Charcoal Eye Study Drawing

A favorite of mine, done in my watercolor Moleskine at school. After I finished it I realized great things can happen when you focus! (I should probably realize that about my homework too... ;])

Inspired by amazing artist Kevin Llwellyn. 

(EDIT: He retweeted the drawing back when my username was Lizzdoesart. Super exciting for me!)

Eye Sketch - Watercolor Moleskine

Here's a small eye sketch from a while back. So for this drawing I did something a bit different. I looked though eye pictures on Instagram for reference until I found this one. I loved the way it turned out! The girl who I drew from loved it too so she reposted it on her Instagram. Eye sketches are awesome! :]

Triangle Eye Sketch - Moleskine

So here is an eye sketch I did in my watercolor Moleskine a while back, almost two years ago in 2011. I really like the style I was experimenting with, part of it is influenced by a girl on Youtube who did drawings and doodles about geometry and math. She goes by the name of Vi Hart. The eye sketch itself was a big deal for me at the time because I think I free handed it without reference and I remember being so stoked about it. I especially love the surprised emotion in the eye :]

 Thinking back on it now, I can definitely see I was influenced by the book I was reading at the time, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznik. I think its great to look back on your art sometimes and reminisce about the things you liked about it and your influences. 

John Vanderpoel Eye Studies

So some time ago while I was book swapping at my local library, I came across a paperback version of The Human Figure by John Vanderpoel. It's one of those art books that I'll put down for awhile, come back to, sketch from and then be amazed at how much I've improved. 

It's one of my favorite books to sketch from because it just felt so mystical finding it among the other forgotten books in the library. Fast forward a couple years later and now I know a little bit more about art. And when I'm studying my favorite artists, I find that most of them reference this book too!

So yeah, basically it's a pretty great book and I have sketched and redrawn some of the large faces and most of the eyes in it. But I definitely need to go back to it again. I want to get on the level of the academic figure drawers, and learn how to copy the masters really well.

Although my style kind of changes from time to time and I experiment with different types of art (see the comic sketches below), there seems to be a soft spot in my heart for portrait and figures. :]

Moleskine Leg Sketch

An older Moleskine sketch, among one of my favorites. This one was drawn in my dining room one Saturday morning, waiting for everyone to get ready for church and then inked later when I got back home. Very much influenced by the work of James Jean and Pat Perry. 

I really like the perspective on this one. I felt it was a great observational drawing experience, even if it was just of myself and my legs. Also, I still have those flats ;]

Figure Drawing/Gesture Sketches - Mini Compliation

These are just a few gesture/figure sketches i've been working on in my little Moleskine sketchbook. It's actually a large by their standards but its small compared to the other sketchbooks I've lugged around over the years. 

These are some from Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life and How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way by Stan Lee and Joe Buscema. I really like the simple composition of the second photo, its very simple yet somewhat dynamic. I don't know, it seems pretty cool to me. :]

 I seem to always come back to this Bridgman book, ever since my first experience with drawing in sketchbooks. It seems to be a staple reference point among the art community. There is a lot more figure drawing/sketches coming soon, but in the mean time: Anyone else read these books or draw from them? What has your experience been?