I’ve been doing one of those hashtag challenges that do the rounds of social media, in this case #100Heads or #100HeadsChallenge, where the aim is to do 100 portraits or character heads. I guess some people do it in a hundred days, but I am setting no such goals. Instead, mine are: 1 – To […]
The other day I was looking for any excuse, as usual, to not do any work. I needed to try out some techniques on some new illustrations I’m working on, original pen & ink art that will be for sale, in fact (stay tuned for news on those!). As I was arranging my art supplies […]
I need to start owning my process and acknowledging all the steps that it takes to get to a finished piece of work. So much of this gets lost in sketch books, and after a while you start to think you can do without it, much to your own peril. So now & then I’ll […]
Final Sunday Sketch-a-thon entry, for @jyotishkaray, or as I will always call him in my head, @OldMonkMGM: Still can’t draw hands. V
Once in a while, I tell myself I should practice. It’s fine doing something with a goal like #26Characters, but in addition to more structured projects, you do need to spend some time just mucking about.
Here’s the results of today’s mucking about, done in 15 minutes. I tried as best I could to get away from the dreaded “every character looks 28 years old” syndrome that affects many illustrators. It helps to pay attention to these sorts of common pitfalls, and nothing better than random sketches to exercise & exorcise those demons.
V
I’ve been searching for old, strange lenses for my Pentax K200D digital SLR ever since I bought it over two years ago, since I quickly realised that I could effectively use any number of great lenses stretching back over Pentax’s long and colourful history. Last year I acquired an adapter for the M42 mount, which allowed me to use a forty-something-year-old Zenit Helios 58mm f2 lens after some modifications to the apeture pin. I’ve been using the all-manual lens through much of the last year, getting back my skills at manual focussing — no small feat in a lens with such a fine and shallow depth-of-field. It has performed admirably and produces pictures of distinct character.
Out of the blue, the other day, I stumbled upon a camera store in a small mall in Dubai that I have often frequented for coffee and a sandwich, but never explored. They had dozens of old cameras and lenses, including several Pentax models, of which I immediately spotted a Pentax SFX, and more specifically its 50mm F1.4 SMC autofocus lens. I acquired it for a bargain (around $70) and even got a UV filter thrown in for free! Due to some other chores that needed to be done, I didn’t get a chance to properly test it, but heading back to the car I fired off a quick shot of my brother in the back seat.
Note that this was taken with me awkwardly turned around in the front passenger seat, with the only illumination being a single street-light and a shop window across the two lane road. The results are more than adequate, and quite the step-up from the F2 zenit lens. The autofocus helps immensely in poor light, and I can’t wait to give this lens a good workout. It’s a good deal younger than the Zenit — the SFX was released in 1987. Like the Zenit, I imagine it will sit on my camera most of the time.
V