Advice, I desperately need to improve.

[AdvancedLife]

Hello,

My first post to this forum. I have always really sucked at drawing and have finally made the decision to practice each day until I can draw well enough that I can get my ideas across and do so without making it a completely frustrating experience. I really envy people that can just draw effortlessly, for me its painful. So here is my first day, first sketch. I see so many problems that it makes me want to quite already. Any help for tomorrows sketch would be greatly appreciated.




http://al.anazoa.com/sketch/angry.jpg

[mtw]

It doesn't look that bad as a caricature of a guy. What I'd suggest is looking at photo references or real people (such as yourself), and drawing from those.

[AdvancedLife]

Thanks mtw for the response.

[AdvancedLife]

Here is tonight’s sketch.

http://al.anazoa.com/sketch/head.jpg

[Dutch Badass]

Let me comfort you

You draw better than me ;)

The best tip is to draw, draw and draw as much as you can
atleast that works for me
many people say I get better each day
As long as you enjoy drawing and do it as much as you can
you WILL become better and better
Practice is the KEY

And offcourse using photo`s and such as reference is a Good Idea :D

Just keep drawing and you will get better

DB

[AdvancedLife]

Thanks DB,

I’m not sure why I feel so intimidated now that I am trying to learn how to draw again. When I was a kid I really loved it, now I jest feel stress. Your encouragement really helps as well as what you and mtw said about reference. I am going shortly over to the bookstore and see if I can find a few good books to help out.

[Dutch Badass]

I`m still a Kid :D and I`m glad I can draw and like to draw

I always liked drawing since i was 6 or something
But i never really did it like everyday
But from the moment I came across this forum I was hooked on drawing even more then I was before
And Lot`s of tips on this forum helped me
Just looking at all the drawings that are posted here gives me SO MUCH inspiration

And yeah reference is important
I use my digicam to make some photo`s of different people and then draw them.....not to see if I can draw them as lifelike as possible....but to learn how a human face is constructed (or something like that :D )

it helps a lot

I hope you keep going with drawing each day
and DON`T throw away your old drawings
cause after a while when you compare the drawings you made a few months ago and you see how much better you became.....that just keeps you going.......Hope to see more of your work ! :D :D

DB

[AnarchyAo2]

Advanced Life, drawing is not a race, its not a compition (unless if your in a competition :P). Drawing is what you like to do, it should be for yourself and not to get everyone's approval. I think the main thing you need to remember is to set reasonable goals. Don't set one huge goal, like: Get incredably good at drawing. Your setting yourself up for disappointment. No matter what, your always going to want to be better then what you already are. By setting small, reasonable goals you build your skills, and give yourself the confidence to try harder things (such as mixed media, the addition of color to your work etc).

Oh--duh! I forgot. You need to keep an open mind. You need to remember that other people are better then you, besides envying them you need to learn from them. I don't think you need to worry about that, because your already here asking for advice. He he.

[AdvancedLife]

That is great extremely good advice AnarchyAo2, especially the part about not making it a competition. I think for me in particular that is very important to remember.

Tonight decided to expand on the caricaturize sketch I did above. I just recently got painter and really love the program. Here is the resulting image.



http://al.anazoa.com/sketch/final.jpg

[GriNGo]

advanced life, you kick ass :bash: you have your style, and i say it rocks :) i love the coloring of your last work... pretty impressive.

later,
GriNGoLoCo

[AdvancedLife]

Wow GriNGoLoCo, thanks a lot man, you really made my day. I posted it on several other forums and no one has responded so I was feeling a little down about it. I just started using painter last week and have never really painted before so I feel pretty insecure about it. In trying to learn how to use color I have been reading in a lot of the online tutorials that its best as a beginner to only start out painting with a very limited color pallet and to derive other colors by mixing all other colors from those. So that is my basic method right now, otherwise I’m sure my color selection would be all other the place. I really love painters little mixing pallet, I think it is helping me to keep a more cohesive color pallet.

Thanks again taking the time to respond.

[GriNGo]

no problem man, you just post your work and I'll try to criticize the best I can. *I really liked what you have done so far anyway. :chug:

later,
GriNGoLoCo

[antihero]

@AdvancedLife: Draw for drawings sake. :)
You're doing fine allready, the last image looks cool!

The book "Drawing on the right side of the brain" would possibly be a good read for you!

Keep going!

antihero

[dzu]

Why do you want to improve? Do you want to become a professional? Do you want to just draw for fun? What are your goals and what do you want to accomplish?

[AdvancedLife]

Sorry about the delay in responding, this week has been really bad and for some reasons I am not getting email that people are responding, sorry guys.

GriNGoLoCo
Thanks again.

Antihero,
I actually have an old copy of "Drawing on the right side of the brain" on audio tape. I remember I bought it years ago. I will listen to again to night and try and get the book this weekend. I hear a lot of people recommending it.

Dzu,
My primary goal is to be able to quickly and efficiently communicate ideas to clients in a reasonable artistic way. I am pretty decent at 3d modeling but feel a real weakness in anything other then that. It would be great if I could actually someday produce actual art someday, but my main concern is to improve to the point that my 2d work (which I will later translate into 3d) doesn’t look completely amateurish.

One of the actual side benefits that I have found recently is that I feel much more creative and spontaneous doing drawings and painting. It really is sort of freeing.


I will post some new sketches here this weekend.

Here are a few of my other, less in inspiring attempts to expeiment with painter.

http://al.anazoa.com/sketch/Questions.jpg


a lame attempt at a water color
http://al.anazoa.com/sketch/water_tower.jpg