Sketching/Drawing help.

[funkO_snacK]

Ok, I have been drawing all my life, most of my drawings been cartoons. I stopped drawing a while back and recently picked up a pencil and started doodling. At this moment, I realized something, I SUCK! I looked up some websites and found this one and realized that concept art and sketching is what i was really shooting for. Since I am just transitioning from cartooning to sketching/concept art i could use some help
PLEASE POST TIPS !

[Makafui]

ok man, i started out the exact same way as you but im not particularly good now so i know i shouldnt be giving advice, anyway i taught myself no art classes, and i had help from a few of the artists from the forum and others.

what you need to do is draw from life, draw from magazines, photos and so forth and when u do so try to understand the basic shapes of things to make a rough example a large cirle for a dogs shoulder area and smaller for the hip area and u join them to get the shape of what seems kinda like a tractor with big front wheels and small back wheels and there u have the torso, by simplifying everything to basic shapes you get more accuracy and it makes it easier to draw.

Secondly get anatomy books, books on how to draw anatomy and so forth and read, and draw from them, learn to understand anatomy.

Draw from DVD's and Videos, quick sketches just to get the gestures and get used to drawing figures in movement but dont be discouraged this is harder than drawing from life unless u pause the DVD or Video of course.

Like i said im not that great to please please seek advice from someone in a better position, i replied cos no one was :)

o and finally draw draw draw everyday like a page a day atleast

[dyoung]

draw from life, study anatomy, and take a sketchbook everywhere you go. If your not drawing everywhere you go there's something wrong. lol Be patient with yourself too, my biggest problem is looking at everyone's work on this site and saying I'll never be like that... but if ya work hard you will be. (End Serman)
dyoung

[funkO_snacK]

well, i'm mostly at school, and i kinda doodle on notebook paper. is that good? lol if you can please post some links for tutorials in sketching etc. Also, what are the basics of sketching, like how do i start?

[dyoung]

Usually what I do, is go out and sit at a place that is crowded like the food court in the mall or something like that. I just look around and draw people how I see them. I do allot of Gestures in school. 2-3 minute drawings of the model. I just practice that in my sketch book. Also, I draw allot of concepts in my book. It's always good to carry it wherever you go because you never know when your going to get that "perfect idea" and if you don't have something to write it in or draw it in... your S.O.L You can look at the section in this forum on sketchbooks... as for the process... I think that's a personal thing. I think that gestures are about as personal an art form as you can get.. What I do may not work for you, so my best advice is to just draw draw draw and find something that works for you. I hope this helps...
dyoung

[John Doe Humpface]

sit across from the cutest girl in class, pretend to draw her, instead draw a monkey with her features. if she notices you looking at her or even asks what you are doing, just say....
"nothing"

[funkO_snacK]

well, one of my main problems is i cannot draw from my mind. i can only copy

[wolfmaster]

I personally find drawing from crowds can be quite hazardous most of the time. Usually I spend most of the time getting too frustrated at the little things like when someone moves too much and if my work looks horrible, which it usually does. All I'm saying is drawing moving people is not everyones cup of tea, but is a good way to get movement. I prefer to draw from pictures I find or like mentioned above, movies and DVD.
It's makes me feel better also to know that I am not the only one who thinks certain ways. Don't let other peoples work discourage you, especially online. I find artwork tends to look nicer when properly scanned.

[funkO_snacK]

well, i just finished my first sketch!! it was of one of my posters in my bedroom. the only problem's i'm having are drawing hair and shadows/ tone. can u helP!?

[dyoung]

wolfmaster
I definatley know what you mean... drawing from a crowd can be a pain in the @ss sometimes. I prefer to draw from models when I can, but I think that there definatley is a positive side to drawing from people in public. I also draw from pics as well. I think if you love to draw, and you get that 'bug' where you can't put down a pencil, then it doesn't really matter what you draw, as long as you draw. Drawing from your imagination, in my opinion, is one of the hardest things to do. I always have a mental image of something in my mind, and I set out to draw it... but the end result is definatley not what I had in my mind... lol But I guess that's all part of the journey lol
dyoung

[wolfmaster]

Hair and tone can be tricky, but a sinch when you get the hang of it. First thing you should decide for both hair and tone is how it should generally look for your style. For example, if your looking to make things more realistic, go with fluent line strokes and blending for shadows, as for a more comic or cartoony look, solid areas of tone work well, as do masses of hair. Secondly is this: Don't draw what you see, draw what looks good. It is a saying I use when drawing from life. Don't be over concerned about getting it right on the mark (unless thats what your really going for) otherwise you might end up making it too over worked, or getting to a point where it looks good and making it worse by doing more. Sometimes simplicity is key.