Critique on the last 4 days.

Iv'e been doing the 30min class everyday, consistently for the past 2 weeks or so. Here are the most recent 4. I'm really looking to see what the community thinks. It's definitely a ton easier than when I started, and I'm more comfortable doing it. I feel I struggle with head size, and putting that initial line of action can sometimes be a bit confusing. On the 30 seconds to 1 minute ones, I sometimes run out of time before I'm finished, and with the 5 minute and 10 minute, I'll find myself finishing a little before the timer runs out. I wouldn't even know how to start a 20 minute drawing or longer! I appreciate anything you guys have to say!

https://imgur.com/a/LWIq4Zu

• HeyHeyMustard edited this post on November 29, 2021 12:31am.

Hey hey, Mustard — thought I'd try something! Loving these sketches you've got here.

Your 30 sec sketches are simple and effective, exactly how they should be. They communicate the pose very well and show a great understanding of motion following through from top to bottom! However, if I were to critique them I'd say to stray away from the more stickman-like foundations you have; while many of your poses read well, they're stiff, and experimenting more with different types of lines and incorporating circles/squares where necessary will help you make them more lively and maybe even fit some structural details of the figure in! Don't be afraid to exaggerate either.

The advice for the 30-second poses holds up for the 1-minute ones as well, of course. You seem to currently build upon the mannequin you make, as seen in your leftmost ones; when you don't do this, like in the rightmost ones, you lose gesture and proportionality. This is expected and understandable. Again, representing larger masses with shapes might help you build upon the form quicker and allow you to focus more on gesture.

Your longer sketches reflect my concern with your shorter ones — when you have more time, you begin to focus more on structure and contours, sometimes losing the gesture in the process. The ones that are sound are very much so, and they come off very nice; meanwhile, something like the leftmost one on the first picture could use more gesture work.

Overall, though? You're doing amazing. Your work is beautiful, clear, and communicative. To push those boundaries you have for the sake of expressivity is what I yearn to see. Sorry for my long critique, but I hope it helps!

Your sketches are really good! And while I'm definitely not the most qualified to give advice, I think with the shorter timed sketches, it's best not to overthink where to put anything and to just jump right into putting down those first lines. With the longer timed ones, it's all about the smaller details to put into it. The hair, the fingers, the toes, the chin etc. and of course making sure the proportions are right, but your proportions look really good to me. Anyways like I said I'm not super qualified but these are just some things I think might help. Happy drawing!

for the 30 second and 1 minute times, you're not really meant to do more than find the main lines, and what I would do is keep your human figure to less than 7 lines. For the minute time, you can start to add ovals and circles to represent major forms. I wouldn't fret about "not knowing where to begin" with a 20 minute pose, you have everything you need, just start from the main dynamic line and build up from there!

Well done on your consistency, you will get there.

So, heyheymustard, I must totally say that your 30 minute class mode drawings and sketches are completely and totally on the right track to me, so far, so good. Excellent use of animation of the 30 and 60 second stick figures, and excellent use of spaces and proportions of your 5 and 10 minute pose studies. Keep going on some of them, even your 5 minute and 10 minute attitudes.

My tiniest criticism is that though your spaces and relationships (proprotions and angles) are definitely and positively spot-on, yet the gesture is barely there in all of the heads and spines. Why don't you please start your new 10 minute body with a quicker line of action, using the vertical flip, followed by a 5 minute energy sketch, too; also flipped horizontally.

The dialectics why you'd start with the quicker gestures for your slow and careful figure drawings is because, first and foremost, your lines of action and guts will be able to breathe life and rawness in your figure proportions, angles, edges and spaces (negative, especially). Plus, if you wanna learn more about my suggestion, take a look at this link, if you please. Good luck, and I hope these things help.

It appears that you are focusing on full gesture drawing and that is really a good way to go.

I am not sure if you are drawing from a live model or photos.

My one thought is this, you are drawig with lines which is a great place to start.

Possibly try holding your pencil or charcoal underhanded. You'll start to draw with you whole arm.

If you want to chat about what I'm putting here email me at todd@mediaspiders.com

We have drawing group that meets a few times a week to draw from live models.

I can share what I've learned.

Hi all! I wanted to give an update. It's been a little over a month since this post, and I took all the advice and ran with it. I can already tell just looking back on this post how much better and consistent I've become!

https://imgur.com/a/Rk5TUYK

These are a select few of the recent 30 min class sessions, ranging from Christmas day to just before creating this post.

Thanks all for the advice!