Josh Fiddler
Montreal
Recovering mathematician, computer scientist, and pro chef. Professional Artist in Training.
GenAI is theft.
Art is NOT "content".
Activity Feed
Josh Fiddler
•
3d
added comment inElements of Light and Shadow
I had the basics of this from Dorien Iten's materials and he's a phenomenal teacher. This lesson was really helpful though in one key area. You know when something is so obvious you kinda just overlook it? Well, yeah, OBVIOUSLY THE REFLECTED LIGHT IS THE LIGHTEST DARK of the Shadow Mass! Derp.
I'm really looking forward to when we get to edges! The softening of the cast shadow made me immediately think of lost edges.
Josh Fiddler
•
6d
Getting quicker with these. Thinking about connection of rhythms, how to foreshorten without losing interest. I think I got the subtle ones pretty well. Absolutely loving this course!
Maria Bygrove
•
6d
Just drawing along. I find that actually repeating the gestures myself, helps me watch the demos with more focus.
I love drawing along for the same reasons. Immediate feedback: am I understanding this? Nice work.
Josh Fiddler
•
7d
Grrr. I had nice notes... and then wanted to delete a line... cmd-backspace took me back a PAGE! and now they're gone. sigh.
Here's hand written ones from the video (not as good), and my attempts at the demo images.
Josh Fiddler
•
8d
Lots to think about. Definitely need to be a bit more adventurous with my exploration.
Yeah more art history seeping into the lessons!
Definitely gonna keep an eye on connections of rhythms.
Josh Fiddler
•
11d
Intrusive thoughts on the page.
Notes on Story:
- use single word or phrase to drive the ideas. talk it out. even if it's unhinged. ;-)
- consider the beginning and end of an action for the purpose of inventing. The middle may not be as interesting as how it starts and ends
- consider what is happening: big movements? imply with strong diagonals and placement of supporting limbs. Subtle action? Focus on body language: sad or regretful? bow the head, bring chest in, hide hands. Relaxed? Loose hands and limbs. etc etc.
John B.
•
20d
Asked for help
Although it was a bit intimidating, the assignment turned out to be quite fun! Still just a bit unsure about whether to draw the curve for the lumbar even when there's a very clear single rhythm for a hunched back tho.
Ben Whitfield
•
22d
Asked for help
Ugh. I'm really not happy with how I did with this project. I am a beginner drawer especially drawing figures. I really struggled with this project.
I tried to keep my lines to the 16 - 17 Michael is teaching and found that really challenging.
Also, I don't think I really understand how to properly identify the curves of the spine. Nor do I really understand how to properly identify the direction of the cross contours.
These are 4 of my first attempts and will continue to do more over the next few days but decided to upload some today.
Lot's of practice and watching the lessons is needed for sure.
See my critique of the 5 for the direction of wrapping lines/cross contours. Remember! Everything lives in 3D space. If things are confusing, slow down and think about what direction the form is moving in space, whether you are looking up at it or down at it.
Regarding the spine, the lines aren't exactly the spine, but imply how the spine is pushing the torso. In the case of the cervical line, how the neck moves in space as it connects to the back. The line isn't exactly the bones in every case. Sometimes it coincides, like in a side view for example. I know that's not super helpful starting out, but consider them as rhythms that describe how the form moves in space, the forces that keep the body in this asymmetric configuration rather than an anatomical feature.
Keep going! I feel your disappointment, but don't be discouraged. Time and practice. Time and practice.
Ben Whitfield
•
21d
Asked for help
I am still struggling with this assignment. Today I did gesture drawings of the 5 images supplied to us.
Not sure if the wrapping lines and spine directions are accurate.
I think the proportions are ok, but am having a hard time with the representation of the arms and legs.
Any feedback/advice would be very appreciated.
I have watched the demo videos a few times but I hope that the critique video will address some of the areas I am having a hard time with.
Hey Ben, I did a little draw over for you. I'm not sure if these were meant to be pushed or just trying to capture the references but I think a primary issue in each one is the direction of things in space. Where an arm goes away from the viewer, the perspective given by the wrapping lines comes towards the viewer. But one really awesome thing you've captured is the lean of the pelvis. You really push those nicely, especially the 2nd and 4th, which goes a long way in making these look dynamic and interesting.
You also occasionally slip into capturing contours rather than the directional flow of a form. I made note of particular ones in the drawover below.
As for arms... I hear you. A trick I use is to look for the back of the arm and for the hard edges of the wrist to help me decide how it works. See the drawover, expecially the first one. I try to connect the shoulder into the arm using rhythms that "catch" one another. Sometimes it's just one rhtyhmic C curvel like in #2 but often it's an S curve from the C of the shoulder.
And lastly, you get the relationships pretty well, but watch out for angle changes. The last one is a toughy from behind, but if you get the tilt of the shoulders relative to the hips right, the rest works out pretty well, as they do in the others you did.
Hope that helps!
