Help with drawing accuracy?

Hey folks..

As you might've noticed, my gallery hasn't been updated in a long time. This is because I cannot really draw that well. Or at least, not as well as I'd like, as well as losing the use of my mom's scanner.. To correct this I managed to garner enough Xmas funds to buy a tablet.. only to find it even harder to draw anything at all.. Calling my art fourth grade level would be pushing it, in fact.. .. But, when I picked up the old pencil and paper again, just on a whim, I found that I was multiple times more accurate then before. But this still doesn't help matters, as I have no way to scan art drawn on paper in at all, and I still have the same issues with foreshortening and etc I always did.

So, I'm left with about a bazillion questions, all art related. Is there any technique I can use to figure out how everything should be proportioned before I draw? And if so are there any resources available to teach me how to use the method? Is there a way to make a tablet feel more like using paper (eg texture and resistance, angle..)? And a bunch of others..

I'm really serious about learning to draw. It's my only weakness in the art creation process that I'm aware of..

--Tzol

Well, I'm no Da Vinci, but the best thing i can tell you is start with what you want to draw, anthropomorphic, bluth style, etc, find some examples on the web or elsewhere, and reference those. I will make no secret of the fact that i've spent a lot of time cruising through the Thorn Valley gallery when i draw, because where else can you find such a large collection of artists who draw what i want to draw very well (LordDirk, Mal, Louise, DB, Shawntae Howard, to name a few).

That's one place to start. Another is slightly more graphical in method. Draw a front, back, left, right, top, bottom (well, maybe not the last one) layout of your character and use that to set up pics. with those views you can usually mathematically (to use the term loosely) construct the character from any angle.

On a side note, the tablet was not a bad investment as some suggested, just something that takes getting used to. I don't have one, but would like to invest. Scanner and pencil/paper does work a little better from a novice point of view, though. Try any local electronics houses (the places that carry anything left over from last milenium) or used computer parts shops. sometimes you can find an old scanner pretty cheap, and if not, try Ebay.

That's all the advice i have for now. Hope it helps.

Hmm, time for an update for this topic. :wink:

I managed to dig up some info on the techniques I wanted to learn, though as of yet I haven't put them to much use, just experiments. (It helps to be specific with google, heh. Why this didn't occur to me before, I don't know. :roll: )

But anyways, I found the following sites at least partially useful:

http://www.learn-to-draw.com/ -- For the basics...
http://www.mmwindowtoart.com/gesturedrawing.html -- Gesture drawing technique.
http://www.sketchpad.net/fhpersp.htm -- Two-point perspective.

I've yet to find anything about those infamous construction lines. A friend tried to explain it, something about connected lines following the spine curvature.. mrr.. guess I'd have to know anatomy before that'd be useful, yeah?

Will possibly be getting a scanner in some way or another very soon.. which reminds me.. Technical question. Can I safely cover a tablet with a sheet of paper and try to draw on it and/or tilt it to a more comfortable angle? I'm thinking it's okay, but I don't wanna take chances. :?

And finally, I have some new art up..
http://www.thornvalley.com/gallery/fan/v/tzolkin/TzPortrait.jpg.html

Constructive critiques are welcomed. Yee! ^^

--Tzol

I promise this will be my last reply here, so hear me out this one time.
I don't know where you doubted your artistic abilities. No they aren't perfect, but whose is? Believe me, I've seen much worse and not from my hands. That picture of you is sweet. You are a very good artist, and don't forget it. :wink:
Alright, I'm done here.

Will possibly be getting a scanner in some way or another very soon.. which reminds me.. Technical question. Can I safely cover a tablet with a sheet of paper and try to draw on it and/or tilt it to a more comfortable angle? I'm thinking it's okay, but I don't wanna take chances. :?

I've had no problems drawing at an angle with my tablet, aside from the fact that it's slightly less stable, so the linework might not be as precise. As for the paper, the only danger there is that the nib of the stylus might wear out a little faster, but I wasn't able to find any evidence that this was a significant problem on google.

Hmm.. Is the instability due to technical problems in the pad while being tilted or a less stable surface to draw on? And I can see what you mean about the stylus nib wearing down.. I wouldn't want it to wear at all, as if it became sharp it'd scratch up the pad. x.x

--Tzol

Hmm.. Is the instability due to technical problems in the pad while being tilted or a less stable surface to draw on? And I can see what you mean about the stylus nib wearing down.. I wouldn't want it to wear at all, as if it became sharp it'd scratch up the pad. x.x

--Tzol

Just a less stable surface to draw on. If you can keep the tablet angled and not have it move, you should be fine.

Just a less stable surface to draw on. If you can keep the tablet angled and not have it move, you should be fine.

Ah okay.. that works then. Speaking of things working, I found a program that can smooth out shaky lines, and makes lines better than GIMP's paths tool. It's vector-based though.

--Tzol

I suppose I might offer the generic "practice, practice, practice" because it really does work.

Another thing, try breaking up your linework. Straights agianst curves, for example, break up the monotony of bad drawings, and add a sense of three-dimensional form. It also helps when say, imitating thebluth style. You'll notice he does a lot of that sort of thing. And even his curves tend to take on somewhat of a angular look.

And yes, drop that tablet and draw on PAPER! then, you can scan it into the computer to do your color. Noting beats a good old fashioned piece of
8 1/2 X 11 typing for a good lifelike sketch

This is an old topic.

I've since moved on and only draw when I feel like it, using a painter's approach rather than that of an animator. If I draw in the computer, it's painted in the computer. And if I draw on paper, it's colored there, as well.

This is something I don't have time for anymore, beyond a hobby. It simply wasn't real enough to meet what I was looking for in a way of life.

--Tzolkin