RedMage wrote:
I didn't do any drawing last night, as I didn't know what to draw.
Try drawing a simple human figure, in different angles, with shading (Unless you plan to CG it on the computer. Lineart is better for CGing.)
or if you don't want to draw people, just try still life. It still improves your skills by teaching your hand/eye to translate what is in your eyes(Mental or Phsyical) to paper.
These can help you get a feel on things. For now you can just do a bodysuit thing, then move onto adding clothes to that. Because adding clothes VS a bodysuit thing means clothes have phsyics...how they fall, the own shadows they cast...
It may also help to look at yourself in a mirror for a model reference. Or a bendable anime figure. If you decide to continue art, try getting a small wooden mannequin. This way you have something that will stay put and you can look at whenever, and see how the proportions are for the human body. Anime-style proportions are slightly different tho, depending on the genre(Shoujo, Comical, Serious...) like longer legs, bigger heads, etc. Or if your Rich, drop down the money for Poser.(Computer program)
Other Tips:
DRAW BIG! It is MUCH easier getting any details you want in then if you only made them a couple inches tall. Manga and comics and drawn on bigger paper then scaled down for production. Also it is easier to correct any mistakes with more room to work!
get a reference folder! Either on the computer with pictures or a physical hard copy. Get references for eyes, proportions, anatomy, etc. You could even draw your own how-to reference sheets once you figured out how to draw something. That way it is easier to recall later.
Get a circle stencil. I can't stress how handy this thing is. It is really nice for getting the structure for the head together, buttons, eyes, etc. A Ruler is also a must.
Draw Lightly! It is much easier to erase a light line then a dark one! Also, smaller pencil strokes are much easier to control then a long continuous one. proof: try sketching a straight line using smaller pencil strokes VS a continuous one. try a circle too. much easier to control.
Speaking of pencils, Mechanical is really nice to use. They always stay sharp! They usually come with good erasers too. and if you over-click it, just hold down the button for clicking, and slide the lead back in the pencil!
Speaking of Erasers, try and find a good block one! Usually a softer eraser is better at erasing then one that is almost as hard as plastic!
Building on Simple shapes is easier then trying to draw the whole thing right off the bat. When your not drawing, try to find the main shapes things are made of.
Also if you draw 3d simple shapes before the final lines, it makes it easier to see the "depth". like where shading would go, or if an eye would be slightly smaller because it is facing away from you...
04 Apr 2007, 11:59 pm
