A Weekend's Sketchbook

[tealin]

Whoo-ee, scans aplenty!

I went to life drawing on Thursday so there's nothing in my sketchbook for that day.
Friday's Sketchbook - some Filler Cats and an attempt at the Bandit Queen, who ended up looking a little like me, which is really ironic because there is probably not a more opposite character. (Except maybe Fifi the Frilly Fuschia Fairy.)
Saturday's Sketchbook - A rough sketch of the Bandit Queen, a study for the next page, some babies for a cunning plan of mine (which is not having babies; sorry, Dad) and a Bandit Queen head. TONY: The Bandit Queen is totally your kind of character! Please listen to the song and draw her, pleeeeeeeeeease? It's at 22:05 under the 'Listen' button here!

SUNDAY
Today doesn't technically count but I got nearly a week's worth of drawing done. Go fig.
Page One - They both go down together. (I am an evil, evil person for drawing this but ... I had to. The Decemberists play to my morbid streak!) Co-starring tulanoodle's dashing yet untrustworhty young man from a few days ago. And yes, it was the only thing on that page. Forgive the cropping; it's in your browser's best interest. ARGH I cannot draw pants/trousers. And it's not really something you can draw on the bus, y'know? Collecting faces is OK but collecting crotches and derrieres might raise some questions and possibly get me thrown off the bus, at the very least. I don't know anyone I'd feel comfortable asking to model for me, either. Haha, so far this is Reason #1 to get a boyfriend, but I don't know if it's quite worth all the trouble. O! I am a nasty spinster.
Page Two - Netspeak Man and Emoticon Woman. This was something I'd doodled in my sister's sketchbook a while ago and developed a very very little bit today. Not my usual style. I am not good at flat and graphic.
Page Three - My sister and I watched El Dorado this afternoon (say what you like about the movie, it always makes me want to animate) and then the making-of thing to see the 'It's Tough to be a God' recording session which is hilarious, and Bonnie Radford's face triggered the caricature switch in my head. I don't know how close I got because I didn't pause her, just worked from memory. Heheh, I wonder what this does to my chances of getting a job at her studio... Also, I love crows. Aaaand... a Milo-ish Harry-ish guy with glasses, for no reason at all.
Page Four - More Bandit Queen sketches, rapidly dissolving into No Drawing Skill Whatsoever, whereupon I stopped.

Comments

Re: Drawing skills

[disneyboy.livejournal.com]

One book that jumps to mind that has helped me is Anatomy for the Artist by Stephen Rogers Peck - breaks down all the body parts into simple shapes and explains how they move in relation to one another.
I notice a real emphasis on having a very polished, fully-rendered appearance to your drawings. You might want to try (if you aren't already) doing more quick "gesture" drawings - always best from life - that will force you to focus more on the basic structure of the figures, their poses, attitudes, feelings etc.

Re: Drawing skills

[lumosart.livejournal.com]

I will definitely check that out. What materials do you use for your faster sketches?

Re: Drawing skills

[disneyboy.livejournal.com]

I myself like using markers, because I can't erase them or go into much detail before the drawing becomes a black mess - it helps me focus on the structure rather than the technique. I really like taking a big pad and drawing with one of those big fat "magnums" that graffitti artists like - it makes me kind of unpopular with other nearby artists ("Dude - those fumes are killing my brain cells!") but it really forces you to keep the drawing simple and fast (if you keep the tip anywhere for too long, it'll bleed all over the paper!) I also like drawing with conte crayon, big pieces of charcoal, carpenter's crayons (the big fat kind), grease pencil (china marker) - I would experiment and see which medium works best for you (and what's appropriate to what you're drawing on - a small portable sketchpad, a big canvas, etc.). I find that mixing it up and trying new things I'm not entirely comfortable with often kicks my brain into overdrive - sometimes I like doing life drawing with those brush pens, or in watercolor or acryllic or oil (I suggest if you try this, limit your color palette and don't use tiny brushes).
Something I really strive for which you might already do yourself is, rather than meticulously plan a drawing and start shading in the upper corner and working your way down, is trying to make a complete drawing, a finished statement, no matter how much time I have to work on it. In ten seconds, you can put down enough lines to capture the essence of a pose, a action, an emotion - and then, if time allows, you can add a little more structure, more details, shadows, etc. A good life drawing, in my opinion, should stand on its own at any stage of completion (and mine often look their best when they're at their simplest and roughest - it's easy for me to work the life and spontaneity out of something)
OK, that's WAY more than enough out of me - have you already looked at Twirlynoodle's little tutorials on her web page? They are great.