Where to start?

[Jacket-Buttons]

This is a bit of a random question but I'm throwing it out there to some of the more experienced artists.

I just recently started a sketchbook here on CA and have been slowly breaking into the habit of drawing gesture practices daily and wish to expand upon that with more detailed anatomy drawings and such.

Here's the question though, where should I start at first? I have the full collection of Andrew Loomis' books and have read through almost all of them. I also have a copy of Sarah Simblet's Anatomy for the artist, Drawing on the right side of the brain by Betty Edwards, as well as the Albinus on Anatomy.

I think I know what my answer is, that I should start with the anatomy of the entire body before i start focusing on the face, facial features, hands, feet etc and get a feel for the entire body first. However, I would feel better if I had a second opinion on this matter.

What would you suggest I divide my time practicing between full character practices, speed paintings, still lifes and focuses within those fields? Like faces for a character or lighting for speed painting and textures on still lifes.

Perhaps I'm just making this far more difficult than it has to be, I just am at a point where I feel pulled in multiple directions. I know I have a lot to work on but I don't want to jump ahead of myself and become overwelmed which has been the case in the past.

Thank you in advance

[Eugie]

Well "reading" the Andrew Loomis books won't do you much good to be quite honest. It is much more important to fully understand the content, by taking your time and drawing his lessons. Don't fully copy his diagrams, instead pick it apart and see why what he is saying is important. As for where you should start, draw EVERYTHING and EVERYWHERE this is the fastest way to getting better. Your mind may have taken in the information but, it does not have the ability yet to fully send the information to your hands, so you have to train that constantly and daily. Just remember if you're not challenging yourself you're not trying hard enough. Hmm, I just saw your sketchbook and you seem to be on the right track try not secondguess yourself.

[Jacket-Buttons]

By read them I mean I have done the exercises and practices that he explains for a good majority of his books. I'm sorry for the confusion there. I am just in the process of going through them more thoroughly and wanted to know if any particular area should be focused on before continuing on more precise details such as faces, hands, texture, lighting.

I do understand what you mean though, and I will take it to heart. I just tend to be anxious and nervous about where I should go and what would be overwhelming myself.

I'll attempt not to second guess, thank you.

[Eugie]

Here's a good way to go about this, this is going to be frustrating more than likely. Try and draw the human figure from memory; front , back , and side. After you bang these out, you will have a good understanding on what you know, and what needs work. Telling you to study "this and that" is not going to help if we do not have a good understanding on your strengths and weaknesses.

[Jacket-Buttons]

Alright, I went ahead and did a sketch of front back and side view of a human male from memory. It definitely does put in perspective that I need to work on arm muscles and arm proportions. I'll post the image in my sketchbook.

Thank you very much for your suggestions, I apologize if this seems a little tedious. I understand where you're coming from, I need to discover and explore my own weaknesses.

[ask maurice]

After you have done a few full body drawings your personal analysis of these will tell you where you are having difficulty with the human Anatomy (http://www.askmaurice.org/anat.html). For example, many artists have problems drawing the hands an feet. These are the areas that you should be concentrating on.

I also agree with Eugie in regards to Books on Anatomy (http://astore.amazon.com/belierstudio/177-9542186-4347345?_encoding=UTF8&node=18). Shop around for different perspectives. These books should not be used as reference, but instead as a means to hone your analytical and drawing skills.



Ask Maurice.Org
Home (http://www.askmaurice.org/index.html) | Book Store (http://www.askmaurice.org/store.html) |Forum (http://askmaurice.org/simplemachinesforum/index.php) |Links (http://www.askmaurice.org/links.html)

[Jacket-Buttons]

Yes I have several books of anatomy that I listed in my first post and several more that I didn't. I have also taken classes on anatomy already so I have a decent understanding of the key muscle groups and also their placement and how they would effect the form. I just was asking more about other opinions on the order that one should approach while working on practices, I suppose is the correct wording of the question.

[ask maurice]

Simple answer to that question is:

Once you are certain about the composition of the piece, you should start first by determining general dimensional properties of the rendering as a whole. Then you can move into detail to individual shapes within your subject.

[Baron Impossible]

I'd advise interspersing whatever studies you do with full, completed drawings / paintings. I think that will help you understand how the more formal anatomy skills can be utilised to produce a finished product. And it avoids boredom ;)

[Jacket-Buttons]

@ask Marice: I'm sorry I think you misunderstood again, I apologize for my being unclear. I'm referring to daily practices and areas of focus while approaching the general task of familiarizing myself with both human anatomy, texture, color, painting, lighting, etc. My problem is I feel lost and worried that I will overwhelm myself with trying to do too much too soon.

@Baron Impossible: Thank you, that was one thing I was worried about. Since I have tried paintings obviously before but have never been satisfied with the results, I have a tendency to get overly frustrated over something that may be plainly simple. Perhaps doing some 'fun' paintings in between every so often would definitely help. Thank you once again.

[ask maurice]

Well in that case only practice makes perfect.

[Jacket-Buttons]

yes practices does make perfect (at least it leads towards improving) I was just meaning I am unsure how much I should bite off. What should I focus on first before reaching for the next step. I don't mean this as me personally, I'm more asking everyone's opinions on how they kept themselves from being overwhelmed by the sear amount of information that goes into learning to draw/paint/etc.

What would they suggest that a new artist focus on first and succeed at before pushing forward. I understand learning anatomy is key first, but I worry how soon should one start focusing on the smaller bits of overall anatomy such as the ears, the toes, the fingers, the facial structure? While learning about the muscles of the body? After the artist has successfully able to recreate a relatively accurate recreation of the human body main muscle groups?


I think that I am being extremely unclear, I am sorry for that.

As an artist starting out, how did you keep from overwhelming yourself? Between anatomy, perspective, color theory... then the breakdowns of each one. How far did you venture in each stage of development? I guess that's what I'm trying to say x.x;

Like... how you can't start a picture without having the basic shapes and composition but we as humans want to jump in and do the nitty gritty details like the design on the wicker basket in the corner. I just am trying to not to get ahead of myself and focus too much on something that I will learn in time after I have a greater handle on the basics.


uh... does that make any sense? Now I think I'm rambling.

[ask maurice]

I'm beginning to understand your question. With all of the information available (some good and some bad and some which everyone has "opinions") it's difficult to focus on any one segment of art at a time. It feels sort of like taking the plunge in the Pacific @ La Quebrada but trust me it's nowhere near as hazardous.

Since everything starts with a plan and painting is much like drawing with a brush, I'd have to say that drawing is the single most important skill to learn. During this phase you should be absorbing all the appreciation studies via books, videos and tours to museums that you can. These do not have to be historical figures but it helps. Much has been lost between the old and new. It is also important to research about the hazards of the materials (http://astore.amazon.com/belierstudio?_encoding=UTF8&node=200) used.

While continuously honing your observation skills, after you completely understand the principals of tonal value and chiaroscuro , composition, and perspective, etc where you can draw a convincing "Grey scale image" a convenient choice to progress to would be either conte crayons or pastels.

For me because I'm what is defined as a natural, I started at a very early age and dove in. And I am still like a sponge, grasping all I can. Some Galleries try to force artists to stick with specific mediums. It doesn't have to be that way. Today because of my exploring nature I have working experience in a wide range of mediums and I always allow the composition to dictate the medium I use.

I hope I got somewhere near answering your question.

Ask Maurice.Org
Home (http://www.askmaurice.org/index.html) | Book Store (http://www.askmaurice.org/store.html) |Forum (http://askmaurice.org/simplemachinesforum/index.php) |Links (http://www.askmaurice.org/links.html)