r/Glasgow Tools

MarkDennisArt

Reddit URLhttps://www.reddit.com/user/MarkDennisArt
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r/Glasgow posts200
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  • For the pencil foundation that went first I used a ruler for pretty much everything, it was especially essential for measuring out the proportions of the different sections and not ending up with a squint drawing haha. I've got a few shots on my instagram that show the process if you're interested actually (@markdennisart). When it came to the pen though I did everything freehand, once you have a pencil line there that you just have to follow it becomes a lot easier. Plus it's good practice for hand eye coordination and a steady hand. The dream is to be able to go completely ruler-free, but I'm probably a ways off trusting myself that much haha. by MarkDennisArt (Thu 19th Nov 2020 5:47pm)
  • Yeah it really is, kind of a shame that they built it that way round, or that the other side the the one people see most. There are just so many trees on the other side, along with the lack of space to stand far back that I couldn't get good reference photos of the full building. Would love to even do another drawing of the central section though, there's so many interesting details in the statues and towers. by MarkDennisArt (Thu 19th Nov 2020 5:32pm)
  • Cheers! Yeah I had to use a ruler to do the pencil layer first, otherwise I think you would have to be some sort of savant to get things in proportion and symmetrical haha. When I went over it with the pen it was all freehand though, much easier to draw straight lines if you're just following a pencil line. The angle of your hand makes a big differnence as well, some directions are easier than others to draw straight. by MarkDennisArt (Fri 20th Nov 2020 1:21pm)
  • Aw thanks! Years of practice have given me a pretty steady hand, but I spent 5 days doing the base layer in pencil first so when it came to inking I pretty much just had to follow what I had done with the pencil and ruler. Patience is key though, more than a lot of people realise I think! by MarkDennisArt (Fri 20th Nov 2020 1:29pm)
  • Cheers! Yeah I went a took loads of photographs to make sure I could see all the details. Needed to be able to see how everything lined up as well so I could do this type of perspective too. Oddly though for getting a sense of how things lined up on the roof and the taller towers I ended up finding Google earth pretty useful, shows the building in 3D and gives a viewpoint it's hard to get without a helicopter haha. by MarkDennisArt (Fri 20th Nov 2020 1:25pm)
  • Ah you should definitely give it a go! It's definitely a lot less stressful than doing portraits, I know from experience haha. I only started trying buildings a few months ago and I've tried various different perspectives since, but if you want to try this straight on style then I would say to maybe even try just finding a nice doorway on an old building and starting with that. You'll learn lessons about alignment and leaving space for details really quick, it's much more obvious where you're going wrong than with portraits haha. Enjoy anyway :) by MarkDennisArt (Fri 20th Nov 2020 4:27pm)
  • Thank you :) I love line drawings as well, sometimes I try shading or colouring them someway, but I prefer to just fill the space with more linework details as much as possible! by MarkDennisArt (Thu 21st Jan 2021 2:54pm)
  • I've never actually thought about a book or postcards, I'll need to have a think about that! I do have prints available on my Etsy store though :) [https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MarkDennisArt](https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MarkDennisArt) by MarkDennisArt (Thu 21st Jan 2021 2:53pm)
  • haha thank you, I can assure you that there's plenty of mistakes in there though, my robot counterpart would never do such silly things. Gotta remind myself that perfection is a direction and not a destination when I make silly mistakes haha. by MarkDennisArt (Thu 21st Jan 2021 2:59pm)
  • Cheers! It's one of my favourites as well, would love to do Cathedral as well, but I'm just not sure what direction to draw it from yet! by MarkDennisArt (Thu 21st Jan 2021 2:55pm)
  • Cheers :) that was the worst bit to do, but it's my favourite thing about it as well by MarkDennisArt (Thu 21st Jan 2021 3:00pm)
  • I actually just learned by trying different styles of drawing out, takes a lot of practice but I swear that anyone can learn stuff like this quicker than they might think. The [first building](http://www.markdennisartist.com/illustration/un7k594ga8blae8p8dczt26cfykrxe) I drew was in May 2020 I think, started off with quite a simple square building and did it small, concentrated on just getting the perspective right and learning to interpret the brickwork and windows into shapes that could be done more simply. My advice would probably be to go for a walk outside and have a look for something that interests you, get a decent quality photo (the higher detail the better) and then watch any youtube video about drawing in perspective. A couple of 10 min videos will give you a basic idea, you can only learn so much from youtube though, you'll learn much more by just having a go. Starting a new drawing always feels super confusing, but just start in pencil and try to trust yourself to keep going, even if it looks shit at first (mine always look shit at first haha). If the pencil is a mess then you can always correct it when you go over it with a pen. Good luck and :) by MarkDennisArt (Thu 21st Jan 2021 3:14pm)
  • Yeah, I've actually only been in a couple of times. I went there to study during uni and was so dissapointed at how little was open and how much plasterboard and plywood walls had been put up. That was years ago as well so I can only imagine things haven't improved since then. Real shame, library's are such important buildings as well, but I don't see them getting an increase in funding in the age of the internet... by MarkDennisArt (Thu 21st Jan 2021 3:19pm)
  • Cheers Amigo :) by MarkDennisArt (Thu 21st Jan 2021 3:14pm)
  • Hahaha as a rock climber I highly approve of Frankie the Fly's choice of climb. Legend. Thanks buddy. by MarkDennisArt (Thu 21st Jan 2021 3:25pm)
  • Thank you! I try and do everything freehand with the pen. I use a ruler to lay everything out in pencil first though and then it's much easier to follow an existing line with pen. knowing what directions your hand draws straight in makes a big difference though, drawing in directions that lets you pivot around your wrist or elbow makes a big difference, if that makes sense. Just try drawing lines in every direction from a single point and you'll feel the difference. I must come clean though that there were a few lines around the roof that were really long, straight and close where I caved and used a ruler, if you look closely at the drawing you can probably tell the difference. Sheer laziness and I'm not proud haha. by MarkDennisArt (Thu 21st Jan 2021 4:10pm)
  • You know I had actually never really considered it somehow, such an obvious choice hiding in plain sight! Give me a couple of months, I'll get back to you on that one haha by MarkDennisArt (Thu 21st Jan 2021 5:52pm)
  • Wabi-Sabi! by MarkDennisArt (Thu 21st Jan 2021 9:56pm)
  • ​ Thank you :) I don't know if I would say calm and collected, more like stubborn haha. I just know that I'll be mad if I fuck it up so I just have to go slow enough that I don't, I still make plenty of mistakes every time though. Worrying about messing up drawings was actually something that really messed with my head for ages, It held me back from putting pen to paper. Eventually I just learned to trust that it would never be perfect, but that that I could accept whatever the result was if I did my best, can't do more than that! by MarkDennisArt (Thu 21st Jan 2021 10:02pm)
  • Haha I wanted to make sure I drew the pen for scale, its actually a Library for ants based on the Mitchell. by MarkDennisArt (Fri 22nd Jan 2021 10:42am)
  • Definitely! I stay in Edinburgh just now, but when then Black Death backs off a little then I'll be through again to take some photo references for new pieces! by MarkDennisArt (Fri 22nd Jan 2021 10:40am)
  • Definitely! Got a few more ideas in the pipeline so we will see.. by MarkDennisArt (Sat 23rd Jan 2021 12:47pm)
  • This is awesome, really love the sky and how you've used colour generally! Do you do the line-work on paper and scan it in for colouring? I'm really curious about this because I want to try on my own stuff, only got a Wacom intuos but I'm sure it would be better where I can put a pen on the screen! I've tried using real life pens but it's just too hard to get the fine details properly haha by MarkDennisArt (Sat 23rd Jan 2021 1:02pm)
  • Thank you :) and thank you for showing me the inkling, I had never seen that before, another potential toy haha. I'm curious to find a solution that works for me since I do a lot of stuff on A2 or A3 pages then scanning isn't really a option. Was thinking about getting an ipad and pencil since it's somehow cheaper than a dedicated drawing tablet, but i'm still not sure. I'm just so unexperienced using colour though, especially digitally that i'm probably better trying to use the tools i've got first before I go buying more haha. by MarkDennisArt (Sat 23rd Jan 2021 11:34pm)
  • Yeah I couldn't believe how expensive big scanners were! Thats a smart solution to just do it on separate pieces of paper though, even if still not ideal haha. Thanks anyway, I enjoy your work as well, keep it up! :) by MarkDennisArt (Sun 24th Jan 2021 2:02pm)