I am new to the forum - but here is what I see when I look at the pages you have shared,
To me it seems that you are either using a pen, or you are using a pencil and laying down a strong thick line.
For me what is good about this kind of practice is that it takes you out of your head, and it forces you to just lay the lines down as fast as you can. And I always start with soft sketchy lines, and I use a lot of them.
There are two are lessons that forever stay with me. One is when my grandfather took my "My Little Pony" coloring book and used crayons to draw a yellow sun in one corner. Then using darker crayons he taught me how to identify where the shadow was.
At the time I was so angry with him for coloring in my coloring book. But now. When I get to far in my head I remember that lesson and I am a child again. It stuck better than anything else.
The other one is how I learned to draw a circle.
Draw dozen of circles, one over the other. Take your pencil and lightly sketch over and over the shape that you want. Then erase what does not fit in the circle you are creating.
Change your medium. Use a harder pencil that lays down a softer line, or ditch the pen and pick up a pencil. Drop a dozen or so lines for each arm and limb. IT's not just about laying down a line that matches what you see but training your mind, your eye and your body to respond.
Don't get me wrong. THe details are so much fun. I have spent hours reveling in drawing the tiny details. I'm a nut for texture. Especially hair.
But this is about the bones. In my early days of figure drawings I would start at the head and move down. Getting detail after detail nailed down. Then realize it was off and erase and go feet up. When I learned to get the frame down it was so much better.
So learn to lay down a hundred lines and erase the ones that do not fit.
Hello Nouveau Rose. First of all, thank you for taking the time to look at my sketches and write a critique.
I used a pen precisely because if I use a pencil I have the temptation to go back and erase and make it "perfect", instead of just trying to convey the pose and movement in the set time (in this case it was 1-2 minutes). Also, if I use a pencil I start drawing softly but soon I start drawing strong lines without realising it.
Next time I'll try using a pencil and I'll do as you suggested. Thank you for your advice.
vindolet
10 years ago.
