generic critique
Feb. 2nd, 2004 03:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
egypturnashSo I never have to type this again when I'm in a mood to offer a dose of the fundamentals to someone asking for real critique instead of lots of 'OMG that's so great! *wub*' backscratches. Cut-and-paste! In fact, if you like the same books I do and occasionally offer help to beginner artists, feel free to bookmark for future cut-and-paste yourself!
I get a pretty strong impression from looking at a couple drawings chosen at random that you're just using things you've picked up by watching cartoons, mostly low-budget Japanese ones that take a lot of shortcuts for fast production.
You're trying to go directly to the final line, and that just doesn't really work. You need to get some introductory drawing books and read the parts about construction, and start trying to apply this to your work; it'll be a struggle at first, but once you start to get the hang of it things should get a *lot* better. By "construction", I mean sketching the whole figure out loosely as simple shapes - boxes, eggs, and tubes, for the most part; there are different styles people prefer, and it's best to learn them all, as each has its advantages and disadvantages - that are easy to draw in three dimensions, then carving/building/combining those into more complex forms of humanoid bodies or whatever.
I personally swear by Preston Blair's books on cartooning; you should be able to find them at any art store. I have the "Cartoon Animation" omnibus edition. The style is 1940's MGM cartoons, but the principles he teaches of building from easy-to-turn basic shapes apply to anything, even to drawing a realistic human form from life.
Also, look online for the excellent "Figure Drawing For All It's Worth" by Andrew Loomis. It's out of print but Google should be able to help you find a copy. Again, the principles in the book apply to *anything*, not just the realistic humans he shows; drawing pseudo-anime stuff is just using a specific set of stylistic cheats and shortcuts.
Good luck!
I get a pretty strong impression from looking at a couple drawings chosen at random that you're just using things you've picked up by watching cartoons, mostly low-budget Japanese ones that take a lot of shortcuts for fast production.
You're trying to go directly to the final line, and that just doesn't really work. You need to get some introductory drawing books and read the parts about construction, and start trying to apply this to your work; it'll be a struggle at first, but once you start to get the hang of it things should get a *lot* better. By "construction", I mean sketching the whole figure out loosely as simple shapes - boxes, eggs, and tubes, for the most part; there are different styles people prefer, and it's best to learn them all, as each has its advantages and disadvantages - that are easy to draw in three dimensions, then carving/building/combining those into more complex forms of humanoid bodies or whatever.
I personally swear by Preston Blair's books on cartooning; you should be able to find them at any art store. I have the "Cartoon Animation" omnibus edition. The style is 1940's MGM cartoons, but the principles he teaches of building from easy-to-turn basic shapes apply to anything, even to drawing a realistic human form from life.
Also, look online for the excellent "Figure Drawing For All It's Worth" by Andrew Loomis. It's out of print but Google should be able to help you find a copy. Again, the principles in the book apply to *anything*, not just the realistic humans he shows; drawing pseudo-anime stuff is just using a specific set of stylistic cheats and shortcuts.
Good luck!
no subject
Date: 2004-02-02 03:28 pm (UTC)Out of curiosity, the thread on the Yerf forums didnt inspire you to write this, did it?
Re:
Date: 2004-02-02 07:31 pm (UTC)This was first to someone on DeviantArt, then cut-and-pasted to someone in
Re:
Date: 2004-02-03 01:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-02-02 03:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-02-02 04:24 pm (UTC)And, never dismiss those Christopher Hart or Lee Ames drawing books. They may be pitched at kids or early teens but there's a lot of really sound ideas about drawing solidly and coming up with character designs, which are worth it.
Re: Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
Date: 2004-02-02 08:54 pm (UTC)Re: Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
Date: 2004-02-04 03:57 pm (UTC)The book's big goal is to get you thinking more in terms of three dimensions and spacial relationships, with additional emphasis on contour and action. That's something I've been able to plug into my own stuff even though I'm far from an expert.
off-topic, but...
Date: 2004-02-02 05:45 pm (UTC): )
Re: off-topic, but...
Date: 2004-02-02 05:51 pm (UTC)Re: off-topic, but...
Date: 2004-02-02 07:09 pm (UTC)Re: off-topic, but...
Date: 2004-02-02 08:18 pm (UTC)I look for undercurrents in everything, lately.
no subject
Date: 2004-02-02 05:59 pm (UTC)That said, Figure Drawing for All It's Worth (http://www.saveloomis.org/) is available as a PDF. I'm fond of Peck's 'Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist' for reference when human models aren't easily found.
Re:
Date: 2004-02-02 08:35 pm (UTC)My usual choice of handy capsule reference is Bridgman, though I don't like the near-exclusive use of male examples. I have most of the musles I really use in my art stored up in my head by now, anyway.
no subject
Date: 2004-02-02 09:12 pm (UTC)I'll ditto the recommendation of the Preston Blair books. I also find having a couple volumes of "Illustration Annual" handy for looking at different styles of art. My father was an art director, and I grew up looking at Graphis Annual, Communication Arts and Illustration Annual.
no subject
Date: 2004-02-03 08:42 am (UTC)Which reminds me, I should be drawing more motercycles and rooms. As things really suck when they don't have backgrounds and props.
no subject
Date: 2004-02-03 03:02 pm (UTC)