How Do I Draw A Character From Memory????

[TIO_MATT]

COULD ANY ONE EXPLAIN ME THE DIFFERENCE BETWEN DRAWING WITH THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN OR LEFT???

ALSO I AM STARTING LERANING TO DO 2d PLEASE COULD ANY ONE GIVE ME ADVICE TO DRAW CHARACTERS I AM JUST STARTING I ALWAYS GET STRAGLE DRAWING I JUST DRAW THE HEAD AND I FOUND THIS A MISTAKE I FORGET OR I DONT REALLY KNOW HOW IT WOULD BE THE BODY..OR HOW I WOULD DRAW IT...


WHAT IS THE PLAN TO DRAW A CHARACTER BEFORE YOU DO IT????


SHOULD I READ ABOUT ANATOMY>>>DRAWING FROM LIVE????
GET AN OVERALL SHAPE??

THANKS:

TIO_MATT


http://www.sketchling.com/jaime_artwork/2d_characters.jpg

[TIO_MATT]

HELLO IS SOMEONE OUT THERE????:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Strife25]

thought it was the other way around. Like if your left handed your more likely to be better at art since left handed equals right brain. and so on

[egerie]

Drawing on the right side of the brain (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0874774241/qid=1080930605/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/103-1753301-3781415?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)

TIO_MATT : First, is your caps lock key broken ? Second, I was suprised to see some pretty spiffy stuff in your post after you said you're only starting to learn 2D.. That creature on the lower right side has a neat texture to it. Third, wait a bit more than 4 / 5 hours before you roll your eyes.

Icey : I can't remember exactly but I highly doubt the size of the hemispheres has anything to do with abilities. On the other hand (:D), I think the activity in the brain is reflective of what the person is doing and how the brain is being solicited. I can't remember on which side is locomotion concentrated, but I'm pretty sure quantitative and logic are on the left side.

Strife25 : That's what has been mentionned in a few books yep. Left hand = right side of the brain. I'm not really interested in the true mechanics of the brain and which hand should you use to produce art. But getting in "the zone" while doing it, now that's trippy. Don't you think ?

[danteort]

Obviously just calling something 'left brain' or 'right brain' is overly simplifying.

Basically it boils down to a lot of people not being able to draw because they draw what they THINK they see and not what they REALLY see. What you THINK you see usually comes from your "left brain" and is developed over the years by associating certain symbols with certain objects. A head is round; a hand has five fingers; a box is square, etc. So when most people attempt to draw these things they go to their "left brain" and draw what they believe these things should look like.

However, people who can draw know how to get past all those symbols. They can use their 'right brain' effectively. Some people do this naturally, while others need to be taught. This area of the brain does what most people consider the 'creative' stuff, such as drawing. It's also interesting that most people cannot talk and draw at the same time, since language tends to be more of a 'left brain' activity.

I'm just rambling now.

[Steph Laberis]

Right side, left side... Dangit, I read "Drawing on the right side of the brain" and couldn't even remember which half does what.

WHAT IS THE PLAN TO DRAW A CHARACTER BEFORE YOU DO IT????

ACK! The yelling! As far as this goes, there is no one "plan" for doing this. If you want a solid character, start with a solid concept. You have to know how your character will think and react before you sketch him/her.

The most important part of ANY character design are the nouns. To paraphrase my character design teacher, "DON'T ADD ANY ELEMENT TO A CHARACTER JUST BECAUSE IT 'LOOKS COOL'. FUNCTION FIRST!" Know what he/she carries or wears, why they do that, and how clearly the purpose of their nouns read to the audience.

For example, if you want to draw a theif character, make him/her with a costume or biology that will suit their purpose in life (pockets, weapons, concealment, etc.) If your character is angry most of the time, think of icons and cliches, if need be, that can clearly convey ideas of anger, then apply them to the character's biology.


I wish I could explain this better, but I'm burnt out from housepainting all week. Gah.

[Mr Man]

Hold on. Im left handed, does that mean my perspective will be bugered (so to speek)?
And im crap at maths

[Orban]

Uhmm, i've just finish drawing on the right side of the brain... It's just a lot of exercise to learn to "sight" the artist way, to get away from the symbol system we use in everyday life.
In short, when you draw you do a switch mode - you use your right side to just draw what you see and not you imagine.
So, with this nearly everyone can learn to draw from reality(only a minority of people with brain injury are stuck - they're stuck for a lot of other things too, no miracle).
For drawing from memory you have to "learn" before a lot of thing so you can use them in your drawing after - she said it's a dialogue between you and your drawing - a non verbal dialogue.
Those who are left handed seem to be possibly favorised since their good hand is controled by the right side of the brain - but it's negligible it seem.
And, to be a good drawers, after you've learn to sight well YOU MUST WORK A LOT :D Draw, draw, draw, don't stop... eh eh. Don't forget it's a manual hability too ;)
(I've never read that your most used side of the brain grow... but who know? :p)

[sixBlade]

Originally posted by Mr Man
Hold on. Im left handed, does that mean my perspective will be bugered (so to speek)?
And im crap at maths

Yes, you will suck in every possible way and your life will be a failure. On the good side you can write backwards (right to left reversing the characters) easier than us right handed folk

[Warhead82]

Ya go pick up DRAWING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN by Betty Edwards. Good book, might help, but i think you can only decide on how your character is going to turn out/look like, and ya im bad at them too lol. Gonna start studying human anatomy soon. good luck mate!

[bean5]

I'd say I'm a pretty good artist (you can go to my website and see what you think:)) and a creative person, but at the same time my best subject in high shool was math (note: biology is stupidtastic). I always thought that was weird since I'm pretty sure one half of the brain is supposed to be dominant over the other. Anyone care to explain?

PS: I was also good at both algebra and geometry while all my math teachers said it was one or the other with most people.

PPS: As a child my favorite game was hammer toss...

[dakoscwash]

Hmm, not sure, practice? But I'm confused cause I think your drawings look really good.... Oh, and hit caps lock, your location is even in caps, it works like a charm.

[TIO_MATT]

Hi I would like also to know Why I find painting bodies so complex???

I am frustated because any time I start an Skecth I never finish it... because I dont know what to draw...
Or If I do I dont know How to paint it......:(

What is the best excercise I should do right now before I do more detail drawing???

How I would improve to draw a character in different posses???

Thanks:

TIO_MATT


:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :(

[egerie]

No one will stress how important it is to do a lot of model drawing before posing characters from memory. Having reference is ALWAYS better to learn and avoid mistakes. After doing hours of that, you can grasp the volumes better and start deconstructing your characters. It also trains your eye to look for power lines for the posing.
This is actually a lot easyer than it sounds. Just practice from life and learn !

[OptimusDinkus]

Um, I hate to tell those this that the left hand is actually controlled by the RIGHT side of the brain, not the left. Our bodies are switched where the left side of the brain contoles the right side of the body and vice versa. so, using your left hand could be an advantage. However, the left side is used for geometric and calculative properties used mainly for concept art and robotics and such not to mention proportions, as well as character properties and mechanics that make it "look right". Not to mention after you have drawn thousands of sketches FROM OBSERVATION, you have a key memory injestion of wounderous observations that can be used later out of imagination. so keep obvserving, and never the less, keep remembering as well.

[o.b]

Hi there.

I modestly suggest forgetting all about left or right hemisphere.
Personally I know no teacher (collegue) who has ever been able to show how to improve "drawing from your head" skills with that "tecnique".

Personally I belive a creative imagination only can come from
the picturememorylibrary in your head. What I "suggest"u should do is to practice on how to improve this memmory with details.

For example:
Everybody knows what an elefant looks like......or do they?
Most will recognise an elefant when they see it, but remembering any details like how the trunk or tusks are attatched to the head, shape of the head, how and where the legs bend......only few will be able to do this without active memmory training.

Someone mentioned sketching humans...wich is good training.......Why? Because while u struggle to get the shapes and angles right U are forced u are infact studying intensely and repetition of this intense study will make u remember what humans look like and after some time u wont have as much problems drawing humans from your gained memmory.

If u buy or borrow some animalbooks from the library u can make the same studies from the pictures. If u get bored copying a posture of the animal...then change the it a bit...bend or move legs, necks and so on.

Many sKetchers learn early to make bigformat scetches wich can be very timeconsuming and exhausting work......in that time U could have made several small ones and gained that important repetition for your detailmemmory.

The great thing with animalstudies is that u can get lots of ideas for creatures and details like...how horns can attatch to the head, claws, muscles on 4legged creatures.


If u neglect to study these....from what other source can u get this kind of info? Probably not from your memmory anyway. So there is really no other way.


Another tips is to use referencepictures (why not animals)even if u dont use them actively.
for example: If u decide to do a SWAMPcreature....find some references to swamp or wateranimals. the pictures are there only to animate the imagination a bit.......and or will not be any guarrantee for success.


just some thoughts.

cheers:chug:

[el coro]

i draw alot of charcter stuff from my head, and the main things i keep in mind when doing it is proportion(you have to have a simple set of guidelines to go by for structures sake, and gesture. as soon as i get the gesture or pose feeling okay, i then begin to give it character, expression, dress, personality. i draw from all sorts of things when im doing this, kind of wandering around in my mind remembering things that would tie into a perticular pic, and drawing them from memory. for instance, if i need a lamp placed in a scene, i will most likely use a lamp that i had laying around in my house when i was a kid, or if i need to make up something, like a crazy space helmet or something, i will do a basic shape of what i remember a helmet to look like, and build off that, making shapes and building off what looks interesting to me, all the time trying to keep overall funcion and form in mind. puddnhead said something recently that stuck with me, where he was talking about the different departments in his head all meeting when he's making a drawing, you have the color dept, the design dept, the form and structure dept, the lighting dept, ect. they are all working on the project together, and you kind of have to listen to them selectively, but manage them into making a cohesive picture. this made perfect sense to me. and i think it applies to your question. its a lot of memory, but the thing i think is more important is managing your different departments effectively, and applying them all in the best possible way they can be used,listening to your voice and aesthetic descisions the whole time. i hope this helps you out some.-c36

[DanSTC]

Hi I would like also to know Why I find painting bodies so complex???

Because:

A) The human body is very complex
B) You don't have enough knowledge and experience yet to be able to draw it comfortably.

There is no "shortcut" to being able to draw the human body. You need to study a LOT to do it relatively well.

I am frustated because any time I start an Skecth I never finish it... because I dont know what to draw...
Or If I do I dont know How to paint it......

From what I can tell, it sounds like you are hitting a wall and getting frustrated because you lack a good source of academic art training.

What is the best excercise I should do right now before I do more detail drawing???

What you're asking for is essentially a magic pill that will make you better.

There is no "best exercise." There are, however, lots of good exercises. What you should be concerned about is finding exercises to practice that are appropriate to your current skill level.

How I would improve to draw a character in different posses???

If you post more of your drawings around this forum, the people here can assess what sort of exercises you need to go through and tell you where you're making errors so you can improve.

Ultimately though, you're going to need to get some solid academic training if you really want to become a good artist. Tell us what area you live in...the people here might be able to reccommend some nearby place for you to train at.


As for an exercise routine of drawing, here's a good place to start: http://www.fineart.sk/index.php?cat=1

"Figure Drawing For All It's Worth" is an especially good one, I might add. Be sure to read the text in all those books, as Andrew Loomis gives some pretty good advice on training your hand-eye coordination and so on.

Also, when you pick up a routine of practice, practice your art EVERY DAY for at least 2 hours...more if possible. Go ahead and copy drawings out of the loomis books, among other sources. Try to emphasize FINISHING your drawings, correcting any mistakes you make or observe, and making your drawings clean as you can get them. Be sure to take 5-10 minute breaks every hour or so though.

Do remember that while you can train on your own all you want, in order to gain a better perspective and more direct understanding of how to become a better artist, you need to spend time around artists who ARE good...I.E. good academic studying with artists who are good.

[luxpyre]

One thing you could also do is learn some human anatomy, especially muscles and how they attatch to the skeleton. If you are aware of all that, it becomes much easier to see what should go where. Everything just seems to make more sense.

[EVIL]

To improve on my anatomy shizzle I drew the outline of my arm and draw the bones in it.. then redraw it again but now with muscles on it.

then do the same thing with other parts of your body.. make pictures and redraw them and add bones in em and muscles. I use anatomy books for refrence offcource. it all has to fit or else you keep making mistakes .. but when you make alot of these studies you really get the hang of it and how the human muscle system works.

life drawing is also a very good thing to do.

[TIO_MATT]

Thanks for all your advices.

I am going to life drawing now It is so hard to draw bodies I am still playing with colour and other concepts I am going 2 days a week to life drawing to understand more anatomy....
This drawings doesnt show up that ......I must draw bodies .....This was yesterday boring at home....playing with phothoshop. :blahblah:

Thanks for all your advices..

next time bodies...


http://www.sketchling.com/jaime_artwork/WOMEN_04.jpg

http://www.sketchling.com/jaime_artwork/ac.jpg
:(

TIO_MATT

[Sok N. Wett]

Wow those are pretty impressive details on the creatures. I also find it hard to come up with ideas, but usually you can just look at movies, and stuff like that to get more ideas for characters or take an exisiting character and transform it, everyone have their own different approach to how they handle creating a character, mind just come from my head, i draw slowly until i see something in the lines, most of time the concept is plan ahead, you get only a certain idea, and then you just push that idea into form.

Maybe it's not showing a picture cause your linking it from your ftp.

Hope to see more work from ya.

[EVIL]

cant see the pic, get a 530 error

[Blackwell]

[/IMG]ftp://ftp.wanadoo.es/jaime/TEST.jpg[/IMG]


I cant post my images can some one help me?

TIO_MATT[/QUOTE]

You're trying to link to your ftp server; upload your file, then view it in a browser, then copy/paste that URL into your post. It should start with "http://www" and not "ftp://ftp".

[TIO_MATT]

I found web space now, I am trying some figure drawings too now I will post them as soon as I have some decent.

TIO_MATT

[buZu]

<3 very nice, beautifule colors

[NoSeRider]

http://user.aol.com/pnhassett/art/cyborg.gif

I'm not a professional and I don't claim to be, but this is how I start out.

Read the book "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way" by John Buscema.
Basically, I follow that procedure......Loomis has a book that is similiar on how he draws the figure from the imagination.

http://acidkick.noobgrinder.com/Loomis%20Books.zip
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=966&highlight=loomis

I should tell you that I use a Light Table.....well, actually some opaque plexi glass bent in a 'L' shape with a light under it. I just trace over the sketches that were made previously and incrimentally improve upon them........a scanner and a printer is also a god send....add to your prints instead of retracing.

If you feel confident with a wacom, then just make a proportional stick figure and trace over it in Photoshop Layers.

I've never paid attention to what side of my brain does what though.....I'd like to think I use both hemispheres at the same time.

Might want to look at these quicktime videos while you're at it:
http://comicartfans.com/SubNewsDetails.asp?NID=43

Here some more drawings I did, but Like I said I'm not professional and I'm still developing.
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=29903

[TIO_MATT]

Thanks I have been studing this days.
A lot to learn ....I think is going to be an slow process.... :yayca:

[Aether]

Right side is the femine (emotional) Left side is the masculine (so called mathematical side). I dont think you should rely too much on using just one ´side of the brain , after all you need the knowledge of anatomy to draw from the head and it would also be nice to implement some feel into the drawing so I would recommend not thinking about too much "how to draw on the "enter side" of the brain. :) Nice paintings by the way.

[Tully]

You don't consciously draw from either side of the brain. Nobody can just switch back and forth at will. You ought to be using both your analytical and interperetive thinking skills when drawing.. if these happen to originate on opposite sides of the brain, so what? Interperetation would be translating what you're seeing onto the paper, analytical would be for other aspects of the drawing. Composition, colour(often, anyway), and specific problems you may be trying to solve in your art. It's not just an either or thing.

Just do life drawing, look at lots of reference, pay attention to how things look, and drawing from memory should come in time.

[VirusArtist]

Hi,

I dont know what this brain stuff is all about and I dont think its important either- I mean, when you are drawing you dont ask yourself "oh my.. how do I use my left brainside on that one... I really could use that left side right now" - you just concetrate on the subject and draw a picture.

In my opinion the best way to become a good artist is to train, train, train and when you're finished, TRAIN SOME MORE (anyone will tell you that).

If you encounter problems, go out, take a sketchbook with you and find yourself some reference.

Drawing from life always is better than drawing from pictures - a 3 dimensional object, person or animal etc can be viewed from any perspective - a photo can not. After a few months you will be able to abstract the things you drew
any way you want them to.

Dont be afraid to make mistakes... Any mistake you make today is a mistake you can identify and avoid tomorrow. Ask the people you know to critique your art. Consult professionals for critique to find the mistakes (CA is the best place for that - thats why I came here HEHEHEH :yayca: ).

Dont try to copy the styles/techniques of other artists - most of them use shortcuts they made up themselves that they are comfortable with- that doesnt mean that they will work as comfortably for you (although some may be a good orientation into the direction you wanna go).

I copied a lot of styles an techniques for years - In the end I got stuck. I had to go back to the basics and come up with my own techniques to produce art I was comfortable with. Develop your own work techniques/styles.

And one general tip (Iknow it has been stated before): know your basics... Drawing a human isnt as diffrent from drawing an animal, basic-wise. The first steps are the same, and the anatomy follows the same rules. For instance bones behave alike, muscles behave alike...
Think of a wolf for instance as a human in a weird position in the first steps. Then check out some reference, adjusting proportions etc. When you're satisfied build up on that till its a finished picture.

And to finish my loooong brabble about what I would suggest:

Perfect your linework, I see that you can color very good (love that reptile head and that second girl), but I think your problem comes from coloring too early.
If you want a body attached to your head, finish your linework first (no matter how long it takes)- then you can have fun painting.

Okay.. those were my 2 cents.. hope it helps..
Etienne

[TIO_MATT]

Thanks for that link!!
I have been studing this days, I download those books of Andrew Loomis which are great.... :confident

I am studing drawing closely, this involves not just shading, I will be exploring anatomy and shapes and how this ones react to light.

I also doing some studies of real life, trying not to get scare >:{ of drawing and also trying to understand what is around, interpretating it.
I will do a couple studies and post them.

Thanks for all you comments, and hands on the drawing!! ;)

http://www.sketchling.com/jaime_artwork/skull_01.jpg
http://www.sketchling.com/jaime_artwork/Study_01.jpg
http://www.sketchling.com/jaime_artwork/Study_02.jpg
I

[Aether]

TIO MATT those studies look very very good , I like the rendering alot
especially on the turtle heads. You could get a couple of anatomy books and study from them + life drawing, technique doesnt seem to be a problem for you though.

[Tommi]

Wow, nice Drawings, Probz 4 posting it, i like it!

[TIO_MATT]

Strange drawing I did last night, A bit crazy..I think..

But, maybe good for study.
I will try more to do normal studies and not things so impredictible, arbitrary, and without any direction. >:{

http://www.sketchling.com/jaime_artwork/Study_03.jpg :nohope:

[Maiku Jaguar]

well to be honest you really should never draw completely from your mind, because when you do details are incorrect and often inaccurate. proportions can be werid, even if exagerated, and shadow and light don't always trun out the best. still, in order to "invent" better you need to learn to draw 3 things, people first and foremost combining a study of structure and anatomy with just "seeing" the figure, animals with some knowldge of thier structure but it need not be as in depth as the figure, and of course natural things...ie landscape subjects like trees, grass, clouds, water etc...and all these things can be referenced. You must remember though not to be a slave to the reference, use that photo combined with what you know of the way things work and are built, and a heavy dose of imagination to invent. that is the best way really, from my standpoint and the way I was taught to do it. THis is not to say that you should doddle out of your head, it's a good habit and strengthens imagination and can generate ideas, but again take those ideas and find reference, do research and expan your knowledge. It's a life long process for an artist, it never stops and you can never know everything about the way things look and work, theres always more to learn.

[Maiku Jaguar]

just as a side note, I do have friends who work out of thier heads, but I always always notice that there are subtle things which just are not right with thier drawings, particularly thier figures. still, that stems from a lack of sufficient traditional training in just basic drawing skills. learn to walk before you run, get your basics solid then start worrying about inventing. every artist has a basic tool box they can work from, ie "box of tricks" which include- proportional measuring, understanding of light and shade and value and how they interplay, contour, gesture, anatomy, and most importantly of all the ability to think 3-d and go beyond the flatness of the page, the ability to understand and literaly mentally feel the form, be able to visually run your finger across the surface of an object. without that...your drawings will be flat and lifeless. :dead: and thats not good. so work on basics, get them first then start playing

[the_allejo05]

agree with maiku..learn the basics..then brake them in the way you want..study study study..sometimes take a brake and do your own thing or if something that you want to really really draw/paint do it..the first years are hard training..Im in the same boat as you are..
..some artists want the easy way..some are very talented from the start..but if they dont keep working and studying more they will stay in the same level forever..art is done for the love of study..of pushing yourself..of learning something new..we have to be a bit of doctors (knowing anatomy) ,botanists(so we learn a bit on plants), psycologists (to understand people),mathematics (for perspective) a bit of science (to learn more about nature forces) ,geologists(for our landscapes), sailors (if you ever want to paint ships), historians (to do some historical paintings) so many things..so little time..hehe....depends on the direction your interests take you....
by the way..you have awesome drawings..your imaginative drawings have a bit of life :)..which i like...just swallow the books..hehe..and draw from life, masters a lot..keep posting..

[TIO_MATT]

Thanks for all your comments, especially the_allejo05, Maiku Jaguar...
I will do studies of life and also of proportions,
I am reading also abaut colours and how to understand them. :confident
Is a long process, but fun....... :)

Here is a little study of a bug in my room.... :rolleyes:
http://www.sketchling.com/jaime_artwork/insect.jpg
1 hour and 30 minutes phothoshop.

[DavePalumbo]

I think there are already plenty of good sugestions for drawing from imagination/memory (observation observation observation), so I'll just throw something out I read about this brain activity nonsense.

In studies where the subject was asked to draw or paint from an object placed before them, those with little or no training have shown much much higher activity in the creative and observational centers of the brain, while those who were trained artists relied more on their memory and analytical side. Isn't that interesting? You may not realize it, but your brain developes basic habits and templates to make the painting easier. This makes it so we don't have to scrutinize every little detail, we "know" what should be where and sometimes even see things wrong because of it. This is why the more you practice from reference, the better you will be at working from your head. Isn't that cool?

[dark pop toy]

wow i really like the way you render, do you have any more images to show?

also, what sources are you using to learn about color? and where/how did you learn to render so well and quick?

[TIO_MATT]

This book that I have found is quite interesting is about understanding Colour, Is worth having a look.

http://img.epinions.com/images/opti/ae/9d/0823007545-books-resized200.jpg

DavePalumbo: your comments are really interesting, I think the key is to keep libraries in our brain, libraries of shapes, colours, textures, lighting.

As I can see I started this thread about How to draw a character but I can see that I am going back to basics, to study simple things and build up a understanding of what is around them, instead of just characters...Is like building a house from the roof without knowing what exactly a house is.....

I think, understanding how to draw is a matter of practice and time...and with time and patience, I will be free and conceptual about my work, but at the moment is time for studies.....

Thanks: :P

TIO_MATT

[mosskat]

Hmmm simple answer?

left brain = math, science anything sequential
right brain = daydreams, dance, art, drawing anything intuitive

you can't draw on your left side... it just DOESN'T handle that part...

an odd thing to know is that if your left side of your brain gets damaged the right brain can take over for it in all the math thingies =p cool huh?

oh and they say left handed people are extremly talented - it's a sign you exist more on your right site of the brain than left hence more imaginative and intuitive. go right brainers XD!!

[TIO_MATT]

Hi I have been busy lately, I am building up my web site.
I am working, sorry if my 2d gallery is small...but I promise that it will grow.

Another study....

http://www.jf-muro.com//PORTFOLIO/small/ORANGUTAN.jpg




http://www.jf-muro.com

See you! ;)


TIO_MATT

[TIO_MATT]

I am going to move this thread to sketchbook thread see u there :bashful:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=53486