fanart (SGA) and some ramblings about drawing
I made a story illustration for 
friendshipper's fic Night Ops, in which Jennifer Keller and Rodney McKay are the reluctant heroes coming to Colonel Sheppard's rescue.
Preview:
Check out the story if you haven't already; it's great! (And I'm not just saying that because she wrote it for ME. *beams*) It's a gripping action-adventure with a really intriguing Keller POV; gen with a hint of Rodney/Jennifer UST, PG-13.
[eta: sidenote: please, should you comment at the story, don't bash Jennifer or share your unhappiness with the pairing on the show. I only mention it because people keep doing it and it comes across as really discouraging for fans of the character or the pairing (intentionally or not)...]
naye asked for tips on drawing people, and I got carried away enough to exceed the comment limit... my comments almost never do that. I figure maybe other people may be interested in this. (And I admit, I'm kind of proud of that one practice technique I came up with and want to share it; I really think it works. :)
Mixing it up brings the best results in my own experience (which will of course vary from person to person).
I highly recommend this book: Anatomy for the Artist by Jeno Barcsay. They didn't teach Anatomy classes at my art school, so I took two weeks during the semester holidays and studied with this book. And that provided me with a good foundation to work with.
First I was just copying the most important sections (mostly sticking to the outermost layer of muscles), because I have a much better retention when I draw what I see; when I just look at it I won't remember. When I felt I had a good grip on where the muscles were and how they worked, I'd cut out pages from magazines... ads, anything with photos of well-muscled people. I'd draw the muscles on those bodies, first while having the book open next to me, then trying to draw them in from memory and later double checking. That last technique was really effective (I'm still proud I came up with that. ^^) And as a bonus, those drawings you create, they make fantastic reference material later. I'm still using the ones I did over ten years ago.
I'd also recommend to copy photos, copy other artists that have a good grip on anatomy (definitely not just Manga; there are artists who're great at drawing Manga but lost when they have to draw a different style; same goes for some people who learned drawing from copying superhero comics and nothing else.) Copying from pics can save you some time to learn things that are hard to catch when you're drawing from a life object. But it is a crutch, so it's important not to rely on it too much, even early on. Also, life drawing is great fun, especially when you have friends you can get to go drawing with you.
Here are some possibilities: Nude drawing classes are very useful. Some art schools here offer them for very little money, even for non-students. When not, some folks get together with friends and sit nude model in turn... not everybody's cuppa. But what you can definitely do is draw your friends clothed... Like, when you're hanging out and watching tv is a great time, very little movement.
Another good spot is the zoo, to draw animals. (Might be a good idea to add animals to your repertoire). In the beginning I drew a lot of rhinoceroses and elephants, also snakes and lizards... all the animals not commonly known for a lot of movement. ;)
Somewhat more challenging but really fun: me and a friend would go to a café and draw portraits of the other guests. It's good practice because you are forced to capture the discerning features quickly; you don't have much time because they *always* notice.
Basically, the key is drawing a *lot*. Just get a sketchbook or a note book with loose pages (I prefer the latter, I find sketch books too nice and thus inhibiting) and take it anywhere you go. If you're bored, find yourself with some time, sketch whatever is there. People waiting for the bus, people standing in line for the movies. Makes for a nice picture diary, too.
friendshipper's fic Night Ops, in which Jennifer Keller and Rodney McKay are the reluctant heroes coming to Colonel Sheppard's rescue.
Preview:
Check out the story if you haven't already; it's great! (And I'm not just saying that because she wrote it for ME. *beams*) It's a gripping action-adventure with a really intriguing Keller POV; gen with a hint of Rodney/Jennifer UST, PG-13.
[eta: sidenote: please, should you comment at the story, don't bash Jennifer or share your unhappiness with the pairing on the show. I only mention it because people keep doing it and it comes across as really discouraging for fans of the character or the pairing (intentionally or not)...]
naye asked for tips on drawing people, and I got carried away enough to exceed the comment limit... my comments almost never do that. I figure maybe other people may be interested in this. (And I admit, I'm kind of proud of that one practice technique I came up with and want to share it; I really think it works. :)
Mixing it up brings the best results in my own experience (which will of course vary from person to person).
I highly recommend this book: Anatomy for the Artist by Jeno Barcsay. They didn't teach Anatomy classes at my art school, so I took two weeks during the semester holidays and studied with this book. And that provided me with a good foundation to work with.
First I was just copying the most important sections (mostly sticking to the outermost layer of muscles), because I have a much better retention when I draw what I see; when I just look at it I won't remember. When I felt I had a good grip on where the muscles were and how they worked, I'd cut out pages from magazines... ads, anything with photos of well-muscled people. I'd draw the muscles on those bodies, first while having the book open next to me, then trying to draw them in from memory and later double checking. That last technique was really effective (I'm still proud I came up with that. ^^) And as a bonus, those drawings you create, they make fantastic reference material later. I'm still using the ones I did over ten years ago.
I'd also recommend to copy photos, copy other artists that have a good grip on anatomy (definitely not just Manga; there are artists who're great at drawing Manga but lost when they have to draw a different style; same goes for some people who learned drawing from copying superhero comics and nothing else.) Copying from pics can save you some time to learn things that are hard to catch when you're drawing from a life object. But it is a crutch, so it's important not to rely on it too much, even early on. Also, life drawing is great fun, especially when you have friends you can get to go drawing with you.
Here are some possibilities: Nude drawing classes are very useful. Some art schools here offer them for very little money, even for non-students. When not, some folks get together with friends and sit nude model in turn... not everybody's cuppa. But what you can definitely do is draw your friends clothed... Like, when you're hanging out and watching tv is a great time, very little movement.
Another good spot is the zoo, to draw animals. (Might be a good idea to add animals to your repertoire). In the beginning I drew a lot of rhinoceroses and elephants, also snakes and lizards... all the animals not commonly known for a lot of movement. ;)
Somewhat more challenging but really fun: me and a friend would go to a café and draw portraits of the other guests. It's good practice because you are forced to capture the discerning features quickly; you don't have much time because they *always* notice.
Basically, the key is drawing a *lot*. Just get a sketchbook or a note book with loose pages (I prefer the latter, I find sketch books too nice and thus inhibiting) and take it anywhere you go. If you're bored, find yourself with some time, sketch whatever is there. People waiting for the bus, people standing in line for the movies. Makes for a nice picture diary, too.