Mollyduker is trying to learn how to draw

**mollyduker** · September 16th, 2005, 05:20 PM

Hey!
Last night I decided that I want learn how to draw (I've wanted to for a long time, and have never really tried). So here are my sketches from the last day and a half. Please help me! Thanks!

Thanks

I'm so excited to be working on drawing!
-Mollyduker

**madplanet** · September 16th, 2005, 05:46 PM

Hey, all right! The only advise I can give you at this stage is to keep drawing, draw everything and anything (I should take my own advise). Try to be aware of proportions when drawing figures. Hold up your pencil to what you are drawing and match it to the other parts. You already have an artistic eye and this will only help you in your photography IMO. Keep it up.

**mollyduker** · September 19th, 2005, 07:14 PM

Thanks Madplanet! In these next ones I really tried to work on proportions.

Second Group:
All of these had reference photos.

All crit and comments are welcome! Thanks for looking!
-Mollyduker

**madplanet** · September 19th, 2005, 09:41 PM

MADPLANET! MADPLANET! Sheesh, the next thing you know, I'll be in trouble for inpersonating a Madster.

**mollyduker** · September 19th, 2005, 10:25 PM

sorry!! I was rushing to post so I could turn my computer off so it didn't get oblivated by lightening! Sorry madPLANET!
-Mollyduker

**runtosaurus** · September 19th, 2005, 10:56 PM

You should check out "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards, it might give you a little boost and help you understand some stuff about drawing from life. It really emphasizes drawing what you see and not what you think you see. You can probably find it at a library I'm sure. Keep drawing, don't give up!

**squirpy** · September 19th, 2005, 11:05 PM

Heya! I'm leaving a comment, look at that!

Make sure you check your proportions as you go. Sketch out the most basic shapes and measure stuff against other parts of the picture/object (ie, look at how wide it is, now how many times does that distance go into the height - hold a pencil at arm's length and measure against it when you're drawing from life). Also, try to figure out what volumes make up the shape (spheres, cubes, etc) and that will help you figure out the way stuff sticks out.

Sorry if that isn's making much sense, but I gotta go do my italian homework. Good luck!

And draw Rosie, she seems to sleep a lot...

**mollyduker** · September 28th, 2005, 09:19 PM

Thanks for your helpful comments

I tried with my proportions but I dont' know if it worked.. Actually, correction, It didn't really work. I'm going to check into that book. Thanks again. Here goes the next batch!

This is supposed to be me when I was approx. 4 years old. Really it looks more like a 90 year old

Comments and Crit always very welcome! Thank you for viewing
-Mollyduker

**mollyduker** · September 30th, 2005, 09:40 PM

Two more pages:

Thanks for looking. Any comment or crit etc. Is welcome

-Mollyduker

**squirpy** · October 1st, 2005, 12:06 AM

Your lines are looking better, I think.

Really look at the shape of someone's eye from the side. Imagine the shape that's underneath. The eyeball is relatively spherical and the eyelids wrap around that shape.

**Snowsfall** · October 1st, 2005, 01:58 AM

My only read advice at this point is to draw draw draw. Get a small sketchbook that you can carry with you 24/7 and draw whenever you have a free moment. There are no shortcuts in learning how to draw. It is very fufilling to look back in a month or so and see the results of hardwork.

**GunTrouver** · October 1st, 2005, 05:11 AM

I agree to the others, it's very important to draw as much as you can. As help you can use anatomy and drawing books, this is very helpfull.
Before you start with selfportraits or soemthing you should learn general things about proportions and anatomy. You'll see how you become better

Keep it up

**mollyduker** · October 14th, 2005, 12:14 AM

I'm drawing! Thanks for the advice! That was really a selfportrait ... I had a reference photo. I have been trying to draw in rehearsal for the school play but people move so much!

Here are just two of my recent drawings.

Hopefully, I will be updating more frequently! Again, thanks for the comments!

-mollyduker

**osgoon** · October 14th, 2005, 12:16 AM

i can already see progress.. sweet. =D.. just keeeppp drawing..

**ApolloNuevo** · October 14th, 2005, 12:37 AM

it's great to see such inspiration! in addition i would like to suggest 'the natural way to draw' by nicolaides (sp?)...
here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/039...books&v=glance
keep drawing!
-apollo

**squirpy** · October 14th, 2005, 11:53 PM

lots of improvement! keep it up. that second one is the best drawing i've ever seen you do. Just keep checking proportions.

and check your mail

**seth1** · October 15th, 2005, 12:25 AM

Wow, I agree with these guys all ready a jump in improvment. Just keep those studys up!
Maybe this will help some!

**Flaskpost** · October 15th, 2005, 08:20 AM

I can see alot of improvement already!
Just do alot of studies from life! And think about how light falls on things and how to shadow while drawing.
Self portraits are also great practice!

Keep it up!

**mollyduker** · October 15th, 2005, 12:46 PM

Thanks guys! seth1 that is really helpful! I'm going to work on eyes today (between physics problems...) I am going to make sure I draw something every day from now on, even if I can only draw for 15 min. (I'm sure everybody has experienced this, but college applications, and senior year take up so much time! Not to mention plays... anyways). ApolloNuevo- I'm going to check out that book! Thanks!
One more litle drawing...

Toodles!
-Mollyduker

**Teigrob** · October 21st, 2005, 12:32 AM

Hey, sorry it took so long to check in on your thread. Nice progress all ready! All the advice I can give you is draw draw DRAW from reference. Pictures are okay, but life is better. Don't try and master everything at once: focus on one thing, then move on to the next. For example, I grew up on a horse farm (huge advantage over all the other kids who tried to draw horses) and every time I drew a horse I KNEW it was wrong. So, I'd go outside and walk around a horse that was being tacked up for a ride and see what I was doing wrong. "Oh...oops, there's this bulge between the knee and the hock on the rear leg - I never put that in!" And I'd correct it. Later, I learned what that was, but that was when I was better and wanted to be even more so. Anyway, hope that blathering helps.

Just keep drawing!

**mollyduker** · November 29th, 2005, 04:15 PM

Thanks Teigrob! I have been drawing! just not posting. So, I thought I would post some of the "notes" I took in school today! Any advice is welcome! I have just been trying to get the general shape of people (and objects right).

Thanks for looking!
-Mollyduker

**madplanet** · November 29th, 2005, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by mollyduker

I really like this one; it has style and character and reminds me of something that I saw in a children's book or something. You are showing improvement from those first posts and you have a lot of good advice being given here, so keep on drawin'.

**armando** · November 29th, 2005, 04:47 PM

My advice is to understand, understand, understand. Drawing is a language, so what we need is both technical knowledge and experience that we can then describe with that language. Apollo recommended "The Natural Way to Draw", and that is an excellent book, although it doesn't teach you to make easily read pictures, what it does is give you ways to have an experience while drawing. "Drawing and Perceiving" is also worthwhile, it has a truncated version of Niccolaides ideas, and some ideas by J.J.Gibson which are more of the technical aspect of drawing. Will Eisner's books have interesting ideas, and even Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics", although those aren't specifically about drawing. My advice is too read a lot of art books, the one's that interest and make sense to you. Most importantly study perspective first, "Perspective Made Easy". Remember that just like words, drawing is describing what we understand, and if we don't understand then we can't describe, unless we have something to copy but we don't always have that luxury.