should you always use shape skeletons?

[Mr Man]

ive been reading quite a few tutorials now, and i wanted to know from a personal point of view. should you always use shapes to make the skeleton of a person or object.
Any good insites on this???

[ImmolationOf TheMind]

This is my first post here but don't take it likely for i'm fairly good in abstract "unreal" art. Anyways using skeletons isn't something I do myself. skeletons are for mroe realsitc drawings. If your trying to make monsters or aliens or whatever dont use skeltons for they tend to resemble some kind of an animal that exists. but if its up to you, what else can i say besides that, jsut wanted to give a few views and still be nice....
:eek: if only my english teacher could see me now...

[Mr Man]

Thanks for that. you've opened up a new window for me:D

[gekitsu]

if you can draw any use out of the usage of skeletons, draw them. they can be a tremendous help in organizing the structure of the figure you are drawing. however, if you stick too close to a skeleton, you risk that your figures (or monsters, animals, crane arms or whatever - no one said shit about the skeleton structure) will look as if they had a broomstick up their ass.

if you feel sure enough about foreshortening, proportions and everything without drawing a skeleton first, then leave it out. you dont need it, you dont get any special use out of it and you waste time drawing it.
without skeletons, it is more unlikely youll encounter the broomstick problem, but twisted proportions, legs of different length, seemingly floating people can be issues that start to arise if you just start drawing without properly done framework to build upon.

maybe (most likely), your way is somewhere inbetween. also, practise is a factor that you shouldnt underestimate: sketching human skeletons and figures for a longer time will probably give you a more solid grip on the whole human figure thing, so that you eventually might stop using skeletons.
just do what works for you.

[Mr Man]

For most of my life I have never used skeletons so maybe I should just stick with what I normally do. I think if you try and change a habit your used to, it can Muddle you up abit.

Again thanks for the help.:D

[carnalizer]

I have to speak up.

If your trying to make monsters or aliens or whatever dont use skeltons for they tend to resemble some kind of an animal that exists.

Monsters and aliens NEED believability. Without underlying machinery (bones, muscle..) it will look like scribbles done while on the phone or worse, on drugs.

You don't have to draw bones as long as you know where they should be though.

[Elwell]

You shouldn't "always" do anything, but you certainly should know how to. The more different ways you have of approaching a problem the better off you are.