Drawing Style! How U DO IT?!
Malik A. Khan
Hello!
To all you artists out there... How do you draw? Do you start out
doing the basic shapes first, or do you start with the details (e.g.
do you start drawing a triangle for an ear and sphere for the head, or
do you start drawing the ear and head in detail first?)?
I prefer to start with shapes, that way I can make sure I have enuff
room on the paper for my figure before getting into the details.
There's nothing more frustrating than drawing your figure, then
finding out your legs get cut off at the bottom cause you didn't
define your space properly.
Anyoe else?
(If I don't reply to your message, I apologize. My Newserver is not
getting all the articles, so I may never get your message--unless I go
to Deja).
-------
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Updated October 11, 1997!!
What's New: A Tribute to Bad Web Designers!
Take a peep!
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(Get a Laugh or 12.)
Peace--Hoodkatt
Tobias Koehler
On Sun, 09 Nov 1997 05:23:20 GMT, Malik A. Khan (n...@notyet.com) wrote in
alt.fan.furry:
> To all you artists out there... How do you draw? Do you start out
> doing the basic shapes first, or do you start with the details (e.g.
> do you start drawing a triangle for an ear and sphere for the head, or
> do you start drawing the ear and head in detail first?)?
as this is a `drawing weekend' for me, with no assignments
for university and rainy weather, i'll answer even though
i'm not drawing that much (but i have just finished a
picture that i consider presentable)
> I prefer to start with shapes, that way I can make sure I have enuff
> room on the paper for my figure before getting into the details.
> There's nothing more frustrating than drawing your figure, then
> finding out your legs get cut off at the bottom cause you didn't
> define your space properly.
space organization is an important thing that has to come first
if you don't want to get into trouble later - so i start with a
simplified `skeleton' (a circle for the head, and lines for the
spine and tail as well as the limbs). there i also decide about
the body position and the proportions (which might be a bit
different for each species unless you draw highly anthropo-
morphic characters).
then, still with a soft pencil, i start with the rough outlines
- defining the general outer shape of the characters and
deciding about the head position. if i have more than one
character on the picture, i take extra care of the interaction
between them - like, they look at each other, shake hands, hug,
etc. then it's time for more detailed facial features (again,
this depends on the species), paws and such. good faces are an
art/science of their own.. some artists are certainly better
with facial expressions than me, and can tell you more. anyway i
found that if you draw the eyes last, you can better adjust them
to the surroundings (if the character actually looks at some-
thing and not just `out of the picture').
i don't know much about the muscles of the various species -
that's also something where i need to study some more.. so,
right now, i try to draw them as i see them on photos and such,
or just cover those fine details with fur.
what i find important is giving the characters a furry texture/
outline - i don't like some of the `comic-like' characters that
look like they are made of rubber..
isn't it refreshing to see an art-related thread here? :)
unci
--
tobias benjamin koehler * * * * ,-/o"O`--.._ * _/(_ *
* * * * * * _,-o'.|o 0 'O o O`o--'. e\
dresden, europe * (`o-..___..--''o:,-' )o /._" O "o 0 o : ._>
* * ``--o___o..o.'' * :'.O\_ ```--.\o .' `--
un...@tigerden.com * * * `-`.,) * \`.o`._ *
t...@rcs.urz.tu-dresden.de * * * fL `-`-.,)
Don Sanders
In article <346b48be...@news.cais.com>, h...@dontthink.som wrote:
>Hello!
>
>To all you artists out there... How do you draw?
Oh, you all know I could not pass this one up!
I started drawing the direct way, trying to envision what I wanted to draw and
then drawing them out, with little to no success. Being a amateur, not art
school edcuated, and such, after looking at a few books and viewing the art of
others, I finally got the clue, Shapes!!!. Now I use basic shapes and
construction lines to start a piece of art.
Yep, I can hear some of you in the background cringing, sad, but true. Once I
get the basic shapes down, I then add detail and erase the construction lines,
a little shading, or some swipes with a color pencil, or if I get bold, I
ink,scan, and color in the computer, Volia! art fit to put in the bottom of a
bird cage. :)
All kidding aside, that is how I am currently drawing, although I would love
to take a few courses in art to make myself legit, I guess with the economy
the way it is, I guess I will have to wait until retirement age to take one of
those near free senior citizens art courses.
I hope that cleared a few things up, at least from my end, let's hear from
those professional artists and those out there who are really good.
Don (Dsan paints and draws by numbers!) Sanders.
Alan Mackey
S. Arsenault wrote:
> Malik A. Khan <n...@notyet.com> wrote
> > Hello!
> >
> > To all you artists out there... How do you draw? Do you start out
> > doing the basic shapes first, or do you start with the details (e.g.
> > do you start drawing a triangle for an ear and sphere for the head, or
> > do you start drawing the ear and head in detail first?)?
>
> Yah, definately shapes. :)
I actually start with the eyes, move on to the rest of the head, and
down the body, all in not-quite-full detail. Of course, I learned how
to draw using a computer, so if what I draw is misplaced or out of
proportion, it can be moved, rotated and scaled and all that. Once it
looks right I go over it again (I guess it's like inking).
--Al Mackey
http://rat.org/pub/furry/mackeyal
LaffnBear
>> To all you artists out there... How do you draw? Do you start out
>> doing the basic shapes first, or do you start with the details (e.g.
>> do you start drawing a triangle for an ear and sphere for the head, or
>> do you start drawing the ear and head in detail first?)?
Well, 'tho I'm strictly amature, I've learned that starting with the basic
shapes is what works for me. I used to fuss with the details early on, only
to end up eraseing them later when the character proportions didn't work. By
roughing them out first, I get a much better feel for how the character 'sits'
on the paper. It also gives me more of a chance to play with the poses.
Since there is less to erase, I can mess around a bit more.
The other thing that I've learned is "Patience". Around about the time when my
sketches started to actually *look* like something, I would get overly excited
and try to finish the drawing in one massive rush of pencil and ink. Problem
was, I would look at the drawing a couple of days later and see all kinds of
flaws that could have been corrected during the pencil stage, but are now
inked down. The last sketch I did, I spent a few days on the pencils, (about
20 min a day) and each day I was able to look at the drawing and fix the stuff
that I found. When I finally did the inc, the result was a much better
sketch, and one that I'm much more satisfied with.
I realize that's not strictly a "how-do-you-do-it" kinda answer, but it
certainly has helped my art.
-------------------------------------------------------------
When bringing books from print to screen, 'Tween Heaven & Hell, there is a fine
line.
So ghods above, I beg you please....Don't let Verhoeven do more Heinlein
Tucker:
Furry, Filker
Huskee
On Sun, 09 Nov 1997 05:23:20 GMT, n...@notyet.com (Malik A. Khan) wrote:
>Hello!
>
>To all you artists out there... How do you draw? Do you start out
>doing the basic shapes first, or do you start with the details (e.g.
>do you start drawing a triangle for an ear and sphere for the head, or
>do you start drawing the ear and head in detail first?)?
>I prefer to start with shapes, that way I can make sure I have enuff
>room on the paper for my figure before getting into the details.
>There's nothing more frustrating than drawing your figure, then
>finding out your legs get cut off at the bottom cause you didn't
>define your space properly.
That's very sensible! I often end up gluing/stapling another sheet of
paper to the first one, for that very reason (no advance planning).
Actually, I'm INCAPABLE of planning a drawing in advance, I just use
BIG paper and hope if I get something going that I like, there will be
room for it!
I don't block out any basic shapes like spheres for heads etc.
I usually sketch around aimlessly until something (a foot, a
hand, a face, whatever) catches my interest, then I build on it from
there, just improvising as I go. I love it!
It's a fun topic to talk about, I enjoy hearing how other artists
work.
--
email <wo...@NOSPAMcapmedia.fr> (remove obvious bit)
webpages:
<http://www.furnation.com/huskee>
<http://www.saxophone.org/woof>
<http://rat.org/pub/furry/drakebob/index.htm>
Rainshadow
In article <19971109103...@ladder02.news.aol.com>, laff...@aol.com (LaffnBear) writes:
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------
> When bringing books from print to screen, 'Tween Heaven & Hell, there is a fine
> line.
> So ghods above, I beg you please....Don't let Verhoeven do more Heinlein
... would you like to watch more? *click!*
--
Relax. It's later than you think.
S. Arsenault
Malik A. Khan <n...@notyet.com> wrote in article
<346b48be...@news.cais.com>...
> Hello!
>
> To all you artists out there... How do you draw? Do you start out
> doing the basic shapes first, or do you start with the details (e.g.
> do you start drawing a triangle for an ear and sphere for the head, or
> do you start drawing the ear and head in detail first?)?
>
> I prefer to start with shapes, that way I can make sure I have enuff
> room on the paper for my figure before getting into the details.
> There's nothing more frustrating than drawing your figure, then
> finding out your legs get cut off at the bottom cause you didn't
> define your space properly.
Shapes. :)
Yah, definately shapes. :)
Scotty Arsenault (sully)
Bev Clark/Steve Gallacci
In article <346b48be...@news.cais.com>,
Malik A. Khan <h...@dontthink.som> wrote:
>Hello!
>
>To all you artists out there... How do you draw? Do you start out
>doing the basic shapes first, or do you start with the details (e.g.
>do you start drawing a triangle for an ear and sphere for the head, or
>do you start drawing the ear and head in detail first?)?
>
>I prefer to start with shapes, that way I can make sure I have enuff
>room on the paper for my figure before getting into the details.
>There's nothing more frustrating than drawing your figure, then
>finding out your legs get cut off at the bottom cause you didn't
>define your space properly.
Yah, blocking out the basic form, often little more than a stick figure,
is a good way to make sure that the final will fit into the image area
correctly. Then the classic simple geometric forms to bulk out the body
masses and all.
SAG
Matt Harpold
In article <01dc51f8$e83997a0$704f...@marble.nais.com>, "S. Arsenault"
<su...@rat.org> wrote:
>
>
>Malik A. Khan <n...@notyet.com> wrote in article
><346b48be...@news.cais.com>...
>> Hello!
>>
>> To all you artists out there... How do you draw? Do you start out
>> doing the basic shapes first, or do you start with the details (e.g.
>> do you start drawing a triangle for an ear and sphere for the head, or
>> do you start drawing the ear and head in detail first?)?
Drawing-wise, I just work the same way I do in my figure study classes. A
couple of reference lines for the whole body, and then I start modeling in
the 'mass' of the toso, and whatnot. I usually start with a rough concept
sketch, which I transfer to the paper either by just eyeballing it and
redrawing it, or using graphite paper and doing a rub transfer. Then I spray
the board or canvas with fixative so the sketch doesn't completey
deteriorate, and paint a neutral sepia tone over the entire board, to get
rid of the stark white of the gessoed board. From there, I do a
monochromatic painting of the whole piece, just sepia and white usually, and
then glaze over the top with Golden leveling medium and transparent
acrylics, or oils with Liquin glazing medium.
I generally have several reference photos for anything I do, and I like to
make color studies (little color thumbnails of the piece) to get an idea of
where the color's going. Helps alleviate surprises later on, although I
don't plan TOO much, since I like spontaniety and brustrokey,
impressionistic passages in my paintings.
Pardon my rambling, I just had to offer the opposite perspective from the
technical pen and Prismacolor marker crowd. ;-)
-Turbine "Crack open that old book on Degas, ya might learn somethin'"
Divinity
[zoo.topia illustration fine art design layout end transmission]
http://zipcon.net/mharpold/zootopia
Randy 'Tremaine' Entinger
On Sun, 09 Nov 1997 05:23:20 GMT, n...@notyet.com (Malik A. Khan) wrote:
>Hello!
>
>To all you artists out there... How do you draw? Do you start out
>doing the basic shapes first, or do you start with the details (e.g.
>do you start drawing a triangle for an ear and sphere for the head, or
>do you start drawing the ear and head in detail first?)?
>
>I prefer to start with shapes, that way I can make sure I have enuff
>room on the paper for my figure before getting into the details.
>There's nothing more frustrating than drawing your figure, then
>finding out your legs get cut off at the bottom cause you didn't
>define your space properly.
>
>Anyoe else?
Well, I recently tried drawing shapes first, such as the eyes, and
then the rest of the figure. But one major problem with that method is
that I sometimes run out of space for my character, and sometimes the
proportion looks off (sometimes downright hideous).
Recently, I have taken the advice of a very good artist friend, and
tried used the oval method. Like drawing an circle for the head, and
ovals for arms, using rounded circular-type things for the torso and
trunk. Then I add the outlines and details. I then ink, of course,
erasing the pencil. Then comes Xeroxing and coloring with colored
pencil.
I"m still learning this method, but so far I'v been satisified with
how my drawings have been turn out. The characters look properly
proportioned, and it's MUCH easier to draw severl furries together
(than using the details-first method), especially those hugging or
snuggling (or something else ;). It seems to work more smoothly.
I don't have any of the latest stuff online, but I'm working on it. :)
Robert Bobby Holiday
Turbine Divinity wrote...
>>> To all you artists out there... How do you draw? Do you start out
>>> doing the basic shapes first, or do you start with the details (e.g.
>>> do you start drawing a triangle for an ear and sphere for the head, or
>>> do you start drawing the ear and head in detail first?)?
>Drawing-wise, I just work the same way I do in my figure study classes.
I tend to draw using the oval method mentioned earlier on, for the
head, anyways This method is the technique which professional animators tend
to use when constructing characters, and generally does the trick.
However, when doing the body and anything down, I do what Matt does:
>couple of reference lines for the whole body, and then I start modeling in
>the 'mass' of the toso, and whatnot.
..since I do figure sketching in my spare time. I attempt to sketch
poses which are not commonly seen, and this extends into my furry work; it
doesn't _always_ work, as some pieces have poses which might be rather painful
rather than relaxed (though I didn't intend it), but when it does the results
create what I aim for: Original Content.
>sketch, which I transfer to the paper either by just eyeballing it and
>redrawing it, or using graphite paper and doing a rub transfer.
I'm weird. I use one sheet, start to finish. Pencil in ink over erase
pencil colour in clean-up yadda yadda.
>the board or canvas with fixative so the sketch doesn't completey
>deteriorate, and paint a neutral sepia tone over the entire board, to get
>rid of the stark white of the gessoed board.
Bah. I need to get fixative so I can KEEP my pencil work instead of
having to toss it away. I can't work in chalk or pastels because I'm too lazy
to spend 10 bucks on a can of good fixative. `;}
>monochromatic painting of the whole piece, just sepia and white usually, and
>then glaze over the top with Golden leveling medium and transparent
>acrylics, or oils with Liquin glazing medium.
Er, well.. um. `:) I'm equally Out There; I ink the piece in with
either india inks and 10/0 brushes, or technical pens (Staedtler Marsmagno
18, .35 and .70), let it dry for an hour, then colour the piece in with
Derwent watercolour pencils, prismacolours, or Pantone standard Tria markers.
Sometimes I mix two or even all three of these for effects.
When using the watercolour pencils, I apply a wash with a 1mm sable
brush (Yes, I use animal fur in my brushes, and no animals were harmed in
their manufacture, so nyeah `;)) and soapy water, then add shadows with a
second layer of pencils after the first wash dries, and wash again. When using
prismacolours (only recently) I use a blender marker on the piece to smooth it
out and eliminate the 'grainy' look. This also works with Trias to a lesser
extent, it's useless unless you have a _lot_ of subshades within a 'base'
colour, and that's rather _expensive_ since Trias go for about $3.50US each
(if anyone knows where to obtain them cheaper, please let me know).
>I generally have several reference photos for anything I do, and I like to
>make color studies (little color thumbnails of the piece) to get an idea of
>where the color's going. Helps alleviate surprises later on, although I
>don't plan TOO much, since I like spontaniety and brustrokey,
>impressionistic passages in my paintings.
Ditto. I draw the head in with the circle and crosshairs, and the
angle of the muzzle is almost NEVER the way it would have been originally. `;}
I've even made a 'standing pinup' into a lying down pose before when I
discovered it'd look better. I rarely draw things people request, even
commissions, because I find my work flows in such odd directions that it's
almost impossible for me to get an image in my mind and have it appear as the
_exact_ conception.
>Pardon my rambling, I just had to offer the opposite perspective from the
>technical pen and Prismacolor marker crowd. ;-)
Pardon my ram.. nah. `;}
Oh, by the way, anyone who says that using watercolour pencils is not
'true' watercolour will get a boot to da noggin. It takes _forever_ to get
them to come out right on watercolour paper, and I use them half the time by
breaking the leads out of them and making bricks (since you get more dry
colour in a pencil than you get in a small brick anyways, for much less $$$)
anyways. `;}
bobby
Bobby
Bobby@FurryMuck - Bobby@FurToonia - Bobby@SPR - Bobby^@Tapestries
NEW EMAIL - hol...@pinky.wtower.com - NEW EMAIL
ftp://furry.olsy-na.com/pub/Images/Bobby
http://pinky.wtower.com/~holiday
Scott Alan Malcomson
Malik A. Khan wrote:
> To all you artists out there... How do you draw? Do you start out
> doing the basic shapes first, or do you start with the details (e.g.
> do you start drawing a triangle for an ear and sphere for the head, or
> do you start drawing the ear and head in detail first?)?
Sometimes I use basic shapes, but mostly I just start from a point and
"radiate outward" to build up the picture. Since my favorite subject is
unicorns, I'll generally start with a curve for the slope of the nose,
rough in the muzzle and horn, and go from there. For me, anything on the
page that isn't the picture I have in mind just distracts me from drawing
the picture itself. That's a bad habit, and one I'm trying to break myself
of, but it's tough. You get into a habit and have to beat yourself over
the noggin with a Rapidograph to change.
Jack Furlong - Artist/MUCKer
In article <346b48be...@news.cais.com>, h...@dontthink.som wrote:
>To all you artists out there... How do you draw? Do you start out
>doing the basic shapes first, or do you start with the details (e.g.
>do you start drawing a triangle for an ear and sphere for the head, or
>do you start drawing the ear and head in detail first?)?
It varies, and depends on the piece in question.
For example, with 'Counan'
http://www.FurNation.com/jfurlong/images/counan.gif
I started with a head sketch based on a photo of a snarling
cougar, and added an appropriate body to it.
As to faces, sometimes I start from the eyes, sometimes the nose,
depending on the critter, but usually the eyes.
>I prefer to start with shapes, that way I can make sure I have enuff
>room on the paper for my figure before getting into the details.
Since I always reduce the art on a Xerox machine, I don't
worry about that...if I need more room, paper and gluestick
are always handy...<g>
Matt Harpold
I
> Pardon my ram.. nah. `;}
> Oh, by the way, anyone who says that using watercolour pencils is
not
>'true' watercolour will get a boot to da noggin.
It just ain't the real stuff. ;-) <duck>
It takes _forever_ to get
>them to come out right on watercolour paper, and I use them half the time
by
>breaking the leads out of them and making bricks (since you get more dry
>colour in a pencil than you get in a small brick anyways, for much less
$$$)
>anyways. `;}
Thank gawd for metal noggins. Seriously, tho, the problem with watercolor
pencils, is it's really low-concentration color. Get yourself some Dan Smith
or Holbein watercolors, and you will see an enormous difference. There are
things you can do with real watercolor that you cannot do with watercolor
pencils. They're a nice medium in their own right, especially for sketching,
but they aren't a substitute for tube WC. And working with a watercolor
brush is a lot more difficult than working with a pencil, which is all the
more reason to do it! You're gain a lot of dexterity by working with a brush
more.
-Matt Harpold aka Turbine Divinity
Bev Clark/Steve Gallacci
>> Oh, by the way, anyone who says that using watercolour pencils is
>not
>>'true' watercolour will get a boot to da noggin.
>
>It just ain't the real stuff. ;-) <duck>
>
> It takes _forever_ to get
>>them to come out right on watercolour paper, and I use them half the time
>by
>>breaking the leads out of them and making bricks (since you get more dry
>>colour in a pencil than you get in a small brick anyways, for much less
>$$$)
>>anyways. `;}
>
>Thank gawd for metal noggins. Seriously, tho, the problem with watercolor
>pencils, is it's really low-concentration color. Get yourself some Dan Smith
>or Holbein watercolors, and you will see an enormous difference. There are
>things you can do with real watercolor that you cannot do with watercolor
>pencils. They're a nice medium in their own right, especially for sketching,
>but they aren't a substitute for tube WC. And working with a watercolor
>brush is a lot more difficult than working with a pencil, which is all the
>more reason to do it! You're gain a lot of dexterity by working with a brush
>more.
I've found that the techiques, not the media, are ususally the limiting
factor to what can be done. I've seen brilliant work done with color
pencil that would challenge any paint medium.
So, I would advise against saying "can't" too much. Ultimately, getting
the results you want are limited less by the medium than by the method.
Matt Harpold
I
>
>I've found that the techiques, not the media, are ususally the limiting
>factor to what can be done. I've seen brilliant work done with color
>pencil that would challenge any paint medium.
I have too, but it doesn't look like watercolor. Colored pencils are nothing
to sneeze at....they're wonderful for tight photorealistic art.. If C.F.
Payne can make them work.... but many people use watercolor pencils,
hoping that they're "exactly like watercolor, only easier!", and that's
foolish. They're two different mediums, and they'll behave differently. When
you get right down to it, there are no shortcuts.
>So, I would advise against saying "can't" too much. Ultimately, getting
>the results you want are limited less by the medium than by the method.
The two seem to be inextricably tied together. Using acrylics transparent
like watercolors will still yield different results than using watercolors
as such, because the paint chemistry is completely different, the colors
aren't as saturated as in fine watercolor, etc. And you'll never be able to
scrape away at acrylic film the way you can with oil pastel. They're all
their own animals, and though there's a huge spectrum of techniques you can
use with each medium, trying to make one perform so as to utterly simulate
the other will work marginally at best. (except maybe with acrylics vs.
oils...)
If you want the piece to look like watercolor, use watercolor. ;-) And so
on.
-MattHarpold aka Turbine Divinity
Susan Rankin
In article <64i0fb$rvm$1...@rat.org>, jfur...@ix.netcom.com says...
>Sometimes I get lucky and it happens for me like that.
>I'll be listening to a piece of music, or something else,
>and an image will just pop into my head.
>
>The challenge is getting that image onto paper decently.
Indeed. I've worked to music before and had an image pop into my head...but
then the subject begins dancing with the music! Doe! Difficult to tell an image to hold
still! I guess someday I'll have to mosey on in to animation, but I suppose I should
concentrate on getting published on a higher level than my local SCA group's
newsletter.
Btw, the process I listed for drawing...I don't -always- work in that order.
Sometimes the facial expression comes first. This is usually the result of slower music
or a feeling rather than an image as a whole. Sometimes those make the best
drawings. <> ^ - ^ <>
S.Deer
Jack Furlong - Artist/MUCKer
In article <346b5585...@news.fysh.org>, wo...@NOSPAMcapmedia.fr (Huskee) wrote:
>On 13 Nov 1997 17:19:02 GMT, sra...@op.net (Susan Rankin) wrote:
>
>>In article <346b48be...@news.cais.com>, n...@notyet.com says...
>>
>>Before I do ANY of this however, I get the picture in my head: Form,
> color, size,
>>etc. and work towards that goal.
>
>I am fascinated by the idea of working out a drawing in your head
>before you even start working on it.
Malik A. Khan
On 14 Nov 1997 06:47:09 GMT, t...@urz.tu-dresden.de (Tobias Koehler)
wrote:
>On Thu, 13 Nov 1997 20:12:27 GMT, Huskee (wo...@NOSPAMcapmedia.fr) wrote
>in alt.fan.furry:
>
>> That, and the fact that my originals are a total mess, paper wrinkled
>> and torn, etc..which doesn't matter since they are intended to be
>> scanned and become images on a screen anyway.
>
>Use thicker paper? That's how I do it, and it seems to be
>necessary because I erase a lot before I get something right.
For me, I find that regular 8.5x11 paper and two pencils (one a
mechanical, for detail, and the other a regular, dulled point, for
shading and sketching/shaping) works just fine. Then I ink em with a
felt tip ink pen or run it thru a copier (to clean up the eraser
mess), then scan it (THEN clean it up, trace it, etc). Very
laborious, but the results are worth it.
Can't wait till I get my WACOM tablet... Painting will be loads easier
(rather than use my crappy touchpad). hehehehehehehee! :-)