Instagram, Color tests and phone sketches!?

Hey folks. sorry its been a while. Only planning on doing 2/3 posts a week (maybe extra if something awesome happens!!) But i need time for art, and if im here talking to you guys there is no art being made!
Anywhos, I have slowly been catching up on my sketch dailies hand drawn images. Im about half way through the list with more being added every day! ARRGH
Ill then do a bulk scanning session and outline them on Illustrator. If you've been checking out my Instagram http://instagram.com/# you can see exactly what they are ive been drawing. Benn posting images up several times a day on Instagram, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JMenjaHArt
and deviantart http://valkrya.deviantart.com/ so if you want to stay up to the second with me go follow me or like my page :)

As you can see on there my gorilla charcoal sketch is coming on nicely too. check out the detail shot on the eye :D Im so pleased but the rest needs serious work:/

Gorilla Charcoal Sketch detail. A3 paper. loads to do work in progress :)

What do you guys do when you have a perfect image you want to create in your minds eye but it turns out not as planned?
I usually walk away and do some sketches of whatever it is i am drawing and rethink my technique before returning to it to amend things. How about you? drop me a comment :)

Found this pretty cool color eye test as posted by Tasty tuts (check out his tutorials) https://www.youtube.com/user/TastyTuts on twitter. Have a go yourself, i scored 11 which apparently is pretty good :)

http://www.xrite.com/custom_page.aspx?pageid=77&lang=en

Ive started working my way through CTRL+Paints Traditional Drawing series to brush up on my technique. Ths was lead on from me not being happy with some aspects of my gorilla image so i thought id tidy up my technique. I got to the brushes and erasers episode and i started the homework. which is drawing 20 phones. Check the vid for more detail. Ive got 5/20 done but i will do 20 before i continue the series. my first sheet is up on Instagram http://instagram.com/p/pmepJ9MeZ-/ I was totally tired haha so forgive me. i may redraw them tbh
http://www.ctrlpaint.com/library/ 

Thats really all ive been up to i guess. Let me know how your art projects are going :) drop me a comment or follow/like my other pages and we'll chat :)
Post soon :)
Peace
Menja X


Social Media
Instagram             http://instagram.com/jenny_menja_hall_art
Facebook             https://www.facebook.com/JMenjaHArt?ref_type=bookmark
Twitter                 https://twitter.com/MenjaMist
Google+              https://plus.google.com/u/0/117436179098243645186/posts
Deviant art          http://valkrya.deviantart.com/


Resources

Sketch Dailies          https://twitter.com/Sketch_Dailies
Tasty Tuts                https://www.youtube.com/user/TastyTuts
Color perception test        http://www.xrite.com/custom_page.aspx?pageid=77&lang=en
CTRL+Paint                    http://www.ctrlpaint.com/library/



My Shop
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TalonsCreations?ref=l2-shopheader-name


****I am not endorsed or sponsored b any resources. i do not get  paid for recommendations. I recommend resources based on the sole purpose that i have found them useful and wish to pass them on to others who wish to learn :)

My aims

Hey Guys
Having a break from messing with charcoal. My silverback portrait coming on pretty sweet http://instagram.com/p/pYjv8fseTu/#

I know i said i havent got an end goal as such in my previous blog but i just wanted to highlight some of my goals id love to acheive by Christmas 2014 :)

Prob good to write this down, so i can revisit it later in the year and check if ive done it or not :D

• Work my way through back log of Sketch Dailies themes (not telling what they are!!)

1. these will each be hand drawn so keep an eye on my Instagram and Facebook pages
2. they will then be scanned and outlined in Illustrator
3. and painted in Photoshop

• Whilst doing digital stuff ill also be working my way down a list of animals i really want to draw in charcoal. These will have to be a surprise :D

• Work my way through the tutorials in "Beginners Guide to Digital Painting in Photoshop" by 3d total book (cant recommend this enough! its on Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beginners-Guide-Digital-Painting-Photoshop/dp/0955153077#reader_0955153077)
• Work my way through Chris Oatleys amazing content in his "magic box" series
• Work my way through CTRL+Paints tutorial videos
• then i have a few ideas of my own i want to do once ive go to grips with Photoshop painting but ill leave them a secret ;)
• Then ill probably indulge myself into learning Matte painting and getting some environments sorted. No resources to share yet but watch this space. One thing at a time haha! Ill prob do some of my own design once i feel happy with it
•  One thing i really want to crack is Chinese Water Color painting. I love the aesthetic of them!Slightly different to normal water colors in that you load the brush with all your mix of pigment first. And its on super thin rice paper called Xuan or Shuan. Here's a video, its just as a visual example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQeZtZheb3s Ill prob start this after i've worked through my charcoal drawings

So that's what i want to achieve before Christmas

After Christmas i would like to take the 2d work i have created and turn it 3d. I know basically how to use Zbrush but would love to develop my skills. There is also some new Zclassroom videos id like to catch up on! http://pixologic.com/zclassroom/homeroom/
Ill post more on this once Christmas is approaching i think ;)

With my 2d stuff I'm hoping to build up a collection of prints to sell. they will be available on my etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TalonsCreations?ref=l2-shopheader-name and hopefully ill be joining a group of local artists to sell my work in a shop. They are awesome too! If you are local to the west midlands, UK id recommend you check them out http://bootstrapartisans.weebly.com/

Sorry its been a bit of a weird blog, not sure how interesting my 1 year goal list is, but i think its deffo worth setting up little goal to aheive in X time. It helps me feel like im progressing so may itll help you.
There is always time for art! I have 2 jobs currently with a third on the horizon (im deffo not richbefore we make conclusions here!) and a posibility of starti g another course too! (I must be mad!haha) I work from my 10 foot square bedroom so i dont have an big awesome studio. I go between living with my folks to staying at my boyfriends house half the week, so im living out a suitcase and i make time to do the afformentioned.
A little organization goes a long long way! Also if you are struggling for art supplies The Works is amazing http://www.theworks.co.uk/

Hope ive bought a little inspiration to you today!
Peace!!
Menja

Social Media
Instagram             http://instagram.com/jenny_menja_hall_art
Facebook             https://www.facebook.com/JMenjaHArt?ref_type=bookmark
Twitter                 https://twitter.com/MenjaMist
Google+              https://plus.google.com/u/0/117436179098243645186/posts
Deviant art

http://valkrya.deviantart.com/


Resources

Sketch Dailies          https://twitter.com/Sketch_Dailies

Book, Beginners Guide to Digital Painting by 3d total on Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beginners-Guide-Digital-Painting-Photoshop/dp/0955153077#reader_0955153077

Chinese Water Color        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQeZtZheb3s

Zbrush   Zclassroom        http://pixologic.com/zclassroom/homeroom/

The Works                       http://www.theworks.co.uk/


My Shop
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TalonsCreations?ref=l2-shopheader-name


Groups
Bootstrap Artists         http://bootstrapartisans.weebly.com/


***None of the above resources have paid me to recommended them. I am doing this for free and recommend them as i genuinely believe through my own opinion that are useful

Intro:why im doing this and what im currently up to! :D

Hey reader folk!
This is my first time blogging ever so bare with ;)
Going to start with a bit about me, (you can skip ahead if you want). Since leaving Uni 2 year ago i felt i really need to start pushing my artwork forward. I dont really have an "end goal". I just want to get better mostly for myself but if i can get a job/commissions through it bonus!
Please note; i in no way see myself as an awesome artist, i have a world of info to learn and master (if you can really master something) but i have started believing in myself that i can become good and thats the first step i think ^_^
I also wanted to share my feelings and any useful tutorials tips and hints i may find with you guys!! I know how it feels to self teach yourself going in blind and having no-one to ask. You feel like you are stuck on a never ending plateau and drowning in info or being starved of it! So im blogging and sharing my way of overcoming my art based obstacles and a journal of my journey into whatever the future brings :)
I have a fine art background, mostly dealing with conceptually stuff and Photography. Now im delving into the digital realm, enhancing my photoshop skills, teaching myself Illustrator, Indesign and other 2d software which i may feel will benefit my work. Once i feel comfortable with this ill move into 3d software. Ive dabbled on Zbrush and not much else but ill get there! :)
Dont worry traditionalists! im still sketching everyday by hand and im a big sucker for charcoal so i work on that sort of stuff when im away from the computer :D

So enough waffling i guess, these are some of my fav images i have done from the past year:

Owl in charcoal on A3 paper.4.5 hours. Prints available on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/171230745/charcoal-owl-art-print?ref=shop_home_active_7

Male Sumatra Orangutan. This was done in dotwork or "stippling". Yes its created from lots of little dots! A3 paper Approx 50 hours. Created to raise money for Chester Zoos Act for WIldlife Orange for Orangutan Campaign. Prints available on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/171230927/dot-work-orangutan-in-black-frame?

Female Sumatran Orangutan in Chalk Pastel. A3. Approx 4 hours. Created to raise money for Chester Zoos Act for WIldlife Orange for Orangutan Campaign. Prints available on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/171213614/oranguatan-chalk-pastel-print?ref=listing-shop-header-3

Wolf in charcoal and white chalk. A3 Approx 3-4 hours

Lemmy portrait. Pencil. A3 Approx 5-6 hours. Needs work still

Newton Faulkner Portrait. Dotwork in Pen.A3. 6 hours

So yeah these are my favorite finished/close to being finished pieces ive done in the past year. If you want to see more including my daily sketches, quick composition scribblings and other stufff check out my deviant page: http://valkrya.deviantart.com/

This moves us up to the past week or 2 now :)
I am working on another charcoal sketch, this time of a Lowland Mountain Gorilla silver back.
Heres a sneak peek. Sorry its side ways my phone wouldn't let me rotate :/ (its a close up of eye and nostril area for those struggling ;) http://instagram.com/p/pWwizIMefb/#

I also follow a group called Sketch Dailies on twitter (check them out here: https://twitter.com/Sketch_Dailies) So whatever their chosen theme is i aam sketching up by hand and they will be outlined nicely in illustrator and colored in photoshop! I have a bit of a backlog of these though so please bare with me! Heres a sneak peak of my Merlin ideas http://instagram.com/p/pWwtE_Mefz/#

I had never used Illustrator before up til a few weeks ago. I learnt following along the tutorials by Tasty Tuts. I cannot recommend this series enough!! Check out episode 1 here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKWnkIPur2Q&list=PLYfCBK8IplO4X-jM1Rp43wAIdpP2XNGwP

Although i have used Photoshop for photo editing work ive never really used it for digital painting. but im currently following through CTRL+paints vids (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFRHTs8-KVw&list=PLFxTlZmDIk2_ZDmTQycU5SuqvEnTC83nH)

And ive subscribed to Chris Oatley's Magic Box. Ive only been on it a couple of days and im blown away! Its £10.80 a month or your regional equivalent. Check it! http://chrisoatley.com/

So thats where i am currently with my work :) Please follow me on the following social media sites too, and check out my instagram for sneak previews of my work

Social Media Links:

Facebook      https://www.facebook.com/JMenjaHArt?ref_type=bookmark
Twitter          https://twitter.com/MenjaMist
Instagram      http://instagram.com/jenny_menja_hall_art/#
Deviant Art   http://valkrya.deviantart.com/

Store:

Etsy shop      https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TalonsCreations?ref=l2-shopheader-name

Resources:

Tasty Tuts-   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKWnkIPur2Q&list=PLYfCBK8IplO4X-jM1Rp43wAIdpP2XNGwP

 CTRL+Paint    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFRHTs8KVw&list=PLFxTlZmDIk2_ZDmTQycU5SuqvEnTC83nH

Chris Oatley      http://chrisoatley.com/

Ok Guys.hope my first blog wasnt too dull and maybe useful let me know in comments :)

***I do not get paid to recommend tutorials and other resources. I am doing this for free and just want to help other newbie artists with their own journeys :)


Thanks for reading guys.
Post Soon, Peace
Menja