Capturing Proper Likeness Help

[rogfa]

Hello everyone,

I've been a lurker for quite sometime and thought I might try and get some help with all the great talent on this board.

Here's my problem: I can draw this "great" picture. Everything works. Anatomy, values, composition. But when it comes time to draw it again it turns out like I could have never drawn the original. The second drawing just looks bad.

To try and teach myself to draw the same likeness again. I've been using reference and seeing if I can draw the picture over and over. So, far it hasn't been spectacular.

Is this a good way to learn? I want to be able to capture the likeness of my subject, then be able to draw the subject again and again and again, not from memory, mind you but just by using the same reference or what not.

"When I grow up..." I want to try and get into concept design field, but who's going to hire someone who can't draw the same thing twice.

Thanks for looking. Roger.

Here's some examples. I had to use my digital camera as my scanner is an ancient relic.

http://www.roger-adams.com/images/concept/han_ref.jpg

http://www.roger-adams.com/images/concept/han1.jpg

http://www.roger-adams.com/images/concept/han2.jpg

[madster]

Can you draw three circles of the same basic diameter? If not, you now know where to start. If you can't do a basic shape over and over, you'll never be able to do the same character over and over.

Learning the basics always has been, and still is the secret to success. A good smattering of talent certainly helps, but without the discipline of basic rendering, you'll struggle more than you need to...

Check out this link and see how it goes:
http://www.polykarbon.com/tutorials/basics/basics.html

[Elwell]

Try turning everything upside down.

[Robolus]

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[Signature]

http://64.191.99.205/~andyt/images/han-oslo.jpg
The values of the 3rd from the left are good.
But the shapes are not accurate.
For example look at the shape of his hair to the left.
Try to see shapes with the same values ... even if they don't make sense.
That's why turning the whole thing upside down makes sense.

Don't try to make it look accurate enough!
Draw exactly what you see.
You misplace just one line a little bit and the face will look different!

The 2nd one from the left looks as if you invented a new hair style for him ...

[rogfa]

Thanks everyone. I've never really thought of it in that way before and will give what was said a try. Very appreciated.

[MadSamoan]

It all comes down to the big shapes. You could do the drawing in one value, black, and if you measured accurately and got the big abstract shapes correctly placed, you would have the likeness.

So get the big shape.

[dzu]

To get a likeness try to get the outside contour of the head shape first followed by the inside contour of the hairline. This will give you about 70-80% of the likeness. I suggest starting with basic construction first and then put the contours in. If you go straight to contours without understanding the planes of the head and the correct volumes, then your head may get distorted. Eventually you can get good enough to capture likenesses using straight contour because the construction phase is internalized. Also, the features of the face need to be placed in the right proportions. Not everyone follows the ideal 1/3 hairline, browline, noseline.

Dzu

[dns2k]

dzu is right... the basic construction entails, starting out with your basic shape, either oval or square for whatever type of person your drawing, but make the volumes similar to the reference. KEEP IT LIGHT, you can always fix it if its light. then you can do the classic center line... KIL.... then you can put in the eye line. judge these volumes based upon the head without hair. then add the outer contour (outline) of the hair mass. again measure this to keep the accuracy. then add the internal contour. this all should still be light and you should be judging the faces volumes from the picture and relating it to the masses in your drawing. also keep it to four tones dont let them get away from you.

dzu and I are both students of fredflickstone who haunts these forums, look at his "school work" thread at his quick sketches which read visually and all were done in minutes. those are probably the best examples, short of a tutorial to show the first couple steps of laying in the contour and following through to a finish.

-dns

[rogfa]

Thank you dzu and dns2k. I try and read everything Ron posts (can't say I understand it all) but have fallen behind a lot of his posts. Thanks for your help. I have a lot of reading to do.