I need to make progress, help...

[JATISME]

Heyaz. I've been a member for a while and I haven't really participated. Well lets act as if I'm new then. I'm Josh and I have never had any art trainng except for high school art but that wasn't much.
I dream of doing something in the arts and my passion is figure drawing which my wife is completely cool with. The problem is I'm in Oklahoma. Artwise, there isn't much. I don't have the money for school so I've never drawn from a live model. Well here's some I drew from pics on the computer then scanned in.
I need to be told what to work on next because I'm at sort of a stand still. I'm not good with heads and I'm not sure how to shade especially when there are many different little shadows on the figure. Thank you in advance.

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k265/rekojeht/ScannedPhotos00019.png

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k265/rekojeht/ScannedPhotos00020.png

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k265/rekojeht/figure4209.png

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k265/rekojeht/ScannedPhotos00010.png

[sleepiehead]

Ask your wife to model for you.

[JATISME]

tried that. She's too insecure although she isn't overweight. She's funny that way.

[tokszmogus]

Let me give you an advice. Start from basic stuff, master the medium and then go for difficult one. Human figure is definitely a difficult one. You're not getting anywhere by redrawing scans at the beginning. Draw from life. Object like chairs, cups, flowers, anything not so complex are pretty fine. Learn to shade, study crosshatching, what pencils can do and so forth. Try ink, try charcoal, try different papers.

Drawing figures using model is amazing. I'm bad at it but at that class where I was the assignment was just to sketch and put down main proportions. That's really inspired me to work more on other stuff to get finally to the figure drawing. It's like documenting the conversation between you and the model. Oh, I'm getting too philosophical :-). Good luck man, keep drawing.

[JATISME]

Thanx man. I do feel a little in over my head most of the time... I'll try putting it asside for now and concentrating on the basics. I really hope to make progress. I want it so bad that I'm impatient and want to jump to the hard stuff. I guess I'm not that motivated to draw anything else...

[alesoun]

Work on line weights. Your line is universally thick. Make it thinner where the light hits. Ask your wife will she pose clothed; that will give you the chance to study drapery as well