Thursday 9 April 2009

It is harder to draw people than it is to paint trees.



I would dearly love to be able to sketch people on the train or in a shop and actually make the sketch look like the people. But I find drawing people incredibly difficult. In my life drawing classes, my drawings often end up faceless because I think they look better with no face than with a badly drawn, ugly one! But it's time I learned, and the only way I will learn is by practicing.

I did a few sketches from photos in my magazine. Here's one of an exceptionally lovely-looking boy in a Dolce & Gabbana ad. Do you think the sketch looks like the photo? I can't decide. The eyes are totally wrong because I wasn't paying attention, and I had to imagine what his ear looked like because the page cut it off. His face also isn't chiselled enough. But it's a start, right?

Oh and thank you very very much to everyone for their advice yesterday about the separating watercolours. I really appreciate the time you take (not just yesterday but whenever) to leave me a comment with advice or constructive criticism or just to say hello :-)

5 comments:

Alex said...

I think it's a very good attempt. For a first sketch it's considered a great achievement. ^^ Good luck and don't give up!!

Sandy said...

Excellent !!! It is Very hard to do a face justice.

kelly said...

as a high school art teacher, i often begin students drawing a portrait "straight on" and practicing facial proportions. if you google "facial proportions" or find a drawing book, it will explain that the face has mathematical components. try this one: http://drawinglab.evansville.edu/face.html

keep working on it! and don't be afraid to draw yourself before drawing others!

kelly

Molica said...

You might check out this tutorial:
http://www.anticz.com/heads.htm

Or, you might try searching the tutorial section of DeviantART.com, if the link above is too complcated. I know I had to read through it a few times!

I found it easier to stomach people by starting out with something simple - like cartoon people - and then building up my skills from there. :)

Also, I've found that if you break down each facial component into basic shapes or blobs of colour, it is easier (and less intimidating) to tackle. So, instead of saying "time to draw the pupil", you say "oh, look at this little black blob here that is surrounded by dark brown and intersected by some white blobs" etc. :)

I hope that help ya out! This sketch is a great start in the right direction!!

- Molica

Zoya said...

I recently saw the recommendation for Burne Hogarth Drawing the Human Head book http://www.scribd.com/doc/2580517/vivl2185Burne-Hogarth-Drawing-the-Human-head-eng (you need to register to be able to download it or you can just read online). I haven't found time to read through it myself yet.

I found "Drawing on the right side of the brain" helpful for improving in drawing portraits.

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