Figure Drawing

[Sanby]

I am wondering what I should first concentrate on when learning to draw the figure from my head. I find that when looking through the Loomis books, their is so much information that I don't know where to start. I find it very daunting, and for that reason I often don't end up doing it. Where is the logical place to start, and is their a certain order I should follow when learning anatomy and all that jazz?

Sanby

[Alberaan]

I think, an easy way to start drawing the human figure, is to start with gestures. A good way to do this, (IMO), is to look at comics, such as Marvel. They overexaggerate gestures, so you can take notice of them :). DVD films are a good source of drawing too, as you can froze the image. I used to practice copying images from Matrix :)

[Sanby]

Thanks for the reply. I don't own any comics, but I am tommorow going to a store with my uncle where they happen to have a big sale on comics. So, I think I'll pick some up.

Sanby

[Cicero]

I find it very daunting, and for that reason I often don't end up doing it.
I think it's these feelings that most people who want to draw never get past. If you can get past it, you can get past just about anything.
Go for it!

For me, I took the bull by the balls and started with head and face construction and worked my way down.

[pvpham]

What aren't u good at? Got no idea what level you are at, for all I know you could be drawing alot better than I do.

Assuming ur starting out I would say
- proportions
- perspective (draw cylinders/cubes to start. It sounds stupid but it makes things easier later on)
- Like Alberaan said, Gesture.

As for anatomy, I reckon start from the bones and learn how they move. From there u can learn how those movements flex/stretch the muscles. Personally, I find that learning anatomy is a real headache and I still can't get my head around it. If your starting out maybe its better if u just have a look in the mirror and see how the surface changes depending on the action.

Dunno if thats of any help. Happy drawing.

Phillip

[Sanby]

Thanks for the replis guys.

As I said I am going to grab a comic book or 2 today and work out some gestures.

Cicero: I see what your saying, and I think it is going to be a struggle for me to get over it. I was kinda starting to do what you mentioned though. I decided top down, and just worry about one bit at a time.

pvpham: I have heard other people day what you said about the cylinders and stuff but I am not sure how to go about doing it, because I never get the proportions right.

Sanby

[Njord]

Hi Sandby

you are the only person here who seems to have obtained actual copies of the loomis books rather then accessing them from the internet.

i have looked on amazon, but i do not know if these are the right ones.

which ones do you have and where did you obtain them.

Thanks.

[Sanby]

I acctually did get them from the internet but I printed them off and put them in a binder. Other people said they took the files to kinkos, or some such place, and printed them for like 10 bucks.

If you still want a realy copy, check out a used book store. You never know what you'll find in their. Their is an incredible used book store right near where I take bass lessons. I bet they have at least one copy in their. I'll take a look some time.

Sanby

[critchelow]

I've started drawing and thinking about anatomy a lot lately. I feel like the most logical place to begin is to start thinking about the masses of the body and how they interact. I have the Loomis book your talking about. Right now when it comes to figure drawing from my imagination I use George Bridgman's technique of first thinking of the human body as a mass of blocks, cones, and spheres. That is what I recommend, buy or borrow that book. I find that by understanding the rhythm and balance of the body I can construct a very 3-dimensional figure by using those shapes. From there I just think it is a matter of becoming more and more familiar with anatomy. Thereby turning those squares and shperes into more lifelike shapes.

[dogfood]

Sanby, I would be very cautious about learning anatomy from comic books. That's the way I did it and it took me years to unlearn all of my bad habits. I, however, was an avid comic reader and they pushed my interest in drawing. If you are not similarly crippled, I would start by drawing from reference, either by taking life drawing classes or from photos taken for the purpose. I think it might be tough to just start drawing strangers, as they tend to move around a lot, and most commercial photos are manipulated in a way that makes them less useful for representing the whole shape (while most of our snaps are flattened by the little flash).

Learn to draw what you see, learning how things really look and they're interaction with their surroundings. The more you notice, the easier it is to translate to your imagination.

Your sketchbook is looking good. You're well on your way.

[Sanby]

dogfood: I understand what you are saying, and some other people have mentioned that. But, what Alberaan is suggesting and what I' have started to do, is not draw that figures, and copy anatomy out of them but do gestures. It helps you think about the movement, flow, position, and a bunch of other things. I think it's a great idea, and it has helped a lot.

critchelow: Yeah, I have the bridgeman book, but I haven't looked at it a for a bit for a various reasons. I'll do a skim over, and check it out.

Sanby

[dogfood]

Spot on. I love gesture stuff and try to get motion into most of my stuff.

I look forward to seeing your results.

[krispee]

sanby:
you can get quite a few used loomis books online at www.albris.com

i`ve got some real books and some printed as you`ve done....he has some fantastic renderings in his books that are great for ref.....i`ve also learned from comics and ref on the ref section here at CA.......

krispee