Bertie's Media Empire

Buried alive

2011-07-17T11:57:00.004+10:00

Strange?

2011-06-25T11:12:00.001+10:00

Fatigue has been a barrier to doing a lot of drawing the past couple of months, so all you get here are a few random sketches, with whatever meaning you want to extract from them...

Idea

2011-04-24T11:40:00.000+10:00

Buffy

2011-04-08T10:11:00.000+10:00

It's been quite a while since I've managed a decent likeness of anyone. Quite happy with this as a step in the right direction (and way better than attempts in previous years).

A little

2011-04-06T16:17:00.000+10:00

I haven't done as much drawing as I'd planned over the past week of holidays, but here are a couple of things I like.

Firstly, not as complex as drawing a person, but good practise in observation, with a little shading thrown in.

Secondly, a really quick series of sketches of the same subject in different poses. While I'm short (empty...) of ideas for my next comic, this type of stuff is likely to be a key underpinning for whatever I do.

Serenity

2011-03-15T19:43:00.000+11:00

Face

2011-03-06T11:00:00.002+11:00

Felicia elf

2011-03-05T19:38:00.000+11:00

Many issues with this one, but I'm giving myself points for effort, since I haven't moved past the quick sketch stage for a while :)

Source photo here.

Pose

2011-03-05T11:46:00.002+11:00

Excited?

2011-02-19T13:45:00.002+11:00

This actually came out more scary than excited, but whatever...

Wintry

2011-02-16T16:30:00.000+11:00

The lines are pretty sloppy but you get the idea...

Shadeface

2011-02-13T19:40:00.000+11:00

Creature

2011-01-30T11:23:00.000+11:00

No reference for this, just straight out of my head. I may return to it for some shading and touch up, but I think it's creepy enough as it is.

In control

2011-01-12T10:49:00.002+11:00

The Doctor and Amy

2011-01-09T09:52:00.000+11:00

I couldn't get The Doctor to look right, but Amy turned out well:

Recovery

2011-01-08T10:56:00.001+11:00

I'm slowly starting to push past the drawing block which started Sept last year, building some momentum before work uses up a chunk of energy again starting Monday.

This is the best of this morning's pics:

Lighter

2011-01-03T10:06:00.000+11:00

And, obviously scared by the last post, here's this morning's trivia :)

Emotion

2011-01-03T10:05:00.000+11:00

I think I consciously avoid conveying any of my emotion within my drawings, which is (one thing) stopping them from having any pretense of being art. One of my aims this year is to at least occasionally explore something beyond the practice of drawing, to put a little of myself into what I create. The below are a tiny first step:

And I didn't necessarily mean to put me as an image in the pictures, although that's how these turned out...

Finger painting

2010-12-22T12:51:00.000+11:00

My first iPad drawing, done using nothing but my index finger and an expensive toy...

This one worked OK, but I've found it tough to get any decent result since.

Peace

2010-12-21T11:32:00.000+11:00

I've been suffering major drawer's-block, due to my usual over-thinking (plus an unhealthy dose of fatigue). So I'm reverting to just going through my reference photo stockpile, and not questioning the importance or usefulness or anything else. I either draw or discard, steadily moving through the (virtual) pile. If you have any requests though, definitely happy to steal inspiration :)

Nude shade

2010-11-20T11:57:00.000+11:00

I've drawn a bunch of nudes over the years, but this is the first one I've posted. The actual drawing was a bit ordinary in this case but I liked the shading on its own.

Final dose

2010-10-29T16:17:00.001+11:00

Dose 3

2010-10-29T16:15:00.001+11:00

Dose 2

2010-10-29T16:06:00.000+11:00

The wait is over

2010-10-27T16:46:00.000+11:00

Well it took me 6 months, but I finally delivered Liv's birthday present, meaning the drawings contained therein are now fair game for posting :) Here's a first taste:

Wonky

2010-08-25T14:31:00.000+10:00

Some earlier stuff

2010-08-25T12:12:00.000+10:00

Something different

2010-08-25T12:07:00.000+10:00

Maybe the influence of watching Art Nation vodcasts...

and with a splash of colour...

Hiro

2010-08-18T11:31:00.001+10:00

Continuing my Heroes theme, as I only have 3 eps left of season 4.

Sylar

2010-08-08T10:37:00.002+10:00

My new drawing setup

2010-08-08T10:35:00.002+10:00

Bought a crazily expensive new PC on Wednesday, with the ability for dual screens and speedier handling of graphics apps like The GIMP a major reason. It certainly gives me more room to move than when the reference photo and the blank page had to share a single screen.

Jacob

2010-07-19T17:35:00.001+10:00

I was asked to draw this specific Twilight-based pic, thus the detour from my usual subject matter. Fairly happy with it, although still suffers from "likeness issues" that I'm continuing to chalk up to impatience.

Watercolour

2010-07-18T10:58:00.001+10:00

My first tentative step into the world of digital watercolour. Plenty to work on, and I still drew more than painted, but an interesting change for me nonetheless.

I haven't really used the freedom to experiment that doing my art digitally provides, except for a couple of little colouring efforts. For me the main barrier to painting has always been that it involves supply shopping (the dreaded s-word!). Digital painting avoids that hassle, so no excuse remains :)

Colour Experiment

2010-06-19T13:26:00.001+10:00

It's actually easier to demonstrate how I move from one step of a drawing to the next when I'm doing it digitally, as long as I remember to do it in layers.

The actual base sketch for this is a bit dodgy, but I like the colouring.

Surprising news

2010-06-16T20:28:00.001+10:00

The best of my 5 drawings for the day, this was originally going to stop at the "pencil" sketch stage, but I felt like adding some colour. I think it turned out well :)

Lean

2010-06-12T20:45:00.001+10:00

Drawing #12 for today, after 6 hours, my highest count ever, and ever more encouraging results.

I'll hopefully stick with this level of commitment for another few weeks to lock in the drawing routine that slipped after my return to work.

Fire

2010-06-12T20:41:00.001+10:00

A possible alternative design for my Pyro character... if I go the T&A route...

Selection

2010-06-11T19:36:00.002+10:00

May was an almost entirely drawing-free zone, after I'd managed 2-3 hours a day the previous 2 months. Luckily I've made a better effort so far in June. Here's just a sample.

Creature

2010-05-02T10:27:00.001+10:00

I have no idea what this guy was doing in my head... One of the very rare occasions where I genuinely captured what I saw in my mind's eye. Maybe my drawing skill is slowly starting to catch up to my imagination :)

Eagle

2010-05-01T10:43:00.001+10:00

More of my favourite animal, again taken from my March stockpile. I have drawn about 180 pics in the past 7 weeks, so no surprise I haven't thrown up everything on Flickr.

Tiger

2010-05-01T10:41:00.001+10:00

Another pic saved from March

Defiant

2010-04-20T21:53:00.001+10:00

Since I'm busy preparing a couple of drawing-based birthday presents, my current drawing output is top-secret. So here's something from March which I haven't published before.

Inked

2010-04-05T10:57:00.001+10:00

Really happy with this one. Turned a quick sketch into something interesting with dramatic shading. I think all the proportion practice is paying off too.

Fed up

2010-04-05T10:55:00.001+10:00

Just something quick and easy, aiming at simple expression and body language.

Face

2010-04-05T10:54:00.001+10:00

My last couple of faces lacked symmetry, so I went with the easier profile... I'll keep working at the front-on shots though :)

Face

2010-04-05T10:53:00.001+10:00

Somewhat wonky...

Face

2010-04-05T10:52:00.001+10:00

Rather than just rushing through sketches, I wanted to go back to more of the detail work. My first face for about a month...

Waiting

2010-04-03T13:09:00.001+11:00

Supercolour

2010-03-21T11:02:00.004+11:00

Step 1...

Step 2...

Reflect

2010-03-21T11:00:00.001+11:00

Scene

2010-03-20T08:43:00.001+11:00

A very quick sketch I drew while testing whether a 39" TV as my monitor was better for drawing. Turns out that's a bit too big... my eyes took a couple of hours to recover!

Today

2010-03-17T19:08:00.001+11:00

Many drawings today, this is just a selection.

Turns out if I'm well enough to sit at my computer, drawing acts as an excellent distraction from the current craptacularness of my health.

Big cat

2010-03-14T21:46:00.001+11:00

Today's been equal parts miss and hit with my drawings, but thought I'd at least show I'm still going, even if it's something simple.

Sketch

2010-03-13T20:23:00.001+11:00

Another thousand like this and I'll be comic-creating ready :)

Sketch

2010-03-13T20:22:00.001+11:00

Some more simple linework and shading

Jennifer Garner

2010-03-13T14:25:00.001+11:00

My celebrity portraits have been few lately, as I've focused less on likeness and more on emotion or action. This one turned out OK though.

Fashion

2010-03-13T14:23:00.003+11:00

Hoodie

2010-03-13T14:23:00.001+11:00

Mostly interested in the shadows and folds.

Startle

2010-03-13T14:22:00.001+11:00

Pose

2010-03-10T19:59:00.001+11:00

Lex Luthor

2010-03-10T19:58:00.001+11:00

My clumsy attempt at some colour and a glowing polyhedron...

Heart glasses

2010-03-10T15:31:00.001+11:00

I think I'd started dodging the drawing of hands again, falling back into old habits. So this one's all about the hands :)

Bevy

2010-03-08T10:48:00.001+11:00

Despite my lack of uploads, I have been averaging a drawing a day (and accelerating as I head towards my April holiday). Here's a small selection from the 30-odd sketches I've done the last month:

Feet first

2010-02-03T20:43:00.001+11:00

Different angles and perspective make me work harder at observation, and hopefully give a more interesting result.

Shoot first

2010-02-03T20:42:00.001+11:00

After only 3 hours of drawing during Jan, thanks to laziness as much as the heat, I'm trying to make a concerted effort to get some momentum back. Here's one simple result.

Speeding up

2009-09-14T19:58:00.000+10:00

I just started my 7th sketch pad (or, more grandly, visual art diary). Adding in pages I've drawn outside these, I've filled something like 440 pages in the past 3 years. That only averages out at around half an hour of drawing a day. Most of what I've read about getting good at anything indicates I'll need to up that to something more like 2 or 3 hours, if I'm serious about developing.

That said, I've drawn more in these past few years than the previous 32 years put together, so I'm allowing myself a little pride, for improved effort if nothing else :) And nothing breeds quantity better than statistics, so I'm sure my latest pad will be full in no time!

Then and now

2009-09-12T15:23:00.000+10:00

Sometimes (OK, often) I find myself doubting there's been any improvement in my outputs. I wonder if the (admittedly meager) commitment of time I make to drawing actually moves me towards a skill level I'm proud of. And then I accidentally see an old effort and a new one side-by-side, and realise that I've made some definite positive steps.

Here's a comparison between a Kate Beckinsale drawing I did July '07 and one I just finished:

The week so far

2009-09-09T13:10:00.000+10:00

After a very productive day of drawing last Wed, I nearly let things slide again, but Mon night I did another couple of hours, and I'm about to start hour 2 for today. Mostly I'm just drawing quick sketches from my pool of reference material, rather than committing to any one detailed picture. I'm happy with the results so far, and enjoying the variety. Here's a selection:

Scream

2009-09-01T20:04:00.000+10:00

I'm really pleased with how this turned out. My results have been a bit mixed lately, so it's nice to have a drawing fall out easily.

Some more sketches

2009-08-23T16:28:00.000+10:00

August

2009-08-18T20:20:00.001+10:00

I still need to work out the best settings to clarify my scans, as the old s/w I used died completely last month... The tablet-drawn pic shows clearly though!

More collages

2009-07-25T13:29:00.000+10:00

I haven't been drawing anything too detailed the past few months, but I thought it was time for me to at least show off a sample of my output from June and July:

Felicia Day

2009-06-22T16:29:00.002+10:00

Inspired by watching The Guild S1 and S2 last week, as well as a re-watch of Dr- Horrible. Turned out OK I think.

Here's the pic it's based on.

More shading

2009-04-24T20:36:00.000+10:00

I was trying a different technique with this one, and it didn't work quite as well as the previous two. I think the unshaded version is probably best (would have been nice to know that a hour earlier, and I could have left it as it was!).

Salma Hayek

2009-04-24T14:01:00.002+10:00

An all-digital effort, which turned out really well:

Dark and smiley

2009-04-23T10:37:00.000+10:00

I've traditionally been scared of ruining the "perfection" of my line art, meaning that my shading has been hesistant at best. Which is exactly why I bought my digital tablet. Below is the result of actually using some dark shades, and I think it gives me heaps of scope for treating my initial drawings as just a starting point.

Faces

2009-04-16T10:53:00.000+10:00

As much as I love drawing women, it was time for a change, so here are this morning's efforts:

Heroes

2009-04-12T10:12:00.000+10:00

Another (I think) successful likeness:

I've spent 9 hours drawing since yesterday morning, and (un)surprisingly the result is a steady improvement in consistency and accuracy. Who'd have thought that doing more drawing would make one's drawing better...

Another collage

2009-04-11T16:51:00.003+10:00

A small selection of my recent output:

The comic begins

2009-04-04T13:04:00.000+11:00

Here's a little teaser of my in-progress comic (this is part of the cover art). Working title: "Krafty vs Sizza and Knotz".

All suggestions or requests for story or art welcome! Sometimes my own creativity and motivation aren't enough on their own :)

Nervous

2009-03-29T10:30:00.002+11:00

I'm really happy with how the hand turned out in this one:

Alyson Hannigan

2009-03-28T19:25:00.004+11:00

Not quite as successful, but still an OK picture:

Jessica Alba

2009-03-28T16:22:00.001+11:00

Really pleased with how this one turned out:

Lost

2009-03-28T16:20:00.003+11:00

I've been doing lots of rough sketches lately, but wanted to target some more likenesses. While I was too lazy to fill in the hair, I'm pretty pleased with this one:

Mixed bag

2009-03-22T08:42:00.000+11:00

I did lots of drawing yesterday, so here are a few highlights from this month to celebrate:

It's nice not being afraid of drawing hands anymore, gives me much more flexibility about the pictures I take on.

Just chillin'

2009-03-11T19:56:00.003+11:00

Getting angry

2009-03-09T15:45:00.002+11:00

I wasn't aiming for a comic style with this, but it looks just like a John Byrne rip-off (ahem, homage) from my high school years.

Action!

2009-03-09T09:50:00.003+11:00

In preparation for my upcoming adventure comic, a little taster:

Disclaimer: No comic actually upcoming...

Loss

2009-03-09T09:49:00.000+11:00

I think this captures an emotion really well. Exactly what the emotion is... that's up to you :) I've gone for "loss" as the title suggests, but happy for other suggestions.

Basketball

2009-03-09T09:47:00.004+11:00

A very rough sketch that I think worked well capturing an action pose.

Quantity

2009-03-07T19:24:00.000+11:00

Nothing very different in this set, so I thought I'd group the varied results as a single image. This has a mix of electronic and pencil, see if you can pick which are which :)

Allison Mack

2009-02-18T21:21:00.001+11:00

Commemorating the fact that I watched Smallville S1-7 in less than 4 weeks, and that my favourite character was undoubtedly Chloe, I think this may be my best likeness ever:

Sitting

2009-02-18T17:59:00.003+11:00

I hadn't drawn anything with pencil this year, so thought I'd go back old school:

Neve Campbell

2009-02-15T09:16:00.000+11:00

Still not a great likeness, but shows more of what's capable with my tablet. It's one of 14 pics I've drawn the past 2 days, so using the tablet as a motivational tool continues to work.

Compilation

2009-02-14T08:25:00.000+11:00

Before the heatwave I'd been doing lots of drawing, and was finally able to return to it yesterday. Here's a compilation of some pre- and post-summer efforts:

A taste

2009-01-27T11:53:00.003+11:00

Some experimenting with using a "paintbrush" rather than a "pencil" for shading. Worked out quite while, I think.

Face

2009-01-11T16:46:00.001+11:00

I've done a bunch of rough sketches via the tablet - I've spent about 15 hours using it since Friday - but this is definitely the best of them:

A new drawing tool

2009-01-09T13:00:00.000+11:00

I've actually wanted a graphics tablet since before I ever had a computer (so for at least 20 years). I made a deal with myself that if I did enough drawing over the course of December I would buy myself one, and 50+ hours counted as "enough" so here is my latest gadget addition:

and the start of the first drawing I've attempted with it:

I was a bit nervous that it was going to end up a white elephant, taking up desk space, but it's been surprisingly easy to use, and I think will result in more, better and more varied artistic efforts from me in the coming year. Maybe even some colour!

Under the bridge

2008-12-24T20:40:00.001+11:00

Pianist

2008-12-24T20:39:00.003+11:00