Hi folks, I'm making a new thread because I haven't updated the other one in a long time and I am tired of it. Hopefully the things I post in this one will be better, because now I am done with college and get to go study painting!
If they're not little tiny people then I guess I'm a little confused by the perspective, unless some of those testicles are reeeally far away
EDIT: okay I meant tentacles. But I'm really bad at spelling, so I just hit the spellcheck button and the first option just happened to be "testicles" so...
Thanks folks! It's acrylic and ink on panel board. The idea is that this is the all powerful mega squid, and he's here with all of the people in an abstract space.
I have been looking at different artists teaching about figure drawing and doing sketches from photos of people as I go along. There is much more to come of this sort of thing.
I started doing some arm anatomy studies. The nice thing is I think taking my anatomy class for biology was really helpful, because I had to memorize all of the little bumps and ridges and got to handle real bones, so it is easy to make sense of the form of what I am looking at. Bones are weird, guys.
I am super excited for my first drawing class tomorrow!
I realized that even though I feel like I am always breaking things down into simple planes in my head, when I actually tried to draw and light the simple planes from imagination I had a really hard time. So... maybe working from still life would help with that?
My class was postponed a week so it doesn't start until Tuesday
You are most certainly improving, Lyrium. Studies don't seem to elicit the most comments, and I think its because alot of us are doing the same grind and feel under-qualified to critique.
Your bones look good, and if being able to construct figures is your goal, I encourage you to start combining drawings, so don't just do a detailed bone drawing and a quick gesture/polygon figure seperatly, but do a polygon figure lightly and see if you can start to place the proper joints inside of it.
I'm not commenting because the new network aren't allowed me to look at your pritty pitchers It blocks all images hosted by imageshack/photobucket et al.
Iruka- doing the combination drawings is a great idea and I will do that. Classes are going well; I feel like I am learning a lot pretty quickly, which is cool. I'm the only noob at the studio so it is pretty motivating to see the work of the other people there.
Here are some pictures of the cast drawing I am working on, but they were taken on my phone since I can't really bring the drawing home yet.
This is the long pose so far:
I never used vine charcoal before this and it really shows, hah.
NakedZerglingA more apocalyptic post apocalypse Portland OregonRegistered Userregular
edited July 2011
That last one looks like it could have used some more time in the structure/layout phase.
The legs seem quite short. Was there a light sketch before you built this up? or did you just go right for it?
I spent a few hours laying it in to get to that point, but you are right that it looks pretty short. So I was all excited to go and fix it today (because Thursday is when the model comes in), but it turned out she is injured and couldn't come in! I looked at it anyway and I suspect that my original photo was taken from a downward slant, so that the perspective made the lower part of the drawing too small, because looking straight on they are not so bad. Here is another picture, although it looks like this one might be slanted the other way a little, darn it.
I think the lower leg still might be a little small though, so I will look at that carefully when she (hopefully!) comes back next week. I am also not so sure about her arms.
NakedZerglingA more apocalyptic post apocalypse Portland OregonRegistered Userregular
edited July 2011
significantly different. The angle was totally distorting it. I would be careful about only using line to define the form though. The last one you posted is really nice. Good sense of light and mass. The line one, i only speak to out of concern because my stuff is too line based, which always gives it a comic type feel.
It might just be the quality of the photo, but i really like the first one more than the last one. It really feels like there is a strong light on it, and the contrast is much better in my opinion.
Hm, I see what you mean about the contrast. The lightest parts and dark shadows went untouched between those photos, so I guess adding the mid-tones is kind of washing it out. I better make sure that the shadow parts are dark enough as I keep going. Some of my mid-tones might be too dark as well. I will check it when I go to class tomorrow, thanks for the heads-up!
I think you need to watch some of your reflected light, particularly on the nose. It's getting a bit bright. You don't want to lose that overall feeling of 2 values.
Mustang and maa, thanks a bunch!
Cake, thanks for pointing that out. I worked on the reflected light and kept the 2 values thing at the front of my mind today and I think it looks a lot better now.
Winky, if someone walked up to us on campus and demanded drawings of Sonic the Hedgehog, you would win. And isn't that the only legitimate way to judge drawing ability?
Here it is after today:
I feel good about it so far, especially since we don't use blending stumps or anything there.
I really appreciate the input, folks
I'm still working on the long pose, though we still have one more session for it. Here it is after today:
The arm and thigh closest to us are a little farther ahead than the rest.
Also I am going to post some thumbnails tomorrow for another big painting
I just moved into an apartment with no internet so things are a little tricky, haha.
Okay, well today was our last session with the model, so I guess this is finished! My first real figure drawing from life
This is a stupid camera-phone photo but it will be a while before I can get anything better:
the hands and feet are pretty weak. I'm really liking the way you are applying your charcoal, feels like an impressionist painting. Overall a pretty successful first figure.
You two are completely right, those hands and feet are shameful. I got a little flustered because they look different every time the model sits down, but I think more confidence with those body parts will help for next time. So I'm about to practice a bunch of hands. I still don’t have internet so posting is tough. I have been working on the cast still and I think it’s about done, but the atelier starts again for the fall tomorrow so I will know for certain after the instructor looks at it.
In the meantime I am deciding on a composition for a painting that maybe I could get some input on. I going to do 5 paintings of monsters and the first one is a carnivorous insect-like monster. In this world the carnivorous types that like to cook use hands in their dishes as complex and varied flavoring agents (because the different things people require of their hands depending on their life will impart certain flavors, like a musician’s hand versus an accountant’s hand, etc). This character is a hand vendor, so he is part-chef/part-businessperson and he knows the intricacies of using hands as ingredients. Once I decide on which composition to use, I will sketch different ideas for exactly how he will look, but I know he needs a big belly, a big “nose”, and fangs reminiscent of a chef mustache.
The photos are pretty bad because I don’t have a scanner at the moment, but both show the insect monster at a table in the shop, inspecting and taking notes on a hand in the first sketch and helping customers in the second one. In general the background will contain hands in jars labeled with different career descriptions as well as books, knives/tools, and hands hanging from up high. Painting all of the clutter shouldn’t be a problem because the canvas is pretty big, I will just have to try to use the values to keep the image from being too confusing. I did more little thumbnails but these are the two that I liked the best so I fleshed them out a little more.
I like this first one because there is more focus on the character’s expertise as he looks over and measures the hand. I like the creepy hand in the lower corner being a little unsettling and helping point the viewer’s attention upward. I like the upward direction in this one in general. I’m not sure what I would put in the upper right corner yet, just that it’s something hanging and closer to the viewer with a darker value.
I like this second one because I get to see more of the environment and a few customers, as well as having room for a few boxes with the hand store’s logo and name to help the viewer know what is happening.
The second seems a little more focused in my opinion. I think the first one would work better to convey him working on something if he had more of a posture like in the second one.
The limbs and the curving posture in the second one help centralize the focus on the paper that he's writing on, but in the first with all the limbs every which way it seem much more sporadic./thoughts
Hm. I do want to show him working, but I kind of like the posture in the first one. Maybe if I could convey him carefully analyzing the hand by measuring it or something. I agree that it centers on the paper in the second one, but I don't want it to, because who cares about paper. The next sketch I do will be similar to the first one but I will try to make him more analytical, and organize the legs.
My cast drawing is done, and maybe some day I will be able to scan it. For now, a phonto.
Also some gestures. I really could use input on these from other people who have done this:
Posts
I can't offer any critiques, I just wanted to say that it is great.
What did you make it in/on?
Is he holding little tiny people too?
If they're not little tiny people then I guess I'm a little confused by the perspective, unless some of those testicles are reeeally far away
EDIT: okay I meant tentacles. But I'm really bad at spelling, so I just hit the spellcheck button and the first option just happened to be "testicles" so...
Tell me that was inadvertent so I can giggle proper.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
oh my god, I am terrible
wow maybe I should proof read my posts
If I had made this I would hang it on a wall where everyone could see it.
I have been looking at different artists teaching about figure drawing and doing sketches from photos of people as I go along. There is much more to come of this sort of thing.
Reading Bammes:
Checking out Gist:
Working on Vilppu:
facebook.com/LauraCatherwoodArt
I am super excited for my first drawing class tomorrow!
facebook.com/LauraCatherwoodArt
I realized that even though I feel like I am always breaking things down into simple planes in my head, when I actually tried to draw and light the simple planes from imagination I had a really hard time. So... maybe working from still life would help with that?
My class was postponed a week so it doesn't start until Tuesday
facebook.com/LauraCatherwoodArt
facebook.com/LauraCatherwoodArt
This is a drawing of my instructor that I did today. I think that I'm improving?
facebook.com/LauraCatherwoodArt
Your bones look good, and if being able to construct figures is your goal, I encourage you to start combining drawings, so don't just do a detailed bone drawing and a quick gesture/polygon figure seperatly, but do a polygon figure lightly and see if you can start to place the proper joints inside of it.
How are classes going?
But I Juan to see them!
So I will just say that in general I think you are improving a lot.
Here are some pictures of the cast drawing I am working on, but they were taken on my phone since I can't really bring the drawing home yet.
This is the long pose so far:
I never used vine charcoal before this and it really shows, hah.
Thanks Tam, but I don't know what that first part means?
facebook.com/LauraCatherwoodArt
The legs seem quite short. Was there a light sketch before you built this up? or did you just go right for it?
I think the lower leg still might be a little small though, so I will look at that carefully when she (hopefully!) comes back next week. I am also not so sure about her arms.
We had a substitute model just for today:
facebook.com/LauraCatherwoodArt
Good work. keep it up and post more!
It might just be the quality of the photo, but i really like the first one more than the last one. It really feels like there is a strong light on it, and the contrast is much better in my opinion.
facebook.com/LauraCatherwoodArt
You are growing exponentially. My only advice is-- Ask lots, and lots of questions.
Here is where I am at after today; I ended up darkening the shadow quite a bit:
facebook.com/LauraCatherwoodArt
facebook.com/LauraCatherwoodArt
facebook.com/LauraCatherwoodArt
You've gotten better than me, I am so jealous.
Cake, thanks for pointing that out. I worked on the reflected light and kept the 2 values thing at the front of my mind today and I think it looks a lot better now.
Winky, if someone walked up to us on campus and demanded drawings of Sonic the Hedgehog, you would win. And isn't that the only legitimate way to judge drawing ability?
Here it is after today:
I feel good about it so far, especially since we don't use blending stumps or anything there.
I really appreciate the input, folks
facebook.com/LauraCatherwoodArt
The arm and thigh closest to us are a little farther ahead than the rest.
Also I am going to post some thumbnails tomorrow for another big painting
I just moved into an apartment with no internet so things are a little tricky, haha.
facebook.com/LauraCatherwoodArt
This is a stupid camera-phone photo but it will be a while before I can get anything better:
facebook.com/LauraCatherwoodArt
also yeah, the hands and feet are weak
In the meantime I am deciding on a composition for a painting that maybe I could get some input on. I going to do 5 paintings of monsters and the first one is a carnivorous insect-like monster. In this world the carnivorous types that like to cook use hands in their dishes as complex and varied flavoring agents (because the different things people require of their hands depending on their life will impart certain flavors, like a musician’s hand versus an accountant’s hand, etc). This character is a hand vendor, so he is part-chef/part-businessperson and he knows the intricacies of using hands as ingredients. Once I decide on which composition to use, I will sketch different ideas for exactly how he will look, but I know he needs a big belly, a big “nose”, and fangs reminiscent of a chef mustache.
The photos are pretty bad because I don’t have a scanner at the moment, but both show the insect monster at a table in the shop, inspecting and taking notes on a hand in the first sketch and helping customers in the second one. In general the background will contain hands in jars labeled with different career descriptions as well as books, knives/tools, and hands hanging from up high. Painting all of the clutter shouldn’t be a problem because the canvas is pretty big, I will just have to try to use the values to keep the image from being too confusing. I did more little thumbnails but these are the two that I liked the best so I fleshed them out a little more.
I like this first one because there is more focus on the character’s expertise as he looks over and measures the hand. I like the creepy hand in the lower corner being a little unsettling and helping point the viewer’s attention upward. I like the upward direction in this one in general. I’m not sure what I would put in the upper right corner yet, just that it’s something hanging and closer to the viewer with a darker value.
I like this second one because I get to see more of the environment and a few customers, as well as having room for a few boxes with the hand store’s logo and name to help the viewer know what is happening.
Any thoughts?
facebook.com/LauraCatherwoodArt
The limbs and the curving posture in the second one help centralize the focus on the paper that he's writing on, but in the first with all the limbs every which way it seem much more sporadic./thoughts
I'm sure I'll like either of them.
My cast drawing is done, and maybe some day I will be able to scan it. For now, a phonto.
Also some gestures. I really could use input on these from other people who have done this:
This was a two day pose:
facebook.com/LauraCatherwoodArt