OLDER POSTS
Have you seen this criminal? Call 1-800-NO-CRIME now!
OK, I'm only kidding.
The male head above is nothing more than a recent attempt to draw the human figure, in this case, the male head. I know how to doodle a little bit, but I've never been able to draw the human figure with ease and confidence. The results never seemed to look like what they should be or what I intended them to be. Discouraged and impatient, I gave up. I gave up trying many years ago and listened to those negative voices in my head that insisted I'd never be proficient. :-(
As it is true of learning other skills, in drawing - confidence, humility, instruction, observation and plenty of practice makes perfect. Actually, I have a more modest goal of just "good enough". I'd like to be able to look at a face or body and sketch it as quickly and accurately as a police sketch artist, courtroom artist or one of those sidewalk artists who'll sketch your portrait on the spot for a few bucks. Quick renderings... that actually resemble the subjects. :-D
Recently, I understood why I had failed. As with any endeavour, drawing the human anatomy is only difficult if you don't know the steps. Take for example, the human head. By drawing the head in stages, you'll see that what appears to be complicated is, in reality, only a logical progression. Leave aside the concern for the details, aesthetics and expressions. Focus on the spatial relationships among the features and the basic shapes. You start off by drawing the basic shape of the head, using horizontal and vertical lines as guidelines to keep things symmetrical and proportionate... Ehrr, I suppose I could go on but I'll leave it at that. Sorry, this post wasn't really meant to be a tutorial... but a reminder to myself... about... stuff.
Sometimes, a person gets so busy looking only at the details that he / she forgets to look at the whole scene... and in the end, that person has an incomplete and/or distorted view. I really need to remind myself of this... and to not get so easily discouraged... about so many things... in my life. Get up. Practice. Do. Silence those negative voices in my head.
Au revoir,
Massa P aka "fruity"
Looks like Kurt Russell to me!! ;-)
It's almost a perfect image. ;-)
For me, the hardest part to sketch is the NOSE. I just don't know why. Sometimes it's so annoying... :-x I couldn't get the exact figure. I've wasted a lot of time doing that. And sometimes, I've left the sketches having no nose at all and I end up laughing. :-D
:-D OK, my short replies, albeit late.
@Pedro: "Prägnanz", oh brother. :-D As always, thanks for the thoughtful comments. More cowbell? If Bruce Dickinson says he needs more cowbell... I agree, but if I gave any cowbell at all on the public side of fruityoaty, total strangers might *actually* understand what I'm babbling about. Eh.
Any day now, I'm going to post a whole article entirely devoid of the letter "E" (both lowercare AND uppercase). Uh-huh.
@Aldo: Thanks! Yeah, the anime buffs will recognise the holler back graphic as the Bonklers from Azumanga Daioh.
@Zalette, Raychel, Nancy, Allie & Anna: Thanks for the hollers and compliments! :-D
@Evilgenius: Thanks. Your photos (even the very dark ones - check your eyes or monitor, haha) are also neat.
@Paulie: :-D 5 bucks and a bag of chips. ;-) HAHAHA! >:)
ROTFL, for a second there I thought you were serious. :-P I'd say that drawing is pretty good, but I know there's always room for improvement. :-) I hope you can learn to overcome that discouragement.
P.S. That holler back graphic at the top has got me in a giggle fit.
Oh wow, the drawing is so nice. I wish I could draw someone without making them look distorted.
Ooh... neat!!
This posting lead me to ponder the following:
Is a portrait supposed to convey more about the subject or the artist?
Accuracy may provide factual truth, but often it obscures profound truths.
Perhaps the best way to rebuke the voice of self-doubt is to recognise and appreciate the completeness/fullness of an undertaking, as opposed to seeking the asymptotic concept of perfection through repetition and reduction.
Nice drawing and good blog... My only suggestion is more cowbells.
Sincerely,
prägnanz - Fake Identity #6
I honestly hate when the police put those images on the news because I think that every person I see from then on looks like them. LOL, at least you draw better than me!
You did a wonderful job on the drawing!
Is that...? That looks like... That guy. Hmmm.
:-D I believe I know that criminal. Is there a reward?
Wow! That's SO good! I couldn't draw like that for my LIFE! Lucky ducky! LOL.
Love the drawing. You're pretty good.