Beginning artist
Offipso
1) What is the best material to use in drawing, pens, pencils, type of paper?
2) Does anyone havre any resources on learning perspective?
Any other comments will also be appriciated.
Thanks in advance!
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Offipso(FurryMUCK and AOL)
Xane MegaWolf T.
>Hello all, I am just beginning to draw Furry Art, and have some questions.
>
>1) What is the best material to use in drawing, pens, pencils, type of paper?
Look around in this group for the Art Materials FAQ, I think a copy
was just posted recently [it's continually updated]. It's a good
start, but not all encompassing. I hope to have an Art Material
Quality Database put together sometime within a month myself, which
should have a bit more specialized info in it.
I will say this though: materials don't make the artist. I spent
myself broke at one point trying to get 'the best stuff', time which
would have been better spent practicing. Anyone can make good art, all
you need is a pencil, paper, and some imagination
>2) Does anyone havre any resources on learning perspective?
I know everyone is going to say this, but get "Drawing on the Right
Side of the Brain". I have yet to have time to go through it, but this
is almost universally the first book people will point you to. The Art
Material FAQ has some books listed in it, and go to your local
bookstore and just spend an afternoon looking through the drawing
section. You're probably going to want an anatomy for the artist
type-book at some point as well. Depending on what style you like, you
might want to pick up some cartooning books as well. I don't want to
comment too much on these, since one I bought had more relevant info
on the cover than anything inside of it.
Good luck! And take everything I say with a grain of salt. I'm not
exactly a professional, just someone like yourself, who's had a little
more time to research :)
Brian Sutton
Brian Sutton
"The truth has nothing to do with this. This is about winning an argument"
--Shon Howell
Visit my website @ http://members.xoom.com/HJGpage/
for deals on Furry art & comics
Xane MegaWolf T.
>Get some Chris Hart books.
Actually, Chris Hart was the one I was referring to in my previous
post. The guy is an incredible cartoonist, but his books don't make
the cut for beginner artists. They're a little -too- concise, and
leave way too much for you to figure out on your own.
And it's not just Hart, it's almost any book on cartooning. They
automatically assume you have prior drawing experience
1) Draw a circle
2) Draw cross lines on it
3) Form an outline
4) Fill in the details
5) Finished picture
I'm sorry, but ALL of Hart's book leave out just WHAT you're supposed
to do in step 4. While some of them go a little more in depth as far
as eye and nose shapes go, they all summarily assume that you will
have no problem positioning everything, keeping things in proportion,
etc. on your first try.
The cover of Hart's book "Cartooning For Beginners" shows a
'guideline' character model sheet, sketches, ratio of head to torso,
intermediate detailing, etc, etc. It's too bad that there's nothing
about this inside the book. I got more out of the cover than the
actual material inside.
The one book that does go into some of this, is one of the Walter
Foster books that you can only get in arts and craft stores like
Michaels. It's one of the -extra extra- large books, softbound is
thinner than most of the WF books], B/W, runs about $7-8. I think the
title is just "Cartoon Animation", and the drawings inside of it
resemble Warner art. It has lots and lots of different character poses
to study.
Keep in mind that this is just my opinion. And like I said, Hart is a
great artist. I -did- buy two books [Cartooning For The Beginner, and
How to draw Cartoon Dogs, Puppies, and Wolves] to keep as an excellent
reference source.
magnwa
>Hello all, I am just beginning to draw Furry Art, and have some questions.
>
>1) What is the best material to use in drawing, pens, pencils, type of paper?
I use a number two pencil and a wal mart sketch book. If you grow
too attached to the neat stuff, you'll require it to be artistic.
Magnwa
Tamar
it's smooth surface.
The Dynamic series by Burne Hogarth are good reference book on human anatomy
to use with your furry drawing, and the DK Eyewitness Books are great for
having refence and resource boos for animals, anatomy, and costuming of
different cultures.
Tamar
"Offipso" <off...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20010324155341...@ng-mq1.aol.com...
Bruce
"Offipso" <off...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20010324155341...@ng-mq1.aol.com...
>
>
> 1) What is the best material to use in drawing, pens, pencils, type of
paper?
>
> Any other comments will also be appriciated.
>
> Offipso(FurryMUCK and AOL)
>
It depends on the technique you become comfortable with. Some types of
paper are awesome for pencil, but only for pencil line art - not for
shading. In other words, your shading would have to be be accomplished via
hatching. I know of one artist that gets great pencil shading from the use
of linen paper - but he lives overseas in Asia and I have not seen his paper
for sale in the U.S. And some papers are likely great for inking.
And of course there are watercolor papers for watercolor, etc. etc.
Some online art supply outfits:
http://www.dickblick.com/homepage/a/
http://www.danielsmith.com/
At conventions an awful lot of con sketching is accomplished in acid-free
spiral bound sketch books:
http://www.dickblick.com/categories/sketchbooks/
with something like this being very visible at most furry conventions:
Cachet Classic Wirebound Black Cover
http://www.db-secure.com/zz103/28/products.asp?param=0&ig_id=791
So if you want to go to a convention and do some sketching in other folks'
books it seems like you should become accustomed to drawing in such. If you
become good at it you can clear over $100 easy just doing sketches. I have
roomed with multiple artists at various cons and have noted that some of
these artists skip sleep just so they can milk as much money as possible
from us fans during the three days of your typical convention. :)
So learning to become comfortable creating pencil and ink artwork in a
sketchbook is probably a good goal for any artist with interests in this
particular fandom.
This next artist is the only one that I know of that specializes in coquille
board, but he gets pretty good shading results out of the stuff when he
chooses to use it for a particular piece:
http://velar.ctrl-c.liu.se/vcl/Artists/Brian-O'Connell/index-by-date.html
Aquabee Coquille Stipple Board
http://www.db-secure.com/zz134/05/products.asp?param=0&ig_id=950
-Bruce
ilr
pencil and ink until you get all the basics.
Having a good eraser is worth spending money
on, but nothing else really is until you can
produce a picture that DOESN'T suck as bad
as the majority of Fanart you see on the NET.
Don't be in a hurry to draw and share Erotica either,
it's a good fast train to Boohoo_nobody_loves_me_I'll_just
go_eat_worms_Ville. Seriously, there's no rushing this
stuff, it's a serious commitment of several years before
your work is even worth publishing. Either that or get
a really thick skin and don't gripe about not getting feedback.
-Ilr
Bruce
"ilr" <i...@rof.net> wrote in message news:99k6iv$htg$1...@raccoon.fur.com...
>
> Take about 3-5 years of just drawing with
> pencil and ink until you get all the basics.
> Having a good eraser is worth spending money
> on, but nothing else really is until you can
> produce a picture that DOESN'T suck as bad
> as the majority of Fanart you see on the NET.
>
> -Ilr
I would have agreed with you until I started to see the kinds of artwork
that some fans are proud as punch to have in their con sketchbooks. So if
the artist encounters someone happy to have his/her artwork in their
sketchbook after only a few months of practice, and said artist enjoys
drawing it, then where is the problem?
Having a thick skin is a good suggestion for the beginning artist; I do
agree with you on that.
-Bruce
Felyne32k
says...
>
> It depends on the technique you become comfortable with. Some types of
> paper are awesome for pencil, but only for pencil line art - not for
> shading. In other words, your shading would have to be be accomplished via
> hatching. I know of one artist that gets great pencil shading from the use
> of linen paper - but he lives overseas in Asia and I have not seen his paper
> for sale in the U.S. And some papers are likely great for inking.
Linen paper? Maybe you're looking for a specific texture or something...
but linen paper isn't too hard to find. Go down to an Office Depot or
something, and you can find it. I have a third of a ream of 25% linen
here, and I've seen 50% and 75% there... in different textures and stuff,
too. Check it out.
--
-Felyne32k, supposed "English Major"
DISCLAIMER: The poster is known to experience judgement
lapses brought by sleep deprivation. Take note of posting
time: anything beyond 11:30 PM, Pacific Standard Time is
likely to be influenced by this condition.
PeterCat
> Hello all, I am just beginning to draw Furry Art, and have some
> questions.
> 1) What is the best material to use in drawing, pens, pencils, type
> of paper?
The legendary animator Chuck Jones stared by using leftover stationery
and pencils from his father's bankrupt businesses. Every artist, he
said, has a million bad drawings in them -- no sense buying expensive
materials at the beginning. Anything will do, the important thing is to
DRAW as much and as often as possible.
--
The Furry InfoPage! http://www.tigerden.com/infopage/furry/
pete...@Furry.fan.org (PeterCat) Rhal on FurryMUCK (come cuddle!)
--
"I can't believe what he's doing with those shiitake mushrooms!"
Watch "Iron Chef," Fridays and Saturdays at 10pm (ET) on Food Network!
Bruce
"Felyne32k" <Fely...@softhome.net> wrote in message
news:MPG.152745eb8...@news.fur.com...
> In article <99k5h2$hof$1...@raccoon.fur.com>, notnice...@spambegone.net
> says...
> >
> > I know of one artist that gets great pencil shading from the use
> > of linen paper - but he lives overseas in Asia and I have not seen his
paper
> > for sale in the U.S. And some papers are likely great for inking.
>
> Linen paper? Maybe you're looking for a specific texture or something...
Yes. This was more like a linen board, and had raised horizontal and
vertical threads so it was good for shading. It may be here in the US, but
I have not seen it yet. But if you have examined lots of linen paper it
is possible you recall seeing what I have described.
The raised threads gave the paper these little box-like shallow valleys. It
was a lot like Coquille Stipple Board in the effects it would yield; but
with Coquille the raised and lowered areas take up roughly equal percentages
of the surface. With this linen board the raised areas are not as high, and
they comprise a minimum of the surface area.
-Bruce
>
> -Felyne32k, supposed "English Major"
Gary Akins
>Yes. This was more like a linen board, and had raised horizontal and
>vertical threads so it was good for shading. It may be here in the US, but
>I have not seen it yet. But if you have examined lots of linen paper it
>is possible you recall seeing what I have described.
I have occasionally run across it at art-supply stores... never
actually used it myself, but I do remember seeing it - assuming we're
talking about the same thing. :) The stuff I'm thinking of is a relatively
heavy-weight paper that, at first glance, looks like it might be a
rectangular piece of white bedsheet...
Generally, I've found that whenever you're looking for "unusual" art
supplies, your best bet is to avoid the large "arts-and-crafts" superstores
like Michael's and Hobby Lobby, and search out smaller (usually
mom-'n'-pop) places that cater specifically to the drawing-and-painting
segment... or, failing that, a drafting-supplies house.
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"There is no virtue in suffering fools gladly, for it only encourages them to
persist in their foolishness." --Kehlog Albran
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
solarfox@DON'TMESSWITHtexas.net (Gary Akins jr.)
http://lonestar.texas.net/~solarfox
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Felyne32k
solarfox@DON'TMESSWITHtexas.net says...
> "Bruce" <notnice...@spambegone.net> wrote:
>
> >Yes. This was more like a linen board, and had raised horizontal and
> >vertical threads so it was good for shading. It may be here in the US, but
> >I have not seen it yet. But if you have examined lots of linen paper it
> >is possible you recall seeing what I have described.
The paper I'm speaking of has said little threads...
Southworth Co, 25% Cotton Fiber White Linen Paper. 554 C.
I suppose you could write to them and ask for a sample, or I could mail
you a few sheets.
> Generally, I've found that whenever you're looking for "unusual" art
> supplies, your best bet is to avoid the large "arts-and-crafts" superstores
> like Michael's and Hobby Lobby, and search out smaller (usually
> mom-'n'-pop) places that cater specifically to the drawing-and-painting
> segment... or, failing that, a drafting-supplies house.
>
This, of course, also yields the benefit of not getting totally ripped
off by Michaels, etc. I remember going to buy a sketchbook at Michaels
(300 page or so, acid free, blah blah) and later that day finding the
exact same book for $4 less at the B&N here and town.
Charles Melville
Offipso wrote:
> Hello all, I am just beginning to draw Furry Art, and have some questions.
>
> 1) What is the best material to use in drawing, pens, pencils, type of paper?
> 2) Does anyone havre any resources on learning perspective?
>
Basically, I'd say just experiment with everything you can get your hands on
and draw from real life.
But if you want a specific title for perspective, and if you don't mind it
getting a little technical, then I would reccomend "Perspective" (simple title to
remember) by J M Parramon, published by HPBooks (P O Box 5367, Tucson, AZ 85703)
; ISBN #0-89586-082-1, originally sold at $4.95. I don't know if the book is
still in print, if the price is still valid, or if the publisher is even still
around (the book was published in 1982), but it's a good, solid little book and
good for some perspective tips.
Another favorite from my library is on color, and is titled "Creative Color"
by Faber Birren. It's less on -how- to color then it is on learning the
-perception- of color as applied in the art. Originally $14.95 from Schiffer
Publishing, Ltd, 1469 Morstein Rd, West Chester, PA 19380; published in 1987.
--
-Chuck Melville-
http://www.zipcon.net/~cpam/index.htm
Bruce
"Felyne32k" <Fely...@softhome.net> wrote in message
news:MPG.1527e36eb...@news.fur.com...
>
> The paper I'm speaking of has said little threads...
> Southworth Co, 25% Cotton Fiber White Linen Paper. 554 C.
>
I will check the brand out sometime, thanks.
-Bruce
Offipso
Brian Sutton
>pencil and ink until you get all the basics.
>Having a good eraser is worth spending money
>on, but nothing else really is until you can
>produce a picture that DOESN'T suck as bad
>as the majority of Fanart you see on the NET.
>Don't be in a hurry to draw and share Erotica either,
> Either that or get
>a really thick skin and don't gripe about not getting feedback.
>-Ilr
(edited slightly for time and to fit the format of your TV)
I disagree with this post on several levels but I'll stick to what is
pertinate to the original post. Post stuff as soon as you feel confident in
your work, ( though be prepared to maybe take some lumps ). The net has become
the new fanzine proving grounds for upcoming artists. I don't know why that
bugs some people so much but it does.
You shouldn't be erasing anything except maybe your construction lines, ( this
from my crazed Vietnam vet art teacher ). Excessive use can turn into a weird
crutch. Finish your drawing and if it didn't work out do a better one next
time.
Draw what you want to ( but be judicious in how much and where you post ).
Gary Akins
>> Generally, I've found that whenever you're looking for "unusual" art
>> supplies, your best bet is to avoid the large "arts-and-crafts" superstores
>> like Michael's and Hobby Lobby, and search out smaller (usually
>> mom-'n'-pop) places that cater specifically to the drawing-and-painting
>> segment... or, failing that, a drafting-supplies house.
>>
>This, of course, also yields the benefit of not getting totally ripped
>off by Michaels, etc. I remember going to buy a sketchbook at Michaels
>(300 page or so, acid free, blah blah) and later that day finding the
>exact same book for $4 less at the B&N here and town.
True... but on the other hand, Michael's and Hobby Lobby _do_ have two
advantages over Miller Blueprint (my preferred source of materials, and the
_only_ place in town that stocks Tria or Sakura brushpens) which
occasionally justify their existence: one, they're open nights and
weekends; and two, they're _not_ smack in the middle of downtown Austin's
byzantine maze of one-way streets and road construction. :)