update: 2.1.05, new update:18.12.07, newest update 02.03.08

[Fayt]

new stuff on the last page (update 2.3.08 )




hi, this is my first post^^
see, I do not know how to draw the rest of the body of the lying boy, the one at the bottom of the image.
And I copied the upper boy -.-
anyway, I want to fulfill his body, I just don´t know how.......

also I do not know how I should draw a raised arm, I mean his left arm, (our right).

[-sideshowbob-]

good stuff good start

u just need some more experience.. i suggest -> studie anatomy - the parts u wanna draw first - then the rest

subdevide parts into EASY geometrie - that helps to allign and orient these objects in 3D orbid

before u draw ur chest in that pose - check the orientation of the chest - where its pointing at - then draw a cube that FITS into that orientation - analyse form and shape of that body part again - try to allign the more complex chest shape into the cube orientation base (the cube is ONLY for orientation-visualisation - in fact u just need a few more lines to let a cube look like a chest - but u have top know em in order to place them right into space*3Dorbit


i made good improvement with subdeviding very complex things into easy geometrie - then i satrted drawing them - cubical simplified - also cut down a sphere into easy geometrie like octragon or dodecagon - analyse their shape - check the orientation - learn to draw it (start with cubes and cylinders or bit more complex cubes - see ur chest as a cube too and ur legs are arms - once u understand how to orient and allign them in 3D space *drawen at ur paper sheet* it will be much easier to draw good legs arms and many other things )

my schedule -> simplifie -> orientation -> proportions -> details

be patient !

pss : just checked ur pics again - try to keep it simple first - drawing realistik looking stuff is very hard - thats why i suggest to keep things simple - saves time and keeps frustration away


post some more pls

keep up

[Fayt]

well, I draw for 8 month, but draw like a beginner, thanks.....
his hands........they look so false.....

and here, I tried frog persoective, but is not somehow wrong:

oh, I forgot, can somebody tell me how I can draw the same person tiwe in a different view?

[hp]

actually, i think elongating the fingers would look better to match the style that you are drawing, but perhaps you aren't at the level where you can "stylize" your work quite yet.

i would also work on the eyes some, make some parts darker (i'm not asking you to change the shape though, i know it's anime-ish)

his head needs to be a little large on top and to the top left. just add more hair.

the hands look wrong because you need to hint at the knuckles/or planes of the hand. i would study some artists like this who also have anime/comic type characters to see how they draw their hands.

not sure if this will link, but here are some references. usually anime guys are pretty thin so that's what i found, but perhaps that's not what you want. link (i just noticed that his pants are sort of low...anyhow)

also you may want to consider putting the pants lower/looser on the waist so it doesn't look so 'pulled up'...

also, don't make your lines so sketchy. vary the line thickness - for cloth folds you prolly want to make the lines a bit softer.

[Calle_]

best way, imo, to get the poses right and limbs in diffrent angles, just go
to the mirror and do the pose. If you cant draw it while posing, try to remember as much as you can.
hope it helps =)

calle.

[-sideshowbob-]

these are good but u need LOTSA training to do it right.. pro artists already got that training in there past years of drawing

i suggest - do studies - do tons of studies - studie all body part seperated - then get them together - do more studies

the first studies u do will looke like poop but .. after 10 it will get better.. after 100 u got the idea - do 10000000000 more and u can draw it realistic without ref...
dont get frustrated just because u think it looks crapy or wierd.. i draw b ad stuff to and when i see its crap i tell myself : ahaha again but its ok - u need these bad shittys to get the realistic stuff done -

u cant jump from 0 to 100 . use the 99 stepts to understand how to stay on top

!!check my sketchbook!! and see how i do my studies..i do stuff like that evryday... all the day ! mostly i again and again - i analyse try to see what mistake i made - then i draw again and trie to fix - another pose - another problem - another way to fix - again and again..



btw i like those hands.. i think its just the thumb that looks bad
but hands are really not that easy

keep things simple - then get complex

pss2 : before u do those upshot perspectives .. try to draw a cube to visualize ur perspective field u wanna put ur stuff in - its good to support ur eye and then u just put the character in that box and the flow is automaticly right

[flippinmental]

i dont think anyone has mentoioned it yet but http://www.saveloomis.org/ has some books you can download througth bit torrent which are really good. Donwload 'human anatom for all it's worth' and 'drawing the face and hands' - these are probably the two best.

[IanE]

i dont think anyone has mentoioned it yet but http://www.saveloomis.org/ has some books you can download througth bit torrent which are really good. Donwload 'human anatom for all it's worth' and 'drawing the face and hands' - these are probably the two best.

I've found that Figure Drawing for All It's Worth has been a little bit more helpful... Other great anatomy for artists resources are George Bridgman's book, Constructive Anatomy, and www.tsofa.com which is Michael Mentler's studio's website. Also check out his sketchbook pages.

I started in the same situation in November, just draw draw draw and take in all you see and then spit it back out through your pencil!

Good luck and welcome to CA!

Ian

[Fayt]

I tried the whole body, and jes, I am not able to draw/copy the same face again, I am a fool.

this one was not supposed nto be a child, but the face looked just strage as an adult, well I wanted a stretched arm, but it just didn´t work.....

[Call0ps]

i am not the first one to tell pratice anamoty ^^ the last drawing u did the big to big ( maybe u watch to much anime ) i really like to to be honest... but try to start from life and after to anime u probably will have better results

[Fayt]

i am not the first one to tell pratice anamoty ^^ the last drawing u did the big to big ( maybe u watch to much anime ) i really like to to be honest... but try to start from life and after to anime u probably will have better results

you are the 20th, who said that, studying anatomy won´t help me drawing different perspective or anything else, but of course you can draw great mucles like drag can. But that is all I think, but if you can change my mind I would be pleased, give me a good reason why I should. Maybe I will start then.

[SJ Bennighof]

Um,
yes
it
will
help
you
with
perspective
very
much.

[Odds]

haha, better than when i first started
just do some studies and then you'll be able to get those ideas out of your head much easier. www.saveloomis.org as well as just random drawing tuts on the web. keep it up!

[ApolloNuevo]

get a cheap digital camera (or use the one on your phone for all i care) and SHOOT REFERENCE!

it's only gonna look right if it's grounded in reality...and no artist is past the point of having to reference the real world to some degree...don't be ashamed to have a friend pose for you so you can learn to draw from a 2D image to a 2D image to learn how to represent 3D space.

and practice...oh my gosh, practice.

-apollonuevo

[hp]

There are many things that are ppl try to write off as "i don't need anatomy" like, ppl are always saying they are experimenting with style or whatever like i mentioned before, but you can't say things like that until you're good enough at art. seriously, there are like a thousand reasons why you need to learn anatomy...even drawing manga requires a sense of a anatomy. They distort the figure but you don't even have a manga sense either yet. The reason why ppl are against drawing anime and wanting you to do real anatomical drawings is b/c too many ppl draw manga, you see, and well, suck at it. Even all those crazy abstract artists that you look at their work and go, omg it's like some shitty paint thrown randomly on a canvas...well guess what? They can (usually, nowadays it's a different world...) draw REALLY well realistically if they felt like it.

And yes, studying anatomy will help you draw from diff perspectives. In fact, when you're amazingly good at it, you don't need refs at all really for sketching ideas. You'll be able to go, hmm I want to draw this ninja guy doing this crazy spinning kick in midair, and then draw it perfectly Learning anatomy has nothing technically to do with muscles (I mean you learn them, but...) b/c not all people draw crazy muscular people, ie. anime the guys are usually pretty thin...

I'm actually not a fan of Loomis drawings b/c of the style, but they are very good teaching guides. Just draw from real life. Draw yourself if you get annoyed with ppl moving when you draw them. Sit in front of a mirror and sketch your whole body. People are always like there's no life drawing classes here, etc. Bs. Go to a Starbucks or whatever, some park, and draw the people there. There is no good excuse for not learning how to draw properly. That's like saying you're going to do something without knowing exactly what it is you're doing. And while you're learning proper anatomy, go study some more manga and crap so you can also go in the direction you want.

[darkchild]

Hi, got a good start here. Don't get discouraged, keep at sketching as much as you can. Some people have a talent for it, some (for example ME) had to sketch for a very long time. I've been experimenting with sketches and different kinds of art forms for a quite a while now. I won't tell you how old I am but I started out sketching animals when I was 7. I still don't think I'm great at it and I'm my own biggest critic. If this is something you enjoy keep at it and you will find a style that suits you. Later

[Fayt]

ok, but, what exactly means anatomy? I do not exactly know what anatomy IS.
edit:

[flippinmental]

ok, but, what exactly means anatomy? I do not exactly know what anatomy IS.
edit:

Anatomy is looking at what’s underneath your skin, the skeleton, the muscles etc. You don’t need to know the name of every single one and where every single muscle is and what it does, you just need some idea of those things. Earlier you said that anatomy wont help you, trust us - it will. Even anime artist know the importance of anatomy and well tell you to study that, rather then the 'how to draw anime' books.

[Fayt]

Anatomy is looking at what’s underneath your skin, the skeleton, the muscles etc. You don’t need to know the name of every single one and where every single muscle is and what it does, you just need some idea of those things. Earlier you said that anatomy wont help you, trust us - it will. Even anime artist know the importance of anatomy and well tell you to study that, rather then the 'how to draw anime' books.

ok, where do I find some good books with skeletons and mucles? I searched at google but didn´t find really good images.

[-sideshowbob-]

just a quicky : ur stuff is good.. but i suggest u to keep ur stuff simple before u do realistic - its almost impossible to draw realistic without any experience or knowledge .. - i improved fast with doing tons of lil studies for any objects or body feature - i tried to understand the objects volume and 3Dness (observe objects from diffrent view - 3 minimum - 360 maximum *one view for each degree -> 360 views for each axis -> 3 axis total -> 44000000+shapes = full 3D ! ).. how the shape changes while i rottate the objects in 3d space - took a while to understand all this but... since u got that in ur head things are much easier

schedule
> simplifie -> orientation -> proportions -> details

think about :

symmetrie
dynamic
foreshortening
vanishing points
perspective

[SJ Bennighof]

Fayt, go here: http://www.saveloomis.org

[flippinmental]

ok, where do I find some good books with skeletons and mucles? I searched at google but didn´t find really good images.

as SJ Bennighof said www.saveloomis.org, and also there is another really good book out there called 'Anatomy for the Artist' this book is more indepth but dosnt really teach you anything, so might be a good book to get along with the andrew loomis book. I've used both and i think there excellent books.

[Fayt]

do you think I should stop, I often thought about that, I only draw crap all the time, you have seen what I produce, now my drawing become even more bad! Also, in summer, I might be unable to draw for 3 weeks! I do not get better, and do not know how to improve evectively. I downloaded some of these lomis pages with anatomy stuff, but do not know how I should learn these stuff, it is not like in school, should I copy it, or what? I have no idea.......well, please tell me your oppinion.

[hp]

don't worry about it. try drawing for "sessions" at a time, where they last at least half an hour...you might be one of the people where it takes a bit of time to "get into it", meaning the drawing mode where you can sketch freely without worrying too much about anything. If you feel you can't copy the sketches freehand, either print them out and trace them (either by tracing paper, holding it up against a window, rubbing the back with graphite and putting a paper under, etc.) traditionally, or if you have a tablet you can just trace that easily too. Trace a picture a few times, then use a clean sheet and try drawing it yourself. Remember to look at the negative space to help you and constantly check up mentally on proportions.

[Fellah.]

Hey man dont stop. Doing art is tough stuff - and it is for all of us. We all suck big time sometimes man!!! Watching your drawings tells me you got a good line work quality and thats hard to get - some people work on that forever! Dont take your flaws too hard, just work like hell dude! And remember, even tho its difficult its really just a big playground, so have fun with it and do what you feel like when you feel like it! van Gogh worked on his anatomy for two years 24/7 (and the rest of his life)didnt really get there, but he still did some amazing art!!! Just work on the anatomy, even tho it dosnt look good to you, you still learn more than you think! I have never done it(too proud), but my advice would be to try and trace the loomis stuff for awhile, over and over again - it might give you a good sence of form and stuff!
For the summer, just bring a sketchbook with you and draw trees or something, working the line. Good luck man!

[hp]

Here is an one example of how you might practice. Find a loomis sketch and a character head style that you like. Of course they should somewhat match in direction they face and stuff.



I just rotated the head a little, and matched it to the body. You can print out something like this and use it to practice both your manga style and your anatomy at the same time. I just used the Painter sketch function to get the outlines, I'm not sure but prolly ps or other softwares might have a similar function. The body's a little off (in relation of the shoulder distance to head) but it's just to show you what I mean. I'm sure with some more time it'd be much more accurate.

[Masayasu]

Anime/manga is not as easy as some people think. It takes a lot of practice to be good at it. Though, be careful not to limit yourself to it. I have pretty much limited my self to manga, and I think it may have hindered me a bit from becoming a better artist. Since coming to forums here, I feel I have improved a bit.

Keep exploring, and keep up the good work.

[Fayt]

.you might be one of the people where it takes a bit of time to "get into it", .

I was really into it at the beginning, I drew 3 hours per day! So I quickly become better, but some I somehow have the feeling to stick a point.

[USER777]

stop drawing mangas for a while and draw from life.

[hp]

Not to be mean or anything...but, what are you trying to do? Get sympathy from us? Get us to tell you to keep going? I mean, we're trying to inspire you and give you tips. I'm not sure if you're just asking for praise or just comments but seriously, get a better attitude. It's sort of depressing to try to help someone who keeps going "I'm gonna quit...I'm gonna quit..."

There's a fine line between just complaining and being humble. You're crossing it. Many of us learned art by ourselves, without books and without teachers or classes...there's a point where ppl can't help anymore and you have to do the work. Like someone said earlier, some people are just naturally talented at art, and some have to work at it. You just might be one of those have to work harder at it. There are some fine examples of people who started drawing stick figures and progressed to being considered demi-gods over here at CA. Just practice, use your common sense, go out and draw from life (everyone says that and NO ONE does it), visit people's threads to gain tips and inspiration, maybe register for a local class, sharpen up some pencils and draw.

Don't worry if you think it sucks. I draw like a freaking two yr old. But I'm learning. The main thing is stay inspired, that's why there are forums like these, so you can go "Wow, that's one crazy SOB that can draw..."....hell you'll prolly end up saving them as your bgs on your comp. And then you'll feel like a crappy artist, so you'll go out and sketch so you can improve! At least that's how I work. So loosen up a bit, and keep posting your drawings! Luck!