• ICH's Sketchbook •

[ICH]

Finally I decide to start my own sketchbook.
I recently restart to draw after many years, so, please forgive me if I post some really old stuff, but I think that is funny self presentation.

New works at the end of the post.

Let's go:

I did this superfast crappy stuff many years ago, during the most boring hours of a course, directly whit a cheap marker on cheap paper, no pencil (and tryng to hidden myself from the teacher ;-]). On the classroom there was the trend to do hilarious self portraits.

The Dream Series...




...and the Nightmare Series





Self Presentation:
That's me: I'm a designer...

...I can seems strong...

...but I'm a tender heart...

...I was a Lagunare (like Marines)...

...definitely I don't have a Dwarvish beard...

...I got a girl that go crazy for me...

...and I love talking whit animals...
(The Title mean: "The Hog Whisperer")


Some old comics:



Cell Shading Illustrations:


That's original self portrait from my Avatar, regular and HG version ;-]


My friend Simone (aka Zitronen) that wait for me at 5 AM on park for Kung Fu workout. I was in bed ;-]


Old chirstmas card


Illustration for a magazine tutorial. The name of original character is Simus. I did also a short animation for a website:

You can see HERE the walk animation and HERE a study for a column/navigation bar.


Emoticons

Musa

Thanks to my friend Paco for the Logotype.


Sketches


I did this for fun, to insert on my home made holydays videos (great rispect for Studio Ghibli)


A little render

Vectors:


Study for a Mascotte.




Study for Stickers and T-shirts.


Funny pets.



Another Mascotte/Logo



Interior decoration panels based on some gorgeous photo self portraits by my girlfried Giorgia (the pictures on the link have a really low quality, I hope to convince Giorgia to post on Photo section).
Obviously, the real merit of this work is of Giorgia (and her mom ;-])

Sketches:



Tryng to learn watercolours.

Well, except for the Vectors, this was old stuff before my long pause.
Now I restart to draw, and I'm tryng to learn something about digital painting.

New stuff:


First attempt of digital painting over old pencil sketch.



An half Ogre called "TheGurkhan".







My entry for a packaging Limited Edition restyling contest, by MTV and Saiwa.

[SEVANS]

Great start to a sketchbook.
You have a very bold black & white style - like it.

I think that your fantasy digital pieces would actually benefit from some of the same 'boldness' that your cartoon work has, to me the colours and shadows seem abit work in these pieces and would be greatly improved with some more contrast and form.

[ICH]

Thanks a lot for your time Sevans.
Please can you do some examples about colour & shadows and contrast & form on my works? I'm really interested 'cause I'm tryng to improove and I'm a little rusty

[Dreamworker]

Ciao Ich, i tuoi sono degli ottimi lavori, specialmente quelli in stile fumettistico
Great start man! I like so much your style, keep it up

[TheGnoll]

Ciao belo!
great start for the sketchbook, i've been wanting to see your work for some time, and right now i must say its really good, varied subjects and techniques...you seem to like doing self-caricatures

now lets hope you keep up the good work and fill ths sketchbook quickly!

ciao!

[SEVANS]

Here is a very rushed example (like 2 mins) of more contrast in your pics etc. Your seemed to be concerned about the smooth blending/shading than establishing obvious light sources or using the contrast to help make a focus point (which you do very well in black & white). Plus IMO abit more contrast makes the image more dramatic

...And a wee abit of added warmth to the skin - of course cool blues for cold could have been added to the lighter areas too. This I feel adds abit more 'life' to the creature.

[ICH]

Dreamworker: thanks a lot man! What cartoon work you prefer, exactly?

TheGnoll: hey Ryan, thank you very much for encouragement. I'll try to draw more to fill this thread.
About self caricatures, LOL, there's almost all from the same six months period, there was a trend on the classroom that all do the same.
This is a collaboration work whit the friend that I talk you on your SB:





Sevans: Many thanks for taking the time for this overpainting, I really appreciate it! That was my really first digital painting and I've used a flat diffuse light just for learning purpose, but anyway, you catch a good point. I'll use more contrast on my next works, actually I ever loved strong contrasts ;-]

Now, my new work, sorry for the clone-post on the FF section.

This is for Ae Bricole, the pub of a great friend of mine, slightly oriented on Old Venice traditions.



I used SketchUp for a 3D reference (expecially for casting shadows). Well Sketchup is not exactly easy for this kind of complex geometry, I think that modeling the sword take me more time than the painting, but that's fun ;-]



For those who are interested on Venice traditions:

The Rosebud is related to the story of the troubled love between the noblewoman Maria Partecipazio and Tancredi the troubadour. In the aim to overcome the social class differences, Tancredi goes to the war seeking for an army glory to high himself to the upper level of his beloved. Unlukly, after serving as a valiant soldier the orders of Charles the Great in the War agains the Arabians in Spain, he is wounded to death, and falls over a rose bed that become red by his blood. Dieing, Tancredi relyes on Orlando the paladin to bring a bloom from that plant to Tancredi's beloved Lady in Venice.
Orlando mantains the promise and reach Venice the day before the St. Mark Patron Day, and gives the bloom to the Lady as the last love message from her, now dead, suitor. The morning after Maria Partecipazio is found dead herself, with the red bloom sat on the heart, and since that Venetian lovers use that flower as an emblematic love pledge.
(from: VeniceExplorer.net)

About the sword:
Ewart Oakeshott, the renowned authority of European arms and armour, noted that there are "five distinct types of military swords which show clear lines of development through the seventeenth century." These types are defined as such: A simple hilt-form comprising of two shell-guards and a knuckle-bow to which the "Walloon Sword" belongs; the sword type and its variants referred to, seemingly indiscriminately, as the "Sinclair-hilt"; the misnamed "Mortuary Sword"; the British basket-hilt form encompassing the Scottish claidheamh mòr and its relatives; and finally, the schiavona.
There is much debate surrounding the origins and exact definition of the word schiavona (pronounced skee-ah-voh-nah). Most of the confusion has been as a result of over-zealous Victorian authors and those who paraphrase and (mis)quote them.
In modern Italian, the word schiavo means "slave" and slavo means "Slav." In Venetian Italian, contemporary to the sword itself, the word is said to refer to a "Slavic woman" and may be limited to a Dalmatian. This translation is interesting in that it suggests that the naming of the weapon follows the habit of referring to a sword as a "she." Regardless, the common definition for schiavona cited in many texts specifically meaning a "hired soldier" is likely incorrect.
Despite the confusion with the name itself, the schiavona can certainly be associated with soldiers recruited from the ranks of Venice's influence in the Balkans. These military men served as a fierce fighting force, using their distinct swords in Spain, as bodyguards to the Doge of Venice, and as warriors against the Ottomans. It's the tales of these Slavic soldiers that have caused them to be so tightly connected with the schiavona sword.
(from: MyArmoury.com)

Like easy to catch watching my last name and my hometown, we are talking about my ancestors.

The cloth on the table are the old Venice Flag, but in the middle, instead of St.Mark winged lion there is AeBricole Pub's Logo.

[ICH]

I start this speedy for a new avatar, but seems a little crappy on small size (well, also on big size are not so good). Cell shading works a lot better on small sizes.
So, I take advantage for quick skintone study.

[Jokisalo]

Man how much I enjoyed this thread
Fucking loving those lips!! Haha.. Keep it up.
And if you get time stop by in my sketchbook. Thanks

[Dreamworker]

Very nice updates mate! I like the sword on the table and I found very interesting the skin tone study of the last portrait!
Keep it up, ciao

[TheGnoll]

lol thats really good man, love the cartoonish figure with that kind of rendering, that style suit you very well
and very nice collab page with that old friend of yours...and yes, he looks bit like me hehe

keep sharing, more sketches, go wild, get dirty!

ciao

[ICH]

Jokisalo LOL thanks man, I'm so fond on my hugelips caricature version. I'll glad if you keep enjoy.

Dreamworker hey, you seems the only one that notice my sword's piece, heheh. Thank you Paolo, also for your blue dark tones advice, i'm tryng something new.

TheGnoll Dirty? Uhm...I'm just feeling stinky, for now...



yippiyayo, i'll go wild!

Now it's Ass Time!
Hip's anatomy is one of my hardest weak point, it's the time to change this.
Here some study on Michelangelo's Giudizio Universale and some free sketches.

[Dreamworker]

Nice to see some anatomy studies in your SB! I foundyour emoticons very funny
and this one is cool
Ciao

[ICH]

Dreamworker thanks mate

Well, it's Chirstmas, time of greeting card!
I take the advantage to wish you all Merry Christmas, guys!



(I'll post this one also on FF section)

Cheers!

[GriNGo]

Heya ICH, you're SB is marvelous. I like the amount of professional quality work you have here... everything, even your sketches are very clean and rendered. I like that. For me it's kind of difficult to attain that clean look to my pictures. I'll see you around man, keep on posting!

[ICH]

Gringoloco thanks for your kind words man. Clean and clear is strongly important for me, but sometime i think that i may add some dirt around...and is not easy for me ;-]

Small update.
This is the "Panconiglio" (sounds like "Brebbit" or something like that), inspired by a funny situation between my girlfriend and me, clearing away the table after dinner.





The table cloth seems a little too clean and flat. Advices are really appreciated.

[Clochette]

You got a very nice sketchbook, and very funny! I like your humor! For example that nude with its little detail made me laugh alone in my studio! http://www.conceptart.org/forums/att...8&d=1197403913
I'll come back signor!

[ICH]

Clochette merci bien for stopping by my sketchbook, dude.
LOL, thinking at you laughin alone at your studio make me laugh alone in my own ;-]

[ICH]

I try to move a little the table clothing.
I'll post this also on FF section.

[GriNGo]

heheh, Bunny Bread? Pan de conejo? (spanish).. funny!

[ICH]

heheh thanks Gringo! Panconejo sounds good ;-]

[Crazy Pills]

Nice sketchbook! Interesting style you are developing. SEVANS point about contrast was pretty good. You have it there, it's a little short of really well done. Just find those highlight spots and those really dark spots and you'll just add that much more dimension.

Good work!

[Dreamworker]

ehehe fighissimo il pan coniglio!!
Ciao

[Giorge]

Duuuude, what the f#$% , i was admiring you designer's sketchbook , with all the cool stuff you gathered here , then u suddenly smacked me across the face with this


what are those? abdominals on the back , dig the cigar , but i don't think he's got the 6 pack form puffing it. Careful when you do anatomy , you shouldn't draw after some 500 year old artist , if you wanted you could do some anatomy studies after the drawings of Leonardo , but the best way to learn the muscles is drawing from "Anatomy for artists" books , or from live models , applying what you learned on them , that's when you learned all the muscles , and all their names , and functions and movements. The human body is the the hardest object to draw. It takes time. Any way's awesome sb again ... keep on walking , mean drawing

[ICH]

Crazy Pills thanks man! You are right about contrast. My old style CRT monitor have a lot of contrast, when I see my works on LCD screen I'm really disappointed. I think that there is not a settings problem 'cause when I print my paintings I got pretty good results. Maybe it's the time to buy a new monitor :-[.

Dreamworker hey buddy, glad you like my little creature. Sorry for my absence, i got new job and new life that busy me a lot (in a really nice way).

Flamable Thanks for your kind words and for your advices mate. About the ice pack on the back, you are right, but there is just a study from Michelangelo on the Giudizio Universale, where the artist introduce some really interesting exaggeration on his anatomies. The big and strong muscles are now not related only to the "good people" but also to the "damned".
Anyway, I think that studing the old school great artist are not less important than studing the modern anatomy books. IMHO the best way is study everything ;-]
Sorry for my english, I can't explain well what I like to say.
Thanks for your encouragement!

[GriNGo]

hey man, show us new stuff please!

[ICH]

Amigo, thanks a lot for your encouragement, it's truly important for me.
Actually i'm working on a piece that i find a little hard, and new job and new house take me an incredible amount of time, so, wait a little more, i'll try to speed up the finishment ;-]
About my job, i'm actually busy whit a lot of typical speed design works for paper that i'm sure is not interesting for this kind of community, so, when i'll start some more interesting works, i'll ask for sure to my chief if i can post here.
See you soon dude!

[hurricane]

where's an update!!
We demand it!! (yes, "we", as the royal me hehe)

Cheers buddy, hope your well!

[ICH]

Björn&Hurri thanks mates!
Thanks a lot for stopping by, dude. Yeah, i'm fine.
I've just finished a piece today, tomorrow I ask to my chief if I can post here, but I think that he say "ok".

[Poshspice]

Hi Danir! I'm glad Sonja gave you a chuckle! LOL! Thanks for saying hello. Your sketchbook is something else! Love the lip thing you have going on, and the professional quality of so much here, although I have to say the Christmas card is wonderful, but it scares me a bit too! Like the bunny ear bread! Hoho!