a question for a inspired animator!

[feebleman]

I have a question for anyone who can answer this. I've been looking at a lot of glen keanes and andreas deja drawings and I am currently enrolled into an animation program at an art school. My question is I've noticed that they seem to be able to draw a character with very few lines (maybe thats just the clean up?) I've taken many figure drawing classes and I have done a couple of animations. I Know as a fact that faces are really hard for me. I draw everyday. When I try to draw the figure or the face if I can't draw it with few lines and in 45 seconds (exageration) I get frustrated and don't finish it. Would you recommend some way to go beyond that mental block? I hope this made since. I have to draw characters for a living and I can;t seem to get beyond the figure, never get to the face. My faces look like a 6 year old did it. I don't know if you could address this. Thanks.

[ScaryPotato]

Hey there,

All of these high-level animators have years and years of experience in what they do, so even their rough sketches look ver polished and deliberate. Something with absolutely clean lines has been cleaned-up or traced over..I think it's impossible to get a drawing done without first finding the pose and form! To get as good as they are, you have to be obsessed with practicing and studying forms. Animators always see things as a line of action first with basic 3d forms roughly following that line. They're time spent studying people/animals/everything gives them an idea of what details they should add, but more importantly what should be left out.

I think the best thing to do as far as drawing faces go is to think of the head as a simple 3d shape, draw some guidelines around it to give you the sense of 3d-ness, and from there start adding features to it. If it's for gestural drawing, the rules are pretty much the same but try not to think about one aspect at a time, focus on the composition as a whole. I'm sure that I've missed some things here...hm, actually if you want references, any basic figure drawing book would help describe how to visualize forms of a person, and Christopher Hart has some interesting books for cartoony type things. Preston Blair's 'Cartoon Animation' book is also excellent!

[Sepulverture]

The best advice anyone could ever give you about this is to "just do it". I know that is a generic answer, but it is generic for a reason. It's true. Everyone has their blocks, mine happens to be faces, as well as other things about the human figure that some people find really easy, but when you're doing them just remember one fact. Think of your knowledge and skill as being a bucket of water. Professionals and people who are extremely good at it have a lot of water in their bucket, people who are new at it may only have as little as a few drops, but every piece that you push to the end, or at least untill you get past your stumbling block is a drop of water in the bucket. You see where i'm going with this? The point is that with every drop you put in the bucket, the fuller it gets, and if you put enough drops in it will start to fill up pretty quickly. Just keep that in mind when you are torturing yourself with another agonizing face study, or adding a face to your drawn figure, and it should help you push it forward.

Even failed drawings are drawings that you've learned something from, so don't feel discouraged when you get a bloody nose from running into your little brick wall.

Good luck!

[THUNDERCOCK]

all good advice....one key thing here is that you already know one of your weak points. So you're already one step ahead in that department. Many artists who seem to have tons of "failed" drawings often can't pin-point their weaknesses. And you'll hear echoed indefinitely on these forums to just keep going. there are no shortcuts in art especially in the learning process. You'll figure it out. Some people get it right away....some take longer than others. Unfortunately these words are not the fix all you're looking for. I know the feeling...wanting some magic words to be spoken that might lift the veil over your creative eyes....I've struggled with all sorts of stuff and got frustrated when people told me to just keep trying. One tool that I've used to help get there a little quicker is just to study. I mean really study. Find the peices that you like and check them out. Try to figure out what makes the piece effective. How did the artist pull off that look you admire. copy some of their work for practice and notice what you're doing whille you do it. Then the next time you sit down to do your own stuff you'll be better equipt with drawing skills and devices that might make your art that much better. I know that technique is a big part of how artists do what they do...but seriously....technique is either very very technical or its just a matter of personal approach. Both of which I think are best learned by watching the artist create something and not by reading. If you think about it...think of how many people on these forums have read the Andrew Loomis books on how to draw and paint. I'm sure there's tons here but still nobody seems to post images that duplicate his style although many might apply the knowledge they've gained from him and adapted it to fit their own personal style. So reading how to do something isn't necessarily going to mean that you can now do it. Art requires 3 dimensional understanding. You can know about art and you can know how to create it but all that is useless until you do something with it. When you create something you can say...I understand what it is like to do this. Or if you fail you might say "I don't understand how to do this". But its in the practical application of your creating something when the little lightbulb of comprehension will finally turn on and not in the reading of otherwise abstract theories and how-to manuals. Im sure this isn't helpful either but if you can mimic some of the art you like you'll develop you own technique which will produce similar results. Hope that makes any sense....

I guess if I were to dumb it down...."just keep practicing...practice more and more. you'll be just fine.