Pencil Drawing

CobyCoby Join Date: 2002-11-11 Member: 8210Members
<div class="IPBDescription">All artists check this</div> Allrighty, I've started to practise my skills in drawing with an ordinary pencil instead of photoshopping all the time. Now, I know there are some great sketch/etc. artists here and I wish most of you could share your early moments of drawing: What did you draw first? Did you use a reference? If yes, what was it? How did you find your own style?

I am yet to find my own type..
I can draw symbols and shade them and stuff like that but oh Lord when it comes to drawing "real" objects such as my own self, they come out like crap even though I try all kinds of styles: cartoonish, realistic, caricatyre(sp?), quick lines (<- my favorite) but I am still clueless what to do to actually get some real experience, as I have these sketches here heading off to litter bin because they're just ridiculous. I've wasted most of this day to trying out all sorts of stuff but I still would like to know how those with (any) talent managed their early moments?

Comments

  • Crono5Crono5 Join Date: 2003-07-22 Member: 18357Members
    And I shall watch, as I have much of the same qustions <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
  • hE4RThE4RT Join Date: 2003-10-07 Member: 21510Members
    edited February 2004
    no one ever starts out half decent.
    talent is another word for someone who has practiced alot.
    i started cartooning back when i was 13. Im 26 now. Took me a good couple of years to get my own style, and looking back my style has changed alot since then.
    its all a learning experience.
    I know its probably not what you wanted to here. Just keep at it.

    I started with drawing faces. The most important feature are the eyes. They convey the emotion of the carracter. I always start my face with the eyes, then nose, mouth, ears, chin, neck and finish with the hair. Basically if you practice drawing each of these individually you will have a heap of parts you can mix and match.

    If you draw cartoons, it helps too if you have a good sense of humour. Because if its funny it doesnt have to look like a master piece.
  • Crono5Crono5 Join Date: 2003-07-22 Member: 18357Members
    <!--QuoteBegin-hE4RT+Feb 10 2004, 05:20 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (hE4RT @ Feb 10 2004, 05:20 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> If you draw cartoons, it helps too if you have a good sense of humour. Because if its funny it doesnt have to look like a master piece. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    lol What a perfect excuse. GG fat lazy cartoonists ^_^

    Well, I guess I'll keep at it... I've been drawing objects near me on and off since I was like... 5... But I never really got dedicated. Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
  • CatCopCatCop Join Date: 2003-08-28 Member: 20296Members, Constellation
    Im no drawer, People who have seen my drawings, (I dont think anyone here EVER did/will) know I cant, But I suggest using references.
  • rOoKerOoKe Join Date: 2003-08-10 Member: 19320Members
    I say it all the time, copy copy copy. find comic books that have cool superheros, or find magazines with cool poses. then copy it. no, dont trace it, copy it. the more you look at something and transfer it as practice sketches, the more refrences you have in your head to use while you draw your own art.

    for example, draw a bunch of superheros in art. spiderman is an excellent example, since hes always in action poses. copy him in a bunch of poses, and soon, youll build up a database in your memory for certain body parts.

    now, when you start drawing your own characters, youll be more familiar with body parts, especially the dreaded hands and feet area.

    hope this helps... its what got me started.

    rOoKe
  • CatCopCatCop Join Date: 2003-08-28 Member: 20296Members, Constellation
    /me votes listening to rOoke
  • MeanMrMustardMeanMrMustard Join Date: 2003-11-23 Member: 23456Members
    for me, art is like english, its very expressive.
    I started to sketch or draw, way back when I was 12.
    MY first inspiration was Comics such as The Beano, and Tin Tin.

    After that, we all know the great days of the Snes, and Megadrive.

    Games like Mario and Sonic helped my Creativity, and was a release for my imagination.

    After drawing many cartoon strips, I started to move onto singular drawings, still adopting a cartoon-like style.

    My drawings were of random aliens and warriors etc..mostly thanks to Star Wars.
    Subjects like Bounty Hunters, great for Creating background stories etc.

    Now I am in my second year of art at A-level, I obviously draw alot more professional pieces, although the Cartoon side has never totaly disapeard.

    I recently done a sketch of an alien for one of the Sticky threads, showing my skill or passion is in Ink and fineliner work.
  • SkieSkie Skulk Progenitor Join Date: 2003-10-18 Member: 21766Members, NS2 Playtester, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited February 2004
    Drawing. I like drawing. I have the problem, as many do, that I can't draw real objects.
    Geometric shapes, colouring and making shadows and highlights is easy, but I can't draw the shapes of organic creatures.
    Each organic creature is unique in it's own way, and the lines have to be just perfect to get it look right. Or at least that's how I see it, because I'm a perfectionalist. Sometimes it's a pain in the buttocks.
    Also, because of that, I don't know how to sketch. I don't like lines that are imperfect, so I just like ... try to draw them perfect right in the beginning, and don't sketch, which makes most of the pictures just look plain bad as I find out in the end that it's not nearly perfect. :p

    So, lately, because I've been having difficulties drawing the shapes itself, I mean, without any reference, I go look at some nice picture, then draw it on my own paper from the screen. That's how I've been practising shading. I've added some of my own shadows to the pictures, and they've turned out really nice.

    I've recently started one picture using the "zooming" technique. You have a smaller picture, you divide it to blocks, then you draw the blocks on a bigger paper, and copy the content of each block with pencil. I'm trying to make it as realistic as possible. Last time I did such it took over 30 hours before I got the picture finished.

    And now I'm talking too much again.

    Practise is the key. Alas, I'm bad at it.
  • kyliegirlkyliegirl Gorge Master Australia Join Date: 2002-12-11 Member: 10586Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited February 2004
    what did i draw first.. oh god,, this is going back a loooong way..

    at the age of 3-4 i started drawing my little ponies and dogs etc.. used to look at my little pony models and draw them, or draw off me head..

    learning to draw animals or yaself, well i suck at ppl i try not to try.. but animals and other objects, i drew horses better because i used to sit and watch how they move, i watched how their muscles moved and where each muscle tone was, read anatomy and physiology of animals etc (just studyign bone/muscle structures, they do help) anything like that.

    i started off sorta basic, most of the time i only got better because i wanted to get better, seeing other ppl better than me motivated me to get better and i studied what i drew more and kept drawing.. drew my dreams, what i see, anything really..

    <!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->no one ever starts out half decent.
    talent is another word for someone who has practiced alot.
    <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    as for noone starts of half decent .. umm :/ i was sorta born an artist (now that sounds a bit stuck up,, its not meant to.. ROFL ) , so when i started drawing, they werent stick figures,, not even scribbles,... they were more or less.. hmm.. well.. back then when i was 4 or 5 i drew my little ponies and people and dogs with sorta muscle features.. i got into detail with my pics pretty early..
  • BallistoBallisto Join Date: 2003-05-19 Member: 16503Members
    I usually draw skeleton (much like the ones used in modeling!) so I can get the pose right. It's easy to move lines, circles, and boxes. I then add muscles and clothes. Then the clothes.

    Learn proportions, stuff like the fact that hands are about 1/2 the length of forearms, the shoulders are about 3x the width of the head, eyes in the middle of the head etc.

    Learn how the muscles look - the triangle curve of the calves, how the biceps and triceps look... It's hard to describe this you just gotta look at yourself, others, and drawings.

    Look at my artwork:
    <a href='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=62488' target='_blank'>http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/in...showtopic=62488</a>

    And my quick sketch in paint, this is pretty much what I do with pencil. The vertical line on the head to show which way he's looking.
  • KakaoKakao Join Date: 2003-11-05 Member: 22318Members, Constellation
    I began seriously drawing when I was about 12 or so. I say seriously by meaning that I didn't just do it for school projects, but did it in free time as enjoyment. I was drawing more than what any situation was calling for (like school work).

    At the time, I was really into the show Gargoyles. So the first things I really started drawing is gargoyles (from the show). This kind of helped because they're built like humans, so the conversion from gargoyle to human wasn't difficult.

    I use references. I can hardly draw anything of worth without one. Although, I am better than I used to be.

    The thing is, you cannot be discouraged that your art isn't fantastic. If you think like that then you'll give up and then you'll never improve. Here's a prime example: <a href='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=61469' target='_blank'>Link</a>. If I had said to myself, "Forget it! I'll never get the hang of it!", then I never would have made any progress.

    For me I draw top down. I start with the face shape (not completely defined) and then put in the eyes, nose, mouth, face, ear(s), hair, neck, torso, arms, legs, hands, and feet. But, I don't ALWAYS do it in that order. However, you should just go with whatever works for you.

    <b>There is no wrong way to draw.</b>
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