Progress Help: Update 8/1 (NSFW)

Pumaz

Howdy Ya'll,

I haven't posted in awhile primarily because I haven't done anything of value to post and I've been studying the art posted by people to get an idea on directions to improve mine. I posted this previously: http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=55723 - Be Warned it is an eye sore. Since then, I have taken everyone's advice as best I could and spent some time with Loomis and drew till the end of a sketchbook, also did some soul searching to see if I really want to be someone who draws to improve them self. Decided I won't settle till I can draw what I see without flaw (a very distant dream).

These faces were drawn a few weeks ago, the angel I drew today. As before tear them apart and if I'm still in the same place I was before that will work and I'll just put my nose back to the grinder.



From Reference (Leo DiCaprio not at all my favorite actor just a good picture)




All from my gray matter.






And today

Mustang

I remember you and yes, there's definate improvement there, so well done.

Keep working on your reference drawings, you're going to find studying live faces are going to improve you far more than merely drawing from the head.

It's still at a stage where it's difficult to criticise your work because the basics are still not there. I'd say, keep going with your reference drawings and grab yourself an anatomy book (preferably one aimed towards the artist) so you can start to learn how the body fits together. It'll seem daunting at first (that's because it is), but start biting bits and pieces off and you'll start to find yourself using the tools you've picked up even without you knowing it.

Even try copying a few pieces from artists you like, that'll help you begin to understand how they construct things.

So keep at it and I look forward to seeing more of your stuff in the future.

Aurin

I'm no artist by any means... but a good book that might help is Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. I'm about... halfway through the book myself, and already seeing vast improvements over how I used to draw people. It helps a lot, I think.

Pumaz

Cool thanks Mustang, and Aurin I've heard alot about that book think I might pick it up. And mustang I was wondering if you could expand on what "the basics" are. Do you mean just drawing anatomy in general? Or like drawing techniques/shading etc.

Drew_9999

At this point you should be using reference as much as possible. Using a live model is always best, but using other people's drawings or photographs is ok. If you draw from a photo, don't waste your time with magazines, they photoshop those until they are useless for your purposes. If you work from someone's drawing, make sure it's someone who really, really knows what they're doing. Don't use anything like comics or other stylized artwork for now.

Draw to learn and understand how the body is put together. Draw a complete skeleton, draw a complete body with no skin, just muscles, and draw a complete nude body. Learn the proportions of all the body parts and exactly how men and women's bodies are different.

Learn how to break the body down into simple elements to help you with proportion. Everything can be broken down into boxes, spheres, and cylinders, so learn how to draw and shade those accurately. Read, learn and practice ideas and theories like line weight, shape, form, pattern, composition, value, the color wheel, complementary colors, cool and warm colors, saturation, hue, etc etc. Learning the language of art will help you understand how to see and fix problems with your artwork, and it will help you understand what people are talking about when they critique your work.

Here's a critique to get you started. Concentrate on line quality and accuracy. Take as much time as you need to be accurate. None of these are very accurate, and in parts some of them are sloppy. Slow down.

Pumaz

Thanks drew that really hit home and gave me something little less broad to chew on.

NightDragon

Try not to worry too much about shading just yet. Your shading is incredibly scratchy (and sometimes your linework is, too) but I would suggest working more on getting the proportions/curves/negative space down properly before you start to worry about value. I mean, obviously you'll need to learn value and shading too, but try to concentrate a little bit more on the actual linework itself first, and teach yourself how to judge distances and shapes. Drawing the "poster shape" of the shadow may be beneficial to you in finding these shapes, however.

Example:


Notice how flat the shading is on this. Once you've got the shape(s) of the shadow down, this can help you find the distances and shapes between the shadow's edge and other surface landmarks...like the edge of the nose, the bottom lid of the eye, etc.



Here's another example...ironically, I found this on Google image search, and this is actually a drawing one of my classmates did on my Sight-Size and Figure Drawing class this past year. :P I think it better illustrates what I'm trying to point out and suggest you do.

Mustang

God dammit, how do you DO that ND? and don't give me that hard work bullshit, I know you've made a pact with some kind of art demon, well I demand that you give me his number.

Pumaz

Man just not my luck with hosting my pictures lately. I'll get it fixed.

Pumaz

Alright should work this time.

Erik the Hack

Yep, there's already been a lot of great advice in this thread. You still haven't mastered the basics, so your number one priority should be practice. Draw from life as often as possible until you're able to draw *exactly* what you see really well. Only then can you move on to drawing from imagination. I've been at it for years and I still struggle, so don't get frustrated. Power through and you'll continue to see improvement. Good luck!

NightDragon

Mustang wrote: »

God dammit, how do you DO that ND? and don't give me that hard work bullshit, I know you've made a pact with some kind of art demon, well I demand that you give me his number.

As stated in the post, neither of those are mine...:P