Some people have "second chances" as for me it's more like my 10th on this drawing but who's counting? I was really sucking it up yesterday and most of today... but here is.

Adding new information can be frustrating. There are times when I’m overwhelmed with new information.  Sometimes when I add new information to my studying, the quality of my work drops because I can no longer focus on my process or routine. The whole process becomes a totally new one. So I have to re-start from scratch and develop a new way of working.

I guess with change there is an adjustment period that I’ll have to deal with but that’s just part of the grind. I must remember that in growth, things must change; therefore this is natural for the quality of my work to drop until I can adjust to the change.

For myself I have found that there isn’t a fast track to growth, so it is only persistence and dedication that will help me to grow. I have to take the good and the bad, success and failure, growth and stagnation. But I’m sure you get the point, its just part of the learning process.

R.Richardson

I’m working away, I’ve started working from George B. Bridgmans book “the complete drawing from life” as well as continuing my figure drawing from the pose file.

I also got a first look at digital value painting yesterday, It was amazing to see it done. It has opened up my eyes to new possibilities with my work and directions I can grow in. I can’t wait to tackle learning value.

Looking at this process in action, has presented the importance of each step before painting begins. Making sure that you have followed to the reference as accurately as possible will help the value rendering to go very fast in the final stages of the illustration.

If things are done incorrectly in the beginning stages, these uncorrected issues will cause problems in the value rendering of the art. Imagine working on a piece of art for 4 hours, just to realize you have to scrap it because things we not correct in the beginning stages.

I have realized that the drawing must be as solid as possible.(which is something I struggle with every day.) So I must raise my level of awareness in the art before value is applied.

I’ve also been reading Two Worlds of Andrew Wyeth: A Conversation with Andrew Wyeth -- His thoughts and concepts I have found to be inspirational and motivational. It has given me a new direction and a new voice to seek out in my work. Reading about other artist and the trials they have overcome in their artwork, has helped me to tackle problems that I’m facing in mine. 

I believe it is a must to learn as much as I can from other professional artists, so that I can overcome obstacles in my own art that may seem insurmountable.

R. Richardson.

The past two days I have been struggling with one of the figures from the pose file. 10 hrs-- 5 bad sketches later,I finally finished; well not really, a drawing is never finished only abandoned for another. The goal was to get my sketch as accurate and consistent as possible compared to the reference. So my abandoned sketch got me to this point.

To see the latest go here:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1705364#post1705364

I’ve learned a lot about myself my skill level and how much further I have to go.  I have learned a new way of thinking from the sketching process all the way to the final drawing.

I have found that we must not settle for the first or the second sketch we finish. We must scrutinize every stroke we lay down on a piece of art and search out ways to improve consistency and accuracy.

I had recently come to the conclusion that I can no longer settle for where I’m at as an artist…I must grow. I am taking some time to refine and correct many of the errors I have failed to fix in my work. At this point in my career working in comics is on hold but not stagnant. It is moving -- just in a different direction.

R. Richardson

Since last Wednesday I have been concentrating on human anatomy. My peers have pointed out to me that I am deficient in accuracy and consistency when it comes to the human figure. I’m studying from a Japanese photographic “pose file” made for animators and comic book artist.

Here's the book.

I have been doing 15 minute sketches of each model. I’m trying to get them as accurate as possible within that short amount of time. Drawing after drawing, I learn something new. Then I compare it to the last drawing I did… Through this process I see new problems I have to fix. The true focus here is not only to draw people well, But how to use reference correctly.

I have been fortunate to have an instructor that is proficient in these skills to show me the correct way to use reference. I searched for short cuts to make better art but I found out that there isn’t any. And I truly believe now that there are no short cuts to growing in accuracy and consistency only hard work and persistence.

I’m happy and tired at the same time -- Happy that I’m learning new things, but it’s hard sometimes going through the grind… I’ve done over 100 of these sketches, and I’m barely beginning to comprehend the complexity of the human form.

To see samples of these sketches follow this link:  Figure Work

R. Richardson.