Spartan Camp #120 - 50 gestures + Optional "Fully Clothed Figure Study"

[Anthis]

Spartan Camp #120 - 50 gestures + Optional "Fully Clothed Figure Study"

The aim is to produce 50 gestures by Sunday the 3rd of January.

- The gestures can be of anything, human, animal, cavorting capybaras.... You can draw full figures, but you can also go for heads, arms, eyes, or anything specific. All media can be used, both digital or traditional. Coloured or black/white. Quick scribbles or long studies. Imagination or referenced. Clothed or nude. Specifics are up to you!

- In addition to this, participants can choose to do an Optional "Fully Clothed Figure Study", in any medium.
Additional notes on this weeks’ Optional Study:
Nothing new really, reference may be adviced. The only catch is the 'fully' clothed. So not just lingerie. At least, lets just say, 25% covered. Because you cannot actually see the whole body itself under clothing, this forces you to think about the shapes underneath. And possibly express this using folds etc. Reference not mandatory, as usual. Ref suggestion here.
Colour, medium, time frame, any specifics are up to you! Have fun!

50 poses is a challenge, but don't hurry or stress yourself reaching it! Focus on drawing, as practising is the main goal of this exercise.

Critting each other is highly encouraged!! Share constructive criticism, reference and resources!! Let's help each other get better!

Come on soldiers! Flex those muscles!!

HALL OF FAME - SPARTAN CAMP #119


bakadoodle
JBurrough
Ananda C
Anthis
Fliegenpilz
BlackDelphin

[JBurrough]

Outstanding. Been wanting to work on clothes for a while, as I'm shite at doing it from memory. Appreciate the link, should have something soon.

[Alien Ape Star]

I`m in too! yaaay!

[shiNIN]

nice optional, I really must to be able to draw someone in a suit...
I'm doing something like that on Tegaki at the moment so I'm very stressed.
I'm absolutely unable to draw a simple drawing pose (in suit, showy, 3/4 view. no ref because I can't find such one, I don't know why). I will discover the very basics of it this week or I give up and never try to draw a gesture again......... it's annoying I must redraw it for hours and hours and hours and it's still extremely off.
maybe I should think about the skeleton, the basic muscles, those points on the body or something. and memorize them.
I hate being at square one again and again, with zero memory. my copied gestures got much better but it's no use if I can't do _anything_ by myself. and I really can't.

I'm sorry but I'll stop it soon, this way or another... [I'd die if I stopped drawing I guess so I'll better learn something this week]

[shiNIN]

as far as I know I never did Frazetta studies, just some Bouguereau and some others but it's not important.
copying is a very different world, I fear I just scan - others may learn through it but with my visul memory I forget everything. I need to go deeper and listen with the most active brain state I can produce. and draw from memory. I always neglect that.
and I can't stop when I'm unpleased, it's like debugging, it's bothering me too much if I don't do...

well it's my fight. I got tired of whining about it anyway

I wanted to include some gestures but I need hours these days. and I wish to learn something through them, not only producing some nice result and that's all.
there isn't ONE single gesture I can draw by myself any time. if I draw a head, I have absolutely no idea where to put the neck, no matter how much I research [btw I have no mirrors at the moment]. it just looks bad, whatever I do.
maybe I watched too much anime and it clashes with realism. maybe the lines are bad because of the lack of shading. I dunno.

I'm so sorry. I go away and dig a hole... I mean grab my pencil...

figure drawing is hard but it can't be totally impossible for me...

[Yuki_slider]

Benn sorda traditional, Thats the first time in years i had a day oof job, amazin' gote some thin out here check it out
_>>the build isnt exact in the first place

[shiNIN]

I'm slow and sleepy, I only have these now...
but my horrible "I can't even copy at all" period is over...

[Alien Ape Star]

I was too lazy to start sketchin.. I was in the mood for a quick study. This took me about an hour. I`ll start doing sketchez in tha mornin`.
I put the reference also. Cheers!

[bakadoodle]

Couple of good things happening to me. 1. Got my very first Moleskine! Haven't drawn much in it yet, but I don't want to waste the amazing paper. So used to drawing on cheap walmart sketchbooks I never knew paper could make that much difference. 2. Going to see Avatar in iMax 3D today Yay!
Haven't done much drawing this week. Was going to wait until Sunday to post but I'm a little dried up for gestures.

Photoshop gestures. Was hoping to do rotating sets of 5 referenced and non referenced. I didn't get very far.



Optionals in Pencil
(I suck at pencil shading)

Getting stupid with cheap colored pencils

The crap that happens at 3am



Maybe Avatar will inspire me to do some more. I'll comment tomorrow

[in2eternity]

While watching your amazing works, guys, tried to do some 45sec gestures from posemaniacs and some random girls from Deviant
So lame Hope it helps me to get better

[shiNIN]

I felt so lazy today, so I drew some animals for starters

[Alien Ape Star]

just 2 gestures.. full body clothed figures. Moare stuff 2morr0w

[shiNIN]

I was in a very bad shape last week but I realized I chose very tough gestures anyway... (the ones I didn't show you)
I tried to do them well this time but I can't do that in limited time.
I'm tired.

[ggnastist]

Some gestures from life at the bus stop, library or in the bus.



Also studies from Andrew Loomis.

[Yuki_slider]

I was too lazy to start sketchin.. I was in the mood for a quick study. This took me about an hour. I`ll start doing sketchez in tha mornin`.
I put the reference also. Cheers!

Hey there.
you could improve with usin' also some kinda medical books you now, there very GoooOd at makin' muscale build plain

[Anthis]

[placeholder comments - adding crits tomorrow morning!]

I had to rush, unfortunately. I do think I got to learn a few new things.
Also found this awesome resource. It's also on characterdesigns.com, I just hadn't noticed it. They were a small relevation to me. Especially those figure studies.

First couple are referenced from characterdesigns.com.
After the break from imagination.
Clothed study reference from http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

[shiNIN]

I wasn't in good form today and I don't know why I did this with lines... I definitely draw some clothed figures next week... my ref was oh so tiny.

[Ananda C]

My 50 gestures and clothed figure, everything from ref. Will try to do some from imagination next time, i'm scared of it.



Plus some comments
Bakadoodle: Your stuff from imagination is as good as your referenced stuff, which is very cool... The 1st clothed study is flat but it looks like you solved the problem in the 2nd and 3rd studies...

Ggnastist: I like a lot the firsts sketches from life. Keep up the studies and flesh those mannequins.

Anthis: Awesome stuff again. Thanks for the links, I didn't know that section of characterdesigns... the head studies will definitely come in handy.

ShiNIN: Those are looking good. Keep at it, don't be discouraged... I had a terrible drawing day today too, switched media to crowquill pen and it was somewhat easier. Maybe changing media, subject matter, duration of the sketches or working from life could help you when you're stuck...

[aprat]

The smaller scans are without reference and the bigger scans are with reference.

BTW sorry for the late submission but i only started yesterday.

[Anthis]

shiNIN; Sad to hear you've been having problems, glad to see you still went for it and posted some good work. If you're feeling stressed about your poses, it can be a good idea to take some ofthe pressure off. Sometimes I just like to sketch figures etc, without having to worrying about the spartan camp or posting anything. Just for myself. This can be relaxing, and often pays off in better poses. Just something to think about. Also, figure drawing is a pretty big thing to tackle.. Having a connection to your poses from reference can be helpful. See if you can remember a couple of things from your referenced studies. You can also do gestures from imagination - but loosely base them on reference.
Yuki slider; Always nice to see something different! Drawing those figures first and then putting clothes on them seems to be working pretty well. And you're not afraid to give it a fashion-twist too. You have a very graphic approach, so it's tough for me to criticize . I do think the neck is a little stiff, like a tree trunk. Heads are somewhat bent forward, just look at people around you!
Alien Ape Star; Hey there! That's a pretty strong value study. A couple of areas that are standing out for me are the chin (great texture!) and the area below the zygomatic/cheek bone, with the cast shadow. Very well handled. The lighter areas appear smudgy sometimes, darks seem to be your stronger point? Nice to include your reference too. Love the gestures too. Good stuff, wish I could get them that smooth and clean!
ggnastist; Great to see some gestures from life again. I need to get back at it myself. Those first poses (top left) have a very strong balance, must be on the bus/metro. You can clearly see in the middle pose how the pelvis is slightly tilted upward, on his (right) standing leg. Great things to notice and study. Unfortunately, people are often facing away from you in public transport. Still keep practicing the heads! Nice gestures. Actually, I'm happy to see some of those notes in the top right. They seem to be from art school? Either way, pretty interesting. I'm not quite sure about the second though, why book arrangements?
Ananda C; I think I can really learn from the characterdesigns.com figurestudies. It seems very logical and practical to construct a figure like that. Glad you like it too!
Drawing from imagination can be tough sometimes, its often especially hard 'to start'. You can keep referenced poses nearby for inspiration, or loosely base your own gestures on reference. Starting with a loose and light sketch can be a great help as well. That way you don't have to worry about the complex anatomy right from the start. Pretty nice referenced figures. Again- a lot of anatomical detail in those, you're good at noticing that. In some cases, the top half of your figures seem a little big. This _could_ be because that part of the paper is farthest away from your eye, and you're correcting for that. Just mentioning it since it can be a pitfall, not sure if it applies to you! Strong figures though, also nice to see some of the shadowed areas in the pencil figures.
aprat; Great studies! I love those shadowed areas, and I'd say its pretty important to learn that too. Gives you a strong sense of form. Very nicely done. Are the robed figures done with some sort of pen or marker? Nice ones from imagination too - good job on the challenging poses. Not afraid of tough poses in general! That's an interesting method you're using on some of those figures (second scan, with the parallel lines around the figure) Are those corrections? Think I've seen it before, is it often used?

[bakadoodle]

Arrgg. Ended up closing the tab I had all my individual comments on. I'm sorry. So, just wanted to say that everyone did excellent this round. Alien Ape Star - inspiring and educational, shiNiN - quit bitching You've shown improvement just in these posts alone from one to the next. Art is a lifelong learning process. Yuki - very cool, wish I could do silhouettes like that. In2eternity - I have a feeling you are going to get where you want to be in no time. ggnastist - Somehow you make me see what your thought processes are and it helps me fill in the blanks in my own. Anthis - I've been focusing more and more on your shading and how you manage to get so much depth and volume out of it. The reference link was awesome as well. And the color optional blew me away. Thanks. Ananda C - Strong proportions and consistent lines. Especially love 11,12,13 and 17. You were on a roll on that page. A lot of subtle but very expressive faces. Aprat - all I can say is damn. I hate you and wish I had your talent
Great stuff everyone, Spartan Camp is so much better with people like you

[ggnastist]

Ananda: Thank you man.

Anthis: you're amazing with all your figures both from imagination and reference. Always happy to see your critique which are helpful to all of us. As for the book arrangements, it was from a book at the library i was reading. Draw book arrangements for perspective exercise.

bakadoodle: your digital sketches seems better.

aprat: Lovely pen studies and those shadow studies certainly show the form.

shinin: keep drawing!!!

[aprat]

bakadoodle - Thank you ; ). Looking at your gestures i see that you take the time to make really clean contours, which i think is good. I would suggest making some looser gestures with just a few lines and just capture the movement of the subject. There's a lot to be learned in those and you can bust out dozens in no time.
in2eternity - Posemaniacs i great for what it is, but sometimes i get frustrated when i need more time for those tricky poses. I prefer to take my time, even with loose gesture, especially for tricky poses. But by all means keep up the good work; i see progress even in these few pages.
ggnastist - I think you've got the right idea, sketching from life and practicing drawing mannequins, something i should do more of. Those pen sketches in the middle have a lot of swing to them.
Anthis - You really flesh out your gestures nicely. Kudos on the effort. You even manage to put a face on most of them - something i usually fail at. Nice drapery work on the digital painting.
And thank you. The robed figures are done with ballpoint pen and ink wash. And about the double lines - i am not quite sure why i do that. Partially correction and partially emphasizing certain lines so they don't disappear among the less important ones.
Ananda C - I think some of your gestures are a little bit stiff. I'd say your faces are better. I would suggest trying to really feel the movement with a few lines before nailing down the contours. And yes, i think it's important to draw from imagination occasionally or one might get stuck drawing only studies.
shiNIN - Nice dog studies. I would spend a bit more time checking the proportions and such before rendering.

[Anthis]

Great comments all around! This has been a pretty good round.

Also, seems I missed some.

bakadoodle; Haha, actually when I got my first moleskine I didnt want to just scribble all over it either. Think it's very practical for outdoor sketching though. Some nice foreshortening in some of the referenced and imagination poses. To me, good foreshortening may be one of the nicest things to see in figure drawing. When shading, one of the things you may want to consider is 'following the form' with your lines.

in2eternity; Hey there, sorry about the late comment. Nice posemaniacs figures - they show you're really trying things out and figuring out how to construct those poses. There's an especially strong sense of proportion. They're gradually getting better too. Posemaniacs can be a great warm-up. Don't be afraid of using fluent, slower lines if it suits the form. I find that I use those fast, straigth lines way too often, but I think it can lack some 'feeling'. mmmh, just something to think about I guess. Nice going!

[JBurrough]

I hate the way my time evaporates.

I really wanted/needed to give some time to this one -- but being a working single dad, my time is rarely my own. A common hazard in life, I suppose. I'm going to try and push a few out tonight... I'll make the time. Also, as this is going to be a focus for me in the coming months, I'll continue to work at it.

Hoping to find the time for the next... should have a go at it this weekend, at the least. Cheers all = you've all done some great work here. Looking forward to 121.


// JB