Twiggers "learning to draw" sketchbook

[MusicMetalHead]

Well I've been lurking for a little over a month now, and I finally decided to start a sketchbook. A little background. I'm 19 years old, and am enrolled in the International Academy of Design and Technology Online Devision to get my Bachelor of Science in Game Design. I've never had any kind of artistic talent, but I have to learn in order to do my schooling, so I hope posting here will help me get lots of advice.

Warning: My drawings suck. Don't use these as reference. lol. I'm just going to post an eye I did a while back for now. We have three computers. One hooked up to the scanner, one to the internet, and one is mine that I use for school. I just got the last one Tuesday, and I had to poach the screen from the computer with the scanner so I could do my school. As soon as we get another screen hooked up to that, I'll scan in a bunch of sketches I've got laying around so you can tell me the many many things with my drawings that make you go .

Well here is the eye. It looks good, but I followed a tut step for step, and it took like three hours, so no real skill there.

[MusicMetalHead]

All of these are in pen except one. I actually found that I like pen. Because I can't erase, it forces me to think more about my line. So this is a couple of twenty second or so figure sketches and some quick anatomy studies. Almost no rendering, just line.

Critique and advice wanted. I'll try to do a more rendered drawing at least once a week if I can.

[MusicMetalHead]

oops. some of them are upside down.

[Ven S]

Awesome that you decided to make a sketchbook. Its always great to see someone start off with anatomy. I recommend getting an Anatomy Book from Loomis or Bridgman, either one is fine. Also posemaniac will probably help.
Also another link as well. (Well actually 2 links)
First
Second
Enjoy , and hope it helps

[MusicMetalHead]

Those are some pretty wicked links. Bookmarked both of them. I'm probably only going to do ink every now and then. Just to force myself to think more. I usually use graphite pencils. I've got most of the loomis books and a bridgeman book. I just need to crack em open (figuratively since they are pdfs lol).

[MusicMetalHead]

Those are some pretty wicked links. Bookmarked both of them. I'm probably only going to do ink every now and then. Just to force myself to think more. I usually use graphite pencils. I've got most of the loomis books and a bridgeman book. I just need to crack em open (figuratively since they are pdfs lol).

[MusicMetalHead]

A bit of anatomy and some head studies this time. They are very light. From now on I'll darken them with darker pencils.

[MusicMetalHead]

Decided to play around with the proportions of the head some. They would both be ok except I made the jaw too long. So one looks like everything below his nose is made from putty, and the other... well like I said. It looks like a bald mentally retarded gorrilla.

Did the drawings in 3H pencil (I lost my 4H ) then darkened it in with ink.

[MusicMetalHead]

I'm really happy with how this turned out. I might actually have the audacity to call this good lol. Posemaniacs was my ref. The head, neck, and knees are wanky, and the right upper arm is a little too long. I need to work on my joints I guess. I din't even bother trying with the hands and feet. I'll work on them as a completely separate study. It also took too long. Hopefully with practice I'll be able to do this faster.

Also, somehow I missed the sketchbooks option in the category part of the attachments manager. I've been putting them in illustration before this. I fail. lol

[p sage]

This may go against the grain a bit, but I don't believe that starting off with anatomy is a great idea. Try something simpler, like a wine bottle.

You can measure it, and view its angles, and dissect it with your mind just like people do with human anatomy... but there's far less complication.

Study it in 2D at first... just to get the shapes right. For instance, most bottle shapes (silhouettes) are made up of rectangles, triangles, and circles.

Figure out how a simple bottle breaks down this way. Later, you'll project it in 3D and see how that works.... and you'll begin to think in 3 dimensions. Naturally, after you have 3 dimensions, you can introduce light/shade.

This is the sort of thing to practice, IMHO, before jumping into human anatomy.


That said... congrats on starting a SB thread, and hope to see many more updates

[MusicMetalHead]

@Bethany K.: I can agree with you on that. Theres some really good female poses there, but very few good male poses. I've been trying to find a good resource for anatomy that isn't drawn, but I havn't really found anything very good.

@p sage:I didn't start out with anatomy. I started out with some perspective drawings and drawing objects (it was a shoe, not a wine bottle but whatever lol) for my first drawing class. But right after that was finished I had figure drawing class so I had to kind of switch gears. I do need to get back to drawing some environments and perspective stuff. But I've really been focusing on the figure because its a pain in the ass whereas drawing buildings and such in perspective is butt easy. Call me a freak but I like the more challenging route for some reason.

Thanks for stopping by. Going to my cousins for the weekend, and I don't think he has a scanner, so I'll try to post the stuff I draw over the weekend (planned is some loomis muscle studies and a couple of buildings) when I get home on Monday.

[Jiri92]

Hey bro, good to see you also getting started.

I might not be very experienced, but the people here on CA gave me the exact same advice: start on basic forms.

I do believe this has helped me a lot because lighting and values will be taught much easier through simple forms than something complex as human anatomy.

Just my 2 cents.

Looking forward to see you grow, bud!

[MusicMetalHead]

@Jiri92: I drew in my little stick figure to get the limbs right, then I drew in the basic forms, then I drew in the details for that last drawing. I do know how to do that. I'm just having trouble giving the forms solidity. So I'm studying some anatomy and such to figure out how it all works, and that should help my simpler forms out. Plus, like I said earlier, I like doing things the hard way. Its more fun for me for some reason.

[MusicMetalHead]

Haven't updated for awhile. Here are two drawings I did yesterday. Referenced from http://tonyr.deviantart.com/art/Attitude-248540787 and this http://tonyr.deviantart.com/art/Work...F1665661&qo=30. Check out this guys gallery, some really great photos. And yes I did get permission to post these.

[Wassim]

Hey , cool sb , anatomy studies are good , i think you need some drawing basics to make your stuff perfect , so i recommended to read and apply this book ( Andrew Loomis - Succesful Drawing ) and do some gesture drawings
just keep workin hard and i'm sure that you'll be awesome

wassim

[Leonor]

You might want to follow lohes' process of learning, who learned head construction really fast: http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=226626

[MusicMetalHead]

WaSsim: Thanks. Its been at least a month, if not longer, since I've updated this sketchbook. I'll try to post some of my recent stuff soon.

Leonor: I'm actually pretty good at heads. I can't make it photorealistic yet, but I can sit down and put down a beleivable head with all the features with no problem.

[Magyar]

The torso you draw has a lot of improvements compared to the others

Study books and pictures, I find easiest way to balance the body is using guidelines, especially if you are starting out.

[anonanon]

I think you should listen to the advice given by psage, jiri92, and leonor. They really are giving you gems, that shouldn't be discarded. Keep working hard!

[Warforce17]

Game Design sounds like fun.

I've never had any kind of artistic talent

Don´t let yourself bothered by that. Think positive. I believe many artists say the
same thing about themselves in the beginning.

Here my advice:
When shading try to show the form with light values before you work on the dark ones. Don´t rush it!
Look at your drawing object and try to understand what makes it look plastic.
When you are annoyed because you feel like making no progress, take a break or draw something else in the meanwhile.
Still finish what you started though.
Look at your drawing and point out what your strength and weaknesses are.
Work on them.

That´s how I do it but others may prove me wrong.
Have fun improving and good luck with your studies,

P.S.

[shiNIN]

Hey you should update more often... I don't know about others but it's always hard for me when I stop drawing for a while... Probably I'm not the only one. I can't know if you actually draw or not, of course...
I can't really say anything useful or critical at this point, you need to DRAW. A lot. Loomis's and Bridgman's name and drawing from life were already mentioned. Oh and don't depend on the muscles in the posemaniac figures much, they obviously not the right 3dimensional muscles, just some twisted textures.
Good luck

[fishysmell]

Rather than copying directly off of reference/anatomy books (esp Bridgman), I'd opt for studying those kinds of books when you're hanging about somewhere (eg on the toilet).

Later, when you've put the books away, you can see what you can remember by drawing from imagination (draw full figures). Crack open your books again and compare your stuff with the book's. Put what you've messed up on and what you've done decently on the margins of your paper, then store your paper in a folder, which you should review every now and then (every end of the week or so).

[MusicMetalHead]

People have been wanting me to post more recent stuff, so here's what I put up for the spartan camp thing.

[Ven S]

Hey brah havent check this sb for a long time, I gotta say I see improvement. I see your working on facial structure which is good, now apply it to the figure. You should take a look at Kevin Chen's Demos. He talks about structure and other stuff.
http://analyticalfiguresu08.blogspot.com/

Cheers

[MusicMetalHead]

Hey brah havent check this sb for a long time, I gotta say I see improvement. I see your working on facial structure which is good, now apply it to the figure. You should take a look at Kevin Chen's Demos. He talks about structure and other stuff.
http://analyticalfiguresu08.blogspot.com/

Cheers

Thanks man. I've been inactive on here for too long. Yeah I've been doing a big facial study here. Been doing some bridgeman studies smattered in with them. As soon as I finish (we're never really finished though are we) my facial study, I'm going to do a more in depth study of anatomy.

[MusicMetalHead]

A page of eyes. I made these a little darker, so it was easier to work with in photoshop. Might draw another page of something tonight, if I finish my homework in time, but I probably wont scan it until tomorrow, but who knows?

[MusicMetalHead]

A drawing I did of http://ustedalen.deviantart.com/art/...oking-81634145 I'm actually kind of proud of this. The proportions are a bit off, the rendering isn't too great, and parts of it don't look done, but it still turned out ok.

[MusicMetalHead]

Working on getting the head down in 3D. Lots of eyes doodled to take up more space, cuz I hate wasting paper. Also trying to work on my shading so a couple of crosshatch doodles. Cube method for heads does not work for me.

[Iristhevirus]

You have improved a lot! You have a much better awareness of space and understanding of the body, your new drawings show a lot of new skill gained! Keep up the practice and draw more bodies in different positions! It's good that you tried to draw an older man's face, that takes courage! there's a lot of detail and different things to think about compared to young, simpler faces. Try more shading, draw gradients with your pencil, shading exercises like circles and other shapes with a light source, and more of what you're already doing. Keep it up!

[MusicMetalHead]

Took Iristhevirus's advice and did some lighting studies. They suck, which is made worse by the scanner eating them. Ah well. Also decided to do a hair study. It turned out okay, but looks really anime-ish, so it still needs work. Didn't spend too much time on the face. Nose is too long, lips are all blah, and the structure around the eyes is weird. Plus perspective is off. meh. Tell me what you think.