Drawing Help -(Who wants to be an artist!)

[RoyalFlush]

So you want to draw!

Well...I do too!

So I'm asking all those artist on this forum for help! Your public needs you. We love your sneeze art on here...so

...help us make some too!

If you are an artist or have any good resources for learning how to draw(By sight, by imagnation, by memory...ect)

Please share it here. Or look at peoples questions they post here...and help out with those question. (I need help! >.<)

So please, please, help us out so we can make sneezy goodness too!

Please post all the:

Tips

Hints

Resources (Books....videos...ect...)

that you found helpful. Thanks

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ehem....

My first question is simple.

How did you learn to draw so GOOD!

Were you taught? Did you just practice and get it?

What happened with that exactly. Please share.

--Personally, I can't draw very well...but I learned (through a class...) how to draw by sight(awesome results!)...however...I can't draw by imagnation at all...(DEFEATED!!!) So if anyone has any tips on drawing by imagination...I'd love to hear them.

Thanks!

[Kiwifruit]

I'm definitely trying to become a better artist! I've always loved drawing, but compared to the likes of Spoider and VoOs and Nova and all the rest of the amazing artists on this forum...*dies a little* I'm so amateur

Best tip is (of course): practice makes perfect! The more you draw, the better you get. I've been doing a project with Pilgrim recently where we're designing a card game, and doing all the drawings (usually I do about three card art things a day) is already making a huge difference in how easily I can draw certain things *cough*HANDS*cough*. Even if you think your drawing sucks, I find it helpful to make myself finish it at least roughly so I get a better idea of what's wrong with it and how to fix it. Drawing images I like (yay Google Image search!) and then trying to do it again without looking is also helpful.

This is a basic sort of process I follow digitally (though I'm pretty new to digital art, I got a tablet for Christmas ):

First, basic shapes. Then, draw a nice outline on top of the draft and delete the draft. Then basic colours; then I add shading, try to make sure the colours and lighting fits, fix up errors and spots I missed while colouring, etc. I do this all in GIMP, using separate layers as needed to keep things separate, so I can colour under the lineart without it messing up the lines, for example. For colour, Kecleon Colour Theory is an AMAZING read The Mew pic there totally wasn't inspired by it or anything...

I do it pretty similarly on paper too - light pencil draft, nice outline on top in darker pencil or ink, then colour in your preferred method (pencils, watercolour, etc). Again, it's all practice

Aaaand that's the extent of my advice xP I'll be interested to see what else people say, I want to get better too :3 Awesome thread, RoyalFlush

[Anonymouse]

For me it's hard to draw accurately from imagination. It was easier when I was younger, probably because when you're a kid you have a stronger imagination (also, I drew more animals and objects than people). If you're looking for certain positions, just search through Google images using keywords that best describe the position you want. If you have a camera you can even take pictures of yourself in the desired position and use that as a reference. It's hard for me (since I'm a short girl and I generally like to draw tall men for the forum ) but if I need a certain hand position or something I snap a quick picture of myself doing exactly what I'm picturing in my mind and draw from that.

[LeapYearKisses]

Drawing from imagination is hard, but when I do it, I find that it's really helpful to have a lot of reference images around. Even if they're all of different things and not exactly what you're looking for, they can help you visualize what you DO want. For instance, if I'm character designing, I'll look on Google for a bunch of different outfits, hairstyles, etc., then stare at them until something comes to me. ^^; Like AnonyMouse said, using yourself as a ref is also a good way to work, but it is hard when you don't look like who you want to draw (*cough* ...I'm also a short girl who likes to draw pretty men...).

The most important thing is to practice! Even if you hate what's coming out, draw every day. I don't, and my art has suffered a lot for it. So don't be like me!

[NoV]

The most important thing is to practice! Even if you hate what's coming out, draw every day.

Definitely! Although some people have a natural flair for drawing, it is certainly a talent that almost everyone can improve with practice. If you want to draw humans, try copying pictures out of magazines, learning the rules of how to draw the various body parts. That way you can then apply them to your own made up drawings.

One tip - if you don't want anyone to find out about your fetish, drawings of sneezing should be carefully hidden. Several forum members have learnt this the hard way...

[black_mage]

If you want to draw humans, try copying pictures out of magazines, learning the rules of how to draw the various body parts. That way you can then apply them to your own made up drawings.

I would recommend this as well. Like you, I'm also trying to get better at drawing and I've noticed drawing stuff from references such as photos has helped me to improve the most. If you draw humans, try to draw them in various different poses. I've noticed that when I draw people from pictures then it starts to get easier to draw them from imagination. But still it's always good to have some references if possible. And don't get discouraged, if the drawings don't always come out the way you wanted to. That happens to me alot and I struggle all the time. You said that you were happy about the results you got from drawing by sight - that's great! Keep doing it, you'll improve. Good luck and have fun.

[RoyalFlush]

Thank you everyone for responding so far! I feel my question has been very well answered. If anyone else would like to ask a question now they are welcome to do so. And I hope that more people will come to answer that question as well. (Or…keep talking about mine hehehe )

Either way I felt I needed to put in my own advice as to how I got to learn how to draw. (As far as I’ve learned anyway. )

Which is mainly by sight (but by sight is the first step apparently.)

------Best By Sight Help I can Give--------(Sorry I babble. >.<)

Yeah, I took this drawing class that opened my eyes to the world of drawing. They had reading material that was essentially the same stuff being taught in the class. However I admit, I only skimmed. LOL Anyway, I literally went from drawing like a 12 year old to drawing photographic realism (seeing as we were drawing photos a lot. ) (Also...that was one of the professed 'gimmicks' of the book....its not a gimmick its pretty real.) Anyway, the results shocked me. The book was called "The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards. I didn't read the book, but I'm going to. I feel the class was the most helpful thing (It was a college level introductory course Non-Major....) but since the class was so sort of the workshop to the book I feel the book would help most with learning to draw. (Without paying for a class.)

I don't feel I am the right person to explain the 5 global skills of drawing but essentially it boils down to seeing the shapes, placing the shapes and in the right place(at the right sizes), and knowing lights, shadows and value. (that’s not five. LOL)

The biggest one is just knowing what you are looking at...without identifying the object as a nose or an eye. Just see shapes. Learn shapes...negative and positive spaces...ect.(Think in terms of this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/andy-coe/6576436929/ : If you see faces....draw the white...if you see a goblet...draw the black. if you see both...uh...draw something else (joking...just don't identify it...shapes have no names.) Once you do that it is a lot easier to do. (This helps you disassociate with that basic non-verbal image that allows you to know something is a house or a nose in your head. ect.)

After that you start paying attention to where you put things...

and after that you find out about value and how to apply it to your art to create a realistic look to what is in front of you.

That's mainly what the class taught, and that's mainly(well not mainly...but...) what is discussed in the book. (In extremely helpful and wonderful detail!...The parts I read (hehehe *blush*)) I bought the book used for about $8 USD dollars. Its paperback (weird for a text book) but they taught us a lot of stuff in there...like how to draw upside down and such...and how doing that helps you 'not-see' the object as a whole 'nose...house ect' but instead see it as a shape...and thus be more able to draw that shape accurately. The class rocked...and quoted the book a lot...so I assume the book really rocks a lot to. (I want to read it to edify myself all over again. )

Nonetheless...if you can't find the book...

"The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards...

than...take this PDF I found...this should be the whole book.

(There are three versions of the book...the orginal...the updated like 30 years ago...and the updated like 20 years version..."The NEW Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain should be the one updated form like...1980 ect. Which I believe is the newest and best version. This PDF...could very well be that version. I believe. Also as a side note this is a really wonderful and renown book in the artist community…like 2.5 million copies sold…and for an art book…that a WHOLE lot. Also…it was used as a textbook…so very very good. What I know about it rocks.)

Don't ask why I got the PDF when I had the book. I’ll just tell you. A page fell out of my book a guess on day in class...I freaked and got the PDF to check if I had everything...but I never really cycled through the PDF LoL

Okay here is the link to the PDF.

(Sadly I loaded the PDF a long time ago without saving were I got it. But I did download it again from :

http://www.4shared.com/office/o7fOhira/The_New_Drawing_on_the_Right_S.html

and I confirmed that it is indeed the PDF I have. About 18.3 MB (if not that...you have wrong file) )

Totally safe if you are interested.(I tested it.)

This is the only way to see the book for free. Though it is a fairly common book and I feel that a hardcopy would be better than a virtual one. (So you can go buy one for like…$8 USD bucks…)(Also in class… we drew in the book a lot. Doing random things with formats and crosshair…ect. It was pretty cool. A girl in that class and her friend shared a laptop and read a digital copy of the book. They struggled with the assignments not being able to draw on the screen. The girl finally gave up and drew on her screen anyway, saying it would come off with alcohol. LOL…I wonder if it really did.)

Anyway, that’s my two cents about drawing and stuff by sight. (Again, sight is like the first step to drawing by imagination or so I’ve been told…though…I’m not skilled with that imagination step quite yet. )

Hope this helps somebody!

Draw on my friends.

P.S. I got an A in the class…despite not reading the book fully like I should have. So I assume I learned enough about the book through the class its self…(with the help of a few all nighters at Kinco’s! ) LOL

P.S.S (My signature is a joke. I can indeed draw better than that. )

[Akahana]

If you're looking for human positions, I find it helpful to put yourself (like your hand) in that position and try drawing what you see. Also, when trying to draw from your imagination, try thinking of the coolest thing ever in your opinion. It probably won't come out like you planned, but it gives you something to start with. I usually just make it up as I go for OC's and stuff, starting out with a position or look I like and adding on from there. Just have fun, that's what I say. Practice makes perfect!! Also for the learning thing, I think it's easiest to look at other pictures you like and pick it apart. What techniques and things do you REALLY like, and try to work them into your own works. You can always learn from others, even the ones that look simple or a lower level or different style of art. HAVE FUN!!! Hoped this helped even a little~

[doggo]

OMG IT'S SCOOT!!!

Ahem.

I just took a class of figure drawing last autumn and it did a world of good for my drawing. It's incredible how much one can learn doing that. Otherwise than that I'm with the others for photo references. Google images is great for that.

[flower]

@RoyalFlush--My uncle gave me that book when I was in high school!! I don't think I ever read it. I actually used to be able to draw and had a little bit of talent artistically. I took a lot of art classes in high school and college. I even took one of those classes with the nude models (found that sketch pad in the attic and accidentally showed my kids while looking through ) Anyway, I agree that practice is important. I haven't drawn in years. Maybe I should go back to it in my "spare" time.

[RoyalFlush]

Okay, this isn't really drawing help as much as it is digital art help, but I resently found this tutorial from my all time favorite deviant artist sakimichan. Here is Sakimichan's web page...she is a MASTER!!!! : http://sakimichan.de...rt.com/gallery/?

(Please have a look at ANY of her awesome art...you'll love it.)

Anyway, she made a coloring tutorial for how she gets that perfect realistic look with her coloring- here it is: http://sakimichan.de...734842#/d279ioo

I nearly had a seizure. These methods only works with digital art, but I like Photoshop so I thought others might find this stuff helpful if you have it or programs like it...(like Gimp or Paint tool Sai and such.)

She also has a few other tutorials here: http://sakimichan.de.../gallery/734842

Awesome right? Sakimichan is...awesome.

[ScorpionPrincess]

Look at things and draw them over and over and over again. It sound boring, but that's how I learned how to draw anime-style characters. I drew Sailor Moon constantly from second to sixth grade, haha. But don't get carried away with just that, learn how to draw other things too, like backgrounds, objects, plants, etc. It is okay to draw only one "way" but it is better to know how to draw a variety of things then. Sometims if I need a bit of practice I like to use a little bit of tacing paper and draw lightly on my manga, and then redraw it without. Hope some of this helps.