A few recent pencil sketches ! - LifeART

tonik · December 14th, 2009, 20:53

I originally had my pics up on photobucket but apparently my drawings are of an "adult nature" so were removed.

A while ago I used to draw and paint pretty regularly but with work and other things it's something I dropped. I've recently been getting the creative urge so have been doing quite a bit of life drawing again. It's really quite tough to get back into the swing of things but here are a few recent pics some are 10 min pics and upto about an hour for others. There are bits and pieces I'm happy with but I'm enjoying it again so will keep on practising !

Big Frog · December 14th, 2009, 22:22

Welcome to LifeART and thank you for sharing your art! :)

Number 5 is my fave closely followed by 1 and 3!

Watch that your work doesn't become too 'outliney' (leg of number 4) as it kills the form on an otherwise appealing piece.

Would love to see more, where are you based btw?

tonik · December 14th, 2009, 22:39

Thanks Big Frog ! Have browsed through the forums and really like the style of your drawings.

I'm glad you like number 5. It was a 20-25min one where I was practising accurate measurements. Nobody else seemed to like it but it's one of my favourites. Number 1 was a quick one too. Sometimes you can lose that fluidity when you spend too much time on it !

I know what you mean about 4 - the scan's added a bit of contrast but drawing in black conte pencil I did get a bit heavy on the lines. Maybe I'll try and work on it a little more.

I'm based in Edinburgh at the moment but love to move around a bit. Will post a bit more soon.

tonik · December 15th, 2009, 19:56

Here are a couple I did at the weekend. I was frustrated by the top one as I spent over an hour on it but didn't feel it coming together. I only spent about 10 mins on the bottom one but think it works a lot better.

I'm going to try to be a little more subtle with my mark making and soften things up. I'm causing problems for myself by going in a little too harshly too soon I think.

Big Frog · December 15th, 2009, 22:20

Hey it's good to see more :)

I love the simplicity of the second one although I feel the hair lets it down a bit (turns it into a cartoon). Try drawing the shadowy areas of hair as a block (or blocks) and save the detail for the focal (highlighted) areas.

She's a lovely shape BTW!

DennisS_000 · December 16th, 2009, 13:06

Like the very first quick drawing and the last. I echo BF's point about the outline, it can sometimes make forms two dimensional, a bit like a cut out. Don't try for too much finish. I came across a good term the other day, "slippage", meaning the quality that some drawings have that seem to imply movement, of not being quite finished or tidied up. It is quite a useful concept I think.

tonik · December 17th, 2009, 17:57

Cheers thanks for the tips. Just what I was looking for - practice goes a long way but pointers are always appreciated. Will bear them in mind !

Malcolm@Westby · December 22nd, 2009, 22:53

Hi there. I really like both 1 and 5. They have a real sense that you're investigating what's in front of you and not going for "finish". They have both energy and economy. Very good.

tonik · January 6th, 2010, 23:58

Thanks Malcolm ! Have been going through my old anatomy books and they make more sense now my sight's a bit more tuned in.

New Year, new start - will be doing some drawing on Saturday so hope I'll have something new to show.

tonik · January 13th, 2010, 19:50

I'm not sure about this one. I started another one during the session but wasn't happy with where it was heading so quickly got this one down. ( I should have paid more attention to your advice but I'll get there if i keep on going ! )

Big Frog · January 13th, 2010, 19:59

Hey I think you have handled that really well, especially the head from the awkward foreshortened, upside down angle! Her foreshortened arm possibly looks a bit small but I am guessing that is due to her hair covering her forearm.

Thanks for posting!

tonik · January 13th, 2010, 20:13

Thanks BF - this is the 1st version I did for comparison. The angle's slightly different and I used a very soft dark pencil ( the one above is just HB ). I think I prefer the quicker one above.

tonik · January 17th, 2010, 19:54

Here's another one !

Big Frog · January 18th, 2010, 08:52

This has been handled very well and I particularly like the foreshortened foot. I think all it is lacking is some weight to the form overall and especially to the model's placement in the cushions.

Malcolm@Westby · January 18th, 2010, 13:28

I also like the first of your sketches posted on 13th Jan. I also agree with BF about that foot in the recent seated pose! Personally, I always struggle with feet - I really shouldn't leave them 'til last! If I have any comment about the most recent sketch it would be that I think the weight of the outline of the face/hair is too strong. This prevents them from settling back into the cushion and background and makes the whole image seem a bit flat.

tonik · January 18th, 2010, 19:03

Thanks guys. Looking at it again I get what you mean.

I just did a quick paintover in Photoshop and imagined what it would look like if more of the figure was exposed. Do you think compositionally it would have worked better like this ?

Maybe a little more detail in the model's settings could have helped the weight as well.

Malcolm@Westby · January 18th, 2010, 23:33

Hmmm! Possibly! There's a slight feeling of awkwardness to the pose which it will be a challenge to make look correct. The legs and feet extend towards us while the upper body recedes and turns to the left - being partially enveloped by the background. Perhaps I'd be more concerned with the overall tonal values than the extent to which the body is enveloped or exposed. Essentially, everything that is not in direct light is in some form of shadow. Unifying the shadows across the upper body and background will help bring the foreground (legs and feet) to the fore - even if that means loosing some of the detail as the subject apparantly recedes. Although I wasn't there at the time, I suspect that the levels of light were greatest on her legs and that her face was probably mostly in shade with an overall, relatively lower tonal value. Look for opportunities to loose hard edges completely.

I hope that's constructive! Are you thinking of developing the sketch into a finished picture or looking more for future pointers?

tonik · January 24th, 2010, 10:13

I know what you mean about the pose. I think the model was a little inexperienced and found it hard to keep to the same position- she had a very interesting shape though.

I'm thinking more to the future really although I'll be working on a few of my sketches to develop them a bit further. Just experimenting and if something interesting pops up all the better.

My shading could do with some work to so plan on doing some of the traditional exercises to get in the right frame of mind. There are some in here that look as though they might be useful. I've had this on my shelf for a while but haven't studied it in detail. Think it's about time I did !

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Artists-Comp...4101775&sr=1-1

tonik · January 24th, 2010, 16:37

Same model as before. Thought I'd challenge myself with some foreshortening and am fairly happy with the face. The left breast lacks a little weight but was a fairly accurate representation I think.

Big Frog · January 24th, 2010, 18:00

Again, you must go softer on the outline (although the hair works great as it is tonally balanced). Not too sure about the shading on her side, looks a bit too patchwork and creates a blotchy effect to her skin, without any overall creation of weight.

On the positive side, her face structure is again handled well and her hair is excellent as mentioned before.

Thank you for posting :)

tonik · January 25th, 2010, 07:10

Thanks BF. Looking back her eyebrows are slightly skewy. Thanks for the advice and the comment on her hair - it's something I often have probs with.

Malcolm@Westby · January 25th, 2010, 22:54

Hi Tonik

In my opinion, Anthony Ryder's book is one of the best there is. I'd certainly encourage you to get it off the shelf! It really will repay thorough (and repeated!) reading. Check out his website too! www.tonyryder.com

Malcolm

Big Frog · January 26th, 2010, 07:26

The book is available from our LifeART store: http://www.lifeart.co.uk/books/

tonik · February 1st, 2010, 17:11

Something a little different this time. Tried using a male model this week - pretty happy although this pic could have done with a little more time. I was thinking of your advice Malcolm and trying to be a little lighter with outlines. I was planning on deepening the tones with a softer pencil. Again this is HB.

Malcolm@Westby · February 1st, 2010, 21:45

The new drawing is working rather well - with the internal shapes not being dominated by the outer edges. There's a good sense of the model's weight. With heavier outlines, a figure can sometimes look more like a cut out and the sense of weight disappears. A tutor once told me "not to hang the shadows on the figure but use them to accurately describe the structure of the form". I particularly like how you've plotted the shapes of the direct light and main shadow masses on the left side of the body.

Personally, I'd never start a pencil drawing with anything harder than a 2B - but that's because I'm always more concerned with tonal value than anything else. A 2B can give a really good range of tones from very light to pretty dark (all in one tool!) on a decent paper.

tonik · February 2nd, 2010, 21:57

Thanks Malcolm ! He was a very good model who held his poses well and had great definition which made finding points to measure up very easy. I'm having a go at developing this one a little more so if it's not too terrible might show the results.

I think if I was better at rendering the surroundings I wouldn't suffer so much from the cut out effect so think that's something I need to work on. Maybe copy some old masters cloth folds to see how they did it.

Big Frog · February 2nd, 2010, 22:05

I do like this Tonik, thank you for posting!

Egon Miklavcic · February 7th, 2010, 07:48

Well done -
but IMHO - when you draw hair with pencil -
its better to follow the directions of the wisps of the hairs

DaveBiss · February 7th, 2010, 17:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Malcolm@Westby

Hi Tonik

In my opinion, Anthony Ryder's book is one of the best there is. I'd certainly encourage you to get it off the shelf! It really will repay thorough (and repeated!) reading. Check out his website too! www.tonyryder.com

Malcolm

I certainly can't disagree with the idea that there is a lot of good stuff in Tony Ryder's book but the approach he advocates would not be an easy one for most amateur artists to follow. For instance he says, on page 11 of the book, " Let's start by assuming that the model has taken a new pose, and I'm about to begin work on a drawing that will take me twenty of thirty hours". How many people would have that sort of time to devote to one drawing? And how many models would be able to pose for that sort of time, sometimes standing, as some of the drawings in the book suggest? So does he work from photographs? It does rather look as if he does. The work is meticulous and academic, and in its own way quite wonderful, but for me it lacks the spontaneity and emotional impact that can be readily found in many of the drawings that grace this website. I am happy to learn from Tony's book but I don't really want to draw like that, ... ... even if that were remotely possible.
Dave.

Malcolm@Westby · February 8th, 2010, 23:01

I think you'll find that Tony Ryder works exclusively from life. But then the atelier way is to work on long poses to a high degree of accuracy and finish - a process that just doesn't happen in mainstream art education here (with the exception of a handful of private ateliers). But, I think it is perfectly possible to adapt his techniques for the kind of shorter poses that most of us experience - it's what I strive to do in my own way! In particular, I've found that training myself to see the outer "envelope" of a pose and plotting it (albeit, sometimes quickly) before working on the inner light and shadow shapes, can save a lot of time in a short pose which I'd otherwise spend measuring. It also prevents the problems that can occur when you start in one place and work your way down (or up, or across, or diagonally, or whatever process you adopt!) and then find that things have ended up out of proportion or in the wrong place! Learning to "triangulate" key points within the "envelope" has been a great help to me. Mind you, I have never been able to work a drawing to the level of finish that he has!

However, I accept that it is certainly an academic style that is not to everyone's taste!

tonik · February 10th, 2010, 07:24

Thanks Egon - I saw your thread and love your watercolours !

I think there's a lot to learn from Ryder's books and even though the atelier way does seem to be more a technical exercise in patience than a creative freeflow there's some great observations and techniques in there. I wish that when I was at Art School I'd had the passion for life drawing I have now - too much time in the pub and not enough time in the studio.

I have the Giovanni Civardi books as well and can recommend these too. I always stop at 2nd hand bookshops when I'm walking about and have picked up a whole bookshelf of these type of books.

In the meantime I've been trying to get back to basics and have been looking at basic anatomy. I went along to an aboriginal Museum in Las Palmas in Gran Canaria last time I was out there and saw hundreds of skulls. Until I saw them all together I hadn't realised how much variety there was in shape and structure but with the variety of faces out there I guess it makes sense. It sounds macabre but I wonder if I'd be able to recognise anyone I know by looking at their skulls - even x-rays.

This is a copy of a drawing in a John Raynes book - Faces and Expressions. It's a cheap simple book with interesting illustrations. Even just copying someone else's anatomical onservations helps me with my life drawing and gets me to look at the model in a different way.

Malcolm@Westby · February 10th, 2010, 22:12

I'm afraid we're getting a little off the topic of your drawings here! But - I've also started to go back to much earlier art instruction books for sound advice and techniques. The books by Harold Speed are exellent. I've recently come across a whole set of books by the American illustrator Andrew Loomis as e-books (and also found a "proper" one very recently at a second hand art sale!). They date from the late 1930s to ealy 1960s and are full of brilliant useful stuff. His book about drawing heads and hands is particularly good. If you're interested, I'll look up the links.

tonik · February 11th, 2010, 07:28

Ah Yep - I've seen the Loomis ones. I understand they're in the public domain now so it's legal to download ebooks of them. I work in IT so spend so much time on a PC but books are something I always prefer to have in my hand. I lose concentration with ebooks.

Someone pointed out the skull above had a very flat forehead and cheekbones and I think they were right. Am just having a go at another skull so will see how it goes !

tonik · February 11th, 2010, 19:37

Here's a bit from a quick pastel sketch I did this evening (Only have an A3 scanner here) First time I've used pastel for a long time ! Better get to the art shop to get some fixative. It's pretty rough and I would have liked to have spent more time on it but enjoyed it.

Her left shoulder's too big and it throws off the balance a bit but ah well. Maybe when I've used fixative I'll have another go at it.

Big Frog · February 11th, 2010, 20:28

Looking nice! Very fresh :)