d
Hey there, Ale! Great figure drawing, really beautiful work! The Drawing Basics course has a great lesson on drawing ellipses that might help. https://www.proko.com/course-lesson/how-to-draw-cylinders-and-ellipses/discussions
Asked for help
This is an unrelated question to the project but related question related to developing the observation skills. How can we train the eyes to improve the composition of the drawings that we are doing (I know right now its an individual drawing but for the sake of understanding). My main purpose to learn to draw is to improve my design skills (My ability to see and observe). Maybe something to this effect is mentioned in the later videos but if anyone who has knowledge in also improving composition skills while learning to draw. Any input would be much appreciated:) Thankyou
11d
Composition is kind of it's own area of study. Check out this episode of Draftsmen about How to Learn Composition, it may answer some questions for you.
https://www.proko.com/course-lesson/how-to-learn-composition-draftsmen-s2e15/discussions
There's a whole section of the Community dedicated to Composition worth checking out to see how others are composing their work, and the challenges they're facing.
https://www.proko.com/community/categories/composition
Just ahead in the Shapes lesson of Drawing Basics Mike Mattesi talks about shape composition and visual storytelling, a great lesson that uses film examples to discuss shape language and composition. (You can watch this video anytime and get something new from it, so if you're curious feel free to jump ahead and watch it!)
https://www.proko.com/course-lesson/shape-composition-with-mike-mattesi/discussions
Also check out this video from comic artist David Finch on composition basics and visual storytelling.
https://www.proko.com/course-lesson/basics-of-comic-composition/discussions
All that said, Composition is a huge topic. At its most basic, Composition is just the organization of forms and space. A quick way to improve your compositional eye, even for individual drawings, is to plan the placement of your drawing on the page before you start drawing. Stan will cover this soon in Basics, begin your drawing by estimating the top, bottom, left and right most edges of your drawing and mark them lightly on the page before you begin to give yourself an envelope to contain your drawing. That’s always a good first step at composing your individual drawings so you don't run out of room on the page, and over time your eye will develop for how to use the space available to arrange your work.
Hope this helps!
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