Fighting with figures... anatomy etc (and some digital painting/industrial design)

[renew]

Hi everyone :) ,

I'm new here, my name is Rene, im 19, from melbourne, australia and I'm currently studying industrial design (just finished first year ). I've been a lurker for a while but just found the courage/time to join :) .

I've been doing some digital painting and random/industrial type sketches for the last year. But I've been meaning to learn anatomy/figure drawing for a while and have just recently decided to sit down and draw page by page through the bridgman book that I've had for a while now (constructive anatomy).

I really want to improve my skills, so I'm hoping that posting my sketches here will help me keep motivated and I'll be thankful for any crits that you guys can spare the time to give me. ;)

Instead of posting all the stuff ive done so far I'll just post what I've done today, also here's the link to my deviant art with some of my digital stuff if you wanna have a look http://rene-w.deviantart.com/ (http://rene-w.deviantart.com/)

Hopefully I'll be able to post updates daily, and thanks in advance
Cheers :drinkup:

[Craz]

Those Bridgeman studies are really accurate. All your work shows great control over your pencil. Once you've gone through Constructive Anatomy once, do it again, only copy the illustrations backwards or upside-down. Or both.
I hope you're reading the book as well. I had a look around your DA gallery; you should post some more of those fantasy industrial designs here!

[2100]

Uhg... bridgeman is so hard to read sometimes. I could only use/understand his techniques, once I learned anatomy from Eliot Goldfinger

For me, the twisting arm muscles are the hardest to figure out.

[alshakno]

Hi Rene
you have nice skills
i`m studying the bridgman book too
but yours is much better and more correct

keep up
GL

[renew]

craz/2100: yeh, I've been reading it too, though the text is quite hard to understand so I know where you're coming from 2100

alshakno: looks like we're in the same boat then, left you a comment on your sketchbook too.


Ok, here's what I did today from bridgman. Also a few figures from loomis and some no reference portraits (need to do way more from reference I think)... also looks like I need a new scanner lol, they turn out very flakey.

[Oakseed]

Love your anatomy work. Much better than mine. I seriously need to improve. are bridgman and loomis the best to work from?

[renew]

Theyre the only 2 ive used, so it would be ignorant to say that theyre the best, however they do seem to be quite widely used.

Here's todays stuff

[Ragnar X]

this is great practice! keep it up!!

[renew]

thanks, ill try.

Here's todays fun studies :P

[fantasyartist]

Great studies going on here. Put more attention on the correct placement and volume of the eyes. They are a little sloppy in your studies. Remember that you're drawing 3 dimensional objects so make sure that things align properly and correct any distortions. This of course comes with practice but you have to pay attention to it. I'm looking forward to more of your stuff.

[renew]

Thanks for the tips. :D

Ok, here's todays stuff, less than usual bridgman but also some other stuff. A no ref portrait that I did last night and a below my usual standard ID drawing, im a bit out of practice :P . It's a feng zhu-inspired spaceship.

[alshakno]

Hey Rene, lot of cool stuff that i missed, you are the rabbit and I'm the snail but a lazy snail :D

steel busy with damn university but will get you(wish to get you)

GL

[voxelfog]

ah, bridgeman. :) Those images are forever burned into my mind. This is a good reminder to me, to get back into the habit of doing anatomy studies.

Great studies man. Keep 'em up.

[localfatheaded]

looking good, great studies, keep drawing and I hope to see more

[Craz]

Watch the eyes on that last portrait. They're looking in completely different directions.

[Whitevillage]

Great job with the Bridgman studies! I learn often from his work as well and I think it's very beneficial to understand anatomy in simplefied shapes and how they are connected. You have a great idea how things work when I look especially at your head studies. :)

[renew]

Craz: yeh, I noticed that too (getting the eyes right is probably one of the hardest things for me in drawing portraits), but Ive made a rule of not using an eraser, so he had to stay googley eyed lol

Thanks for all the comments guys, I really appreciate it :)

Now for todays stuff:

Only did 3 pages of bridgman again, gotta start getting up earlier lol, ive made it a habit of getting up at 1-2pm which cuts my days very short hehe.

I did a drawing of my dad sleeping on the couch last night though, and one extra loomis girl.

I also did some 20 min environment studies, and started a digital study of a woman, hopefully ill get up a bit earlier tomoro and finish it then :D

[fantasyartist]

I can already see some improvements in these last drawings. You still seem to draw the eyes too big. I suggest you to study the head drawing book from Loomis where he talks about the proportions of the head and study where the eyes fit in the construction of the head. That helped me a great deal anyway.
Also as I said before, give dimension to the eyes. In the Bridgman studies the eyes clearly have a front and a side. Try to do the same thing when you draw from reference. Keep up the hard work!

[alshakno]

you are hard trainer rene
Bridgman works are awesome as always, mountain too
show us a self portrait, you are at that level

[BubbaGump]

Awesome Bridgman studies! The man is a legend.

[renew]

fantasyartist: yeh, ill look into that loomis book, should help.

here's what ive got for today, finished the study of the girl (about 4 hours in total) and did some more 20 min environment studies. Will probably do some bridgman after dinner but just wanted to post this stuff up now. Thanks for all the replies guys :)

[Chromo48]

Rene, these are looking amazing. Really impressive sketches and amazing color studies.

Don't forget about that book 'Force: Life Drawing for Animators'. It'll really help you understand weighting and movement in structured drawing. It's something Bridgman does in his poses, but I don't think he explains as clearly as is stated in 'Force'. The books are great together.

[Niels23]

Great thread! I like your Bridgeman studies a lot. Cool looking portraits as well. Face in the post # 21 is just perfect! Keep up the good work!

[Ghostbrush]

Really cool stuff here! loving the anatomy studies, and the enviroments from today are really well done, at a glance they do look spot on in terms of light etc.

will be watching you!

Alex

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=2016457#post2016457 <--------- i started a new sketchbook, going back to basics


http://web.mac.com/alexheathart <-------- my site

[renew]

wow, thanks for all the kind words :)

chromo: hey bob thanks for taking a look, and yeh I havent forgotten about that book, ill order it as soon as ive got some money lol

anyway, heres the bit of bridgman that i managed to sneak in before I chill out for the rest of the day, promise more than 2 pages tomoro!

[Dan Valkar]

nice studies...good job on those..maybe u need to work harder on faces...

cheers

[alshakno]

Hey Rene, another hard work
nice colors on those environments,
I'm afraid of gesturing those studies from Bridgman, but it seems you understand them well

looking forward
about half of the book is finished, not a long way to go

GL

[kikindaface]

Your studies looks great !! And you're working hard ! Keep it up !!

[Enydimon]

You've got an awesome handle on your anatomy studies. Very good eye for observation.

[renew]

Thanks again for the kind words.

Heres todays stuff, more bridgman and some face studies in colour, spent 30 min on gandalf and 50 min on the woman, though I think gandalf turned out alot better, she looks sorta plasticky and the proportions are a bit out :(

EDIT: btw, does anyone know any good sites for good photos of people to do for studies, google doesnt seem to be the best place to look for em, unless im typing in the wrong thing..

[Gabriel-B]

Hi renew!

Great anatomy studies, I like your digital concepts on deviantart, Nice to see you're Feng Zhu inspired as well, I love his stuff :D

If you're ever interested in doing quick sketches for figure studies, definitely have a look at www.posemaniacs.com it's helped me (and from what I can tell) many users of this forum come a long way.

[alshakno]

strong studies as always
i think a best way is to use classic and neo-classic paintings
but if you interested in real pics just play your favorite movie and pause it!
other than these you can search for famous photographers!

[chr!z]

Yeah, your colorstudies are great! Espescially the environments. At first I thougt the forrest was a photo.

keep it up too :)

[renew]

Thanks :)

Gabriel: yeh I know that site but i meant photos for value/colour studies and that one isnt useful for that.

alshak: I shouldve been more clear, I meant nude photos, not many movies have those hehe, unless youre talking about my favourite porn movie :P

Didnt really do that much today, its sunday :P , no traditional stuff anyway. 20 min on the enviros and 15 on the eyes. more than this tomoro!

[alshakno]

:D
cool
maybe this help : The Nude Reference Thread(18+) (http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1813)
and it seems that Bridgman studies has done the job, the eyes looks really nice

[Stevan]

Nice studies :)

[renew]

Cheers guys!

alshak: thats perfect, thanks :D

Heres todays :) bridgman and a no ref portrait thats a bit screwed up lol

[kidult]

Keep up the studies Duder! looking good

[WickedEdges]

Wow I love the studies, man. Keep that up! I'm still not seeing the ID in here anywhere, have you been designing anything?

[alshakno]

Nice Rene as always, the head shading is so nice

keep up

[renew]

Thanks :drinkup:

Wickededges: there was one on the first page, but I plan to do more soon. ;)

bridgman, and started a digital study

[manusia]

your colorstudy and anatomy are great.... i must learn hard too

[psychoboy]

good study man

[alshakno]

the digital one have awesome lighting, congrats

[renew]

Thanks, alshak dont exaggerate so much :P

Been a busy day so didnt get that much done, next 2-3 days are gonna be the same :(

update on gimli

[Gabriel-B]

Nice environments man! 15 minutes? Sweet! I take an hour and they still look off xD I'm looking forward for more updates!

[drd]

Nice sb man, Bridgman is really helpful isn't it?





http://conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=528209&stc=1&d=1227701129

AND MY AXE!

[renew]

Yeh, bridgman is great :)

Very limited time today so only managed to squeeze in 2 pages :( gonna catch up on the weekend though, hopefully...

[renew]

Unforunately I didnt get a chance to do anything yesterday and only 2 pages again today. :(

[renew]

Damn... 2 days turned into 2 weeks :( I hate it when stuff doesnt work out how its supposed to!

Time to revive this thread though :) Heres some bridgman and the rest is no ref, slightly retarded portraits and a wip landscape thats almost finished I think :)

[Craz]

The landscape is the best one.
No more hiatuses for you.

[renew]

Craz: yeh Ill try my best to make sure ;)

Todays work, lots of bridgman and I also got the loomis book on heads/hands so I did one from that, probably gonna work through that book once ive finished this bridgman book, which is almost done actually :D

Need to get some new pencils, theyve gone too short to be able to hold well :(

[Flaskpost]

great lookin bridgmans! i worked through constructive anatomy a while back, helped me alot!
i recommend his life drawing book also!
and the rest of his books, haha.
keep studying hard!

[renew]

Cheers :) I've got the rest of bridgman's books, havent done many drawings from them though :bashful:

More from the mighty GBB today :D and got a new set of pencils :) and trying out a mech pencil too...

[Craz]

More from the mighty GBB today

I heard that the 'B' in 'George B. Bridgman' stands for Badass.

Holy shit... If I ever have a kid, I think I just found their middle name.

Great Bridgmans as always, and your portraits from imagination are really improving. Get to those other books!

[renew]

Haha, very funny :P

More of the man, and another no ref portrait, I think I need to start drawing guidelines in instead of just starting with the paint. Unfinished, gonna stay that way.

[Craz]

It's a shame you won't finish that portrait; I think it has potential. Watch out for your heads; you tend to draw them too small.

Bollocks to commas; semi-colons are better.

[kikindaface]

Damn, you're doing so much studies just in one day ! Keep them up !!

[alshakno]

Hey Rene, miss you
awesome studies as always
and i just found something very interesting for me and you
it is another Bridgman book!!!
after finishing this book i have plans to start that

keep up

[renew]

Hey, yeh Bridgman has got a few other books, life drawing, human machine, hundred hands and some others. Gonna try out this next though probably, been recommended to me alot: http://www.amazon.com/Force-Dynamic-Drawing-Animators-Second/dp/0240808452/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Anyway, didnt have access to my computer yesterday so couldnt upload what I did, here it is though, todays stuff coming tonight though. Did some bridggman as usual and some no ref sketchbook stuff on the train, so wavy lines and some retardness! :P

[renew]

Ok, heres todays stuff then, another load of bridgman :D

Drawing these hands was quite a challenge, probably the hardest thing for me to draw out of this book so far, lots of little screw ups in em :( . Difficult to get the nails looking right.

Btw, thanks for all the responses guys, really helps to keep me motivated. Will leave you's some replies in your sb's tomoro too :drinkup:

[renew]

Todays, more bridgman hands :) Should be finished with this book tomoro, only another 5 pages to go! :yayca:

[alshakno]

it is going to end my friend, ;)
i heard about that book too, there is another book by Hogarth with that title(Dynamic Figure Drawing), that should be nice too

but my problem is as i am a selftaught looking for a good way of learning ART of drawing!
do you know any resource?
what i found was just "Kimon Nicolaides - The Natural Way to Draw"
it looks really nice but there should be other resources too

[Craz]

but my problem is as i am a selftaught looking for a good way of learning ART of drawing!


I know the best way of learning the art of drawing. Draw lots.

[Locus]

Craz is right. Besides, no one can teach you drawing, at best they can help you learn. But instruction or not, just never stop working, that's the most important thing.

Also you're making a great start doing all these studies, and you've got more patience than me. I want to just sit down and draw a sketch out of my imagination, but of course then I run into some slowdowns when there's hands and feet involved. ;) Seems like I can only keep up anatomy practice for a few days before reverting back to random fun stuff.

[renew]

Well, like I said before, we're pretty much in the same boat, I've never had any formal training in figure drawing before and probably wont for some time. So I know where youre coming from when you say youre looking for a guide to help you learn to draw. I also agree with craz, the old saying is "practice makes perfect" after all.

However, I've been wondering whether or not copying out bridgman's constructive anatomy from cover to cover was as helpful in developing my skill as drawing that much from photos or more detailed reference would have been. (this is the last 5 pages I'm posting now). As I question the value of some of bridgman's drawings in the book. So what I would really like to know is what I should draw; is it really worth copying out an art instruction book from cover to cover?, and also what should my approach to drawing them be? as so far I've pretty much just been trying to duplicate what bridgman has drawn, while trying to consolidate in my mind what it is he has drawn and make sense of how that relates to drawing the figure in a practical sense (as my goal is to be able to draw the figure without reference).
If I would be attending an art school these are the sort of questions I'd be dieing to ask, so any insights on this would be great from those of you that are experienced.bit of a rant...

So now Ive gotta decide which book im gonna work through next... thinking of getting this http://www.daheshmuseum.org/museumshop/index.php?productID=285 expensive but apparently very much worth it.

Here's todays stuff, the last 5 pages of bridgman's constructive anatomy, taken me a little over 3 weeks to finish the whole book so about 80-90 hours in total.

[renew]

Hey everyone, not all that much work today, been thinking about what I'm gonna start doing next. I think Ill start doing some pose maniacs, anyone know what a good amount, and what times I should do, just did 20, 2 minute ones today, any less time I think would be almost pointless for me, barely have any time to find the rythm and get it all down in the 2 minutes, so thinking of maybe extending it to 3-5 minutes... also got some more shitty on-train portraits. I think the problem with my portraits is that I try to draw them too much with values, probably because thats how i do all the digital ones, and not enough with lines, so I think I'll also start working through the loomis book on that... Actually looking back, I havent really done many portrait studies from photo reference... Also wanna start picking up the environment/colour studies again.

So from now on gonna be doing posemaniacs and bridgman's life drawing book. Also loomis's head and hands + some digital environment/colour studies etc.

btw, gonna be away from tuesday to friday, christmas and all that... but ill defenetely bring back some drawings. ;)

Oh, and alshakno, found some other art guide books: http://www.amazon.com/Vilppu-Drawing-Manual-Glenn/dp/1892053039/ref=cm_lmf_tit_1_rdssss2
http://www.amazon.com/Practice-Science-Drawing-Harold-Speed/dp/0486228703

[Craz]

Hey everyone, not all that much work today, been thinking about what I'm gonna start doing next. I think Ill start doing some pose maniacs, anyone know what a good amount,

You know when your hand falls off from drawing too much? That's when you stop.
Seriously, though, as many as you can do is always the best amount for practice. However, the important thing is to get into a routine, whether it's one or one-hundred a day. Yeah... I'm so great at taking my own advice.
As for times, start with whatever you're comfortable with. Try to get a handle on 2 minutes, then you'll feel more comfortable with lower times, and you'll get faster and faster.

[alshakno]

thanks for answer,
i found an answer for myself that want to share it with you and other firends

here in cgtalk (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=166&t=655287&page=1&pp=15)

new plans are amazing, i will join again sometime later

keep up