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2yr
Alfio Parisi
Hi, I'm looking for some general critique on this portrait. Also I would like to paint like these guys https://www.artstation.com/kyz and https://www.artstation.com/nadar but I have no idea how to get there. Can you help me understand which way to go please?
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Liandro
Hey, @Alfio Parisi, I agree with @Steve Lenze‘s notes, and I’d like to just reinforce the importance of good drawing as the foundation for good painting - especially when it comes to the human figure and portraiture, both realistic and stylized. Edges are actually a lot more challenging than it might sound at first, so they do deserve the amount of practice they require. You should find helpful information about edges and other helpful related topics in @Dorian Iten‘s The Shading Course – Fundamentals of Realism, Light & Shadow. And since you say you have more trouble drawing from reference than with using the Loomis method, I agree that you could take some time to study proportions, alignments and visual relationships. The concepts of negative space and plumb lines are indeed a great help in this direction, as suggested by @Crystal Blue (she/her). And this is actually a different type of practice: drawing without reference by using the Loomis method or such can help you strengthen visual imagination and the notion of form, space and construction, while studying from photos or life will lead to better strengthen observation skills. Ideally, we wanna keep in shape with both, as they feedback on each other and, together, help us grow our techniques and skills overall. In my experience, a helpful resource where observational techniques are presented in a simple way is Betty Edwards’ book “Drawing on the right side of the brain”. Additionally, you might also like to dig into other resources by highly skilled draftspeople such as @Stephen Bauman‘s Realistic Portrait Drawing course and David Kassan’s YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/user/DavidJonKassan Hope this helps. Best of luck in your studies, and please keep sharing your future work!
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Steve Lenze
Hey Alfio, You have set your standards very high, those guys are really good. One of the things you will notice about their work is that it is very well drawn. This is the key to good realist painting- painting is drawing. Make sure your drawing is spot on before you start to paint. The other thing you need to do is make sure your edges are correct. There should be a combination of hard, soft and lost edges. Pay attention to where the highlights are and how bright they should or shouldn't be. I did a sketch and paint over to show you what I mean, I hope it helps :)
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Alfio Parisi
Thanks for the answer. Edges sound simple but for some reason it is hard for me to see and make them. As for the drawing, I guess right now seeing alignments and relationships is my biggest problem. It's fine if I draw using like the loomis method, but If I have to copy a reference it becomes really hard to do it right. Will try work on those things and post something in the future. Thanks again.
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