Pam Sketches

demotlj · 9 Jul 2020, 01:05

@Pamela-Fraley These are beautiful.

carlianne · 9 Jul 2020, 02:39

Pamela Fraley · 22 Jul 2020, 23:57

Here’s a couple things from this week. My Brother in law’s D&D character. And a face I found on Pinterest while I was in the clinic today. I get allergy shots every month and I have to sit while they watch to see if I react too badly. It’s some uninterrupted drawing time at least. ️

Nyrryl Cadiz · 23 Jul 2020, 08:15

@Pamela-Fraley These are just beautiful!

Pamela Fraley · 23 Jul 2020, 16:05

@Nyrryl-Cadiz thank you! ️

Pamela Fraley · 27 Jul 2020, 08:57

Forgot to post this to the forums when I finished it. I’m trying to do Potter Week, though I’m too slow for daily prompts,so I’m spreading it out. But, I posted the first one on Instagram and I just don’t like it... though, of course, It’s got a bunch of likes on it. Isn’t that the way it goes. I really want to understand what is off about it and I’ve kind of got a couple things... 1. I think I need to draw through and crop the image to make sure the composition makes sense. Something isn’t right about their placement in the room. 2. Coloring. Gahhh. This is where I feel like I need to save for a digital set up or switch to doing shading etc with my pencils and painting over. I’m just so much more comfortable with pencils. I try to think through colors a lot, but everything ends up flat and muddy Unless I’m painting trees. 3. Gesture, she’s supposed to be startled because Fred and George just apparated behind her. Shes dropping the dishes. It’s not reading right away.
I didn’t say anything negative on insta about it. Because that’s annoying. But I’m posting here. Incase any of you had some tips to make it better. I’m not sure I’ll redo this one, but I want to understand what needs work. Thanks for listening if you stuck with me this far. I had middle of the night asthma issues and decided to post this while I was half asleep and drinking my tea. Rambling...

Kasey Snow · 28 Jul 2020, 15:33

Lovely work! I really like your painting style, very soft and warm.

jennaivy · 29 Jul 2020, 17:18

Really nice work! I love sketchbook threads

lora_chaudavis · 29 Jul 2020, 17:40

@Pamela-Fraley Haha, yeah I try not to say anything negative about pieces when I share them on social media because I want to seem confident but I relate to that feeling of wanting to vent. I think the painting has a lot of thoughtful details! I love being able to see the kitchen in the back and really getting a sense of a home that is well cared for, just from those details. I also love Mrs. Weasley's beautiful, wavy hair.

Blitz55 · 30 Jul 2020, 06:13

This is really good. Really nice work

Lovsey · 30 Jul 2020, 06:47

@Pamela-Fraley said in Pam Sketches:

I really want to understand what is off about it and I’ve kind of got a couple things... 1. I think I need to draw through and crop the image to make sure the composition makes sense. Something isn’t right about their placement in the room. 2. Coloring. Gahhh. This is where I feel like I need to save for a digital set up or switch to doing shading etc with my pencils and painting over. I’m just so much more comfortable with pencils. I try to think through colors a lot, but everything ends up flat and muddy Unless I’m painting trees. 3. Gesture, she’s supposed to be startled because Fred and George just apparated behind her. Shes dropping the dishes. It’s not reading right away.

Great work on this piece! Here’s my initial feedback on the points you raised:

For me the crop feels too tight maybe especially because of the short height of the centre character
I think the colouring is beautifully done
The gesture works but doesn’t read the best that it could because it isn’t very realistic that she would throw her hands up in startled submission like that when she’s holding so many weighty, fragile dishes. It’s more realistic that she would simply be losing her grip as a result of the startle jump and scrambling not to drop them or possibly gripping them tensely with a grimacing wide-eye expression.

Also, I’m not really familiar with the characters or the story you’re telling (Shocking, I know - I will get around to reading the Harry Potter series one day!) but perhaps the the image would benefit from the boys being semi-opaque to show they are appearing? But I’m aware that maybe that isn’t true to the original story

Pamela Fraley · 30 Jul 2020, 22:59

@lora_chaudavis thank you. I want to work more on drawing interior spaces that are packed full of things and look like “used spaces”. I feel like it’s so easy to draw rooms that are way too big and empty when you’re just learning. I’m glad you like it. ️

Pamela Fraley · 30 Jul 2020, 23:08

@Lovsey thank you so much!! And you are totally right! Now that I’m looking at it with that feedback, those two things make so much sense. It looks like an image that was cropped too close. And you’re right! If she was holding something, she might cram it closer to her chest and a few things would maybe break or drop, but she probably wouldn’t just let go. I was using a reference photo, but the photo was just a person being scared and they weren’t holding anything so I had to kind of imagine it all. Okay, now I definitely want to redo this! It’s crazy how stuff like that didn’t catch me in the thumbnail. I guess it just takes experience. Thanks for taking so much time. ️️

Lovsey · 31 Jul 2020, 04:08

@Pamela-Fraley I’m glad my perspective was helpful. That is one of the difficulties I have when adapting references too. The SVS Introduction to Gesture class that I’m doing at the moment has really been helping me learn to push reference poses for my specific storytelling needs. I also find that it really helps to put myself ‘in the moment’ physically and emotionally with the character. For instance, for your image, I thought back to times I had been startled while holding things to consider the natural reaction.

And you really did so well with the details like the expression, raised shoulders and the necklace showing movement, they all add a lot to the moment.
I’d love to see your revision when you get around to reworking it!

Pamela Fraley · 4 Aug 2020, 04:19

Expression study. Smiles are so hard!

Pamela Fraley · 25 Sept 2020, 21:01

Our towns Tardis. We do actually have one. The made up element in this picture is the girl on the bike.
I Decided to move my plein air painting challenge back here so I don’t take over the September studio feed. Here’s number 3. The purpose of these is 1. To challenge myself to grow In some basic observational art skills. Most of the time I draw from reference. And, sometimes I spend so much time on reference that I don’t get to the drawing. I’m practicing setting aside a Small chunk of time (30 to 40 minutes) to draw what is in front of me, and then I let myself fix it up a bit later. 2. I want to work on composition and lighting. 3. I decided to try an add some bit of storytelling or a character to these so that they aren’t just illustrated landscapes. I will probably have to make up most of these elements which is good for me. 4. Practice putting images out into the world that are “finished not perfect.” It’s not easy!