My First sketchbook [Beware of Crappy Drawings]

[Green-fire]

Hey,
I decided to start a sketchbook
I Am doing this because I believe it will inspire me to draw more often. [besides I am VERY lazy]
So here are my first few
I might not update for a few days. but I will be away for the weekend.
Any Mean or Rude Critiques you have
They are wanted here!:confident
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x160/Phoenix331/PC100065.jpg

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x160/Phoenix331/P1110072.jpg

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x160/Phoenix331/P1110073.jpg

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x160/Phoenix331/P1110074.jpg


I hope you can see these pictures clearly.
My scanner broke
so I am using a crappy Digital
Thanks for Any Critique!

[mtrizzy]

crappy drawings??? oh you're lucky i don't post any of my drawings and out-crap you!

they're not crappy, they're just a start. don't think of them as crappy but as practice. after all, practice makes perfect.

i like the first one with the plant, looks very edgy (which isn't bad)
the proportions on the figures also seem off, the male's arms and head as well as the first woman's nipple and navel.

another note
when you take pictures, try not to move the camera around, what i would do is lean the sketchbook against a wall or something and put the cam on some books and just press the button, so that you do not move the camera too much.

[IamPeter]

CA.org isn't about how good you are, it's about improving :)
your off to a good start. But I would like it if you post your drawings up straight instead of sideways.

keep drawing.

[Green-fire]

ok thanks guys,
I know
I was pissed when they turned out blurry,
I am leaving on my trip today
and will be back late Sunday
I will try and draw as much as a I can by then and post them up

[Luz]

keep on with your anatomy, and give some of those babies some color!

[Green-fire]

I thought that Color should be used AFTER learning how to draw good.

[Cepro]

Nice start but you should post your work so that we can see it from the right angle.
Also I think you should give more attention to drawing what you actually see. Specially you last picture lacks good abservation.

[alteredvision]

DOn't limit yourself to just learning to draw, go ahead and learn other forms of art as well. If you focus on one art form and think you pick up another later, then you will never get to the others because all your time is spent on one form. Art is something that is a continuous process, you will never reach the level of master until you die! Leonardo was not seen as a master until he died and only then did people realize his skills and abilities! Same went for Michelangelo, Raphael, Rembrandt, and so on. So again, don't be afraid to learn other art forms as well, maybe even combining the 2 together! Keep up the good work! If you meet an art master, chances are that the only "art" he mastered is being lying 'con-artist'!

[Green-fire]

So I just got home and I started Drawing
going to update here pretty quick!

[Green-fire]

Ok so just a quick thing
while I am at my house


It's a Sunflower [If you can tell]
And I am working on re-posting my other pictures so that they aren't flipped on the side

[Green-fire]

another quick update.


these are loomis' head studies
I like his books quite a bit
I like how he compares the head with a ball

[Green-fire]

I need critiques people!

[lalovergel]

Well, its a good start, but it seems like you need to dive a lot more into your drawings. There is a huge difference between practicing, or drawing, in a mechanical way, and thinking about it when you are at it. Thinking about your work as you go through it will help you become aware of your issues faster, allowing you to overcome them in a better way. For example, in loomis' head studies, you should try to repeat what you just did, but now pay more attention to the measures. the first balls are fine, but when you start constructing the face, everything seems out of place. like if his jaw had been punched. So as everybody says, keep practicing, but think about what you are drawing, not jus copy what you see. Put some logic and life experience to it. A good excercise is to use your self as a reference to compare with your work. I don't mean to sound rude, but i really think this would help you to improve. If you are already putting some thought to it, put some more!

I hope this is of any help. Please feel more than welcome to come by my SB and share some thoughts. Keep drawing, that's the answer!

[Green-fire]

I understand what you mean,
I just don't really know how to understand it.
you know what I mean?

[Sedig]

I agree with lalovergel. This is a good start. She is also right about the importance of thinking about what you are doing. Just try to be particularly conscious of things when you draw. When you draw something, focus on it. Think about it. Why is that shadow there? How should I show that texture? Will this work? How about this?

Also: don't be afraid of darks in your renders. The flower you posted has a few greys to show the form. Be daring. Go ahead and make the darkest area really black. See how it looks.

[lalovergel]

Well, as a little correction, lalovergel is a HE. But no offense, i adore females!

ok, it's very simple. Let's say you are drawing a face. If you are working from a reference you would normally just go ahead, look at it, and start to draw. But what if you take a while to look closely at the reference, Understand how elements are placed, distances between diferent elements of the face, the expression it has, the shapes of everything in it. Make an analitic observation of the picture. You then not only practice to train your hand, but you gain knowledge and understandment, that you can use later on. And the more you gather, the better you'll be.

[Green-fire]

ok so here are some more studies.
This time I actually STUDIED them. and pay no attention to the heads I drew
they are crap
end of story.

[artmakessense]

i dont know how to critique! but just keep practicing. and think of eyelashes as coming out and curling up from under the lid instead of just drawing lines, it looks more realistic that way.
heres a terrible example of what i mean.
or just study your own eyes in the mirror.

[Green-fire]

Thanks,
I started to think about that AFTER I posted.
haha oh well.
Anybody have any tips on Drawing hands?

because I have the WORST time drawing hands, Feet, and for some reason I have Mucho trouble with Lips

[lalovergel]

here, i just did this for you. Take the hand as simple shapes. I take two squares and from there build up. Better seen that said.

[Green-fire]

Man,
I really Appreciate you taking your time to help me out.
I hope you stick around some more to see If I improve.
Thanks!

[delectro99]

hands are tricky, im having trouble with them myself
out of curiosity, how long have you been drawing?
you've got a better grasp on the loomis cut ball thing than i do lol
that male front view isnt that bad,
i think you could get pretty good personally

[Green-fire]

I have been drawing for years...
just not seriously
When I found this site. thats when I wanted to become an Artist
thanks! man
you have a sketchbook I could see and Critique myself?

[delectro99]

I have been drawing for years...
just not seriously
When I found this site. thats when I wanted to become an Artist
thanks! man
you have a sketchbook I could see and Critique myself?

my sketchbook's in my signature, not much stuff in it unfortunately
i found this site a loong time ago, was a lurker until recently
it wasnt until about may of last year i started getting serious in art

[Green-fire]

yeah I just posted something in your sketch book
I didnt have much to say though
because as you said
you didnt have much stuff in there.

[lalovergel]

No prob, I'll be checking time to time. As for the shapes, just remember that fingers are made of cilinders, and the hand is like a box with those cilinders attached. Little by little, reference hands and start building it with real anatomical base. That way you won't need to use what I show you, but build the hands from scratch, gaining freedom on how you pose them and other things. I just hope someone else with a better technique shows you a better way to do it. Keep it going!

[Green-fire]

Actually,
I tried your technique and I like it very much,
it works for me too because its easy!

[IamPeter]

Hey you've got better pictures.
The head studies look like there comming along well. Just keep working on those proportions.

[Green-fire]

Alright,
good!
I am heading off to school
which is where I pump out most of my drawings haha
so no doubt I will have more sketches in here by the end of the day.

[Carbono]

Good start man, welcome to the sketchbook section!
Nice figures on the first post, and nice sketches so far. My only advice for you would be: A little bit more of 'focus', try to focus yourself on something, like head, or arm anatomy, study it a little till it looks 'good' and them move to something else, try to keep a somewhat straight line on your studies. Not that you need to stay your whole life studying an finger, of course, but a little more of focus can't do harm!

Keep it up!!

[Green-fire]

Yeah,
I agree
I am all over the place. I just want to improve quickly you know?
I think I am going to focus on hands right now though cause thats what I have trouble with.
so here is another update

[Sedig]

These are nice studies. The more the merrier. Watch your feet, though. Was this figure standing on a slant?

Also, a while ago you asked for advice on drawing hands. Draw your own. It's a free model. Contort your hand into crazy positions, draw it, make it interesting. Over and over again.

[Green-fire]

sweet.
Thanks for the advice.
Actually no it wasn't on a slant.
I Turn the paper when I draw.
So I am guessing that when I turned the paper I drew a slanted foot.
thanks for the critique!

[Green-fire]

This is a hand sketch I did with Corel Painter Essentials two.
I did this awhile back but tell me if i did it right...
keep in mind this stuff is old.

[Green-fire]

Here is a quick update on my hand studies
I dont know why this turned out to look so Chubby...
my hand isnt that fat! haha oh well...
Ill put some more up later!
Critique is always Welcomed!

[Green-fire]

yo,
what up with the no crits?

[Green-fire]

Ok so more loomis stuff on hands

[Green-fire]

Some more quick hand anatomy

I dont understand why nobody is criting anymore...

[Green-fire]

So
My views are going up
but nobody is even saying anything
what The hell?
how am I supposed to improve if I dont get constructive criticism?
anyways
here is some more Hand anatomy studies...

[lalovergel]

Hmmm, you have some good work there, keep working hard, that's the key. As for critique, you should go around a lot, giving feedback and posting constantly. You might even post something like "looking for a mentor".

[Green-fire]

Thanks man,
I thought that People thought I sucked to much to get critiqued or something
so some more Stuff I did today.
I draw like 1-3 Drawings a day from the Loomis books but I use my Own hand as a reference instead of the book drawing

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x160/Phoenix331/P1210094.jpg

[lalovergel]

this one is looking a loooooot better!

[Green-fire]

Thanks man,
you have been great.
I'll post some more stuff tonight.

[Green-fire]

So just a question...
After I get finished with my Hand studies, what should I work on?
anatomy of an overall person or what?

[Green-fire]

haha sad.
this is all 289195I got done during the down time...

[lalovergel]

i would recomend you start studying perspective, which is possibly the most useful tool when drawing. Get some information on perspective, how it works, it's history, look at the old masters work, and start applying it yourself. do all you can with it; try to replicate packages, objects, rooms, anything you can think of, but work hard, cause it's worth it.

[Green-fire]

well, do you have any links or E-books?
because I dont know where to find those.

[lalovergel]

everywhere!!!! just google it, you'll find tons of sites on perspective, also practically any drawing book holds explanations

[Green-fire]

thanks.
I'll put some more stuff up tomorrow.
I am hitting the Hay right now

by the way...
in the lounge I have a thread called "post your First Drawings Thread"
you should post in there :D

[Dose206]

hey, you've definitely come a ways with the hands. now to throw a wrench in the whole thing, draw some female hands, and some young (like babies or toddler) hands, and after that try to draw some hands using absolutely no reference (okay, you can use your own hand, but that's it!).

I agree that perspective is a great thing to work on, it's a complicated subject and can take awhile to learn. On this forum there is a sub section of the mentoring section called environmentoring (click me) (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=140) or something like that. It's a class that some people are taking and the class roster is closed but all the assignments are posted publicly and if you wanted to you could look at the assignments, do them on your own and post your results here in your sb. The first lesson is all about perspective and breaks it down very well.

Good luck and keep it up.

[Green-fire]

Thanks mucho dose
So just like 10 minutes ago I was hungry and decided to get an apple, and then I remembered I hadn't posted in here for a few days
and that I should be working on perspective, so here.
290955

I know it isnt much but its better than nothin.

[Green-fire]

another thing I just did because of Dose's Last Post.
Linear Perspective study

290985

hope you like :]

[Sedig]

Wow. Somehow I missed your last posts. I'll have to keep an eye out.

Your continued determination is wonderful. You don't need to worry about not getting posts. It happens. Sometimes a thread will be bumped off the first page within minutes, and that's that. The important thing is self motivation.

On these last few hand studies I see progress. Progress is always good. The apple is also nice. If you want to improve your grasp of perspective, try drawing the surface that the apple is on. Put it on your countertop, and draw it and the things around it. Show its relation to the objects and space around it.

Keep it up!

[Green-fire]

thank you!

[Green-fire]

Hey, Sorry I have not updated lately
I have been busy with Lacrosse Season starting and All
I Will Try my Best to Update by Tomorrow.
Peace, Love, and Chicken Grease.

[Green-fire]

So I didnt die
thanks for the concern
here I drew my Hand by just looking at it
and I thought this is my best yet
even after not drawing for like a week or two
I feel oh so guilty...301793

hope you likeeee

[Sedig]

Good to see that you are still alive. You play lacrosse?

What do you mean "I drew my hand just by looking at it?" I'd like a more in depth explantation of your process.

[Green-fire]

Good to see that you are still alive. You play lacrosse?

What do you mean "I drew my hand just by looking at it?" I'd like a more in depth explantation of your process.

I Studied my hand for about five minutes and Drew it [I may have looked back like 2 or 3 times though]
so It may or may not be correct, but I think It looks good

Yeah,
Lacrosse Starts on President's Day
ugh
I finally get a day off and I have to spend it doing a sport :p
oh well.

[Green-fire]

So,
I finally Started on Females hands today.
not as easy as I expected
oh well
here it is.
302515

[Green-fire]

Did my Female hands look feminine enough
or are they too Masculine?

[Nickles]

I think they look pretty feminine!

I agree with lalovergel back in post #13, they said "Thinking about your work as you go through it will help you become aware of your issues faster, allowing you to overcome them in a better way."

I got that advice too, and I didn't really get it at first. So I tried it, but my mind wanders off so I started narrating myself aloud while I draw.

It really helps. Tell yourself exactly why you're putting a line where it goes, like "This line ends here because the lips end under the pupils" or "this line represents the side or back of so-and-so muscle." This is where actually reading the anatomy books helps, instead of copying the pictures (that's the part I always skip over haha)

Act like you're teaching someone else what you've learned. The information sticks a lot better and after a while, you won't have to talk to yourself like a crazy person anymore. :)

[Green-fire]

Thanks man, I just have had no Time whatsoever to Draw and it makes me pretty sad.
I hope my progress has not been crippled, when my Lacrosse season is Over, I will definitely start again. It ends in May.
thank god.
I will try to do what you said too, Narrate while drawing.

[artmakessense]

is it just me, or does it totally suck that unless you know all about anatomy and perspective you cant draw stuff like you want to?
i dunno.

[Green-fire]

So I am back,
Summer is here and I'll have plenty of time to start Drawing once more!

But I need some help first:
What should I start on now?

[Virg]

Summer is here indeed, why not go outside and draw from life while its hot =)
Seriously, drawing from life will help you a lot, w hatever you draw, if you want to get better at characters, got outside and draw people as best as you can with the knowledge you have.. if you dont feel comfortable drawing people, just draw anything else.. but drawing from life is as important as studying anatomy or learning from a book, theres no better teacher than nature. And at the same time, take some time each day to redraw a couple of pages of anatomy or construction from books, Loomis is a good one. My advice is to draw from life and ref as much as you can, it will help you build the foundation needed to draw from imagination well. And for 15 ur in pretty good shape. Good luck and dont give up =)

[Sedig]

Good to have you back. WhiteC pretty much said it. Especially the part about drawing from life. Spend a day with your sketchbook, wander around, and draw what you see. Take a lunch break, maybe, then get back to it.

[Green-fire]

Thanks much for the advice,
obviously since it is Ten here in Oregon I will post Tomorrow, but thanks a lot!
I was kind of lost on where to start because I wanted to take a break from anatomy for a bit, and one more question, when Drawing from life should I shade?

[Virg]

Try to grasp outline/contour first.. how each contour overlap on each other in perspective to create depth. This principle is applied to everything , volum is created by contour passing in front of each other.. then you should learn to draw the planes of light on surfaces,( kinda outline the shadows, a clear delimitation between light and shade, that follows the topography of the surface... ) but yeah you can shade.. but i personnaly think that spending too much time on rendering at your level is a waste of time, once you master rendering its easy to apply it on everything.. but mastering the shapes of the figures doesnt mean you master the shapes of trees or cityscape, and vice versa.. a bit hard to explain for me sincem y english is not perfect but thats pretty much it... keep the kick ass detailled rendering for a few pieces you really like and wish to see finished

[Sedig]

Again, WhiteC hit it. Definitely the life drawing. It's really pretty impossible to just work on "shade." Working on your "shading" requires a deeper understanding of the forms of whatever you are drawing. Guess where that understanding comes from--everybody's favorite thing---------- lifedrawing!

In all actuality, you can work on your rendering too while drawing from life. It's all part of the same song. Just follow WhiteC's advice- try to grasp the contours and outline, and then hit up the rendering. A still life is always a good exercise. Put some objects on a table, then draw it. Yum.

[Virg]

Hehe Sedig is right, to sha de properly you need to know the form of the things that is lit... Hope our tipes wil lserve you well... its so much easier to tell someone whats needed to improve but putting it in practice is a lot harder.. I need to work on all this stuff too, understanding it is a good start, next step is practice practice practice practice. good luck =)

[Green-fire]

Alright,
SO two Sketches from life yesterday?
A Tree and Bananas haha
Sorry I didnt post yesterday, I had things goin on

393426
393427
393428

I tried to Apply most of the Detail on the trunk considering it was a sketch and drawing the leaves would take too long

[Sedig]

MOAR!! Great job so far.

On the bananas- easy on the outlines. Pick and choose the boldness of a line to indicate an edge condition.

On the tree- leaves can take a long time, or not, depending. You can always just pick out clumps or branches, and quickly indicate them.

[Green-fire]

aight, thanks

And About the Bananas, thanks I actually did not know that

[Green-fire]

My Cockatoo Tuco, who would not sit still!

399900

[Green-fire]

Today I am Very Shaky and I just dont feel good, and It hurt my hand to Draw.
But I tried drawing a coke can,
this is what it turned out
Verrrrrry ugly

400592

[Sedig]

Tuco turned out nice. More sensitive lines than some of your other drawings.

Hope you feel better soon...

On that coke can--it looks like you started to RUSH in places. Slow down, dude. The "Coca-Cola" logo looks solid, but other places not so much. Regardless, as soon as you feel better, try that coke can again. Slowly. Don't worry so much about how it will turn out, just look at what you draw, and keep cool.

[Green-fire]

So I got my Car today,
So I decided to draw the keys.
I am a lot less shaky today than a few days ago
Dehydration?
402895

[Pad&pencil]

Thanks for stopping through. And for only 15 your definitely getting to a great start. Right now just keep drawing from life, it will really help with the way you think about character design. I just started studying anatomy and I can already notice changes in the way my characters are being formed.

Right now I'm lovin your stuff, can't wait to see whats next!

[Green-fire]

I decided that since I am such a Gamer I will draw a wii-mote and a 360 controller.

404818

and this one I had a weird side perspective on it, and it turned out all weird.
404819

[Demo]

Well im going to try to help a little, not that any of this is bad and i havent read all these post so sorry if i repeat old info, first
-dont judge yourself to harshly, i do this to myself too to much you compare yourself to other people on CA and you get a little pissed because u wana be really good really fast. youll only get better after you accept your skill leavel and realize that you wana get better which i think your doing good.
-now about the color comment some one said yah you should work on color all these things you learn about art strenghten each other like the pillers of a house they all do the same thing many pillers support 1 thing so the more you learn overall the better off youll be because they help each other
- now i see that your studing the loomis books take a lot of info from their but rember that you really have to understand it for it to apply really think about what your reading and drawing, for instance for figures if it says that the average figure is 7.5 heads tall get out a ruler and mesure your self and see how it applies
besides that keep up the work and youll be just fine keep it up.

[Green-fire]

thanks man!
I will take your advice
and I know,
its really hard to not compare yourself to all the amazing artists here...

[Green-fire]

Just a Joystick.
Took about 3 minutes
really fast
I noticed a lot of mistakes after I looked at it,
but It was a sketch so I didnt fix them

406372

[UCT]

Dude at the moment you are drawing forms and lines well. You got alot going at 15, im impressed and think the way you work now is goona benefit you loads latter.

My only advice would be, whilst working the way you do try looking into different mark making tecniques.

For example, get a practice page, and try drawing fast and slow, heavy and soft, think and thin lines straight down the page. Then see if you can control these actions to make them represent the marks you want to depict.

A heavy think line represents a flat and static edge whilst a thin light line presents motion and fluidity. Try to draw your thin lines quickly and heavy lines slower, However keep with the original line as this will help you learn how to apply line and mark amking techniques. This should helkp you to depict objects and forms with greater discription as you will be able to capture elements of form within single lines.


Your good dude. Keep going and enjoy it. :)

[Green-fire]

Thanks for the Advice.
I think I am going to try that Now,
I'll update tomorrow with My new mark making techniques.
haha

[Dorkthrone]

This is a good start, especially for a 15-year old. The Loomis studies are good. I like how you're using a lot of variety in your sketches too. The only thing I'd suggest doing is to keep at these studies.

[Sedig]

A few post ago you wrote "but it was a sketch, so I didn't fix them." Why not? Even though it may be "just" a sketch, you can still benefit greatly from going back a fixing your errors. If nothing else, you can use a piece of tracing paper over the original drawing.