my father in law

[DevilRedeemed]

well I don't have a scanner right now or a decent computer or tablet so I took a picture of a drawing I did of my father in law. it was at the park and I drew him from a weird unconfortable angle (plus he was moving about), but I think I got it pretty much as close as I could. It took me 20 minutes maybe a bit less.
I'd like to study art at some point soon. I don't know how realistic this may be but its something I've always wanted to do but never got the chance. I don't have the confidence and I think I may be too old.
is it alrightish?

 

[Nesagwa]

Im not going to go into the critique any of my teachers would give (it would be harsh).

It is a good line drawing though, reminds me of the GTA art style.

 

[DevilRedeemed]

Im not going to go into the critique any of my teachers would give (it would be harsh).

It is a good line drawing though, reminds me of the GTA art style.

cheers.
I was told by a friend who studied at art school that I had decent skills but that if her teachers saw my work they would hate it.
so I think the best thing to do is study as right now I just draw what I see and fill in the blanks with unrefined techniques.
I really enjoy line drawings actually. I'd love to figure out how to do it it consistently.

 

[Nesagwa]

cheers.
I was told by a friend who studied at art school that I had decent skills but that if her teachers saw my work they would hate it.
so I think the best thing to do is study as right now I just draw what I see and fill in the blanks with unrefined techniques.
I really enjoy line drawings actually. I'd love to figure out how to do it it consistently.

Well, what you want to do is never leave any white space. Only use pure white for a highlight (shiney parts) and make sure to use a pure black, and then render the rest with middle tones (12 or so different shades of gray). Put in about 5-10 more hours on that thing and it would be a nice portrait.

 

[hermegildo]

5-10 hours might not be really neccesary, unless you're thinking of painting it or something like that. The best advice I was given is to avoid outline. Completely if you can. It doesn't look bad though.

 

[Nesagwa]

5-10 hours might not be really neccesary, unless you're thinking of painting it or something like that. The best advice I was given is to avoid outline. Completely if you can. It doesn't look bad though.

5-10 is the bare minimum he should spend on this or any other piece.

 

[hermegildo]

It's just a face portrait. I think 3 hours might be enough to make something out of it, 2 if you know what you're doing. Then again, I tend to rush things myself, so I could be wrong.

 

[Nesagwa]

Yeah, I was figuring in a background and stuff too. 5 is usually the minimum I like to spend on stuff. Always room for improvement.

 

[PleaseKillMeNow]

I think everyone needs to just shut the fuck up.

 

[P00t]

You will have ugly children.

 

[DevilRedeemed]

You will have ugly children.

haha. well my woman is quite beautiful and my kids (I have 2) are too. my father in law is ethnic looking which makes him particularly interesting for drawing.


--on the using outline - I'm a massive fan of Japanese prints, especially the most realistic ones, and I convey this, maybe unintentionally. as I have said though, you really have to know what you're doing otherwise it has no real artistic merit, and I know there's alot of technical issues to consider when drawing the human shape. I'm just really lazy.
thankyou for the pointers guys. they come in very handy

 

[@M]

I disagree with Nesagwa's statement about taking 5-10 hours. I seldom spend more than an hour on any of my drawings. Each drawing should be approached on a case-by-case basis, you should only spend what time it takes to get it done, not set artificial constraints on yourself. When I took drawing/illustration in college, my professor emphasized doing portraits quickly - we used to do five/ten minutes sketches of models all the time. You'd be surprised how much you can get down in that space of time.

Anyway, that being said, the portrait is rather basic - if I did a portrait in the 20 minutes you described, DevilRedeemed, it would be considerably more detailed than what you have. Also, not knowing what your stepfather looks like, I can't say how well you've captured his likeness. The lip placement looks a little iffy and I think the back of the head should go back a bit further, but other than that, it's solid. You do have talent, so don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Keep it up.

 

[hermegildo]

It depends really, some people are more methodical and like to spend more time with their stuff than others. I usually don't. I'll do 15-20 minute sketches until I find something I'd like to spend more time on. Scale has a lot to do with this also, I work pretty small, so it's unlikely I'll ever get to spending more than 2 hours on a single drawing.

Professors do emphasize doing the portraits quickly, but exercises done in class are mostly about getting the gesture right, not about finished work. That's how I see it.

 

[DevilRedeemed]

I disagree with Nesagwa's statement about taking 5-10 hours. I seldom spend more than an hour on any of my drawings. Each drawing should be approached on a case-by-case basis, you should only spend what time it takes to get it done, not set artificial constraints on yourself. When I took drawing/illustration in college, my professor emphasized doing portraits quickly - we used to do five/ten minutes sketches of models all the time. You'd be surprised how much you can get down in that space of time.

Anyway, that being said, the portrait is rather basic - if I did a portrait in the 20 minutes you described, DevilRedeemed, it would be considerably more detailed than what you have. Also, not knowing what your stepfather looks like, I can't say how well you've captured his likeness. The lip placement looks a little iffy and I think the back of the head should go back a bit further, but other than that, it's solid. You do have talent, so don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Keep it up.

thank you. it's actually my father in law (I do have an estranged step father though - psychic?). you know your stuff!! - the head is slightly squished, the cheek line (?) is slightly misplaced, the lip is not that iffy believe it or not (hehe. he sais I made him look like a woman - it's not my fault he has feminine features). just that my subject matter was moving about and I was sitting next to him and really close up. other than that I'd say it looks quite alot like him.
the problem is I have no artistic experience whatsoever, this is like the fifth portrait I've ever done, I tend to get dimensions wrong because I don't know how to break down features. and on the subject of detail, I don't want to cake it on because I don't know what I'm doing so I go for something basic that conveys the subject matter. I have to learn about shading and whatnot.
my question to you artists is - when you make a portrait do you feel you are showing things as they are, or showing them as you see them? I'm talking about the feeling you get when you are putting pencil to paper.
I'm far more into doing monsters and stuff but I'm not there yet. anyway thanks again, I will work hard to get things right.

 

[DevilRedeemed]

M, I was checking out your site. the stuff you did for your universtiy newspaper. absolutely brilliant.

 

[Orochi Iori Y]

What I want to know is why you are out on romantic picnics in the part with your father in law... and who's idea it was for you to draw him.

 

[Nesagwa]

I disagree with Nesagwa's statement about taking 5-10 hours. I seldom spend more than an hour on any of my drawings. Each drawing should be approached on a case-by-case basis, you should only spend what time it takes to get it done, not set artificial constraints on yourself. When I took drawing/illustration in college, my professor emphasized doing portraits quickly - we used to do five/ten minutes sketches of models all the time. You'd be surprised how much you can get down in that space of time.

Anyway, that being said, the portrait is rather basic - if I did a portrait in the 20 minutes you described, DevilRedeemed, it would be considerably more detailed than what you have. Also, not knowing what your stepfather looks like, I can't say how well you've captured his likeness. The lip placement looks a little iffy and I think the back of the head should go back a bit further, but other than that, it's solid. You do have talent, so don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Keep it up.

I just suck at graphite. Pen and ink I can churn out in no time.

 

[neo>all]

If you want to get really good start studying shading like crazy. It really helps trust me. It takes drawings that look flat and gives them depth. Try drawing a still life and concentrate on lights and darks. Use your thumb to shade. Art classes help but doing it on your own time perfects your skills. I would recommend taking one though just to explore other styles of famous artists and other students in the class. I've been drawing for a long time but i still don't think i'm that good. It's never too late to begin drawing

 

[DevilRedeemed]

What I want to know is why you are out on romantic picnics in the part with your father in law... and who's idea it was for you to draw him.

teehee.

nah we'd taken my son to the park and I had a pencil and some paper with me so I just got to it.
It's a bit embarassing to expose your work like this, but it was needed to see where I stand. thanks all.