becoming destressed with poor drawings

[Bath of resistance]

Hey I used to be big into drawing and stopped for a few years and I really want to get back into it. I thought all along I was better than the crap im churning out now. I dont want to give up just yet so I need some help. Im awful at rendering and almost as bad at linework. My shading looks too scratchy and inconsistant. here are some examples. i have stopped before completing most as i see no point in going on if its shit.

Please be as honest and constructive as possible.

Thanks.

[donalfall]

It's probably not as bad as you think. Practise is the only way to get back into it, sadly. These seem like copies of magazine photos, which is always a good weapon in the arsenal, but not the only one, and if you rely on only it you'll never get back into it. You have to go get the books or the downloads, read up plenty, draw from life - your friends, family, fruit arrangements, all the classics - and stick to it.

These pics look very flat. Very flat. It's always a problem when you go at a photograph cos they're all monocular - the perspective is actually a little weird because a camera only has one eye. You have to draw from life to get the kind of perspective that works in drawing as opposed to the kind that works in photos.

Play with your lines plenty. See where heavy lines work, where light lines work. There's a few places in your pieces here where the line is heavy for no good reason and light for no particular reason.

Play with your contrast and shading. Don't be afraid of tone. The tone in your top piece about her neck probably isn't as single-toned as that in the photo. Other tones are very uniform and boring. Lay down some crazy ones, have some fun with it.

And browse CA like crazy, cos there are some absolute world-class artists here to learn from and get inspired by. If you have a couple of $$$ to spare, download a video or two. Jason Manley's one on composition was some of the best cash I ever spent, seriously.

Welcome to CA!