here
21 mins : 720p version, not top quality but it should play without buffering.
And it's best viewed at full-screen.
Riley was drawn and filmed (for our LindasPencils) over a period of 6 months, in any spare time I could find. That was usually in the evening just after I'd bedded down the animals and poultry.
It was also my first attempt at filming video. It improves in quality as the video progresses - honest!
In the second half I'd learned to set the white balance correctly, and to switch to manual focus instead of relying on auto. I'd also purchased a coupe of additional video lights by that time.
Something I must mention: I'm often asked why I constantly rotate my pencil. That's because I use a chisel point (go to the video section to learn about that), and I use the edge for sharp detail. As the edge wears, I rotate it slightly to a fresh, sharp section.
There are also two bits of silliness. When I'm filming my wife Jenny refers to me as Cecil B DeMille - and the "breakdown" sequence was just me having a little editing fun
Finally, there is no narration - just me drawing. But I often find watching another artist at work to be quite instructive. The speed and sequence of coverage, for example, can only be gained by watching the artist.
ON THE BOARD:
I was working from two copies of a photo of Riley's head - one with standard contrast and the other lightened to expose the detail in the shadows. About half-way through the video you'll see a photo on my drawing board with a red background - that's a pastel of Riley drawn by Linda. Knowing what she thought was important about Riley was really helpful.
Grades: 2B, HB or F, and 2H.
I'm a great believer in only working on one texture at a time, and drawing a small section to completion. By working that way I can fully understand everything I'm working on - its three-dimensional form; the texture and the way it feels under my fingers; and, because I'm concentrating on only that one element, I can recall all past experiences and build in everything I know about it.
In the final minute you'll see that I completed the drawing, stood back from it, and realised it needed a little additional balance, so I turned the base of the neck out to the right. Then signed I it. Job done!
Click to view: RILEY : THE VIDEO!
Large version RILEY : THE MOVIE!
- Mike Sibley
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RILEY : THE MOVIE!
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Re: RILEY : THE MOVIE!
Thank you Mike & Linda for sharing this with us. I haven't had a chance to watch it completely yet, but I'm already picking up some tips. It still amazes me to see how cleanly you work Mike.
One good reminder I've already retained from this is to SLOW DOWN. I just erased quite a bit of work I had done on my owl drawing because I rushed it and it looked messy to my eyes. There's very little to do in that case besides starting over and taking it nice and slow. Luckily I don't need to preserve much pure white of the paper in that section.
One good reminder I've already retained from this is to SLOW DOWN. I just erased quite a bit of work I had done on my owl drawing because I rushed it and it looked messy to my eyes. There's very little to do in that case besides starting over and taking it nice and slow. Luckily I don't need to preserve much pure white of the paper in that section.
- Mike Sibley
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Re: RILEY : THE MOVIE!
It's my belief that any drawing is only as good as its weakest part. Because the eye will be drawn to it, and it will drag the rest of the drawing down to its level.
So, when I feel like speeding up unnecessarily... I just remind myself of that
A typical case I see (although not so often lately) is a superb animal's head spoiled by a hurried neck - because that's the boring part
Re: RILEY : THE MOVIE!
I very much enjoyed watching this video, and have learned from it. The most important lesson is that I really need to slow down - alot!
Re: RILEY : THE MOVIE!
Mike - I LOVED your video. Watching was like being in a zen meditation and no kidding, I will watch this again MANY times! It was so instructive also and yet again, reminds me how important it is to pay attention to minute details and to SLOW down.
LOL I just never get enough of watching you draw!!!
LOL I just never get enough of watching you draw!!!
I wear many hats in my life but the one constant is my love for animals and being surrounded by the wonder of nature and earth's beauty. My art is central to my way of expressing my deep and abiding reverence for our Planet.
Re: RILEY : THE MOVIE!
Sometimes just watching a good artist work, without any verbal direction of purpose can be so useful! It allows the viewer’s mind to focus on whatever captures their imagination based on where they are in the continuum of learning to create art. In this case I found myself really focusing on how in creating individual hairs you included detailed shading, seemingly for each hair. I know it wasn’t really for every hair, but you had a sense for where to best use detailed shading to give depth and realism impossible to create with just general, global shading in larger sections.