Need help in knowing where to start drawing realistically again

[Rock Martin]

Some people have told me that I...well...pretty much suck at drawing. Again.

So I'm probably going to have to start sketching from life...or at least from photos. ;P Only problem, I don't know what to focus on first.

Anatomy, Inanimate Objects, or Perspective?

[OmenSpirits]

Anatomy, Inanimate Objects, or Perspective?

yes. all the above.

[Rock Martin]

yes. all the above.

No, I mean, which one should I start on first?

[Anid Maro]

As he said, all of the above. If you draw the form of an object properly but with poor perspective, then your work will not present the illusion of realism. If you draw a figure in proper perspective but your anatomy is misplaced, then your work will not present the illusion of realism. If you draw a perfectly anatomical man or woman but the form is incorrect, then your work will not present the illusion of realism.

Learning one separate from the others will do little good. If you plot out all of the perspective lines but do not draw true to the subjects form, then really how much closer to realism are you gonna get? When you draw maintain the correct form of a still-life, place the anatomy correctly in your figures, and ensure that your perspective is proper and true.

[CGMonkey]

I wanna quote one of my biggest influences, Iain mccaig...

Learning to draw is like learning how to drive a car, from the beginning there are all these nobs, levers and cranks you have to pull and push to get moving -- and it's hard to keep track of everything. However, as time goes you start categorize everything and eventually you end up doing everything naturally without thinking.

So, here are the seven categories which is so hard to keep track of. So break them down, learn them one-by-one and keep add them together.

Balance
Weight
Expression
Line
Form
Light
Proportion

And if you want to paint realistically from life there arey two things you want to focus on, and focus HARD on: Value and Structure.

Value:
There are 9 steps in the traditional art-school value range, 1 to 9: black to white. It's always easier to do one value at the time, so break it down so you place one value at the time (not necessarily all the values is needed in a drawing).

Structure:
Structure is very important, again breaking the process into seperate elements is important to successfull realistic drawing. So taking the time to measure all the angles, place all the shapes in relation to eachother properly is an important factor. TAKE YOUR TIME IN THIS STEP.

[Chison]

most people will tell you you need at least 3 or four thing to start

but if it help,i tell you how i train
i learn Anatomy first(manga),i don't care about background or whatsoever just Anatomy
Proportion,Weight,Form,Expression back and fore

but i'm not to the next step yet.w.

[Noah Bradley]

This might help:

Expert use of the fundamentals is the only basis there is for learning to draw. These fundamentals can be listed, studied, and carried out in your own way. They are: proportion, anatomy, perspective, values, color, and knowledge of mediums and materials. Each of these can be the subject of infinite study and observation.

[hitnrun]

Rock, one other thing you can do is to make a sketch, and have people (and by people I mean artists) critique your work and tell you which areas are weak. Post here, the artists on here will be happy to give you feedback on what is weak in your work.

to Chison:

I must have misunderstood your post - are you telling Rock to learn anatomy by studying manga? Or are you saying that you evolve your own style by studying said form of media?

[Chison]

narr...i won't dare to say it in here(XD) because i am the one the get kill badly
i draw human in manga ,think it is equal to you guys drawing human at start!?
keep drawing human until proportion are alway acceptable.

then move on to colour
then perspective and then background,maybe this is a very slow way of training,but i find it difficult to "accept" everything at one and get confused

[Rock Martin]

Rock, one other thing you can do is to make a sketch, and have people (and by people I mean artists) critique your work and tell you which areas are weak. Post here, the artists on here will be happy to give you feedback on what is weak in your work.

Do you mean start a sketchbook? I just hope I can actually draw something out in the open without screwing it up. Also, will I need anything other than a sketchbook, pencil, and eraser?

[FourTonMantis]

Also, will I need anything other than a sketchbook, pencil, and eraser?

No.

I just hope I can actually draw something out in the open without screwing it up.

The second you stop worrying about this is the second you'll start to see improvement. I looked at those pencil sketches in your DA gallery. You have improved a bit. Imagine how much better you would be if you buckled down and practiced anatomy regularly.

[hitnrun]

Do you mean start a sketchbook? I just hope I can actually draw something out in the open without screwing it up. Also, will I need anything other than a sketchbook, pencil, and eraser?

No, but some handy tools to have are: A Mechanical Pencil, kneaded eraser, and a pink pearl AND/OR a Magic Rub eraser. As for sketchbooks, bookbound or springbround is really all about personal preference. Both have their ups and downs.

Oh and who cares if you screw it up? Just do it again! Keep at it! You think all the pro's here didn't screw stuff up (and I'm sure continue to do so) at one point in time? Hit it man, go for it, dive in! Enjoy the process of drawing, and don't worry so much about the end result.

[Chison]

Do you mean start a sketchbook? I just hope I can actually draw something out in the open without screwing it up. Also, will I need anything other than a sketchbook, pencil, and eraser?

sketchbook ,i think they are talking about (upload your drawing on the sB subforum so they can see if they can help.w.??)

pro screw up far more than you think,just you'll hardly see them showing it

[Lamp]

Chison,

I understand that you are not a native English speaker, but could I suggest spending a bit more time with your posts? I can't fault you for language errors, but capital letters and more carefully placed punctuation would make your posts so much more readable.

Sorry to get off topic, It's just something that I've been noticing.

[FourTonMantis]

Chison,

I understand that you are not a native English speaker, but could I suggest spending a bit more time with your posts? I can't fault you for language errors, but capital letters and more carefully placed punctuation would make your posts so much more readable.

Sorry to get off topic, It's just something that I've been noticing.

http://www.tripsmarter.com/travelcommunity/attachments/pcb-general-discussion/3048d1195861293-meet-control-team-grammartimehs1.jpg

[Kamber Parrk]

Well, I'll pick one!

Simple objects.

Use them as targets to learn "comparative measurement"-- a procedure where you slide your thumb on your pencil (or a knitting needle) while it is held at arm's length plumb vertical or horizontal for comparing vertical and horizontal distances (like it's a gun-sight).

Loomis describes the method in Figure Drawing For All It's Worth.

Traditionally, students were/are taught to do this in drawing simple objects like boxes and white casts of human body parts.

The idea is that, over time, you become more intuitive with your sighting and alignment and use the pencil or needle a lot less.

[Leonor]

In school, you usually learn about perspective first. Loomis also suggests you should have knowledge of perspective before studying figure.

[DanialGlover]

Get as much drawing as you possibly can into every day. Even if you make mistakes, don't trash the paper, still upload it to your sketchbook, to see what you did wrong, how you can fix it, and most likely how you did fix it, with your next drawing.

Some people find it useful to use viewfinders when drawing realistically, some people would rather use the head measurement, some people use sight measurement(some people use all 3 and then some). Do what you can, and go for more.

Try not to make excuses saying you're busy, because in reality, all of us, doesn't matter who we are, have at the very least 5minutes a day free time to draw, which despite how small that may seem, can still help out in the long run.

Long post short, focus on everything you can; value studies, color studies, anatomy, perspective, still life, life drawings, etc.

[Xeon_OND]

Personally, I hate viewfinders and all these stupid mechanical aids (viewfinders, dividers, angle finders and all these crap).

They're really troublesome and I just wanna work with a simple pencil + eraser.

Using these tools and aids is very distracting, IMHO.