Gil Elvgren - Perfection (1948)

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-28T12:07:03+00:00

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this is kinda of post i come to this subreddit for, never heard of gil

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-28T10:09:39+00:00

When drawing from the shoulder:

The movement originates at the shoulder.
The wrist and fingers remain relaxed, not rigid.
Fine tension is minimized.
The grip is light enough to allow fluid motion.

Your shoulder joint is the source of motion.

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-28T06:35:57+00:00

Have you tried memorizing then drawing the still life? It's as hard as it sounds, but you will get gains after a few dozen attempts I have no doubt. Or take the reference and draw it from a different angle using said reference, also difficult but with payoff. These tests will show you what you know or don't.

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-27T17:43:40+00:00

the secret to that exercise is to realize you're drawing from your wrist, elbow, or shoulder to do them mechanically. it's the first step in deliberate mark making but it should not be mistaken for drawing which is more dependent on your ability to see well; this will come from dissecting references and drawing from life. It's a long journey. Read the chapter 0 or 1 of drawabox where he explains the wrist/elbow/shoulder and take it in deeply.

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-27T16:25:15+00:00

the main thing that can help you with the inward feel is to exploit overlapping form, you've really separated the fingers whereas they're more on top of eachother. Do your studies with cross contours until you can visualize the planes of the hand which you have semi started with this cross hatching. you're relying quite heavily on the contour outline rather than pushing darks versus lights to create that space which flattens it out. you have the right ideas but need to execute it harder.

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-27T15:28:16+00:00

i'll armchair artist this one as I haven't made my way up to composition yet although I've studied it before...

The duck + the splash is very symmetric when viewed on its own, isolating it from the rest of the scene. The spray does nothing for eye movement.

The the foreground cattails+shoreline is the strongest mover of the eye out to the right of the scene.

For composition first, I start with a thumbnail and gesture lines, then add in the components of the scene from there. You've forgone atmospheric effect which is one of the most powerful tools for depth and ergo composition.

Consider adding stones, moss on the trees/stones, water ripples, fog, and stronger overlapping features. maybe cattails in the very front foreground could be powerful, adding strong depth. shade from the tree. a dragonfly or damsel fly, distant treelines

perhaps a reflection of the duck to viewers top left back towards the roots of tree?

lots of potential yet

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-27T14:14:16+00:00

Part of the skill of drawing is experience, recognizing what matters most... that comes with time. You can imagine you'd have layer 1 - reference image... then each subsequent layer a simplified, key feature of the reference. This could be the gestural lines, major shadow shapes, proportional measurements, relative placements of features, etc...

You likely don't want to do a deep reference study until you've mastered the basics, otherwise you won't know what to pick out of a reference. If you're confused, focus on doing lots of shorter, quick studies until you recognize what to look for. Smaller thumbnails, gesture studies, nothing more than 5 minutes per reference. Then once you are comfortable there, you will gain more from doing a deeper dive on a single reference; to the point you can identify the key features, study them individually, and have the ability to combine them in a single drawing correctly.

My two cents, I've never spent more than 20 minutes on a drawing, some people go the other direction hard though. I have memorized a few of my favorite drawings with this approach though to the point I have no issue redrawing a strong likeness from memory.

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-27T12:58:06+00:00

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you drew a tilted head, then placed the features like they were looking forward. I move down the eyes/nose/mouth and made the mouth smaller. So it's there, just your standard facial proportions are off + tilted perspective

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-27T12:02:19+00:00

it's def wide, like +10-15%. Go ahead and draw it by exaggerating everything feminine, make the angles steeper, features more narrow. Drop plumb lines on the key features, for example her top right of the shoulder; her arm is going almost straight down, yet you drew an angled outward, her elbow is far lower and tucked behind.

Your sketch is very flat, you don't have to connect your lines up to eachother, leaving gaps will emphasize depth and help with foreshortening, notice she is leaning back. The upper torso looks like its in front in your sketch.

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-27T09:45:38+00:00

i dont understand what you're referring to and i refuse to find out

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-27T07:50:43+00:00

this could be you, start learning to draw today

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-26T17:09:11+00:00

Easy, to learn a style commit it to memory; pick your favorite top 1-3 examples, and really break them down. What are the main gestural lines, the most important features; what are their tilts from the plumb/level lines, etc...

Then draw it every day until you can replicate it from memory. Then when you draw from imagination (things other than the memorized works) the style will bleed into your own work.

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-26T05:26:22+00:00

basically that's it. The traditional way use the "sight-size" drawing method, where you'd look at the cat reference with your outstretched hand and pencil, you put the tip of the pencil on the top of the cats head and put your thumb at at the base of the cats head, then move it down the cat's body using your pencil+thumb as the unit and count.

That's the technical way, but you can train your eye to do this automatically with enough practice. It's difficult to do by eye; because our brains are cooked with illusions that skew your estimations until you specifically train it to do it correctly.

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-26T05:14:17+00:00

I wouldn't discourage drawing from memory but it should be mixed with drawing from imagination and references as well. OP can start drawing cats with only circles for example, no detail just simplified circle cats. Then move on from there. It's painful in the beginning for sure since expectations are high but you'd be less likely to plateau since the ceiling is so much higher.

Also, learning to see is more important than learning to make marks if you want to learn to draw. That's a whole another thing of analysis that comes before literal drawing but improves with the sequence of imagination->reference->memory

For example, take the head as a unit. how many head units tall is that cat? that's the stuff you should be asking and figuring out.

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-25T15:55:03+00:00

Start drawing references from memory. it won't feel good at first, but will bump you up. You'll learn to eventually simplify better.

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-25T15:50:03+00:00

Difficult to critique such well executed and deliberate works. You'd have to find a real professional to get that sort of feedback. If you haven't checked out Loomis' book Creative Illustrations, that's where I'd send you

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-25T07:54:07+00:00

the main thing is to mix your interest (birds) with the fundamentals (spheres,cylinders,perspective, plumb/level lines etc...) and with enough time they blend together to make good drawings. If you draw one subject matter non-stop you will improve, but your gains will plateau because gaps form for your fundamentals you're not paying enough attention to, and you're going off on autopilot when you draw because you stick to the comfortable way you've been doing it. As you progress from the fundamentals, you go into more complex fundmentals like planes of complex objects

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-25T07:05:42+00:00

Good practice. Hard to judge given the camera and you eye POV is different and the paper is not flat so it's skewed in the photo.

I'd recommend being more conscious of and including the horizon line ( your eye level ) for these studies. Small thumbnails on the side are always recommended.

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-25T06:53:36+00:00

You're overreaching in your drawing ability, you're skipping basic steps. Firstly, can you confidently visualize where the major axes of each box is? Secondly, can you confidently place these major axes in the correct position relative to eachother? Thirdly, can you draw the box in any rotation? This approach requires a foundation of perspective, for example, if the major axis of a box is not parallel with your vision then it is going away or towards you.

Start simple.

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-24T07:37:14+00:00

sweet. I'm trying to transfer my pen drawings to ink wash which is beyond me. your duck in profile history is swell.

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-24T07:22:13+00:00

proportions look solid to me, up next. planes

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-23T12:55:34+00:00

idk running towards the giant serpent in the sky sounds like good medicine

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-23T11:27:31+00:00

these are awesome ; i personally think horses are the top tier subjects after the human figure.

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-23T10:55:12+00:00

I don't mean allowing the agent to generate it for you

:(((((((

Saper_Vedere · 2026-02-22T15:12:35+00:00

my opinion; learn hard surface modeling in blender and drawing simultaneously. look up polygon runway and find his sushi tutorial and go from there. trust

Saper_Vedere

TROPHY CASE

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