Friday 21 October 2016

SEPT-DEC 2016. WEEK 4 layout and composition.

This week and the following classes , we will be looking at  how to extend your skills of figure drawing to a wider canvas, incorporating backgrounds and how to ballance them.
Here are the photos from this weeks class.





As you can see, the composition here is very much central, using single point perspective.
Does this make for good or bad composition?
Does this give interesting composition or uninteresting?


 And don't forget!!!
Tuesday 25th October – NO CLASS - HALF TERM
Tuesday 1st November  *The day before my birthday. If you fancy joining me for a drink, I will be     paying a visit to the vic, behind the Town Hall.
Tuesday 8th November
Tuesday 15th November
Tuesday 22nd November
Tuesday 29th November
Tuesday 6th December – End of  term pub  outing if anyone is up for it.

Sunday 16 October 2016

SEPT-DEC 2016. INKTOBER

I meant to post this earlier but what with all the current workload and just general life stuff, I didn't get around to it.
Inktober is an event I have taken part in since 2015. If you want to know more about it , click on this link
 Here are my submissions so far

















SEPT-DEC 2016. WEEK 2 part 2 HANDS

Here is my adaptation for the breakdown of the hand that I learned from, How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way.
As I mentioned in class, part of  improving your drawing skills is gaining an understanding of what it is you are about to draw. What can prove helpful, is simplifying the subject into more digestable information. The success of this method may depend on how you , as an idividual, absorb and interpret information.  This may not be effective for you  but try it out anyway.
As I demonstrated in clas, the palm of the hand is essentially, a sqaure shape. The finger can be broken down into three cylindrical shapes


If this method is helpful to you, try it out on other hand poses






SEPT-DEC 2016. WEEK 3 More Figure Drawing

This week, I thought I would go easy on you all and give you  a subject with no complex facial detail, no complex hand poses,.. just figure drawing.
As you know, I have produced work in connection with many video games throught my career, but not for this game. I so wish I had though.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 
Raziel
I  won't post all the reference material I gave you in calss. You already have that. What you may not have , are the rough workings of the tutorial.









SEPT-DEC 2016. WEEK 2 part 1 Figure Drawing

During my early years of learning to drawing, Ithink I had a pretty good grasp of figure drawing. It wasn't amazing but it was solid enough to enable me to draw my favourite comic book characters etc reasonably well. However, when it came to drawing the hands and feet (especially the feet) I often struggled to achieve  anything that didn't look wooden, disjointed, or deformed.
It wasn't until I saw Gil Kane's comic book work (I can't remember the actual comic, probably Creatures On The Loose) that I began to make a breakthrough. 
 Kane's work  presented something different. As far as my comic book reading went, back in the 70's, it brought a new level of realism to comic book art. It wasn't until I stumbled across a book on anatomy, in the local library, that  the penny dropped. Kane had obviously studdied anatomy.
 At that time, I  had a low paid warehouse job, stacking boxes but it meant I could afford to buy a book on anatomy if I didn't go to the cinema that week (you could go to the cinema for  50p back then) . This was the book I found in Austick's Book Shop in Leeds.
Human Anatomy For The Artist by John Raynes.
It turned my drawing around big time.
I couldn't say whether it was the best book out there I could lay my hands on but it certainly helped improve my drawing of the human figure, especially, the hands and feet.
Why? Because it gave me an understanding of the human form. Having an understanding of what you are attempting to draw, will enable you to achieve a more pleasing result. That and practice. It won't happen on your first drawing. Practice is the most important part of your development.  If you don't practice, you will not improve. FACT.

Another book that helped with my progress, was, How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way, by Stan Lee and John Buscema.

This book breaks down the details of anatomy into more easy to digest information.


 In fact, not just anatomy,... guns, cars, planes, buildings....
It's a great  book. Many professional comic book artists have learned to draw, or imporved their drawing,  from reading  book. It's still in print too.
John Buscema  also has a very classical style. His figure drawing is very solid. He's a very good draftsman. A lot can be learned from looking at his work.

Kane, Buscema and Raybes are a few of the artists who helped me develop my drawing skills, as did Frank Frazetta and Jack Kirby, but you may find other artists and "How To Draw Books" that connect specifically with the way you draw. 


 Here are some more some books that you may find useful.
DYNAMIC FIGURE DRAWING by Burne Hogarth

DRAWING DYNAMIC HANDS by Burne Hogarth
DRAWING THE HUMAN HEAD by Burne Hogarth

FIGURE DRAWING FOR ALL IT'S WORTH by Andrew Loomis
It probably has a different cover now as it has been reprinted many times




If you can find any books by Adrew Loomis, they will be well worth picking up.


More Gil Kane art