the hardest thing

[Aquila]

I've been reading posts here for a few years now, and i follow the DSG, but i've never posted...yet. I've got a lot of room for improvement, but i'm determined to get better. I've posted sketches before, but they were years ago. So, i guess this is kind of an update, but I consider it a new/improved me. Please, crit the heck out of me. I've got to improve before i apply to college this spring, and i've always appreciated all of the support this community has given others in need. thanks in advance!

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-Ernie

[lawnboy]

Good on ya for posting. IMO you have potential, sure your work is a little crude right now but the more you draw, the better you will get. I suggest maybe taking some life drawing classes to help with your anatomy, some community centers have open classes at least once a week. Don't be afraid to draw, I know when I was starting out with my artwork, I would be afraid to unlearn what I have learned and draw with a different thinking process then what I was used to. If you can fill up a sketchbook ( lots of pages, BIG pages) a week and take some lifedrawing your skill level will sky rocket. Keep drawing and have fun while doing it

[Aquila]

lawnboy: Thanks for the comment! I'll do my best and work on anatomy every day.

I'm currently studying Joseph Sheppard's Anatomy A Complete Guide for Artists and the Vilppu Drawing Manual. I know I need to work on gesture some more, too - but I'm pretty sure that will come with anatomy work.

More sketches later today!

[funfetus]

You definitely do have a long way to go, but you're on the right track to get there. I strongly recommend Andrew Loomis' books, which you can download free, and Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing From Life, which you can get pretty cheap. That book in particular is great for just copying studies straight out of -- everyone does it. Stick to the basics for now -- anatomy, proportion, etc., and get in as much life-drawing as you can, even if it's just with a mirror, or at a coffee shop. Good luck!

[Aquila]

funfetus: I really appreciate the honesty (sincerely) and i'm grateful that you feel I'm working the right direction. I downloaded Loomis' books today, and i started to work on some of the stuff, as you can see in one of today's sketches.
Small update today, but I told myself that drawing a little bit of something that i'm having trouble with is a lot better than drawing a bunch of something that I can do really well.
As usual, thanks for the crits/comments in advance!

[Aquila]

Well, I skipped a day of posting - work got to me. I did some Loomis exercises yesterday and today, but that's all i got for now. another small post. More soon, I promise!
as always, thanks for stopping by and checking out my progress.

[Vigilandus]

Hey, keep comparing your studies with the subject. Look for the most obvious differences, and fix them!
You should also write down notes of what you've learned each time you make studies.
Also take time to read the text in the Loomis' books. You're gonna do just fine if you try your very best.

Good luck,

Frans

[Aquila]

Wow - it's been a while since I've posted anything! I just got my new computer hooked up, and I've put photoshop on it, so I'll be practicing with my tablet some more. I've been studying Loomis' Figure Drawing For What It's Worth lately - but I don't feel like I've learned enough about proportion to advance past that stage. Please, help me where I'm wrong. Sometimes I worry that I just don't have the eye to draw, and I'll never get it. (not reaching for a pity party, sorry if it seems that way ) More posts once I'm done scanning them all in.
-Quil

[Aquila]

Okie Dokie. I know I titled this sketchbook The Daily Scribbles of Aquila Minor, and I haven't been updating daily. Sorry. I'm a bum. A bum who doesn't draw nearly as much as he should, and as a result, lack of progress. You'd think I'd get the message, no?

Anyway! today's Post: I posted them in the order I drew them. 1 and 2 are frame gestures from my art mannequin, 3 is a really bad attempt at the last DSG (i hid it here so the dsg group wouldn't see it, lol ... ) 4 is my latest proportion study from Loomis' Figure Drawing For What It's Worth. Please give me advice - I've received some really good advice so far, and I've been soaking it up (I hope...). thanks again for viewing!
-Quil

[Aquila]

I just couldn't stop drawing. after i posted yesterday's update, i did a self portrait just before i went to bed. it took an hour and a half, and i still didn't finish.
More later today!
-Quil

[Aquila]

Ok, really long time since an update.
this post is from an assignment from my mentor - a study of this really awesome drawing done by joao paulo Alvarez. spent a really long time on these, and still didnt get nearly as far with them as i wanted to.




a quick photoshop sketch of a peasant house that i was going to model but never finished


as always, thanks for coming by and leaving your mark.

~ Ernie

[~Faust~]

Yo, sry for the late reply,

About that copy I grant that this is an incredibly hard drawing to copy because there is so many techniques and approaches in one drawing. However, I kind of see where you started, what interested you and eventually that gives me somewhat of an idea what kind of drawing you like.

First of all, I find it very interesting that you started out and only drew the person sitting on the rhino. Honestly, when I copied that drawing, I found the rhino to be much more interesting and I just rushed the girl not looking for accuracy, since I find value-relationships (Lighting-shadows and how they are displayed in greys) more interesting than pure outlining, opposed to you obviously. Merely an observation, we're all different I guess.

Second, The lines you did are too stiff! You told before that your lines are hairy which is not the case! Pretty much the opposite, you seem to get so anxious when putting your pencil on the paper that you can barely move! The lines drawn by Alvarez are all very loose construction-lines which are meant to be used as scaffolding in a drawing for either further, more precise outlining or a map of the values and rendering. Or both. What you did, though, you took those lines and connected them all together, and not only that, you didn't think about the form they ought to convey, remember, when drawing, you're really a sculptor, working ona little 3D-model inyour head.You shouldalways have an idea of the relationships in space when conducing lines or tone or whatever.
The most important ting is, imho: _line-confidence does not mean using just a single line, it means being confident in your lines and treat them as bold statements_ if you're afraid of making a mark, people notice. So more confidence! In your case, it means loosen up! (Also funny, because in my case it's the exact opposite, lol)

thrid thing, your observation... This is the important part of it, you have to learn how to use your eyes, since they are pretty heavily involved in this art-creating-process, aren't they? Unfortunately, people aren't born with artist's eyes (At least most of them aren't), so you have to train yourself. One good method is the old academic one, where students draw shit that they put on the table. That's basically it. Arrange some still-lifes or something and do the drawing. The thing is,the drawing has to be conducted with measuring. Since your eyes can't measure yet, you have to grasp other tools for it, like rulers or strings. Look for proportions, that means compare the part you just drew with parts you drew before and look if they are arranged as in the reference. Do that over and over and over again.
_If you see something is wrong, observe! find the source and correct it._ The more you do it, the more you see.

Fourth, facial features... I see you concentrated mainly on her face, which is understandable since thatis instinctively a subject everybody in drawn to, I also started out copying faces. However, keep in mind, that your faces will _never_ be looking right as long as you do not have a sense of the underlying structure (And here, oh wonder, _that applies to everything!!!!_), So in order to draw a proper face, you need to do skull-studies and draw a LOT of heads from life and reference. I am talking about _several_ hundreds before you can copy a decent head and _thousands_ before you can construct a decent one without reference (I am still very much working on that one)

Soooooooo, don't give up I guess, you should try to still update daily, I am not the one you should study for, you do this all to yourself! So go copy some Bridgman when I'm not around!

[Aquila]

spent about an hour and a half on these few sketches. I'm working on focusing on form and shapes rather than just contour. ~Faust~: Thanks for pointing out my dependency on line - i see what you mean. What's going on in my head is that i'm focusing only on the specific line i'm drawing at that moment. I think i'm not seeing the whole picture. it's like my attention is totally dedicated to the specific part of the drawing i'm on, and not even how it affects the rest of the piece. that also probably has an effect on my proportions as well. I'm not sure, i'm still learning.

that's another thing. I think i've forgotten that i'm still learning. I think i want my drawings to be these masterpieces worthy of chapel ceilings and when i put my pencil/charcoal/tablet pen to the medium and don't produce golden strokes of teary eyed goodness, i give up on myself. boy is that nonconstructive to a proper learning environment. Any tips on how to get over that mountain?


today's practice - so far





I'm sure it's easy enough to tell what's what, but just incase - second image is mostly charcoal, except for the top right and center right. Everything is from reference. Thanks for havin a look.

-Ernie

[Aquila]

OK, this is all for today. couple of sketches from my head. had fun with them.
I've been playing a lot of that game Overlord lately, the minions were clawing at my skull trying to get out.
hence all the big floppy ears.

[Aquila]

just a quick upload for the day. I really only spent a couple of hours drawing today, not counting the doodles i did at work. I tried to focus on light and form, but it's very difficult for me to give up depending on line. I want to block out the drawing with lines, and often times, this means I ignore shade, value and volume. I'll continue to push myself, and eventually i'll get it.

[Aquila]

been doing some 30 second gesture exercises