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ceenda · member Member # Joined: 27 Jun 2000 Posts: 2030

I would like to try and get some books that will help to refine my landscape drawing skills. I did a search on the forum but got mostly books on anatomy (which is no problem, I could do with practicing life drawing as well - bit of a problem getting Andrew Loomis stuff but I think that topic has been debated to death already...).

Alot of my pics look really flat (here are some thumbnails to give an idea - the big ones are linked below).

http://www.cee.hw.ac.uk/~ceenda/antarctic_airship.jpg

http://www.cee.hw.ac.uk/~ceenda/design_2.jpg

I would like to learn how to do improve my spatial awareness in pics. I don't know if you can get books that specialise on these things, but any recommendations for art books of a landscape or geological nature would be appreciated.

Anthony · Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2000 8:50 am

I can't be certain, but your images give me the impression of drawing and coloring in betwixt the lines. I don't feel like you're actually painting the objects. You may want to mess with a 3d program like Lightwave 3d-I believe it can greatly enhance your ability to feel and visualize the 3d space of your scene. Once you can feel your objects and the relationships to each other, shading becomes easier. Personally I like your current style-if you could learn more realism, then go back to this style and apply what you learned to it, it's be great.

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-Anthony
Carpe Carpem

AliasMoze · Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2000 9:31 am

Ceenda,
The Loomis books are really good, but really hard to find (as you know).

One book I have that is really good is "Creative Perspective For Artists and Illustrators" by Ernest W. Watson. It doesn't have allot on landscapes specifically, but it may help you out. It only cost me $9.95.

Plop · Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2000 9:35 am

Jack Hamm - 'Drawing Scenery: Landscapes and Seascapes' very nice book, packed with illustrations.

ceenda · member Member # Joined: 27 Jun 2000 Posts: 2030

Thanks for the comments Anthony. I have, however, been using 3DSMAX for some time now. Here are a few badly compressed JPEG screenshots from an anim I made a while ago.

Fred Flick Stone · Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2000 9:47 am

Ceenda-there is a book out, might be a bit tough to find, but it is called COMPOSITION OF OUTDOOR PAINTING. By Edgar Payne. He was a premiere landscape painter back in the early twentieth century. It holds many of the wonderous secrets to landscape painting based on classic theories, plenty on composition, and things to leave out of the paintings. You would be surprised at how much you leave out�

This is the best book I hae fond on the subject, and is pretty much the only book you need. If you cant find it, let me know and I will Xerox my Xerox copy of it for you�.

ceenda · member Member # Joined: 27 Jun 2000 Posts: 2030

AliasMoze & Plop: I'll check out those books, thanks!

Fred: Thanks! It's funny, today I printed off those pages you put up on composition a while back - it's amazing how that stuff works (e.g. S and O composition) and I can't even tell why! I'll see if that book is on Amazon.

balistic · Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2000 9:53 am

I don't even know if they exist, but try looking for books about matte painting.

Maybe Spooge knows some.

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Brian "balistic" Prince
3D Artist
Eggington Productions

AliasMoze · Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2000 10:07 am

Fred, that book is $38 on Amazon and ships in 4-6 weeks! Aargh. Oh well, I'm getting it anyway.

Raiden · Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2000 12:32 pm

Hi there,
I'm a newcomer into the forum. So i'd like your pics. Wich Books have you bought?Is the really made in Photoshop, because it looks like a 3D Rendering Pic...

So I hope you'll write back

Greetz Raiden

ceenda · member Member # Joined: 27 Jun 2000 Posts: 2030

Hi there Raiden.

Welcome to the board! I hope we'll be seeing some of your stuff posted on the board before long.

I did most of the artwork in my gallery using Photoshop. You can get to it here:-
http://www.cee.hw.ac.uk/~ceenda/design.html

The black and white stuff I posted was done in 3DSMAX but the other stuff is Photoshop.

One of the books I'd recommend is "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards.

Anyway, are there any more book suggestions out there?

ceenda · member Member # Joined: 27 Jun 2000 Posts: 2030

I've been doing some searching and I can't seem to find any of those books!

gseegert · Guest Member #

I'm not sure about books, but I just wanted to say I love your stuff!

ceenda · member Member # Joined: 27 Jun 2000 Posts: 2030

gseegert: Thanks for the complement!

You have a great website BTW! The design is really clean and intuitive. You seem very much a jack of all trades.

Unfortunately, crosswinds, your server tends to be quite slow when accessed from the UK, though, that's a server problem and nothing to do with your site. I was into game programming a bit myself for a while(DirectX and OpenGL) but I've decided to wait until such time as an SDK comes along where I can a game together without having to worry about Window's household chores...

I think that I can get the book by Edgar Payne imported but I think it'll take 4-6 weeks.

I've decided to get the "Creative Perspective For Artists and Illustrators" as well. I'll have a look out for teh Jack Hamm book as well.

TeAnne · Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2000 3:32 pm

Would a Salvador Dali book help?

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THE HIT LIST

quote:
Poets utter great and wise things which they do not themselves understand.
Plato (c. 427-347 B.C.), Greek philosopher.

ceenda · member Member # Joined: 27 Jun 2000 Posts: 2030

TeAnne: Alas, I have most of them already!!!