[Hivemind] It's time to announce 3.51

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Well I remember being your age and being stuck in my rut.. comic book characters.. it's just something you have to try.. it's not comfortable at first.. and it's not usually very good either..

It's easy to shortcut your development as an artist by doing what is comfortable..

As for the Hive advice.. it's the perfect place to ask for it.. we're a diverse group of people with a common interest, and a love for opinions Not to mention there are quite a few creative people in here.

I find it funny for me...what I'm comfortable drawing...I don't LIKE to draw anymore. I like being challenged and such, yet finding that middle ground is much harder than I remember when I first started drawing however many years ago that was. I find that the only reason I bought a yearbook for last year at school was all the different headshots of people.

My girlfriend has sworn she'll be finding me a good anatomy book within a couple of months. So that'll help a lot, even though it'll be hell to ship. Sometimes I wonder about her and money.(Mentioned it before, but I'll say it again...she lives in Britain...so contact is fairly...interesting and expensive at times.)

I guess I should just stop doing the typical teenage stressing about this...and just simply DO IT. Except that now I'm tired. So I'll DO IT, tommorrow. Thanks a lot. Goodnight.

 

[LrdApoc]

Ankh,

Looking over your portfolio I see you have a good idea of expression with your figures.. the areas I would concentrate on are depth and anatamy, as well as dynamic composition.

You have talent. But to hone it you need to expand a bit.. do some self-portraits, abandon the exaggerated art of the anime/manga style and study perspective.. there are some great basic books you can get from the library to help.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Ankh,

Looking over your portfolio I see you have a good idea of expression with your figures.. the areas I would concentrate on are depth and anatamy, as well as dynamic composition.

You have talent. But to hone it you need to expand a bit.. do some self-portraits, abandon the exaggerated art of the anime/manga style and study perspective.. there are some great basic books you can get from the library to help.

...alright maybe I'm not that tired.

I definatly agree with you. I know where I'm weak...and it mostly all comes from the style. Its been about a week now that I simply told myself I have to start doing more realistic art. I've almost got it...but my current style just knocks it into an area I don't like it at anymore.

Hmm...self portrait. Its actually been a while since I've done one of those...maybe I'll just go against everything in me, and just sketch this computer desk...I hate still life, but its as good a place to start as any...

I think I'll definatly look into as many books as I can. While my mother was a biology major in college(she did painting and such on the side), she doesn't have any of her books left. Time to stalk my way towards that tiny little library in town.

 

[LrdApoc]

Some books I definately suggest for you are Dynamic Figure Drawing, and The Artist guide to human anatomy. Both are very good references as well as learning aids.

Still Lifes are only droll if you draw droll subjects.. change the lighting, the objects etc. to be something interesting.

I hate still-lifes in general, but a good exercise can go a long way.

Also there are a lot of good 'how to draw' websites online if you look.. the basics are the same no matter where you learn them.

I completely understand the lack of initiative.. everyone goes through that.. heck I'm flattered the folks who are in my art thread have not threatened to end my life yet.. but the core is people love to see thir ideas visualized.. maybe doing character requests will give you some practice.. try opening a voluntary thread to hone your skills and help someone else at the same time.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Alright...*writes those things down*

I've got a neat lamp on top of my desk that does interesting shadows...maybe I could play with that some and see what it does. And is it just me, or is there anyone out there that actually LIKES to draw still life? Its so painful to do...yet its so helpful. Argh, the evil irony.

I've thought about character requests, but I don't think I'm ready for that until I can get a better structure to my humanoids. Hands are devil. I'm slowly getting them down...but that's my biggest problem(other than the style I'm getting out of) at the moment.

You should be proud. You're inspiring a 'young artist'. And doing a damn good job at that. Its only a few posts, but you've helped a lot at getting me motivated to actually do what I've been wanting to...and giving suggestions at the same time. I really owe you a big thanks. And keep suggesting. I'm not stopping you.

 

[LrdApoc]

Well how else am I going to hone my future art staff?

Also this is the spirit of EnWorld.. mentoring is part of it for me.. as well a community.. espcially for a fellow Hive member (which unfortunately for the rest of the site.. they don't realize they all are Hivers deep down.)

I'm speaking from experience.. and your response shows more maturity than I had at your age.. I ignored a good deal of what I said to you.. it wasn;t until a few years later I realized those people were trying to help not criticize.. and thus I learned my first lesson

Other suggestions.. if you have problems with a particular body part, just spend a lot of time working on it.. break it down into fundimental pieces.. bones, muscles or even geometric shapes to 'deconstruct it'. Then reassemble it any way you want based on your understanding of the parts.. I had to do that a lot with hands and feet.. and also eyes and noses.. I have pages of sketchbooks filled with different angles, poses etc.

It can be a blast when it works, you can look at all the individual parts and see your growth.

 

[LrdApoc]

Here's my Enworld Gallery

http://www.enworld.org/modules.php?...ame=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php

And the Horade gallery from Emerald Sage 1.

http://www.horade.com/index.php?page=art&subpage=shawn_sines

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Oh I once reacted badly to critism. But I got past that one pretty quickly. I'm just stubborn with other things.

I have a brand new sketchbook too. Perfect way to start it off. Its definatly a good suggestion...whether I like to admit it or not, repitition is one of the best ways to learn something.

And besides, its definatly IS worth all those problems and troubles for that first time you get it right. I've only got 3 or 4 drawings at the moment that are like that, but man they were worth everything.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Oooooooooh.

That self portrait is just too cool.

 

[LrdApoc]

Oooooooooh.

That self portrait is just too cool.

Thanks,

It's a little idealized I think.. closed to where I was a few years ago.. even though I just did it last month.. also the lighting had a lot to do with it. Made my eyes feel deaper and I lost some of the chin, but overall I'm happy with it.

Professor thought it didn't resemble me enough, but I was the only one in the class who had the gust to post a picture of himself for comparrison.. and a lot of the other artists in the class were not used to drawing.. really not used to to.