Trying Digital Painting

I can't deny that my painting skills have gotten a lot better over the last year at Sheridan.  I took bigger risks with the paintbrush, and I starting seeing results right away.  Contrast is the big thing you always have to look out for.  I remember my first year Art Fundies teacher telling me that.  Sadly, I didn't grasp the statement until about a year later.  I miss her, although I still see her around the school every now and then. ;)

But this post isn't about my school experiences.  It's about digital painting.  I am currently starting to practice digital painting.  The fundamentals of traditional painting still very much apply here, so I'm glad to have a starting grip on it.  Digital painting is still a separate skill that needs to be practiced, however.  Here's four paintings that were all done from reference pictures I found using Google.  The first three images you see here were quick paintings that I didn't put much detail and time into.  I just completed the fourth painting.  I did put a little bit more effort into that one, as I learned some techniques from the previous three that I excitingly wanted to apply.  I'm rambling, here you go:

Sketchbook Stories, 1

Feeling the need to update, I am going to present to you a couple of pages from my sketchbook! As you can see, I'm currently still drawing lots and lots of faces. I'm trying to caricaturize them as much as possible.  I've got lots to learn, but I won't deny that I can see some improvement here and there.

Fun Fact: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian was released in theaters on this exact day, three years ago (2008).

My First Animation

This is the first hand-drawn animation I ever did ever! It was quite tough, as I didn't have access to a light table, and my paper rolling skills aren't the greatest. Nonetheless, it took much less time than I initially thought it would, and the end result was very rewarding! I treated the ball as if it was a ping-pong ball, so I didn't add any squash-and-stretch to it yet: that will probably be my next one. Anyway, have a looksy: