Forum posts by mikey5string

I think its good. Better than I could do.

I appreciate when people critique my work help me improve though, as long as it is constructive. IMO, the rendering looks a little flat. The values are all pretty similar, put some blacks in there and some highlights. That should add depth to it and make it come off the page better.

Secondly, If I was going to make the body look realistic with detail and rendering, I would make the whole thing like that. The outline is catching my eye. I know its hard to avoid outlines sometimes with no background. The guide lines on the face too. Again, i am assuming this is a finished piece.

I like the feet! The whole thing is very good for someone who doesnt draw often. Lets see some more.

mike

• Kim edited this post on September 11, 2018 4:16am.

I see manga influence especially in the hand. The veins are a nice touch but they still lack the subtle texture and depth of an actual hand. Find a high res pic of an old persons face or hands and try to draw them exactly as you see them.

Overall, I think a study of rendering with dramatic light might make a cool piece and a good exercise. Take a pic of a friend with a bright light on a part of their body in a dark room. Try using black paper and a white pencil.

I have a book called "Human Anatomy for Artists"  by Elliot Goldfinger. It is the most comprehensive anatomy book I have seen, it borders on a science book. Knowing what is underneath everything will help you with awkward poses or difficult detail. I am in the same boat as you, trying to improve my drawing skills. Especially my anatomy and figure drawing.

I am starting with general figures; proportions, thinking about how the bones, muscles and joints interact when you move and stuff like that. Then I will move to specific features.  Are you confidant with your general figure ability? Can you draw a person jumping or doing a cartwheel without a reference photo?
Composition. Interesting people, interesting poses, crop a small section of a person and try to make that part photorealistic. Check out the "rule of thirds" . Use different color paper. Find interesting subjects. I had an idea to google "faces of meth" and draw all of the portraits that come up.

You definitely are doing well and im sure youll get better and better.

mike

I am trying to become decent with pencil drawings. I am in school for graphic design but have been interested in illustration lately. My goal is to design  and develop concepts on paper via sketches, scan them and finish them with Creative Suite software.

The thing with my drawings is that they are all very "sketchy" Everything I draw ends up looking like a mix between a gesture drawing and a "coat-hanger" rendering. I want to be able to use a lot less lines and clean up my technique.

I found this site, busted out the old sketchbook and tried to produce a few gesture drawings. I found that 30sec was too fast and went to 60sec. The time limit was good as it forced me to do less. Working toward the 30sec.

Any tips on cleaning up a sloppy style?

Here are some pics of a couple pages from my sketches today.

thanks

mike