1-2 min. gestures

tried to focus on motion/rhythm a lot more and break away from contour. i'd like to know if i'm on the right track.

https://imgur.com/a/jsqmuXk

• Eteng edited this post on March 14, 2021 5:22am.

Hi Eteng!

It definitely looks like you are on the right track! You are starting to connect long rhythm lines and that is a good thing. There is one thing that jumps out at me as an obvious thing you could do to improve and that is shape and flow practice. What I mean by that is doing the kinds of exercises in this video (you can fast forward to 4:15). You are only using C-shaped lines and you would probably benefit greatly from freeing up the arm and learn to connect longer S shaped lines as well. Have a look at the video and try it out. It's a good thing to do as a warm up before a drawing session. You can make up you own shapes to of course but the circles, the ssSSssSS shapes and the zig-zags are great. Don't lift your pencil from the paper, go both ways. I would also advice you to try a soft lead pencil or such. Good luck!

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• Thestripper edited this post on March 15, 2021 12:55am.

This is gonna sound unhelpful, but... what do you think?

See, in addition to helping you warm up, figure drawing teaches a whole rainbow of skills. It helps you learn how to thumbnail. It helps you practice the process of going from a very rough drawing to a more polished one. It helps you learn to fit your drawing into the space you want. It helps you be more creative, imagining costumes for a character, imagining ways to turn one pose into a different pose, or pushing a pose to be less anatomically correct but give the right feeling. It builds up your visual library so when you imagine a pose, it's easier to draw it. Plus many more.

If you're new at this, I'd try hard to be disciplined about using 30m classes (NOT longer, longer is not better) and about marking up your work after each class with which drawings you think are best. Pick one or two best from each batch, don't worry about the 5 and 10 minute drawings, those are your cookies for working so hard.

After 5 or 10 classes of doing that, you'll probably see some patterns in what you like. Maybe some specific features you are super happy with every time. THAT will guide you to some goals if you don't already have ideas for goals coming out your ears. This can also be a way to calm down about "bad" drawings or goals that are too big for you right now. If you see that you have a hard time with hands and feet and you avoid drawing them, a goal of "work on figure drawing so I can draw my own superhero comic" is perhaps not so attainable. But 5 classes focusing on getting hands and feet into every drawing you can... that's a lot more attainable. Or maybe you decide to do 5 classes of hands and feet instead. There's no right answer in how you tackle a goal.

But one really solid thing is it's almost impossible to get better at art if you don't like things about your own art. So sitting down after every class and practicing liking your own stuff is very helpful. Finding the good parts gives you a way to move forward.

Nice work on breaking away from contours, eteng. That's the greatest job I've ever seen! I can really feel the forces coming through!

So, in order to better focus on your current goal, why don't you please work with a softer crayon, grease pencil preferred?? You could find those online, or a Dick Blick near you. And while you're at it, please do 10 minutes of 30 second poses done all standing up?

As a result, you'll be able to make your sketches less stiffer, and the most dynamic, light, and lively.

Good luck with my critique!