Getting the proportions and angles right

[TonyBKK]

Hi, I'm studying drawing as a hobby and been doing it on and off for quite some time. I need to find some practical ways of learning and improving, as I seem to have some problems with advancing. One problem I keep running into is that I find it difficult to get proportions and angles correct. Too much is based on guessing. Is this something that will gradually improve as my 'instinctive' eye-hand coordiantion improves through endless practise? Or should I take a more theoretical approach, and use tools to measure proportions and angles.

A book I'm reading mentions a few ways of measuring: finding middle points (for example: the big crease on the shirt is halfway between the chin and the belt buckle), drawing connecting lines, using a pen to find angles and distances. Some books seem to emphasize a more straight forward, 'draw what you see', method.

(I remember I used to draw frozen frames off the tv screen and I started getting the proportions right most of the time and the size of the drawing was often the same as the relative size of the tv screen (seen from where I was drawing). Of course it was just a flat 2d picture, not from life.)

So, as I see it, I have two choises: either just draw draw and draw, trusting that my instinctive skills will improve on their own, or draw more systematically by using different measuring methods and tools, possibly resulting in that these methods will eventually become less and less needed.

Of course I could do both..

Any insights? How did you/do you do it? Systematic drawing(what are the methods), or just plain, good-ol', no-hazzles drawing?

Thanks, any replies appretiated.

[Dizon]

When you're working from life you're always comparing your work to the subject( i.e. model, still-life, etc.) no matter what method you use. Any method works just as long you know how to look for errors in your work and knowing how to correct them.

As for angles, What I do is that I just switch my eyes back and forth, between the drawing and the subject to see if my angles are correct. You could also align your pencil to a specific angle on the subject and check if you have the same one on your drawing. If it turns out to be wrong, draw the correct angle from memory and check again.

[E.M.GIST]

Tony, my personal opinion is that you answered all of your own questions very well especially her
So, as I see it, I have two choises: either just draw draw and draw, trusting that my instinctive skills will improve on their own, or draw more systematically by using different measuring methods and tools, possibly resulting in that these methods will eventually become less and less needed.

Of course I could do both..

Provided you cannot get into a class with a good teacher, getting the right books will help as well. Any book by Andrew Loomis, the anatomy book by Stephen Rogers Peck, even Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain has some good info in it.

[TonyBKK]

Thanks for the reps guys. It's good to get some confirmation that you're doing things the right way. I personally don't believe that just any kind of drawing is useful. I've been doing things the same way for so long that it's hard to try anything new and break away from the old habits. For example, my heads (drawn from imagination) look all more or less the same and I frequently(instinctively) use the same angles and direction of light etc.. I hope the drawing class I'm taking next summer will provide me with some fresh ideas.
Anyways - Until my next question! :)

[sho-nuff]

Id recommend some figure drawing and perspective books.

You need the figure drawing books to teach you fundamentals in figure drawing, which will definitely resolve your proportions issue. And you need the perspective books to teach you perspective which is suprisingly important in drawing figures, amongst other things.

Some major books that helped me out with figure drawing were by Andrew Loomis, Jack Hamm and Burne Hogarth.

As for perspective you should get a copy of 'perspective for the comic book artist' by David Chelsea. Dont let the comic layout fool you, it is a solid book.

And oh yeh, take a sketchbook with you everywhere you go and practice practice practice.