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Jacek
•
4yr
added comment inStage 1 - Block In Concepts
Asked for help
Hello,
Here is my assignment. I would like to ask questions about things I struggled with. If I understand correctly in the lesson it is said to use value 2 out of 10 for the first pass. When I was putting values in my drawing I felt like I don't have different value to choose from. In the end I feel like my drawing is very flat in comparison to Stephen's drawing which look 3d even in the first pass. Am I missing something or I misunderstood what was said in the lesson? Another question is about hair especially the place on the neck in the left part of the photo (Olilvia_11). In that area the hair split and you can see the neck, the background and lots of strands of the hair that have both dark and light values. I had no idea how to appraoch that area and it stands out in the drawing :). How should I approach that area in this stage of the drawing. I would appreciate any other feedback. Thanks!
Jo Sheridan
4yr
I am also doing Stephen's course and I had to start again when I had rubbed out so much on my first attempt that I ripped the paper! Second time round was better, on better paper, but like you I was being so timid with my values that it all looked really flat - key for me was to reach for much softer pencils - I blocked it in with a HB, but then ended up using I think a 4B in the darkest areas. I know Stephen just keeps adding more and more layers of harder pencils, but I wonder if he has different paper that makes that more effective. Using softer pencils also removes the temptation to press too hard, so you avoid it getting too shiny that way too. Sorry to say I am no expert on hair, but concentrating on value and shadow shapes seemed to work for me.
•
4yr
Hi Jacek! Great work so far! In total transparency I haven't watched the entire video course yet but have watched the first phase and then skipped around in the later phases.
Flatness: I think that flatness is due to your initial line drawing (lay-in) got washed out by the value phase. It looks like Stephen brings the line drawing up along with the values as he is working so that lay-in remains to help guide the placement of values and keeping the 3d look and head structure in place. I think if you went back to reestablish the construction lines in your drawing and some edges it will bring it back to life and look 3d more.
Hair: try to look at the big shapes only at this stage of the drawing. Also the photo reference has her hair in an odd kind of shape anyways so I would design the hair shape the way I want it to look vs being exactly like the photo. There are those two countering strands of hair that look kind of symmetrical to each other and it's killing the flow of the hair. I'd just fill it in to make the hair look thick and full on the back for example.
Proportions: Double check the vertical and horizontal alignment of the mouth, eyes and nose before moving forward. Make sure at each stage of a drawing that all the features are still on a similar horizontal tilt.
Really good work and I can't wait to see the finished work! Tag me when you post it so I can see!
Jacek
•
4yr
Gesture drawing is not a contour drawing but it often ends up that way. Do you have any tips on overcoming that bad habit?
Asked for help
Hello! Here is my attempt. Hair and ears, my nemesis we'll meet again!
•
4yr
Nice job, @Jacek! The overall construction looks pretty good to me. Indeed, the ear needs more anatomy, but the general proportion and placement are fine! Make sure to check out the lesson on How to Draw Ears – Anatomy and Structure in case you haven't. About the hair, one great thing to be noticed is that, even though there could be more work on the texture, you shaded it very coherently as a 3D mass - I say this is great because it's something a lot of people have trouble with. Stan mentions great tips for drawing hair in How to Draw Hair, in case you haven't seen. Keep it up! And let me know if you have questions. Hope this helps.
