easy to copy...hard to create

[behemot5]

it's boring i think.....any comments...what can i do to improve my way of drawing?
http://membres.lycos.fr/behemot5/361.jpg

[Jane Radstrom]

Hi Behemot. It looks like you have good control of gradients, I would suggest you try shading with core shadows. It seems that most of this picture is darkest at the outer edge of a form and then gets lighter to the middle, I only see a little bit of reflected light. You can get a much more dynamic look if you give each form some reflected light at the outside edge, and have the darkest part of the shadow blending either right near the the light, or right at the point that there is a change in planes on the figure. By change in planes, I mean if you imaging every form of the figure to be simple blocks, then the point where top becomes side for instance would be darkest, blending quickly into the light and gradually into reflected light.

I hope this quick suggestion makes sense! If you look through some of the professional's figure drawing threads on this board I think you will notice very quickly what I am talking about. :)

[behemot5]

thanks for your help velo and i think i understand what you mean (even if i have a bad english )..
here is how the pic is now http://membres.lycos.fr/behemot5/371.jpg
also...did you tell about something like this ( about shadows)??
http://membres.lycos.fr/behemot5/341.jpg

[Jane Radstrom]

Yeah exactly. :) After I posted I happened upon your sketchbook and realized you have a bunch of images there with core shadows. I guess this is copied right from a photo? Don't be afraid to change the shadows and give them more contrast and more of a core that what you see when you're working from photographs. An professor at my college always says, "If I wanted a copy I'd use a xerox, as an artist it's your job to make it better." Something like that. ;)

[behemot5]

yes...it's from a photography... i just want to test something different....work from a reference the add "strange" details on...that's true manip are very light...the real problem i have is a lake of imagination ...anyway i try to progress with my pencil....

[UpShift]

You can really strengthen this piece by deciding where you want us to look. As it is, it is very equally rendered all around. I get confused because everything is so sharp, there's no one focal point. Also, the lighting is strange (even though it is a picture). Try to make it look like light is coming from mainly one source and have it shine the brightest where you want us to look. A good rule is to make the shadows darker and spend most of your time rendering in the light areas, where you want us to look. Good technique. May I suggest you use your lines to strengthen the form by having each one be purposeful, with its stroke and direction defining the form just as much as its value. Push it, don't be afraid to wreck it, that's my problem.

just my 2 cents

[Erik]

I do not agree.

One needs to copy in order to learn to draw. I used to think i could do it all just from my head but it doesn't work like that. I only started to progress by drawing real people (i.e. copying them) and copying photos.

It's better to do life drawing but copying a photo can work out great if you don't have anybody to draw.

Anyway,

I think the face worked out well, but the body below gets less. The area around the right (our right) eye looks really good to me, maybe also the pencil was less sharp lower on the page?

I agree with Velo on the shadowing. Although the range of values is great, it's always difficult with pencil (at least for me) to get in some details without breaking the values, i.e. getting lightareas with lots of detail... Maybe this happened on his right jaw?

Can we see the picure you copied?

E.

[behemot5]

fixed shapes in approximately 10 mins without try to do a perfect copy...values take very much longer
http://membres.lycos.fr/behemot5/DCP_0929.JPG

[tinyhands]

ah... mr. ronnie coleman.....