Chiara - Art School Journey

[chiara.arcidiaco]

@juanjose.bernal.rodr Thank you so much!! Probably you will hate it and have fun with it hahah It's plenty of infos but when you start understanding it it's so rewarding.

@alrooke64 Yes I downloaded the free trial for one month and then I don't know what I'm gonna do sincerely

Here there are OTHERS anatomical studies Probably there will be errors, if someone point out some problems all the critiques are well accepted.
Most of all in the last one, the abdominal group looks weird and I don't really know how to fix it

[chiara.arcidiaco]

Here is the "colored" version of my previous drawing.

Than I tried to do another full figure drawing study.

I like how the lineart turned out, but I understood that I have A LOT of problems with knees and the serrates anterior/obliques.
Here is a knee study session with some Proko videos and 3D model reference.

[AryaOk]

I love the breakdown of these muscle groups! Great job, keep it up!

[systemsoperator]

Hey Chiara, your work is really good! In particular, your lit environments are excellent.

I can only say that I agree with Vonschlippe's comments up-thread, that for shading, using a hard brush is beneficial and can give a drawing strength.

[chiara.arcidiaco]

@systemsoperator thanks for having check my journey, I really appreciate that! And yes I will follow the tip even if it will not be so easy

Today I have done an arm study and I'm pretty happy about that, I'm really upset of having applied some color hahah I am always afraid of that.
Tell me what you think, most of all the shading/anatomy part if it seems correct

[systemsoperator]

That's a great arm! Really, looks correct overall. Maybe that fold near the elbow is a little strong, and the elbow itself could be softened a bit — the wrinkles look like something hard-surface at the moment. But these are small things. My teachers would've said "now finish the hand" lol.

[chiara.arcidiaco]

Thank you @systemsoperator!! Yes after posting I noticed that the wrinkles seems fake, I should have had more attention to that.
Now I have to work a lot on hands hahah and never stop studying anatomy in general

Here is the beginning of the "nude figure sculpting" project.
I was pretty happy at the beginning but when I refined the siluette started to be.. not so good hahah
Let me know what you think (but remember that it's still a work in progress, 4 hour lesson left )

[chiara.arcidiaco]

Today I bought the book "anatomy for sculptors" and here is a torso study, not an actual sculpture but I will tackle it in the future haha
I had difficulties in drawing fibers but I was focusing more on the overall shapes and understanding the muscles.

Today I felt so bad because I was working on my sculpture and I figured out after putting so much effort that the proportions were sooo off! I felt like shit haha
But then I realized that Marc say that we should focus before on single parts before tackling the full figure, so I will work on that in these days.

[chiara.arcidiaco]

And here is a night study session of the female torso (plane and anatomy). The linear is significantly worse (start being tired ) but it turned out... okay hahah tell me what you think.

[chiara.arcidiaco]

My first two anatomical studies in zbrush.
I struggle a lot with proportions but for being the first try I'm slightly happy

Some body parts are not super well done and also not so polished but I didn't want to spend a lot of time with this.
I will really appreciate anatomical/proportion comments and, of course, every comment that you want to write hahah

[ghostmonster]

you nailed the balance of the character. its an awkward mid stride pose that could easily go bad if the feet and tilt are off slightly. very good job

[ghostmonster]

YOUR FIRST ANATOMY STUDIES! .......... well done.

[WeirdOwl]

Nice job! Was it difficult to do these in Zbush? I'm a little nervous to try the program.

[chiara.arcidiaco]

@WeirdOwl I was nervous too but I really have fun with it, I feel more free to try different things and explore my creativity.
It took me about 2/3 days with the interface but now I don't even have to search to the different brushes, I remember all the hotkeys.
I think that It's pretty easy to get used to it (basic stuff) but very difficult to master, It's not always easy to think in 3 dimension. And in these days I get frustrated a lot before obtaining a good result
Hope that you will show us your future works with ZBrush, and all the others! Before I saw your page and I really like it!!

---

Today as I said before I got really frustrated with ZBrush so I gave up and started a figure drawing (still a WIP). I had a 3D model as a reference for the body and another portrait for her face.
( https://www.instagram.com/p/B9g1D3NJWWz/ )

I pretty like it, even if I don't know to how simplify the anatomical parts In lean girls, most of all with the lineart. Maybe it will be better with the shading.
Let me know what you think!

[systemsoperator]

@weirdowl as Chiara said, dive in! & Both, check the bottom of this post for ZBrush help: https://forums.cubebrush.co/t/o-art-school-journey-feedback-resources/9423/2

You're absolutely right that it's pretty easy to get into and just sculpt something, but once you start trying to do something more advanced and purposeful, it can be hilariously annoying.

Was there anything in particular you got frustrated with?

Your sculpts are looking great! Would love to see a finished piece from you, 3D or 2D.

[chiara.arcidiaco]

@systemsoperator I checked it out too and they are great tutorials! I saw your topic before but I didn't noticed the zbrush part hahah

I don't know where the frustration comes from, but moving forward to Marc's lessons I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the knowledge and my hands can't do what my head would like to do.
Also for the fact that I like, I think, the 20% of the art that I make and I'm feeling very bad when something doesn't turn out as I would like to.

Like a lot of artist I would like to achieve awesome result with very little effort but the life is not like this Do you have any tips for not getting discouraged? It could help me a lot

[WeirdOwl]

Thank you for making me feel a bit more at ease. I'll make sure to post my struggles once I get to Zbrush

[WeirdOwl]

Appreciate the link. I love extra tutorials. I hope coloring and texturing in Zbrush is not as extremely annoying as in Blender 3D.

[systemsoperator]

Hahaha Chiara I'm so sorry I wish I had advice but your whole message is... so relatable. I think we all feel like this and I'm not sure it ever goes away.

"Like a lot of artist I would like to achieve awesome result with very little effort" YUP. I love watching concept artists paint an amazing scene in like 30 minutes and then feel frustrated that I can't do that. (Yet, heh.)

And so annoying to spend hours of the little free time I have on something and it feels like A. I'm just working more, after work, and B. it doesn't even turn out good. Worst.

...But nothing really to do about it except [complain and] learn from it and hope it goes better next time.

I also disagree with "practice makes perfect" — yes it does but if someone is just repeating the same steps again and again, they might be perfecting bad habits. It's more efficient to dissect what works in the art you like. Really take it apart: pick out the techniques/ideas/etc. you're drawn to, and then incorporate them in your own work. Don't worry about copying; in the end the mixture of different things you've chosen to include + your own natural habits will make it your own.

[systemsoperator]

ZBrush @WeirdOwl, too:
Polypainting is easy! Pavlovich & Naydenov's tutorials cover that really well. But I think real texturing is annoying in any app because you have to UV, which needs retopo, and so on. Hate that part.

Glad you mentioned not noticing though; I am going to keep updating that post, but maybe it'd help to post the occasional new comment with a note that it was updated.