I need help and/or advice please :(

I have several questions and i need help.

I only practiced, drew and painted realistic portraits for quite a few years and would say I'm pretty good at them. But I became bored of it some months ago. I've loved and admired 2d animation (frame to frame) since a long time and want to be able to animate so much. I'm trying to draw stylized bodies and faces since many months now but I just can't do it to my satisfaction. It all looks very stiff, out of place and like it's from a total beginner and it's discouraging me a lot.

Hoq do animators just draw everything their imagination leads them to? I can do realistic body drawings from photos/real life pretty alright I'd say, but i feel lost when I want to draw a pose from imagination. I have no big problems drawing hands from pictures/real life but stylized and from imagination? It all looks wonky and weird.

I think I know how muscles work and clothes too for example. Where lies my problem? What should I practice and how?

For portraits, i just drew different faces over and over until I got an eye for realistic proportions and stuff, but what should I do for stylized bodies?

Sorry for any errors since english is not my first language and thank you for any advice :)

hello!

learning new drawing techniques take time! you don't need to rush it, especially since you're exploring a side of art that you're not used to. you don't have to ditch the references either; it's probably best to ease into it by drawing the figure from reference, while practicing the stylization of the body. even animators and cartoonists commonly use references for poses, among other things. they do many things, like drawing from life, acting out the pose and observing themselves in the mirror, and using drawing "dolls" (wouldn't really recommend the dolls though; i've heard that most of them don't work).

as for practice, it'll probably be good to practice drawing the line of action and to experiment twisting and angling the placement of the head, chest, and pelvis. if they are perfectly aligned, the image looks stable. if they angle away from each other (while still lining up with the line of action), the image looks more dynamic. just make sure that the positioning is humanly possible.

i'm not very good at explaining, so here are some videos that i think will help you out!

LavenderTowne: Poses

LavenderTowne: Art Style

LavenderTowne: Cartoon Anatomy

and most importantly, don't stop practicing! i hope this helped! -mouse

I hate to say it, but practice makes perfect, and also you should draw from life as much as you can. Skill comes with time, so draw more, practice and everything will come in place in some time, but when...well it depends on you and your goals and your determination.. ;))

I would recommend that you first get an idea of ​​your drawing, then make a few small thumbnails (sketches), and when you get your general idea of ​​the piece use refrences for the parts that you are unsure about... Don't be afraid to do this using refrence or multiple references and combine them into one is allowed. It won't hurt anyone, but it will help you :))

• Alphaville edited this post on April 27, 2020 10:23pm.

Hello!

I can imagine how hard it is at this point. I have been there. I would advise you to draw from life or live. It will help you train your eye and enhance observation skills, which is much needed when it comes to drawing from imagination. Practice quick sketches, living, non-living. Draw anything and everything you see in front of yourself, it can be your room or any for that matter, even outdoor scenes. Practice from different angles and varied time limit sketches. It is a slow process, get's monotonous sometimes and you may be tempted to leave it. so, I'd suggest setting a goal that is practical for you to achieve every day. Also, it is very important to enjoy the process and not stress. Just have fun with it. Your sketches will not look perfect or good enough initially. But that's ok, you'll get better and you can do it. It is just an exercise to train your eyes and improve observation skills. You will be able to draw from the imagination after a while of daily practice. This is the foundation and basic to start from and trust me it is going to help you immensely. I hope you found it helpful enough :).

• Kashi edited this post on June 26, 2020 11:41am.