Clarifying a few things

[Rock Martin]

I've been reading a little bit of this thread (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=870) and I've heard a few things about:

1. Drawing completely in pen or ink

I'm reluctant towards doing this because.... don't you have to be good at pencil first?

2. The Complete Works of Bridgman

Do they still have this at Borders? Because I can't help but notice that that thread was from 7 years ago.

I'm worried that some artists said Bridgman was more advanced than beginner-level. I ask about this because I don't know if Joseph Sheppard's book is still good.

3. Gesture drawings

I can't quite understand this one. Are they supposed to resemble stick figures or simplified skeletons? Or are they supposed to be a lot more? I'm not sure how to pull them off.

[TASmith]

"I'm reluctant towards doing this because.... don't you have to be good at pencil first?"

Yes it's a law. You must study in pencil no less than 5 years before submitting your work to a jury of congressmen, selected by your state, before graduating to pen and ink. And forget about watercolor!!! You need a visa from England before you can use that stuff.

You can and should find Bridgeman's book online. do a google search for Bridgman pdf download. it's free fast and simple.

A gesture drawing doesn't have to look a certain way. It's just a drawing that isn't meant to be a finished work of art. A good gesture drawing captures the gesture of whatever you're drawing: a person, a dog, a vase with flowers. Try and ask yourself, how could I convey the idea of this subject with just three lines? Try that. For figures, you can think about anatomy, like how the spine curves in a pose. The outlines of the torso. How the torso twists in some poses. The sweep from torso to arms to leg, in some poses. Is any of this making sense?

[Eric Young]

Pen and ink drawing and pencil drawings are 2 totally different things. Although they seem similar the thinking behind them isn't. Obviously the great thing with pencil is the ability to erase. The scare thing about ink is you can't. But don't let that fear deter you, you should give it a shot. Try some quick ink sketches and get the feel for the medium. If you plan on doing a full illustration in ink I wouldn't recommend going straight into it with ink. What I do is a light pencil underdrawing just to get the base idea and composition. Then go over with ink.

[Xeon_OND]

I've been reading a little bit of this thread (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=870) and I've heard a few things about:1. Drawing completely in pen or ink

I'm reluctant towards doing this because.... don't you have to be good at pencil first?
"There are no rules, only tools™" - Glenn Vilppu :)

[Viridis]

1) The goal of drawing only in pen/ink/marker/anything you can't erase is to gain confidence in your mark-making. Basically, the idea goes that if you can't erase, you'll concentrate more on getting the image down instead of constantly trying to get things "perfect." I did actually use this technique for awhile (drawing in pen because I didn't want my sketchbook pages to smudge) and I do think it helps.

2) If it's not at the bookstore, it's on the internet somewhere. There's probably a link somewhere on CA, even.

3) Gesture drawings are all about capturing motion and line. A common technique I've seen is to draw the line of the spine and then whatever else you can do that captures the essence of the pose. They don't have to look "like" anything though.

[TASmith]

Using different mark making tools makes you think and create differently. If you were handed only a pencil and a thousand pieces of white paper, over time, your drawings would show some development and sophistication with pencils. If you were handed a pair of scissors and a thousand different colors of construction paper, and started collaging, your hundredth piece would show some sophistication with color relationships and shapes. If you started printmaking with drypoint on plexiglass plates, your style and progression of markmaking over time would be completely different, and if you took that information back to your pencil work, you'd see it's totally different than it would be with just pencil study alone. The flow of a marker leads you differently, just as the smudging of charcoal, or the ink of a bamboo brush. Try all of it and have fun.

[ItsChoco]

I still see copies of Bridgman's at Barnes and Noble. Most stores will let you check local store inventory online, and from there you can call to confirm and at a lot of stores they'll pull it for you and hold it for the day until you can pick it up. It appears Borders has it available online only. (http://www.borders.com/online/store/SearchResults?keyword=Bridgman%27s+complete+guide+ to+drawing+from+life&type=0&simple=1)

If you have one or a similar store in your area, I might suggest checking a place like Half-Price Books. They sporadically have some great stuff cheap.

[Xeon_OND]

Some (if not, all) of Brigeman's books can be downloaded for free at Scribd.com.