The 100 head assignment?

[Nadesican]

Through one of the downloaded workshops from TAD, I learned that apparently one of the assignments involves drawing 100 heads, at 2 minutes each. I'm thinking of doing this on my own, but I was hoping for some specifics, if possible.

Are these heads supposed to be from imagination or from photo ref?

Any tips or info you guys have about this is appreciated. I'm always looking for ways to make my work better.

[JeffX99]

Any tips or info you guys have about this is appreciated. I'm always looking for ways to make my work better.

Then do 100 from photo ref...and another 100 from imagination. Oh, and then 100 from life...rinse and repeat.

[Rhubix]

Then do 100 from photo ref...and another 100 from imagination. Oh, and then 100 from life...rinse and repeat.

woah - that's hardcore. And true.

[Chronos]

Do quick gesture studies (all styles), long studies, eyeballing AND sighting, form studies, pretty much everything, of the face. I dont like discussing the trivial aspects of which method is better, rather, try everything out and find your own method. Went a little off topic but those questions usually unravel the moment you start practicing.

[Vay]

Buy a notepad sketchbook. If you take the transit(train or bus), take out your notepad and sketch people on board. Alternatively, go to a local park or cafe. You can use a bigger sketchbook, but the easier it is to set up, the more likely you will draw.

[Elwell]

You can use a bigger sketchbook, but the easier it is to set up, the more likely you will draw.

Also, the more inconspicuous you are, the less you'll worry about drawing attention to yourself, and the fewer excuses you'll have for not drawing in public.

[JFierce]

Eh I don't know the type of area everyone lives in but around where I live someone see's a drawing pad in a public place I have yet to see anyone get offended. "WHAT?! Your drawing me I didn't give you permission to do that!"


I've had more people ask me to draw them than anything. Even though that defeats the point of sketching without posing and such.


Having random people take interest, to me, it makes me want to draw more, who doesn't like a kind word from a stranger who has no reason to take interest in something besides that it's interesting.

[Cory Hinman]

One of my drawing instructors insisted we take our 18x24" newsprint pads sketching in public, so that we were absolutely forced to endure the attention, the distractions, comments , whatever, so we could develop strategies for dealing with the public and also develop the discipline to maintain focus on drawing in less than ideal circumstances.

I've never had a negative reaction from anybody who noticed me sketching them, in one instance at least quite the contrary. I was in one of the university libraries on the second floor sketching people at tables on the first floor for perspective/foreshortening practice. A young woman I'd been drawing as she bent over a book at a table suddenly sat up straight and stretched her arms way over her head, really arched her back, noticed me above, smiled, and, um, arched her back a little bit more.

[Xeon_OND]

It would be great if someone can post some examples of what 2 min head drawings are supposed to look like on average, because I'm thinking a 2 min head drawing = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6LqCfifocs

Perhaps something along that line, but not necessarily as good, but still having a likeness and stuff in the head drawing? This is madness.

[Alice Herring]

It would be great if someone can post some examples of what 2 min head drawings are supposed to look like on average, because I'm thinking a 2 min head drawing = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6LqCfifocs

Perhaps something along that line, but not necessarily as good, but still having a likeness and stuff in the head drawing? This is madness.

...Why not just take two minutes to draw the head yourself? (and then rinse/repeat)

[TinyBird]

It would be great if someone can post some examples of what 2 min head drawings are supposed to look like on average

I think that depends just on your personal experience and skill. I mean if you post a pro artist whipping out a two minute drawing and expect that to be an average, you're putting yourself up to a huge disappointment because as an beginner there's no way you can get the same average quality as someone who's far more skilled. Like Rabbit Run said, try it yourself.

[Nadesican]

Wow, way more responces then I thought I'd get. Thanks a ton guys. I'd say more but..well..I have heads to draw!

[vineris]

It would be great if someone can post some examples of what 2 min head drawings are supposed to look like on average,

I don't think that's a great idea. If you don't attain the quality of the example shown you'll feel bad and if you do attain it you'll think "well that's good enough" and not work harder. You're better off just doing it and figuring things out from there.

[Chronos]

One of my drawing instructors insisted we take our 18x24" newsprint pads sketching in public, so that we were absolutely forced to endure the attention, the distractions, comments , whatever, so we could develop strategies for dealing with the public and also develop the discipline to maintain focus on drawing in less than ideal circumstances.

Thats like having Arachnophobia and throwing yourself into a pit of spiders. Sounds like a masochistic idea to me, one that'll psychologically make it harder to initiate drawing in public.
In fact, I'd start in reverse. Carry something small around and slowly build myself up.
But hey, whatever works for you.

[Cory Hinman]

It's what was REQUIRED of me.

[Chronos]

It's what was REQUIRED of me.

Sure, but when I spot out possibly detrimental advice I must question it.

[TinyBird]

Thats like having Arachnophobia and throwing yourself into a pit of spiders.

As someone who still suffers somewhat from arachnophobia, lol no. Feeling antsy, shy and/or nervous about drawing people is nothing like suffering from a phobia (unless you truly start to freeze over, hyperventilate, get panic attacks, break down etc at which point I'd say it's not normal nervousness anymore), and at least by fully showing you are doing art, people are likely to think "oh, he/she's just drawing, okay" as opposed to "there's some creeper staring at me and I can't see what she/she's doing, wtf".

[Chronos]

As someone who still suffers somewhat from arachnophobia, lol no. Feeling antsy, shy and/or nervous about drawing people is nothing like suffering from a phobia (unless you truly start to freeze over, hyperventilate, get panic attacks, break down etc at which point I'd say it's not normal nervousness anymore), and at least by fully showing you are doing art, people are likely to think "oh, he/she's just drawing, okay" as opposed to "there's some creeper staring at me and I can't see what she/she's doing, wtf".

It was hyperbole, but yes, some people do have paralyzing social anxiety disorders. Not to mention, and I am generalising here, artists are usually introverted, shy types that hold pleasure in their own company. Throwing them outside with a billboard stating HEY IM DRAWING isnt a good idea.

[TinyBird]

It was hyperbole, but yes, some people do have paralyzing social anxiety disorders.

Sure, and then it's understandable, but that really isn't an excuse for everyone else.

Not to mention, and I am generalising here, artists are usually introverted, shy types that hold pleasure in their own company. Throwing them outside with a billboard stating HEY IM DRAWING isnt a good idea.

Introverted doesn't equal shy. There's a thread on Lounge about that at the moment, and even then, the best way to get over shyness is just do it. A lot of the time shyness causes you to end up stressing doing the stuff rather than actually doing it and when you force yourself to do it, you learn to adapt (you won't get over shyness by just sitting in a hole alone). Not to mention that if you plan on going to art school (or possibly work in a studio with other people) you will have bunch of people with you, and they'll come to comment and stare at you while you work too (and just because those other people might be artists doesn't necessarily help either because you know they'll be judging you on a different level than a random passer-by). When you draw in the open, the people there won't keep talking to you forever (especially if you don't talk back to them), they eventually keep going.

So I can't say that doing out to draw while being visible is a bad idea. It may not be exactly comfortable at the start, but (unless you really have anxiety disorders) you generally get used to it, learn to not be distracted and it becomes pretty nice.
Heck, if people are really a problem, you could start by drawing houses, trees etc on secluded places where there's less people (though that won't help you with heads).

[Chronos]

Sure, and then it's understandable, but that really isn't an excuse for everyone else.


Introverted doesn't equal shy. There's a thread on Lounge about that at the moment, and even then, the best way to get over shyness is just do it. A lot of the time shyness causes you to end up stressing doing the stuff rather than actually doing it and when you force yourself to do it, you learn to adapt (you won't get over shyness by just sitting in a hole alone). Not to mention that if you plan on going to art school (or possibly work in a studio with other people) you will have bunch of people with you, and they'll come to comment and stare at you while you work too (and just because those other people might be artists doesn't necessarily help either because you know they'll be judging you on a different level than a random passer-by). When you draw in the open, the people there won't keep talking to you forever (especially if you don't talk back to them), they eventually keep going.

So I can't say that doing out to draw while being visible is a bad idea. It may not be exactly comfortable at the start, but (unless you really have anxiety disorders) you generally get used to it, learn to not be distracted and it becomes pretty nice.
Heck, if people are really a problem, you could start by drawing houses, trees etc on secluded places where there's less people (though that won't help you with heads).

You do realise my entire point was not to begin with a large sheet of paper and not the issue of shy/introverted artists or the semantics of the word introverted.

[TinyBird]

You do realise my entire point was not to begin with a large sheet of paper and not the issue of shy/introverted artists or the semantics of the word introverted.

In that case I (personally) would have worded that differently. I mean, "small sketchbook = yeah okay" but "big sketchbook = arachnophobic in a pit of spiders and masochistic". I would agree that 18x24" newsprint pad is inconveniently large to carry with you (but not to the point of masochistic), but something like half the size would be just reasonable to still carry with you, and as a bit shy, introverted person doing that myself didn't cause any hideous traumas for me at least.

May I ask, what horrible happened to you when you went outside to draw with a big paper? Obviously you had some negative thing happen then.

[Cory Hinman]

I think I may be unsympathetic to fears of drawing in public because I'm not touched by the subtext of public encounters which says "You're a freak 'cause you draw!". My armor is my conviction that "You're a freak 'cause you DON'T draw!"

Not that that attitude is one I encounter drawing in public much. Or ever. I think comporting yourself with confidence as you pursue your vocation is probably comforting. Maybe intimidating. I hope not though, as I take to the teaching of another valued instructor who advised the artist in public has a duty to be an ambassador striving to counter all the negative stereotypes coloring non-art making people's view of art and artists.

[JeffX99]

Not to mention, and I am generalising here, artists are usually introverted, shy types that hold pleasure in their own company. Throwing them outside with a billboard stating HEY IM DRAWING isnt a good idea.

A bit off topic but what the heck...and I realise you're generalizing, but I think you're confusing artists with writers

Generally artists are the opposite of the stereotype you mention...most are out there, womanizing drunkards. Or maybe that's just the ones I hang with. But actually, historically speaking that is the case...then again, maybe just the ones we hear about.

[JeffX99]

I think I may be unsympathetic to fears of drawing in public because I'm not touched by the subtext of public encounters which says "You're a freak 'cause you draw!". My armor is my conviction that "You're a freak 'cause you DON'T draw!"

Can I get an AMEN! Brutha!!

[Chronos]

It just seems to me that theirs a tone in undermining social anxiety behaviours, like avoidant personality disorder and the like. Which aren't problems that can be solved by mere mindset alone, in most cases or being told to 'man up'. But thats drifting off topic and into another territory.
JeffX99: Most artists I've met were reclusive. Maybe those artists were in their manic phases or something.

[vineris]

It just seems to me that theirs a tone in undermining social anxiety behaviours, like avoidant personality disorder and the like. Which aren't problems that can be solved by mere mindset alone, in most cases or being told to 'man up'. But thats drifting off topic and into another territory.
JeffX99: Most artists I've met were reclusive. Maybe those artists were in their manic phases or something.

Most of the time when you take classes from an actual institution (rather than private art lessons, say) you can go to Disabled Student Services and they will help you negotiate something with your department and prof so that you can take the class. Most professors, even if they're jerks, aren't going to fuck with DSS because picking on disabled students doesn't look so hot when you go to apply for funding.

So unless the student is undiagnosed or for some reason nobody told them about the resources they can access, they don't have to worry about being tossed into a pit of spiders. They can be excused from the spider pit, a special pit with no spiders will be arranged for them. There is no need to do away with spider pits just because the odd student is arachnophobic.