Mindbender's sketches, doodles and studies

Couldn't resist getting on the Sketchbook Train again, starting with my latest Bridgman study and a Jack Sparrow drawing for a tutorial I did some time ago

This mornings warm-up sketch:

Another quick sketch drawn around the same time as the previous one

Mixed media sketch

Great work! Since you're into anatomy you can also try Proko.com. You're pretty good at capturing the forms and lighting well. Keep up the good work!

Thanks for feedback and site advice

Recent page of current sketchbook - study, fun and exploration:

Sketching is always fun. ... Try going back in, and darkening the shadows to really help define the characters. You can also use an eraser to lighten up areas. It doesn't take much, and you might like the results. Right now it looks like all your marks are close to being the same shade.

Great observation and feedback. Most of the page was drawn in bed with really bad light. Value variation is one of the things I must get better at though, especially when drawing traditionally. Value scale is a great tool that I should draw and use more often, at least making sure that "darkest dark" is added to each more finished drawing I do.

Remember to add bounce light in the shadows too! The difference it makes is massive!

I must admit that I never payed much attention to bounce (reflected?) light. All I know is that it's supposed to be darker than the local color, but lighter than the core shadow. Have been taught to draw shadow shapes solid lately, in order to express form more clearly. Could you post an example of in which way bounce light is so important? Would be great

Here's a sketch of an armchair for a painting I'm doing for my sister