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Flay's Flailings (NSFW/NSF56K)

FlayFlay Registered User regular
edited May 2016 in Artist's Corner
Now that I have free time again, I'm going to focus on drawing from life. I've never been particularly good at it, and I want to improve. I've never taken any sort of classes, so advice on how to improve learning and advice on techniques etc... alongside critique would be really helpful.

Okay, so this took me about an hour and a half before I gave up on it.

zlovpc.jpg

I need to improve. I'm going to try and keep this up through the break, and then next semester I start my 'freehand illustration' course (which I'm told is mostly life drawing). I aim to be at least little less terribad by then. I'm also going to look in to some live figure drawing classes, if I can find any relatively inexpensive ones.

The only way is up from here.

Flay on
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Posts

  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I know this is a crappy scan, but I can't edit it right now. I'll fix it up tomorrow.

    hwlush.jpg

    Flay on
  • TreytorrrTreytorrr Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    You seem to be doing quite well keep it up.

    Treytorrr on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Better scans now.

    @Treytor: Thanks. No criticism to offer?

    Flay on
  • Agent ColemanAgent Coleman Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Maybe posting a picture of the object will help with the crits. For all I know they could be 100% accurate, or for that matter the first picture was supposed to be a lemon for all I know.

    Agent Coleman on
  • TreytorrrTreytorrr Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Flay wrote: »
    Better scans now.

    @Treytor: Thanks. No criticism to offer?

    Well, I know criticism is a good thing, but to be honest Im not that good myself so I couldnt really give you many tips. Like Coleman said if we had some pictures it might be easier to critique.

    Treytorrr on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I can't do that at the moment, unfortunately, since I don't have the camera with me at the moment. I might be able to get a hold of it tonight.

    Here are a couple of contour drawings I just finished of the same dragon statuette:

    110dusp.jpg

    After having another look at 'The Natural Way to Draw' I kind of get the idea of connecting what you see with te sensation of touch now. It's difficult, but I think I understand it at least.

    Flay on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Many pages of guesture drawings tonight. No point in scanning them all, but here's one of them:

    2a0mjxs.jpg

    I don't think I have the hang of it just yet.

    Flay on
  • winter_combat_knightwinter_combat_knight Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Gesture is a pain in the arse! I find that to be really hard.

    Keep at it!

    winter_combat_knight on
  • ParadiseParadise Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    You've got some cool flow in those gestures. The stripes idea is pretty clever. You don't want to scan any more?

    Paradise on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Thanks guys.

    I've been lazy in keeping this thread up to date, so here's what I've been drawing:

    19/06/2010

    2u8yq04.jpg

    34y4v44.jpg

    2jbulo5.jpg

    bjgysp.jpg


    20/06/2010

    2saytk7.jpg


    21/06/2010

    2duk0v5.jpg

    121tjc1.jpg


    22/06/2010

    ixs1oz.jpg

    @Paradise: I've scanned all the guestures I did on that day, hopefully that gives you a good idea of where I'm at. :)

    Flay on
  • ParadiseParadise Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Cool. There's a lot of good flow in these figures, and I like the way you simplified most of them. It seems like you've got a good grasp of the bulk and the weight of the body.

    Probably work on proportion and balance, preferably without using contour lines. Thick charcoal is great for signifying mass in a few swoops.

    Paradise on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Again, I've been getting lapse. Here are some drawings, getting a little old now:

    2irndrk.jpg

    2lncmrq.jpg

    The bottom figure in this third image was from imagination.

    20ae6b6.jpg

    httok4.jpg

    Sorry about the terrible scans, I'm not sure why that happened...


    EDIT: Might as well throw these up for crits as well...

    10n9xko.jpg

    9k81us.jpg

    Flay on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Working on another comission for the gaming club at uni. Hopefully it's recognisable enough for me to not need to say what it is. It's nowhere near finished anways.

    2usfmzo.jpg

    EDIT: Updated slightly. The text is a placeholder, there'll be more stuff down the bottom.

    Flay on
  • SabSab Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    For your traditional stuff you could use work on the gestures. I think you're focusing too much on anatomy and form when you're doing the gesture studies, they all look a little stiff. Just use line and very simple shapes, if you know anatomy enough to draw it on them during a gesture then you can always add it after you've got the movement.

    I'm interested to see what you'll do with the bioshock postere. Where you have it now is about (or better) what I can do in illustrator.

    Sab on
    pasigsab.png
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    I know what you mean about the guestures, I have a lot of trouble loosening up. I'll do my best to work on them once I've finished this comission.

    Speaking of which...

    nocxa1.jpg

    This isn't a final layout, more a proof of concept. Also, I need to start charging for these things.

    Flay on
  • winter_combat_knightwinter_combat_knight Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    really nice man! Nice subtle values. I dont like the video game boxes though. is there perhaps another image you could use? or maybe draw the cases in illutrator? the photo takes away the nice feel of the drawing. the wine bottles ok cos its got style to it.

    BTW what typo font is that?

    winter_combat_knight on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    really nice man! Nice subtle values. I dont like the video game boxes though. is there perhaps another image you could use? or maybe draw the cases in illutrator? the photo takes away the nice feel of the drawing. the wine bottles ok cos its got style to it.

    BTW what typo font is that?

    I agree. It took me a while, but I made a vector of both the bottle and the games (although I used a stock vector as the base for the bottle). The font is and imitation of one of the official Bioshock fonts called 'The Cult of Rapture'; you can find it here.

    Update:

    2me46sn.jpg

    Flay on
  • ChromatomicChromatomic Mr. DCRegistered User regular
    edited August 2010
    I think you might want to put some more variation into the body text.

    It's not exactly wall of text, it's readable, but none of it except for the ticket price exactly draws the eye.

    Otherwise I quite like the design of it.

    Chromatomic on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Yup, I'm working on that. Still not right though.

    kbd1qs.jpg

    Thanks!

    Flay on
  • MustangMustang Arbiter of Unpopular Opinions Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Looks pretty cool Flay, the egg in the bottom left is throwing off the balance though.

    Mustang on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Mustang wrote: »
    Looks pretty cool Flay, the egg in the bottom left is throwing off the balance though.

    I agree, but that's what they want, so I don't have much of a choice but to put it there. :?

    Flay on
  • GrennGrenn Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Love the illustration, though I'd be tempted to pull the Daddy up a touch higher/bigger, and make the wine bottle smaller (though it looks like you're keeping it as high as it is so as not to crop the Arcadia text; perhaps shift that up to the top of the label.)

    Is there another logo to go in the bottom right? I'd make those logos smaller (they'll be plenty big enough when this is poster sized) and make them the same cream as the wine label, or bronze colour of the Daddy.

    I think the text could do with some love -- not a fan of small, centered text like that, as it just looks Word-ish. You also could do with looking at the information heirarchy here, i.e. details of when the prizes are drawn isn't as immediately important as the details of the prizes themselves, or the word 'WIN', or even the low ticket price, etc.

    Is the information that the games are for PS3 or 360 just as important as the rest of the prize info, or is it merely enough to say there are 3 copies of the game up for grabs, and the platform specifics can be addressed in a different heirarchy layer (i.e. some small print at the bottom)?

    The way you have it all laid out, a casual glance makes it look like there's far more information to take in than there actually is.

    I still think it's a nice piece, but with a few improvements could be even stronger.

    Grenn on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Grenn wrote: »
    Love the illustration, though I'd be tempted to pull the Daddy up a touch higher/bigger, and make the wine bottle smaller (though it looks like you're keeping it as high as it is so as not to crop the Arcadia text; perhaps shift that up to the top of the label.)

    Is there another logo to go in the bottom right? I'd make those logos smaller (they'll be plenty big enough when this is poster sized) and make them the same cream as the wine label, or bronze colour of the Daddy.

    I think the text could do with some love -- not a fan of small, centered text like that, as it just looks Word-ish. You also could do with looking at the information heirarchy here, i.e. details of when the prizes are drawn isn't as immediately important as the details of the prizes themselves, or the word 'WIN', or even the low ticket price, etc.

    Is the information that the games are for PS3 or 360 just as important as the rest of the prize info, or is it merely enough to say there are 3 copies of the game up for grabs, and the platform specifics can be addressed in a different heirarchy layer (i.e. some small print at the bottom)?

    The way you have it all laid out, a casual glance makes it look like there's far more information to take in than there actually is.

    I still think it's a nice piece, but with a few improvements could be even stronger.

    Agreed on all points. I did my best to fix them up in the final layout, but I think I started to get lazy in the end, especially since this was an unpaid comission. In the final layout I did my best to give the text a better heirachy, but typography has never been my strong suit. :P

    (Also, sorry it took so long to reply! I can beextremely forgetful. :?)



    Anyways, here's what I'm up to with uni nowadays:

    2eov9sy.jpg

    The top was fifteen minutes, and the other two were twenty (they're actually in reverse order, the last one I did is at the top). Unfortunately I ran out of time with all of them, especially the middle one; I had only just started to find the blacks.

    Unfortunately I think this is the one and only time we get to do figure drawing.

    Flay on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Not quite done, but close:

    ok3evd.jpg

    (Click for a larger version)

    Flay on
  • MagicToasterMagicToaster JapanRegistered User regular
    edited September 2010
    I really like the design, but it's a little hard to read. The text is too small and the color scheme too similar to actually make any sense of it. My favorite graphic is the first one, it's very easily understandable!

    MagicToaster on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Hm... You're right.

    I intentionally made the text somewhat small, since it's a large-format image (the printed version will be 891mm x 420mm, the length of three portrait A4s and the width of two), but I think I took it a bit too far. And yeah, I have a tendency to make things more complex than they need to be (not a good thing with infographics). I suppose I'm afraid my tutors will equate simplicity with laziness, but really I just end up giving myself more work to do. :?

    EDIT: BotP'd
    Flay wrote: »
    Not quite done, but close:

    ok3evd.jpg

    (Click for a larger version)

    Flay on
  • ChromatomicChromatomic Mr. DCRegistered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Something to also keep in mind about infographics is that their purpose is to organize information and make it clearly understood. There is a definite trend towards making extremely complicated all encompassing graphics but besides the look they really don't accomplish what they are made for.

    I agree with MT though, the first graphic is my favorite and I like the second one visually anyways, and at least for internet viewing, the image (or text) needs to be larger.

    Chromatomic on
  • HugmasterGeneralHugmasterGeneral Poopmaster General YobuttRegistered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Flay wrote: »
    Not quite done, but close:

    ok3evd.jpg

    (Click for a larger version)

    At the bottom of the pyramid, I think you misspelled "Physiological"

    HugmasterGeneral on
  • GrennGrenn Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Flay wrote: »
    I have a tendency to make things more complex than they need to be (not a good thing with infographics). I suppose I'm afraid my tutors will equate simplicity with laziness, but really I just end up giving myself more work to do. :?

    Always remember that the act of refining, is the act of taking away.

    When you're at a stage where you know you're just adding things 'to see how it looks', remind yourself of the above. Remove the clutter until all that is left is the essence of what you need to communicate. Justify each and every element of your design and understand how it fits into a cohesive and communicative whole.

    You don't need to literally scrape things down to their bare-bones - aesthetic and colour is still a hugely important factor, for instance - but get yourself into this mindset and you'll find yourself spending less time overworking things and you'll develop the confidence to know when something is done.

    Also, re. your tutors - if they know anything, ANYTHING, about graphic design, they will know that refining and editing and thoughtfully approaching your work from a UX (User eXperience) point of view is not the easy way out. Chucking as much as you can into the design is lazy. :P

    OK, my crits:

    I would be tempted to increase the point size of your introductory text a touch.

    Also, the vertical key indentifier text on the top of your long graphic -- I would change these to angled text, so they read diagonally top left to bottom right. As it stands you're sort of forcing the viewer to turn their head 90-degrees to the right.
    The radar graph at the bottom, at first glace, looks more complicated that it is. Could do with lessening the 'grid' or at least having some key to explain why it's as busy-looking as it is.

    But otherwise, I think this is pretty solid work. I like the colour choices very much (probably would fail an accessibility test, but meh... I still like 'em).

    Good work sir!

    Grenn on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Something to also keep in mind about infographics is that their purpose is to organize information and make it clearly understood. There is a definite trend towards making extremely complicated all encompassing graphics but besides the look they really don't accomplish what they are made for.

    I agree with MT though, the first graphic is my favorite and I like the second one visually anyways, and at least for internet viewing, the image (or text) needs to be larger.

    Yup. The first graphic is the only one I feel had a strong concept behind it, the other two were focused too much on the visuals. I'm still a novice, but I'm learning! :)

    rfilyaw wrote: »
    Flay wrote: »
    Not quite done, but close:

    http://i52.tinypic.com/ok3evd.jpg

    (Click for a larger version)

    At the bottom of the pyramid, I think you misspelled "Physiological"

    Right you are! Luckily, I picked up on that before I handed it in. ;)

    Grenn wrote: »
    Always remember that the act of refining, is the act of taking away.

    When you're at a stage where you know you're just adding things 'to see how it looks', remind yourself of the above. Remove the clutter until all that is left is the essence of what you need to communicate. Justify each and every element of your design and understand how it fits into a cohesive and communicative whole.

    You don't need to literally scrape things down to their bare-bones - aesthetic and colour is still a hugely important factor, for instance - but get yourself into this mindset and you'll find yourself spending less time overworking things and you'll develop the confidence to know when something is done.

    Also, re. your tutors - if they know anything, ANYTHING, about graphic design, they will know that refining and editing and thoughtfully approaching your work from a UX (User eXperience) point of view is not the easy way out. Chucking as much as you can into the design is lazy. :P

    I've never had much experience with infographics before, certainly never in making them, but I'm beginning to understand how true this is. It's a learning experience, like I said. :)

    Grenn wrote: »
    Also, the vertical key indentifier text on the top of your long graphic -- I would change these to angled text, so they read diagonally top left to bottom right. As it stands you're sort of forcing the viewer to turn their head 90-degrees to the right.

    Bah! Why didn't I think of that?

    Grenn wrote: »
    The radar graph at the bottom, at first glace, looks more complicated that it is. Could do with lessening the 'grid' or at least having some key to explain why it's as busy-looking as it is.

    Agreed, that was probably a poor choice.

    Grenn wrote: »
    But otherwise, I think this is pretty solid work. I like the colour choices very much (probably would fail an accessibility test, but meh... I still like 'em).

    Good work sir!

    I spent way too much time selecting the perfect colour scheme. To be honest, it's really the first time I've given it a great deal of attention.

    Thanks everyone! It's a shame the crits I get here are often a lot more effective than the ones I get in tutorials. :P

    Flay on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Something I drew for my mum's birthday:

    v33ar9.jpg

    It's an ocelot, her favourite animal. Fur is damn hard to draw.

    Flay on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Gotta get back in to drawing earnestly, starting with figure drawing.

    Some stuff from a live figure drawing session last night, focusing on guesture and overlapping forms.

    Uz30w.jpg

    Z5skU.jpg

    Flay on
  • m3nacem3nace Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    I think the third one has a really great flow in the lines.

    m3nace on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Okay, this past week I've been getting back in to seriously studying some figure drawing, trying for at least two hours a day. I figured I'd do a very quick drawing from imagination for comparison later on down the line. I'd also appreciate some crits on my process and the many glaring anatomy issues.

    kKBW2.gif

    Approximately half an hour. The feet are probably the worst part, but hopefully with enough practice I'll start getting things right.

    Flay on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    I couldn't seem to get the hang of things at a figure drawing session on Monday:

    2uz2vxi.jpg

    A shading study that I gave up on about 2.5 hours in:

    2lndc1x.jpg

    This was something I doodled in about five minutes during class, but I'm posting since it looks like I might actually be learning some things:

    aetniw.jpg

    Still got a long way to go.

    Flay on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    hw8QG.jpg

    8atMh.jpg

    GDXlp.jpg

    1oHDl.jpg

    EMzZL.jpg

    Flay on
  • tapeslingertapeslinger Space Unicorn Slush Ranger Social Justice Rebel ScumRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    I think some of it is the scans, but I would love to see you use darker lines!

    this is a thing that I also catch myself doing a lot. I think it's mostly because I am indecisive and I had a not-great art teacher in middle school who believed little tiny sketchy lines = good, bold decisive lines = bad. (it wasn't the worst thing she could have taught us, she was trying to get us not to waste paper and erasers, but it is hard to unlearn that style of drawing!)

    I really like your life drawing studies and your later ones don't seem to have as much of the line lightness issue that some of the earlier ones have so maybe someone already said it and I missed it or something.

    tapeslinger on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Critique! :o:D

    No, you're right, it's a problem I really need to correct! I always worry about making something stand out too much, or not being able to erase it (which is bad practice in itself). I might try drawing in pen for a while, get myself used to using darker lines.

    Thanks!

    Flay on
  • tapeslingertapeslinger Space Unicorn Slush Ranger Social Justice Rebel ScumRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Absolutely! And it's meant more as a "You are doing a great job, here is something you can do even more" :D

    tapeslinger on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited March 2011
    Trying to get some darker lines, and avoiding using the eraser as much.

    The left one here is pretty sucky; I was trying to draw with the whole arm and not just my wrist, which I'm not very good at:

    qTLG6.jpg

    I gave up on this one when I realised I was making things worse rather than better:

    smYKm.jpg

    Flay on
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