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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.

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.

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.

Check out Nefer’s instagram. Thanks again Nefer for sharing your art. Looking forward to the next sketchbook.

How To Avoid Painting Uneven Skin Tones

by Matthew | Feb 1, 2017 | The Blog, Video Critiques | 1 comment

Do you find yourself struggling with painting even looking skin tones? Do the skin tones that you paint look blotchy? Yea sounds awful. I used to struggle with this big time.

Through years of practice and hard work I finally mastered both my palette and my brushes. However back in the day when I was learning how to paint there were no online video tutorials. So hopefully this video critique will provide you with a little bit of a head start in the knowledge department.

Once you understand the concept of keeping your lights light and your darks dark everything gets a little easier to understand. You also want to utilize a gradation in the light of your figure or portrait painting. For example the forehead should be lighter than the chin in form light.

Understand that subtle skin tone value shifts are usually surface plane shifts. You want to paint these value shifts less contrasty, especially in the light. This will help you to avoid drastic value shifts in the light. Drastic value shifts in the light cause blotchy skin tones.

These techniques apply to pencil drawing, traditional painting as well as digital painting. Of course practice makes perfect so get at it.

Have questions about your artwork? We are here to help. A subscription to Drawing Tutorials Online will get you instant access to our member Critique Gallery. We film member critiques every Monday.

Ellis’s Sketchbook – Beautiful

by Matthew | Jan 21, 2017 | Sketchbook Videos, The Blog | 4 comments

Simply put I’m a huge fan of Ellis’s sketchbook. Her work is very fun to look at. Ellis’s line is super slick. Ellis’s characters are drawn with such super descriptive line, it makes you want to just sit and admire them . Ellis’s characters are totally drawn out of her imagination and are absolutely authentic.

The funny thing is that Ellis was not even registered for my class on day one. Ellis joined our class a bit late and I’m really glad she did. Ellis brings so much to the classroom. Her work just has a different look and feel to it. It really inspires everyone in class to find their own authenticity.

Ultimately Ellis wants to become a director. Which basically means she will most likely be drawing less in the future. So for now I’m just going to sit back and enjoy watching Ellis draw in class. I’m also going to enjoy filming her next sketchbook sometime at the end of this semester.

I trust you will find something in Ellis’s sketchbook inspiring. I found her whole process to be inspiring. Both her light construction lines as well as the the look and feel of her finished drawings.