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Phoebe’s Sketchbook Part III – Incredible Interiors

by Matthew | Jun 24, 2017 | Sketchbook Videos, The Blog | 5 comments

Since the first day I met Phoebe back in 2015 wow has she really grown into an amazing artist. Her location watercolor paintings are just to die for.

The way she crams so much information into one painting in just so awesome. I love sitting with her work investigating all of the incredible details.

I’ve been teaching art since 1997 and every year there are always one or two students that really stand out. Phoebe is certainly a student I will always remember. Both for her extreme work ethic and incredible talent.

It’s unbelievable to see how Phoebe can’t sit down, focus and observe her environment the way that she does. The fact that she has so much self discipline is most impressive to me. In the age of the iPhone we are all sometimes a bit scatterbrained jumping from one thing to another. To see Phoebe focus the way she does gives me much inspiration.

The other great thing about Phoebe has been her willingness to try new things. She is certainly not a one hit wonder. When she first joined my class she was mainly into drawing just short gesture poses. The fact that she is now experimenting with detailed watercolor interiors is a huge leap.

My two key takeaways from Phoebe, one, be willing to get out of your comfort zone and two, develop the self discipline to sit and work.

Thanks for reading!

Check out Phoebe’s Instagram. Thanks again Phoebe for sharing your work. Good luck at Cal-Arts!

Check out stills of Phoebe’s sketchbook below.

Madeleine’s Sketchbook – Part Two

by Matthew | May 6, 2017 | Sketchbook Videos | 2 comments

Madeleine was enrolled in my foundation drawing class at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan New York. Madeleine is definitely playing by her own set of rules. She wants to create her own animated series for Cartoon Network.

I am a very big fan of Madeleine’s artwork. It’s extremely non traditional. It’s extremely cartoonish. It’s extremely colorful.

Personally I tend to gravitate towards realistic art displaying a dull color palette. But when it comes to Madeleine’s work I just cannot get enough of it.

Being a professional artist my entire life I truly appreciate Madeleine’s output. She creates so much art in such a fast way. You can really see her passion shine through.

What you want to take away from Madeleine’s sketchbook is passion! Madeleine has so much drive and so much passion it’s something you want to take note of. Yes even if you are only into traditional academic style art.

I can really see Madeleine succeeding. She knows who she is as an artist. She knows where she wants to take her art. Madeleine has clarity to the ninth power.

Check out Madeleine’s website. Thanks again Madeline for sharing your art. looking forward to the next sketchbooks.

Sydney’s Sketchbook – Bouncy Cartoon Characters

by Matthew | Apr 8, 2017 | Sketchbook Videos

Sydney is currently enrolled in my Friday drawing class at the School Of Visual Arts. Sydney is an Animation major which is perfect. Her characters are quintessential cartoon to say the least.

What I love so much about Sydney is that she is super comfortable in her shoes. She is not wishy washy about what her work is all about. She loves drawing bouncy cartoon characters and she is really good at it.

I also love that every character has a definite facial expression. Drawing diverse facial expressions is super hard to say the least. Especially for someone like myself who was trained in an academic style.

Whether you like cartoon drawings or not Sydney’s work is definitely something to take note of. She is super clear on her process, style and subject matter. That means a lot in my book. It usually means success.

With Sydney understanding what her work is all about she really has a step up on the competiton. I really can envision turning on my TV, switching over to the cartoon network and seeing Sydney’s work. I just hope that she remembers to tell me when it’s on!

It’s so very important to have a clear vision for you and your work. If you don’t know where you are going with your work, all of that practice can make it feel as though you are just spinning your wheels.

Thanks again Sydney for sharing your art. You can check out Sydney’s YouTube channel here.

Natalie’s Sketchbook Part Two

by Matthew | Mar 25, 2017 | Sketchbook Videos, The Blog | 5 comments

Natalie is a student currently enrolled in my Foundation Animation drawing class at the School Of Visual Arts in Manhattan New York. We’ve got one month left in the Spring semester. I will miss Natalie and her incredible drawings, however she is onto bigger and better things. Natalie is pursuing a career as a Character Designer and Visual Developer.

Natalie’s character design is super authentic. Her characters combine elegant beauty with a touch of grit. I truly love how Natalie works to balance out each sketchbook page through cut out pieces of origami paper.

Her incredible line quality adjacent to pattern and vibrant color really work together. As a teacher looking through Natalie’s sketchbook is very inspiring.

I hope you find some inspiration as well from browsing through her two sketchbooks. She is of a group of students that is just playing at such a higher level.

Check out Natalie’s Instagram.

Ting’s Sketchbook

by Matthew | Mar 4, 2017 | Sketchbook Videos | 1 comment

Ting is a student currently enrolled in my drawing class at the School of Visual Arts. As you can see from flipping through her sketchbook she has made great strides in a short period of time. Ting’s improvement is actually pretty awesome.

How did she improve so much in such a short period of time. Education, direction, focus and hard work. Ting is currently away from her home in Colorado. She is spending a lot of time drawing. She is totally focused both in the classroom and out of the classroom.

I especially love the way she draws her twisty dark looking animal type characters. I also very much like how she is using what she calls, cheap bank pens.

If you would like to improve faster you definitely need to educated. But that is just the first step. You then need direction and feedback on what you are doing right and wrong.

You need to be focused, not always jumping to the next shinny thing. You also need a strong work ethic.

It is certainly a pleasure to have Ting as a student in class. I hope you enjoyed looking through her sketchbook and are now inspired to get out there and kick butt.

If you are looking for direction and feedback we are here to help. Check out our membership site.

Check out Ting’s tumblr.

Check out Ting’s tumblr. Thanks again Ting for sharing your amazing drawing with us.

Nefer’s Sketchbook – Delicate & Detailed Line

by Matthew | Feb 18, 2017 | Sketchbook Videos, The Blog | 1 comment

Nefer is a student currently enrolled in my Foundation Drawing Class for Animators. Every Friday I teach at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan New York. This year’s class is something special to say the least.

Nefer is one of the many gifted students who has agreed to share her sketchbook with us. Of course I get to review it each week in class. But sharing it with the World on Youtube is another story.

Nefer’s goal is to become a key frame animator. She also wants to publish her own comic book. I think those are two totally attainable goals for her. Nefer’s character design is pretty interesting to look at. Her line work is super detailed and very delicate. I am very much a big fan of Nefer’s work.

It’s super important to set goals for yourself. Even if they seem so very far away. With constant practice and review Nefer should reach her goals after graduation. Of course she has a lot of work ahead of her. Remember it’s super important to enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

I really appreciated being involved in a small part of Nefer’s journey through art college. Nefer is a super nice person with a ton of raw talent. I’m so glad to have her as a student in this year’s class.