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So the semi-regular redraw of Jared Padalecki is complete and I am underwhelmed.
Comparing the colored pencil versions over the years...
Between 2017 and 2018 there was a quick and dramatic improvement that mainly came down to my gaining a better understanding of how colored pencils work. Between 2018 and 2020, I'd figured out how to improve the color with a layer of alcohol marker under the pencil, as well as developing a system to cheat and get the proportions more realistic (take lots and lots of pictures as you go and compare the photo of your drawing to the photo reference, which for some reason is easier than comparing the physical drawing to the photo reference).
But between 2020 and 2022 ...
( 2020 vs 2022 )
the only real improvement is on getting the stubble more realistic (which was my main complaint with the 2020 version, the beard stubble was too cartoonish).
And the thing is, I know I could still work on this longer and get the shading and coloring better. (The eyes aren't quite the right color, the shadows aren't dark enough, the texture of the jacket is a bit unfinished, et cetera, et cetera.) But... I don't want to. This much detail isn't fun. I'm tired and I'm bored and the more I fiddle trying to fix things, the more irritated I get.
In some ways, I think this drawing is a little worse than the last one. Specifically, the thing that struck me about this photo reference was the quirky worried expression on his face which I think I captured in the 2020 version, but somehow lost here. (I do like the shrunk-down icon version though because most of the details that bug me aren't noticeable at that scale.)
Hence, I'm still torn on whether this is really "done" or if I'll poke at it in a few days and try to improve it. But I think I'm in "screw it, good enough" territory.
On the other hand, compare these sloppy ink drawings (from 2019 and 2022)...
I like both of these better than the more realistic colored pencil drawings. Neither is realistic or necessarily a "good" drawing, but they were both fun to do and I think they both did a much better job of capturing the mood. That is a man who knows he's about to get pounced on by monsters. This last colored pencil drawing somehow lost all the emotion.
Comparing the colored pencil versions over the years...
 2017 April colored pencils sketchbook #1 |
 2018 January colored pencils sketchbook #1 |
 2020 December alcohol markers colored pencils sketchbook #5 |
 2022 September alcohol markers colored pencils sketchbook #13 |
Between 2017 and 2018 there was a quick and dramatic improvement that mainly came down to my gaining a better understanding of how colored pencils work. Between 2018 and 2020, I'd figured out how to improve the color with a layer of alcohol marker under the pencil, as well as developing a system to cheat and get the proportions more realistic (take lots and lots of pictures as you go and compare the photo of your drawing to the photo reference, which for some reason is easier than comparing the physical drawing to the photo reference).
But between 2020 and 2022 ...
( 2020 vs 2022 )
the only real improvement is on getting the stubble more realistic (which was my main complaint with the 2020 version, the beard stubble was too cartoonish).
And the thing is, I know I could still work on this longer and get the shading and coloring better. (The eyes aren't quite the right color, the shadows aren't dark enough, the texture of the jacket is a bit unfinished, et cetera, et cetera.) But... I don't want to. This much detail isn't fun. I'm tired and I'm bored and the more I fiddle trying to fix things, the more irritated I get.
In some ways, I think this drawing is a little worse than the last one. Specifically, the thing that struck me about this photo reference was the quirky worried expression on his face which I think I captured in the 2020 version, but somehow lost here. (I do like the shrunk-down icon version though because most of the details that bug me aren't noticeable at that scale.)
Hence, I'm still torn on whether this is really "done" or if I'll poke at it in a few days and try to improve it. But I think I'm in "screw it, good enough" territory.
On the other hand, compare these sloppy ink drawings (from 2019 and 2022)...
I like both of these better than the more realistic colored pencil drawings. Neither is realistic or necessarily a "good" drawing, but they were both fun to do and I think they both did a much better job of capturing the mood. That is a man who knows he's about to get pounced on by monsters. This last colored pencil drawing somehow lost all the emotion.
