Just realized there was a Visual Arts subforum.

aiki · Jul 10, 2019

Tried to upload some of my wildlife art but the files are too large. I also get a kick out of cartooning, so here are some cartoons instead:

aiki · Jul 10, 2019

And...another one:

aiki · Jul 10, 2019

And...one more.

aiki · Jul 10, 2019

Oh, and this one, too. I enjoy exaggeration of the form:

aiki · Jul 12, 2019

I like pencil crayon! Fast and cheap.

tall73 · Aug 22, 2019

Sorry I didn't get to this earlier. I like the cartoons, the Spider man one in particular.

As for the wildlife paintings, can you resample them?

starryshadows · Aug 24, 2019

Awesome! I love your cartoons! I thought the wizard one was cute! It immediately made me think of Gandalf lol! (I love Lord of the Rings). These are all really great! I like the exaggerated style.

aiki · Aug 24, 2019

My wildlife drawings (and other sorts of drawings) can be seen here:

nwaikikai | DeviantArt

Enjoy!

tall73 · Aug 25, 2019

aiki said:
My wildlife drawings (and other sorts of drawings) can be seen here:

nwaikikai | DeviantArt

Enjoy!

Thanks! I really enjoy the graphite birds. Those are fantastic.

What type of paper are you using? Your whites are very bright, and you have good contrast. Are you doing some post-processing?

tall73 · Aug 25, 2019

Ah, I always forget to switch from featured to all with DA. You should consider moving that Elk to the featured!

Do you use any techniques for layout to get the proportions down? My daughter likes graphite drawings and uses a grid method initially.

How long do those take to draw? Must be some serious time.

aiki · Aug 25, 2019

tall73 said:
Thanks! I really enjoy the graphite birds. Those are fantastic.

What type of paper are you using? Your whites are very bright, and you have good contrast. Are you doing some post-processing?

Thanks for the compliment. I'm glad you enjoyed my artwork.

Yes, there is some post-processing, increasing contrast on some of the drawings. But only some. Many of them are just as they scanned.

I use Bristol board much of the time now. It's stiff, smooth, and bright. I get great blending of the colored pencils (and graphite) on this type of paper and have less concern about the paper creasing or tearing.

I've thought of using blender fluid on colored pencil drawings, but, so far, burnishing has done the job. I sometimes use pastel pencils to make colors pop a bit. I do this sparingly, though. I've been experimenting with a water-color base layer and then pencil crayon on top to render detail. I really like the result.

There is a bit of the paint-by-number thing that has to happen when drawing light colors first and dark colors last. I don't mark out my zones of color too much, though. I just work carefully as I lay color down.

The eagle drawings took between eight and twelve hours to do. Mainly because of all the feathers. The drawing of the young elk (just the antlers and head) took about four hours. The pen-and-ink samurai drawings took maybe an hour and half each. Size and level of detail always affect time. Maybe that's partly why I like cartoons so much. They are created so quickly!

tall73 · Aug 25, 2019

aiki said:
Thanks for the compliment. I'm glad you enjoyed my artwork.

Yes, there is some post-processing, increasing contrast on some of the drawings. But only some. Many of them are just as they scanned.

I use Bristol board much of the time now. It's stiff, smooth, and bright. I get great blending of the colored pencils (and graphite) on this type of paper and have less concern about the paper creasing or tearing.

I have seen artists on videos use the Bristol board, but have never tried it. That does explain the brightness, etc. You can get it with different grain? Is there a specific brand or type your use? I might want to pick some up.

I've thought of using blender fluid on colored pencil drawings, but, so far, burnishing has done the job. I sometimes use pastel pencils to make colors pop a bit. I do this sparingly, though. I've been experimenting with a water-color base layer and then pencil crayon on top to render detail. I really like the result.

Have you tried any of the watercolor pencils?

There is a bit of the paint-by-number thing that has to happen when drawing light colors first and dark colors last. I don't mark out my zones of color too much, though. I just work carefully as I lay color down.

The eagle drawings took between eight and twelve hours to do. Mainly because of all the feathers. The drawing of the young elk (just the antlers and head) took about four hours. The pen-and-ink samurai drawings took maybe an hour and half each. Size and level of detail always affect time. Maybe that's partly why I like cartoons so much. They are created so quickly!

Good info. And yes, cartoons can be fun and expressive. A 12 hour drawing may look awesome, but it would be hard to do that too often!

aiki · Aug 26, 2019

tall73 said:
I have seen artists on videos use the Bristol board, but have never tried it. That does explain the brightness, etc. You can get it with different grain? Is there a specific brand or type your use? I might want to pick some up.

I don't think you can find Bristol board with tooth (surface texture). It's why I like to use it. Especially with colored pencil, tooth can make the work seem rather rough. I think most art paper producers make Bristol board. I don't have a favorite.