scratches

[Effel]

please, be gentle with me; i'm a beginner!

[asoir]

We wont be unless you post some sketches. ;)

[Effel]

ok, here goes...
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/Scan0011_small.gif
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/Scan0013_small.gif
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/Scan0002_small.gif
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/Scan0012_small.gif

[Effel]

Trying to grasp the lovely Louise Hodges...

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/louise.gif

[Effel]

some pretty model (at least the original was pretty...)

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/katie.jpg

[Effel]

skirt babe
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/skirt.jpg

mishap
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/smile.jpg

good girl!
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/goodgirl.jpg

[Effel]

some more babes to put in my lonely sb...

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/schothorst.jpg

...

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/pigsgirl.jpg

[Noë]

Hello there, welcome to CA! (heb jij ook altijd zoveel extra tijd in de trein om te tekenen met al die vertraging? ;) )

There are a lot of problems in your sketches that make them look unreal. I think you should draw a lot of faces from pictures you find on the internet and really look closely on what you're drawing. There are a few guidelines that are really helpful on faces;
- the eyes are in the exact middle of the head,
- the space from the hairline to eyebrows equals the space from eyebrows to nose equals the space from nose to chin (when you see the head straightforward)
- When you divide the part from nose to chin into 3 parts, the opening of the mouth is at 1/3rd and the chin crease is at 2/3rd.
- The space between two eyes should be one eye, and the head is approximately 5 eyes wide (sometimes more, sometimes less)
- the ends of the mouth are about as wide as the space between the two pupils of the eyes.
- The length of the ears is approximately from the eyebrows to the nose.

In the bodies I see that you're making the hands and feet way too small. The heads are a bit small also. Try to find a good picture or drawing of a woman standing up straight (like this (http://www.female-anatomy-for-artist.com/free/loomis_front.jpg)) and measure it by head lengths. When this figure is approximately 7,5 to 8 head lengths tall, you're on the right track (next is to get everything in the right place :P)
Try drawing some Loomis maybe :)

Some random things that I noticed; the faces are looking very round, especially with the chin and jaw line. Try to define the jaw a bit more.
Don't outline the lips completely! Lips just look very weird like that.. Also teeth; don't draw a line around every single tooth, just draw the shape of the entire row of teeth.
Also the lips cover the most part of the teeth most of the time. When the teeth are actually shown, the upper lip is curled up a bit, and the mouth is smiling very widely (like here (http://www.air-america.org/Images/GIRL%20SMILING%202.jpg) for example)
I can't find a decent picture of the ideal proportions of a head, but I hope my big lap of text here helps you a bit with that.
I have to go now,
just keep sketching, and practice a lot! When you just keep doing it you will get better soon!

love
Marleen

EDIT; I quickly drew you a head :P I know it looks crappy and all, but it shows you what I mean..

http://pic16.picturetrail.com/VOL655/2419646/5277014/163052177.jpg

[Effel]

Someone visited my sketchbook! Man, I'm happy! Thanks a lot, Noe. I guess you're right about my drawings, there's a lot to be improved, but hey, that's why I post 'm. I'll certainly learn from your comments.
Anyway, if it wasn't for the NS, my drawings would be even worse. Yesterday, suicide between Nijkerk and Putten...

Who is this Loomis guy everyone's going on about? Guess I should check him out sometime, or her.

Here's some more train drawings.

I know the mouth's too small on this one...

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/tails_sad-1.jpg

redhead (trust me)
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/redhead.jpg

[Noë]

I think that last face is a lot better than the other faces, maybe because you rendered a bit more? Dunno.
I'm wondering; do you draw from photos or something? Because when you draw from photos you have as much time as you need to look closely and find out which shapes are supposed to be where.
Try to not be as simple as drawing an egg for a head, but really look closely and copy what you see from the picture. It may look very off in the beginning, but it will get your realism better.
About mister Andrew Loomis; he has some very nice books that explain a lot about drawing. I am doing some stuff from "Figure drawing for all it's worth" written by him, and I think it will help me a lot.
His books are out of print for a long while, but you can download them in PDF format here;
http://acid.noobgrinder.com/Loomis/
http://placidchaos.com/Loomis/
There are probably more places to find them, but those above are the ones I found quickly.

Try to spend some more time on the drawing, and maybe try adding some more values once in a while? Find the highlights and shadows (and the darker parts and lighter parts of the shadows) and try to render them too (it takes a lot of extra time to do that though, but it's worth it I think)
Always remember that mostly darker parts are drawn backwards and lighter parts are drawn forward. So by using simple lighter and darker areas you can create a much more real feeling in your drawings.

Oh and try some side and 3/4 views in the portraits also!

I'll just keep following this sketchbook, man I hate it that the pros get 20 comments at each update and that the beginners who need the crits most get nothing mostly.

Love
Marleen

[Listing]

Keep working. Study some facial anatomy for your portraiture. Even though the faces are fairly flat you've caught a good deal of naturalistic expression in the latest especially. Good job.

[Effel]

Thanks for all the advice, Listing and Marleen. I downloaded the Loomis books, and they seem very usefull indeed. I also spent 50 cents on a book called Flatten your stomach for women. I´ll be trying to draw some poses out of it.
Now about values, whenever I try to draw shadows on a face, my subjects turn into car mechanics: my shadows look like smudges. I must be doing something wrong here...

BTW, how come everyone has a cool avatar, but me? My nickname just shows without any image next to it...

this is your air america girl, Marleen. Not a lot of values here either, I´m afraid. Look at her neck, it´s not quite right, but why? And somehow her laugh is less expressive as it is in the photo.
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/air_america.jpg

[wookiedabo]

not too shabby, lookin better. the latest does look like you payed more attention to the actual shape of the head, rather than just fillin an oval with features. really work on not connecting the nose to the eyes via on line on one side, try and render the tip of the nose and the nostrils and shadow around the eyes, and that will give you a rough impression of the bridge of the nose aswell without specifically defining it with that line.

with regards to shadows and rendering, when lookin at a pic, pic out and draw, perhaps in shapes, or just grey areas, the main areas of shadow. at the moment, this only need be approximate, you can work on increased detail later. id suggest doing quick studies of heads, bout 10 to an a4 page perhaps, depending on how ya work, just lookin at the main lines defining the face and maybe blocking in the shadows. these can be done lookin at photos or real people, but just try to show the shape of the face and the main areas of shadow.

also try putting in the neck and shoulders, just so at the same time your learning how everything connects together. and i notice that with hair your just drawing lines. try to draw general shapes you see within the hairstyle, then draw in the shadows on the hair, as often it can have quite a lot of contrast.

good luck, just keep drawin, itll come with time and practice.

[shyamshriram]

Nice start mate..
already u ve got nice critique..but i'll try to give some..
What i saw in ur drawings is..there is lack of structure sense..i mean..i dont see the skull inside these faces..how about a start with skull study ?
and dont go for likeness..it will come automatically as u study the structure.

Hope this helps :)

Keep working !

[Effel]

2 am. can't sleep. here's my attempt to put a little more values in my drawings (but not too much!). Eyes are a bit large...

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/grasshopper_girl.jpg

[Noë]

Yay! I think those last two are very nice!
I think you caught the expressions well and the shape of the head looks much much better.
There are litle things to nitpick on, but I think you drew them nicely!

Now here are the nitpicks;
- On the "americana girl" the mouth looks like it's seen from the direct front, while the rest of the face is in 3/4 view.. Also the upper lip is much thinner near the corners of the mouth. The hair is something to work on too because I see a lot of lines, not hair. I know it's hard to get hair right (I struggle with drawing hair a lot myself), but the advice I've gotten from people is to divide it in to locks, and only draw those, so draw only the outline of the hair and a féw locks. That's the base.
- On the last one this hair crit also stands. About the eyes; Do all of these girls have make up on (to make their eyes dark on the bottom) or is this just the way you draw them? I suggest you take a good look upon some eyes (wait, I'll just post them here;)
http://www.portrait-artist.org/pics-ballpointpen-sketch/detail-eye-finished.jpg http://www.unmc.edu/eye/Media/PatsEye.png
As you can see there's this little light fleshy line below the iris (above also but you almost never see it well), I don't know what it's called, but I think it's kinda important to also draw that little line, because I think it makes the eyes look much more real if you have that in your drawing.
Maybe you can do a page with just a lot of eyes drawn? You can use a mirror and your own eyes as reference material or find pictures/ drawings of eyes on the internet.
You can do this too with noses, mouths, ears, whatever :P
Oh and just one other thing; with shading you can go a lot further than you've done so far, really push the values and get some darks in there also! Even if it's not in the picture, you just find the places that seem darkest on the picture and make them a bit more dark in your drawing. Don't be scared to draw shadows in the entire face, it probably will go wrong a few times, but you're not here to make these beautiful drawings, you're here to improve and experience right? :)

Enough nitpicks :P You're doing great! Keep it up!
Love
Marleen

[masterpug]

I think you are getting much better with Marleen's comments. If you want to get the face right, I suggest doing some studies of skulls. If that seems too creepy to you (the young ones always think it is), I suggest getting a photograph and drawing from that. It will help you, trust me. You can also diagram faces, like Marleen did in post #8. Do it over and over until your hand just KNOWS where things are supposed to be. Don't be afraid to sketch out the places where things ought to be first. If they look off, erase and try again. Lots of beginners don't use erasers, but they are one of the greatest tools.

A couple other tips, Marleen style-
1) Get a seperate eraser from the one on the pencil. For normal paper, I suggest the white ones. They don't harden like the pink ones and don't smear as much. The maleable (also called Gummi) erasers are nice, but I don't like 'em.
2) When you scan your images, most scanners have a histogram. This you can adjust to make the paper go whiter and the marks darker. Some of your scans are a bit muddy. Photoshop also has this feature. If you are unsure about this, look on the web; just google "Histogram."
3) I suggest you try just drawing lots of mouths, eyes, noses, and ears without a head attacked to them. Get pictures and draw from those or look in the mirror (Yes, you have them too!). It will help you when you start to assemble the face and will help your hand get 'em right.
4) People are made up of basic shapes, just like everything else. The head is mostly a large egg-shaped oval with some square-ish and triangular protusions. Work on some still-lifes, draw fruit, cups, etc; to get the feel of these shapes down. It will also help you if you shade them to give them depth; that way your brain will begin to see depth in 2D drawings.

Whew, think that is enough? Me to. Just keep at it. It is hard, we all know; but persistence is most of the battle. Most of the people on this site will tell you that their ability to draw comes from LOTS of hard work. Good luck, and keep posting!

To Marleen:
Good on you keeping up with this one, hope to see you around!

[Effel]

Wow, thanks a lot for all the comments you guys. I think I can do an awful lot of drawing before I've incorporated all the advice... Not to mention the Loomis books...
Now, I gotta go and get some sleep. Didn't sleep for a single minute last night. The heat...

I did my first workout drawing. The face is terrible. I can only draw reasonable faces when I have enough space. I guess it takes a certain experience to draw convincing small faces.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/stomach1.jpg

[Effel]

eye studies: if you draw something large enough, it looks okay!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/eye.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/eye_asian.jpg

[Qitsune]

Hey Effel... another tip in line with what Noe said: the knees should be in the middle of the leg (between hip and floor) on your work out sketch the knees are a little low but the overall lenght of the legs is good they might be a little longer on some ppl, but not on everyone.

[Effel]

Thanks qitsune, you're absolutely right about the knees.

Here's another portrait

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/shorthair.jpg

[Effel]

Ukranian girl

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/yulia.jpg

[MatthewGraves]

Definitely improving! I love to see that. It's like our own little success story, happening right in front of our eyes. :D

The eyes are looking good, and that Ukrainian girl is probably one of the best drawings you've posted so far. Her nose is a little wonky, and her eyes aren't the greatest -- you should take what you've learned from drawing the eyes and really apply it. :D

[Isobel]

I like yor stuff,
still one thing.
what's up with the two-pony-tail-hair look?
it makes them ( to my point of view) all so trashy.
but stil good work! keep it up

[Effel]

I like yor stuff,
still one thing.
what's up with the two-pony-tail-hair look?
it makes them ( to my point of view) all so trashy.
but stil good work! keep it up

Thanks for the crits. I can't help myself, I guess pigtails are my personal fetish. But I totally agree that I should explore some other hairstyles :^^:

[Noë]

hello effel :)
those eye studies are looking good so far :) Really try to apply them to your faces.
I think the last two faces you posted are really very good. I can see improvement, definetely. On the ukranian girl; the ear looks really off, ears should go from the eyebrows to nose, and here it is definetely too small, but hey that stuff happens, keep sketching!

love
Marleen

[Effel]

Yeah, the ukranian ear is definitely off, Marleen. She is looking upwards, but still you are right.

Last pix before my camping holiday:

something has gone terribly wrong here. the mouth is so hard to draw from this angle, also the eyes... I hope anyone has some useful comments on this one...
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/awful.jpg

here's the ref:
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/ref_hair.jpg

Dutch panflutist
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/panflutist.jpg

[NOOB!]

stuff is nice but a bit stiff,have u ever done gesture drawing?

[masterpug]

I think he is right, try some gesture drawing. Also, try to draw what is there and not what your brain is telling you is there. I know it sounds wierd, but people don't look like you might expect. They have lines in wierd places that move at completely bizarre angles. Hell, even doing some tracing helps a little. But mostly, you should just try to draw what is there. Every time you draw a line, look at the reference, check if it is right, and then go back. It is good that you are drawing big, that is often something beginners don't do.

For the reference you have, here are somethings you missed. Just keep a wary eye in the future:
1) Her eyes are shaped incorrecly for the angle. You are drawing them like you would if they were looking straight at you. Remember, eyes are round, not flat. So when you draw them it is like drawing spheres that are protruding slightly from the head.
2) The bangs don't come down far enough, they actually cover part of the right most eye (her left).
3) Looks like the problem with the lips is 2 fold. The bottom lip is a bit thin. Since her head is tilted down the bottom lip should be thicker than the top lip. The top lip will be smaller because of the angle of the lips. The other part is that you put too much of a bend in that upper lip. The curve of it is very slight in the middle, especially at that angle (which is a bitch of an angle to tackle).
4) Her cheek has some extra flesh under it. That is, you put too much distance between where her mouth visably ends and where her face visably ends.

I would also suggest you do some shading. It is really hard to see what is going on in much of your drawings because the shading is so light it is almost non-existent. Don't worry about shading too darkly; worry about not shading enough. If there are shadows in the picture, render them. It will help you get a feel for shadows you have to make up when you do "out of head" work. Just get a handle on how they work. Also should draw simple objects.

[Effel]

Hi everyone, I'm back from my camping holiday. Besides putting up the tent and inflating the air mattress, I did have some time to do some drawing...

Beatrix, queen of the Netherlands, at the age of about 16...
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/bea.jpg

Syrian bride (from newspaper photo)
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/syrian_bride.jpg

Martina Hingis (this one didn't quite work out...)
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/hingis.jpg

Anonymous babe...
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/vlerk.jpg

Dutch panflutist, concentrating on the road (live ref). I think I squashed her features a little.
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/claire_on_the_road.jpg

Nicole Kidman (from To die for). On the ref, her face is lit from the side.
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/kidman.jpg

This is a photograph I took in Porec, Croatia, where street artists were drawing portraits. This guy was really good. I noticed they all use gray paper and use a white pencil to add highlights. I thought this was a great idea; it saves a lot of shading time. I don't think it's mentioned in any of my books on drawing though...
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/porec_artist.jpg

[Duq]

I would say you need to work a bit about constructing the head and discover bonestructures that define the shape. But you are well on your way. Keep them coming :)

[Effel]

another try at the ref of my june 29th post:
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/improvement.jpg

after seeing loomis' little girls, I tried one of my own (with pigtails of course):
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/loomis_girl.jpg

[Effel]

girl at the window (by loretta lux originally)
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/lux_girl.jpg

[oma]

thanks for dropping by.. and it's cool to see someone els doing faces uhu.

Jip i used some books, loomis books. that helped me a lot. just try it out. it will work.

this one > http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/hingis.jpg is mij fav. look realy good.

hope to see more of you soon.
and they told me often to use some more contrast. maybe something for you to try out.

but have fun with drawing. and keep posting :P.

[Effel]

Thanks for the crits Oma!
here's some of the latest:

my first (partly finished) self-portait, although everyone keeps telling me it doesnt look like me (for one, I look way younger than i should)
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/self1.jpg

beyonce (I tried to do shading by cross-hatching here)
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/beyonce.jpg

fantasy woman
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/cute_sexy.jpg

dutch television personality
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/wendy.jpg

snoeks girl
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/model_snoeks.jpg

[Effel]

Beatrix, queen of the Netherlands, 27 years old (1965)
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/bea2.jpg

third try at reproducing Katie
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/katie3.jpg

some model
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/model_snoeks2.jpg

[Dished]

Hello!

These drawings are quite nice! Although there are some factors that need some improvement.

1. I suggest you study the SKULL anatomy as well as the muscles. It'll help loads! In some of the faces for example, jaws are a bit askewed and shaped a bit too distorted. Skull anatomy will help ya there. Besides, skulls are fun to draw ^_^.
2. Values! Make the lights light and the darks dark! While working on a flat surface youve gotta make that image "pop" as its sometimes called. The nose sticks out of your face, it isnt on the same level as the eyes. Make your shadows dark and your highlights really light. Show depth in your image.

For example in this picture:(http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/model_snoeks.jpg)
If you notice your picture the eyes are a bit light,while in your reference the shadows of the eyes are quite dark. Although you dont have to do your drawing as dark as or your reference, your drawing lacks depth in general.

Contrast in greyscale. http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/bea2.jpg

Its quite evident in this picture,but by pushing your values like I explained in the previous paragraph will help. Although keep your contrast. I like how you showed contrast between the hat and the face.

Study proportions as well. As it has been mentioned before, Loomis is great.

If you get the chance to stop by some life drawing classes, draw people around you, observe or even get some friends of yours to pose for you. Drawing pictures is one thing,but nothing beats drawing from life. Its a bit harder since youve gotta turn something 3d to 2d but at the same time make it look 3d. Its loads of fun :) Oh and by the way, drawing sleeping people is awesome. :) (Although tahts a personal preference)
In some of those pictures the likeness has a lot of potential. So keep working on it! :)

Keep posting dude!

[Goodbye..fromthevoid]

You’re a beginner? Well now, you’re better than me and I’m a goddamn veteran!

Uh what advice could I give you? Hmmm… How about you shade more. Right now you seem reluctant to shade the faces and bodies too much but that’s what you gotta do to make them look three-dimensional. So do it, okay?

[Effel]

Thanks for the advice guys and girls (I know, dished)
After having been arrested by the values police once more, I really tried to darken the dark spots in this drawing:
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/extasy.jpg

[Effel]

scribbling at work (isn't she cute though?)
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_aug06/work_girl.jpg

[Seedling]

Effel,
It is obvious from your drawings what sort of subject matter you love. If you would like to improve at drawing what you love, however, then you need to stop drawing what you love so much, and start drawing the things that you are not yet good at.

Drawing from life is perhaps the best way to improve. Try self-portraits, or have your friends pose for you. Drawing from photos is a poor substitute to drawing from the real thing, unfortunately.

[oma]

thanks for dropping by effel. Draw more SP's. it will realy help your improvement. my first SP's did not look like me at all. just DRAW DRAW DRAW DRAW and draw.

nice foto drawings. that last one from foto ref looks realy believable.
but realy drawing from life will help you improve more faster. you have to look better to thinks and think more how thinks are build.

Just post more, and you will improve HARD!!

[Effel]

some new stuff (done in trains)

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/friendly.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_dec06/silverstone.jpg

[Effel]

somehow this drawing looks like britney spears, although it was just a fantasy girl...

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_dec06/britney_like.jpg

dutch politician (not my favorite)

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_dec06/donner.jpg

[Noë]

heya Effel :teeth:

I love the mouth of the britney spears imaginary girl :)
you've made loads of progress..
Balkenende looks a bit unlike Balkenende but I did recognise him ^^ yay.
I think you should stop doing faces so much and start full figures, also try some colouring?

love
Marleen

[Effel]

Thanks Noe!

here's another one of the lovely Louise Hodges
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_dec06/louise.jpg

[Effel]

yesterday I tried to grasp one of my favorite hairstyles...

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_dec06/nicehair.jpg

[Effel]

another try at a self-portrait...
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_dec06/self2.jpg

[Effel]

I've been looking at some pinup art lately. Pretty stimulating.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_dec06/yellow_bikini.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_dec06/ward.jpg

[Effel]

inspired by Coop
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_jan07/fritz070103.jpg

[Don-key]

aye man im seeing progression here, keep at it...

perhaps try some skull studies? just so you can get more familiar with the underlying structure of the face. this kinda sounds boring and "academic" but its SUPER helpful.

also, remember to look hard at what your drawing and draw what you see. its very hard to ignore the preconceptions we all have about what something (especially people) should look like, but often its different to whats actually there...finaly, try to make a connection between all the facial features with tone, just so we dont get the floating nose feeling kinda thing :\


all that said, dont forget to have fun!! enjoy creating and learning


i hope this is kinda helpful :^^: keep at it man and take your time :)

[Effel]

Thanks for the crit, Don-key. I really appreciate it, but I probably won't do skull studies. Not now anyway. I've discovered the wonderful world of pinup art and floating noses are quite common over there :)

I've also discovered that big breasts are easier to draw than small breasts: you can just use a circular template! I'm hooked.

Here's my latest. I like it anyway. Sorry for the poor quality scan.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_jan07/space_girl1.jpg

[Effel]

This one's inspired by Dan Decarlo. Simple, but cute as a button :rendered:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/album_jan07/cute_as_hell.jpg

[Effel]

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_08/2007_08_x.jpg

[Effel]

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_08/2007_08_thieme.jpg

[Effel]

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_09/2007_09_smit.jpg

susan smit

[Effel]

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_09/2007_09_unkn.jpg

some actress... face way to long...

[Effel]

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_09/2007_09_sturm.jpg

dutch supermodel Yfke Sturm, when she was still cute

[Effel]

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_09/2007_09_sweeney.jpg

Claire Sweeney

[Effel]

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_09/2007_09_hodges.jpg

Louise Hodges

[Effel]

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_09/2007_09_mcgowan.jpg

Rose McGowan

[Kubushas]

Hi, don't forget to do some studies of simple things that surround you as well (chairs, cups, etc.)
The best thing is that you improve, don't stop)

[fevertheradio]

This is actually the first post or reply I've posted on CA. I went through the pages of your thread and I was just amazed on how you improved. (Especially the last few with ref. pics.) You're definitely improving on facial structure and varying expressions, but like what most people have said, I recommend trying to do some figure drawing practice, maybe a few still lifes. Still life provide an excellent source of practice with shading lighting and value. Those few things make such a world of difference in the overall appeal and feel of a piece of art. I know sometimes it's intimidating to introduce lots of values to drawing because of the fear that it may not look right. I think if you just REALLY go for it, maybe with a few different pencils or even charcoal, you might just be pleasantly surprised. I hope you're enjoying yourself and I hope you keep improving. :]

-Christine

[Effel]

Thanks for your comments fevertheradio and Kubushas. Yeah, I suppose it would be good for me to do some still lifes etc, but I'd rather be drawing stuff I like to look at. I'll give it a try maybe...

You are right fevertheradio, I tend to be careful with values; it's actually quite hard to overcome it!

[Effel]

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_09/2007_09_katie.jpg

about the tenth try to capture Katie (some nude model)

[Effel]

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_09/2007_09_unkn2.jpg

Some other model. Now why doesn't this look right... I'd very much appreciate any comments on this one.

[Effel]

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_09/2007_09_katie2.jpg

another Katie

[Effel]

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_09/2007_09_stacy_p.jpg

Golfer Stacy Prammanasudh

[Effel]

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_09/2007_09_sonia.jpg

Glam model Sonia Blake

[Effel]

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_10/2007_10_alfie.jpg

Model Alfie

[Effel]

another go at Alfie

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_10/2007_10_alfie2.jpg

[Effel]

denise louwerens (of long gone girl group Wow)

Her mouth looks really weird, but this is more or less what it looks like...

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_10/2007_10_denise_louwerens.jpg

[Effel]

model Marlena

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_10/2007_10_marlena.jpg

[Effel]

frowning marlena (I know, looks like a different girl here...)

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_10/2007_10_marlena2.jpg

[Effel]

Some model
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_10/2007_10_model.jpg

[Effel]

Model Mia Stone
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_10/2007_10_mia_stone.jpg

[Effel]

panflutist
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_10/2007_10_panflutist.jpg

[Effel]

fantasy woman (no ref)
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_10/2007_10_fantasy.jpg

[Effel]

Claire Sweeney
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_10/2007_10_sweeney.jpg

[Effel]

Another one of Claire Sweeney
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_10/2007_10_sweeney2.jpg

[Effel]

Claire Sweeney
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2007_10/2007_10_sweeney3.jpg

[purplerose]

Very nice improvement dude. Seems that you like doing portraits, so try to squeeze in some facial studies from real life and reference images. It'll really help your more final images.

[Effel]

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2008_10/yvon.jpg
yvon jaspers, dutch tv personality

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2008_10/ciara.jpg
ciara, model

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2008_10/Scannen0014.jpg
chloe marshall, overweight uk beauty queen

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j254/effel/2008_10/Scannen0015.jpg
robin martens, beautiful dutch actress