Sketchdump/Loomis progress (NSFW)

BenGPT

Seeing as how the forums are being flooded with subpar webcomics at the moment, I didn't think it very prudent to try to get critiques on mine (especially since mine is probably subpar too). Anyway, I'm trying to work on my technique more, learn how to draw from memory without looking horribly like I didn't have a reference. So, Figure Drawing by Andrew Loomis.







I guess I don't really draw hard enough, so it scans in looking like a ghost and I have to bump the contrast really high. That's one of my problems: not being confident enough (I get it from my guitar teacher, too). Everything on the first two pages is copied from the Loomis book, except for the bottom female image, which is a study of how the limbs move in arcs. On the third page, the first three are copied and the last three are my own inventions. I'm having a BIT of trouble applying what I learn, but practice is the way to go, I guess.

And I'll start my sketchdump too, just stuff from high school. Haven't got a lot of time at the scanner right now. . .



Yeah, that thing's really grainy, but I gotta get off this computer for now.

rts

Studying Loomis is great but try to train your hand while you are doing it. Some of those studies are pretty sloppy, at least use a straight edge to establish your sections before drawing the figure on top of them if you are going to study those diagrams.

Brolo

You might want to try moving to some darker leads. You should never be pressing so hard that you're scratching/scoring the page in order to make lines. This is the kind of situation where you switch to 4B or darker pencils.

BenGPT

Taking pictures is much better. Yeah, I've been drawing with a plain Office Depot 2B pencil because I don't feel like I'm wasting my "art pencils" on simple sketches. But when I say I'm not pressing down hard enough, I mean I'm barely scraping the surface, being really timid.

And now that I see those pages scanned in, the guidelines are TERRIBLE. I started using a straightedge on page 3 and will do so from now on.
Oh, and these are just 2-3 min sketches of my kitten. And a tree in my backyard.

Orikaeshigitae

what! waste your art pencils on sketches, it's what they're there for

Captain Heavystein

That's not a good artist mentality.

Sketching is not "waste". It's your talent taking form.

BenGPT

Whoa there, don't worry! I understand the value of sketching and all. It's just that art pencils are expensive. It's alright, though, I'm using them now.
I'm pretty ashamed of this sketch, but I might as well post it. It's a couple Urban Outfitters models, set up using the Loomis horizon exercise.



But, you know, practice practice practice, I guess. Whenever I slack off for a few days, the quality of my drawings suffers a lot. I'll post more after I get back from running.

lilchingch0ng

mmm, in your last pic, there is too much of a different in their foot positioning to justify the angle you drew the characters from. Specifically, the way the ground is draw, the viewpoint should be higher up, looking down, as apposed to head on. If it were headon, there would be much less exageration in the location of their feet.

BenGPT

Good point. I was trying to mix what I learned from Loomis with references I had, only to find that it doesn't work too well with straight-on shots. But individually, I'm pretty satisfied with the way each of the proportions came out (with the exception of the front girl, who's slightly elongated).

Well, I'm going to post some images, and really looking through these again has helped me already. Feel free to look at them if you want, awful as they may be. They show somewhat of a progression, I guess. This is back when all the instruction I had was lurking in AC, so there you have it.

Random reference from list of references:


My bedroom:


Pete Ham:


You know:


And then look up top for that image I replaced with a better photo.


And now, my foray into the world of non-digital colors, from embarrassing to look at to meh:
My first--EVER--since I was into finger painting (which was awesome, don't get me wrong):


Real life studies:


Another of my cats:


I was using those BRIGHT oil pastels because it's all my art teacher had. . . he was a nice guy, but kind of not all there. I think his brain was a little drug addled.

Anyway, this is a ridiculously long post, but I'll say what I learned most from reviewing them is that I need to work on contrast. That's something I'm always being told anyway. Colors are just, I'll worry about them after I've got a good pencil foundation down. And finally, I'd like to say that I've been holding off posting art for a long time because I keep thinking I'm better than I am, that this stuff isn't really my best. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But by sharing it, I'm sure I can get a lot more help than working on stuff alone. So there.

BenGPT

Anyway, college art: Drawing I.

Compositional study, not quite done. Need to add texture, for one.



Charcoal, 18x24