Character Design | Drawing Tutorials Online Blog

Song’s sketchbook – Visiting Student Day

by Matthew | Mar 31, 2018 | Sketchbook Videos | 3 comments

Song was a student in my class a couple of years ago. She visited my my class recently and lucky us, she brought her sketchbook.

I remember back in the day when Song was a student in my class she was a little lost. She was completely unsure of herself. Her confidence was just not there.

However she perservered and her skill set began to grow. Her confidence also started to grow. It’s really amazing to see her progress. She always had a natural talent within her, it just needed some nurturing to allow it to flourish.

We all periodically lose our confidence when it comes to creating our own artwork. The key is to keep creating. Never stop learning new techniques, never stop taking classes.

Yes you want to be aware of the talent around you. Yes you want to have role models too. But there comes a time when you just have to put your head down, cut away all of the noise and get to drawing. Get to working on you.

That’s just want Song did and I’m happy to say that she chose me to be her thesis instructor. It should be a wild ride and I’m totally ready to help in any way I can.

Take a look at Song’s Instagram.

Read more about some of the courses offered at Drawing Tutorials Online.

Alice’s Two Mini Sketchbooks

by Matthew | Mar 17, 2018 | Sketchbook Videos, The Blog | 3 comments

Okay you have definitely got to check out Alice’s two mini sketchbooks. All the way from Shanghai Alice can draw with the best of them. I knew from way back in September of 2017 that Alice had a lot of natural raw talent.

Her life drawing is super bold. Her life drawings are big and they have a ton of gesture. I really like how Alice adapts to different drawing environments. Her life drawings are really expressive. She draws mainly with her arm in class, not her fingers.

However in her tiny sketchbooks she is able to draw in such a loose way using just her fingers.

Arms, hands and fingers, you want to use them all when you draw. Always mix up what you are drawing on, just like Alice. In class she draws on a big 18 x 24 pad. However like she said in the video she is really comfortable drawing in a tiny 6″ x 6″ sketchbook. I love that sort of variety.

Be aware of how you draw. Draw only with your fingers and your drawings can look stiff. You want to be conscious of how you draw on a regular basis. When you start to move your arm you bring a loose gestural feeling into your drawings.

Alice is really progressing in class. The sketchbook that she is currently working on is amazing. I hope to film that one in a few weeks.

Thanks for watching. Alice thanks for sharing your sketchbooks!

Follow Alice on Instagram.

Find out how DTO can help you improve your art.

Helen’s Sketchbook – 70’s Character – Marker – Gesture

by Matthew | Mar 3, 2018 | Sketchbook Videos | 4 comments

Helen sketchbook is pretty amazing. Helen is a super quiet student who arrives to class each week ready to draw. She methodically creates very beautiful drawings time and time again. Her life drawings and sketchbook drawings are both quintessential Helen.

Lot’s of bold shapes combined with strong line. Looking through Helen’s sketchbook was a great experience. I absolutely love the twists and turns her sketchbook took me through. I trust it will take you for a twisty ride as well.

The character design towards the end of the sketchbook is pretty unique. I really loved all of the intricate details, diverse shapes and interesting costume design.

Something tells me Helen is going to move onto a great career in the arts. She has a wonderful sense of design and creativity unique to Helen.

To see more of Helen’s artwork visit https://www.instagram.com/lenmonyfresh/

To find out more about how DTO can help you visit https://members.drawing-tutorials-online.com/members-login/

Ren’s Sketchbook – Short and Sweet

by Matthew | Jan 20, 2018 | Sketchbook Videos, The Blog | 1 comment

I wanted to take a moment here to share with you Ren’s sketchbook. Ren is currently enrolled in my foundation drawing class at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan New York.

I didn’t film too many sketchbooks last semester best Ren’s was a must. She arrives each week to class ready to work. Ren can just sit and draw for long periods of time, no distractions, no lack of focus.

Ren is certainly a model student who is really focused on improving her character design through life drawing.

I look forward to seeing more improvement from her this semester. Thanks for checking out her sketchbook.

Unfortunately Ren has no social media available at this time.

If you would like to learn more about how Drawing Tutorials Online can help you visit our member login page.

Emily’s Sketchbook – The Yellow Submarine

by Matthew | Dec 22, 2017 | Sketchbook Videos, The Blog | 2 comments

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a sketchbook video. I think Emily’s sketchbook is totally worth the wait. Over the course of the semester I’ve really enjoyed seeing Emily’s work progress into something special.

Her style of art is so perfectly suited for animation. She is excellent at character design with a unique sense of humor. It’s students like Emily that make teaching at the School of Visual Arts so much fun.

Think about what you can take from viewing Emily’s sketchbook. What is your main focus? Do you have a sense of your style? Does your style change with each image that you create? These are very important questions you should be asking yourself.

In 2018 I will be creating a brand new course that will help you to develop your style. Stay tuned.

To find out more about our course library visit Drawing Tutorials Online.