Art Chat

[Fathom Zero]

coz it's quicker, i s'pose

[Grislygus]

It's about being well-rounded and actually having skill. You won't ALWAYS draw from life. You can easily end up using straight-up references more than half the time. but when you're learning it's critical to draw from life.

You should focus on drawing from life while you're learning because that will guarantee that you know how to do it. There are a lot of reasons why you should know how, many of which are ignored by young artists. This is a wonderful thing for their competitors; if you can draw expertly from a photo but struggle with drawing from life, you're a cripple.

I'll keep it to only a couple of reasons. First of all, photographs distort, flatten, and present images for you on a silver plate. You're just copying and rendering, skipping (and therefore not practicing) a slew of critical artistic decisions that naturally occur when you draw from life and have to represent a three dimensional object on a two dimensional plane yourself. You obviously make artistic decisions when you take the photo, but those are not drawing decisions. You're out of your comfort zone, and you inadvertently focus far more on accuracy (even though it's frustrating at first). If you can draw well from life, you WILL be able to draw from a photo. Being able to draw from a photo does not at ALL guarantee that you can draw from life.

Things change. Lighting changes, the model moves, something gets messed up. You then have to fix it on the page yourself. If someone is sitting for you, you're on a time limit (once again developing speed is healthy for you as an artist. You can ALWAYS take your time... but unless you practice, you won't be able to draw quickly. Drawing quickly unifies the drawing far better and allows for accurate underdrawings in a short period of time, which in turn leaves PLENTY of time for the detail work. The more fluid, accurate, and natural the underdrawing, the better the final result. Invariably.) If you want to be accurate, you are forced to abandon area drawing (critical) if you have that problem. You stand far away from the model and have to focus on spending most of your time staring very intently at the model while only able to steal quick glances at your paper. This increases accuracy by improving observational skills. Once you have accuracy and speed, you can move back to using references and focus on improving your rendering. Accuracy and speed, accuracy and speed, always accuracy and speed. Once you get a handle on those, then you can move on with confidence. Plus, you'll get better quicker.

I think I'll stop there and keep it as an internet post, instead of having to rewrite it as an essay while really going into lighting and perspective

[Grislygus]

And all of this happens without you really having to think about it at all. All you're doing is trying to draw the motherfucker, and puzzling over why something doesn't look quite right. Drawing from life is brain food for the artist

[bubbles]

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/263511_113290385431410_100002513483464_116243_5122 021_n.jpg

This is a painting I did don't know if im finished yet... any words?

[Fathom Zero]

looks neat

[All Hail Duke]

pretty much what zero said

[bubbles]

well thank you

[Chojin]

it appears to be missing pieces

[bubbles]

yes this is true, I am still working on it but it goes with a story and at times I like my work a little unfinished bc the characters build as the story does. Not sure if this is a bad idea? I would like your input :)

[bubbles]

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/270618_113508462076269_100002513483464_117323_7126 817_n.jpg

here is another example for the same story...

[Zhukov]

Not sure if this is a bad idea? I would like your input :)

Add a dick to it, Chojin.

[bubbles]

so you like the dick and feel the painting is lacking without it. Nothing like a raging hard on!!! Thank you Zhukov

[Fathom Zero]

mmmm I like this.

http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2011/june/jeremy-hutchinson

[bubbles]

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/270958_113290695431379_100002513483464_116250_1098 882_n.jpg
This is a painting I did for our story any feedback?

its called Sir Patience

[Shrubfest]

My final year proposal feedback has many irritating questions in it that I'm fairly certain I explained in detail in the actual proposal.
Now I don't know whether I should 'play the game' and change things to how they want or just rephrase a bunch of stuff like I'm talking to a child.

[Shyandquietguy]

I've only been doing drawings casually but I'm sort of interested in going farther. My only nit pick is whether I'm too prudent about the idea of photo references vs the real thing.

[Nick]

Do you guys think we'll have another Exquisite Corpse project again soon? Those are always fun.

[b_squared]

I encouraged my daughters art talent as they grew up. Now they just finished their first year in college with art as their majors, and I am worried that the college money should better be used for a different major. Is there any way they can make a decient living with an art related job? Does that starving artist thing still hold true?

[Rongi]

Is there any way they can make a decient living with an art related job?

No, sorry :(

[bigtimecow]

I've only been doing drawings casually but I'm sort of interested in going farther. My only nit pick is whether I'm too prudent about the idea of photo references vs the real thing.

once the drawing is complete though, does it really matter where you drew it from? there are some drawings where you can tell its from a photo (shit lighting, flatness, etc.), but generally i can't tell the difference unless it's blatant. and if someone sees the drawing without asking you where you drew it from, they probably won't know any better.

and this raises a question i've been drunkenly arguing about for a years: does the artist's intent matter or is it about the viewer's perception? or both?

[10,000 Volt Ghost]

Happy Birthday MLE

[Fathom Zero]

emmmmmmmmmmmelllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[Zhukov]

MLEH :)

[monicat]

It's about being well-rounded and actually having skill. You won't ALWAYS draw from life. You can easily end up using straight-up references more than half the time. but when you're learning it's critical to draw from life.

You should focus on drawing from life while you're learning because that will guarantee that you know how to do it. There are a lot of reasons why you should know how, many of which are ignored by young artists. This is a wonderful thing for their competitors; if you can draw expertly from a photo but struggle with drawing from life, you're a cripple.

I'll keep it to only a couple of reasons. First of all, photographs distort, flatten, and present images for you on a silver plate. You're just copying and rendering, skipping (and therefore not practicing) a slew of critical artistic decisions that naturally occur when you draw from life and have to represent a three dimensional object on a two dimensional plane yourself. You obviously make artistic decisions when you take the photo, but those are not drawing decisions. You're out of your comfort zone, and you inadvertently focus far more on accuracy (even though it's frustrating at first). If you can draw well from life, you WILL be able to draw from a photo. Being able to draw from a photo does not at ALL guarantee that you can draw from life.

Things change. Lighting changes, the model moves, something gets messed up. You then have to fix it on the page yourself. If someone is sitting for you, you're on a time limit (once again developing speed is healthy for you as an artist. You can ALWAYS take your time... but unless you practice, you won't be able to draw quickly. Drawing quickly unifies the drawing far better and allows for accurate underdrawings in a short period of time, which in turn leaves PLENTY of time for the detail work. The more fluid, accurate, and natural the underdrawing, the better the final result. Invariably.) If you want to be accurate, you are forced to abandon area drawing (critical) if you have that problem. You stand far away from the model and have to focus on spending most of your time staring very intently at the model while only able to steal quick glances at your paper. This increases accuracy by improving observational skills. Once you have accuracy and speed, you can move back to using references and focus on improving your rendering. Accuracy and speed, accuracy and speed, always accuracy and speed. Once you get a handle on those, then you can move on with confidence. Plus, you'll get better quicker.

I think I'll stop there and keep it as an internet post, instead of having to rewrite it as an essay while really going into lighting and perspective

I agree, artists nowadays just want to skip some stages. That's what leads to the "so called art" we are asked to admire

[Kitsa]

That commercial I did is up for an award. I find out in March.

[All Hail Duke]

thought this was interesting
http://karanarora.posterous.com/insane-art-formed-by-carving-books-with-surgi

[Phoenix Gamma]

I'm working on a website. It's going to be a collection of different comics; one is going to be a bunch of crayon drawings that's kind of like a psuedo-journal. The main one I'm working on is this one that's kind of like a superhero homage meets Daria...?

I'm really bad at summarizing my work but I did a test page because I want to use a different style from what I normally do. I don't hate it that much...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/PGamma/PAGE1TEXT.jpg

Mostly trying to settle on color schemes. That part's always the hardest part for me, but I don't want to do grey stuff anymore. Chances are I'm just going to do backgrounds first and build the character palettes around those.

[Supafly345]

So I am playing my first ever game of D&D, and as a nice thing to do for a bunch of people I don't know I offered to do a quick sketch of their characters so they could have nice little avatars representing them in pathfinder rather than a picture of their dog or whatever. One of them is a half-orc monk, and while drawing him I decided that making him look crazy and intimidating would reflect the way he played the character pretty well, so I set forth to do that.... this is what ended up happening instead:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/supafly345/Uglukava.gif

And I thought it was so funny I'd share it. :rolleyes

[Tadao]

He is so fricking happy! If you made him cross-eyed he'd be retarded.

Maybe a stronger brow, a only the left side of his mouth turned up in a smile and the right eye popping out of the skull a bit?

IDK

[Phoenix Gamma]

I don't usually animate, but when I do, there's an epilepsy warning
http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/141/d/e/dizzy2_by_pheonixgamma-d660yae.gif

[Tadao]

Making the eyes twirl is too obvious?

[Phoenix Gamma]

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUCK

[MLE]

SUP GUISE

[Tadao]

fART

[Supafly345]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/supafly345/santyclaws.png
Hag eyes, someone asked me to make this for a shadowrun game they were running, the villian was santy claws. This fit into my almost not once a year post theme so here you go!