Linework Help!
24d
@vonun
Hi everyone!
I would love a critique on my linework.
This is from the simplify to CSI part of the Drawing Basics course. For anyone that does not know or hasn't done this part of the course for a good while. The goal is to simplify the pictures to C, S and I lines. The proportion doesn't really matter.
In the beginning I just drew, trying to match the outlines I saw on the pictures. When I watched the video again I noticed that I drew way too fast and slowed down a lot. Making my marks more intentional.
What do you think is the most important line mistake or lesson I need to learn and improve one?
Hello! i think the line art is okay. you say the proportion doesnt matter, but i think it would help if you first sketched the overall shape and then added the details. i think your drawings are lacking structure and it feels like you're adding lines as you go along, instead of working big to small. if you could add those things to your lineart, your art will look even better!
Thx @Chul for the feedback!
What techniques do you use to get the overall shape first? I do find myself having a hard time knowing where to even start when I sketch.
From what I learned from the course so far, stan recommended using an envelope technique first. Where one draws the object like it were wraped up. But I haven't really used that methode so far.
So what from what I understand if I would sketch the overall shape and then break down the shapes from big to small it would improve my drawings a lot, did I understand that correctly?
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24d
Hello! Good job for doing so many extra practice pages. I think your skelly, camel, and snail are the strongest of the bunch, they have the most design and best variety of CSI lines.
You have the right idea by slowing down and being more intentional with your lines. You want to design instead of copy the images. This requires you to take some time to think about each line you make...is it going to be C, S, or I. Not only do you have to think about each line, but how each line interacts with the other lines you've already made and the ones you will make in the next. It's a lot to think about, so you may have to slow way down, more than you think you should, and that's okay. You'll build speed back up the more you practice.
The reason you have to think about all those things is because finding the right balance of straight and curved lines will help you avoid making your drawing look way too loose and silly or too stiff and lacking gesture. A good balance has moments of structure and gesture that work together. I made this graphic to illustrate with I mean, I hope you find it helpful!
thank you very much for your feedback!
Stan did talk about the design of the lines but I didn't really grasp what he meant. seeing it visualized with the illustrations you made helps so much. also mad props to you for using the shoe as an example. after i drew the shoes i felt like i went on a hike and then got hit by a bus ;D
I know that gesture is really important but i didn't realize that even the lines of the smaller shapes have such a huge impact on how the gesture is read.
I guess if you want something to feel very loose, like something like cloth or a character made out of slime, you would use more "loosey goosey" line work. If i would want to draw something like a microwave or a mech i would want to use "rigid" linework. But for something like this shoes or a character the "balanced" line work gives it strucure while still reading as organic and gestural.
I am now onto the next few lessons of the course. the sections on drawing from observation and imagination and I will definitly incorporate this advice.
the more I learn about lines the more i feel like i really missed a huge aspect of illustrating. i didn't take the little speech about how lines are so important and complex serious. i though "yeah stan is just doing this for dramatic effect and we'll breeze through to the more important parts like shape and perspective and such"....yeah i understand now how important line is ^^
so thank you very much for your feedback!
