Foundation
I've been drawing irregularly all my life, but I'll be the first to admit I never took it seriously. As I got older I realized it wasn't something I was passionate about. It was definitely a hobby, something I did only when I was in the mood or had an idea. Basically, I enjoyed the solitude and peace that comes with most forms of art, and I like to create something out of nothing, be it sketching or words.
Since joining deviantART a year ago I've aspired to do better. But taking drawing seriously means finding help, like finding a beta-reader for writing. Because clearly it's a learned form; talent and natural skills will only take you so far, and that's true for anything. Everyone can grow and become better, no matter their craft (I'm looking at you, too, writers!).
So I started sketching again, with more consistency, but I knew I lacked the basic foundation of figure drawing: anatomy. Not to mention I've always had trouble thinking up poses. Which is why many of my pieces I stuck to portraits and used references. However, it wasn't until I asked for help on a particular drawing in the dA Forums did I realize how badly I needed to try harder. Everyone was adamant; my basics sucked.
No one likes to hear they suck, that they need to go back to school, but the underlying message was clear, and I agreed. I needed to develop that solid foundation. Without it, you really can't go anywhere; if I didn't learn it, I would forever keep hitting the same frustrating wall. So I just picked my pride back up, wiped the sensitive artist tears away, and moved forward.
While I can't afford new art books at the moment (thank you $2,500 water heater replacement bill!) and definitely no funds to return to school, I can self-teach myself using YouTube tutorials, just like I did when I started with digital coloring. I've watched some vids by Mark Crilley before, but it was only how to draw the male torso (abs) and hands. But I needed the foundation, something I could use to build those elements on to. Which is what led me to Learn2Draw's channel and this useful guide:
A study of the female figure, but the basic concept is the same: using the mannequin as the foundation, similar to using the pose-able 3D models. This was probably the most useful technique I found for attempting full-body drawings, and I've tried applying it while I sketch. It's helped, for sure. Another artist's YouTube channel I'm learning a lot from is Sycra and his How To playlist. My favorite of his vids is How to Draw Interesting Poses, How I Sketch Poses, A Guide to Gesture Drawing, and How to Draw Poses with Purpose! All awesome, with techniques and tips that are easy for a self-learning beginner to try.
"A foundation has to be built on something." (General Zod, Man of Steel)
The Forum folks were an eye-opener for which I am honestly grateful. If you are new to something, whether it is drawing, writing, or even baking from scratch, you cannot rush right into it and expect to do well. A lot of us newbies think that just because we create something with all our hearts and passion, it deserves kudos. But the sad, hard truth is it takes time, patience, and lots of practice to do something correctly. And you have to want to do better; take your craft seriously! Use what you got, then build your foundation slowly. It gets you more respect and self-confidence in the end.
Anyway, the drawing I took to the Forum has been scrapped, because it was flawed and ultimately the depiction made the character look much older than he should. But I've taken some of these foundation lessons I learned and created a new WIP:
Hopefully it shows some improvement over the original. I admit, I still find myself falling back on my "Zen sketching" and merely adapting to these elements, but it's a process. I have decades to erase from my drawing habits, and I know I'll still rely on references for help until the foundation and mannequin guides are rooted firmly in my brain. I may never be the greatest artist ever, but I'm trying! Practice, practice, practice.
Some more of my sketches of Young Justice: Invasion Eduardo-if you've been following my work, you know the boy's been my muse! Don't mind the one, it's for another possible fanfic which converts him from "El Dorado" to a more antagonistic nom de guerre; and I wanted to do a hair whooshing image, but the expression-study version wasn't too impressed. (^_-)
And here's something I started recently, in case you guys are sick of Ed. XD Working on some sort of collage of another YJ:I character, Jaime Reyes (Blue Beetle). These WIP sketches probably show my anatomy attempts better.
Since joining deviantART a year ago I've aspired to do better. But taking drawing seriously means finding help, like finding a beta-reader for writing. Because clearly it's a learned form; talent and natural skills will only take you so far, and that's true for anything. Everyone can grow and become better, no matter their craft (I'm looking at you, too, writers!).
So I started sketching again, with more consistency, but I knew I lacked the basic foundation of figure drawing: anatomy. Not to mention I've always had trouble thinking up poses. Which is why many of my pieces I stuck to portraits and used references. However, it wasn't until I asked for help on a particular drawing in the dA Forums did I realize how badly I needed to try harder. Everyone was adamant; my basics sucked.
No one likes to hear they suck, that they need to go back to school, but the underlying message was clear, and I agreed. I needed to develop that solid foundation. Without it, you really can't go anywhere; if I didn't learn it, I would forever keep hitting the same frustrating wall. So I just picked my pride back up, wiped the sensitive artist tears away, and moved forward.
While I can't afford new art books at the moment (thank you $2,500 water heater replacement bill!) and definitely no funds to return to school, I can self-teach myself using YouTube tutorials, just like I did when I started with digital coloring. I've watched some vids by Mark Crilley before, but it was only how to draw the male torso (abs) and hands. But I needed the foundation, something I could use to build those elements on to. Which is what led me to Learn2Draw's channel and this useful guide:
Click to viewA study of the female figure, but the basic concept is the same: using the mannequin as the foundation, similar to using the pose-able 3D models. This was probably the most useful technique I found for attempting full-body drawings, and I've tried applying it while I sketch. It's helped, for sure. Another artist's YouTube channel I'm learning a lot from is Sycra and his How To playlist. My favorite of his vids is How to Draw Interesting Poses, How I Sketch Poses, A Guide to Gesture Drawing, and How to Draw Poses with Purpose! All awesome, with techniques and tips that are easy for a self-learning beginner to try.
"A foundation has to be built on something." (General Zod, Man of Steel)
The Forum folks were an eye-opener for which I am honestly grateful. If you are new to something, whether it is drawing, writing, or even baking from scratch, you cannot rush right into it and expect to do well. A lot of us newbies think that just because we create something with all our hearts and passion, it deserves kudos. But the sad, hard truth is it takes time, patience, and lots of practice to do something correctly. And you have to want to do better; take your craft seriously! Use what you got, then build your foundation slowly. It gets you more respect and self-confidence in the end.
Anyway, the drawing I took to the Forum has been scrapped, because it was flawed and ultimately the depiction made the character look much older than he should. But I've taken some of these foundation lessons I learned and created a new WIP:
Hopefully it shows some improvement over the original. I admit, I still find myself falling back on my "Zen sketching" and merely adapting to these elements, but it's a process. I have decades to erase from my drawing habits, and I know I'll still rely on references for help until the foundation and mannequin guides are rooted firmly in my brain. I may never be the greatest artist ever, but I'm trying! Practice, practice, practice.
Some more of my sketches of Young Justice: Invasion Eduardo-if you've been following my work, you know the boy's been my muse! Don't mind the one, it's for another possible fanfic which converts him from "El Dorado" to a more antagonistic nom de guerre; and I wanted to do a hair whooshing image, but the expression-study version wasn't too impressed. (^_-)
And here's something I started recently, in case you guys are sick of Ed. XD Working on some sort of collage of another YJ:I character, Jaime Reyes (Blue Beetle). These WIP sketches probably show my anatomy attempts better.