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[Coonstar]

Okay. Well. Drawing history. I draw pretty much on-and-off, I don't sketch a lot and stuff, I'd probably do one picture every month and I've been drawing since the beginning of highschool I think (I'm entering UBC now! hooray). Anyway. I'm thinking about trying to get more serious with it, because it's slightly a waste of time (even if I don't spend little time on it) if I'm not improving!

I've never drawn anything from life, and pretty much the most practice I do is drawing models from magazines. Like this:



Compare my lack of artistic change and stuff!

June 10, 2004:


August 12 2006: (Yes click on the link, don't be lazy.)
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/37915584/

I guess I'm a bit faster but by not much. I mostly just do pencil sketches, then just trace it over with a black ballpoint pen and color in the hair black with marker or whatever!

I'm not too serious on being really awesome at drawing, but there's still stuff that I'd like to improve on:

-expressions
-dynamic poses
-good old anatomy!
-being able to draw men!

So! Do you have simple tips to help me? How do you guys practice to improve?

[jeph]

I'd probably do one picture every month

This is why you are not improving.

You have to draw every single day. That is the fastest way to improve.

[logosmonkey]

Yup, exactly what Jeph said. Think of art the same way you think of say body building. There is no way you'll develop any sort of muscle tone by working out once a month.. at best you'll be able to maintain the strength you already had.
Drawing, or painting or any sort of art is about 90% practice. The other 10% is a natural ability of sorts, an ability to see things in a certain way. Even that will go away w/o nurturing though, and if you work really hard it's not even necessary.

Eitherway, study and practice.. a lot.. daily all day long. I rarely go an hour or two without drawing something (well except during sleep.. even then I'm drawing in my dreams ) it might be a hand, or an eye, or an arm in a certain position, a tree... just something, anything. It's constant and it has to be for anyone to improve.

The people you see with amazing art got there because of practice.. no other reason. Natural ability counts for diddly without constant practice.

[Kid Modernist]

Yeah, you should probably practice more, but I also do see a difference between the first and the last. The latter looks much more cartoony.

[Coonstar]

Practice everyday? Sounds logical and simple enough!

[Lines]

measuring can be your best friend. i'd also look more at musculature as well. and what jeph said.

[Verergoca]

i'd also look more at musculature as well.

HOORAY FOR THE PORN INDUSTRY!

Sorry, couldnt resist *dives for cover*

[Lines]

so confused...

[logosmonkey]

lol, you know.. actually it really is a great resource for nude models... the interwebs are virtually filled with it. Though if you value any sort of realism ... look for some tasteful amatuer.

Wow, even I'm giggling at that.. ok but really it is true.

[Lines]

or instead of porn you can look at books like http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/078948045X/102-5813969-2182521?v=glance&n=283155">this one that are meant for people trying to learn how to draw people. (i've used this one. it's a good resource for figure drawing.)

or if you really want to look at porn...well...ok then.

[logosmonkey]

No doubt, but you have to buy that.
I do suggest all of Burne Hogarth's books. These are wonderfully helpful.

[logosmonkey]

Oh also as an addendum to my first post, Study.. you have to study a lot as well.

[Coonstar]

Awesome guys! I shall be taking yer advice.

I used to do the whole "draw people from porn" sites deal and it did help me improve a lot during that time (which I think I somehow lost!) but drawing from the computer screen can get painful in the eyes, and I hated how I had to be wary of sleazy viruses and the fact that I can't draw while my parents were around! Anybody know some drawing reference books of NORMAL nude people?

(The nudity was alright but some of the poses of those porn ladies creeped me out! And the fact that I couldn't find any pictures of porn males!)

[Coonstar]

Guys! Today is a victorious day in Cienoland! I learned that my dying scanner has all sorts of options I can tweak and stuff!

Oh! And I think I drew three pictures this month today! Alright they're all sketches. But that's a world record in my little universe.

Anyway! Tuesday/Today'd drawing preview:


Fullsized. You know you want to click on it: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v624/coonstar/illustrations/modelsketch01big.jpg

Reference:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v624/coonstar/illustrations/modelsketch01ref.jpg

Anyway! About my scanner. I've had it for four years now, and I'm not sure if it's dying, because on default no-tweaking scanning, it scans stupidly light! So all this time I would have scanned an original
Like this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v624/coonstar/illustrations/modelsketch01orig.jpg

Then basically set the contrast to max on photoshop!
Like this: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v624/coonstar/illustrations/modelsketch01.jpg

And the picture would have looked a lot worse! Yes. So, it is a glorious day in Cienoland. Anyway, this sketch took me and hour and forty five minutes, maybe minus five minutes with me headbanging to Therion, but anyway. What is your honest opinion? Is drawing pretty models from pretty magazines with bad articles going to help me with my drawing skills, or should I just ditch it and just stick to basics for now and draw nudes and get a better sense of anatomy? It's because when I sketch models, I try to sketch out the skeleton, then impose the silhouette of the clothes over it, then I begin this rather tedious work of erasing the skeleton then arbitrarily putting in folds by instinct! Erasing takes the most time.

[Lines]

if you want books, i guess go to the main branch of your library, and go to the art section (i guess?) and see if there are any artists reference books.

[TrueNeutral]

I'd probably do one picture every month

This is why you are not improving.

You have to draw every single day. That is the fastest way to improve.

As much as I hate to say this, Jeph is entirely right.

The reason I hate saying this is not because I don't want Jeph to be right, but I'm a fucking lazy bastard and I don't always manage to convince myself to draw every day.

[ComfortEagle]

I like the face of the first one, the other ones do get a little cartoonish, unless thats what your going for.

[Petra]

what helped me improve was the advice of my mum's friend nelson boren (you might recognize his work, he does all those cowboy watercolors for billboards and stuff, http://www.snowgoosegallery.com/gwartis/bornel.htm). everytime i'd hang out with his daughter we'd visit his studio and he'd say, 'i come here at least once each day, and that's the secret. promise yourself to make at least one drawing every single day, and you'll start improving in no time'. now he's so good at his art that he was able to quit his job and make a living out of it! and trust me, he didn't start out that way...he's got loads of watercolors and portraits in his house that he made when he first started drawing and they look like crap!

once a month will do nothing. you need to start doing this EVERY SINGLE DAY. if you do this, i can promise you that within a few months, you'll see the difference ^_^

also, try taking a basic art course in college! it's amazing the simple tricks you can learn!