General Gallery

[Fresh]

[Feedback] Nice arse on the man pic. [/Feedback]

[Ashley]

lol. Available to hire; http://www.malelifephotographicmodel.com

[Paj!]

I wouldn't draw from other people's drawings, or drawings at all, but if you feel it helps, coolio.

 

I think there's improvement, but I do sense impatience. How long are you spending on each drawing? Are those from life drawing classes?

 

The musculature isn't right under a lot of them, meaning the joints look a bit flat or like dolls arms or something (I know what I mean :p ).

 

But yeah, I sense progress. I think you should get into the habit of looking at a drawing and questioning what the figure would look like if they were to come off the page into reality. That sounds patronising and obvious, but it might help to realise what works and what doesn't.

[Ashley]

I wouldn't draw from other people's drawings, or drawings at all, but if you feel it helps, coolio.

 

I think there's improvement, but I do sense impatience. How long are you spending on each drawing? Are those from life drawing classes?

 

The musculature isn't right under a lot of them, meaning the joints look a bit flat or like dolls arms or something (I know what I mean :p ).

 

But yeah, I sense progress. I think you should get into the habit of looking at a drawing and questioning what the figure would look like if they were to come off the page into reality. That sounds patronising and obvious, but it might help to realise what works and what doesn't.

 

I'll be doing a life drawing class come the 5th, but for now I need some practice. As I say two were from others (learning through copying is a concept...), rest were from drawings.

 

Dunno about how long on each. 20 mins - 1 hour. But at the moment I'm trying to crank a fair bit out to then get to the point where I can produce decent ones (logical in my head)

 

Amusingly I'm watching Pinocchio at the moment, what you said made me think of that Cheers. I'll think about it with the existing ones (soon) and future ones when I do them.

 

Much appreciated

Edited December 24, 2009 by Ashley

[Grazza]

(p.s. people new stuff on the last page. Feedback would be greatly appreciated )

 

All I can say really is that your shading is great. My advice for drawing in general (not necessarily drawing from observation) is always keep checking the overall form. For example, draw as a stickman first if necessary. Once you're happy with the whole pose, then flesh out the shapes of the bones and muscles. Finally, add the finer details. In short, I like to "build" my pictures.

 

Another technique (and I don't know if art teachers like this, because some of them don't like my "cartoons"), but whenever you see a photo, make mental notes like "Ah, the hips look like that" or "The ribs join the back muscles there". If you do that, you'll gradually learn the body without necessarily having to look at one (obviously I need to look at more breasts!)

 

Even though I draw out of my head, it may well help you interpret what you're seeing when you're drawing from observation too.

 

Anyway, after all that, I've done a new pic of a character!

[Ashley]

Hmm theres something about the right foot (or her left, whichever way you want to look at it). Is the nubbin meant to be her heel?

 

Oh and thanks

[Paj!]

Good, grazza! I like it. Only thing I notice is the strange lack of..substance on the forearms? The weight looks...strange? Might just be cause the linework is different the muscley top of the arms. Not wrong per se, but slightly distracting.

 

But a hard thing to even "get right" anyway, so not a big deal at all.

[Grazza]

Is the nubbin meant to be her heel?

 

Yep!

 

Good, grazza! I like it. Only thing I notice is the strange lack of..substance on the forearms? The weight looks...strange? Might just be cause the linework is different the muscley top of the arms. Not wrong per se, but slightly distracting.

 

Cheers. Now that you mention it, I want to mentally draw a line between her forearm muscles and her elbow (separating the muscle from the bone). I can almost "see" what I should have drawn, even though it's not there.

[Ashley]

Bloody Tinypic have deleted any frontal nudity drawings I did. Swines. I'll replace them at a later date.

 

Care to give opinions. The portfolio advice section says this;

 

In the portfolio we want to see that you can observe and draw especially human beings and animals from life, that you have some awareness of a time-based medium (storyboards, character design showing a variety of poses and facial expressions, print outs or production stills of animations or films you have completed)....

 

For some reason in my mind I've been thinking I need to do x life drawings, which to me are full body things. But would drawings of hands, faces etc still count? I know y'all obviously don't know exactly what these people want, but would you class body part observations as life drawings?

 

Just to reiterate with these I'm not trying to achieve artistic perfection, but rather (given the course its for) show an understanding of form and structure.

 

You've all now just seen my nipple!

 

 

 

 

Last one I'm meh about. Last two days 90% of what I've drawn has been crap.

 

 

 

 

[ATTACH]3182[/ATTACH]

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Feedback, advice etc pleeeeease

[Paj!]

Definitely getting better Ashley. Like 100% improvement.

 

My favourite is the second arm one (I like the pose, and you've definitely captured the action and feel of what you were doing right). I also like the hand one with the bangle/bracelet, and the life drawings show lots of improvement in just the structure of the human form.

[Ashley]

Cheers

 

Glad I'm not driving myself crazy and getting worse ^_^

 

Finally starting to (normally) draw a basic skeleton in with drawing the figure. And keeping a mind on the head size things, but personally prefer the skeleton approach.

 

The last one reminds me of you, she seems to have been stunned

 

Again, thanks

[Grazza]

Bloody Tinypic have deleted any frontal nudity drawings I did. Swines. I'll replace them at a later date.

 

Silly, isn't it? I like to draw the anatomy, and it is completely and utterly different to pornography. Even if it's meant to be erotic, it's still art, not porn, as the intention is to celebrate the human body, rather than the vulgar aims of porn.

 

What we need is an art hosting site that allows hotlinking. Photobucket works for me, but then I haven't tried nudity. I find topless is a good balance, because I'm not being pervy, I just don't like to cover the breasts. Clothes are boring!

 

For some reason in my mind I've been thinking I need to do x life drawings, which to me are full body things. But would drawings of hands, faces etc still count? I know y'all obviously don't know exactly what these people want, but would you class body part observations as life drawings?

 

I would think so. Think of it like taking a photo - there's no rule that says you can't frame your subject in close up.

 

As for your latest pics, I can't believe how realistic they are, to be honest. You are learning the body in great detail, and I think form and proportions will improve greatly the more familiar you become with the parts that make up the body.

[Ashley]

A friend suggested deviantart but I don't know...me and it have never gotten along. I don't think I can forgive it for the buckets of crap and teens that are on there. Its like the MySpace of the art world. But I may do, simply for the sake of hosting some images.

 

And thanks That was a really nice thing to read. Much appreciated.

[Grazza]

A friend suggested deviantart but I don't know...me and it have never gotten along.

 

Ah, but even DeviantArt doesn't allow hotlinking. Not that I'd try nudity on here, with my style.

 

And thanks That was a really nice thing to read. Much appreciated.

 

The one where you've brought your fist up to your shoulder is astounding, especially the subtle detail between the bone and forearm muscle. The proportions, angles and detail are all just right. You've also made the bicep look perfect without the temptation to accentuate it.

[Grazza]

I've done a few more based on what I'm calling "Bikini Cavegirl" at the moment:

 

 

And a few rough sketches I haven't inked yet:

 

[Kirkatronics]

I prefer the pencil version to the inked versions.

Theyre too clean in my oppinion.

[Paj!]

The upper torsos of the bottom two are amazing. I still have issue with your male figures...the lack of a nose is really off-putting (compared to the female lack of nose. They're slender and snake-like, so it fits.) And the pointy feet kinda seem strange, but then it should do on the woman, but we're all so used to women being protrayed as en pointe Liefield-esque ballet dancers, which I suppose is a bit sexist, but dealing with it. It just works a lot more on the women (imo). But his torso and arms (as I mentioned) stun us all.

 

--

 

Oh no, it's my own stuff!

 

From today, had to use horrible materials, a claer Oil bar, a graphite stick, a pencil, some zest-it and a rag. My tutor lied when he said "you can basically rub it all away!", cause anything you run away is replaced by a GREY SMUDGE. So yeah. Frustrating. I'm so not enegetic and free in my drawing, so it just didn't mesh, giving this weird-ass life drawing (made worse by flash on my camera);

Spent so long trying to get rid of the horribleness made by the materials that I never fully resolved it. It looks like he's abnormally thin, but his body goes behind his arm on the (our) left, but the lines make that confusing. And his FUCKING FACE. Basically you can't get white ever again once you've smudged it, so I actually resorted to scratching away with a knife. Looks like shit, but he was basically a body with a black blob for a head before. I like aspects of my drawing here, but it was so frsutrating battling against the materials it all got a bit lost.

 

I prefer this one, my second;

The legs are too *something* (long, big whatever) which makes the head look small, but I would have adressed this if I had more time.

His back/body mass looks peculiar partly cause of the composition, it kinda cuts of indication that he has an ass, or the curve of his back. But I prefer this one in general. I like the marks I did in the body, and how it's more controlled than my last one. (Though the model himself said he preferred the first cause I made him "look fantastic".

[nightwolf]

The second is definately your better piece.

 

I agree with your comments, which is good that you are able to constructively crit your own work. Do you usually start by drawing the face?

[Paj!]

Hmm...sort of. I don't draw it in detail, everyone knows you're taught to just "block" stuff in to get started (which is really the best way). I just try and get an impression of where things should be with a few lines or something. It would be more accurate to say I draw the head first.

[Grazza]

I prefer the pencil version to the inked versions.

Theyre too clean in my oppinion.

 

This is what I've long suspected, but I've tried to like ink for the contrast it gives. Plus, I'm more of a cartoonist, and I used to want to draw comics, so I was trying to train myself towards the "standard" look and something that could be reproduced easily.

 

Do you think it would be an improvement if I used thinner pens? Also, should I use shading techniques to put more "grey" in the pictures (when I'm using ink pens, I mean)?

 

The upper torsos of the bottom two are amazing. I still have issue with your male figures...the lack of a nose is really off-putting (compared to the female lack of nose.

 

Thanks, that's the kind of thing I think of a lot.

 

But his torso and arms (as I mentioned) stun us all.

 

Now that's a compliment! I drew it out of my head, and yet all the time I had a nagging feeling I was copying something from deep within my unconscious. I honestly have no idea what though. Maybe Thundercats with the hair, but it's more the pose I feel I've seen before.

 

Oh yeah, I didn't expect people to like the arms, as I just drew silly "Popeye" forearms!

 

Your life drawings are awesome. I'm not qualified to give a critique, as they're just beyond what I could do. I wouldn't say I massively prefer the 2nd one - they're both great. There's more contrast on the 2nd, but the 1st has really good pecs and abdomen. You've really captured the way these muscles sit over the bones.

[Ashley]

Umm Grazza I don't have much to add other than I like them Oh and silly point but would you really be able to control a triceratops using its horns? I dunno...just something I wondered while looking at it.

 

Paj I agree, I prefer the 2nd overall but the first has its merits. I love the disgusted look on his face. And I'm guessing the model preferred it because he looks more toned, whereas in the 2nd he kinda looks like he has four breasts. I'm guessing its his left arm bicep, but it does kinda look like another breast sat under his. And yeah, he has no ass :p

 

Still, brilliant stuff

 

I think I may not go to any more of those life drawing classes. Same old (well she's mid-to-late 20's I think) model and he insists you use charcoal. If I was on an art course (as most people there are, but recreationals are allowed to join in) then fair enough, learn that medium but I've been to two and struggling to do anything I think works because I'm trying to learn how to tackle the medium.

 

And I'm still struggling to block things in/build a base etc. Speaking to the tutor yesterday I realised its part of my personality really. I can be quite scatty and I prefer to do a bit here, there etc then build it all together (like a jigsaw) which I know is not the preferred method but hmm...any suggestions on how to help learn/get used to blocking in?

[Grazza]

Oh and silly point but would you really be able to control a triceratops using its horns?

 

Yes, trust me on this one, I've tested it and it works.

 

In all honesty, that was a last minute addition. I originally drew the "ropes" as though they attached to a sort of invisible harness (which I planned to draw later). However, when I started to draw the triceratops in more detail, I didn't want to draw a harness.

 

Seriously, I'm thrilled you recognised what type of dinosaur it was.

 

I think I may not go to any more of those life drawing classes. Same old (well she's mid-to-late 20's I think) model and he insists you use charcoal.

 

That's pretty harsh. I've never heard of that before.

 

From your drawings, I can tell you've got natural artistic ability, and you improve the more confident you get within a certain discipline (ie. drawing from observation).

 

And I'm still struggling to block things in/build a base etc. Speaking to the tutor yesterday I realised its part of my personality really. I can be quite scatty and I prefer to do a bit here, there etc then build it all together (like a jigsaw) which I know is not the preferred method but hmm...any suggestions on how to help learn/get used to blocking in?

 

I meant to say earlier, I'm with you on the "9 heads" thing. I don't like doing that either, although I hate to say it, my newer drawings do seem to accidentally fit within that rule more than the old ones.

 

If it helps, I did read that female legs are more attractive to men if they are the same length as the torso. I'm not sure I quite agree with this, as I still like to draw legs longer than the torso, but it did make me realise I wasn't drawings torsos long enough. The reason I say this is because it may help to think of the head as the first ninth of a figure, the torso four-ninths and then the legs another four-ninths (ie, 1/9, 4/9, 4/9). This seems easier than just measuring out 9 heads without relating it to anything.

 

Could someone give me a quick explanation of what "blocking in" is please?

[Paj!]

Could someone give me a quick explanation of what "blocking in" is please?

 

Well I use the term to refer to the building up of an image. By building up layers of marks and creating a kinda definite structure of the figure, it makes it more substantial once you get to the bitty details (which should come last). By building up in panels of tone and line, you gain a better understanding of what you're trying to capture. Plus you can easily get rid of bits here and there without being "precious" about it (like I often am, If I do a lovely bit of detail too early and then am too scared to get rid of it, even if it would make the piece better).

 

In my second one I posted, you can kinda see it. I got the figure down very quickly, using a few measurements (my measurements are slipping/I'm not using them as much. Probs should. :p ), but very lightly in charcoal, and energetically, rubbing out where apropriate. (with my finger. I advise doing this cause seeing the history of marks under a drawing is very pleasing and adds depth or something).

 

You can in the elbow, I just used directional marks to define shadow/tone around the body in most cases. I left the directional marks intact there because they help to define the elbow and the way the arm is resting.

 

Kinda rambling, but yeah, it's about building a structure to work on.

 

Working in detail on tiny bits, then doing a tiny bit elsewhere etc, leaves the picture disparate, and not homogenous like it should try and be. You can add detail later, building a "skeleton" (and I don't mean like the cliche "How to draw characters" figure skeleton) to work on is really valuable and basically essential to a successful life drawing (imo).

[Grazza]

Thanks for explaining that, Paj.

 

I advise doing this cause seeing the history of marks under a drawing is very pleasing and adds depth or something).

 

This is what I like about pencil. I'm really unsure about whether I should be inking at all now.

[Paj!]

Well you should if you're doing a comic or something with them (I thought you were?).