Critique! Just tell me what to do I'll listen.

[PoisonousMoonlight]

Hola Its Casta12 here!

About MuahI have been drawing seriously for a year and my family, friends, and myself have noticed tremendous growth. But as we all know you can't always rely on those resources. I have also been recently using a graphic tablet. I am open to critique and only get offended if I don't think it helped. I live in North Carolina and that's all the further that concerns you. I usually work on critters and anime styles. I have recently picked up on pursuing realism. I have noticed it is increasingly hard to switch back. I am currently using a #2 Ticondegra for my work on sketches.
Ok so I'm here for the sake of what we are all here for. To be helped in certain area's of drawing and other dimensions of art.

But anyways back to the subject, I'm looking for suggestions and also helpful hints. I am currently sketching short drafts for my mother for a drawing she wanted done. I have decided to work hard on it.
I will be uploading pictures of it soon enough. But I need major help.
Need help in
1) Profiles of humans and other creatures
2) Folds in clothing
3) proportions of humans
4) shadow and light balance
5) How to draw a dandelion (haha just need to know how to make it light and fluffy looking)
6) Foliage and landscape
Sketches of mother's drawing:
123<- click it this is the first one I made click and obviously I gave no detail as in hands
456<- Most recent is unfinished but coming along nicely. And no it is not flipped the wrong way just click it(had technical issues)

About the sketch need to be completed: My mother has asked me to draw a
Little girl wearing a dress and buckle shoes (in other words more of an old fashion style) and her picking a dandelion with a fence and prairie in the background. So she has given me almost full reign here. ^.^


Now please help me with this small project!!  

[Syrella]

Though this may not be exactly what you're hoping to hear, see if you can't draw some of that scene from life. Find a flowery field, find a girl, and find a fence. Or at the least, see if you can't get a photograph of something similar. If that's impossible, you could also learn to reference objects in a small manner. For example, to learn how to draw folds in cloth, you could find a piece of clothing that you like and sketch it in various ways. I'm not sure I recommend the latter method if you're starting out, though.

What it sounds like to me is that you're attempting to draw everything just from your head without referencing much or anything at all. Don't get me wrong, drawing from memory is a great way to go and it's a fun exercise to practice... however, when you're first starting off, often what happens is that your brain will tell you that a girl looks like abc when in reality, she looks more like xyz. You need to learn how to draw what's there and not just what you think is there or should be there. Build up your repetoire. Sketch dandelions in a field for awhile. razz And when you get good at sketching those things, then see if you can't combine them and build your own scenes.

As for what you've drawn so far, it looks like you've got some of the basics down. You can get a nice pencil line. But what's hurting you is the lack of life drawing experience, in my opinion. Even if your intention is to draw something that looks anime or manga style or any style for that matter (cartoons too), you still need a very in-depth lesson on realism to get it to work. Also, for later on, I'd suggest looking up the basics of composition as well as perspective. :3 I know I suck at those personally, but they are important to know.

If that's still not enough, I'd suggest looking at some of the many tutorials in the guild here. smile  

[PoisonousMoonlight]

Thank you for a second I thought I wasn't going to get any replies.

Any who, so in basic you're saying sketch or draw some part of the drawing and see if I can then put them all together. Hm the perspective may be something I could work on. I think I could put those into play as soon as school settles down again.
So really all I'm left to ask about for tips to work on are everything besides numbers #1, 2, 3, 4, 6 ( 6 sort of).
Once again thank you for the idea's I think that was wonderful I have never gotten such a detailed idea.  

[Syrella]

Hmm... specifically what I'd say is to make "studies" of each of the subjects before-mentioned. biggrin And then when you're able to do that relatively easily, then yeah, move on to try and combine all the techniques you used into one coherent piece. In order for that to work, though, you'll have to get a solid grasp of perspective and lighting and the like... which may be easier if you were working from life.

Some fun things to do is to set up bundles of fruit or other objects around your room and just draw them ("still lifes"). See if you can't get basic sketches of them first and then see about adding some of the smaller details once you get the general hang of it. smile  

[PoisonousMoonlight]

Thank you! ^.^