valuble practice

[JParrilla]

Hey guys.. its been a while since ive asked questions here but Ive been put in a position where I need some advice. My girlfriend loves that I draw and love art and she wants to learn to draw too.. but Im having trouble telling her what to practice. When I first started I didnt do anything right and I just basically drew whatever I wanted to. Then I found books and stuff which changed everything. So what are the most valuable methods of practice one can do to improve as an artist. I know the most important thing to do is draw all the time.. life, anatomy, etc. But what would you say are things every artist should do on a regular basis in order to improve all around? She wants me to teach her and Im kinda lost. thanks friends

[Viridis]

Well, the obvious advice is to sketch frequently. To begin with, start off by doing simple objects: a sphere, a cube, etc, with different lighting conditions. This teaches you form and value. (And it doesn't have to be just a pure sphere; an apple or something works just as well.) Black and white media is good to start off with, so you don't get too complicated. You just want to learn how to see, first.

Then I'd move on to more complicated forms, maybe practice perspective. For a bit more fun exercises, go out and sketch people in public places (hopefully somewhere like a cafeteria where there's a lot of people around and they don't always move too much?) Your sketches might come out terrible at first, but it can teach you something about gestures, getting features down before people move, and anatomy too.

And of course, books. But I myself find pure studying of formal aspects to be quite tedious, so I highly recommend mixing the formal study up with some more fun things, like the life sketches or just messing around with some cheap paint or something. You may not do anything good, but you'll always learn something from the experience.

[JParrilla]

good advice.. ill set some simple objects up for her in simple light. Should I have her copy other artists as well? The advice I was always given was to draw from life, (photos when you cant), Draw from good books, copy masters, draw from imagination and learn perspective.. is there anything im missing? I wanna make sure I know all of the most important things to practice.. not only for her but I guess for myself as well. Im not a beginner but I still have a long ways to go.

[Viridis]

I don't know about copying masters... some people recommend it and seem to really enjoy it. I never did much of that myself, really. I know it can't hurt.

Really what you're looking for in learning to draw is learning how to "see"-- how to see the shapes in things and correctly get them on to paper. So if it helps you to look at old masters and see how they broke things down, by all means go for it and study their sketches. I have never been one for doing a lot of exercises, but really, almost anything goes.

I would say, at the beginning, try everything. You'll find out what works for you, and then you can pursue those paths.

[JParrilla]

thanks man

[J Wilson]

Whatever you do, keep it fun. Teaching someone brand new to art how to draw has to be a mix of good solid advice, and making sure their interest stays high. I'd say have her draw whatever she would like to, and start by getting her to see the big picture stuff. General forms and basic shapes. When she can for the most part draw what she sees (whether it's copying anime characters or old masters or drawing from life, it doesn't matter to start), start moving into more complex topics. Don't try to introduce it all at once.

[JParrilla]

thanks buddy, what would you move onto after that. what would be considered more complex topics? Like anatomy? I wanna kinda set up a loose schedule for her.. not with times or anything... but just topics that should be covered and things that should be done.

[yvescy]

I just posted this reply in another thread to I'll just re-post it here since it relates.
Ian McCaig (Star Wars character concept artist) talked about his "3 step process" in his first dvd.

Step 1: Draw from your imagination. He says to "forgive yourself for drawing poorly again...it can even be stick figures, but it just has to be clear enough to tell the story"

Step 2: Draw from life, references, photos, etc. "countless hours of practice and studies"

Step 3: Put steps 1 and 2 together and make your picture.

His point is to just get that gut feeling or the gist of what's in your head first because it i the most important. The "spirit" of what you are trying to visualize. Do quick gestures, sketches, thumbnails or even write it down. Then practice, make studies, and collect your references.

A drawing can be accurate, but have no life and be stiff. Quick sketches, little compositions, stick figures can have more life to them.

As little kids, we all pretty much drew, and mostly from imagination. Now those had life!

And if you feel like you're not sure what to draw/write about, read books, find stories, watch movies, or go out and look at nature. Find any inspirations to feed your imagination.

I also recommend writing down your dreams in the morning or whenever you wake up. I started doing it this year and have gotten some crazy things that can turn into cool stories and illustrations.

I know it can be hard since you may want to hit the snooze button, but a "vivid" dream can disappear within seconds. I sometimes even scribble down random words (with my eyes half shut) that come to mind in order to get as much of the dream as I can. (ie: me flying, escaping enemy, rocket)
Then I would go back to sleep and read what I wrote later in the day. And WOW, just by reading some words (no matter how random they may seem) you'll get amazing flash backs of the dream you had ealier!Then I rewrite it and draw little compositions/doodles that may later turn into a more "finished" piece. try it!

ps: Copying masters is great. The only "risk" is becoming too much like them, so the best thing to do is pick several masters and artists you/she wants to be like. Kinda like picking parents/friends/role models to be like. Like getting genes from different artist styles and making it your own. great influence. Good luck teaching!:yayca:

[JParrilla]

yvescy - that was a great response thanks so much! about the master copying.. thats something I always worried about in my own studying. I thought Id wind up with nothing original.. so now I copy from so many different masters depending on what im trying to learn from them. One master for line, another for great values, another for skin tones, etc etc. then try to combine everything and make it my own

[sodAp]

I don't believe one can get too much like sargent or velazquez, technically speaking. That's no risk, that's actually the point of it. At least in my humble opinion.

[yvescy]

Your welcome biggjoee5790.

And SodAp brings up a good point. It'll be great if we could paint like sargent or valasquez, hell, we would be making lots of $$$ if we could get to that level. Although what I mean by risk is that there are many who try to be too much like an artist and either can't shake off that style (if they want to) or end up looking like just a "copycat" or "ripoff." For example, I had a teacher who was very influenced by the artists of MAD comics in his early teens. When he worked on an advertising job, he kept bringing the MAD comics influence unconciously and struggled getting the look his art directors wanted. Also, many "artists" of today try to immitate todays "new masters" like Justin Sweet for example. They try to make their work look like that and fail because they only see the "outside" picture and not what makes it great. They can't see beyond technique.

So... on copying masters "new or old":

1.Great way to learn technique, but try to look for something deeper, like what purpose the artist was striving for.

2.Also ask questions in your head about what you may be learning from: Has the artist drawn from the best POV? Has he shown too much or just enough? Is the light coming from the angle which best expresses the subject? There are many more things you will question and find answers to in copying masters. Whatever your questions or answers-either right or wrong- the process of analyzing will be very valuable.

3. Back to what sodAp made me remember, is that its good to choose masters of "main" influence.

4. Choose masters that have work that feels a kin to your own. For example, in my watercolor class I chose Winslow Homer for my master to copy from. He was relatively more of a "slow motion" planner. He would do all sorts of things to his pieces like blotch, scrape or put resistants. He does preliminary drawings and plans out his values. It's a process i'm more comfortable with. But I also chose sargent to copy from because he is more "wild and free" when it comes to watercolor. Some of his pieces don't even have preliminary pencil work. He was so good painting watercolor on the spot. Just painting what he feels. So I choose both of those in order to "balance" me out.

5. When you find old, new masters and any kind of artist you like today, try to find their influences through biographies, article interviews and such. It's really interesting to see their work and find the artists, or types of other art (music, movies, books) that has influence them. Like Yoji Shinkawa (concept artist for metal gear solid and zoe series), according to an interview, some of his influences include Willy Pogany, Aubrey Beardsley, Moebius, Yoshitaka Amano.

6. Most important: make sure you actually have interest in that master work. Don't do it because you "have" to. The more you like it, the more you will enjoy working from it. Also, you will also grow in appreciation of the artist's work that you are copying from. Often, you may say out loud "how the hell did he/she do that?"

[JParrilla]

I know exactly what your saying.. thanks so much. I usually copy a master when I see a drawing or painting that catches my eye, not just copying it cause I feel I should. Im trying to draw a lot from life though because almost everyone has said it comes before all other practice

[yvescy]

what would you move onto after that. what would be considered more complex topics? Like anatomy? I wanna kinda set up a loose schedule for her.. not with times or anything... but just topics that should be covered and things that should be done.

My teacher put together a list of 3 main disciplines we learn as artists.
:rocker:
1. TECHNIQUE: mastering the medium such as-oil paint, watercolor, digital, etc. (if music then how to use an instrument such as violin, piano, etc)

2. DRAFTSMANSHIP: "Making things look 3D on a flat/2D surface"."A.Anatomy (what it's made of; whether humans, animals, machines, plants, or structures) B.Perspective and C.Rendering

3. COMPOSITION: This includes, but not limited to gestures, action, lights and dark, patterns, design, subject, story etc. Basically everything and the most important.

We usually learn technique first, draftmanship second, and composition last. Though it is great to train yourself to do the opposite in a sense. Similar to Ian McCaig's 3 step process.

Why composition the most important? Someone may be a great draftsman and great with their medium, but their work could be lifeless. More of a technician than an artist. A computer can hit all the right notes in a musical piece, but they can't compose and become great musicians. Just because someone can accurately draw with precise anatomy, perspective, and rendering does not make them a great artist.

Look at concept artists today, they start out with quick sketches and thumbnails first. Getting the idea/feeling down first. Then do the slow motion stuff of getting perspective and anatomy correct. Van Gogh is famous for his artwork but he didn't really have draftsmanship skills, nor the "best" at using paint technique wise. But what made him special and his work great was his composition. His visions and feelings of how he saw the world interpreted through his art. As kids we drew based on our feeling of how our mommy and daddy looked. We had no draftsmanship skills and we just used crayons.

As Syd Mead said in his interview (imagineFX): "idea trumps technique everytime... remember, a million dollar computer coupled with a dumb idea results in a million dollar dumb idea."

[JParrilla]

thanks so much yvescy. that was a great breakdown of whats essential. Im guessing after that it just takes tons of practice and dedication.. and slow progress. Sometimes what I get the most caught up on is what to draw.. Like Im all ready to draw and feeling good.. and then I just feel trapped. What should I practice right now? A book? Life? Imagination? My issue now is learning to not give a shit and just do it... I think once I do that.. Ill be getting somewhere

[yvescy]

you got it. Once you learn and practice these things, you gotta keep at it. Like a work out, or else you might "lose" it.

Sometimes what I get the most caught up on is what to draw.. Like Im all ready to draw and feeling good.. and then I just feel trapped. What should I practice right now? A book? Life? Imagination? My issue now is learning to not give a shit and just do it... I think once I do that.. Ill be getting somewhere

Yeah I know what you mean. Many artists get that kind of block too.
One of my teachers pointed out that there are two types of people: a "words first" type of person, and an "image first" type of person. You may be a words first person like me.

I have a suggestion. I have been trying this technique called clustering. From a book called "Writing the Natural Way" by Gabriel Rico. It's essentially a creative tool by writing. It helps open up your right brain "design" mind.

Step 1: You begin by choosing a word or phrase such as dark, turn, jump, or red alert. Anything. Then circle that word or phrase as the center.

Step 2: Now spend about 3-5 minutes to jot down any word or image that comes to mind and write it down around your "main" word. Circle each word and draw lines to stem off of it. It doesn't matter how illogical or random the relations are. We are trying to keep the logical "left" brain stuff out.

For example: If my main word is Turn Then I may start to write: Drive, corner, red light, walking, running, ball, chair, fall, "its my turn" around it. Just keep going and try not to stop. Your right brain will feed you so many images with each word or phrase. And if you do stop for a few seconds, just catch up by drawing circles around words and connecting them with lines until more images and words come to mind.

Step 3: After the 5 mintues, you may then start seeing a pattern and have an "Ah hA!" moment.
Spend the next 5-10 mintues writing a little mini prose or story. Then draw with that as a brief. Kinda like a concept artist would do when he gets a brief from the art directors.

hope that helps, it has for me. :yayca:

[JParrilla]

awesome idea! ill try that.. thanks