Discussion: Art skill development

[mekare]

Since we are in between challenges atm, I’d be interested in what you are all working on. Do you have a specific skill you are trying to learn? A technique or new medium? A subject matter you haven’t portrayed a lot? Is making time for your art a challenge right now?

What are your personal challenges right now or your successes?

Comments

[dray]

Getting back into art after a very long break, for me. I doodled a little at a concert last week, but other than that, it's been a months-long dry spell. I blame being in writing mode, so it's not that I'm making no use of my time, at least.

I also try to save up my grit and enthusiasm for June, July and August. Artslam happens then, where folks are challenged to draw every day over the summer (preferably sticking to a theme each month, but sometimes just putting a sketch down is all you can get that day!) Last year I managed to get through about two of the three months working on a comic, which I've been fleshing out in writing ever since. Staying focused seems to be less of an issue than oscillating between how to tell said story.

Could definitely use some practice with inking and colouring though. I'm going to need it!

[jainas]

I'm coming out of a dry spell that lasted for two months, so right now I'm not focussing on any specific project, just finding the time, the energy and the will to get my pencils out is enought for now.
Last week-end I was at a podcast recording, and so I drew while listenning to the people talk next door, it was the most productive I have been in a long while: angry unicorn, belugas and a bee :)

Obviously, when I don't have specific inspiration, I revert to drawing animals, which always is a pleasure, bu I should probably try to focus a bit more on human beings and characters to challenge myself. Maybe I should start drawing people on the train again.


That said, I'd also like to start working with inks again, and do some more silk-screen printing. :)

[seleneheart]

Still trying to do humans. @_@

[yhlee]

Same.

In theory, I'm trying to learn perspective. In practice, I'm so terrified that every time I open up a book on the subject I come to a dead stop.

[syntheid]

Spent a couple hours last night just drawing shoulder muscles trying to understand how the joint and muscles work, and a couple weeks ago I did a redraw of an old art to see how much I could improve on it which was interesting (though that's partly what prompted the shoulder studies).

Mostly I'm trying not to work on big projects and trying to figure out how to simplify things in a way I like so I can get faster, making future projects less big and daunting, and I've also been building my creativity up a bit and trying to finish off old sketchbooks. Drawing animals and plants and landscapes and things and trying to push my character and creature design. Want to go back and finish the #100headschallenge I started a while back.

Though also I promised a friend a thing that I need to get on doing soon, too.

[syntheid]

Anything in particular you're struggling with / want tips on?

[mekare]

I also try to save up my grit and enthusiasm for June, July and August

Oh that's certainly a good idea. Go you for being creative with writing though!

[mekare]

Ah dry spells are the worst. YAY for breaking it!

Maybe I should start drawing people on the train again.

Sounds like a good idea! or maybe you'll find an inspiring muse....

[mekare]

Humans are HARD.

[mekare]

Oh noes! Maybe someone could link a nice tutorial? I often find that more helpful than reading a book.

[mekare]

Wow you've been productive, great!

ETA: I love the mood in the redraw. The colours and expression are great.

[seleneheart]

I have two books on figure drawing and they both say 'start with the skeleton' and I do that and end up with really nice drawings of bones. As soon as I put flesh on, it all goes to hell.

[seleneheart]

With faces, it's the part below the nose. As far as the rest of the body, just trying to make things look natural. And proportions a little bit.

[yhlee]

Are you me? I found books on figure drawing that focused more on surface anatomy to be more helpful.

That, and lots and lots of sketching people at the library, game store, coffee shop, etc. It's a work in progress, but I've gotten really good at sketching my husband because he plants himself at his computer when he gets home and then doesn't move for like hours, LOL.

[seleneheart]

That's handy behavior on your husband's part!

[syntheid]

Hm, well without looking at your work I can't give any specific advice on how to correct proportions/make things look more natural. If you want to send me something, I can do a redline/critique if that'd help? Also not totally sure what you mean about noses, but I do like Sinix's video explaining nose structure for what it's worth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HDyk4dy7kc

[seleneheart]

I can get noses just fine, it's all of the face below the nose that I have trouble with. I'll see if I can find something that's not the most rudimentary of sketches.

[seleneheart]

So hard

[syntheid]

Is it... the explanations that are scary or like attempting to do foreshortening on a person particularly or something? Sycra has a nice video on a technique to try to help make foreshortening less intimidating fwiw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJWLaDSNBAI

Also I'm not sure of your general perspective experience, but if you haven't done it already, I'd try drawing simpler objects like boxes and cylinders and pyramids rotating in space to start learning perspective.

[yhlee]

I can manage boxes in one, two, and three point. Then I get to something like "Draw a room in perspective" and everything goes to pieces because I can't get from boxes to an entire room. /o\ Probably the answer is more practice.

I'll take a look at the video, thank you! Foreshortening help is always good.

[syntheid]

Ooh, gotcha. Yeah, it's mostly a matter of practice, and I'd suggest starting with something sorta in between 'simple box' and 'entire room'. Like a single, simple chair or other small household objects like shoes or toiletry bottles or windows or lamps or whatever. Which I know seems really boring, but it helps, because basically a room is just a box with a bunch of individual stuff in it, so if you feel like you can draw the individual items comfortably in whatever perspective, the whole room seems less bad. Good luck!

[goss]

Capturing a likeness is, and has always been, my biggest challenge. Portraits don't come naturally to me, so I have to labour over every feature and spend hours on multiple tweaks and corrections until they look recognizable to me.

I always envy people who have the skill to capture a particular face with just a few, quick strokes of the pen. Witchcraft, I tell you! :b

Successes? Hmm..

I was pleasantly surprised by the results the first time I experimented with watercolours. I love how much room there is for "happy accidents" and I absolutely adore the splashy abstract effects you can achieve with them. They are currently my favourite medium. :)

(Great topic, mekare!)

[dray]

Look up tutorials on set dressing; you may find that helps demistify how to fill the room out, in addition to the rules of perspective.

[dray]

It's a good excuse when I'm in hibernation mode, though saying that, your post reminded me I should probably not stop entirely. nexticon seems like a good place to do bite-sized art--drawing icons is very soothing when doing bigger projects seems tough.

[mekare]

I have been really productive in my newly acquired fandom, BUT my main challenge right now are things I am continually trying to improve:

-natural posing (including foreshortening) I have a tendency for very static poses
-likeness of that one actor with the impossible face (which looks different in every screencap)
- backgrounds
- being more free with watercolour and avoiding paint by numbers colouring (which I feel sometimes leads to less emotion? Esp. Combined with static poses)