Life Drawing

[hobnobs]

At what stage do you know you have done enough life drawing to be a proper artist, I mean I don't need to be aiming to be a comic book artist yet but I want to reach a decent standard without going over the top. How many months do I need to draw the human body for, say 6 hours a day?

[dpaint]

A lifetime. I'm serious. Its not something you do and forget; its like exercise if you stop, it creates all kinds of problems. I don't know any great artist who stops practicing.

[Elwell]

Do whatever you want.
All I can say is, if you're even asking this question, you haven't done enough.

[mickeymao]

It's like anything else, just keep practicing and you'll see a difference. Be consistent; progress doesn't happen overnight.

Quality of practice is important as well as quantity, so don't just become a robot in order to get your 6 hours in. Get feedback, do different pose lengths, draw different types of people, don't avoid hands and feet, don't overlook composition, use various materials, look at art history, etc, etc... all the good advice that gets repeated on here hundreds or thousands of times.

[cro-magnon]

if you're in a position to do life drawing for six hours a day, every day, you're a very lucky person. i was at a very small school but we could book models like twice a week at most.

[QueenGwenevere]

Honestly, life drawing is like a musician practicing scales. You keep doing it for as long as you're making art. If you don't keep it up on a fairly regular basis, you get rusty and mistakes start creeping in.

Although that said, not everyone has the opportunity to do six hours a day (it would be nice, but if you're a professional, you probably won't have time.) But a regular dose of life drawing at least a few times a month can still make a world of difference.

And what do you mean you want to "reach a decent standard without going over the top"? You mean, you want to reach a plateau and then not get any better? I hope not, though it's your choice, of course... There's ALWAYS room for improvement, no matter what level you're at, so why stop trying to improve?

[creeptool]

At what stage do you know you have done enough life drawing to be a proper artist, I mean I don't need to be aiming to be a comic book artist yet but I want to reach a decent standard without going over the top. How many months do I need to draw the human body for, say 6 hours a day?

a good question would be wan is somebody ready for life drawing?

[vineris]

By the time you no longer need life drawing, you realize that it's one of the easiest things you can do as an artist and you do it anyway. It's very relaxing to sit there and not have to try and remember how long toes are in relation to one another.

I gotta ask though... do you really have access to real live models for 6 hours every day?

[[email protected]]

At what stage do you know you have done enough life drawing to be a proper artist, I mean I don't need to be aiming to be a comic book artist yet but I want to reach a decent standard without going over the top.

You have done enough lifedrawing if you can capture the essence of the human body in poses of any length, taking into account whatever the model is doing, in proper proportions, showing a firm grasp of anatomy, body type, volume, light and dark, composition, character. It goes without saying that a quick 1 minute sketch doesn't cover as much as a long 1 day pose.

I can only speak for myself, but for me this is not going to happen in this life, but I hope to be buried with my sketchbook, pen and ink, so I can keep going.

[Kamber Parrk]

This kinda reminds of the old Stephen Wright joke about the guy who doesn't walk his dog any more "because he walked him all at once."

[JeffX99]

When you repaint the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

[blogmatix]

Do whatever you want.
All I can say is, if you're even asking this question, you haven't done enough.

The vibe I get from the OP is that he considers art a chore, but is hoping that at some point, it will become fun. I think that is a mistaken attitude: one should try to enjoy the journey, because if all works out well, it is going to be a lifelong journey anyway.

[GuruGaia]

I think he's asking when would be a good time to start heading into a specialization after fundamentals. That is how I took it anyway. First of all everyone already answered the fundamental question.....you never stop if you want to get better. But if your goal is to do comics then do some. Then look at how they are wrong and then use that as a focus for your next life drawing. Draw the stuff you love and when it doesn't meet your desired outcome go back to your studies to figure out why. Rinse and repeat for the rest of your life. But don't omit the thing you want to do because fundamentals are its base. You also have to learn how to translate those skills to your desired field.

[hobnobs]

Hi. thanks everyone, I'm only drawing from photos at the moment and spending all my time on art. I've been drawing figure for 4 months now, but I'm gona keep going, and I need to draw more hands and faces too, not to mention monsters and other stuff. I need to take part in some challenges too, does anyone have a link to a decent challenge?

[TinyBird]

I'm only drawing from photos at the moment

It'd do good for you to actually draw from real life, not just photos.

I need to take part in some challenges too, does anyone have a link to a decent challenge?

Here's a plenty: http://conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=74

[QueenGwenevere]

If you're only drawing from photos, then you have not yet done ANY life drawing. Drawing from photos is not the same as drawing from life. Drawing photos of figures is not even remotely the same as life drawing.

So if you want to do "enough" life drawing to get to wherever you want to be, better get started. Go out there and draw some real people.

It wouldn't hurt to draw other things from life as well.

[Wayuki]

If you need a life model for 6 hours a day, every day, your best bet is a large-sized mirror.

That said, if you want to be a comic book artist, you can't get away with *just* drawing the human figure. You may need to draw complex city scenes populated by lots of characters. To make that work, you need a very solid understanding of perspective, composition, architecture, clothing AND the human figure.

If I were you, rather than spending those 6 hours on drawing naked people alone, go do as many different things as you can. Ofcourse, draw the figure, clothed and unclothed. But also, draw objects. Draw city scenes. Draw nature. Draw common animals, like cats, dogs and horses. Practice perspective.

Also, being able to spend 6 hours a day on this is a luxury. Once you are a working professional, you probably won't have this much time to practice. You may only have time to practice and do personal art on the weekends. So use it now that you can!