Handy!

Today, I drew my second most favorite hand in the world. For some reason I made the skin darker than it actually is... summer edition, maybe? :)

Also, I started signing my work, because you know... I'm fancy like that.

This is actually my third try drawing a hand after watching an even fancier hand drawing tutorial on YouTube. I think I'm doing OK, after all, it still looks like a hand!

I did this one in three main layers:

    - An outline layer,

    - a grey-scale "value" one

    - and a color layer which I set to the 'color' blend mode just because it sounded right :P

I decided to leave the outline visible, because I think it adds sharpness to the shape of the hand. Without it it's all fuzzy and blurry looking, and I don't want that.

And yes... I did pick an easy angle :P I'll be making something with bent fingers from a three quarter view, later.

Until then, enjoy the back of my hand :)

My hand

Nice watch, I'll keep it.

I'm finally finished with the watch project, it was one heck of a ride, but I'm ready to move on now. Actually, I'm quite satisfied by the way it turned out. :)

Nice watch

What I've learned...

First, don't be afraid to push your "limits". Notice the quotation marks, I don't really believe humans have limits, we just think we do.

Second, challenge yourself, you'll be amazed with what you can achieve. If you're stuck drawing cubes and spheres, draw a watch. :) Or anything for that matter, just make it hard. I don't want to brag but... try counting the parts on that watch! It's a lot.

Oh and also. Draw, as much as you can. But don't over do it like I did today, take brakes... You wouldn't believe me if I told you how many hours I spent on this thing... And I still could have made it SO much better! I'm just too exhausted... it feels good though ^_^

What I've noticed...

I'm really getting better at seeing objects as what they really look like, and not just what my mind tells me they look like.

Shiny stuff

One thing I learned recently - light is important. Yes, it puts emphasis on shape, but that is not what I mean. A more important function of a light source is to light the object so as you can actually see what you are drawing. I don't know about you, but drawing shiny things like this watch by use of just ambient light is confusing. It often takes a couple good looks just to figure out what you're looking at. Having a strong, nearby lamp like this USB one in the photo, really makes the object and all it's parts pop into view.

Also, I put a piece of gridded paper under the watch just so I can see the space around it better.

Spot light

Here's a quick sketch I did.

Quick sketch of my watch

I actually find it quite fun drawing things that have many interlocking parts. If you get the general shape and proportions of the object down close enough, that is. Else it can be a real pain. Make one mistake in the beginning and it all goes horribly, horribly wrong afterwards. I know because this is my second time drawing this watch. Last time I got this stage wrong, so later when I started filling in the details it all went so wrong I decided to just start over.

Don't be afraid to start over. It's better to accept failure early on just so you don't get disappointed having spent a long time doing something that was doomed hours earlier. The sketch above took me just a couple of minutes. And although that may seem like a lot to someone experienced, for someone with my level of skill that's quick.

This is what I had previously. I don't have the file anymore, but I took a photo of my monitor just in time. Lucky me...

Photo of monitor

Thinking Forward

The future of Bit Blur.

Yesterday, I thought about what future posts would provide more value then my current "random stuff" routine. Also, I thought about my new habit that I'm trying to consciously form - drawing.

And then, I had an idea. What if, somebody else has the same learn to draw "mission" I have now. Wouldn't it be nice if somebody had posted their "journey log" from when they were just starting out? And what if that somebody, was me.

I really like this thought. So, starting this moment, Bit Blur is a one hundred percent drawing blog.

That done. Now...

Obviously, by no means am I an expert at drawing, not even close... Yet, my lack of knowledge, and abundance of questions is exactly what I'll use to produce the content for this blog.

The formula.

Draw.

↓

Ask question.

↓

Find answer.

↓

Share all above.

↓

Repeat.

↻

Consequently, expect my posts to become more verbose. I will add as much detail as possible, because that's what I would want to read myself.

Time to get to work.

Here's some new stuff

First, a simple ball...

...and my attempt at a flash drive. It's still a work in progress.

Got my graphics tablet!

I got my tablet yesterday. It's really nice actually...

...this is what I made with it today

WIP: Glass Pyramid

I know my drawings still look kinda simplistic, but I'm not drawing to impress. Yet. Yes I'm ambitious, but I'm also drawing because I like to draw and that includes simple things. Also I'm trying to draw everyday, because I know that's the only sure way to improve, so you'll still need to wait a while for something breathtakingly awesome to come up.

In the meanwhile...

Yesterday I tried sketching my left desk speaker on paper. It's amazing how many details I never noticed were there. It's all curvy and stuff. :D We take our sight for granted. Seriously. Especially the perception of depth, that's tricky to recreate.

Also.

Today I went back to the digital canvas and started work on this thing. It's a glass pyramid. Working on it I started to notice my lack of workflow. One minute I'm making the outline, the next I'm simulating glass, yet later again I'm back to the outline and eventually find myself drawing with a 1 pixel sized brush and eraser.

UPDATE: Fancy Cylinder

I think I'm getting close to what I want here.

Work in progress: Fancy Cylinder

I've read up (watched some videos) on some drawing technique. This is what I'm working on. It's a fancy cylinder! :D

Buying a digitizer

Lately I found myself growing increasingly more interested in digital art. At the same time I would really like to improve my drawing skills to a reasonable level. So, I decided to pick up a graphics tablet aka a digitizer.

I have some experience drawing on the computer with the mouse, and although I don't find it to awkward, I think a pen and paper like approach would be more comfortable. Not to mention the added pressure sensitivity.

I did some research and found the Wacom Intuos Pen&Touch S to be a nifty piece of kit for a beginner like myself. I should be getting that in a few days.

In the meanwhile, here's some stuff I made with the mouse:

Owl

Bird Spider Thing

I made this one yesterday:

Piece