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 Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 11:00 pm
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29.10.08 I'm still not working enough! Today, 3 hours of muscle studies, 1 hour of hand study, 2 more hours of muscle studies, and another 2 more hours of head studies!
I can do this! -writes it bloody down somewhere-
About Me
My name is Elix Tan, 21 Male from Singapore. biggrin
I have been drawing on and off for 4 years now, but because of my perfectionist attitude and my inability to draw well, I gave up pretty easily and never improved. =o
A History
Previously, I am interested in manga and anime styles. On dA I am constantly putting superb artists on my watch list, skimming through every possible beautiful art/fanart that came into my inbox. Well, eventually, a few weeks of hiatus brought the number of unwatched deviations to a soaring number of 3k.
Sieving through the numerous pieces, I started deleting notifications from artists who constantly drew fanarts (OH THE HORROR) - and that was probably when my appreciation for the painting and slightly realistic styles had the opportunity to grow. There are many artists out there with their own unique and special styles, and that is much more valuable than the constant over-rated manga works flooding the net.
Over the years I am still drawing, not what I see, but what lurks in my imagination. During this period, and around me, while I immerse myself in the world of MMORPGs and games, people who were once drawing for fun like me suddenly took it seriously and are now rightful, respective artists now.
Packing up all my art stuffs, I now embark on a golden road with a single, first step. |
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Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 11:02 pm
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Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 11:14 pm
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Books Read
"Drawing with the R Side of Your Brain" - described the use of several techniques to achieve seeing things as they are and putting them down on paper.
"Drawing Using Gestalt's Perception" - is probably useful if aiming for right proportions of the entire shape of a subject. Good way to prevent spot-by-spot drawing.
"The Drawing Encyclopedia of Drawing Techniques" - started reading. This book might have some techniques that I can inculcate into my art pieces for more flavor. Shading techniques, pencil techniques that I can help
Reference Books
All About Techniques in Anatomy for the Artist
Dynamic Anatomy - Burne Hogarth
Anatomy for the Artist Daniel Carter & Michael Courtney
Notes
The Levels of Art
Lines and Shapes
Spaces
Perspective and Perception
Lights and Shadows
Gestalt/Whole
Memory
Imagination
Resource Links
References
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1813
http://artistshospital.deviantart.com/ - Everything I'll ever need XD
http://avalon1967.deviantart.com/gallery/ - WARNING Nude Stocks
http://vishstudio.deviantart.com/gallery/ - WARNING Nude Stocks
http://gracies-stock.deviantart.com/gallery/ - WARNING Nude Stocks
Misc
http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=7972255
http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=8012629
http://itchstudios.com/psg/art_tut.htm
http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=81332
Painting
http://jdillon82.deviantart.com/art/Mini-Painting-Tutorial-58099272
http://perzo.deviantart.com/art/All-my-secrets-uncovered-tut-83281273
http://www.pocketmole.com/tutorials/
http://photoshop-tutorials.deviantart.com/art/Di-Painting-W-41222679
Painting Videos
http://www.youtube.com/user/Bugmeyer
http://www.youtube.com/user/cgsbgs
http://www.youtube.com/user/djahal1
Tools
http://posemaniacs.com/
Motivational Speech by Artist
Quote: For Beginners Only
© 2000 Nita Leland
It may seem hard to believe, but almost anyone can be an artist. It depends largely on the goals you set and how hard you apply yourself. There may be many paths to the same goal.
Formal fine arts schooling appeals to some. Exposure to many disciplines is a great benefit and helps a student decide on a medium. Contact with other art students stimulates effort and competition. Still, not everyone can deal with the pressure of grades or a structured format. If you're older, the idea of going back to school is scary. What can you do if you itch to try your hand at art?
The secret is to begin--anywhere.
Thirty years ago my husband gave me watercolor paints for my birthday. I played with my paints for a couple of months, then decided to seek a fine arts degree. At the Dayton Art Institute I applied for admission to the degree program, expecting to register for day classes, while my four children were in school. I was told day classes were for serious students only.
But that didn't stop me.
I signed up for an informal class at the YMCA. It was a great way to start. I learned fundamentals: wash, dry brush, line, and value contrast. And no grades to worry about! Painting was fun. The compulsion to become an artist grabbed me. I surrendered without a struggle and set out to increase my understanding and develop my skills. I explored museums and galleries, read books and magazines, took more than fifty workshops in painting and drawing. I couldn't get enough of it.
Self-taught artists like me find a few hazards in the do-it-yourself program. Sometimes we become too single-minded about a particular medium or style. We risk weak development of important skills, and frequently suffer from lack of confidence. Every difficulty can be overcome. Anyone with normal mental and physical capabilities can master art skills. I'm serious! Anyone can do it.
Find the instructor or school that suits you best. You have lots of choices: art centers, private classes, adult classes at area schools, community colleges, universities, to name a few.
Like the characters in the Wizard of Oz, you already have inside you what it takes to reach artistic goals. You don't have to have a certificate to prove it, you only need your determination to follow through and learn the skills required for success. Oh....and, most important, lots of practice. You become an artist when you realize that your art education never ends.
And it's never too late to begin. Quote:
Power-Leveling for the Busy Artist
Not a lot of people are in a position to devote eight or more hours a day to grinding their way to professional level skills. For most of us, if you want to develop your skills, you’ve got to shoehorn the practice into your already busy schedule.
Think of art-making as music-making. Anyone who has learned an instrument will tell you that you have to devote daily practice to it over the course of years. There are a lot of repeated, technical exercises to go through – scales, chords, fingerings – stuff with an almost complete lack of creativity involved (at first glance). It can be downright boring. From day-to-day it is hard to see any improvement in your skills. All it takes is one look at a better player and you can find yourself in a funk – your motivation smashed, you can go from slow progress to no progress.
So right off the bat, you have to prepare yourself for the slow pace and the danger of losing your momentum. If looking at the work of better artists is going to smash your confidence, then spend less time looking at the work of better artists. (This is something that I have to do myself.) If you are likely to get distracted by, say, television or games or the internet (as I am currently being distracted right at this moment) then do what you can to avoid the temptation.
And at the heart of it all: get yourself on a practice schedule. The most progress that I ever made at the piano was when my teacher had me practice for an hour a day, every day, with no days off. I now apply this to my oil-painting habit. And as with the piano-practicing, much of what I do with the paints is technical. I have been focusing on color, value, manipulation of paint, and so on.
I have found that a particular time of day works best for me: first thing in the morning. I get my hour of painting done, and then afterwards I go to work, run errands, exercise, and play.
Different schedules are going to be optimal for different people. Maybe you’re more productive before going to bed. Maybe three hours every other day suits you better. Maybe you’ve got a bus schedule that gives you fifteen-minute increments twice a day that you can use to draw. That’s great! Figure out when your “power hour” is, and stick to it. Keep a log of the time you invest – it’ll help you get regular and turn the activity into a habit.
If you want to get even more specific with your practice time, then try this: pick a weekly goal. For example, “this week I am doing self-portraits”, or “this week I am doing color studies of light as observed on real objects,” or “this week I am drawing robots using perspective.” Put your goal in writing. Put your daily hour or equivalent towards reaching this goal. And if you want to do any additional art above and beyond the drill, then you can do that – after you have done your daily hour.
I would think up some catch way to conclude this, but I really need to get my own butt downstairs to do my daily painting. Happy art-making!
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Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 6:53 am
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11.10.08
Read up on some art techniques and looked for additional resources online. I think I may like to work with oil pastels in the future because of the complete look they give to artworks, and perhaps a mix color pencils and watercolor for a light airy feel.
I did some blind contour drawing of some anatomy sketches in the book "All About Techniques in Anatomy for the Artist", they came out not as good as I've wanted. Somehow I have a feeling I was doing it wrongly, cause my eyes were following my pencil marks (lagging behind) and vice versa while drawing.
At the same time, my mind's eye was jumping ahead of the drawn line when it came to the longer lines of the picture. In the end, I had to estimate how much I have drawn and continue from there again.
Throughout the whole process, was somewhat distracted by the noise outside, the noise in my head, the constant recollection of past art experiences... wasn't shifting into the R-mode (or did I?) as when I was drawing things upside down.
Tried a few other things as well, drawing with eyes closed on a piece of paper. Drawing some lines I see in my head as an alternative. Then I opened my eyes and traced my pencil over the items in the room, just to see things in 2D format.
I feel that the anxiety of making mistakes and my lack of concentration is hindering my ability to draw, but I believe that if I draw often enough, much like public speaking, the less nervous you will feel.
Later on I went to look for painting tutorials on dA, and I found 2-3 of them that I can use. Took a cloud stock and tried to paint some clouds. Here is the result.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v291/spirare/clouds.jpg
The whole artwork is not uniform overall, and the shape of the clouds are very dubious. Perhaps the only convincing one is the one on bottom right? Haha.
Feedback:
dark parts are too dark... more gradient in terms of gray and dark tones.
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Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 9:08 am
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Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 9:15 am
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Errol McGillivray Captain
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 10:15 am
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 2:12 pm
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 2:22 pm
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Errol McGillivray Elixias Errol McGillivray Nice gestures. Keep in mind though, it's not just about getting the gesture. Get the proportions and anatomy (simply) in there too. Thanks! They are actually 30 seconds quick sketch (each), part of some exercise that makes the right side of the brain fired up. Suppose to give characters more dynamic energy. Forgot to mention that. Haha. It's okay. I'm familiar with the exercises. Watch videos of dancers, athletes, and work outs and pause them for interval timed drawings.
Great tip! I haven't really thought about using videos like that before lol. |
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 2:35 pm
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Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 9:40 pm
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 2:57 am
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