My first post here *Helpful tips, pwetty pwease?*

[FallChild]

First I should introduce myself. I'm Julia, I'm 13 and I have a big intrest in art. I found this site through DA. I got a DA account a week ago, but it just didnt really do much for me. It wasnt real critque I was getting, more like, pats on the back. So I found this site on the forums and so I looked at some of the posts and it seems pretty good. The picture I posted, is pretty much something that came from my head. It was just going to be an old man, but than it kind of turned into a rotting man. *Thats how most of my art work is, it starts out as one thing. and than turns into something else.*

[amer-nazri]

Welcome Julia! Haha, thats funny, I do the exact same thing, and my stuff always ends up changed in one way or the other. I like what you've done so far, and you can push it further. I suggest looking at pictures of old people, and taking up the habit of studying everything your eyes fall on, so that you can generate a whole library of visual memory that will help you recall certain features. The background is empty at the mo, you might want to think of adding a table or anything that you'd find interesting. Oh yeah, try to add a bit more body behind his arm to suggest his back. Most of all, never stop drawing from life and from your imagination. All the best!

amer

[space-sprayer]

For drawing people, and particularly skeletons, your anatomy needs to be very good. Before doing anything like this, try doing some studies of areas of the body, like arm, leg, hands etc. Faces are notoriously difficult, as humans we can sense the slightest inaccuracy, so I would leave those for a bit. You will want to study gesture too, to get a feeling of the emotion of the figure.

Keep it up you are definitely young enough to make a good go of it!

Nick

[Jason Rainville]

Yup yup yup, to grow you need to work. Here's part of a post I made on another forum about the difference reference and life drawing can make (some of it is censored because of the rules on the board):
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Male anatomical drawing from imagination:

Then: late summer/fall of last year (basically at the start of school)
1
2
3

Now: Late winter/early spring (end of school)
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2
3

Female anatomical drawing from imagination:

Then
1
2

Now
1
2

Faces from imagination

then
1
2
3

now
1
2
3

Poses from imagination

then
1
2

now
1
2
3
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And I didn't even start REALLY getting into figure drawing until this past christmas. I hope you see the difference it made and in such a short amount of time.