Looking for advice crits and maybe some friends?!?!!

[latigid]

Ok new here so sorry for the double post. A bit about me well i am older than most i see on here and a lot less talented there really are some amazing artists here!! I used to draw a lot years back but life just kinda took over and i stopped (silly me) i got made redundant from my crappy job last september and i now stay at home and care for my 8 month old son Oliver!! I found that when i had some time i started to draw again so here i am!! I would like to make some friends on here who can guide me to becoming ALOT better than i am so thanx for listening and here goes again

[latigid]

Ok wanted to try some colour stuff today so first is pencil line drawing of Bougeureau's-Letoile perdue which i scanned in and coloured in photoshop to attempt some skin blending.

Anybody help me with the quality of my scans i know they are crap but they look even pantier on the thread?

[latigid]

Been working on this one in photoshop a WIP of Rubens two satyrs minus one of the satyrs so probs should call it a satyr??

[latigid]

My little boy has been ill for two weeks now so not had too much time for art jollity but he is on the mend now after loads of cuddles!! Got some pencil sketches which i will scan when i have the time.

First two are simple digis done with photoshop referenced from photos a polar bear at dawn and a lion at dawn and the last one was a head study from imagination tryin to work with a bit of colour thanx for looking

[citrusfrukt]

Your colors are coming along quite well i think, i definately need to start working on that as well.

Really love the polar bear, says so much with so few lines.

[chazillah]

keep pushing it bro!
careful of your colours and linework. if you want to improve your lines, do some blind contour drawings (they will look ugly but warm you up really nice). also look into warming up with http://www.posemaniacs.com with the 30-second drawing thing (or longer).

pump out more work and you will see yourself improve.draw every day if you can...make it your drug :)

[Marian Rowling]

Hi latigid I'm an older student and I'm just starting out with drawing so I can't help you progress your skills. I can offer encouragement though and say how great it is that you are being so positive after being made redundant. I really like your paintings and it looks like you've still got your skills. You've come to the right place for help and friends as the other artists here are fantastic. I hope you keep posting as I'm already excited to watch your development.

Just noticed your in Bucks my Sister lives there......small world!

[sandeepbarot]

nice work!

[Grunden]

hey man,
well, all i can say is keep drawing. do lots of studies of things, and remember only draw what you actually see, if there isnt a line, dont draw it kind of thing. it helps so much, i have done it, and stopped unfortunately should get it started back up actually, did a lot recently in school though

[latigid]

chamo : Thanx for the comment and for being the first too

chazillah: Gonna try out the blind contour stuff and ill definitely be getting on some posemaniacs soon too!

Marian Rowling : Hey Marian thanx for the encouraging words means alot i think we can both watch each other grow in here and i will keep posting so long as you do too!!

sandeepbarot: Thanx

Grunden : Thanx for the advice i will be drawing as much as i can:lifedrawing:

Ok i have decided after going through Mindcandymans thread to post everything i do be it good or bad (in my eyes that is) so i can actually see any progress being made and also so you guys can hopefully crit what i am doing wrong so here goes

First 3 are just some doodling and the rest are Bridgeman studies from "Bridgemans Life Drawing" last one is from memory
Also going to start doing some self portraits hopefully tonight!!

[latigid]

As i said i have delved into the world of the self portrait going to try and do one of these a day hopefully pretty basic line drawing which doesnt look too much like me but hey gotta start somewhere second one is a drawing of my boy Oliver taken from a photo got quite upset with this one because i screwed up the eyes amongst other things and i really wanted to get it right :(

[rainytown]

Pretty impressive! Hope I get as experienced as you at painting! :) Practice practice practice!

[Enydimon]

Keep practising.

Remember to really observe your references when you draw. Figure out what the lengths are and really try to apply that to it. You're doing good.

[latigid]

Evening all just had enough time to squeeze my daily SP in so here it is still not really like me but they are fun to do hopefully have a bit more time to play tomorrow

[latigid]

Rainytown ; thanx im really not that good at all but the words of encouragement are needed so yep your right practice practice practice

Enydimon : Thanx for the kind words man


hmmm Sp of the day didnt want to post this coz its real pants but i said i was going to post everything so here it is! Tried it in photoshop but it turned out awful im going back to honing my pencil skills first i think!

Oh and just got delivery of "Drawing on the right side of your brain" by Betty Edwards so im gonna give that a read and see where we go!

[Twan]

I read this book by bettie edward, it was really well-explained and helpful for me, I hope it will help you.
try to draw from life simples objects and learn percepective to be able to draw object from all views ( first you draw boxes and then you draw object such as guns or cars)
keep on drawing

[latigid]

Twan Thanx for the advice i am finding the book very helpful so far and also very interesting i will keep on drawing for sure!

i said previously i was going to try and do a SP every day but i decided to slow myself down and think about what i am doing a bit more so here is a work in progress of my latest portrait which is actually turning out to look quite like me unlike the others!!
The other is my upside down drawing excercise from the Betty Edwards book of Picasso's "Igor Stravinsky" had to pump the levels rather alot so you could see it though as i said to Twan up there im finding the book very interesting and i will be doing all the excersises soon as i find the time!

[latigid]

Update on the latest self portrait after slowing down and thinking about what im doing i have come up with something im kinda proud of so far i know its not super great but its a big step for me im having real fun with this one and i am going to work on it some more when i get the time!! I have decided to stay on drawing from life for the time being as i feel i am actually learning some stuff here thanx for looking and any advice is always greatly recieved!

[Marian Rowling]

Hey latigid you've been busy. Well done for working so hard. I agree with you about slowing down and taking your time. I've found that it is more important to study what I am looking at and understand it rather than just knocking out inaccurate drawings. I think your last self portrait shows real progress and your drawing of your son is cute. Keep up the good progress and keep posting.

[latigid]

Marian Thanx for the words means alot to me! I would reccomend the book i am reading at the moment "Drawing on the right side of the brain" by Betty Edwards really rather interesting stuff!!

Ok done some eye studies from photo ref i could do with some advice on pencil rendering i seem to always get that smudgy look?

[Enydimon]

You're really starting to improve, keep going!

[toastergargletop]

hey latigid, some nice work here! i like your figure studies, they show a lot of movement. your pencil work is good too!

[Maunty]

hey the new eye studies are awesome, nicely done

[purplegoat]

That last self portrait looks really good! You can tell you put some time into that for sure. Draw on!

[latigid]

MarianThanx for the gee up and slowing down has got to be the way to go i think we need to understand what we are acrtually looking at before we can portray it on paper keep plugging at it!
Enydimon Thanx for the much needed encouragement
toastergargletop Thanx :)
Maunty Thanx also
purplegoat Thanx i did slow down a bit for the last SP and no fear of me stopping :lifedrawing:

Ok i decided in all my wisdom to attempt a bargue drawing that stuff is seriously hard and i am still plugging at it also needed to to do some looser stuff after all the heavy thinking on the bargue so in order

1 Piccy of Bargue setup believe it or not there are some faint outlines on there i will keep updating as and when
2,3,4 Some loose gesture drawing from memory sorry for the scan quality my scanner was last sold with stegasaurus burgers
5Decided to try shading with some cross hatching for a change that stuff is pretty hard too
6So obviously i then had to grab a pen and get hatching all over the place!

Crits always welcome and im also looking for some advice on rendering or a good book suggestion please!!

[Peetaer]

as far as advice go, i'd say keep doing those bargue drawings, keep doing master copies, study the human anatomy thoroughly and study from life (very important!!). also, really take your time to get things right, i.e. proportions, light/shadow interplay, forms, likeness, etc... don't feel like you need to rush through anything or that this or that must be completed by this or that time, it will be complete when it is complete and you will know when it is. also, try a variety of mediums. conte and charcoal are great mediums. if you use those two constantly, especially the conte, then your drawing IQ will go up big time. if you can draw well with conte then you can pretty much draw anything well with any medium. drawing with charcoal will definitely improve your rendering and painting skills.

hope this helps. keep rockin dude!!!

[Enydimon]

I can barely see the first study you're working on. Could you change the contrast on it or take a better picture?

Don't pet your lines, make them long and sweeping.

Keep going! You'll get there, just take as long as you need and make sure you learn it properly. :)

[Marian Rowling]

Hey latigid I'm so excited to see your decided to have ago at a Bargue. Your much braver than me I picked to do the eye plate first which has no shading. Thanks also for the heads up on the Betty Edwards book. I brought it many years ago but the old me didn't get too far with it. The new me, at your suggestion, went and found it on the bookshelf and put it by my bed so I can start re-reading it. :) Meant to say I thought the eye studies you did were great and I think the ink drawings at the end of your last post are interesting. We know what we have to do we just have to keep at it. Well done you.

[latigid]

Peetaer Thanx alot for taking the time and offering the advice i kinda know i need to slow down and observe more than i do i actually got myself some compressed charcoal sticks and some charcoal pencils the other day and will be delving into a bit of that very soon

Enydimon Hey thanx for checking up on me! My lines in the bargue pic i posted are really really light i was just trying to get it right i have played with the levels a bit in the following update so you can see them a bit better

Marian Rowling Hey Marian hope you enjoy the Betty Edwards i am finding it very interesting its more about the mindset of drawing and i think some of the excersise in there will be beneficial. Good to see you are doing a Bargue study too where did you get the plate for yours? Its hard to find any decent plates on the net the one i am using is not fantastic quality but the Bargue book is silly money i will have to save my pennies or maybe ask father christmas if he has a copy

Ok a coupla pics of where i am at with the Bargue the paper i used is 180gsm so fairly textured which isnt helping me with the shading but im gonna keep plugging at it

[Marian Rowling]

Saw this and thought of you http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=matthew39arch#p/u/39/I49Q2o7QJO0 may help you with your rendering especially now your trying the Bargue. There was also another two videos on the right hand side showing cast rendering. I brought the Bargue book by the way, and yes I am a self confessed bookaholic! It is expensive, in fact the most expensive book I've ever brought, however it should last a life time and if you compare it to other forms of training it is well priced. I feel it was money well spent and the book is lovely quality and the drawings are great. I was also interested in the text as there is so much debate over Bargue drawings and how to approach them.

Ooops in all my excitement I forgot to say well done on your progress so far. To my eyes it looks good but you know they are not fully trained yet!

[ConCrete]

Hey mate,

Thanks for stopping by my sketchbook. Couple of things. The Barque needs to be brought up as one. You have laid it in but the shading in the shoulder is getting way ahead of yourself. Draw the shape of each shadow and fill it very lightly. Correct as necessary. Also, if this is your first one go easy on yourself and do a simpler drawing, I sure as hell did. That ones a complicated one to say the least. I admire your enthusiasm though.

I bought a book called 'Anatomy Lessons from the masters' and copied a mess of drawings out of it. Did wonders for my drawing technique, I highly suggest you take a peek.

Best of luck.

[Enydimon]

The Bargue study is looking good. Like ConCrete said, it is a big step, but you seem to be doing well with it thus far.

Keep up the good work! :D

[purplegoat]

I see you've jumped into a Bargue drawing! I'm sure you will learn a lot in the process of doing it. Seems like it would hone your observational skills.

[latigid]

Marian Hey thanx for the links found them very useful! I have been trying to track that book down for a while now but i cant seem to find one that does not require me remortgaging the house i shall keep hunting and probably end up selling my mum to own a copy but hey needs must! I think i may have picked a plate a bit above my talent too and as concrete said in here i am not going about it in the right way either thus me needing to read the text within the book too sorry mum but you gotta go on e-bay!! Thanx for the continued support

ConCrete Hey concrete thanx for looking and thanx for the advice on the bargue as i have just explained to marian up there i dont own the book yet so i was kinda winging it think i will go back to that one when ready as for the book thanx for the heads up its on order as we speak

purplegoat I have learned that they are well hard and that my observational skills need a right good dusting off thanx for stopping by

Ok not got too much for now as i seem to be reading and surfing more than drawing naughty me.

1 Old guy from photo ref on black card done in charcoal pencil really enjoyed using those too
2 Bought a book called "Rendering in pen and ink" by Arthur Guptil found it in my local oxfam for £2.99 now thats a bargain the book is pretty darn good and i started to make some marks with my ink pen and voila some inky mess

[kittymeow84]

Hey! Thanks for visiting my SB. You're showing SO MUCH progress! Really great stuff - and in such a short time too. Very cool :D

[witcrack]

Hey latigid! Thanks for commenting on my SB, it's really appreciated!
I've watched you progressing here with a quite interesting studies. I followed Betty Edward's books too, but i've never heard of Bargue and it seems interesting. Do you have any further info like sites or the likes regarding that bargue (i prefer online infos, though. i kinda broke at the moment :D)?
Anyway keep up the study. That daily self portrait idea is good.

[p sage]

A lot of good work going on here.

Kudos especially on the master studies and the Bargues. I think you should continue those, as well as work on some Bridgman for understanding. Understanding is what you need to truly improve.

I see that you're going down some paths that I've been down that led nowhere, though. First one is Betty Edwards.

Don't get me wrong; if you're into it, I would finish it. But it does two significant things wrong: 1) It does not teach understanding 2) It makes you do blind contour drawing, which is one of the biggest wastes of time you will ever do when drawing.

That's not coming from me; that's coming from master art instructor Myron Barnstone; a guy who's run his own school of classical drawing since '77. He says it's worthless, so I'm inclined to agree with him.

The reason it's worthless is two fold: It offers no understanding of form... and you're drawing contour... which makes a drawing FLAT.


One thing Betty's book does do is prove to any amateur that they have the ability inside them to draw freakishly well. But, since it offers no real understanding, I see no value in the book beyond that.

Another thing is the use of photos for reference. Don't. Mentler (a poster on this board, and a master of drawing in his own right) says not to do it, because the camera only has one eye... unlike humans. This means a camera image introduces distortion that is always present when people copy from photos. If he works from photos, he forces himself to draw the image BACKWARDS, which makes his mind have to engage his knowledge of form and anatomy, which then makes the photo ref O.K.

Try to draw from life. I bought a life-size skull (plastic model) from an art store, and plan to use that when I can't do life drawings from the nude (I'm going to two sessions a week).

Just thought I'd save you some significant time-wasting, and help you progress faster.

But certainly do master studies. They all saw in stereo, unlike a camera :)

[latigid]

kittymeow84 Thank you for the kind words

witcrack Hey thanx for the visit regarding the Bargue stuff i found a fair amount of info just by googling "Charles Bargue" the actual book of the drawing course is rather expensive and not available on the net i'm afraid although there are some plates out there that you might want to copy hope this helps

p sage Thanx! Reagarding the Betty Edwards book i think i understand what you are saying but i do find what she is saying about the right and left hemispheres of the brain dealing with the different aspects of how we see. From what i have read so far i think her book is more of an aid to get your brain thinking and seeing in the "artists way" And something you said it does make me realise that actually i might be able to draw given time and practice. Regarding the photo ref i know its not good practice but sometimes i just wanna draw something that i like the look of and as photos are readily available i think i use them for ease i loved doing the master studies and will definitely be doing some more of those in the near future. At the moment i am trying my hand at some still life stuff which is making me realise that i need to start to "see" in the right way. Thank you for dropping by and taking the time to offer some sound advice!

Ok onto my measly updates been trying to do some still life studies just simple stuff to start which i am actually not finding too simple!

1 First attempt with a rolled up ball of sculpey a little wooden ornament thingy and a block of wood tried to tone my paper first and it did not turn out well!!
2 That lump of sculpey again and the block of wood plus a little terracotta amphora thing this one went a bit better seemed to "see" it more clearly
3 Tried a small vase thing but i have a window behind the setup and the light here i realised is bloody awful the weather is going from dark to bright sunlight constantly and confusing the hell out of me i think i might attempt this again at night with a spot light setup

Anyways thanx for looking

[Marian Rowling]

Hey Glenn glad to see you've been hard at it. I think the old guy drawing is good and I like the different approach you've taken. I did wonder however, is it a bit of a self portrait of how you think you look and feel after all your hard work studying!

Jealous you found a bargain book especially about pen and inking as that is one of my favourites. I can't wait to see what you do based on what you've already shown. Its great you've started to do still life studies as well. I understand what you mean about the light changing all the time. Makes it very difficult for us rookies. Hopefully I can help you by telling you about North light. If you have a window in your house that faces north trying setting up an object there. Keep stopping and looking at it at different times of day and you'll find the light stays kinda consistent. Its quite amazing really. I did my still life of my garlic bulbs like this over a period of days. If you can try it out.

Also do I hear and see the mention of sculpey. Do you like modelling? It is something else I've always wanted to do. Had my first go last Christmas which was how I ended up on CA.org :yayca: If you have done any models I would love to see. That said keep up the good work you are progressing and learning all the time and it is showing.

[p sage]

RE: "Seeing" right....

I can understand your perspective on that, because I went through the Betty Edwards stuff a few years back, too.

The best you can get out of that (IMO) is just the ability to focus on an object and not let your eyes glaze over when you're trying to put down your marks.

Replacing the symbols you see with forms (symbol of an eye for the actual thing), etc, I understand what you're getting at.

But in reality, if you understand from the inside out what it is you're putting on paper, then that stuff doesn't matter IMO. In other words, if you understand the bones, it contributes to your understanding of the muscles. If you understand the muscles, it gives you a good understanding of the large masses in the body. If you understand those, you understand the body. If you understand the body, you can draw it in any pose imaginable--and you won't be relying on the crutch of reference.

Reference is good when you're learning, but it can become a crutch. If you ever want to draw from imagination, learning how to draw things "from the inside out" is what you should pursue (IMO).

[danlucas]

Hey, thanks for stopping by my SB. I see you have progressed and are improving. Nice work on the portraits. I know from experience that portraits are definitely a difficult subject. yeah those davinci studies were pretty fun to draw and they helped me quite a bit.

Keep up the drawing, i'll pop back in here later to see your updates. Always like to see new stuff. adding you to my friends too.

[latigid]

Marian Rowling Hey Marian had to laugh at your reply that is definitely how i feel sometimes when things are just not going right! I have read about the north light set up somewhere but im afraid the only north facing windows in the house are Olivers and the kitchen so looks like i might be drawing whilst cooking the dinner! As for the sculpey i used to attempt some modelling years ago but when i moved in my present house i looked at all my models and thought nah dont need them and subsequently threw them all away! Thanx for the continued support ill be checking up on you later so hope there are some updates

p sage I understand totally what you are saying about understanding your subject from the inside out i think this works for everything you look at really at the moment most of the time i dont really "see" in that artistic way so i am desperately trying to get the hang of it. I have always loved portrait work so i think i may have to start learning the basics of the head. As for the Betty Edwards book i have finished it now so any recommendations for new reading material would be greatly recieved.

danlucas Hey Dan thanx for dropping by i appreciate your words as i really like your stuff i delved into a little Da Vinci i love his sketching style

Ok coupla things
1 I-Pod on black paper turned out real naff
2 Coupla portraits top one on the page is from a William Whitaker painting (how talented is that guy?) bottom one was from a Sargent that i studied then attempted to recreate without looking at it which shows!
3 Another William Whitaker trying to sort out my rendering skills on paper this one looks quite nice to me but i have had to wangle the levels loads to be able to see most of this(for instance there is some quite subtle shading round the nose area which just doesnt show on the scan? maybe i just need to press harder with me pencils)
Anyhows i am rabbiting on now too much coffee i think

[krel]

Hey dude, thanks for checking out my SB! :)
Your showing some really good progress yourself.

One thing thou, I think you need to be even more careful when you do the Bargue plates. I can already see angles that are off. Ive never done em myself, but everyone says that its of highest importance to get it perfect from the start.
Id like to try a Bargue myself someday, just need to find the time..

Keep it up!

[Janos]

Hi there,
These are looking quite good, but I noticed that perspective seems to be kind of a issue in some of those still lifes and the ipod. You have to work on these basics now, before you get into too much detail with other stuff. Perspective anatomy studies from real life if possible and a lot of sketching are probably the way to go for now. Keep it up though, the last portrait looks really nice, and I'd love to see it finished with some more knowledge on facial planes etc.

Cheers

[Enydimon]

Man, you are improving a lot! Keep up the great work. :D

[danlucas]

I agree with what Janos said. Perspective is important to get right when drawing from a still life image. If you don't have perspective right, the drawing will always look off. Good effort on the iPod though, the shading is good.

I myself am going back to the basics, sketching and practicing body form and movement. I try to do a still life everyday though because that sharpens your visual ability, and hand eye coordination.

Nice work on the Bargue studies. It would be nice to see the planes a little clearer, but for the overall you did a nice job.

[Marian Rowling]

Hey Glenn how's it going. Nice update. Your last William Whitaker study is...WooHoo :cheerleader:.....really good. I guess you can't go wrong picking a living master to study. You really have done well and I think you should carry on with it and others. The second Whitaker study has good rendering and the Sargent from imagination looks like the features are in the right place. I think you captured the beveled edge of the ipod with is good. Well done.

[Spaggen]

I see some good studies in here. I like the Bargue study and the still life pieces (even though the perspective in some of them are a bit off as Jason pointed out). But I can clearly see improvement here, that's great.

I would like to see some more anatomy studies. I suggest you should try to get Bridgman's Constructive Anatomy if you haven't already. Really good book (but sometimes quite hard to understand if you ask me :P). And also, have you tried the 30 sec figure drawing at www.posemaniacs.com ? If not, check it out! :)

Thanks for stopping by my sketchbook btw, appreciate that.

[NewmanD]

Really GREAT studies, latigid! I like your pourtrait drawings...nice.... And to your perspective studies I recommend DVDs of Scott Robertson from Gnomon Workshop, they are contain all that you need to know about perspective and shading...
All the best!!!

[miycko]

great works in here :D i like that you're not afraid to try different mediums & your studies show a lot of improvement :teeth: the old man looks great, his ear's a little high & big as well, and the latest studies look really good, i think the jaw is a bit long on your side profiles, just watch out for those :)

[Peetaer]

The old man's eyes are too close together and be very careful when using chalk...it's very powerful, especially against that black background. Keep up the life studies and try using mediums other than just pencil. Charcoal and conte will help big time. They require patience and control. There seems to be a fair amount of line variation in the application of your lines, this is very good since you don't want a thing to simply have the a line around the whole thing that is of the same thickness.

Rock on!!!!!

[p sage]

Have only known about Whitaker for a little while, but that guy is a genuine modern day master... so good call on the study. I think those studies will really help you.

As far as other books, two words. Bridge Mang

Well, not really two words. Three words. George B. Bridgman.

Constructive Anatomy is supposed to be his best. I'm finding I'm improving faster studying his stuff than any other book to date. Highly recommended.

Keep drawing from life, too.

[DiR3Kt]

Nice work so far, just keep it going!

I do not see a lot of construction lines in your drawing, maybe you erase them ? I think it is really important to start from the general stuffs and go more into details after. This way nothing will be off and your drawing will be consistent.

Do you know the Sheldon approach to figure drawing ?
1) Gesture (Rythm)
2) Construction (Cubes, spheres, cylinders)
3) Anatomy (Details)
4) Technique (Ink,watercolor, ...)

Hope this helps in someway...

[Marian Rowling]

Hey Glenn just popping in to check up on you. I hope all is well with you and that the lack of posts is due to a lack of time, which is due to the amount of drawing you've been doing. I know it can be hard work keeping up with it all. Try to post something soon so we know you're still there!

[Qikalain]

wow great gallery i like the classic (like classisim) feeling on them with those faceexrepssions that look like michelangelos sculpute-work.

i have a quick question. the study of Bargue's Piccy youre doing there. i googled it but i couldnt find that picture do you scanned it from a book or something ? i really would like to try the same thing as you do. looks very promising to learn how to archive "likeness" for example for portrait drawing of mastercopies.

i wish i could give you a advice, but your stuff is just great am im too bad^^ so maybe you could give me one or 2 advices on my stuff

[latigid]

krel Janos Enydimon danlucas Spaggen NewmanD miycko Peetaer p sage DiR3Kt Qikalain Marian Rowling Thank you all for the kind words and advice sorry for not replying til now had the whole family ill in succession so either been ill or been taking care of the ill! If snot was an art medium i would be selling it worldwide now! Oh and thanx Marian for popping in and checking up on me means alot as you know.

Ok found it really hard to pick up the pencil again for some reason so im just UL what i have done to try and get my head back into the swing some heads from memory to see if any info is sinking in and some studies in there from Loomis because i realised its not sinking in.

[Marian Rowling]

Hey Glenn I'm glad to hear you and your family are feeling better. It's good to have you back and well done for drawing even though you're not feeling like it. It's hard enough at the moment to keep it up without being ill so it shows great strength. Hoping to see more soon. Take care.

[Danny_K]

Hey mate I'm in the same boat with you I'm 27 and have a daughter and somehow with the chaos within my life I try to become a concept artist :)
the road is long and hard but the goal at the end of it is reachable.
your progress is great seems like you got all the right books for studies, bridgeman, Andrew Loomis, Hogarth. keep it up!
see you soon

[Enydimon]

Was wondering where you went. That sounds pretty crappy. :(

But now that you're back, keep studying! :D You're getting better.

[Jesus Food]

hey latigid nice sb. im looking forward to see where u take this but ur sketching is very tonal and u have a sensitive line.. i believe in u

[latigid]

Marian Rowling Thanx for the kind words Marian you know i am keeping an eye on you!
Danny_K Hey mate how old is your daughter and whats her name? I got a little Oliver who is 1 years old on christmas eve! So its a pretty busy time for me but yeah we try to find the time to follow our dreams thanx for looking
Enydimon Haha im still here you cant get rid of me that easy:yayca:
Jesus Food Thanx for visiting and for the kind words i am just on my way over to your SB

Ok this is a work in progress that is taking me far too long but i am enjoying it its from a Russian academical drawing from a student and i am afraid i cant credit the artist the original is absolutely beautiful so i thought i would wreck it in my own style. Having really bad trouble with the legs at the moment and as you can see by the time i got the top half sorted i managed to chop off his head!

[krel]

Keep fighting man! Your doing good :)

[Danny_K]

OK looking good so far! you should start getting used to have a good drawing habits, which means you should get your initial sketch down first rough line of the entire body, try to put two lines as your borders one upper line and one lower that way you wont go out of paper space and your figure will be within the two marked line area, now when you done with the rough line sketch of the entire body start rendering the entire drawing equally and what I mean by that is if you render the head don't stay there for too long and render it until it's done shade the big areas and move on to the rest of the body, and so on with every other part, this way your drawing will look unified and look the same in all the areas, this goes for painting with color as well.

My daughter is 14 Months today! yay shes rearranging the kitchen cabinets right now, does your boy do that too? I think they all do that LOL

[latigid]

Krel thanx man
Danny_K I know i should be doing all that and i should start to get into the habit asap but with that particular pic i just could not get the bloody legs right and came close to just throwing it in the bin! I find that with the figure stuff though if i can get the face looking ok ish i can then in my head give the pic some more attention thats just my weird way of thinking i suppose! thanx for looking

Ok some real shoddy updates here feathery crappy line quality had to up the levels just to see it but i am trying to find a construction method that works for me (unsuccesfully so far) but anywho here they are just some kinda gestural stuff some from ref some not
Expect more of this poop in the near future

Oh and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all hope you all have a great day!

[bharat]

good one...!

[krel]

The Villpu(?) one looks best I think. (Last page down left corner.)

Keep it up dude!

[Luckers]

Hey there! Wanted to wish you a merry christmas as well, and my present for you is subscribing to your thread, haha :P
Anyway... Those studies are looking good! :D Keep 'em up! Bla bla.. i should be doing some more for myself today.. :P

[Danny_K]

Hey man Marry christmas! now if you have a problem with legs or anything else in that matter fix it by going back to the books and studying it until there is no problem. that's the only way.
keep posting your doing good.

[Marian Rowling]

Hey Glenn.....'tis the season to be jolly :) I know what you mean about trying to find a construction method that suits you as I have been trying many myself. I think you do have to just keep trying until you find something that clicks for you. Well done for keeping your studies going and I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas, and little Oliver a Happy Birthday for tomorrow.

[AlexTooth]

Hey nice work, happy christmas to you too!

Your poses are looking nice - Proportions could do with some work, generally the torsos appear too long and the legs too short - I found drawing the Loomis mannikin 10x helps!

[latigid]

bharat thanx :)
krel I have not studied any Vilpu yet maybe i should try him out thanx for coming back and looking
Luckers Merry christmas to you too and i am humbled by your present to me i will keep going at it as long as i have arms
Danny_K Thanx mate i really should be studying hard on legs and feet and arms and hands and faces and etc etc i need to learn it all Merry christmas to you too have a good one
Marian Rowling Hey Hey Marian good to see you back in here as always thanx for the birthday wishes for Oliver and a merry christmas to you and yours too have a great day and dont drink too much! As for the construction method i have a feeling that when we crack that we are going to be a lot closer to the goal gotta keep studying til it clicks!
AlexTooth Thanx for the visit and Merry christmas to you too. I think i may well get on the loomis and really study him rather than jumping around between all the different teachers actually gonna make it my new years resolution see ya soon!

ok got a coupla sketches here dont look at the line quality here i was just going for a more loose approach using the side of the pencil in a rather funny grip for me anyways MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

[sketchibo]

Good start. Just keep working on those figures like you're doing. Really try to get the proportions and anatomy correct. Even if you have to spend some more time on each drawing, I'd say to just take the time and try to get it right.

[latigid]

sketchibo Thanx for the advice i definitely need to slow down and let this stuff sink in!

Dusted off the tablet for xmas and decide to give photoshop a run both really smudgy and not sure why the second one has those eyes but i enjoyed myself!

[Turbosnail]

Hey fellow Bucks resident!!
Your work is showing some good progress.
I'd also recommend Bridgman's books to help with your anatomical studies.
Keep up the good work mate.....

[andres333]

Try to work a little more on gesture. Only gesture, I mean no rendering, no coloring, etc. This way your work will improve enormously, and later you can master structure.

[AlexTooth]

Yeah Loomis for the new year! Good idea, it will help your figure structuring for sure, and everything else :)

[Danny_K]

try grasping the basics first such as, photoshop digital painting basics, then values and practice a lot, well as much as time allows anyway.
here are some threads that will help you to get started:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=107217 learn paint digital in PS
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=71673 little about composition
http://www.itchy-animation.co.uk/light.htm about light
http://char.txa.cornell.edu/language/element/color/color.htm color,value,hue
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=53517 color theory

[latigid]

Quick upload and run im afraid bit strapped for time will give replies tomorrow thanx to those who have looked

Still on the photoshop this is a study from a Russian academic school again im afraid i cant credit the artist (sorry mr talented russian dude) i wasnt looking for ultra anatomical realism here just trying to get the proportions down and yeah i know its well smudgy but the main thing is i am really starting to enjoy myself!!!

[Marian Rowling]

Hey Glenn,

I'm glad to see you've been working hard and trying lots of different things. I think it's good that you've decided to just do some painting for fun. I think sometimes we get so focused on studies we forget why we wanted to draw in the first place.....because its fun and we enjoy it. I can see the form really well in your last photoshop one. Keep it up and Happy New Year to you and your family. :)

[Marian Rowling]

Hey Glenn,

Just dropping in to see how you are and make sure you are still drawing. Would love to see/hear what you've been doing. :)

[latigid]

Marian Rowling Hey Marian its been a long time and thanx for checking back in here!

Ok i been away from here for too long my boy has decided that sleeping in the day is just not the done thing any more so the daytime drawing is out the window! I have also been deciding what i want to do with my art and where i want to go etc and after deliberating and looking about i have decided that the construction method is not what i want to do i am going to concetrate more on the realism as this is where i enjoy myself more. I am all booked up to start a ten week portrait drawing class which is still 8 weeks away but i cant wait and i have decided to concentrate only on master studies self portraits still lifes etc drawing from life really anyhoo im jabbering on as usual
Heres what i been at not much to show for the amount of time i have had!
1 Some bridgeman feet
2 More feet because i hate them
3 Even more feet
4 Bridgeman legs
5 Some doodles outta my head(crap)
6 More head stuff
7 Gerome study and this is where it hit me that it was this kinda stuff i wanted to do i love faces and portraits and the realisitic portrayal of them(need to work on that part though)
8 Drawing of my nose

[Marian Rowling]

Hey Glenn it's great that you've found your art direction. I'm really pleased to hear you've found a portrait class as well. I shall be really interested to see what comes of that. I really like your feet studies and your master study is coming along great. I'm really excited to see what you do next.

[iven]

Nice stuff here, I really like you leg studies, you got some
good mentors here as well, and you study the great masters
right ?!

Very Inspiering,....

Be the force with you !

[badass]

great studies my friend :)

[lennon]

An advice: First pay attention only to draw (pay attention to whatever you want, but drawing is the thing that will make you advance). Make excercizes for your self.
I divided may studies in:
-full figure (fast made without details, face, or hands)
-Heads
-Hands
Look how many positions there are, and practice them all equally. front, side, 3/4. Also from above, behind, 3/4 (there are two 3/4 in the vertical aspect, for there is no simmetry).
If you practice the full figure, focus in the proportions first. You can practice the parts individualy and then putting them together will be easy.
The basis of the figure, is proportion in perspective, to learn both things and how to use them together, the only way is doing lots and lots of drawings. I'm talking about drawing hands for a year without drawing anything else
Of course, you will not do that at the beggining: nobody does. You'll prefer to draw fun stuff that you can make well, rather than boring and difficult that never looks good. I'm not trying to take you that off, but just know, that if you ever want to advance, you'll have to follow this only path. Every good artist has became good by walking it some way or the other.
Whenever you're ready, if you ever be, stay calm through the process, because it takes a long time, and it may be frustraiting at times. But after you pass the first part and you get to the middle, it's rewarding to see that you can draw a good figure in five seconds in every position from every angle, and all this stuff just lets you free your mind (and maybe get a job).

[Turbosnail]

Glad to see you back Mr Latigid of the Shire. Love the portrait of the guy in the turban in post #81. Looking forward to seeing more portrait work. Keep pushing yourself Glenn!!

[Enydimon]

Keep going, man. You're really starting to shine through.

Keep up the studies and keep finding new ways to challenge yourself!

[Luckers]

hey Latigid!
Cool new updates, didnt know I missed so much :P
I'm glad you've retought what you want to do with your art, maybe this will get your spirit into drawing more. wich is a good thing :)
I cant wait to see your portraits in two months :D
take care!

[SteFlack]

You've made some nice improvement already, keep up the hard work.

[miycko]

very nice brigman studies :D and those sketches from imagination are really funny :Teeth: the last two posts are looking good, especially the pportrait :) keep up the good work :)

[Janos]

Hey there,
How you doing?
I looked through some of your stuff and I noticed the nose in your last post. Before you get down to shading etc first try constructing the nose out of different forms. The example shows a very basic construction, later on you can change it up to make more out-there noses. Hope I could help.
Hope you don't mind the upload.

[latigid]

Marian Rowling Always nice to see you in here Marian and thanks for checking up on me! And yep i cant wait for the class either lets hope it helps me in some way.
iven Thanks alot Iven its nice to get some encouragement!
avocado Thank you my friend!
lennon Lennon thanks for taking the time with the advice all that you said is something that i realise i need to do and also something that i have decided to do as much as my time permits so expect more portrait and figure studies in the near future!
Turbosnail Thanks for the kind words my man and its good to be back with a purpose
Enydimon Thanks man gonna be a while til im up at your level but i will carry on!
Luckers Nice to see you in here Luckers and i am hoping my portraits will be worthy in a coupla months just gotta learn a new medium first though :lifedrawing:
[ste] Thanks for looking!
miycko Why thank you Miycko will endeavour to be better always!
Janos I am good thanks Janos with the nose i was working from my own hooter in the mirror and i agree with you that construction lines are something i really need to lay down first i do tend to just start shading the upload was very helpful thanks and i dont mind at all!

Ok on with the sideshow recently got myself an easel as i decided i wanted to start working standing up to give my arms more movement and also to try my hand at using charcoal to give me more tonal range. I attempted a portrait of a victorian lady i found on the net and was not happy with the results at all charcoal is a strange and messy beast in my hands at the moment but its a first attempt and i am on a serious learning curve with it. I love the way it blends but i hate the way some of the charcoal i used does not erase so i guess i need to start asking some nice people on here the best brands to use etc. Anyhoo heres a coupla photos of the piccy any charcoal masters out there advice would be greatly recieved.

[DiR3Kt]

Hi nice to see all those updates. Post #81 as some really nice stuffs.

About your latest portrait I can't help from a technical point of view (I never use charcoal and tend to draw really small). But anatomically speaking i would say the the cheek on the right is going too much inside the head and we do not understand what is happening on the tip of the nose (I guess because of shading). Appart from that it is a nice portrait you are showing a good understanding of the planes of head.

[shambok]

Keep up those anatomy studies ... and remember to always think form! break it all down into simple 3D forms! really great to see people improve so keep up the great work!

[Marian Rowling]

Hey Glenn this last post looks really good especially as you are also trying out charcoal for the first time. I'm sure with practice, and a little help from our more skilled CA.org friends, you will master it. They say charcoal is a good fore runner to painting due to the large range of tone and expressive marks it makes. Love the look of the new easel. Perhaps you can post me a photo of it. Keep going you're doing really well. :)

[kojot]

make more studies of human face
try too simplify head to the box in perspective like loomis in his book

keep it up
cheers

[NewmanD]

Hey, latigid, man, thanX for visit my SB from time to time! I want to say that I will not ignore your crit, so thanks for thoughts...
So I see you doing well here - anatomy studies, portraits, keep it on, man, that practice is not a wasting of time - it's your (our) experience! And when you get new Level, then you need use experience points right... (if you know what I mean) :) :) :)

Good luck and keep posting!

[badass]

Haha so... If you make it to seattle ill either make some fresh ravioli from scratch OR purchase some high class fresh ravioli. Regardless it will be very gourmet and tasty. Definitely some homemade sauce... Let me know if you plan on making the journey sometime :)

that recent portrait looks good. though i agree with previous comments about construction lines. you should really see the whole drawing before you do any rendering (i usually rush through this initial stage but it is the most important) if you have misplaced something (or haven't placed it yet) and go straight into rendering it will almost always look out of place.

keep posting. ill return to see your progress!

[AztcFireFlower]

Hey there,
How you doing?
I looked through some of your stuff and I noticed the nose in your last post. Before you get down to shading etc. first try constructing the nose out of different forms. The example shows a very basic construction, later on you can change it up to make more out-there noses. Hope I could help.
Hope you don't mind the upload.

This where I was going to jump in. The value of Bridgman studies is absorbing his understanding of the planes & construction. He breaks it down for you. The beauty of any body part, including the feet, is describing that structure with whatever medium you use. Basically it's blocked planar shapes you're looking at for the entire body. This structure is number one in getting a realistic head to work. Copy Bridgman then try to apply this same structure to pic of a head. Back and forth. It is a groundwork that you cannot skip, but once done, you don't have to go back to it again.

As far as charcoal - I use charcoal pencils sharpened to a long point with a razor. The side is for smooth brushing of value, the point is for detail. On smooth newsprint, my favorite non-textured paper, I don't use stumps. For textured paper I'm learning to use a brush, chamois & stump. I haven't posted any of these, but there are many artist that use these tool for finished pieces. So, for newsprint, I get the mass of tone in a shadow with the side of the pencil. And my studies consist in large part of photo refs. I practice simple figure design & gesture quick-sketch. Other times construction block-outs of the entire figure to the hilt. When I go to draw from a live model, these practice sessions go with me, because I will still see the live model as a flat graphic shape that I will then de-construct so as to create a more dimensional drawing. It's a process. I scour the internet for photos. Photog sites that specialize in figure work, Google a body part in images, there are some pay sites that have turn-around photos of nudes. And Amazon has a couple of books with photos of nudes for drawing. Where there is a will there is a way. Keep on exploring and establishing that process.

[latigid]

DiR3Kt Thanx for the kind words i was actually going to mention about losing the nose when i posted it but forgot i was fighting with the charcoal and we fell out around the nose area!
shambok Thanx for the visit and the advice!
Marian Rowling I have heard that about charcoal being the run up to painting but i am a long way off picking up a paint brush! Have to say i love my little easel too especially for the price i paid! Life is a lot different stood up!
kojot Thanx for the advice!
NewmanD And thank you for reciprocating and visiting in here! Ill be checking back on you again soon coz i like your stuff!
avocado Hey man that ravioli is sounding REAL good lol if i ever make it over your part of the world i am going to take you up on that offer! Everything you said there about the construction is what i am trying to concentrate on from now on by jove you will even see some of those elusive lines very shortly. Thanx for the re-visit!
AztcFireFlower Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions! What you said about Bridgman makes alot of sense the way you have explained it! I have tons of ref pics from the internet and a few books on figure drawing too so i am going to hit those and if you dont mind i may even grab some of your stuff to copy??(hope thats ok)Again thanx for the advice!

Ok not alot to show here because i know that my draughtsmanship needs to be seriously honed i have been doing a study of a Russian academic drawing (afraid i cant credit the artist) i have really slowed down to study the line lengths and angles that i should be laying down. So far this has taken me over 3 hours to get to this stage! But you can see how i have been constructing this by first using an envelope around the whole figure then moving in getting more and more detailed. I think a big thing i am learning from this is patience!
And just for Marian a pic of my new easel setup in my cramped working area and one of it folded down neatly and ready for bed!

[Mischeviouslittleelf]

Niice work there man, I love the contour drawing, and the way you show interest in the inner construction of the body:)

Keep at it!

-E

[Mischeviouslittleelf]

Niice work there man, I love the contour drawing, and the way you show interest in the inner construction of the body:)

Keep at it!

-E

[latigid]

Mischeviouslittleelf I am humbled by your visit! I have flicked through your SB before and you produce some seriously good stuff afraid i never left a comment because i kinda didnt feel worthy in fact i do that with all the really top notch people on here! (i think i am slightly weird) Thanx for the words!

Update on the russian academic done another hour on him removed the construction lines and started to round of the forms. Sorry about the crappy quality pic had to bump up the levels in photoshop too its still rather faint at the mo!

[danlucas]

Hi Latigid
Been awhile since I stopped by your SB.
Thats I kick ass easel you got there. I bet
its a great feeling drawing on it.

That study is looking pretty good. It helps
to go slow and understand the proportions
and all the angles. Phew, one of these days
I may start doing bargue drawings. Yeah, and
those will hone your perceptions to the ultimate.
I can't wait for when i start some of those.

Looking forward to your progress. Keep at it
even if the going gets tough. It WILL pay off.

[krel]

Jesus I want that easel! Now if id only have somewhere to put such an easel.. :(

Anyway, keep up the work duder. Your doing goooood!

[Turbosnail]

Nice updates Glenn. Love that easel!! Where did you get it from?
You've made a really good start to the Russian academic study and I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops. Keep pushing yourself my brother from the Shire of Bucks!!

[latigid]

danlucas Good to see you again Dan! Thanx for the words. And i can definitely say that slowing down has helped me so far it gets a bit tedious sometimes when i just cant seem to see the right angle etc erase and try again erase and try again lol but as i said in an earlier post learning some patience if nothing else!
krel Hey Krel how are ya? The easel will actually sit flat on a table too so no worries with space , comes right up vertical and i have to say i love using it(makes me feel like a pro lol)
Turbosnail Ah my bredren from bucks how are ya? Thanx for the kindness dude its always nice to get some encouragement!
Regarding the easel its from amazon believe it or not delivered to the door for just over £50 with post and pack! They have plenty of others too ranging from £10 to over £200 i liked this one because i can sit it on a desk and it packs up neatly as i have limited space to leave it up

Ok finished the contour on the russian dude all in all 5 hours and there are still some discrepancies but overall im pretty happy i know being a contour it should not have the ear and heel etc but i needed to whack them in for my own sanity!! I am going to do a few of these just as contours to try and hone my draughting skills then i am going to go back to them all and render them. Seems like a logical way to go about things?! (I hope)

Oh and second photo is my secret i set the elves going at night to finish off the work!!! You can see my next russian academic drawing lined up if ya look past the mad crazy elf curls!!!!

[Jamie Romoser]

great improvement and progress
looking forward to seeing more
have a good one
-Jamie :)

[FraserMcT]

I posted a comment, and it didn't show up, fun times.
Anyway, I pretty much said great progress, and well done for taking a lot of time to get things correct. Remember to try a few different processes to see what you prefer/works best.
I would advise that instead of rendering over these lines, to redo the lines, so you can see your progress.
Thanks for the comment on my SB, and keep up the good work.

[Danny_K]

Heya, you are progressing it is noticeable, just more practice is all it takes. I would recommend sitting when you draw on the easel it is much easier that way and that's the way we drew and painted when we studies the academic way.
hope to see more
P.s. your boy is awesome!

[zhonked]

Definitely seeing progress here! The academic copies are a great amount of work, but it really makes you appreciate the minute details and changes in a given piece :) I hope you'll update us as you progress on the pieces!

[latigid]

OmertA Thanx for the kind words!
FraserMcT Cheers for the advice are you saying to redo the whole thing before going in to render?
Danny_K Hey Danny how are ya? Had to laugh at your comment because i am already sitting down my bloody feet were doing my head in. And thanx for the kind words about my little drawing elf :)
zhonked Thanx for the kindness and its only since i started to slow down that i am appreciating all the slight changes and minute detail there is to see!

Ok gotta post this one as is coz i have run outta time afraid i wont be back for a few days because I AM GETTING MARRIED on friday so obviously got quite alot on!
Another Russian academic same technique as before so far taken me 3hrs so less than last time!
See ya all soon!

[witcrack]

Anatomy's looking great, latigid! Keep going, you're improving. Maybe you could do more of some finished (composed and shaded) piece? Just a thought :)

[Marian Rowling]

Hey Glenn, Well done on these last posts I can really see a big improvement. It's great that you get the whole slowing down and looking. The more you do it the more you will see and the quicker you will get. Thanks for posting the easel photo. I do now have easel envy and I wish I had a cute little helper as well :)

Good luck and Congrats for Friday. Hope you all have a great day and if you get a chance please PM me a photo.

[danlucas]

Looking great man, your form is showing well. It does teach patience.
I'm learning patience while I draw. Will be uploading more stuff soon.
New SP up too.

Robert Crum :: just google him. He was a comic artist back in the 60's and
was made famous by one comic drawing he did and coming up
with the line "Keep on Trucking". There's a good documentary of him at
blockbuster, I would recommend it, its very interesting as well as a little
crazy too. I think all artists have some type of unique perspective on life, a
little different than the average person, but then that can be true for anyone
who invests much of their time at a talent. Check it out man.

P.S. Is that you drawing at your easel? Maybe you should have got one so
you could reach the drawing. ;)

[zhonked]

Congratulations! :)

[Turbosnail]

Hey Glenn!! Tying the knot on Friday eh. Good luck to you my brother. Hope you and the Mrs Latigid-to-be have a wonderful day and we'll (the CA collective) allow you one day off sketching (just 1 day mind you!!). All the best for tomorrow mate.

[JS Neo]

Thanks for coming to my sketchbook... Congratulation on ur wedding !!

I see you took an interest in russian drawing too. I am like a total fan boy of their drawing. Their drawing i feel is the kind now and I hope to draw like them someday. Since you just started on ur drawing, I feel the first critical skill to learn and concentrate on is perception and observation. In other words, measuring, placement. That is the basis of drawing too. I have to refute one of the point made in a earlier post regarding brague. I believe the main aim of brague is not to teach u how to draw the human figure. It is to let you have a method to learn observation. The extremely strict and tedious measuring requirement during brague drawing really hone your observation skill. One important point to note is during your drawing, always measure with your eye first. Then measure and correct it. If you dont do that, your observation skill will never improve.

if you want to start out to learn the human figure, i feel vilppu is a very good resource. Get his manual and video and draw from them. As with any copying, do not just copy. Analyze and understand. Vilppu material however does not go super deep (but it is a huge amount of info already). If you want to learn the human anatomy even furthur, go for the russian drawings, or simply get a skeleton and copy from a real one. Thats the best way to learn anatomy.

The above is my own opinion only but I hope it can give u some idea for your learning process. :)

[krel]

So, mate, how much did you pay for that easel? I seriosuly need one, haha.

[Enydimon]

Whoa! Gotta echo everyone who is saying you're making a big leap.

Don't ever stop, man. :D

[miycko]

Nice work on the Victorian lady :D the shading's really good but her eye's are a little small. The contours look great and really accurate, can't wait to see them rendered :teeth: Congratulations on your wedding dude :D :D :D

[Janos]

Very nice work in here. You are really trying hard and its showing.
I also love the wooden floor in your studio. I want one like that! :D

Congrats on the wedding!

[Peetaer]

Whose gonna be the party that rocks the party?

[badass]

Oh snap! congrats on getting married buddy! you are a badass!

[Turbosnail]

Hey Glenn. Where's the updates dude? That married life must be too sweet!! lol!! Looking forward to seeing what you've been doing. Laters!!

[Konstruktion]

Nice with the russian drawings. Just finish the bastards, I can imagine it being difficult, but keep it up. Also, thanks for dopping by the sb o' mine!

[andres333]

hey dawg you`ve improved enormously maybe later you could try focusing more on forms rather than edges, remember an outline is just a contour of a form

[latigid]

Oh my where to start last post was Feb 3rd EEEEK!! Ok thanks to all you guys still visiting and leaving all the kind words and good advice i am not going to answer everything in here its just been too long and you have all probably forgotten what you said :) but i will visit your little ole SB's and leave some of my dribble in there!
As you know got married then all hell broke loose the house had to be redesigned redecorated etc etc blah blah and when that was satisfactory the garden had to be done too! Mrs Latigid got the piece of paper then laid claim to my ass for all DIY and and odd jobs but life is sweet!!
Not alot to show for the long time off herebut here goes

1st one another russian academic contour
2nd one another russian contour unfinished
3rd one an attempt to render a torso from a photo using crosshatching(really not getting the hang of that just cant seem to get the form to turn sufficiently)

Oh and lastly i have made initial contact with the London Atelier of Representational Art in the hope of attending there 6 week summer course so fingers crossed on that one!

[Marian Rowling]

Woo Hoo he's back :cheerleader: You may not have the quantity Glenn but I can see the quality. I think all three show signs of improvement and look good. Really hoping you get to go on your 6 week atelier course as that sounds great. I am jealous as you know I'd love it.

Its good to see you back, as I have missed you, and I hope your Husband chores don't keep preventing you from updating. :)

[latigid]

Marian Rowling Hey Marian how did i know you would be the first in here? You know the support means alot so thanks for checking up on me, i am just about to go over to your SB to see what you have been up to! Would be nice to have you on the course too as i am slightly worried that i just wont make the grade(I have done no real learning in a formal setting since school!)
As for my Husband chores i fear they will never end so i just have to work round them.
Done a coupla hours on this last night its after Paul Dubois and titled "Roman Woman" Done on toned paper although you cant tell by the photo with graphite and i tried a bit of white conte crayon too ooh i am daring!
Marian you may recognise this pic from a certain bokk?????

[Marian Rowling]

I was nervous when I went to my first life drawing class as I knew I wouldn't be any good. Then I thought I wouldn't be there if I was good, that's why I'm going. Remember not to judge your drawings against what others do, and to relax and enjoy the experience. I bet it will be a great experience and you'll get to meet other like minded helpful people like we do here:)

I like your Roman Woman although I don't recognise the book its from.....that's no reflection on your drawing Glenn more a case of I have so many books I can't remember whats in them!!! Keep up the good work as you're doing so well especially now you have chores as well :)

[JS Neo]

Thanks for dropping by my sb... U have really improved alot !... U are doing good practice doing all those line drawings. One of the most important skill to drawing is judgment of the contour. Of cos, as mentioned in Harold Speed's book on drawing, practice of line drawing should be coupled with practice of mass drawing. Using paint is the best way to practice mass drawing but if u dont want to mvoe on to paint first, u can try charcoal. Use the flat side of the charcoal and observe more of the shape and value instead of the contour.

[latigid]

Marian Rowling Thanks for the calming words, i know you are totally right with what you are saying i need to relax more when i draw anyways i seem to get all stressed out at home when things dont go right! As for the roman lady she is in the Bargue book! Oh yes took delivery of said book last Saturday and i have my beautiful wife to thank for such a lovely present!
Mydrako Hey Drako always nice to see you in here and thanks for the kind words i am with you completely with the need for me to practice mass aswell as contour i did the series of russian contours to try to hone my drafting a little before going on to some mass and form work. Guess what i am even going to crack out the charcoal again!!

Ok after the strenuous and eyeball melting fun of the contours i decided i was going to try and split my art time between gestures, contours and form drawing as well as some masters copies to a more finished standard so i have started of my new regime with a few gestures planning on doing some basic form work tonight.

[Luckers]

Hey there Latiqid, I'm fine How about you?
Thanks for stopping by my SB. The studies over here are looking good, mate!
That schedule sounds good. I should pick up a pencil more often myself.. I barely did anything lately, and it was all digital... Aaaaaannyyhoow

Keep up the wicked work!

[krel]

more more more! :D

[latigid]

Luckers Im good too thanks! I decided that i wanted to be a bit more competent with the pencil before i started back up with the wacom but i know alot of peeps dive straight in on the digi i think the idea is to just keep doing something digi or traditional. Thanks for dropping in
krel Hey Krel always good to see you! Aaaannd just for you some more more more!

ok first one is me trying to do some form studies and also trying to master the beast that is charcoal! Ok i know them circles aint very circley!
And the second is an update on the Roman Woman dived in on her with the charcoal too coz i was in a reckless mood!

[Marian Rowling]

Great studies Glenn I can see you've been busy. Have to say that I did think of the Bargue book first however you fooled me because I didn't think you had it. So great news to hear you do and 10 stars to Mrs Latigid for getting it for you (I bet you have a massive Husband chores debt now!).

I can now give a little crit on the The Roman Women although I doubt you would want to correct it now it may prove useful for the next one. Its just I notice the whole angle of the front of the face is angled to much to the left. To my eyes it actually seems it angles a little to the right. I know I can't always see what's off in my own studies so I hope this helps. :)

[Creusa]

Charcoal poowaa!
Keep practicing.

[Turbosnail]

Hey buddy. Long time, no see. How's married life treating you mate? The portrait is looking good and I like the torso from post#128.
I looked at LARA as well but wanted to do some more research first before making a decision. Of course there is the journey issue and having to travel from Snailsbury through Mordor to get there LOL!!
Keep up the good work mate.

[iven]

Nice nude studies, if you use the camera to display your artwork,
add some contrast in Photoshop I always do that,..

[witcrack]

Hey there, latigid, how's it going? :)
I want to comment on the roman lady too. I think the shading on her face is too grey all-over, it lacks contrast and looks muddy. My advise is to leave some white or pull them up (with erasers) where the highlight is. Consider the edges too, it is good to smooth shade but don't do it all over. I also agree with Marian that her face is too tilted but for me the most strange looking part is her forehead-eyebrow-nose. But it is still looking possible and i am not familiar with the reference image so i can't comment much on that. And again, like Marian said, you might not want to fix it, but take it as a consideration for your future drawing :)

[miycko]

Hey dude, glad you're finally done with the interior decorating & back on the forums :teeth: the contours are looking great as always and those gestures really good & those Russian women are very well rendered :D you're doing great with the studies man, keep up the great work :)

[latigid]

Marian Rowling Hey Marian spot on with the crit on the roman woman sadly i knew it when i did but as i was not really treating it like a full Bargue precision drawing i kinda just went for a likeness, dived in with the shading and then realised it would be a nightmare to rectify so that will teach me for being so lazy/reckless!! As for mounted up husband chore hours well i think i am going to be paying those back for a long long time yet!
Creusa Er thanks i think :)
Turbosnail Hey there snaily married life is all good thanks, and thanks for the kind words. Hey i reckon you should get your arse into the LARA with me for the Summer course we can be like Bilbo and Samwise Gamgee on an incredible journey would be awesome!
iven Thanks Iven duly noted about the contrast teaked it some for the following pics
witcrack Witcrack i am fine thanks! Duly noted with the shading i do really need to concentrate more on edges just so much to try and remember! And yep your right about the face angle too explanation up there in Marians reply!
miycko Why thank you Miycko i too praise the lord that the interior deco is out the way for now and also glad to be back!

Ok first things first I am definitely going to the LARA for their 6 week summer course WOOOOHOOOO!! So really pleased about that and a little nervous too but should be a great experience, not looking forward to the commute though but hey needs must!

And just so i am posting some work as well as loads of dribble a coupla pages of figures also working on another portrait at the mo and gonna take my time with it and see what happens!

[JustinBeckett]

Hey there, nice progress from the beginning of your book, and nice update! The figures in your latest post are ok, I like what your doing with the angles and bargue style drawing, but make sure not to limit yourself either. I suggest continuing with these for accuracy, but also for you to get looser. It depends what your aiming for I guess, but either way this is good practice. Try and use reference or from life, and just look at your subject most of the time, and draw like you would "almost blind contour drawing" but not...you still wanna make sure things looks somewhat right.Try and keep your pencil/pen on paper most of the time. Spend about 30 sec - 1 min on these. Don't focus to much on complete accuracy, that's not the point with these. You will eventually just start to get accuracy without meaning too. (You can check my SB for samples if you like) Fill a page or two, repeat. Its a good way to improve your hand eye coordination, or another term I once learned, "eye flipping" Even though eye flipping is a little different. Anyways, your doing good, keep this up.

[AlexTooth]

Hey man, good to see the progress in here! Figure work is looking hot, keep that up, it's the besssssst stuff :)

[latigid]

JustinBeckett Hey thanks for the advice in here being a bit looser is something i have been trying to do i tend to try and go for as realistic as possible all the time although i fail miserably at it! The figure/gestures most take from 5 to 10 mins but some of them i just cant seem to see right and end up erasing all the time. I am gonna pop over to your SB and check it out cheers!
AlexTooth Hey Alex thank you kindly and totally agree with ya figure work is the besssssst! By the way your work is wicked i love checking out your stuff!

Ok just a quick post of the start of my portrait gonna attempt this with charcoal only so that should be interesting!! Toned my paper and laid in some shadow shapes, will post an update when i can

[latigid]

Quick update on the charcoal portrait, finding this willow charcoal hard to use but its all good fun learning what the stuff is capable of, just need to make me capable of using it now!

[Marian Rowling]

wooHOOOOOO Glenn is going to LARA for a 6 week course.....yaw drop....eyes pop!!!!! So pleased for you and yet so jealous hehe:) Wouldn't it be cool if you could get Snaily to go with you. I don't think you need to worry about being nervous as they will soon see how dedicated and passionate you are. I'm loving the Bargue figures and your new portrait in charcoal is looking good as well. I do believe you are turning your dreams to reality. Way to go!

[JustinBeckett]

Hey man, thanks for dropping by my book...As for the loose drawings, well the eraser can be your enemy, avoid using it while sketching fast, there is no point, just scribble it out, or keep it there and try and do it again, you learn by your mistakes right? If you are having trouble getting them right it might be good to stick with the longer poses for a while...but again, doing quick poses and your hand eye coordination tend to get better itself. This can even help you with your longer poses in the long run.

Just remember, accuracy comes first, speed second. You also get faster, with more experience.

[p sage]

Good work, man. Improvement is noticeable.

With those spheres, make sure that shadow wraps all the way around them... in yours, it stops right before it hits the "edges"... (but then we know there are no edges, right?)

Decent work on the portrait so far. Just make sure that the focus is where you want it. Right now, the forehead is the brightest spot... which will draw the eye. Is that where you want the viewer to concentrate? ... These are the types of questions you'll have to ask yourself. It doesn't matter where the light is in "reality"... what matters is where the light is "in your drawing"... because that's where you're trying to pull off the illusion of the third dimension. It may look much different in your drawing than it does in real life--and if it does, it will be because you made the conscious decision to alter reality to serve your drawing.

[miycko]

congrats on being able to go to those summer classes at the LARA :D great figure studies dude, and done in only 5 - 10 mins :O man that's fast. the portrait looks like it's coming along really well, can't wait to see where you go with it :teeth:

[JS Neo]

LARA sound fun. I think u will have a great time there. CAnt wait to see the amazing pieces u will produce while u are there.

The self portrait is looking good. One thing that pops out is the left eye. It seems to have lose it spherical form and u could also add shadow cast by the top lid on the eyeball. Your darks are getting abit too dark, or maybe u are going to do some erasing for the reflected light?

[krel]

lat! Update! :)

[Danny_K]

T_T me sad

[miycko]

You've been missing for waaayyyy tooo long :( come wipe the dust off this sketchies will ya

[Luckers]

I miss your updates :( I needs them!

[Turbosnail]

Hey Glen.
Where's the updates bro?

[Marian Rowling]

hehehe....BOO to you to! If you've been drawing all this time and attended LARA you must have some great updates for us Glenn. It's great to hear from you so I hope you update soon. Happy New Year to you and yours :)

[ThomasM]

nice improvement in this sketchbook! Nothing to crit really as I know you are going to update soon with some new stuff and you will have learnt a lot.

[dog-faced]

theres definate improvement in your gesture amd anatomy.

keep it up!

[iven]

I really like your stuff I am way to rookie to give you advice,
but when I skip through your pages everything feels tight. DID
you ever draw left handed it's fun and it makes you lose. Use
also the 5-10 sec gesture, make it look messy.