Weekly Drawing Prompt Thread

yeah i think upside down works great!

I agree that the upside down positioning draws the viewer in more.

Thanks guys. Upside down it shall stay.

This week's (last week's?! Urgh...) picture for 'sandy':

IMAGE(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7TufsJgE09M/XyWeNEDGOCI/AAAAAAAABoU/y4zFH_U-3OwBtWzYqEAM4ziWT__bOqo-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1000/30%2BSandy.png)

Next is UFO, apparently.

It is UFO, and here's mine!

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/U4DOQ9I.jpg)

Also, very cool drawing, Ravanon!

And also, I second your "urgh." I wish these prompts came out on Monday instead of Thursday, because it makes the "this week/last week" label very confusing.

Just a quick drawing this week for 'UFO':

IMAGE(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C2G2SghVGKw/XyxiBOvCIKI/AAAAAAAABow/9tEIH9TBF9s9nsgTrQ-x-oIrJztR05IiACLcBGAsYHQ/s1000/31%2BUFO.png)

Very cool!

I just saw this week's prompt is "tail." What with getting ready to start the semester and other things keeping me busy, I don't know when I'm going to have time to draw it, but hopefully I'll find a few minutes here and there...

I was having trouble coming up with an idea for 'tail' that wouldn't end up being about something else that happened to have a tail, but I had a bit of time on the train and drew this:

IMAGE(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZfWR0RaUqeA/XzRMULZM_QI/AAAAAAAABpM/x0CQCM-8acszQlsH_iZga3SL6LoCGDf8gCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/32%2BTail.png)

A bit lazy perhaps, but it keeps me ahead of the prompts!

Mario_Alba wrote:

I just saw this week's prompt is "tail." What with getting ready to start the semester and other things keeping me busy, I don't know when I'm going to have time to draw it, but hopefully I'll find a few minutes here and there...

When in doubt, do something simple and move on I think. Hope your work isn't being too overwhelming what with everything that has been going on of late.

Very nice, Ravanon! And done on the train, huh? Very productive! It looks really cool, and the shadow on the ground is a great touch.

I almost gave up this week... was actually going to do so until I read your post. I've started teaching at a new school (classes started today), and I've been spending a lot of time planning and getting things ready. In addition to that, I'm going back to college, so I'm going to be taking some classes in the evening starting next week, and I've been spending a lot of time planning for that and getting things ready. I honestly don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to stick to these weekly drawings, let alone the actual Inktober month in just a few weeks. Not doing it would be a bummer, because I've done it for the past five years in a row and I would hate to give it up, but I guess we'll see. Until then, I will try to at least get these done once a week, but as all the essay reading and paper writing and test grading pile up... well, let's see what happens. In any case, here's my "tail" (that just sounds weird):

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/nQGiqrW.jpg)

Hello
I was kicking myself to do some drawing and thought joining a challenge would be good. I'm not really a part of any online communities at the moment and thought that the GWJ forums would be a great place to start. I've had a look through the thread to figure it out a bit (and generally peruse the awesome art) so I think I've got the gist. Let's see if I can do better than a one week streak...

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/HbKoxxO.jpg)

Amazing linework Mario! It looks so confident/intentional.

Welcome, SteamingBadger!

I'm glad you joined the fun, and with a cool piece to boot! Humor always gets me.

Also, thank you for your kind words. I try to use the brush for most of these challenges because I feel I don't have too much control over the lines, so it's good practice but also relaxing, because I'm just playing and having fun. I think I do a "better job" with the Copic pens because I can control those lines much more, but a lot of the time I think the lines look way more lifeless than the ones I get with the brush. In any case, I'm glad you like them.

Welcome! You can't possibly do worse than me right now, so it's all good! (Though to be fair I am still drawing....stuff...just not inktober stuff )

I had to upgrade to OS Catalina for one of my college textbooks to work, and the upgrade rendered my version of Photoshop and Sketchbook Pro unusable. I downloaded Sketchbook (not Pro, apparently) for free, and when I opened it to color this week's drawing, I found out the upgrade had also messed up my Cintiq settings and I was unable to calibrate the pen (I will continue to search for the option). I'm telling you all this so that you understand why the colors on this week's drawing look even less stellar than usual. All that said, here's my "brain:"

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/1Jc8FX8.jpg)

I've just installed Krita and used this week's challenge as a test run (hence hilarious amount of layer effects) and enjoying it so far! The most surprising thing is that the drivers that stopped being updated in 2011 for my ancient Wacom tablet still work so it wasn't just behaving like a glorified mouse.

Mario - I think the colours look really complimentary to the characters and (dare I say...) punchy!

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/6UXfjfA.png)

My lockdown "Brain" consists of spending a lot of time with the cat and obsessing over food.

my time has almost entirely been taken up by a couple of commissions and also...maps. In fact, i literally spent all day today finishing the city map for my homebrew campaign. I am SUCH a nerd.

Here are said maps in totality (so far at least):
You'll need to open them in new windows for best effect, they're pretty big.

The world map:

IMAGE(https://smackfolio.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/queensmarch-world-map.jpg)

The City of Northreach (top middle of world map, where my current short campaign is running)

IMAGE(https://smackfolio.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/final-northreach-map.jpg)

and the dungeon layer that exists below the surface, lined up with the city map superimposed in the background. Just the line work for now. I need to sleep

IMAGE(https://smackfolio.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/undercity-wip2b.jpg)

I've also got the job of doing 20(!) maps for an upcoming haunted house collaborative D&D adventure for the DMs Guild (one map per room encounter, in both 2D and pseudo isometric styles - should be super fun) AND another commissioned map to colour.

Basically it's all maps all the time for me right now and i'm not even sorry.

Very cool brain, SteamingBadger! I really like the graphic-design feel of it and the colors as well, even if I can't think of a pun about them.

And pyxistyx, awesome maps! I love maps, and all the detail you're including in yours is mindbending. Very cool!

Uurgh... running late again. Here's my quick 'brain':

IMAGE(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qoaiMQ2ElN8/X0D-pOlwtsI/AAAAAAAABpo/4TyHx1rgPxUAAVAZtba--MiRRG6gZi7hgCLcBGAsYHQ/s875/33%2BBrain.png)

Really like the maps, pyxistyx.

Your drawings are always so cool, Ravanon!

I'm early this week with "gauntlet." I had the great idea of drawing while doing some online training I just really had to listen to, so I was able to make the most out of my time. It's staying in black and white, though!

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/V2gON9b.jpg)

Mario_Alba wrote:

I'm early this week with "gauntlet." I had the great idea of drawing while doing some online training I just really had to listen to, so I was able to make the most out of my time. It's staying in black and white, though!

Aha, I remember that game! (Though I never actually played it, I think. Unless a demo of a port came on an Amiga coverdisk at some point...) Some really nice linework and detailing, too.

I decided to use the 'gauntlet' prompt as an excuse to practice drawing hands, which I still find quite difficult. I then found I had to quickly draw something behind the hand, which gave me an excuse to experiment with gaussian blurring to create a depth of field effect; an effect I, um, don't actually particularly like in games.

IMAGE(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3QLPkmwNo0I/X0UZnBo0EII/AAAAAAAABqA/ojVfJP7NcOc_1HCylxQ6FxgOqylCoieswCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/34%2BGauntlet.png)

My main technical concern this time round was preventing the gauntlet getting 'lost' in the detail behind it. Probably okay, but maybe I should have used different colours?

Unusually early this week, though I'm sure I'll find a way to squander the extra time gained.

My main technical concern this time round was preventing the gauntlet getting 'lost' in the detail behind it. Probably okay, but maybe I should have used different colours?

It looks terrific as is so I am just going to offer things you could look into if you aren't 100% happy with what you've done.
-The simplest thing to do is experimenting with cropping the right side more. The green eyes will naturally draw focus away from the hand.
-Along those lines, you could narrow the helmet's opening to obscure the eyes and eyebrows to lessen their focus pull. Perhaps even have the helmet cast a shadow to partially obscure the face and blur the face even more than the helmet (double layered depth of field?)
-You could add texture to the black part of the glove. It would draw focus back and further the depth of field effect. You could also add some sort of sigil or design to the glove or metal embroidery/engraving to the rings holding the plates onto the glove. Blood splatter or edge wear on the glove?
-Going back to the cropping... you could shift the body + helmet background to the left so that the thumb covers more of the face and then crop just to the right of the thumb.
-What is the character reaching for?

Note: again, it is a wall of text but this is not a critique. It is how has this drawing really inspired me? How can I play with the story it is trying to tell?

Those are some good comments. I did mean to have the helmet overshadow the face more, but the level of shadow I put in appears to have been cancelled by the relatively light colouration of the face and lack of strong contrast between different facial features, so that's something to take into account in future. It did occur to me that I could add more texture to the glove, and I think adding more wear around the edges would have been good as well—I often leave off these kinds of details on the weekly prompts because my time is limited (and I'm lazy), but if I was to do a 'proper' job, I think your suggestions are bang on.

I don't know what (or who...) the character is reaching for, but I'm assuming it's for nefarious purposes.

That looks great, Ravanon. It totally looks like the hand is reaching out towards the viewer!

Love how crinkly that brain is Ravanon! Hats off for going full dynamic hand pose too. Did you use a static reference?
Mario- I'm obsessed with your clothes wrinkles/folds. Something really satisfying about seeing proper fabric variation.

I was going to stop at lines today but thought I'd fill it in to see if I'd closed them properly. Ended up with some jazzy colours and whacked a greyscale filter over the top to bring it back to something slightly more refined.
Unsure if I prefer regular flat or coming out of shadows version better. Maybe the former as a standalone piece and the latter if I were to keep working on it.

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/zRxJQle.png)

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/rwmYqqj.png)

Didn't realise until after I was a fair bit of the way through the sketch that most of the references were Sauron's gauntlets XD ah well...

Folds are fun!

And very nice job, SteamingBadger --I really like that glove! Very detailed .

What does everyone here use for drawing? Just curious.

SteamingBadger wrote:

Did you use a static reference?

Yes, I took a photo of my own hand, though the rest of the wrist and the armoured man behind it was done without reference.

SteamingBadger wrote:

Unsure if I prefer regular flat or coming out of shadows version better. Maybe the former as a standalone piece and the latter if I were to keep working on it.

As a standalone, I think I also prefer the former. Very dark backgrounds draw the eye away from a light foreground image I find, especially if the foreground is also outlined in black, unless the foreground is already quite dark. If you continued working on it, you could add shadows so that the foreground more naturally 'emerges' from the dark; you could also add a darkened mid-layer behind the foreground—in this case maybe showing hints of the beast's shoulders and neck—to create the same emergence effect, albeit from the other way (if you get my meaning).

astralplaydoh wrote:

What does everyone here use for drawing? Just curious.

For me, Apple Pencil on an iPad Pro, using the Procreate app.

Oh hey, I finally reached 'consultant'. That took (checks join date)... a ridiculously long time.

I stumbled across an art streamer that said to use video as reference. (and then scrub through to find the frame that captures what you want)
It is really smart because there is something more natural about actually punching, sitting, carrying versus posing a punch, sit or carry.

Mind you, this is also one of those guys that does tablet "reviews" and then proceeds to do all wacom products. (even obscure no longer available ones) He also knocks the $3000 cintiq 32 in because it is too big. Which to me is an understatement. And why does something like that need to be "reviewed"?

I have been using Affinity Designer, Sketchbook, and I have no idea why I haven't bought Clip Studio Paint yet. I use paint for basic screenshot cropping/resizing and google slides for markup and shapes (for documentation screens)

CSP has so many things I want to use yet I am squabbling over $50. I am hamstrung waiting for a sale or knowing that as soon as I purchase it for $50, it will go on sale for $25. (it does a few times a year) I hesitated a few months ago when it was on sale and now I spend way too much time beating myself up for it.

I tend to have sort of this fatalist slant when it comes to my artwork. I am good at getting things that fail to live up to their expectations. Yet, when there is something I really could work with, I hesitate and get discouraged. There is another program that I should absolutely love that is a Unity plugin. (the guy really should make a stand alone version, he'd get so much more sales) It is called Clayxels and it is 95% of an idea I had for an app that I would commission to have done if I won the lottery. Yet it is a whopping $29 and I am letting the fact that it is a unity plugin stop me from getting it This could jump start so many projects I frustratingly keep in my head. (cities, landscapes, characters, vehicles, equipment) It is basically like the hammer editor that I have used for years to make hundreds of levels and concepts but it adds the feature that it is live, non destructive booleans and resolution independent.

Clayxels looks like you could export those operations into some kind of distance ray field for a Dreams like art or efficiently ray traced rendering. If its not for those purposes then it seems like a sculpting tool would do the trick, or maybe boolean operations in Blender?

It fully supports shaders and it is a unity plugin so I am curious why no one has tried it with VR... It uses SDF (signed distance fields) BTW. It should be a pretty decent Dreams clone.

There are definitely benefits to it being a unity plugin. You don't have to worry about adjusting scale, or axis orientation. Or things like normal flipping and missing textures are not needed. It also has OBJ export to use with other engines and content creation software. A key awesome feature not shown in the video is the spline primitive. You can make tentacles, tubes and limbs, plus you can make the spline profile shape a torus for things like chains. I don't know what other options there are for the spline profile but perhaps you could import custom ones like you can in 3D Coat.

Thanks Mario!

I getcha Ravanon, I'll be sure to come back to your comments if I return to this piece or do a similar one

Soooo... is Inktober52 "cancelled" now that they're (Jake Parker) about to fight a plagiarism battle (raised by Alphonso Dunn) on the Inktober book about to be released? I was checking for the latest prompt and the comments pointed me toward the absolute s*show that is that whole thing...