Dominicque’s Art Blog

Started to experiment with more 'conceptual work' after some posepack studies. It remains to be seen if I'll continue this or move on to another version. Just remining myself to have fun and not everything has to become a finished piece. Have fun and explore!

The reference pic cut off at the end, so I had to 'fill in' what I thought the body looked like beyond 'the twist'. I think it looks off, any redlines/suggestions let me know.

Really started to get into coloured pencil here!

Using this as a pose basis for a character.

I've been trying to a do a combo of a wet medium w/ pencil for a hot minute. And, gouache is my medium of choice for this. It always seemed more forgiving than acrylics or watercolours. I always used to get super duper frustrated, because every time I painted I couldn't get the detail I wanted and I thought I 'couldn't be a real artist' if it depended on a dry medium like pencil whilst painting. Seeing numerous artists use acrylic + pencil, gouache + pencil (and alcohol marker+ pencil) helped immensely, tho. As long as it makes you feel good, if really shouldn't matter what others think.
Everything I tried or thought of doing something creative, the whole 'plagiarism' fear thing came and reared its ugly head and I kept getting stuck on it. It's been holding me back on both my writing and drawing progress for years, so I started talking to Perplexity AI just a couple of questions, I've asked it random questions before, but I spent days with it. Fortunately, it doesn't grow frustrated with my repeated questioning and gave me really good advice that my neurosis finally started to loosen. Marker and pencil combo.

Gouache, may go back to these, we'll see.

Fashion/pose studies and trying to turn her into a dude. I've found the more I chill out when drawing the more my rendering style seems similar to the Wes Burt/El Coro concept art style I've been coveting, since 4EVA.

I like what Lexity said about breaking the creation process into two or more, which I expanded: 1)Ideation 2)Experimentation 3) Finalisation. This is so I don't put giant pressure on myself to see it 'right' straight away, then become completely discouraged when that (evitability) doesn't happen.

You can see the first part in the bottom right-rand corner. I've had the idea for some time now to draw a woman with bat-type wings with the camera slightly off-centre of where she is. Perhaps the idea for a larger piece or maybe even for a print. The 'ideation' stage had the typical warts of 'not looking good' AKA what I'd imaged in my head. However, it allowed me to loosen and I used my previous studies to inform the piece, e.g- the pose of the hand with the fingers folded like the model. I also used other references and took what I wanted from these like a Magpie would!

This is the result and I'm so happy with it! It was supposed to be stage 2, and I guess it still can be, but I really took my time with this learning what I needed to and rendering it out. I really want to try the Zapata course to level up my rendering skills even more.

Decided to draw Cody Fern, because I think he's one of the most beautiful men on the planet and Pinterest just reminded me so. I spent my time on this to and slowed down. I now know I really like rending out with a HB, the pumping up the dark values with at least a 2B, then even more with a Black Polychromo. Then White highlights if I feel like it (and can get the pen to work. )

Youtube happened to recommend me this video by Struthless or perhaps I searched for it, I've forgotten. He discusses it around 5 mins in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtt1ycq2rVI
Phil Svitek is helpful, too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9LUk9rHnwg

It's true it's the only theory/concept that doesn't reply on you being 'original', I guess it gives you less pressure to be whole unique all the time and just follow your interests. But, problem is/was I would be scared to leave the platform and even depart, because from my vantage point all stops looked the same. I see people I saw ages ago extremely level up and it does hurt, ngl.

Better late than never.

Tried to draw what I liked from this pose, but then got frustrated it didn't look like the reference. Guess I'm swinging the other way, now.

Beginning character design, I guess. Just saw a woman dressed similar and thought it looked cool. Did stop and start this, because I got into a really depressive art funk.

Using pose refs, again.

My first full illustration using pose refs and other references, where I was planning out a thumb and drew a full version. 660+ Female Concept Art Poses from Grafit Studio. Saw the pose and the image of a 'tree girl' started forming in my mind. I went and found the perfect tree to ref. I want to have no worry nor guilt related to using any sort of ref in the future.
I'm kind of locking down the way I like to render with pencil: lighter values, then dark, pump up values with a Black pencil, because even a 9B is just a very dark grey and use highlights when appropriate.