you may notice that none of this is finished. thats my biggest problem with art right now is finishing the shit i start. so more to come but heres this for now....

Guyomech: i would especially like your input on this, your art is amazing and visionary and looking thru your webiste i have developed a pretty deep respect for your art.

and i apologize if these pics are too big, should i resize em?

Nice work, tell us more about your approach, I think the blending is very smooth, takes patience, that.

i actually do the smoothest shading just using a mechanical pencil. I found some good drafting pencils that take different lead hardness. Usually i do a small sketch, as detailed as possible, then use a projector to put the sketch on a bigger canvas. The alien, "Moksha" is his name, was done with an airbrush and poorly cut and placed posterboard stencils (hence the white ring around his head). I tried that for a while but i got sick of spending more time cutting paper than doing art, and its pretty difficult to pull off tight detail with an airbrush. Im still experimenting with different mediums trying to find the one that works best for me. Ive been trying oil painting lately and i like how you can really work the paint. I actually really dig Stalepixels method too, that kind of uv acrylic paint would work with a hair brush and an airbrush.

oh and on the last 2 pics, thats just mechanical pencil and a white pencil for highlights. the gray background on the tokapelli image is printed on the inside cover of my sketchbook, i thought it was a pretty cool texture, and that white pencil helps tokapelli "pop" off the page a bit.

Nice stuff!

I really like that alien in the first one, and the yin/yang snake is very cool too.

WOW cool! Thanks for sharing!

Very nice work, I really like your style.
My favorite is the skull with the shroom, to me it means that nothing dies, only transforms.

Thank you for sharing.

thanks everybody for your comments

Crazy horse: That one is a few years old, very small, and ive gained a better understanding of form and light since then so a new and improved version is in the works. If i had to pic one piece to summarize how i view existence that would be it. I actually learned a lot from that piece as it evolved and grew into what it is. I always love it when that happens. Most people think that art is about taking the knowledge that you already have and putting it on paper, but when im really connected to the source and getting some true inspiration I am learning, not teaching.

did ya notice the subliminal message in that one? i was just gonna see if anybody noticed it without sayin somethin but i get too impatient

[quote=Tokapelli] Most people think that art is about taking the knowledge that you already have and putting it on paper, but when im really connected to the source and getting some true inspiration I am learning, not teaching.

Missed that the first time, but now that you mention it...

That would make a great tatoo design.

I really like your "facescape" a lot too you should add that here as well.

Nice work! I like your characters, a lot of emotion in them. Really smooth as well, awesome stuff thanks for sharing!

great work Tokapelli, those are worth finishing!

I especially dig the bongo player and the yin/yang ouroboros.

Now let's get some COLOR in there !

Thanks crazy horse, I have actually been planning on getting that tattoed on me someday.

I was wonderin if I should post the other sketches that i posted on the front page collab thread but it was gettin kind of pic heavy on this thread anyway.

Yea yea yea, add color, finish your art, lol. Sadly I hanvt done very much art at all in the past couple months, gotta pull my head out of my ass and get to work.

This is good motivation though, thanks for all your kind comments everybody. I guess this is the right kind of audience for my art.

Awesome work!

I like the style, especially the dude beatin on the drum.

Yeah, the bongo dude has a lot of style and character... Just needs finishing!

I don't know how much critical feedback you're hoping for here, but I might as well come forward and say this: the only reason you aren't totally tearing up the art scene is because you're not putting enough time into it. You've got the beginnings of a very likeable style done with solid technique- but imagine a hundred drawings or paintings from now, how much more evolved your stuff would be! Honestly, that's the only thing holding you back. You've got all the ingredients- put in the time and the rest will come naturally.

I hope that didn't sound too preachy... And I know that life doesn't always provide the opportunity to draw every day. But if you are at all serious about taking your art to the next level, start carrying a sketchbook with you everywhere and draw every day, even if all you can manage is quick and rough. Once you've put in your ten thousand hours you're unstoppable.

I hope this advice isn't unwelcome... And I'm only saying it because you clearly have a great foundation to build on. Can't wait to see what you do for the homepage- no doubt you'll be taking it to the next level.

Thats great art and GREAT feedback from Guyomech. I love the mushrooms you draw. Your style is already very pleasing to the eye. Like Guyo said...imagine what will be 1 year from now!

I love your style man, so appealing to the eye. Keep going friend

no way Guyomech that kind of advice is exactly what I need. I agree with you I have been letting life get in the way and havent done as much art as I should in the past couple years. This past year has probably been the worst, my basement studio has been neglected and turned into a cluttered storage space. The most art i have done is small sketches while im sitting at work all day. What i think i really need to do is start painting. (been thinking about getting one of those thumb boxes to do quick paintings on the go, on hikes and stuff)

I have these 2 projects ive agreed to now and i really dont want to let you guys or my other buddy down (having me do some album art). I fiinally have a couple hours of good psycadelic music available now (huge part of my workflow, ipod was damaged, sorry excuse i know lol). And i think my better half is starting to recognize the mental damage im doing to myself by neglecting my art too, she has really been pushing me to get my studio cleaned up lately lol. Also seeing the positive responses here is really giving me a solid push as well, so thanks for that guys.

Right on man... And having a supportive partner is solid gold.

And the iPod is indeed no excuse- click on one of the many great music threads here at the nexus, crank it up, get that studio work started. Make it nice-create a comfortable and inviting space, surround yourself with inspiration. Get good lighting and music set up there. Stackable bins my friend!

And if you want, post a pic of your studio here as you get rolling on your next art project...

yea you are right about the partner id be lost without her. And sadly I dont have internet at home yet so i cant do that. Still no excuse though i can paint in silence if I want, (whats most importatnt is that i meditate or play the didgeridoo or something first, to make sure im in a positive state of mind) . Anyway that problem is solved now. Tonight we are bustin ass on my studio to make it more comfortable organized and inviting. So yea ill deffinitely post some pics of my setup and what im workin on. What Ive noticed is that recently I have put just a little effort into my art and was met with a big push forward from alot of different angles, So i can only imagine the opportunities that will come when I really get serious and dedicate myself to it.
thanks for all the encouragement man it really does make a difference.

Yes, yes, yes! I have a fancy art degree and while I wouldn't call my education a waste I can sum up four years of study for you free of charge: practice. As with any skill, giving it time and attention is most of what it comes down to.

Specifically about your process: your sketch, project, paint routine is essentially exactly what a friend of mine does. I don't know if this applies to you (so feel free to ignore this), but for him he said he was getting bored very quickly with a piece because by the time he traced his sketch onto canvas he was tired of looking at the same project and felt like he was just painting by numbers. My advice to him was to switch up his routine as much as possible for a while. Draw directly onto the canvas and improvise the colors, work strictly in digital for a while, paint something with no sketch at all! Even if you end up coming back to your original routine, I can guarantee that you'll learn something interesting along the way.

You already have a really solid foundation and show a great sense of form. Keep producing and share your journey with us!

thats very good advice Nils and that totally applies to me. Ive gone away from this now but for a while i was trying to do large airbrush peices with hand cut stencils (alien is an example of that). I ended up tracing my own work probably 6-7 times, and once more with an exacto knife, very tedious, and kinda restricts the art, keeps it from evolving and growing like it should.