trying to have better proportions

by TheWood, July 19th 2021 © 2021 TheWood

I have stopped drawing for a small time and now it shows . I wish to have better proportions . Critique appreciated.

Aunt Herbert

Looking at those figures especially focusing on proportions, I don't see any systematic mistakes, that repeat a lot, or those tell-tale beginner problems like overstretched torsos or undersized hands. If anything I would say, you grasped the general idea, but you aren't yet totally consistent in applying it. Telling you that, "In that one figure you drew the shoulders a tad too broad" wouldn't be too helpful, as you probably even see it yourself when it happens and would draw it different on a second attempt.

And I think that consistency will grow naturally with more practice.

You aren't too far off from maybe developing a bit curiosity into how some details, that you so far steered away from, like hands, feets, or hairlines can be added efficiently.

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TheWood

Thank you . These words greatly encouraged me . My inconsistency made me upset and i thought there was something i was forgetting but now i understand that i must persevere.

Aunt Herbert

I think here is a bit I discovered about my inconsistency. I absolutely looove details in drawings, so naturally, when I started drawing I started by concentrating on one detail at a time, then continuing on to the next detail, and so on. Switching from drawing one detail to the next, I increased the scale on each detail in the chain, while decreasing the scale of "boring" lines in between the details. Then I leaned back, took a look at the final result and scrapped the page in frustration, because the proportions were whack all over the place, and I felt too exhausted to do something about them.

I have now rationally understood, that to get to a result, where all those nice details work together, I need to relearn my drawing pattern and especially my focus:

Find the long lines and big shapes, then plan out my next stroke, comparing with the reference and the parts I already drew, decide and "meassure" where the line is supposed to start and end, ideally "shadow" the line, then proceed to draw it in one quick confident move. Learning to do it quickly is helpful and desirable, but skipping a step to get quicker is not!

Then proceed with the drawing until the majority of the draft is mapped out, before I can finally embrace my love of details, while having a solid underpinning of their position and scale.

And yet, I really have to fight hard against my old habits, as I constantly feel the urge to skip all that stuff and treat myself by zoning in on that one beautiful extra detail, that just crossed my mind. And sometimes it even works, because I just have experience with doing it that way, other times I snap out of my trance and discover to my horror, that I ruined another drawing by completely messing up the proportions, and I have to erase at least the last 5 minutes of my work to get anywhere close to a clean and deliberate finish for the piece.

Now that I am often OK with my lineart and want to expand into shading, it's the same game all over again. Keep calm, auntie, find the tones, plan the shapes, plan the hatching pattern before execution, don't just jump into scribbling down some shades on an irrelevant detail.

I guess it is that fight against myself, that makes some people call art a spiritual experience. I personally could do without the spiritual part, if I could just pump out some pretty pictures instead.

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Polyvios Animations

good job on your quicker studies and sketches, Flandre16. Great job on your quick proportions and angles (perception of relationships)

So, when it comes to this pose with the cloth/drape, it could use just a little bit more push and pull. But otherwise, it's all falling into proper place. Would you like to loosen up and draw your lines the longest and largest of all, with another 30 minute class mode, followed by yet another 10 minute study??

The reason why you could and should do this advice is because, to make your proportions and angles the least slickest, and the most vital, rawest and gutsiest. And check out this link to this book for influence.

Good luck and I hope this link helps.

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