OK, one thing popped up for me on both images, and that is the way you indicated the... middle mass? I know the tutorial isn't very explicit about why that has to be there, and what it's good for. Here is the secret solved: It's meant to indicate the ribcage. (plus shoulders)
a) I recommend proko.com figure-drawing-fundamentals course, which has a similar concept like this site's tutorial, but way better explained. There is a premium version for money, but the free version contains all the important informations.
b) the ribcage is actually a pretty simple form, it is basically an upright standing egg, just flattened a bit, and the lower curve cut off along the lower ribs. I do recommend to use this as a shortcut for that upper torso mass. The peek of the egg isn't easy to see, because on top of it to the sides sit the shoulders and clavicula, (directly on top of it is where the neck starts, ofc) but if you know what this "mass" is supposed to indicate, you will have better luck deciding the size and placement it needs, to inform your drawing.
To let you immediately in on the secret of the lower body mass, it is the hip. A good shortcut for it is basically drawing a slipper underwear, and then indicate where the hip joints are, which are (other than the shoulder joints to the ribcage) always in a fixed position towards the hip, and can be easily spotted, as those are the joints, where the upper legs start from. Really indicating the hips correctly is often a bit more complicated, so for a starter I do agree with the tutorial, that indicating them with a circle will do for now, just try to make that circle big enough to fit the buttox into it.
The line of action, namesake of this page: I find it a remarkably complex concept, and I don't always use it consciously. The idea to find it is to think about the longest simple curve, that you could fit into the silhouette of the pose you are about to draw. I find it complex, as it combines the idea of indicating the dynamics of the overall pose, but often also helps indicating the placement of ribcage, spine and hip, properly. Which is a lot of information to pack into a single line, and I am personally meh about the pedagogical value of placing it so front and centre.
The idea with the timed practice is, in the shorter warm-up lessons, don't get hasty, but focus mostly on placing the torso correctly. You won't finish your drawing in time, and that is OK so. Getting the first lines that indicate the torso right is most important for the final result, so the short timing only allows you to draw those lines, and thererfor get more repetitions in for the basic construction, than for limbs or even fancy details at the end. So, don't get hasty, just draw a few lines before the timer runs out, then repeat finding and drawing those very lines with the next pose.
-Pencil control, I think there is one site that everyone agrees teaches that best, and that would be drawabox. If you go there and read the description of what you are supposed to do, and you feel your eyes glaze over, shake that feeling, actually doing it isn't as boring as it sounds. On the other hand, you won't be able to avoid a bit of repetitive grind. You are basically training your hand-eye coordination and your fine muscle skills the way a bodybuilder trains their abbs. Try to experience it in a meditative mood, keep your initial attempts as control samples, and cherish how fast you will see actual improvements in contrast to those meager beginnings.
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Euphony618
11 months ago.
Polyvios Animations
edited this post on December 22, 2023 4:11am.
Reason: Link fix
