Constructing the pose...

[Saigokarasu]

These are a couple quick sketches I drew from my mind. I am used to just using spheres and cyllinders and right now I am trying to discover new guidelines for constructing the figure. Any help you guys can offer would be great.

These probably took no more than two minutes each.

[The Laughing Fox]

You might also try stick figures, but it appears you've got a pretty good method going for you here too. I especially like your foreshortening and stances.

[Razorleaf]

In three of the four pics you have a normal facial structure but in the bottom left the chin appears elongated and the face is pointed at an awkward angle, it this intentional? Still, they are nice .... I'm kinda partial to the bottom right - I'd like to see where you take that one.

[Saigokarasu]

You might also try stick figures, but it appears you've got a pretty good method going for you here too. I especially like your foreshortening and stances.

Though I'm not particularly satisfied with it. It really doesn't help much with muscle definition. Plus it's difficult to make corrections or figure out where the muscles contract or stretch.

[Saigokarasu]

Anything else, guys?

[JBurrough]

Another method of construction that I find useful (just starting it now, myself) is to rough outline the image, something akin to a silhouette sketch. Using broad loose strokes, you get a general idea of the figure and pose. This helps to hammer in the longer brush strokes and creates a solid base to expand from, especially for a rendering process. A few hundred of these and supposedly base-building becomes second nature.

Just another method, and one I have yet to put fully into practice myself. I usually do as you've done here, building up from sticks with spheres and cylinders. Either way works I suppose, but the one I mention above should help me to get past the 'sketching' I do and focus on rendering and fleshing out full figures. One can hope.

Just something told me that I thought I'd pass along, seemed like that was what you were after in your question. Hope it helps. Great figures by the way.

[Senekha]

I like your method of sketching figures, it gives them a nice full look This is something I need to work on...therefore I'm duly jealous

I especially like the first and last ones, and the third one is a wicked perspective.

[Saigokarasu]

Another method of construction that I find useful (just starting it now, myself) is to rough outline the image, something akin to a silhouette sketch. Using broad loose strokes, you get a general idea of the figure and pose. This helps to hammer in the longer brush strokes and creates a solid base to expand from, especially for a rendering process. A few hundred of these and supposedly base-building becomes second nature.

Just another method, and one I have yet to put fully into practice myself. I usually do as you've done here, building up from sticks with spheres and cylinders. Either way works I suppose, but the one I mention above should help me to get past the 'sketching' I do and focus on rendering and fleshing out full figures. One can hope.

Just something told me that I thought I'd pass along, seemed like that was what you were after in your question. Hope it helps. Great figures by the way.

Any hints for fixing up the anatomy for the figures? I tried just scribbling to get the poses. This way, it comes out fluid. I'm going to try to do it in conjuction with the spheres and cyllinders, although I need a lot of help with the lower torso, particularly the hips and how the thighs connect to the hips.

[JBurrough]

The only way to really memorize anatomy is through doing a cycle of life drawings or detailing numerous sketches from reference. There are standards of measure, like six head height, three head arm length, etc., but those are basics that I'm pretty sure you're beyond at this point.

To detail posed anatomy, being mindful of perspective and motion are the biggest challenges for me. How a muscle stretches when the arm is raised, etc. Observation and practice are the only methods I know of getting it down.

I have a hard time with the hips myself, depending on the pose. I'm getting better though, by going through the works of other artists (especially realist artists, like Vallejo, etc.) and copying their work directly. Bridgman studies and the like would probably be a great tool for refining specific parts of the anatomy too. There are a few sketchbooks here at CA that offer tremendous amounts of studies to draw from... Min(Bumskee), Algenpfleger and Poshspice have been the most help to me.

Wish it were more. Cheers.

[Saigokarasu]

Another batch...

Any redlining or anything that'll help me perfect the anatomy of the spear poses would be greatly appreciated.

[Saigokarasu]

Anyone?

[JBurrough]

I'll just jump in and say that your anatomy is pretty spot on, in terms of the general figure. Do you want someone to redline in some musculature?

I think if you develop a single piece further, you'll find more critiques. As they stand, there's really not much to improve, your lines are great. Define some muscles, clothing, etc. and add in some detail and I'm sure you'll find whatever comments you seek.

Cheers, that face is wonderful.

[Drunken_hand]

Well, I gotta say I'm glad to see you drawing again. I was worried that you gave up drawing after your last attempt. Seriously, it's good to see you back here.

I'm going to say the same thing as JBurrough up there: life drawing. There's nothing wrong with using reference, none of us started out drawing well out of our heads.

The good news is I think you understand that and you've been working with reference, not even recently, but as far back as your Dawn Berlitz piece. In all honesty, I have a hard time believing that you drew these out of your head. The first sketch seems much more refined then the following three drawings - why the difference in the form and line quality? The last batch looks like it was ripped from a Kanu Unchou figurine. It's okay though, you got to understand that. There's not a thing wrong with that. We don't look down on you for using reference. Probably the most oft repeated advice here is to use a reference, so don't be afraid to admit it.

As for getting figure construction down, do life drawing or draw images from a book - your observation of the human form will probably be the best way for you to learn. This is where it potentially gets discouraging. You'd probably have to pour hundreds of hours into life drawings and anatomy studies before you can pull something that good out of your mind, to get anatomy and musculature spot on. And even then, professional artists still use refs.

I guess the other thing I could point out is learning how to do gestural drawings. This gets the gist, the essence of what the figure is doing. It's the 'life' the 'expression' of the picture, but also, and probably most importantly, the basis for a damned good drawing. It's not a stick figure, it's not just the outline, but you should try to get it done in as few strokes as you can. Get the gist of the figure in the most economical way you can. It's your foundation, make sure you got it right. From there, just do some measuring from major points.


Here's a quick example of a gestural. From the start, I'm not expecting it to be perfect, but it gets you an idea of what she's doing. You have some idea of musculature/thickness and some mass shapes so it's not quite a stick figure.


From there, you see how it measures with the original subject. There are a few points I could measure here, and the figure's simple enough that I can change it without erasing hard work.


(the fixed result)
(how the result matches with the original)

It still needs some work with some points, but once you get some of the major points (joints, extremities like hands/feet and what not) you can move on to refining it more and more into a polished result. While this may seem like a pain in the ass and not terribly expressive, it's a pretty important start for creating more dynamic or believable characters.