Would love some critique!

Hey,

I just started to use line of action and I have the impression that I'm really slow, and I'm still struggling with the right proportions / anatomy.

Any tips? :)

(30 min class mode)

Stay safe and have a nice day!

https://imgur.com/a/teNQNgD

• Bo3o edited this post on August 13, 2020 2:27pm.

Heya Bo3o!

What is your exact goal when you do a 30 minute class? Gestures aren't really about meeting a timed goal, they're about training your brain to break a figure down into simple quick gestures/lines to capture the dynamics of the pose and not get stuck on trying to get it right every single time -- you want to move on to the next gesture after a certain amount of time to keep your brain engaged in the pattern recognition. They act as warm-ups for more detailed drawings and help to grow an understanding of how these shapes and lines work together.

A lot of your first couple of gestures are very scribbly, which tells me you may be overthinking the initial gestures and are unsure about what to put down. Before you do your next class, try to set yourself a smaller goal; for example, "Reduce stiffness and make my drawings feel more dynamic, energetic, fluid"

Next time you do 30 second gestures, you can try to limit the amount of lines you put down on the paper. It can be really helpful to try and capture the broader lines of a gesture pose with only 5 lines max, for example a nice fluid curved line for the spine (the line of action), and confident strokes for the arms and legs. If it doesn't end up looking like anything at first, that's totally okay! You're training with this, you're not putting out refined sketches.

Nice job on your 30 minute class, Bo30, thanks. Yet, if I can give you a tip or two, then it would be these: 1) Do yet another 10 minutes of 30 second quick sketches, because it'll train your brain on how to innately record your gestures with as much fewer lines as possible; and 2) For more details and information on how to perceive the proportions/anatomy, pick up a copy of the Betty Edwards book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain (4th Definitive Edition), as a result, you may and might get a more stronger message of relationships, or proportions and angles.

As I always say, practice makes progress, and progress makes perfect, alright??

BTW, take care and stay safe.

Polyvios Animations

Got to start some where, even if you can't finish a figure, keep Drawing. start with the 30 seconds then 60 seconds then move to the longer sessions, you will see improvement. and Practice, it doesn't come overnight.

• Red Fiji2015 edited this post on August 14, 2020 10:37am. Reason: wasn't finished with writing post
• Red Fiji2015 edited this post on August 14, 2020 10:37am. Reason: wasn't finished with writing post

I see you are using stick figures. I second that method. The stick figures allow you to set up the action of the figure and more easily expand the figure anatomy of a figure. As a side issue, I would recommend you do a serious study of human anatomy muscle & bone structure. The internet has a great deal of information on these subjects. Make drawings of the muscle & bone structure. You will know what is under the figure's clothes & skin. Do not worry about hands or feet. Get the overall figure down. After you do, you can worry about the hands & feet. Sanne's advice is something to take to heart.

The skill does not come overnight. It takes practice. Keep & date your drawing so you can compare them over time so that you can gauge your progress. I always date my works. Learn from your mistakes.

Remember: Practice makes better. Improvement takes time & effort. So practice practice, then practice some more. If you do so, you will be surprised at what you will and can achieve.

You're off to a fantastic start! Quick gestures about 30 seconds and under usually aren't very detailed or clear aside from the general idea of the pose, so you nailed that. I do however think you should try to include the whole body anyway!

Also, I think it would be helpful to use actual paper instead of the back cardboard of a sketchbook; I find for doing lots of quick gestures, you should use a big piece of cheaper paper, and for longer gestures, use smaller, high quality paper. I like to use sheets of copy or animation paper for my gestures 1 minute and under, and cardstock or mixed media paper for anything that's 5 minutes or more.

This is my first time on Line of Action, but I was asked to give a critique before continuing into the site. That I can do. I've critiqued in two other courses, even though I am a bare beginner at Life Drawing. I have the same assignment, approximately. However, we are to use only the CSI method: arcs, s-curves, and lines. Your first sample uses that method, and so far as I can tell you have met the requirements.

I hope people with more experience at gesture drawing can give you more help.

Now I'm going on to find something to practice my own homework on!