Activity Feed
Jose Ardern
•
1yr
added comment inStudy Boards
Asked for help
I found it difficult to work with the left leg and arm because of the foreshortening.
Octavio Magno
1yr
It's fantastic! How long did it take you to get at this stage?
Hi Patrick! Do you think there is "too much" fantasy art being made today? What could you say to anyone aspiring to be an artist of this magnificent genre, thinking that it might be a "saturated market"? Thank you!
Oh! In the same line, what do you think the fantasy genre could benefit from, today? What do you think is not being done or explored enough, thematically, technically or in any way? Thank you
Good afternoon everyone! I have a question for you all. In your opinion, what makes a good teacher and what makes a good student? What actions does he/she take? And, on the flip side, what makes a teacher or student bad? Thank you!
Octavio Magno
•
3yr
Hello again! About your process, how do you use multiple references, from different animals in order to "build up" a fantastical creature like a dragon?
Octavio Magno
•
3yr
Hi Antonio, it's a pleasure to greet you! I want to ask you which concepts should artists, aspiring artists, arts students, all of us who love drawing and art in general, be constantly practicing and reviewing in order to keep their skills tuned up? Maybe something really basic but key that you USE no matter if you're drawing, painting, sculpting, etc.
Thank you!
Octavio Magno
•
3yr
Hi Natali! Nice to greet you. You know? For what I can see, you understand the gesture of each pose very well. I think the balance and flow that you're looking for is there. In particular, I really like the two bottom drawings of the first picture, they express not only the pose but the ATTITUDE of the pose. I think they look rad! The left drawing keeps up with the proportions as well and that little line of the bottom of the breasts, as inconsequential as it may appear, points out the volume and "turning" of the torso. The right drawing next to it is obviously more exaggerated and dynamic, which I think is one of the goals of these practices as well, that's what truly means "capturing the energy of a subject". I also think you know well where to place angles if needed, without losing the energy of your other lines.
As for the bean, I haven't really studied that concept but, as with the rest of your gesture-alone drawings, I think they look very good. I think you are grasping these concepts nicely and are on the right track. You should keep going on in this direction.
I hope my comments are helpful to you. Cheers!
Asked for help
Hello Marco, it's a pleasure to greet you. I'm an arts student and, curiously, I'm at a stage in my career where I find many obstacles to practice and develop my drawing skills due to schedules, homework, etc., which causes me a lot of frustration . I feel like I'm falling behind or even just plain stuck. I compare myself with many of my classmates, I see how they have progressed from the first semester until now and for me they have improved much more than me. Then I have many doubts about the path I should follow to dedicate the necessary attention and effort to practicing my technical skills on my own.
That's why I have some questions for you, which I hope are understandable and you can answer:
*Have you ever had to leave the technical practice for a certain time, for whatever reason (school, research, paperwork, etc.) Or relearn a concept that you were taught and you could not review it at the time, which you had to return to later? If so, how was that process of going back to "step number 1" and starting from where you left off? What mentality did you take or you recommend one should have in these types of situations?
*Do you think it's a bad idea to want to study different concepts such as color, human figure and perspective for example, or drawing AND painting, at the same time? Let's say, make a plan: "I'm going to practice my shading technique Monday through Friday morning and, on the weekend, I'm going to paint with acrylic or digital, for five hours…" Would I be wanting to cover too much? And in that case, what would you recommend me to prioritize?
Thank you!
•
3yr
Hi Octavio, thanks for the questions!
This is a very personal situation you're sharing, and I'll do my best to contribute meaningfully.
For your first question - I did have just that experience with anatomy! That's actually how I first discovered the Proko YouTube channel - I was searching for some anatomy lessons that I could start with, in terms of finding out what it is I didn't know. It never feels amazing to be a beginner at something, but honestly, I so enjoy the process of learning that it doesn't really bother me. I'm pretty generous with myself, in that I don't expect perfection fast. Or ever. I just want to improve one little step every day, even if that improvement is not noticeable yet to anybody but me. Just inch your way forward, that is the secret, I'm convinced! I don't know who said this, but some wise person once said that the key to improvement is to compare yourself to who you were yesterday, NOT who other people are today. The feelings indicated in the first part of your comment feels like it could benefit from that quote.
Anyway, the good thing about art is that everything's related. When I went back to learn anatomy, I didn't really have to start at step 1. I knew how to draw gestures, and build solid forms. So when Proko taught me about the complexities of the forearm muscles, that information was new to me, but I was able to plug it into my existing skillset. So that's the thing I think you should do: make sure your most essential fundamentals are in place. This, to me, is gesture and form. Be able to capture gestures quickly (movement, pose, weight), and then build on that framework with simple 3D forms. You can then apply that to so much of art. Perspective is another one that you should really get down early (as it's very related to drawing 3D forms.) With those tools under your belt, you will never be back at Step 1 again!
As for the second question--
I don't think it's BAD to want to do all those things, but you have to prioritize. If you are still gaining skills, choose the subject or area of study that's going to give you the most overall mileage. I think that's usually the figure, as the lessons you learn there will make virtually everything else easier. Then from there you can break down the various art processes and filter them into your study. So maybe on Monday and Tuesday you only use lines to construct forms. Then maybe on Wednesday you try and add tone to your drawings with just one dark value for all of the shadows.
I would avoid lots of jumps from figures to landscapes to concept art to illustration, etc. It's great to do that over time, but what I think is best is to establish momentum on one thing (again, I recommend the figure) and really try to get some mileage in there. Maybe a few weeks' worth of study is in order. Then maybe ease yourself into adding landscapes to the mix. Eventually any and all art practice will just be branches of the fundamentals. But at first, you want to find a topic to "settle into," and let that be a primary outlet for your study. That's my opinion, anyway!
Good luck with your journey :)
