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Caleb D
•
3yr
added comment inHow to Simplify the Motion of the Torso – The Bean
Been pretty slow with this course. Trying to get back into it recently.
All of the images on the left are before me watching Stan's drawing. Right is afterwards. Some include a 3rd image that is a more recent retry.
1st image includes beans I did a couple months ago, with the one on the right being the newest one.
I've changed my pencil grip recently so my pointer finger and thumb have closer to equal pressure on the pencil. Whereas previously my pointer finger was "dominate" if that makes any sense. Not sure if this is correct or incorrect, but I seem to have more control now.
Any feedback is greatly appreciated!
Caleb D
3yr
All today, 3/6
Caleb D
•
3yr
First 6 images are the following:
#.1: Drawing pose on my own
#.2: Following Stan's drawing
#.3 Drawing pose on my own again (without looking at Stan's or my previous drawing)
Last 9 (attached in reply. 10 image per post rule) are ones I've posted previously and went back and did again after doing the exercise above.
I'm pretty happy with the improvement. Doing the first 6 right after watching Stan's definitely helped with where to start, adding more depth, and that using cross section lines is important for the flow when something is coming at or away from you (I tried using this on image 6).
Any feedback is greatly appreciated!
Caleb D
•
3yr
Been doing this for about 2 weeks. Very new to all of this. I feel that some of my lines are pretty sloppy. Still getting more comfortable drawing from the shoulder. I'm using the suggested grip from one of Stan's videos, the one he uses in these videos.
Here are my latest 10. Not sure when I should move on to "The Bean" lesson.
Any feedback is greatly appreciated!
Hi Cdil, I think you are doing a great job here. Your lines seem more confident compared to most beginners. Besides that, I think your landmarks and angles are also good. The main constructive feedback I can give to you, is to look at two things I have been struggling with myself.
First, is look at the proportions. How to the limbs are doing in terms of size to the rest of the body.
Secondly, in some cases I would emphasize the knees more by using a sharp direction change in the action line instead of an S-curve.
For me the trick was to move back to stick figures and make these correct from a proportions and balance point of view and making sure the landmarks are in the correct positions. Once these are correct, spend more time on adding more "mass" to your gesture drawings. And don't give up. Getting good at figure drawing means going back and forward every now and then. Believe it or not, but my stick figures I create today are better than the stickfigures I created 6 months ago.
•
3yr
Hi @cdilworth, I think you're doing a good job! Keep on practicing these! I like how you dare to simplify, and it's great to hear that you're practicing drawing from your shoulder; it shows in line quality like in drawing #9 with an elegant c-curve from waist to hip.
I'll do my best to help you further:
PRACTICE TIPS
I attached an image with some practice tips. I think this is the most important advice I can give you at the moment. If you practice a lot and with those tips in mind I think you'll be able to improve fast and find the answers to many of your questions on your own.
ASYMMETRY - HELPING THE FLOW
When you move into doing longer poses where you have time indicate both sides of a leg and add small details in the contour, you might find the gesture to be hurt. A common issue is to draw symmetrical contours. The symmetry kills the flow. What you want to do is to draw contours that support the flow. Put simply, if the gesture is a c-curve, bend the contour lines to follow that c-curve. You could also think of the gesture as a stream of water that the contour should push forward from side to side. A curve on one side is followed by a curve on the other side. This assymetrical contour pushes the flow forward.
30 SECOND POSES
- Don't forget to do 30 second poses as well. In fact, here is where I would spend most of my time in the beginning. 30s poses are great, because they force you to only focus on what's essential, plus you get to practice that 4 times instead of just once in 2 minutes. It's a great way to get comfortable with the human figure, the gesture & the proportions, and your pencil. Getting a good grip of the big picture also helps when adding details, as explained above.
If you want to really boil it down, you could try this exercise :
Do 30 sec quick sketches, using only 5 or less lines (CSI) + head. It´s a challange, but using only 5 lines will force you to find the core gesture. You can look at the paintover I did of another students work, for inspiration. Note that I´m not drawing stick figures, but the flow passing through the forms.
But again the practice tips are the most important, especially the part about following along with Stan, since his good habits will become part of your repertoar
I hope this was helpful :) Keep up the good work!
