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I'd love to here some criticism and advice on what I could do better!
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Message
Posted
Hello! I have picked three of my drawing which I found are some of the best in my repertoire. But I always have the feeling, that I can get better. Way better. So I decided to get some advice and criticism on what I could do better!
To give some context on me: I began drawing at the beginning of June, which means I have about 3 1/2 months of experience. My favourite artist are John Singer Sargent and Horace Vernet. I like their painting and drawing style and sought to become similar to them while still conserving my interests. It will take some years and drawing / painting is "only" a great hobby that I do in my free time (relatively extensively).
To give some context on my drawings:
As you might see, the first one of Marshall Louis-Nicolas Davout was made in graphite. Finished on the 8th of August 2020.
The second one is made after a time-lapse of a video on YouTube after I watched it. Made on the 22nd of August 2020 and the second time I used charcoal as a medium.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALnhlDiJvuE
The third one is Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig and it is a "kind of study" of the "Generals and officers of the first World War" painting from John Singer Sargent. It's my best drawing so far in my opinion and it was also the first time that I actually gave it some time. I always had the problem of rushing a drawing / painting
For further question feel free to ask them and of course feel free to bombard me with criticism.
Posted
The real skill to learn in drawing is drawing from life - translating a 3 D image to a 2 dimensional surface. Someone once explained to me that translating 2D to 2 D is graphics, while drawing from life is fine art. However by doing what you are doing is practicing some of the skills you need for drawing - observing differences in tonal quality and expressing that in different media. You have certainly made a very good start.
Posted
Well Linda has it spot on here.
You do need to start drawing from life in order to make any significant advancement in your drawing. Copying, as Linda has said, is a way to get started and perhaps hone up your technique, but that’s all.
You won’t find it as easy as copying from a photograph, because it isn’t. - it’s a whole different experience, but it’s far more rewarding. The easiest way here is to start with self portraits, and then move on to family members etc.
We see copies of famous people, so called celebrities etc on here all the time, almost daily, in fact there’s one of the PM on the gallery now, absolutely pointless unless its been done for practice or to demonstrate techniques and so on.
Once we get back to some sort of normality, join an art group or enrol at college in a life class, here you’ll be drawing/painting real life models and be able to get some professional tuition along the way, as well as seeing how other students approach their work.
You’ve made a good start, you’ve achieved some depth to your work but all those sketches that you’ve posted on the gallery need more work, they need to be taken to the next level.
Buy ‘The Addictive Sketcher’ by the brilliant Adibanji Alade, if his enthusiasm for sketching people doesn’t inspire you, then nothing will... He’s constantly sketching ‘real’ people wherever he goes, hundreds a day probably, it’s the best way to progress without doubt.
You can buy a copy from this website if you go to Store in the menu.
Edited
by Alan Bickley
Posted
Students used to be taught to draw from plaster casts - some ateliers still do this. Their advantage is that they're three dimensional; with photographs, or copying illustrations and portraits, you have to contend with the flatness of the image: this can actually make it easier to achieve, but what do you do when you run out of work to copy?
I don't at all mind sketching from photographs - it keeps your hand in; and if you want to draw someone who is nestling now beneath the hungry turf, you haven't much choice. But the best advice is that which is given above - work from real people if you can; Adebanji Alade has far more courage than I've got, drawing people on the bus or Tube .... I'd always be afraid of the " 'Ere, what's your game?" response; and I think you'd have to be extremely careful about any drawing of children; people are understandably suspicious these days.
And apart from all that, most of us are wearing masks....
Still, we always have ourselves as a model - with a good mirror, or perhaps two, and a variety of lighting (i.e. from different angles and of different intensities) we can learn so much more than working from photographs.
Even so - I recognized your Field Marshal Haig and I like the approach you've adopted in these drawings - all the more so given the short time you've been working: think what you could do with a real, living face in front of you.
Edited
by Robert Jones, NAPA
Posted
I know it’s only 4 days or so since the original posting (yes I’m impatient), but I would like to know if the sound advice given by a few of us was useful! A lot of time and thought has gone into these replies.
So, Angu, do let us know what you think, first thing, did you buy the Addictive Sketcher?
Posted
Hello!
First, thank you very much for your replies and the very helpful guidances from your own experiences.
I have actually already ordered the Addictive Sketcher from Adebanji Alade and it's still coming. But I am quite excited to see it!
So according to your main advice, which was beginning to draw from life, I did begin to do so.
I see what you meant with that quote, becuase it really is.
You won’t find it as easy as copying from a photograph, because it isn’t. - it’s a whole different experience, but it’s far more rewarding.I have begun to draw some pieces of clothing, the castle near my home and just started a portrait of a friend of mine! Still, as Robert also said, I also don't mind continuing with drawing from photographic images. It keeps my hand moving when I don't know what to draw or to sketch. Besides that, I took one class over at Skillshare for portrait drawing - For those who are interested: It's Level Up your Portrait Drawings: Practical Approaches to Advanced Concepts! from Chris Hong, which is also a YouTuber.
Posted
I like the portraits.
I suggest you start doing self portraits in pencil, sitting in front of a mirror. Initially it's easier to draw your-self in full face, rather than draw a three quarter view.
Have you tried doing quick sketches of face from the TV? Sometimes I'll be watching a programme and realise the faces would make good sketches. So I press the record button on the Tivo box. and it records back to the start of the programme. Look for close ups and strong directional lighting so the face has more depth. By comparison, lighting in a studio can be too flat and even. Pick a frame that you like, freeze it for 10 minutes and do a quick sketch.
I'm interested to know why you drew two military men from the start of the last century. I once had an art tutor who admired William Orpen, a society painter from that period.
https://www.wikiart.org/en/william-orpen
Edited
by Keith Orange
Posted
Thank you very much Keith!
I will keep your suggestion in mind and certainly will remember to look out for faces in films that I will watch.
What should I say? I guess I can only say that I just really admire that time period of art. I am a very "special" man, not in a positive sense, but just in the perspective that I am quite interested in history in contrast to my peers for my age. Especially military history and the people that shaped our course decades and centuries ago. And I mean, I also like the way people dressed.
Posted
I tend to draw rather cartoonish sketches from old photographs, because I too like military history, and the way people dressed when we all dressed better than most of us dress today! I do regret the loss of the stand-up collar, and the frock coat and top-hat ....
I must get around to showing my sketch of Marshal Pilsudski, now I think of it.....