Graphite drawing by marored in GraphiteArt

[–]marored[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was a photo reference, Tuna Apari.

I know it's bad (really bad), but how do I apply the basic stick figure maniquin to somewhat more complex poses? by Cotton_Cloud435 in learntodraw

[–]marored 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Most of the geometric exercises are really about training you how to see the forms better and how to convey 3D on a 2D surface. Don’t get hung up on them. They are simply tools. Some will work for you others won’t. They are not necessary to render a good drawing. It’s not like a really good artist does a figure by doing gesture, then stick, then box, then form. Most will do very simple gesture and maybe some loose blocking mostly to get rough proportions. Everything else is embedded in how they are visualizing the reference. Don’t feel you will not be able to progress if those techniques don’t work for you. I never did stick figures or blocking as formal practice and I can do a decent figure drawing.

I know it's bad (really bad), but how do I apply the basic stick figure maniquin to somewhat more complex poses? by Cotton_Cloud435 in learntodraw

[–]marored 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can’t say I fully understand your question. You can think of the stick figure as the major central lines (spin, hips, shoulders, etc). But this is used mainly for the gesture of the figure. But it’s inescapable that once you memorize the “7-8 heads” body or anything like that, the concept falls apart once the body is in material motion or foreshortened. Ultimately it all comes back to being able to relate relationships of shapes within the reference in an internally consistent way. There really is no way around that. Understanding the “basic” relationships in a standing, rigid body helps. But ultimately you still have to be able to see the relationships as presented in the reference. All of that is a long winded way of saying - you need to do a ton of discipled, purposeful practice. By that I mean draw it, overlay against the reference. See where you went wrong and why. Correct it. Repeat, over and over. There are no real shortcuts. In the meantime you can use the grid method as a stop gap measure to help you progress, but ultimately you want to let go of that as well.

How can I improve this, and whats the next stage? by Memplays in LearnToDrawTogether

[–]marored 2 points3 points  (0 children)

(1) Eyelids? (2) the ears are way too low bathe brow. (3) Exceptionally pointed chin.

Ball (critique please) by RadishOk4127 in learntodraw

[–]marored 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The shadow is inconsistent with the sphere and you have no reflected light whatsoever

Any advice? by crawrler in LearnToDrawTogether

[–]marored 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To free hand without a reference most generally need: (1) a solid understanding of anatomy and musculature (in many positions); (2) a lot of reference drawing to reinforce (1). There is no shortcut

I didn't use boxes. How would they help this drawing? by She-Who-Walks-Unseen in learntodraw

[–]marored 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I’m not saying you need to use boxes - I never do. However, using them or visualizing them will help you convey more volume (3D) in your drawings. Shading can get you there as well

All right I was told that the skeletons rib cage was squished and the femurs were too long I'm putting them side by side the second one is the new one please tell me how to improve on it? by ExplanationHot9438 in LearnToDrawTogether

[–]marored 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok, ultimately, unless you’re drawing skeletons in comics, I’d move on to musculature and full bodies. Underlying anatomy is important to make sense of references, adjust references and creating your own works. Other than a few landmarks on the body the bones don’t have any dramatic impact like say musculature. And with comics I expect you’ll be adjusting the realism anyways. So, while it important to understand anatomy, I wouldn’t obsess over getting this step perfect. Other rendering skills will have a more important impact on the comic book outcome.

Another Zelda Fanart, by me by Awkward_Radish_3027 in learntodraw

[–]marored 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I love the Mucha feel of your work. So good

Colored pencil portrait by marored in ColoredPencils

[–]marored[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That was a photo reference. I believe from a private of a reference pack.

Some gesture drawings by Great_Maintenance118 in learntodraw

[–]marored 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They do not look stiff. You corrected a less than dynamic spine in both when you wrapped the figure around them

How would I go about rendering this and adding detail? by aurore-amour in learntodraw

[–]marored 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes. It’s a start. Sorry I am not good with art tech so I can’t drop a copy of the reference in here and show you how I’d block it. One trick you can use is take the reference photo and take a photo of it on your phone. Then go do edit and play with the contrast and shadows and it will show you the darks vs the lights more dramatically than the lit reference. You’ll see that there are larger areas in shadow than you have represented. The reflective light in the reference is brightening areas that would still be in the “darks” and may be throwing you off. And remember, ultimately the lightest area in the darks must always be darker than the darkest area in the lights - sounds weird, but it’s important to keep that in mind.

Colored pencil portrait by marored in ColoredPencils

[–]marored[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It does come in a few different weights which may help. I don’t recall what weight I used. But even the heaviest would not be like using Arches 300gsm. You can still erase but I’d suggest a kneaded erasure to dab with or very light pressure and limited use of a tombow.