SABRETOOTH vs WOLVERINE...Revisited pencils

Never did pencils for this 2013 piece.

Always liked it and decided to come back to it for a refresh.

Digital pencils have come a long way now and I used the outline from the old piece for this. Made a few changes but for the most part its still very much similar to the original.

But now I have the penciled version to share. ;P

Hey, rams! Great sketch--Ive never seen this one before. Always wanted to ask--what's the difference between regular pencils and digital?

@knotty:

Hey man thanks,

yeah this was drawn at a time I stripped myself from feathering and slowly re learned how to draw everything again. I had a very noticeable classic style I wanted to shed since it was pointed out numerous times. They where compliments but to stay relevant you have to refresh at times. I think by this drawing I had already had a single line approach for a couple of years, close to what is normally seen in coloring books.

What I noticed on this drawing is, I already had started incorporating a small level of feathering.

This is way down in my images here on my CV profile. There are some stylistic cues that I like about the first but wanted to adjust a few things with drawing it over again since I felt it deserved some decent pencils that I could not get at the time from limitations on software and styluses on a computer/tablet.

Pencil is obviously graphite and to duplicate that with a pen/stylus for a compatible device wasnt easy due to pen pressure and software not aligning well with the look.

I have used The Surfacebook and Wacom Monitor, as well as a Samsung Notebook in recent years. Things were improving but what I knew is, that sooner or later I had to break down and get the iPad pro to get the results I needed if I wanted a professional portfolio with pencils.

I know publishers are looking mainly at how well you handle the flow of a story with sequentials but as we all know, its about the quality of the image that helps sell your work. Being that I am in the middle of my own really large self imposed project in the amount of pages to produce, I wanted something I could look back and be proud of.

The graphite reproduction with a digital pen is far superior on the iPad than even the wacom, at least from my experience.

The best pencil I found is on sketchbook but Procreate is no slouch and I love working in Procreate better than Sketchbook pro on either an iPad or Android device.

Procreate is solely an IOS app so you need an apple device to use it on. Right now, the sky is the limit for me with my own shortcomings as I continue to try and keep improving.

I found the tools now I just have to put the time in and let the work show my efforts.

Thanks for the response--I'll have to try my hand at digital one day.

Man, I love your inks! I get jealous of anyone who can ink their work by hand because I can't ink a drawing worth a damn! lol

@ramsillustrations: Did you always have some level of drawing ability or did you learn from scratch?

I would like to draw but I suck at it and I don't know if that's something you can just learn.

@decaffeinated:

Hi thanks for your interest with your question.

On my end I loved comic books since I was 3 or 4. My grandfather turned me on to them from what I was told to keep me distracted. I think the first comic I remember was Golden age Green Lanterns origin story. As I got a little older my Dad was in the Hotel business and I ended up on the little island of Bermuda until my teens. Had to learn to keep engaged and busy and reading as well as comics was something I clicked with since at the time TV was limited to 2 channels with little on.

By 7 or 8, I made up my mind that when I looked at all the drawings in Comic Books, superheroes of course, I said to myself, I can do this!

I never looked back. I just decided with my limited knowledge and outlook that I had to start with what seemed the most difficult and the human body seemed like the best way to learn. I figured that if I could understand and draw anatomy well I could in essence draw anything.

Little did I know at the time that thats also nothing knew and has been passed down over the years but that was my starting point.

Life got in the way and I veered off course trying to survive and make a living. About 12 years ago I had a chance to start over again and after several path choices I had to make a decision. I knew when I was old and looked back that this was going to bug me. They tell you that when you get that way the thing elderly people reflect on is not what they accomplished but what they didnt. I didnt want to be in that category so I pursued this. I realize now and I guess even 12 years ago that this industry may not be the best to stamp a career for but its something that kinda burns inside. Comicbook movies are doing great but even so that may come to an end after a burnout with the fans and public. Just like westerns flamed out. The thing is that comics themselves are always hanging on by a thread and im hoping I can still financially survive through this.

So, in a way yes you have to have an inclination and a devotion to something to achieve the possible results you want. I always strive to be the best at this, I am well aware that isnt possible since there are so many people that have so much more talent and understanding. My point at wanting to be better than anyone isnt that I will achieve that goal, its the reality of getting better than I would have if I hadnt set a goal in the first place. If you want to throw a ball to reach the other side of the lake you know it wont if its miles in distance, the point is that you will try and reach as far as you can with the abilities you have. You just have to strive for it.

So, anyone can draw, anyone in my opinion, just like anything else is how far are you willing to dedicate time and energy to. This isnt the medical field or becoming a vet, its time and dedication. Achieving any proficiency in this field to get to a higher level is similar. You just have to keep trying. Having an interest and a strong one gets you much farther in anything than when its something you dont really want to dedicate time to. Its a choice and we all make it with what we feel is worth striving for.

I reached a pro level so far, that was my first hurdle, I have been published but I havent looked for work yet. I get offers from writers and small time publishers but I decided anything beyond my project was a distraction. That was what caused me in the first place to deviate from my original path years ago and it took me way longer to return to it.

So, im a bit of a slow poke. I sat down and started to look through everything I have done regarding my project and I was, wow, thats a lot more than I expected.

Yes the story boards are were the project will end up being ready for uploading or even as a Graphic Novel but all the work I did on sketches and stuff really amassed over the last few years.

That to me will be like my residency and what I release will serve as a portfolio of sorts. I know if I ever knocked on the doors to the big 2 I would need portfolios that had their characters in them but if anyone wished I will also have the penciled pages from my book for other publishers to see.

so that is at least my story. Hope it helps you and what you decide, I hope if anyone else is starting out that this can serve as a guide since I didnt really have one when I started my journey.

You should, digital really is great and versatile. I took to it immediately and my journey was on CV since my first digital drawing. BTW, that Wolvie/Sabretooth drawing was also inked on a computer. Its still my hand drawing all of this just that its not a pen with ink. ;p

Just tonight's warm-up, back to my project....hope you like....

Still producing great stuff!!! How much the lines are crispier now and precise! Love both the pencils and ink!

Man its good to hear from you. You kinda disappeared. Always worried with all the stuff going on and your area and so much has changed. Hope you are doing well.

On my end Im super excited with the project im working on. I like to share these drawings but this is the easy stuff now. Kinda gives me a little break when I do these but im loving the results with the concept I created so im keeping busy during Covid19.

Yeah the old saying, practice practice practice really does help. ;p

Keep in touch man!

Amazing work.

marvelous. You are an amazing artist

@takenstew22: @darkthunder:

Thank you, I appreciate the kind words. I still have a long way but im glad you like my work so far. :)

Nice.

Thanks, I updated it, didnt like some of the feathering lines in the previous version but thank you for the supportive comment. :)

Hey, Rams! Great pencil piece of one my favorite characters! Love the leaping pose--you can see the power in the legs and arm. I notice that you tend to make the striking hand a focal point here rather than the face. Interesting.

Didn't realize you had inked it already. Only thing I'd say is regarding the deep shadows on the rear of his legs--the light source is from above, but It looks like it's also coming from the the front of the torso. Its just my opinion--I'm no inker. Otherwise great action piece that definitely has a lot of impact!

@knotty:

Yeah bud, Im with you. Its just a warmup. Anything I post on here is just fun sketches and splash art to distract me from my current project. The art on the project is a bit more detailed but I should pay attention even with my warm up or before bed practice pieces but you made a valid point. I just added extra lighting to the muscles that pop more having the light coming from above. Thanks.