Pencil drawing

**Loveart** · January 31st, 2007, 04:15 PM

Hey guys, what do you think of this drawing?

Needless to say that I still learning and having hard time in drawing heads

Here is a smaller version of the drawing..

Gurl.

**Brendan N** · January 31st, 2007, 04:26 PM

Right, this one lacks form. You have too much grey going on and its flattening the whole thing. Establish everything with simple, 3d shapes and forms BEFORE you start delving into the details. Establish a light source and figure out how that lightsource will affect your subject. Study anatomy, get to know the planes of the face! If you do not know them, you will have a much harder time even copying faces, few hours of study for a few days or weeks will make the rest so much easier. Another thing - the whites of the eye are, ironically, never white! Most of the time the eyes are among the darkest features in a face. Keep grinding the lead mate, this is all about mileage!

hope that rabble helped a bit

ciao!

- d.

**arttorney** · January 31st, 2007, 04:45 PM

As far as the perimeter of this drawing is concerned, on the side of the face that is to our right the cheekbone and forehead could stand out a bit more. The eye socket area would look a bit indented. You can see what I am talking about on Brendan's avatar. (Don't look at my avatar. It's just a cubist line drawing that is not according to Hoyle). The outline over on that side cuts in for the eye and then back outward rather than being straight up and down.

**Sepulverture** · February 1st, 2007, 04:05 AM

To kind of build on what Brendan was talking about. The whites of the eyes are deceivingly dark, but remember that the highlights of the eyes should 1. indicate from where the light sources are coming, and 2. should be the brightest highlights of the face (unless the face is soaking wet, then you might get equally bright highlights). Also, I don't believe that the other two mentioned this, but when dealing with the human body as a whole, you can count on it being more/less symmetrical. That means that when you draw a face, or body, or both, you should draw a center line vertically down the body, and draw guidelines horizontally to both sides to make sure that all the features lining up properly. Also I agree with what was said about your values. You need to get a lot of the gray out of there, and pick out some highlights, and shadows to help define form. There is more to say about that, but I'll wait until your next update before i bring them up. Good luck!

Sep

**Loveart** · February 1st, 2007, 05:45 AM

Thanks guys

It's great that you give a good critique, way to go!

Hemm, guys believe me that I am drawing over 4 years, and I don't have the possibility to learn art, but I know that with your help I will get better

I am trying to find methods to have, so I will be able to draw faces, normal faces from images cuz I love it, but no doubt that I will try and I am trying to drawing from my minds.

The drawing I did, it's really big so there and here might be that I went out of proportions. I also went out of tones cuz it's real hard for me to understand how to make it right. I also went to read some anatomy books, I have just 2 books, but there is no info about methods or something, just images that sometimes it's hard to understand cuz it's all in english..

My problems are, even before that I am starting the drawing is, that I don't know if I divide right the place for the right eye, and then I don't know what will be size of the other eye.. about the nose, I hope that I am right, but it needs to be in the middle, from the line I got the eyes, until the chin, and the lips need to be between the nose and chin.. then I always need to add some space for the chin.. and I am not sure I did right the angle for the eyes?

I did it with the paint, so it went bad lol, but it's more easy for me in the pc to do it.

Plus, the anatomy books, didn't show, how to handle with the 3/4 angle, so from the side I did understand quite well, but say, also to find a method for the front, how you know guys how to divide it, so that the eyes will be place right? I am so frustrated.... Thanks for taking the time to read my message, I will try to draw more, I really want to be better with my drawings, and sorry for my bad english :/

Gurl.

**Loveart** · February 1st, 2007, 06:32 AM

Ok, I did other thing, and hope it's more clear.. sometimes when I am doing the drawing, I feel that there is something that I am missing or that I don't understand.

This method I used it's simple I know, but it helped me to understand where need to go where. When the angle is about 3/4, the right side of the nose's bone.. where it should end? can be that it should end, right down the right eye?

When I got the right eye, I then took the same width and it helped me to know accurately where will be placed the other eye. Now, the eyes are not open looking, they are like shrinking, so how I am doing it? well I am just trying.. and I am waiting to hear where I can improve myself, thanks guys

**Alcian** · February 1st, 2007, 12:25 PM

Don't rely too much on constructing the face in such a way, constructing the face has to be used along with studies with your eye - otherwise errors you make when constructing a 'frame' will be obvious in your work. With faces I have found bridgman's work really helpful.

Putting basic construction lines down when you start are always helpful (ie. a horizontal and vertical line), but keep in mind the basic shape of the face and the forms. Get these down and accurate and then go into the detail. Adding values comes last, be careful where you place these, maybe do faint outlines to define where you are going to place them.

**Christian223** · February 1st, 2007, 01:28 PM

You know, i have just found out that copying a photo is just a matter of time, correction and measuring, but the real hard thing is to understand forms and correct lighting of them, check Glenn Vilpus tutorials here http://mag.awn.com/index.php?ltype=C...rticle_no=1177 and try to get andrew loomis books, they are incredibly good (do a search on the forums), specifically the book "Succesfull drawing" teaches you how to measure well, look for Harold Speed books too.
Good luck, frustration is just part of getting better, keep at it and youll get to your goals.

**arttorney** · February 2nd, 2007, 02:08 PM

Since his head is a three dimensional object that is roughly spherical, the guide lines will help you more if they are curved. Here is what I am talking about. Remembering it this way will help you deal with the myriad directions a head can be turned. My line covered it up, but if you look at his left eye socket there is a little diagonal line of much lighter value that together with the triangle of lighter value you can see under his eye help define that indentation I was earlier talking about. See also how it is kind of darker up under his eyebrow and in closer to the nose.

**Loveart** · February 3rd, 2007, 05:43 AM

Thanks guys, I will check the link right away

About doing the curve cross, this is the same I did, but I don't understand in 3\4 where the line for the mouth starts.. how I know where it needs to end, and in the drawing I did, it shows that I don't understand where need to be the mouth..

I am over with this drawing, and will try something new, soon, thanks again guys for your comments, I am printing it out so it will be with me