Looking for feedback on figures
9d
@thebigg
Hey guys, these are some figures I have practiced recently. Each figure took me roughly 20 minutes each. With the figures I didn't worry so much about having each contour and line being exact to the reference. Instead I worried more about having accurate proportions, angles, gesture, etc as I draw more stylized anyway. I figured I may as well practice drawing similar to how I actually draw. These studies were also meant to get me confident with posing the body at various angels and positions. I plan to eventually take Stan's figure drawing course, and I am also currently studying anatomy on the side. Let me know anything I could improve and general impressions.
Steve Lenze
Hey @thebigg , I see you are trying to get some help with these figures. I think creating volume and gesture will help you the most. I took one of your drawings and did a sketch to show you what I mean, I hope it helps :)
@thebigg
22h
I just started the rhythms part of Stan's fundamentals course, I hope that helps me out with the gesture. I also plan to take his figure drawing course too at some point. Thinking in volume definitely is a good idea, however I never really liked using boxes for the human body as (in my opinion) it doesn't feel like the shape of the body and too rigid. Do you have any other ideas of more volumetric forms I could use? And of course I very much appreciate the feed back you gave me, thank you.
Yashwardhan Singh
I can't really critique you on proportions here because these are stylized figures. Few things I noticed - the head is very small in some of these - the upper body/ribcage is very small and narrow - legs and thighs are disproportionately large in all of these Now I don't know if these are supposed to be intentional or not, so you'll have to figure it out yourself. The most important mistake I'm seeing are the leg and hip joints. You are drawing the thighs from the bottom of the torso and that isn't where the hip joint is. The legs connect to the torso from the pelvis itself.
@thebigg
7d
Yeah I definitely try to do more stylized stuff, and most of that is intentional, but I do see where you're coming from. As one guy mentioned, I will try to do some more realistic stuff every now and then to try and make sure I know what the real deal is like. I'll look into the head and leg stuff you mentioned tho, and of course thanks for the feedback it means a lot.
Dan Blodgett
Hey! Your drawings are always fun, and you have a very recognizable style there. Good for you! It usually takes years before a unique style emerges from an artist's work, and already I can see one of your pieces and immediately say to myself "thebigg." That's such an achievement you may not even realize. Brand recognition gets artists hired! I offer some criticism, though. All love and respect. You have so much potential... but you definitely need to keep practicing. We all do, right? A recognizable style might get you in the door, but if you wish to become a professional artist, you don't want your style to hold you back either. These figures need a lot of work. But that's okay! You only have time to grow, and you're in the right place to do it. They are so cute... but they also lack variety, gesture, and anatomical/proportional clarity. I'm probably not going to tell you anything you don't already know, but it bears repeating anyway. The first thing I suggest is to stop cutting your drawings off at the knee and draw the whole figure as much as you can, and with way more variety of positions. Try learning about and implementing more gesture in these. It will take the stiffness out. And heed ideal figure heuristics to improve your proportions. The torso from the top of the head to the pubic bone should be the same length as the leg from the crotch to the heel. In one drawing, the femur is the same length as the entire torso. That's too long. On something you said: "I figured I may as well practice drawing similar to how I actually draw." This is true, but I want to challenge you on this a bit. You need to understand the rules before you can know how to believably break them. Exaggeration and cartooning really work so much better when you understand what you are exaggerating and cartooning. I encourage you to learn more realistic figure drawing and actually practice it as much as you do your cartoons, even if it goes against the very distinctive style you already have. Then, when implementing your style, it can be a conscious choice to ignore or simplify, or exaggerate what you already know, instead of becoming beholden to the style because you don't understand the underlying structure. It's like deciding to build a house because you can work really well with wood, but then you have no idea how to lay a foundation, frame walls, shingle a roof, wire electricity, etc. You might be able to eventually build a rudimentary log cabin this way, but the first storm it goes through will blow it over. In order to make a great, sturdy house that will last for generations, you have to become proficient in all areas of construction. It's the same thing with figure drawing. The greatest cartoons are built with great foundational figure knowledge, then tweaked to look how the artist wants. Not the other way around. Food for thought. Thanks for sharing. Don't get discouraged. Keep at it!
@thebigg
8d
Thanks bro, I will definitely try mixing in some more realistic drawings the best I can. I guess I already have in a way with using the Constructive Anatomy book and has been a great resource so far. Thanks for the encouragement and criticism, it's always appreciated.
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