Portrait Drawings Started
2yr
Jake
I'm doing Proko's Portrait course, trying to go in open minded with no assumptions but it's proving tricky.
So far I have just covered the videos on the Loomis method.
Are the drawing exercises meant to be done of random heads (minus features) from your imagination, say, just a featureless head pointing in random directions? That might be where I am going wrong.
I think I find the size/shape of the chin tricky as well. I know my drawings aren't great, they'll need repetition. I would just appreciate being told anything glaringly obvious, with respect to the course that I am following.
Lastly, is it ok if I keep updating this thread as I progress through the course?
Asked for help
Gesture drawing is my bane, I find it hard to seperate from "blocking out" (shapes part) that is done earlier tin the drawing fundamentals course. At the second drawing i felt a bit more confident, was only latching onto the "no symmetrical shapes" part of the lesson but I don't think i've got the whole idea.
Asked for help
I'm still here, drawing fell off a littler over the last few weeks or so, I had over area of study, but I have some more work to show you.
There's a bit of life observation in there.
I'm always changing my warmups, hence the swirling galaxy patterns.
Posted out of order.
Asked for help
Priportions study first attempt at the musketeer. Warmup sketches beforehand.
Asked for help
Accidentally went away from using basic shapes and went on to just blocking them out
•
2mo
These are still nice simplifications. No detail.
Using basic shapes will help when you try to draw more from memory.
I particularly appreciate how you simplified the rhino head. You went for a more dynamic shape rather than a stagnant one.
Asked for help
Doing the simplifying animals to shapes challenge whilst still trying to remember how to do lines
•
2mo
Nice work keeping things simple.
Asked for help
This might be the third time I've done this but I'm enjoying it and seeing the difference between the different methods. It's not a lot for a "days" study but I have other commitments.
Asked for help
Just a repeat of my last study but with a different object. My glasses case.
Asked for help
I'm at the "drawing with line weight" part of the Drawing Basics course. I've chosen a small model of a pokemon to draw as it has complicated and simple bits. Though I have oversimplified the model to just focus on the objectives of the lesson.
The first drawing shows hierarchy, the most interesting bits having the heavier lines.
The second drawing is unity and seperation, uniting the pokemon/creature with one line weight and the base/pedestal with a lesser line weight
The last one shows closeness, the subject is leaning forwards so the head neck and body have the darkest lines and with the withdrawn wings being the lightest.
They are oversimplified but laying them all out like this does illustrate to me at least the difference line weight can make when used in different ways.
Asked for help
Doing things with line weight here for the first time...or first time in a while
Asked for help
Did some "Skating around the page" and other warmup before some still life studies.
Asked for help
I have done a quick study of my bedside table after some warmup drawings. Does anybody think my warmup drawings are worthwhile in the longrun or should just straight into some still life rough observations instead?
•
3mo
Warm-up drawings are useful for getting loose and into the flow, similar to how athletes warm up before a game. These exercises can focus on what you want to improve: gesture, line quality, or specific techniques.
But you also need to balance them with more focused studies, like still life observation. That helps you develop observational skills and a better understanding of form, light, and shadow. Both approaches have their benefits, and combining warm-ups with detailed studies will give you a more well-rounded skill set.
Asked for help
Did the challenge to fill up an a4 page as a warmup. It's the glamorous scene of a cluttered trash bin area!
Asked for help
The CSI challenge, bit crowded but we have two pears, a snail and a pair of boots!
Asked for help
Intro to lines lesson, drawing the snail.
In previous lessons Proko has talked about "warming up" the hands with drawing exercise to literaly gey blood pumping to them. My question is, is this all? Is it also not warming up the brain? If it is literal would any other hand exercises or massages work haha? Just wondering!
•
3mo
In my experience warming up the hands serves to warm up the brain as well. But I do think that as an artist, stretching and exercising is hugely important as we sit or stand at a desk for hours at a time. Not just for the hands!
Asked for help
So what happened? Did I go on holiday? Was I ill? No, I was a bad student. I did what Proko warned me not to do, I got hung up on perfectionism and wanting constant progress. But I'm back now, starting right at the beginning again. Hope this goes well.
The second image is a warm up exercise I do, practicing different angles and lines etc.
•
3mo
Welcome back! What matters is that you've come back to it. This is a good start, keep it up 👍
