Best Way to Learn Figure Drawing

[daedalus1115]

Hey all

I have been learning figure drawing for the past few months. I have been sitting down with Burne Hogarth's Dynamic Figure Drawing and essentially mimicing the drawings. Then, I will attempt to recreate the figures on my own, without any reference.

I have been improving, but what is the BEST way to learn this stuff?

Should I be studying the drawings, then mimicking them, then attempting them on my own? What should the ratio be in terms of experimenting on my own, mimicking others, studying material be?

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[Diego]

Draw from live models as much as you can, lifedrawing classes, in the park, your relatives, and in the side study anatomy, learn the muscles and bones and how they appear in the figure. Hogarth is good, but not that much, get some loomis' books for free, or bridgman.
Don't try to rush it, just observe and draw, analize and learn, not just copy.
Integrate your studies from life with your studies from books, NOT JUST COPY.
Hope it helps.
Good luck

[daedalus1115]

Draw from live models as much as you can, lifedrawing classes, in the park, your relatives, and in the side study anatomy, learn the muscles and bones and how they appear in the figure. Hogarth is good, but not that much, get some loomis' books for free, or bridgman.
Don't try to rush it, just observe and draw, analize and learn, not just copy.
Integrate your studies from life with your studies from books, NOT JUST COPY.
Hope it helps.
Good luck

Diego,

Absolutely. I'm an engineering student, but I have been sitting in on life drawing classes (models) when I have free time.

When I draw from life, I sometimes get caught up in the 2-dimensional forms I see, as a result my drawings lack depth. In other words, I do not think STRUCTURALLY about what is going on underneath what I am drawing, or I get caught up in drawing the contours and values I see. I will work on this.

I have some of Loomis' stuff, I'll check that out too.

When I AM drawing from anatomy material though, what is the best way to approach it?

[Diego]

When I draw from life, I sometimes get caught up in the 2-dimensional forms I see, as a result my drawings lack depth. In other words, I do not think STRUCTURALLY about what is going on underneath what I am drawing, or I get caught up in drawing the contours and values I see. I will work on this.


I think from what you are telling to me that you should learn to build the body from the basic shapes, sphere, cilinders, boxes, cones, and get them in the right perspective of the model. then build your way up from there, as long as you understand the forms you'll be able to do this very easily.
Dont hesitate to much, draw and draw, simple stuff like a glass, chair, table or whatever you have near will help you see better, and fit those basic shapes to the human figure.

As for anatomy, copy the diagrams, learn the muscles and bones from different angles.

hope it helps

-D

[daedalus1115]

Diego,

Thanks. I will work hard on it.

[Mike Mattesi]

Be careful with Hogarth. His book is great for structure and light and shadow. What I have always found peculiar is that all the muscles are working equally in all poses. Very unreal. BEst case scenario is to draw from life. Great theory is great theory though. I prefer to go after the life of the model. Hope this helps.

Mike

http://enterartacad.com/

[Storyboard Dave]

Don't draw what you know but draw what you see. Don't think of the human figure as JUST structure (is this your engineering background coming to the forefront here?), but try to capture some of movement of the body as well. Drawing the human figure is VERY complex; it's a series of complex parts all linked together and then set into motion- even if its in a relaxed state.

On an artisitic front, try to capture the essence of the figure too. Infuse your drawing with a bit of you. Make choices as to what you want the viewer to see. Cropping, composition, light & shadow play, and line are all at your disposal here. Use them!!!

[carotello]

Drawing from life is pretty much the only way you will get good at figure drawing...heh.
Books are ok, but really, nothing will replace practice. The way your eye sees when you copy a drawing someone else did, is completely different from when you draw from life. A lot more than just your sight will come into play: your personal aesthetic, your interests, your style. These things are invaluable, because they will give your drawings a soul, and that soul is what makes them art and yours.
If you can't access a model, then draw in the street, at the coffee shop, everywhere. Clothing is only a wrap for what is inside, and sometimes clothed figure drawing can teach you quite a bit about figure drawing.
Glen Vilppu is a fantastic instructor who has a number of material to aid with this particular subject. I had the luck to get to know him, and I got to draw alongside him for a couple years. He sells dvd's with photos of models he has taken himself, and they are a fair compromise if you can't access a live model.
Try also to give yourself a variety in the time of the poses, if you can and have access to a model. Try two minute poses. Try ten minutes, try half an hour, try longer poses. Every situation gives you a different focus. In a short pose you aren't so much trying to capture an exact likeness or precision, but more the gesture and the mood of the pose. In a longer pose, you can examine anatomy, the play of light on the different forms, the nouances of the human body, its angles, its rhythm. These are all important, and will keep you busy for years.
Good luck :-)