Yo, kiddies. Been away alot for many reasons.

Sorry to say, I probably won't be at Sci-Fan again this year, first because I'm still trying to get back into building, and two because my mom has just had surgery for a hip replacement and the recovery is going slower than expected. In fact, the hospital moved her into a hellhole with untrained, uninterested staff where they stick lost causes, and sent her into a depression (her exact words to me: "I walked into one of you horror movies...") Happily she's doing better now, we've got her moved in with my sister for the moment. But money's low, and I'm not happy being away. I didn't want to post about it until things looked better.

Second - could one of you tell me where I can get the best deal on that hugely expensive Millenium Falcon from Japan?? :eek: Ye gods, the price on shipping that baby alone!

Third, I am still trying to find the inspiration to draw again. All my good finished stuff is long since given or sold, but I did dig out some unfinished numbers in case anyone is interested. These were done with a mechanical .3 mm lead point (meaning no side of teh pencil to shade with).

http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/simian%20jack/images/eleanor.JPG
http://www.myonlineimages.com/Members/simian%20jack/images/loriH.JPG

dreamer - that's damned fine work. Good to have you back.

Welcome back, and you might check @bay for the Fine Molds Falcon, I got mine below retail during the summer doldrums.

Dreamer,

Good to have you back. I hope your mom gets better from here on out too.

You're shading with a mechanical pencil?? Do you use one of those smear tools or are you using your finger? Because if you're not, that's extremely impressive. It's almost like you took a photograph.

I think the Falcon may still be available domestically at the Starship Modeler store.

Thanks for the welcome back, the wishes for my mom, the compliments, and the advice on the Falcon - man, do I want one of those!

Jose - thanks! I wish I could say that was from a sitting, but alas all of my portrait work is from photos. I try to go sparingly on smearing but when I need to I just use my finger. Most of that is just straight from the pencil. But it's slow work - a portrait of only four-or-five by six inches can take up to ten hours or more. That's drawing size, not the paper! I should add that, because of that, I can only get that kind of detail from photographs or still lifes. Also, that the first pic is reduced in size - wait, let me go back and change it in that post.

Now both pics are actual size, you can see better the strokes using just a tip. See her eyes? Really dark areas like that are tricky as the pencil threatens to tear up the surface of the paper. You can see it happening in a couple of spots there.

Edit: Looks like there's some smudging on Eleanor where I hadn't drawn yet, so that's from the drawing being old and the paper not pristine anymore. (Every fixative I tried yellowed in not much time, so I never used any.)

Hmm, gonna have to put in some practice on irises.

Dag, Jeff, that's some mighty good work there!

Phenominal pencil work, Jeff!
Damn, I used to be able to do that. I don't think I've even picked up a pencil except to make out my time sheet at work for the last decade or so.

Jose - thanks! I wish I could say that was from a sitting, but alas all of my portrait work is from photos. I try to go sparingly on smearing but when I need to I just use my finger. Most of that is just straight from the pencil. But it's slow work - a portrait of only four-or-five by six inches can take up to ten hours or more. That's drawing size, not the paper! I should add that, because of that, I can only get that kind of detail from photographs or still lifes. Also, that the first pic is reduced in size - wait, let me go back and change it in that post.

Jeff - Sorry, I meant that the quality of your shading is almost of photographic quality (meaning your drawings look like photographs). But for people who can't or don't draw, it's very difficult to explain how impressive Jeff's drawings are. It's tough to get that quality of shades and shadows with a regular pencil, let alone a .3 mm mechanical. It is a very fine point, liable to tear paper like Jeff said, but there's also little surface in which to soften the line. With regular pencils, you can tip them to get different widths, depending on what you want to convey. Depending on the lead's hardness, there's also little powder left to smear and create a soft texture. When I get home I'll post a scan of a drawing I started in 1989 (and occassionally dabble when I'm in the mood) with a regular 3F pencil plus the occassional use of a smear tool or finger. It doesn't compare to Jeff's.

Wow Dreamer - that's breath stopping amazing.

First off, welcome back and glad to hear that things are looking up a little for ya.

I can't believe you did that with a .3mm. With talent like that my friend you'll never be broke. Vote here for the new reality show "Dreamer's Got Talent" !!!

You guys is makin' me blush! (Thank you!)

At some point, I just took a liking to mechanical pencils, and kept on from there. Hand me a stick of charcoal, and all you'll get from me is a dark mess and cloud of black powder.

And I've been doing black and white my whole life - and yet it takes forever to imagine painting a kit in black and white?

Jose, I look forward to seeing your work.

That's an incredible amount of detail in those drawings. The way the first one was eyeing me, I felt I had to button up my shirt!

I hope your mom's situation improves to your satisfaction. I'm glad things have gotten better for her lately and I hope your life will get back to normal soon. Good luck!

Sorry it took me a while to post, but I couldn't find my sketchbook. I guess it's been that long since I picked it up. This is the drawing I was talking about:
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m-z-JC/SDF1-1.jpg

Here's another sample. This one I completed seven years ago:
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m-z-JC/MazingerGenerations.jpg

And about six years ago I started experimenting with color shades and shadows... admittedly something I need to work on:
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m-z-JC/KojiMazinger.jpg

Excellent! I don't know any of those kinds of anime, so I don't know if those are your own designs or not.And you're moving into color - I need to do that too. I bought a bunch of oil paints, but don't know where to start!


I guess it's been that long since I picked it up.


So you haven't been at it either? Sounds like we both need to start in. I'm kind of nervous about it because my eyes aren't what they used to be.



Thanks, Phrank! Good to see ya again!

Nice, gato!

Here's my contribution. Haven't done anything like this for about 20 years, but I used to do it all the time:

http://www.inpayne.com/temp/Uhura.jpg

I was really going at it up until the computer took over my work. Now I can barely manage. It's like the muscle memory is all gone. Kind of upsets me too, but I really don't get the chance to practice any more.

Here's a buncha stuff from the 80s, when I thought I could hack it as a "graphic novelist":
http://www.inpayne.com/portfolio/cartooncomic.html

And about six years ago I started experimenting with color shades and shadows... admittedly something I need to work on:
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m-z-JC/KojiMazinger.jpg

Exactly what is that robot doing to Speed Racer?

http://www.inpayne.com/temp/Uhura.jpg



Beautiful work. This and the comic book art as well - that's a talent I envy, tried it and sucked badly.

Now I can barely manage. It's like the muscle memory is all gone. Kind of upsets me too, but I really don't get the chance to practice any more.

I had a sort of creative block or breakdown years back trying to duplicate every little detail in photographs. That picture of Eleanor on page one, I completely tweaked trying to situate all the strands of hair and needing to locate the highlights in each one - obsession to get nothing wrong. That's why it went unfinished. After that...there's a process the brain does in translating for a drawing, seeing all the shapes and tones, deconstructing and reconstructing. It broke down, I stopped being able to see the shapes. But I've noticed in the past year it's been coming back to me, and - if eyesight allows - I've been increasingly pulled back to the urge to draw. All that's missing is some inspiration, that one subject that needs attention.

Beautiful work. This and the comic book art as well - that's a talent I envy, tried it and sucked badly.Don't sell yourself short, pal — your stuff ain't exactly chopped liver!. . . I've been increasingly pulled back to the urge to draw. All that's missing is some inspiration, that one subject that needs attention.Well, a few Star Trek babes might not be a bad start.

John P: Excellent rendering of Nichelle Nichols in her sexy "Mirror, Mirror" uniform! I've always envied people with artistic talent — personally, I've never been able to draw anything that's alive, or once was alive. Except maybe an amoeba.

http://www.geocities.com/beeblebrox424242/KateBush.JPG
I don't have the patience or eyesight to do this sort of thing again.

Excellent! I don't know any of those kinds of anime, so I don't know if those are your own designs or not.

Thanks, but they're not my designs. Those subjects are more or less obsessions of mine. The first guy's the SDF-1 from Macross (as it was called in Japan) or Robotech (as it was adapted in the US). The second's an anime called Mazinger Z (the big one in the center) and later adaptations: the sequel Great Mazinger (lower left) and a comic book referred to as US Mazinger. The third picture is of Mazinger Z and his always beleagured pilot, Koji Kabuto (incidentally, you've got a sick mind, Scott!).

So you haven't been at it either? Sounds like we both need to start in. I'm kind of nervous about it because my eyes aren't what they used to be.

No, I stopped about six years ago because I went back to school to get my masters and haven't drawn in a serious fashion since then. Before that I would come home from work and spend a few hours drawing. I should pick it up again, but I'm going through a styrene addiction at the moment... beyond collecting them, I mean :)

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m-z-JC/Shadow.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m-z-JC/MazingerFace.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m-z-JC/SDF1-2.jpg

Here's a fun one I did for a sci-fi club's newsletter:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/m-z-JC/fun.jpg

John P and Beeble, very nice! I can't draw human faces. I tend to mess up the nose for some reason.

More good stuff, Cat, and I love what you you were doing with the lighting on that unfinished one. That's always a problem area, and I admire the ability to handle it well. (and yeah, noses are hard too!)

That's a magnificent Kate Bush, Beeb! That's a very delicate touch you have there, kudos!

Nice work all - alot of talented people populate these boards.
Dreamer - what's cool about your pieces shown is that you've captured the essentials - the eyes, the expressions. While unfinished, they have a finished quality to them, because the rest of the information you would have included is superfluous. You may have quit, but you instinctively knew where to quit - a very artistic quality.

Chris

Wow...thank you! That's a new thought I'll have to take on board and re-evaluate where i thought I need to develop.