Comments for zeldathornton.com

Comment on Back again, back again by Frenz

Frenz — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:14:54 +0000

Don’t feel bad! I, and I’m sure others, appreciate whatever you do.

Comment on Back again, back again by zelda T.

zelda T. — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:05:16 +0000

Thanks! So nice to see you here, Felicie!

Comment on Back again, back again by Felicie

Felicie — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:29:54 +0000

You’re back! This made my day =)

Comment on Back again, back again by zelda T.

zelda T. — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:13:02 +0000

Thanks! I have to decide which photo reference to use now! I may wait a while, for some new update to come out, which will provide more views of Thorin!

Comment on Back again, back again by zelda T.

zelda T. — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:11:50 +0000

So nice to hear from you, Phylly! Yes, it was mostly good stuff (art-related) that kept me away. It is nice to be back, if only to write a little something in my blog. I’ve missed all you guys!

Comment on Back again, back again by zelda T.

zelda T. — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:10:24 +0000

Thanks, Frenz! I feel bad for neglecting this blog (and my fan art) for so long!

Comment on Back again, back again by Frenz

Frenz — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:13:40 +0000

I do not get out enough. : D

Glad you’re back.

Comment on Back again, back again by Legenda 23: Stuff worth reading « Me + Richard Armitage

Legenda 23: Stuff worth reading « Me + Richard Armitage — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 22:11:30 +0000

[...] Zelda is back! [...]

Comment on Back again, back again by phylly3

phylly3 — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:50:48 +0000

Opps! I should have commented here. Not as a reply. But I can’t delete it. Oh well, I’m sure you know the comment was meant to be about the post, not the reply. *sheepish grin*

Comment on Back again, back again by phylly3

phylly3 — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:47:36 +0000

Oh thank goodness you’re back! I was worried! I hope you were busy with only good RL stuff. Anything you do is fine with me!
Thanks for making my day! I just wish I’d noticed this post earlier so I could have been this happy earlier!

Comment on Back again, back again by Servetus

Servetus — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:03:22 +0000

I have no objections to a Thorin portrait

Comment on Back again, back again by zelda T.

zelda T. — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 05:09:19 +0000

Thanks, Servetus! It feels good to have at least updated the blog with this meager post. Now I need to start working on those paintings. And you know it shall probably be mandatory to do a Thorin portrait as well . . .

Comment on Back again, back again by Servetus

Servetus — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 03:10:58 +0000

Glad you’re back!

Comment on John Porter makes it onto a product review page (canvas panels) by Drawing James

Drawing James — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 10:30:16 +0000

Awesome drawing information, really inspiring!

Comment on Ah, you did not disappoint me… (this post contains mostly horse sh…) 11-22-11 UPDATED by judiang

judiang — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:51:39 +0000

I’m not surprised that blending is being advocated for beginners because it *is* easier. It even feels natural to smudge. Crosshatching is harder. I tried it and immediately saw there’s clearly a technique and art to it. It takes more time and practice that an impatient novice artist *cough* may opt not to do. Because of that, I put crosshatching at a more advanced level than blending. It’s your crosshatching drawings that I’m most in impressed with.

Comment on Ah, you did not disappoint me… (this post contains mostly horse sh…) 11-22-11 UPDATED by zelda T.

zelda T. — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 06:47:00 +0000

Thanks, Felicie. I agree, some schools do scrimp on the basics of technique and you have to search them out yourself. I was fortunate that I was able to hunt down some very specific courses that interested me, and to this day I am so thankful for that.

Yes, the hyperrealism thing. I hope I don’t sound too critical about it. It’s not like I don’t admire some of the artists that do it, because some of them are amazing! And I hope to eventually do a more “tight” (closer to hyperrealism) portrait myself eventually. But I do reject this close-minded idea that it has to be that way or it’s wrong.

As for this group, I am getting increasingly confused about them. Some of the work that was put at the higher “levels” does seem uneven in quality. I’m left thinking, “Why this one but not that one?” It is a puzzle.

I realize it’s just a few people’s opinions and it’s even possible that they didn’t object to my crosshatching (I find this very unlikely, but who knows). Maybe they thought my composition sucked (and they’d have a point! ). But again, I really do think this has a lot to do with crosshatching and the unfamiliarity some people have with it!

Comment on Ah, you did not disappoint me… (this post contains mostly horse sh…) 11-22-11 UPDATED by Felicie

Felicie — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:35:34 +0000

I certainly understand what you mean. On deviantart it seems to be only the hyperrealism drawings that become very popular, so that is what what the prehaps lesser known people on deviantart will aspire to.
You get the same sort of thing at school too. You aren’t taught any theory, or techiniques to help improve your art, you just struggle along on your own. So you’re never taught the basics, so if you are looking to draw people accurately it’s natural to assume that the skin should be blended smooth, etc. I’m not trying to defend the system at all, I hate it.
I don’t know the standard of the group you entered, but I’m sure you were above intermediate in skill! It certainly reflects badly on the moderators of the group if they are letting pictures with bad proportions into the higher skill groups.

Comment on Ah, you did not disappoint me… (this post contains mostly horse sh…) 11-22-11 UPDATED by zelda T.

zelda T. — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 03:22:01 +0000

Thanks, bccmee!

You’ve given me something to think about and maybe I should add this to my original post. I do find it amusing that some people seem to be so locked into thinking that anything other than blended graphite is “bad,” but I don’t think that it’s to a point where everyone feels this way.

But I do feel that many new artists are being told that this is the way it’s done and a lot of them are believing it, because no one is contradicting that. So I’m contradicting that!

I feel that the blending graphite is mostly a trend in places like devaintART and is very popular among amateur artists, and also fan art. Some “how-to” books for newbie artists (as well as a lot of internet tutorials) have fueled this trend. So while it’s frustrating to see this trend increasing, I don’t anticipate it “infecting” the more professional or higher levels of the art world. And personally, I’ve always considered my fondness for crosshatching to be an asset. I’ve not felt that it hurt me when it came to selling my art or getting into art shows.

Comment on Ah, you did not disappoint me… (this post contains mostly horse sh…) 11-22-11 UPDATED by bccmee

bccmee — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 02:03:27 +0000

You bring up an interesting point and it definitely transfers over to other areas of life. It seems the risk-takers or those who otherwise buck the norm are less respected until they persist and pave the way.

Comment on Beautiful bearded Richard, plus cross-hatching by zelda T.

zelda T. — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 23:32:45 +0000

It is a little more advanced, but because of your background, I think you are ready for it. Be prepared to struggle at first, it can be hard! But it is VERY worth it.