So I finally posted links to what I have out there for critique. And I got some. What did I realize? I already know everything. Yea they are flat, yea I use too much line, yea there isn't enough motion, weight, or force, blah blah blah, I already know that! I guess I was hoping for someone to show/tell me how to do it. But I don't think that can happen. I just don't know where to go, you know? I can see it correct in my head, but when my pencil/pen/charcoal/pastels hit the paper it just...no.
I was going to go to pearl today and see kendall play as well as sketch, but there was no parking and it started to rain, so I went home instead. When I got home I decided to draw myself. So I put blankets on the windows, arranged my easel so I could see me in the mirror, and got to work.
I tried really hard not to use lines. I am forbidding myself from using lines from now on. This also means I shouldn't use pencil, because I can't do anything else when I am holding a pencil.
I partially blame Jason for my over-use of lines. He didn't encourage us to start shading til, oh, 12 weeks in the class. And what was I supposed to do? I had never figure drawn before. I just did what he told me.
My first one I thought was pretty ok. The only thing wrong is that the head is very obviously too big. And unfortunately I am not this skinny.
This is actually the third. The second was just way too bad to see the internet. This one is about as good as the first. Head still too big, arms off just a tad. I tend to have a lot of random anatomy errors. It's really frustrating when I am using charcoal, because I can't fix them. Perhaps I should be more cautious and wary before putting down a line? Think about it a little more maybe. Then I might not finish faster than everyone else.
This is probably the best of them all. The head...still wrong. But I liked how it went. And the shading makes it a lot more believable IMO.
The head makes me SO SAD here. The rest of it went pretty well, especially considering the foreshortening I had to on my leg. And then it came time for the head and just...*sigh* I hate everything about the head. From its shape to it's size to it's face. I just suck at all of it. >_<So thats it for today. Eventually I WILL get to pearl. I am trying to schedule two of my own sessions next week and hopefully I will make it down to asld at least once, maybe on friday, for a short poses class so I can get some gesture in (I miss gestures...)
I really understand what you mean about knowing what's wrong with your drawings. I'm taking a class right now and the instructor wants us to come up with questions each class about our drawings, but I feel like I don't have any! I know what I need to work on and what's wrong with my stuff. I just need to improve on it. It's so frustrating.
ReplyDeleteBut I still think that posting your stuff for critique is good because sometimes people can give you advice on how to improve instead of just saying what's wrong with it.
I don't know. If you feel like you're not going anywhere, maybe you should take a break and try learning something new? Maybe looking at anatomy books or practicing shading shapes or something. That stuff always helps your figure drawing in the end. :D