Let's draw (XII)

[twelvex]

Hi I'm new here and I hope thats the right category I'm in right now.

About me: My real name is Melissa, 18 years old from Germany. Since 2011 I'm taking art serious (kind of). I visit a commercial high school and I mostly draw in school during boring classes. I struggle a lot with anatomy and digital painting and I hope you guys can help me out

ps: excuse my english ^^°

[Zauselbart]

Hallo Melissa

nice start and yes this is the right section
loomis (English) and bammes (Deutsch) are really good artist for anatomy practise.
this homepages could be also a help for you:

http://artists.pixelovely.com/practi...igure-drawing/
http://lovecastle.org/draw/
http://www.posemaniacs.com/
http://www.ctrlpaint.com/

the key is hard work
ich wünsch dir viel spass beim ausprobieren der Homepages and let's draw

[ayoub66]

cool poses , do more studies : )

keep it up

[twelvex]

Some stuff i did today and yesterday. Thanks a lot to Zauselbart for the links !
they were really helpfull for this. I already read Loomis books ( ''Fun with a Pencil'' and ''Fihure Drawning'') But I still have to look up lots of things. especially perspective.

Okay the first one was done in 30 sec; the other two in 60 sec and the last one I used a ref I saw on tumblr

[twelvex]

Things i did yesterday and today - 60sec poses and one sheet was 75 sec's - mostly stuff I did in school and I honestly do not know what to write in here -

[Naidy]

Not a bad start! Proportions of your figures need a bit of work though. You draw people fairly short with large heads and wide necks compared to the rest of their bodies. I'm counting figures 5 heads tall and shoulders barely a head and a half wide. Taking the heads away, your figures don't look so bad though. So just keep head size in mind.
The other studies, such as the hands, aren't looking bad. Keep it up!

[twelvex]

@Naidy Thank you very much for pointing that out -

trying to do more faces and hands now because I really suck at it - sadly- maybe for the next time I'll try out to draw more arms and legs and maybe I'll start with perspective
about the face I used ref's and some are from imagination

[Cojac]

Hi, the only way to improve is practicing. You are doing fine. Keep posting.

[twelvex]

... I just wanted to paint something since i did not draw anything today - maybe Im oing to finish this later

[twelvex]

I did this yesterday but had no time to update - I tried to faces this time to but I failed

I going to update later again - maybe some hands and more females - since I'm really bad at drawning them

[twelvex]

My Father looked at this stuff and I was so embarrassed; because actually he does not care for the stuff i draw -

[twelvex]

dunno what to say..

[twelvex]

some digital had to use Paint tool Sai (I hate sai) since my brother was using the mac and photoshop does not run my netbook.

I have to work tomorrow maybe Im going to draw a little bit there

[angieb.]

Hi, Melissa.
Nice work! I think the variety in line weights on that last portrait looks very nice!

One thing I might suggest that may help you with proportions is using a construction method. What I mean is, before adding the "Skin" of a figure, you could sketch out a stick-figure or a simplified mannequin. That way, you can be sure the whole thing will fit into the area you'd like to draw it, and that all the pieces are well-sized to each other before adding all the muscles and facial details. It's easier to make sizing changes at this stage, I think. (You may already be doing this though - I see great improvement!)

On a side note: It's rough that you don't have the support of your father. I see you continue to work, regardless, and I find this very encouraging. I think you will find wonderful support from this community. Keep up the good work, and, who knows, your father may come around eventually!

[twelvex]

@angieb. thank you very much for the advice and the kind words. As long as he do not say I have to stop drawning everything is okay. Sometimes he buys me paper and sketchbooks but still he does not see a sense in it. he says I'm only wasting my time - and it's not only him - my whole family thinks like that.

Anyway I did some objects today. I'm working in a gambling hall and I drew somethings which were lying around -

[twelvex]

something I did a few minutes ago - before slepping

[roozard]

Hi Melissa, I really like your progress in this short amount of time.

Keep doing studies, but keep in mind that you keep their proportions. The sitting guy has fairly normal proportions, while the two women to his right look very odd. Better spend more time on one figure drawing and make it a little bit better than make 2 drawings in that time. Then, when you have a basic feel for correct proportions you can proceed to do quick studies. You should look for relations like "The edge of that arm is about as long as twice her head height in the reference." Or "The legs and feet are about as long as the upper body and the head together." <- These are just examples, that are not true for every pose, because of anatomical differences, perspective, etc, so you need to look closely at the reference! Also research "negative spaces" and learn to apply them to your way of seeing, it helps.

Like someone before me I can only stress to read Loomis or Bammes. Loomis PDF's are available for free.
Viel Glück wünsch ich dir noch

[twelvex]

-The one done withe the pencil were done yesterday and the one withe the ball point pen today-

I also started today reading Bammes. Today there were not much people in the gambling hall and I had time to download the .pdf -

[twelvex]

@roozard: Sorry I forgot to thank you in the last post .. anyway here we go: Thank you very much; I took your advice and tried out Bammes .. I'm not finished yet but I believe it helps

I also tried out to paint this time .. but kind of only finished one .. that guy is Abdi a german rapper ( from Celo and Abdi ) ... I kind of like that guy ..

[twelvex]

Sadly my Holidays are over next week / I dont want to go back to school /
uh .. here is some more stuff from today

[twelvex]

school started on monday again - i still draw a lot during boring classes up Im to lazy to scan everything so here is some digital stuff; WIP's

randomw pictures from tumblr + Michael Trevino

[DvrJeroen]

Hey twelvex!
Good work on all these figure studies! They are the key to succesfull character work.
I did notice that the proportions of your figure studies are a bit off..you tend to make the legs too small most of the time.
The length from the feet to the hips should be equal to the length of the hips to the top of the head (which you measured to the shoulders)->see here
I can guarantee you that your figures will look much better if you'd make the legs a little longer :p
Keep drawing and updating (: I'll be back !

[Psychobuddy]

Hey there, nice start so far. One thing to watch out for is your line quality, instead of using a bunch oh little lines try to do it all in one. Good luck and keep working.

[twelvex]

@Jarkuzy and @Psychobuddy Thank you very much; I'll try to work on it.
Most of the time I do not notice that I do the legs to small ..

Some stuff I did during classes and at home -

[twelvex]

I dont like updating twice on the same day .. but anyway - here is some painting, photostudie .. or whatever you call it. Its again Abdi.

[Zauselbart]

woah so much improvement, melissa! you are doing great - keep up the studies
i really like your ballpoint drawings i think they improve your lines so keep them doing!
take your time for the studies

by the last one: look at the nose and cheek - and its always a good idea to draw the middle line!

[Naidy]

Those faces are looking much better since I last came by, nice paintings too. I see some improvements in proportions, but some updates go back to the big head- little body syndrome.
Keep practicing and experimenting, you're definitely getting better. Keep up the good work~

[kevin_]

nice sb! see a lot of figures in here, keep up the practices!

[twelvex]

yeahhh I finished all my exams today so more time for fun

@Zauselbart Thank you I'll try it out next time
@Naidy I always think that I've finally fixed this error but after scanning everything it is again there .. anyway Im working on it
@kevin_ thank you !

here is some more stuff .. on most of the things I already gave up :/
figures and my first try in interior design

I also tried to draw a tiger but I lost the file .. i think.

[roozard]

hey twelvex, I see the improvement flooding in ;D keep doing studies as always and as it is was previously pointed out, look at the proportions! I think your problem is not the anatomy itself, but the proportions ([...], in art, body proportions are the study of relation of human or animal body parts to each other and to the whole. These ratios are used in veristic depictions of the figure, and also become part of an aesthetic canon within a culture.). I think when you study you try to get the 'anatomical' look right, which is nice, but shouldn't be your primary focus on the beginning. Definitively take a look at Drawing for all it's worth, by Andrew Loomis (available as free PDF) or at least learn his idealized proportions chart: here
A few tips: try to reference from an upside down image. Try some still lifes. Try not to see what you draw as objects ("Eye, arm, hand"), but as a whole thing, made of only values and colors on your retina. Keep up the great work!