Matthew Archambault | Drawing Tutorials Online Blog

Albert Bierstadt Master Class

by Matthew | Aug 3, 2018 | MasterClass, The Blog | 2 comments

Every so often I film a Master Class lesson. What is a Master Class lesson you say? It’s where I analyze the work of an old master. In this case it’s the work of Albert Bierstadt. It’s a great way for members of Drawing Tutorials Online to hone their image making skills.

In this particular video below you will learn why this image works. You will also start to understand why some of your images work and why some don’t. I’m super passionate about image making. Throughout my eighteen year illustration career I was always trying to create an image that made sense to the viewer. I was always looking for ways to improve my picture making skills.

This video below is just a short sample of what our Master Class lessons have to offer you. If you would like to see many more videos just like this one check out my course listings page.

I’m passionate about helping artists improve their craft in both drawing and image making.

Thanks so much for watching. Leave a comment below, let me know if you learned something from this Master Class lesson. Click on the image below to enlarge the images from this lesson.

Alice’s Sketchbook Continued

by Matthew | Jul 6, 2018 | Sketchbook Videos | 2 comments

The Spring semester ended back in April. However I’ve had Alice’s sketchbook video on my iPhone for sometime now. Alice was an absolute pleasure to have as a student in class.

Alice’s improvement over the entire academic year was pretty incredible. She really is an example of what hard work and devotion can do for one’s portfolio of drawings. Improve them immensely.

I wish Alice all the best as she moves forward with her education in the Animation Department at the School of Visual Arts.

Alice thank you so much for sharing your sketchbook. Thank you so much for being such a great student! Definitely stop by in the future, I would love to see what you are working on!

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

Emily’s Sketchbook – Part Two – With Elmo

by Matthew | Apr 21, 2018 | Sketchbook Videos

Each year there is always a student that makes up the heart of the class, Emily is that student. Emily brings so much energy and passion into the classroom. I love her for that. If I could bottle up her energy I would, it’s fun and contagious.

Emily has really made some great strides with her artwork over two semesters. Her art is definitely unique to Emily. The shapes of her characters are really interesting. Emily also has this great knack for drawing really thin detailed line which I totally love.

With one more week left in the Spring semester at SVA I’m really going to miss all of the fun energy that Emily has for her work and the work of other students in the classroom.

Emily thanks so much for sharing another sketchbook. Definitely visit next semester, or else.

Check out Emily’s instagram. Thanks again Emily for sharing your art.

Rough Sketches – Working Out The Details

by Matthew | Mar 8, 2018 | Illustration

Okay so you’ve taken the time to find some really good background reference. What next? Well it’s time to crank out some rough sketches.

When working with an Art Director on an illustration project it’s appropriate to provide them with at least three rough sketches. It helps to get a dialogue going concerning the details of the scene. This in turn will help when working with a model during the photoshoot.

The model you are photographing for your illustration project will really appreciate seeing a rough sketch. It will most definitely help them visualize how they should be acting out the pose.

Working on rough sketches is a great time to plan and think. You can certainly use a multitude of techniques when composing your scene. I like using a grid, I also like to use big compositional shapes. Compositional shapes are big areas of light and shade.

You can also use compositional shapes to help organize very complicated areas of your image. Grouping things or people together in similar values is a great way to think about compositional shapes.

There should be a method to the madness of creating quality illustrations time and time again.

So far my method is inspiration, thumbnail sketches, background reference and now rough sketches.

Remember every artist’s process should be unique and different. There is no one size fits all to process. The point of this Illustration Process course at Drawing Tutorials Online is to get you thinking about how you go about creating images.

Are you flying by the seat of your pants? If so you need to start thinking about a process that gets you consistently good results. The main difference between a professional artist and an amateur is consistency.

That’s why I’ve created this course for you. I want you to understand and master your personal process for creating great art.

Thanks for watching.

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.