Discussion Post: Wednesday, 03 October

[first_seventhe]

Hey, guys! Since it's my posting week, and we discussed this a little last week, I figured I'd bring in the first Discussion Post and see what people were more interested in doing with this community.

The first thing I think would be helpful (suggested by the wonderful kimouski) would be for people to discuss their strengths and weaknesses. What do you

Comments

[katmillia]

H'okay.

I start with the face. I don't sketch the whole form first unless I'm trying to get a specific pose down and it's not working well.

I think.. I am not very imaginative with clothing but I can draw folds when I do and I know that some people find that hard? Also, I NEED A NEW STYLE. I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO COLOR IN A SKETCHY MANNER. AND DRAW IN A SKETCHY MANNER AS WELL.

So. Uh. Faces are hard for me. And drawing. In general. HAHA. Okay that's all I have!

[first_seventhe]

Hey, we're an experimental community, right? RIGHT??

What do you mean about colouring? How do you go about colouring now? INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW.

[katmillia]

Coloring right now- I usually ink so I can simply select areas to fill with a color. I usually fill in all the color with just one tone completely before starting to shade/highlight. I make them all on separate layers so that I can just select the layer and then it will keep my shading and highlighting from moving outside of the lines on a particular thing (like, say, the shirt). I wish I was better at it, because I always think that my shading looks juvenile... but maybe it's because I've always wanted to imitate the anime 'cel' clearly defined shadow style and never could.

MAYBE this is more possible with the tablet?

[first_seventhe]

It's certainly worth trying. I pretty much do the same thing - colour on different layers, and then transparency lock, and then shade first and then highlight at the very end. I've never tried much with cel shading, but if the tablet gives you better control, it will probably be easier to experiment with it.

[kimouski]

All right, I'll start.

I remember struggling through high school and college trying to match this or that style, only to be frustrated with my inability to make it look exactly like I wanted. After college I got a job in graphic design with illustration as a requirement, but I don't think I truly hit my groove until just this last year, when I started testing out fanart.

I've gotten to the point in my art where I feel the goods outweigh the bads. I can do hands, feet, faces, hair, realistic proportions-I'm very comfortable drawing the human body. I'm also pretty well-versed in a variety of styles and media. But I don't do tablets, so I'll be little help there.

I've been experimenting with coloring digitally, but I'm far from being an expert. I don't hide the fact that I avoid action poses like the plague, so I'm going to try to cattle prod my ass into more dynamic pics. And the last thing I'm using this comm to work on? I'm pretty lazy when it comes to completing a picture, so I need to incorporate backgrounds and such more.

[first_seventhe]

I'm going to try to cattle prod my ass into more dynamic pics

I have a feeling this will be one of the Bonus Week Assignments, or something. Or otherwise you and I should hold each other to this, because I need to work on it as well.

[kimouski]

Or otherwise you and I should hold each other to this, because I need to work on it as well.

Well, I AM the fanart bully.

[first_seventhe]

HAHAHA. I see now I will regret ever giving you that title! ;)

tl;dr

[first_seventhe]

I don't want the entry to have my own techniques slathered all over it, so I'll leave comments here. XD

Re: tl;dr

[katmillia]

Ooh I agree with your last point. I never go back to rework pictures, because it would always require me reworking the whole thing, rescanning, and then recoloring, and it seems like I should just move on to the next one rather than loiter on the one that wasn't perfect. ^___^

Re: tl;dr

[first_seventhe]

I'm the same way when I write - it takes a lot for me to go back and edit/change a story once I've posted it. If it's still on my hard drive, I'll poke at it for weeks (see for reference: PIRATE AU). But if it's posted, I feel guilty changing anything.

I do keep people's comments in mind for future things, though, which is why that kind of crit is more valuable to me.

[protect_vester]

Hello. <3

I can do faces and expressions and hands. I don't have to look at my own hands. I can also copy anything from a picture or copy anyone else's style. This is almost bad because if I look at a certain artist too long, I draw exactly like them for like a day.

I have a hard time drawing without reference. I know that a lot of artists use reference, but I grew up with an artist older brother who always drew straight out of his brain -- I always think that reference drawing is weak compared to what he did, which is a very stupid thing to think, since his style and mine are extremely different.

I also have a hard time planning the picture. I'd give anything to be able to plan a picture and make it work -- I'm still working on this hard-to-grasp aspect.

I am obsessed with art nouveau, Mucha's style and use of color, Beardsley's indomitable b+w lines, and Bouguereau's soft femininity and expressive body language. I'd give a lot to draw like any one of them, including time practicing

[th3newblack]

MORE artists need to learn to use reference, so good on you dude. As long as you're not direct tracing, of course. My own ref file of people alone is over 2,000+ pics. So don't feel like using that method is any less than coming up with something entirely without! It's better than having a picture with whacky anatomy/perspective etc when you could of used an aid to help you learn until you can go without.

I love the examples you gave, especially Bouguereau's ♥. I am totally with you on that sentiment XD

[protect_vester]

re: reference drawing -- I know, I shouldn't feel bad about it! I mean, as soon as the camera obscura was invented, the Dutch masters put it into use to make their paintings more realistic! It doesn't make any of their triptychs less of masterworks! Plus, they suspect Vermeer did the same thing and he was a genius! The same thing with photography -- they thought it was going to put painters out of business, but it just gave them another tool to make their paintings even better!

It's just an ingrained thing since childhood -- my brother taught me to never ever trace, and I'll just need to use reference more, and maybe collect a library of refs like you say. Time to rape the online ref sites, I think. <3

Mmmm, Bouguereau... it's not fair that he isn't listed with the great artists just because he was painting the old masters' Academy way when all the new kids were doing Impressionism... Everybody loves him, though -- he's extremely likable and so smooth. XD

long post is looong

[th3newblack]

Hm, ok. Usually I start with the face, but I've learned that detailing a face and then moving on is setting yourself up for a disappointment. In my experience, it's best to draw the whole body first and make sure you're not gonna end up having a figure that awkwardly cuts off at the hips or something. Unless I'm doodling, I try to plan as best as possible so I don't have a hella ghetto white space left over, or something. I try to do a sketch of the body when I can, then return for the details

Re: long post is looong

[kimouski]

However, a giant pet peeve of mine is when people say "I totally don't like this, but here it is" as an art caption.

I think some do it out of a genuine self-loathing-others, false humility. Either way, you're right; it's rather tactless.

Re: long post is looong

[kimouski]

See, if I don't like something, and I think this goes for others as well, I don't post it until I do. That's why I'm sort of thrown off by people who put such a sabotaging comment in their notes. Sort of like waving around a broken wing, preemptively countering any serious crit/opinion. "Oh, you don't like it? I don't either, haha!"

If this isn't why you do it, then can you see how it's misrepresenting you? Surely there are some things about what you do that you like and are confident of. I'd rather see posts that laud the positives and are honest about the weaknesses than straight out dismiss everything in such a pitiful way.