Looking to improve my drawing

[GrudgeJohnDeed]

There are a lot of fantastic artists on here, and whereas im fairly competent at pixel art where with the size and the digital nature of it, iterations can be fired out quick and fast (and therefore its easier to brute-force something to look correct), my actual drawing skills arent up to much.

I was just wondering if any of the talented 2000ad forum folks had any practical exercises that really helped them improve as an artist? what to draw? how often? or perhaps mindsets, approaches to drawing?

Its funny, i play guitar and if someone wanted to know how to get to an acceptable standard at that, i could confidently help, but i draw as well and have no idea how to efficiently improve!

Cheers fellas

[Theblazeuk]

One thing that really helped me exercise my weak, weak drawing skills was, essentially, copying existing drawings. But doing it in a way that challenges your perception! e.g. Cover the drawing and slowly unveil it as you draw. Turn it upside down. Look at in a mirror.

Really helped break the bit in my head that was stuck on seeing things a certain way.

[radiator]

Take a life drawing class.

[GrudgeJohnDeed]

drawing things upside down seems like a great way to take your brains perhaps flawed perception of what youre looking at out of the equation, i might try that thanks!

Googling life drawing classes in the northwest as we speak, radiator! have you had much experience with them?

[SuperSurfer]

Agree with all of the above.

Commenting as an occasional doodler here.

A good exercise is to draw things as if in wireframe as if you can see through them. Helps to gain an understanding of shapes and how they are constructed. Also pay attention to negative spaces ie the shapes around figures or objects.

For figure drawing look at the books of Andrew Loomis http://www.amazon.co.uk/Andrew-Loomis/e/B004L5LII8 (which is something I need to do myself).

Just like anything else it's a case of putting in the hours.

And if you want to be a comic artist – don't go to art school (actually that's not necessarily correct but some truth in it).

[amines2058]

One thing that really helped me exercise my weak, weak drawing skills was, essentially, copying existing drawings. But doing it in a way that challenges your perception! e.g. Cover the drawing and slowly unveil it as you draw. Turn it upside down. Look at in a mirror.

Really helped break the bit in my head that was stuck on seeing things a certain way.

I cannot agree more with this. I used to copy everything I saw. I would draw characters from 2000AD, Marvel & DC. I found this a massive help in getting an idea of the human anatomy (well the comic version of it!) It also gives you an idea of poses and stances so that the body was in proportion. Another thing I did was to spend ages doing studies of various body parts e.g drawing my left hand in different poses e.g. holding gun, pointing, grabbing etc. Body building magazines were also good for this if you wanted to draw the muscly superhero type character as their physiques and poses were a good reference.
I think for me repetition was the key - copying, drawing and redrawing. I think that eventually you retain a lot of the style you copy and can then apply it to your own creations.
I am no expert myself, as am only just getting back into drawing comic style art after a 20 year break , but I am happy with what I create and I think that what I have done previously helps with this.

[GrudgeJohnDeed]

And if you want to be a comic artist – don't go to art school (actually that's not necessarily correct but some truth in it).

thats interesting, whys that? Im not sure i could handle the coursework at an art school anyway, im not one for essays and art history unfortunately

[radiator]

Googling life drawing classes in the northwest as we speak, radiator! have you had much experience with them?

Yeah quite a bit, though you can never do too much.

Life drawing is, imo, infinitely more helpful and productive than copying other artists drawings (something I myself haven't done since childhood).

Within the life drawing, I feel it's important to try out lots of exercises - try drawing left handed, try drawing a figure all in one continuous line without the pencil ever leaving the paper, try drawing a series of poses in 60, 30, even 10 seconds apiece.

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

My mother teaches art classes, and she always uses what she calls 'The Father Ted Method' of drawing perspective. It goes like this:





And the challenge is to draw something small and close up, contrasted with something large and far away. Usually a piece of fruit on a windowsill in front of a car or a tree across the road and everything in between.

[Dark Jimbo]

Practice. Practice, practice, practice. The more you'll do the better you'll become and the more you'll understand. It's impossible to draw too much.

The importance of life drawing really cannot be overstated - even if it's just sketching people in a cafe or park or on the train, although actual classes are obviously a good idea if viable.

Copying is likewise a top tip but only as a starting springobard; it's incredibly helpful in terms of understanding how an artist has constructed an image you like, but the danger is that it'll become a crutch if you do it for too long - ultimately you want to find your own style, not somebody else's, even if your style ultimately has elements of your artistic influences (which it almost certainly will). Also, it's important that you don't simply trace, which will tell you absolutely nothing.

Related to my first point, and something that I wish had been told to me at the height of a particularly frustrating period in my teens - it's okay to be terrible sometimes. Grab a pad or sketchbook and fill it with drawings, but try not to get hung up on how good they may or may not be. No one else ever has to see it, after all. As long as you're learning something from them, seeing a style emerge or getting to understand how to construct an image, understanding what works or doesn't, they don't all have to be masterpieces.

[Jim_Campbell]

Related to my first point, and something that I wish had been told to me at the height of a particularly frustrating period in my teens - it's okay to be terrible sometimes.

Yeah. Even once you're halfway competent, you'll still hit patches where your mojo deserts you completely and the only way through it is to keep drawing. It's almost like there's a specific number of bad drawings in you, and you have to get 'em all out before you can start doing good ones again.

Cheers

Jim

[flip-r mk2]

All of the above and here's a link to an online life model site.
http://artists.pixelovely.com/practice-tools/figure-drawing/

filip

[Professor Bear]

Keep doing it, you won't get good overnight.  Also don't worry if you think it's shit - most artists only see the things in their work that could be better anyway.

Sketching things off the telly as you watch your shows is a good way to stay frosty, too - especially if you don't mind watching old 2d cartoons, as you can see the way artists realise certain things.

[Jim_Campbell]

you can see the way artists realise certain things.

It's when the lightbulb appears over their head, isn't it?

Cheers

Jim

[Simon Beigh]

All of the above and here's a link to an online life model site.
http://artists.pixelovely.com/practice-tools/figure-drawing/

filip

That's a really interesting site, flip. I've only just got back into drawing really recently and have mixed copying with "making stuff up" (for want of a better phrase). I was always really bad at humans when I was a kid and a teen, preferring more geometric shapes, like machinery, but I'm forcing myself to tackle this.

So as a total novice, how should I, or GJD, or anyone approach this site? Start in "class" mode, or "standard"" mode? 10 minutes? 2 minutes? What would you advise?

Thanks...