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Haveson’s Sketchbook

by Matthew | Jan 3, 2020 | Sketchbook Videos, The Blog

Haveson was enrolled in my class for just one semester. Unfortunately Haveson was pretty sick for most of the semester. Although I am very happy to have had them in class.

Haveson’s work is very much centered around character design. My philosophy on becoming a professional artist, draw mainly what you love. It’s hard enough to become a professional artist, you might as well draw what you love.

With that being said, I also encourage students to experiment a lot during their first year at college. It’s so super important to draw many driverse things in your sketchbook early on.

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

Merlin’s Sketchbook – Details

by Matthew | Dec 14, 2019 | Sketchbook Videos, The Blog | 6 comments

Merlin is currently enrolled in my foundation drawing class at the School Of Visual Arts.

What I love about Merlin’s sketchbook is the variety. She challenges herself to draw many diverse things. From birds, to interiors, to the figure to fan art, variety is her thing.

When you are on a journey to learn how to draw, a great thing to do, especially at the beginning of your journey is to draw diverse things. This will open your up to see what you like to draw.

Merlin has such strong line, she is very confident with her artwork, she powers in the lines beautifully.

The other great aspect of looking into Merlin’s sketchbook, you can tell right away that she is having fun with what she is drawing. She is diving right into drawing difficult poses and things like complicated birds. Do your best to follow Merlin’s lead, having fun while challenging yourself to improve.

Check out Merlin’s Instagram. Thanks again Merlin for sharing your art. I look forward to your next sketchbook.

Kaylee’s Sketchbook

by Matthew | Nov 30, 2019 | Sketchbook Videos, The Blog

Kaylee is currently enrolled in my foundation drawing class at the School Of Visual Arts. She is an A+ student, to say the least.It was pretty cool to hear that she has been watching DTO’s sketchbook videos since grade school.

I forget how long I have been filming them. I guess since the first generation iPhone came out.

If you stick with Kaylee’s sketchbook video you can really see her progress. Towards the end of her first sketchbook, she is drawing in a looser way. Most of her drawings have a lot of movement.

When you see the beginning of her second sketchbook that is where we really see her progress.

Kaylee did flip through her sketchbook a little fast. But if you look hard enough you can find some awesome little gems.

Definitely check out Kaylee’s Instagram. Her artwork is pretty amazing there. There is lot’s of digital color work with movement. Thanks again Kaylee for sharing your art.

The Four Boxes Technique

by Matthew | Nov 13, 2019 | The Blog, Video Critiques

Jan recently posted up this portrait drawing for a critique. It was from my Shea Portrait course. Jan is looking to get a likeness when drawing a portrait.

Being able to get a likeness is difficult. Sometimes a student will need to use many diverse techniques. Some techniques click with certain students while others do not. You will need to experiment with multiple techniques until you find the one that works for you.

In this video, I share with Jan the Four Boxes Technique. It’s pretty simple. First, you should draw the exact size of your photo reference frame. So if your reference is 8 x 10 inches, draw an 8 x 10-inch boarder on your piece of paper.

You will need to split the frame vertically down the middle, then across the middle. This will leave you with four boxes. You then draw what is in each box. Nothing earth -shattering here.

this is just a drawing technique that will help you look at drawing a portrait differently. Again, this is just an exercise. This four boxes technique just give you a different perspective on drawing correct proportions.

Thanks so much, Jan for sharing your artwork in DTO’s member critique gallery.

If you are looking to get your artwork critique definitely check out Drawing Tutorials Online. I offer member critiques every Monday. If you are looking for a more in-depth approach to having your artwork critique read more about my one to one coaching.

YeFei’s Sketchbook – Incredible

by Matthew | Nov 9, 2019 | Sketchbook Videos, The Blog

Every so often I get a student that has a perfect combination of raw talent, an incredible work ethic, tons of passion, and a good sense of humor. Yefei is that student.

I will let his sketchbook speak for itself. This one does not start slow, however, Yifei improves immensely as the sketchbook progresses.

As you look through Yefei’s sketchbook you will start to see a passion for history, specifically the history of Yefei’s home country, China. Personally, I would like to see him push this historic narrative in his work.

When working as an illustrator, the books I enjoyed working on the most were history books. I enjoyed painting historical costumes and all that came with the timeframe of the 1800s.

There are so many things to take away from Yefei’s sketchbook. One is to draw what you are passionate about no matter what anyone tells you, and, work hard. Yefei does not do one drawing for the assigned homework, he does five. We can all learn from Yefei.