# workshop a week?(current workshop-EXOTIC WEAPON PROFICIENCY)



## alsih2o (Nov 17, 2003)

anyone can participate. one word workshops every week.

 if you miss a week, no big.

 please feel free to post works in progress, sketches, finished pieces, any medium, anything.

 we change subjects every wednesday, and projects are due on wednesday.

 thanks for playing along

 week 1: jagged

 week 2: airborne

 week 3: feral (chosen by pogre)

 week 4: back to back

 week 5: shadows (chosen by oni)

 week 6: charge

 week 7: reach

 week 8: exotic weapon proficiency


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## Cthulhu's Librarian (Nov 17, 2003)

OK, I'll participate. And I don't mind a little bashing. I know I suck at drawing. I don't draw, for that exact reason. But I'm willing to put something I draw up, and everyone can laugh if they want to.


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## NarlethDrider (Nov 17, 2003)

I'm game, maybe it will help me get out of the no drawing 'slog' I'm in


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## NeuroZombie (Nov 18, 2003)

If I have the time to draw something (school, work, campaign planning) I will be happy to go for it!  I am not the greatest artist by far, but I might be able to hold my own compared to some d20 art (not that that is saying much)


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## pogre (Nov 18, 2003)

I'll try.


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## Oni (Nov 18, 2003)

This could be fun.  

I'll play, as time permits.


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## alsih2o (Nov 18, 2003)

first assignment starts tomorrow, turn in time will be the following wednesday by midnight, and a new one will be up that morning


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Nov 18, 2003)

Oooh, I'm in. Hopefully my hand will start listening to my brain soon, though...


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## NeuroZombie (Nov 18, 2003)

Can't wait!


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## alsih2o (Nov 19, 2003)

o.k., first assignment.

 for our first project i suggest: JAGGED

 one week max to turn in drawing or pantings.


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## pogre (Nov 19, 2003)

alsih2o said:
			
		

> o.k., first assignment.
> 
> for our first project i suggest: JAGGED
> 
> one week max to turn in drawing or pantings.




Now I *really* feel like a Newbie - I missed the last session of this and so I am at a bit of a loss. I do not get it - Are we to turn in work that suggests the concept of "Jagged"? or is this an art/drawing term I should be familiar with?

Thanks,

pogre


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## alsih2o (Nov 19, 2003)

pogre said:
			
		

> Now I *really* feel like a Newbie - I missed the last session of this and so I am at a bit of a loss. I do not get it - Are we to turn in work that suggests the concept of "Jagged"? or is this an art/drawing term I should be familiar with?
> pogre




 the former. draw whatever jagged means to you. you could draw something that IS jagged, or somethat that IMPLIES jaggedness, whatever works.

 jagged is simply a word to make you think about drawing, and so the rest of us can see what you produce form it.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Nov 20, 2003)

Jagged...interesting...sounds fun. Now to see if my hand can pull this off...


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## veinglory (Nov 20, 2003)

here's a quick draft


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## alsih2o (Nov 21, 2003)

veinglory said:
			
		

> here's a quick draft




 coolness! looks like someone took jagged in all capital letters seriously 

 that is wicked awesome VG


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Nov 21, 2003)

Ooh, very cool.

So far, my own Jagged has become...less...jagged. Not sure how either. Trying out a jagged-looking self-portrait type thingy...it was all jaggededy(That is now a word) and now its all...almost jaggededy. Guess I'll play with its jaggedosity tommorrow and make it more jaggededy...


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## NarlethDrider (Nov 21, 2003)

veinglory said:
			
		

> here's a quick draft




well, dang, there goes my jaggedy drider idea  , now, I guess I can go w/a jaggedy narleth


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## alsih2o (Nov 21, 2003)

NarlethDrider said:
			
		

> well, dang, there goes my jaggedy drider idea  , now, I guess I can go w/a jaggedy narleth




 alwaysbest to buy your tickets early for those evil humanoids 

 i am sure VG wouldn't mind of there was some overlap. heck, i am drawing cthulhus librarian


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## veinglory (Nov 21, 2003)

alsih2o said:
			
		

> o.k., first assignment.
> 
> for our first project i suggest: JAGGED
> 
> one week max to turn in drawing or pantings.




I'd really like to see a jagged panting...


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## Cthulhu's Librarian (Nov 21, 2003)

alsih2o said:
			
		

> heck, i am drawing cthulhus librarian



I'm jagged?!? This I've got to see...


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## veinglory (Nov 23, 2003)

*how bout seeing some of these pics*

Come on, wips?

my anatomy's screwed on this but it's still ok


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## alsih2o (Nov 25, 2003)

well, this one gave me fits. i may do a sculpture for the next one. 

 i tried to start by doing a sketch of a crocodiles mouth. i love the jagged, impossible collections of teeth a lot of fantasy critters have. then i played with some odd claws and some cartoonish weapons. not a completed drawing, rather a scratchpad full of jaggedness. 

 it would do me well to hear what here is strong, and what need to remain in my sketchbook


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## NeuroZombie (Nov 25, 2003)

I have two drawings, but my scanner won't work!  UGGHHHH!!!!!!


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## alsih2o (Nov 25, 2003)

NeuroZombie said:
			
		

> I have two drawings, but my scanner won't work!  UGGHHHH!!!!!!




 i couldn't get mine to work either. i took a digital pic of a page form my sketchbook


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## pogre (Nov 26, 2003)

Be gentle


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## pogre (Nov 26, 2003)

alsih2o said:
			
		

> it would do me well to hear what here is strong, and what need to remain in my sketchbook




I am not sure why you stopped with the croc's mouth. I would have loved to seen a whole page of those jagged teeth. That lower set of choppers really jumped out at me.


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## pogre (Nov 26, 2003)

veinglory said:
			
		

> Come on, wips?
> 
> my anatomy's screwed on this but it's still ok




wips? Yep another newbie art question from pogre


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## alsih2o (Nov 26, 2003)

pogre said:
			
		

> Be gentle





 wow. you know in olympic diving how you get extra points for "degree of difficulty?" well, pogre gets extra points for dod. that looks like it was maddening hard to do right. 

 do not be afraid to add a wee bot more shading, but it is a really nice idea and execution.


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## alsih2o (Nov 26, 2003)

pogre said:
			
		

> I am not sure why you stopped with the croc's mouth. I would have loved to seen a whole page of those jagged teeth. That lower set of choppers really jumped out at me.




 it is a dracodile mouth, drawn from the monsternomicon. it is not an original. but thanks.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Nov 26, 2003)

I'll have mine up tonight when we're done travelling and I can get a scanner working...

Cool stuff so far!


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## veinglory (Nov 26, 2003)

pogre said:
			
		

> wips? Yep another newbie art question from pogre





oops.  works in progress...


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## alsih2o (Nov 26, 2003)

veinglory said:
			
		

> oops.  works in progress...




 this one went over my head too 

 but it IS a great idea, we may all improve if we take time to post WIPs


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## pogre (Nov 26, 2003)

alsih2o said:
			
		

> do not be afraid to add a wee bot more shading, but it is a really nice idea and execution.




My shading seems so _muddy_ - you know what I mean? It does not seem to add depth like it should. I bought some color pencils - so I may try incorporating some color for this next project. Color may be a bit easier for me than black and white shading.


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## NarlethDrider (Nov 26, 2003)

I'll try & add my 'jagged' tonite---_the way work has gone today, i could just take a pic of me brain_----SHEESH! come on 5:00 o'clock!


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## alsih2o (Nov 26, 2003)

pogre said:
			
		

> My shading seems so _muddy_ - you know what I mean? It does not seem to add depth like it should. I bought some color pencils - so I may try incorporating some color for this next project. Color may be a bit easier for me than black and white shading.




 have you tried moving your high and low contrast pints closer together?

 are you remmebering to use core shadows and depth?

 b+w is a (expletive deleted) sometimes, but it is worth it when you find your way 

 but, that said, go color!


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## pogre (Nov 26, 2003)

alsih2o said:
			
		

> have you tried moving your high and low contrast pints closer together?




??? contrast points? How about talking down to me here?



			
				alsih2o said:
			
		

> are you remmebering to use core shadows and depth?



Undoubtedly no, especially as I have no idea what core shadows are!



			
				alsih2o said:
			
		

> b+w is a (expletive deleted) sometimes, but it is worth it when you find your way
> 
> but, that said, go color!




Oh I won't give up at all, I just want to try these new color pencils 

Thanks for your help - I apologize for my lack of art knowledge.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Nov 27, 2003)

...argh. Having trouble with the scanner here. May take a while to get my own "jagged" Dragon Warrior up. I'll get it up when I can...hopefully won't be longer than a couple of days or so...


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## pogre (Nov 27, 2003)

O.K., this is my WIP   
The idea is a fairie or sprite trying to escape a dire bullfrog. I'm approaching the splashing water with some trepidation. It's a good thing there is no school tomorrow.

Ignore the leg to the right of the sprite - it was my first attempt at a frog.


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## pogre (Nov 29, 2003)

Alright, I finished with this week's assignment. It was my first real try with colored pencils. There is a lot I like about them, but I'm on the low end of the learning curve yet. Now I'm off to do something I have confidence in - my miniature painting.


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## James Heard (Dec 1, 2003)

*Tossing in some jagged*

Ok, decided to throw in a jagged image. Not in any book, I just decided to make a monster for my "I'll get around to it one day" jungle campaign. The theme was lots of lizard teeth and I started with blocking in the tongue, sword and what eventually became the weirdly jointed clawed hand. Done entirely in Photoshop with my Wacom tablet in about 3 hours, about 36 layers before I mashed them. Hardest thing to do with the image was deciding to white line the entire figure against every art instinct I have, but I did the jungle background a little too well and the whole point of the picture was vanishing into the undergrowth. I'd have liked to have done something more spectacular than a plain blade, but I'd like to go to bed sometime tonight too.


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## alsih2o (Dec 2, 2003)

i just have 2 crap sketches this wek, i will popst them after the handyman in my livingroom leaves


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## alsih2o (Dec 3, 2003)

i usually sketch in pen, the work it in pencil and reink.

 this week was miserable. i tried an overly ambitious "two guys tussling over the rail of a flying ship" scene that may need ot be reworked. definetely not a one week workshop drawing.

 here are the two i started and never finished.


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## alsih2o (Dec 3, 2003)

and a different but equally lame approach 

 for this one i started with a pic from the internet. i made it b+w then printed it. i put it face down on my sketchpad and erased the back, leaving a faint image of ink. great for teaching yourself lessons. man, i love to cheat!


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## veinglory (Dec 3, 2003)

*airborne*

some concept art I did this week


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## Oni (Dec 3, 2003)

Glad to see that there are several people particpating in this.  I wanted to do something for the first one, but exams didn't allow me the extra time.  However I do have something for this past week.  

Airborne was a fun one, because it gave me so many different ideas.  So many in fact it was difficult to choose one.  Originally I starting to do one of the soldiers from the 127th Orcish Airborne, but he wasn't panning out.  I ended up going with a more conventional idea, but I'm pretty happy with the results given the amount of time spent on it. 

The spell, Fly, I think we take it for granted as players.  But can you imagine what it must be like for some young spellcaster when they finally unlock its secrets and cast it for the first time, what it's like the to go aloft for the first time?  I can only imagine it's a feeling of either mind numbing terror or one of pure elation.  Anyway that's my inspiration.  

Technical stuff.  Underdrawing/linkwork was done in brown col-erase pencil.  Covered by a tea wash.  Coloured with water colour, white gouache, and coloured pencil.

Airborne


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## pogre (Dec 4, 2003)

Very cool stuff. I especially like the floating citadel thing veinglory did. James Heard's pic is cool too, but I can see why you struggled with the white outline. The first Alsih2o drawing is an awesome idea - I would love to see this one finished. Oni - Awesome - just plain awesome.


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## alsih2o (Dec 4, 2003)

oni owns this week for sure. nice work all around


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## James Heard (Dec 4, 2003)

*Just Sharing*

Just sharing.


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## alsih2o (Dec 4, 2003)

James Heard said:
			
		

> Just sharing.





 and we thank you for it.


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## myrdden (Dec 6, 2003)

I'm just learning how to draw, so I think this is a great exercise.

Here is a quick sketch I've put together for "Feral".

Myrdden


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## alsih2o (Dec 8, 2003)

welcome aboard myrrden


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## alsih2o (Dec 10, 2003)

i had a lot of trouble with "feral". i came up with a whole story about neglected mother-in-laws left to go wild. it was sad.

 here is a drawing of a ranger based on robin coming over a wall to take out one of the morbidly obese nearly toothless mothers-in-law...not finished, nothing ever is


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## pogre (Dec 10, 2003)

Sorry I did not get anything done on my own theme! RL, etc. etc.


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## Oni (Dec 11, 2003)

Wow, wednesday rolls around fast when you're on vacation and not paying any attention to the time.  And all the more shame on me for not being all the way done, me being on break.  No finished piece this time, just a WIP since I don't want to rush this one.  In fact not being all the way done I thought this would be a fine and hopefully interesting time to take a peek at part of the process I go though.  

Feral was a very different situation than the last one.  Instead of a multitude of ideas I had a singular vision of what I wanted to do from almost the very second I read this past week's word.  This has so far been a very challenging piece, not in coming up with what to do, but in correctly executing what I wanted.  Getting the pose to look right was troublesome with out having someone around to model it for me, and a lack of any decent kind of photo reference (these things are your friends if you want to create strong and believable pictures).  

First came a few pages of doodles and quasi thumbnails, trying to get the basics of individual parts of what I wanted to do, mostly the face, but they mostly look like my pencil puked on the page.  I'll not post that though, as there isn't any reason to waste message board space doing so and the only real lesson to be learned is that my pictures have humble beginnings. 

Next came the rough, I find doing a rough drawing or two before getting on to the finished piece can really help, it lets me know what kind of problems I'm likely to run into so that I can solve them (hopefully) before starting on the final piece (this can often save a lot of time in the long run).  This is the stage where the composition really comes into focus from the rather bleary and vague vision of the thumbnails and where I often try to tackle the basics of lighting.  Anyway, here's the rough.


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## Oni (Dec 11, 2003)

After the rough came the line art.  I'm using the same materials and technique that I used for the previous piece, airborne, so this line art will likely get a tea wash tomorrow and then I'll be painting directly over top of it.  I'm pretty happy with things as they are, so unless I wake up tomorrow with an urge to change things, this is the finished linework.  Some people might like the line work a little cleaner, but I prefer a little sketchier look, and the colours will cover up some of those errant lines as well.  Keep in mind, because of the way I plan on doing the colours, I can't drop in the shadows in the linework or I'll make a mess.  My lines are done in brown col-erase pencil on 140lb cold press water colour paper.  I've tried using brown ink in the past instead of the pencil, but have had problems with the supposedly waterproof ink running, the brown pencil doesn't do that (and col-erase pencils unlike most colour pencils are not wax based so they don't repel watercolour).  Anyway, here is the line art, please excuse the little bit of funny colouration, this scanner doesn't like me so much.


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## pogre (Dec 11, 2003)

Oni,

Thank you for sharing your process. I find it fascinating to read.


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## Oni (Dec 11, 2003)

Not a problem, it was my pleasure.  I'm just glad it didn't bore you.


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## Oni (Dec 18, 2003)

Was busy this week so nothing too grand, just a sketch.  

I'm not all that happy with this one, but it is wednesday (for another 20 minutes or so here) and it's due so here it is.


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## Oni (Dec 18, 2003)

Oh and since a new workshop has not yet been posted, may I suggested SHADOWS for this week.


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## alsih2o (Dec 18, 2003)

Oni said:
			
		

> Oh and since a new workshop has not yet been posted, may I suggested SHADOWS for this week.




 shadows is posted!

 sorry for the no-show from em this week, but it IS the week before x-mas and i AM a potter


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## myrdden (Dec 18, 2003)

I hear you.  Real life and the holidays are simply getting in the way!

Myrdden


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## pezagent (Dec 21, 2003)

sketch: jagged

/johnny


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## pezagent (Dec 21, 2003)

sketch: airborne

/johnny


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## alsih2o (Dec 21, 2003)

welocme aboard pezagent


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## pezagent (Dec 21, 2003)

alsih2o said:
			
		

> welocme aboard pezagent




Thanks 

sketch: feral


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## alsih2o (Dec 24, 2003)

well, forgtful moron that i am i spent a few hours working on back to back.

 *sigh*

 well, inspired by the greatness of littlejohn i spent some time trying that. except i xtarted with a photo, being as i could start with his skills


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## Oni (Dec 25, 2003)

I realized as I was doing this perhaps I should have chosen a topic more in keeping with the holidays.


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## Ferret (Dec 27, 2003)

I have nice pick for charge, *quite* good I'd say. But I can't post it because I can't scan it, sorry.


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## alsih2o (Dec 31, 2003)

well, believe it or not this took me forever. i am grappling with photomanipulation, and with what i have learned i am now eager to try to manipulate my own drawings. i wish my current painty-pc tool had a broader pallete, but i am sloooooowly getting there


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## Sialia (Jan 6, 2004)

ignore this one. I did it better. If I could get the "manage attachments" thing to work, I'd have erased this one and replaced it withthe next one. apologies.


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## Sialia (Jan 6, 2004)

better version, I think


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## Ferret (Jan 6, 2004)

Heres the picture I drew for Charge.

Oops to big!


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## alsih2o (Jan 6, 2004)

here is more photo manipulation for "reach" i will get back to ink next week


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## myrdden (Jan 9, 2004)

*Shadow*

Caption: Wrapped in their mystical cloaks of shadow and night, the Arianeldar ("children of silver") find peace and comfort under the stars and watchful moon.

Myrdden (who is slow)


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## NarlethDrider (Jan 9, 2004)

alsih2o said:
			
		

> here is more photo manipulation for "reach" i will get back to ink next week




CHEATER!   just kiddin, I'm just envious of any pc program that does all that  ---btw alsih2o, just _what_ is that gnome doing to that stump?


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## alsih2o (Jan 9, 2004)

NarlethDrider said:
			
		

> CHEATER!   just kiddin, I'm just envious of any pc program that does all that  ---btw alsih2o, just _what_ is that gnome doing to that stump?




 but there is the bite! when i see other people doing computer art i am in awe, when i do it i feel like a cheat 

 and my computer program is the bunko piece of hard to operate crap that came with this pc. it is odd, but fun.

 but i cannot feel satisfied with anythign i do with it. it is like the chinese food cliche, a minute after i get up from the computer i feel the need to do "art"


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