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Anna’s Sketchbook – Animator’s Delight

by Matthew | Mar 16, 2019 | Sketchbook Videos, The Blog | 1 comment

Anna is a student currently enrolled in my foundation drawing class at the School Of Visual Arts. I really enjoy having Anna in class. Her work ethic is pretty amazing. Not to mention she is super friendly.

Anna’s sketchbook is really special. She just absolutely loves everything animation and it really shows. Her characters have some really cool expressions. Movement and flow are a constant theme throughout her sketchbook.

I can really see Anna making great strides in her journey through SVA. She has such a passion for animation that will enable her to learn while having fun at the same time.

Loving what you do is such a key ingredient to becoming a successful artist.

Check out Anna’s Instagram. Thanks again Anna for sharing your art.

Coe’s Sketchbook – Beautiful Line Quality

by Matthew | Feb 16, 2019 | Sketchbook Videos, The Blog | 2 comments

Coe is a student currently enrolled in my foundation drawing class at the School of Visual Arts. I’ve always been a big fan of Coe’s life drawings in class since very early on in the semester. When they had agreed to film a sketchbook video I was super excited.

Coe’s Sketchbook drawings really inspire me, specifically their line drawings of birds and other animals. The line used to draw birds is spectacular and only improving with each passing week.

Coe works is really unique and authentic. Coe thank you so much for sharing your art!

Check out Coe’s Instagram. Thanks again Coe for sharing your art.

Dennis’s Sketchbook – Quiet & Cool

by Matthew | Feb 2, 2019 | Sketchbook Videos, The Blog | 2 comments

Dennis is a student currently enrolled in my foundation drawing class at the School of Visual Arts. Dennis is certainly a quiet student who goes about his learning in a methodical way.

You can really see the progress Dennis makes in his sketchbook. Towards the end his drawings just take on a whole different feel. They becomes much more relaxed. Dennis’s drawings look much more refined.

It really is amazing what can happen when you push yourself to finish two sketchbooks in fifteen weeks. If you want to improve your artwork you just have to draw more. It’s really that simple. I’d like to say it’s about quality and not quantity, but it’s really about more versus less.

Specifically when learning how to draw. When it comes to creating pieces for a portfolio, then it’s quality over quantity, less is best.

Thank you for taking the time to take a look at Dennis’s sketchbook. I trust you will see his progress.

Check out Dennis’s Instagram. Thanks again Dennis for sharing your art.

Dan’s Sketchbook

by Matthew | Jan 19, 2019 | Sketchbook Videos, The Blog | 2 comments

Dan has got to be one of the nicest people I have ever met. He is extremely talented and very respectful. I really love having Dan as a student is class. His appetite for learning is so infectious. Dan is always asking questions, always looking for more feedback on his work.

Dan’s life drawings are truly amazing with a ton of power and vitality. He is in a really good place with his artwork right now. The future is bright.

The one thing I wish for Dan moving forward is to allow his growth to happen naturally. Dan wants to improve, like now. I know that feeling, you are improving, but not fast enough. The one thing I have learned over the years is that you cannot force how fast you can learn.

Our mind is like a sponge, it can only absorb so much information in any given period of time. You have to allow your mind to take in the information and process it. Putting what you have learned into practice does take some time.

I like to compare learning to the growth of a tree. A tree can only grow so much in one year. You cannot force it to grow six feet in a year, that’s just not natural. How we take in information and apply it is very similar to the growth of a tree.

Allow yourself to enjoy the process of learning. Yes push to improve, yes be extremely competitive, strive to be the best. However enjoy the process of learning how to draw. Set your eye on the destination and enjoy the sights along the way.

Dan thanks once again for sharing your art!!

Check out Dan’s Instagram. Thanks again Dan for sharing your art.

Delaney’ Sketchbook

by Matthew | Jan 5, 2019 | Sketchbook Videos, The Blog

Delaney is a student currently enrolled in my foundation drawing class at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan New York. Delaney is from sunny California and you see that sunshine ring through in her artwork.

I knew right off the bat that I was going to ask Delaney if she wanted to film a sketchbook video, I was so happy when she said yes. I think it’s important to see a sketchbook like Delaneys. Mainly because it shows no fear.

Delaney has absolutely no fear. She just draws in her sketchbook not worrying if everything is going to come out perfect. I’m one of those people. I’m always looking to make that perfect drawing, that finished product.

If you can relate then Delaney’s sketchbook is a must watch. You want to think of your sketchbook as a draw dump. Just let go and practice. Let the cards fall where they may. Throw out the perfectionist mentality and good things will happen. You can save the perfectionist mentality for you finished art.

There are so many great things to take away from Delaney’s sketchbook. The fact that she just draws so much is one of them. The other is that she is in constant experimentation mode. I really do believe that your sketchbook should be a place for experimentation.

What stuck out to me while watching the sketchbook video was when Delaney mentioned that she has to add color after the fact. She showed a drawing with no color, I immediately got where she was coming from. For Delaney’s style of work color is a must.

I’m going to certainly experiment with using a bit more color myself. I hope you enjoy Delaney’s sketchbook.