Jeff Gran
January 12th, 2005, 05:57 PM
Ron Lemen (FredFlickstone) is a great teacher. When was lecturing at the workshop, he really lit up, and you could feel him trying with all his might to infuse as much information as he could into the gawking crowd. He would talk a mile a minute and draw (or paint) at the same time, which to me is amazing in itself.
So I decided I would try to retell some of what I learned, for those who didn't make it and those who did but missed it.
First is the portrait drawing.
So here's a quick visual aid I made, and below is the explanations:
http://jboy.menlofarms.net/stuff/PortraitTutorial.jpg
(1) Start with some sort of a gesture. Ron didn't start with the outside of the head, like a lot of people (me included) do. He said to start with a prominent feature, something that grabs your immediate attention when you look at the model. That will be where the "essence" of the person shows through. Also, make these "feature(s)" that you draw be 3D volumes, not just lines. Ron says the trick to getting a likeness is in the shapes of the volumes of the head you're drawing.
(2) There are then 3 main contours that you need to draw to set the head in place. The first is the outside of the head, including the hair (if there is any).
(3) The second is the hairline -- across the forehead and around the ear.
(4) The third is the centerline, down the center of the face, going over all the volumes that rest there.
(5) Pick out the other volumes on the face: the glabella (not shown) the "tooth cylinder", the balls of the eyes, etc. find the rhythms of the face. If you get all the volumes and the rhythms in there correctly, you just add the features (eyes, nose, lips) at the end, and that will be the easiest part, because there's only one place they can go.
(6) Then do the rendering, with whatever technique you're using.
Other notes:
-if you're making a finished piece, do the first five steps really lightly.
-if you're doing it for practice, memorize the process, and memorize how the shapes lock together, memorize specific shapes of features that strike you, so that you'll remember them and use them later to strike someone else with the same feeling. The more you practice the process, the more it becomes second nature, and you won't even need the 'training wheels' anymore. But you'll never be able to do it without the structure unless you do it a ton of times with the structure.
I hope all the information here is sound. Ron (or anyone else), if you see this and have anything to change or add please do change or add it. As I said, I was one that needed this advice, so I don't really feel qualified to teach it, but I'm just trying to pass on what I gleaned.
Anyone else want to do another one? There were tons of demos and conversations going on that only a select few heard or were involved in. How about we share the wealth?
So I decided I would try to retell some of what I learned, for those who didn't make it and those who did but missed it.
First is the portrait drawing.
So here's a quick visual aid I made, and below is the explanations:
http://jboy.menlofarms.net/stuff/PortraitTutorial.jpg
(1) Start with some sort of a gesture. Ron didn't start with the outside of the head, like a lot of people (me included) do. He said to start with a prominent feature, something that grabs your immediate attention when you look at the model. That will be where the "essence" of the person shows through. Also, make these "feature(s)" that you draw be 3D volumes, not just lines. Ron says the trick to getting a likeness is in the shapes of the volumes of the head you're drawing.
(2) There are then 3 main contours that you need to draw to set the head in place. The first is the outside of the head, including the hair (if there is any).
(3) The second is the hairline -- across the forehead and around the ear.
(4) The third is the centerline, down the center of the face, going over all the volumes that rest there.
(5) Pick out the other volumes on the face: the glabella (not shown) the "tooth cylinder", the balls of the eyes, etc. find the rhythms of the face. If you get all the volumes and the rhythms in there correctly, you just add the features (eyes, nose, lips) at the end, and that will be the easiest part, because there's only one place they can go.
(6) Then do the rendering, with whatever technique you're using.
Other notes:
-if you're making a finished piece, do the first five steps really lightly.
-if you're doing it for practice, memorize the process, and memorize how the shapes lock together, memorize specific shapes of features that strike you, so that you'll remember them and use them later to strike someone else with the same feeling. The more you practice the process, the more it becomes second nature, and you won't even need the 'training wheels' anymore. But you'll never be able to do it without the structure unless you do it a ton of times with the structure.
I hope all the information here is sound. Ron (or anyone else), if you see this and have anything to change or add please do change or add it. As I said, I was one that needed this advice, so I don't really feel qualified to teach it, but I'm just trying to pass on what I gleaned.
Anyone else want to do another one? There were tons of demos and conversations going on that only a select few heard or were involved in. How about we share the wealth?