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[Muffindog]

I have an exam tommorrow (it's not too hard, just boring), and while I'm minding my own buisness casually studying I get that feeling, you know it, that creeping feeling of dread just before you get hit with a truck full of inspiration medicine and it washes all over you and turns you into a super inspired mutant, ofcourse it's rather curable but it wont' let you off the hook that easily XD

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Oh, I know the feeling when you really should be studying for an exam, but you go and draw instead. 

I love the pic. I have a liking for abandoned buildings and places. And that cave/temple is really ENORMOUS.


And here is my humble contribution. Is it any good?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[lordnincompoop]

I'm just dropping by quickly to post this page from my sketchbook. It's a sexy astronaut space-monkey.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Before anyone asks, yes, I know the upper half of the figure is slanted and that the legs (and his left hand) need further work (and straightening); I'll get to that. Any comments on other aspects would be appreciated, despite this not being a serious piece.

And here is my humble contribution. Is it any good?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

You need to study facial structure more, and possibly work it from other angles. It's a spirited try, but it's clear you're missing some aspects (the nose is only outlined or vaguely delineated, for example) and that you need improvement in others (facial proportions & shapes, lips), and your use of profile and digital media don't help. Perhaps a finer brush would be beneficial for the blockiness in the eyes, but you need practice.

Practice.

[The Fool]

This is a bit more of a completed image, but I would like some feedback on it.

Spoiler: About a month ago (click to show/hide)

As well as my current WIP since the main figure is mostly done.

Spoiler: Current (click to show/hide)

I know the damaged arm needs to be moved inward slightly, but that's about all I can see right now.

I don't know anyone that can give me criticizing feedback, and it's getting hard to criticize myself at this point. Anything helps.

[Davion]

Haven't posted in here in awhile. Whew, a lot of new faces, good to see the thread is still plugging along. Anyway, I've been working on this for the past day or so:

Spoiler: The Goat (click to show/hide)

Mainly inspired by Goya's Black Paintings. Look 'em up if you don't know what I am talking about, they are quite haunting.

[lordnincompoop]

Haven't posted in here in awhile. Whew, a lot of new faces, good to see the thread is still plugging along. Anyway, I've been working on this for the past day or so:

Spoiler: The Goat (click to show/hide)

Mainly inspired by Goya's Black Paintings. Look 'em up if you don't know what I am talking about, they are quite haunting.

It's nice. Has some character.

Check the goat's neck and the baby's posture, face and anatomy. They're all off. There's something not quite right about the right eye region of the goat, but that's less of a concern.

This is a bit more of a completed image, but I would like some feedback on it.

Spoiler: About a month ago (click to show/hide)

As well as my current WIP since the main figure is mostly done.

Spoiler: Current (click to show/hide)

I know the damaged arm needs to be moved inward slightly, but that's about all I can see right now.

I don't know anyone that can give me criticizing feedback, and it's getting hard to criticize myself at this point. Anything helps.

Ask your resident art professor, if you have one. Ask any professional artists you know (I have the fortune of knowing several). Ask amateur artists (taking their advice with a grain of salt).

I'll tell you what I've already told other people who mangle anatomy (for examples, look at the back of your characters, the distorted shoulder region, the oddly shaped and handled hand-wrist region, the lack of neck, the varying forearm lengths, the lack of proper structure behind the body and the jellylegs in the second piece among other flaws I don't have the time to pick out right now):

Perhaps more foundational figure drawing would be beneficial. You seem to be lacking in the fact that you don't really know what a person looks like, let alone how the body works.

Best advice I can give to practice on proportion and figures is to grab a pencil, go to a museum and sketch statues, or sketch the people looking at the statues until the security guards have to force you out.

Note also how this character seems to be standing on an incline, how his feet are dramatically bigger than his pelvis and thighs, how his head is bigger than his pelvis, how his hands are wider than his waist, how his back is inhumanly straight, how his lower arm is not only larger than his shoulder and his upper arm combined but larger even than his face, and how his lower legs are larger than his entire torso.

The method of just picking up a pencil and "going out there", so to speak, seems to be underrated. That's how a lot of art was done and is still being done today, even in those fancy art schools. Learn anatomy from drawing real people, shading from basic lighting studies and so forth - practice and first-hand experience helps immensely, and digital art discourages the use of real-life references by the simple fact that instead of looking at the world like you should be doing (since, after all, you're trying to render the world), you're sitting cooped up indoors behind a shitty artificial computer screen, plastic stylus in hand or what-have-you.

Hell, pick up some drawing/painting books from the bookstore and read those. Pick up some watercolours if you want and try that.


As for the current situation, I agree with Soadreqm's assessment that you're lacking in anatomy. However, I'd like to build on to that by saying that you should additionally be drawing with real references until you get an intuitive grasp of it (I'm currently pursuing anatomy studies too, and my teachers have all encouraged me to do real-life studies as much as possible). This does not necessarily have to entail finished pieces, shading, composition and all that - just make a bunch of sketches.

While you do that, it'll help to study existing works and various guides on anatomy - though you can certainly discover much of their advice by yourself, having a jumping off point works too - just don't substitute reading for actual, DIY work and study. Here are some good starting guides for anatomy: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (a collection of books).


You also probably want to take your work somewhere with more professional artists. ConceptArt.org can help you with that.

[freeformschooler]

Oh yeah, I don't have any drawings but I was meaning to ask about art professors/tutors. How would I go about getting a regular one outside of public high school (not an option) and/or college (not an option) and/or paying buttloads of money for a private tutor (also not an option)? Are there any other regular outlets?

I've been drawing real people for a while for the last two weeks, or at least I was until I realized people hate that and shot me nasty looks constantly even when I'm essentially drawing outlines/circles and only barely glancing at them. I also checked out some art books per LNCP's previous advice. Read completely through one and partially through another while doing some of the exercises. I don't think it's been really beneficial at my current stage outside of general drawing composition and step-by-step stuff. Perhaps anatomy-focused books would be more beneficial.

EDIT: Also, I've discovered that my favorite type of (real) person to figure-draw is burly, tall men. They just look much more alive when I draw them than my other shitty IRL glance-drawings.

[lordnincompoop]

Oh yeah, I don't have any drawings but I was meaning to ask about art professors/tutors. How would I go about getting a regular one outside of public high school (not an option) and/or college (not an option) and/or paying buttloads of money for a private tutor (also not an option)? Are there any other regular outlets?

"Hi. How can I get a premium service that others have to pay up their ass for at no cost to me?"

If you want personal, long-term training, you're going to have to either pay for it or be part of an educational institution or group that is willing to pay for you. That means, as far as I know and unless you have contacts, that your options for formal education are limited to the above.

Your best bet is to go through the education system that you currently are in. It shouldn't hard, and don't underestimate the power of repeatedly asking powerful people for things until you get them.

If you just want to be around a teacher, then you could possibly attend public workshops and other such group events, or stalk an artist. I can't offer you much advice in this field, as I've relied on my teachers and various professional artists/sculptors/designers/professors that I'm familiar with and that I know by proxy.

If you don't even need real people, you can go to the ConceptArt forum that I've repeatedly and explicitly mentioned several times. Hell, go there anyway. They've got a lot of good educational material and some great examples.

I've been drawing real people for a while for the last two weeks, or at least I was until I realized people hate that and shot me nasty looks constantly even when I'm essentially drawing outlines/circles and only barely glancing at them.

If you're "good at drawing", people don't mind as much. :V

Visiting workshops that explicity deal with figure drawing would help.

Remember that you need to be able to look at the person constantly, and do the pencil-comparing dealio for longer sessions. Look at the person as much as you can instead of the paper - when I do it, especially for when I'm looking to do those short ones, I only barely glance at the paper (helps if you have good hand-eye coordination).

Keep doing it and staring at them until they actually tell you to stop, I guess.

I also checked out some art books per LNCP's previous advice. Read completely through one and partially through another while doing some of the exercises. I don't think it's been really beneficial at my current stage outside of general drawing composition and step-by-step stuff. Perhaps anatomy-focused books would be more beneficial.

FYI, a lot of step-by-step, "HOW TO DO [X]" books and most of the anime drawing books that I've seen in libraries are bollocks.

You can borrow biology textbooks and draw from those. If you ask an  art teacher that you know and trust, they'll often have good examples.

[freeformschooler]

Good advice. I really wasn't asking for no-cost stuff, just wondering if there were any regular outlets that didn't cost out the ass. Oh well, guess not. I'm currently a homeschooled high school student, so I'll probably have to wait a year or so to get in touch with any real professors or anything.

FYI, a lot of step-by-step, "HOW TO DO [X]" books and most of the anime drawing books that I've seen in libraries are bollocks.

You can borrow biology textbooks and draw from those. If you ask an  art teacher that you know and trust, they'll often have good examples.

Also, I'm going to do this so hard. So thank you. I think my next step is going to be asking people I know really well whether or not they'd be willing to sit down for a couple hours and have me just draw them. Slowly. I know I have depth perception problems due to my eye thing but that shouldn't matter much. Considering I've never actually done that before, it would probably be an enlightening experience.

EDIT: Hmm... or maybe I shouldn't just yet. I also have really bad hand-eye coordination. Drawing people passing by has made me a little faster, but not much.

[lordnincompoop]

sit down for a couple hours

You don't need the person in front of you the entire time. Try just ten-twenty minutes while you take note of all the necessary things and make the sketch.

I know I have depth perception problems due to my eye thing but that shouldn't matter much.

Rembrandt had this. It's arguably an advantage.

[Jopax]

I suggest you grab the few books by Andrew Loomis, they're free and quite well written for such old things, plus it's great fun (atleast it was for me) to gradually build upon some things, like starting from cartoonish ball shaped heads and working from there to more realistic and complex stuff.

You can grab them here

Also kind of working up a story with my last two pieces, I hope I have enough skill to make it to the end, atleast it's fun making up stuff and trying to incorporate it into other stuff ^^

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[Dbuhos]

I tried to draw my Skaven spearman with his stuff


though I failed to understand what cloak means and drew it as a hood.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

One of my first coloured digital...stuff.

[The Fool]

though I failed to understand what cloak means and drew it as a hood.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

One of my first coloured digital...stuff.

It's not a bad first attempt with digital drawing (better than my first attempt), though the face needs refinement. For future reference a cloak is basically a wide hooded cape that drapes over the shoulders and is clasped at around the collarbone. It'll never has sleeves (if it does it's a robe).

What program do you use, and do you use a tablet?

EDIT:

Ask your resident art professor, if you have one. Ask any professional artists you know (I have the fortune of knowing several). Ask amateur artists (taking their advice with a grain of salt).

Sadly I don't know any of these with the exception of this board.

I'll tell you what I've already told other people who mangle anatomy (for examples, look at the back of your characters, the distorted shoulder region, the oddly shaped and handled hand-wrist region, the lack of neck, the varying forearm lengths, the lack of proper structure behind the body and the jellylegs in the second piece among other flaws I don't have the time to pick out right now)

I see what you mean with the shoulders. They are raised too high in the second picture, and therefore is hiding the neck. However the heightened shoulders/lack of neck in the first image was from the figure leaning forward, though I raised the shoulders too high anyways. I failed to notice the irregularities in the leg shape of the second picture as well, but it is intended to be a robot, so all that will change is that shape will straighten out a bit.

I do have Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life, and I have vastly improved from when I started drawing in the summer. I still have issues drawing perspective though. The forearms are a big hint at that.

You also probably want to take your work somewhere with more professional artists. ConceptArt.org can help you with that.

I'm not going there again. I have ADD, and I spend hours just wandering the site looking at the pictures. Not to mention the fact that most people there seem to complain about their drawings taking too long/looking bad despite the fact that my jaw dropped once or twice. I feel just a little outclassed and unmotivated every time I glance at what people post.

[Dbuhos]

I use a tablet and Photoshop CS5.

[Guardian G.I.]

You also probably want to take your work somewhere with more professional artists. ConceptArt.org can help you with that.

I'm not going there again. I have ADD, and I spend hours just wandering the site looking at the pictures. Not to mention the fact that most people there seem to complain about their drawings taking too long/looking bad despite the fact that my jaw dropped once or twice. I feel just a little outclassed and unmotivated every time I glance at what people post.

There is a nice thread at ConceptArt dot org about that.

[The Fool]

I use a tablet and Photoshop CS5.

First thing's first. Go to your brush settings. On the brush selector there is a folder with a b c coming out of it, click that. Turn on transfer. That should turn on pressure sensitivity. This makes shading and blending easier.

CS5 has a texture tool as well if you press s. This may not get you exactly what you want from the built-in choices, but if you have it on a separate layer, maybe stack multiple different textures, play with opacity, and rotate it, you might find what you were looking for.

There is a Corel Painter color wheel plug-in for Photoshop that you can use to select colors. That is here.

Lastly CS5 is rather big, and even I haven't used most of the features, and I've been using it fairly often for about 4 months now. Play around with it, and if you don't like what you see just load an old save, or see if you can undo it.

You also probably want to take your work somewhere with more professional artists. ConceptArt.org can help you with that.

I'm not going there again. I have ADD, and I spend hours just wandering the site looking at the pictures. Not to mention the fact that most people there seem to complain about their drawings taking too long/looking bad despite the fact that my jaw dropped once or twice. I feel just a little outclassed and unmotivated every time I glance at what people post.

There is a nice thread at ConceptArt dot org about that.

Thanks for the advice, but I don't think I draw enough right now. I'll keep this in mind though when I'm drawing more in the summer.