Figure/Life-drawing advice

A bit of a knees up

Zinc — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:24:03 GMT

Hey all.

I'm trying to improve my anatomy skills, particularly knees and elbows. Unfortunately, while I can find plenty of references for the leg in general, it is nearly always shown straight/standing so I'm finding it hard to understand how the anatomy changes when the leg is bent. Can anybody recommend any good sources or studies that might help me get to grips with this particular joint?

Beginners drawing de-lima!

Rajiv Rai — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 09:11:05 GMT

Hi guys, 1st off I must say Imagine FX is a very inspiring magazine i absolutely love it. I am a film editor by profession and back in art school I have studied life drawing but i must say i have very little talent in it. I try and practice but most of my drawings are rather bad. Having said that what I really want to do is create fantasy digital art and am wondering if there are other ways to create them rather then start from a pencil sketch? I really cant wait to be able to explore this art its got me really excited. Hope some can help me .

Thanks,

Rajiv

Massive Black Video Tutorial

TheKing78 — Wed, 27 May 2009 08:40:25 GMT

Hi everyone, I just want to share this website with you all because it's full of great video tutorials for all artistic levels.

The website is Conceptart.org and the portion of the site about the video download can be found here: http://conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=144

Some of them are made with Painter X and it's a pleasure to see some of the major industry professionals teaching and painting.

The last video is about how to portray a caucasian female and it's made by Jason Manley and Zhanglu and you can find it here: http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=158646

Another great one is the Jason Chan's Style Exploration: http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=156974

For the use of Painter in a creative way I also think you should look at all the Andrew Jones's download from there: http://conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=144

I have downloaded most of them and they're very well made, so take a look at them if you want to learn from the Masters!

Which is your favorite book on figure drawing?

Mindbender — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:38:33 GMT

Just out of curiosity (and some good book recommendations)...

Which book do you think is THE book for learning to draw the human body? Which book would you consider that "desert island" figure drawing book? Vilppu? Loomis? Some other?

Anatomy of the chest

Galadirith — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:59:23 GMT

Hi guys, Ive just started out with character design, though a simple longing of wanting to be able to capture life on the page. Im really trying to get a good understanding of anatomy as I learn techniques etc. Ive been looking at the anatomy of the chest and am a little baffled by an image of the pectoral major from Gray's Anatomy

It appears as if the fibers move round from the clavicle down the sternum (as expected) but then it seems to fan off extending so that fibers attach to even lower sections of the ribcage even. I know its possible that it may go slightly lower than the sternum, but the image doesn't imply slightly. Gray's is an excellent resource and hasn't steered me wrong yet, can anyone help explain this or is it infact wrong?

Thanks guys

Anatomy links

Antz1982 — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:37:38 GMT

Hey all, figured I'd make this post up just to help and encourage others...including myself

Some links that I find useful:

http://www.characterdesigns.com/index.php?sitepage=home

http://www.posemaniacs.com/

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2065938/classical-model-poses-74-pp

Hope these help.

need advise

phoenicorn — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 14:18:51 GMT

could someone advise me on improving my anatomy. I am currently studying from Loomis but I would value any input, thanks

Hair tutorial

rejs7 — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:01:00 GMT

This is my latest tutorial:

http://rejs7.deviantart.com/art/Hair-tutorial-for-photoshop-95259420

of things to come "figure drawing, how to use the figure drawing system you are learning about"

ron_lemen — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:24:55 GMT

Since I am writing an article monthly on using the figure in practice with making pictures, I wanted to post these pages here sooner than later. The article I will be writing regarding this information is still months away and I wanted you to have something else to ride side by side with the other articles you will be receiving. This is an article about creating imagery using the figure. I will be posting more to add to this, on lighting, shading and coloring, etc. in the near future so return back to see if the thread has expanded. I need a little time between all the projects I am working on to generate these tutorials, they are not quick and easy to build especially when I am trying to find the right words to help educate...

Thanks for your support and looking forward to your comments, suggestions, and community support.

Ron Lemen

Hands

DemonSalvation — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 19:11:51 GMT

hiya, does anyone know of any tutorials which can help you draw hands? or have any tips on how to draw them? Thanks!

The Structure of Man (Video Tut's!)

SmartKyle — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 23:14:14 GMT

I found this link through CA.org and found them to be some of the most useful ever given to me. Its a bunch of videos on how to draw anatomy from the mind. Watch out though, because at present theres 74 videos most of them over 15 minutes long!

http://the-structure-of-man.blogspot.com/

The videos are all uploaded to you tube, and although slog along abit at times they're very informative.

Wooden Mannequin

mark-jephcott — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 18:22:44 GMT

I don't know if anyone else uses one, but for some years I have used a wooden artists mannequin for figure reference when sketching. The only problem that I have found with them is that the waist and hips are proportionally rather odd, and have to allow for this whilst making sketches.

However, my youngest son has an articulated action figure from the British TV series 'Doctor Who', and I noticed recently that the figure is proportionally better than my twenty year old wooden mannequin! So I went out and bought him a new one and requisitioned his old one.

It is the 12inch figure of 'The Doctor', made by Character Options Ltd, Oldham, OL4 5JL. UK, Item No.02067. Price will be somewhere around £10 - £20. (I paid just under £10) I am not sure on the worldwide availability though.

I personally am really impressed with it, and the articulation of the figure is the best I have seen, and a heck of a lot better than the articulation of the old wooden mannequin.

I have done a quick sketch of the basic form of the figure, to give you an idea.(excuse the crudity of the image)

It is not 'Action Man' (who's proportions are almost ridiculous!)

Anyway, I just wanted to share that with you, just incase it was of any interest to you.

Mark.

making up a face

KingGeorge — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 02:12:18 GMT

Hi guys i go a newb questions
I am trying to make up the face of my main charecter in a story i am creating. Its a female character and i have a couple of things i know i want like a weak chin and red hair. there other stuff i cant figure out what i want all i see is what i don't want which is nearly all of what i draw. Anyone have any tricks they have to help figure this stuff.

Any Tips On Painting Skin?

Smiff — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:23:13 GMT

I'm in the process of painting a peice based on a Spartan warrior, however I'm having problems with the face. My problem is that no matter what I try it still looks really bland. Any tips?

Figure Drawing & Anatomy Links

MechaHateChimp — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 07:12:39 GMT

Hi all,

This is the humble start of what I hope will become a nice resource for figure drawing and anatomy links online. Please feel free to reply and post any links you feel the list could benefit from. I will add them to the list periodically after they have been reviewed. Please be sure they pertain to figure drawing and anatomy only. Thanks! - J

Forums / Communities

Rebecca Kimmel's Artistic Anatomy and Figurative Art Forum

Conceptart.org's Fine Arts, Studies & Discovery Forum

Reference Images

http://3d.sk/
3D.SK is one of the largest resources for human photo references online... updated daily.

http://www.human-anatomy-for-artist.com/
Human Anatomy For The Artist provides a huge assortment of high-resolution photographs depicting the human figure in various races, body types and age groups to help the struggling artist learn anatomy.

http://www.female-anatomy-for-artist.com/
Female Anatomy For The Artist provides over 14,000 high-res photos of the female form in various body types and poses to help the struggling artist.

http://www.wga.hu/
The Web Gallery of Art is a virtual museum and searchable database of European painting and sculpture of the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque periods (1100-1850), currently containing over 16.200 reproductions.

http://www.artrenewal.org/
One of the largest on-line museums on the internet... steadily expanding with thousands of high quality images of the greatest paintings and sculpture in history, the Art Renewal Center is building an encyclopedic collection of images, essays, biographies and articles by top scholars in the field.

Technique / Tutorials

http://3dtutorials.sk/
One of the largest resources for free 2D and 3D tutorials online.

http://the-structure-of-man.blogspot.com/
The Structure of Man is an acclaimed anatomy training course used by leading entertainment companies from around the world. Over 200+ video tutorials.

http://www.foundationalarts.com/
Foundational Arts is a virtual studio space for artists Rebecca Kimmel and Joel Carlo. The site provides plenty of visual references for personal projects including step by step guides, tutorials and more.

http://www.mattiassnygg.com/tutorials.htm
Tutorials on artist theory and painting from artist Mattias Snygg.

http://drawinglab.evansville.edu/
The Figure Drawing Lab is devoted to better understanding of the elements that make up the human figure and how to better portray them. It is intended as a resource for artists and art students who work with the human form. This site focuses on accepted conventions of figure drawing that have been used to model the figure since antiquity.

http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/farp/figure/williamlibodyconstruction.html
The Fantasy Art Resource Project by William Li provides basic tutorials to help you learn how to draw the human form.

Books / Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figure_drawing
The Wikipedia figure drawing resource, including aproaches, media, studio instruction, links and more.

http://figuredrawings.com/
Quite possibly one of the most comprehensive websites for figure drawing and anatomy books online.

http://www.modelalisa.com/
Modelalisa provides full figure virtual models that can be rotated a full 360 degrees with zoom capabilities.

http://www.virtualpose.net/
Virtual Pose is a virtual life drawing studio that provides high resolution Quicktime VR poses which can be rotated a full 360 degrees with zoom and print capabilities. Perfect for amateur artists who have no access to studio sessions.

http://www.cloudstars.com/
Cloudstars' Virtual Figure Drawing Studio is a virtual studio that enables you to pose a 3D model in a variety of ways with different visualization options and adjustable camera preferences.

Help Please with Female Figure

doogon — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 14:51:45 GMT

Please, can anyone tell me where I'm going wrong with my anatomy (female)?

I know it's rather elongated, but is there anything else? Unfortunately, being part of the problem I'm unable to tell if or where I'm going wrong, so I really need peoples help if I'm to get better.

Thanks

dude i need serious help!!!!!

hell_forged_revolver — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 15:18:28 GMT

i am terrible when it comes to drawing people- i can only draw hands, ears and some faces all my drawings are out of proportion can anyone help?

the only time i am decent at drawing people is if i copy it completely, reference cant help my with people.

im terrible at drawing noses

PorpoiseSpit — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 22:56:02 GMT

does anyone have any tips for drawing noses? I am just so puzzled when it comes to them. Advice would be helpful ^.^

Best Anatomy Book to buy?

PorpoiseSpit — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:24:10 GMT

I thought this could be a helpful thread for newcomers.

What in your idea is the best anatomy book in terms of learning to draw properly?

I myself am looking for a good anatomy book not to expensive (say under £15) but teaches the fundamentals in structure and posture as well as movement.

Problem drawing hands :(

jimsvanberg — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 18:17:48 GMT

Ok, so I got general problems with hands. They never look like I want them to... Does anybody know a website with hand references or something that I can look at and study. And oh, I have two hands of my own but they are busy sucking att drawing themselves.

Regards /Jim

Cool new book for drawing from virtual models

LordAlgol — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 05:06:19 GMT

Figure Drawing with Virtual Models; Getting the most out of Poser Figure Artist by Les Pardew.

I thought I was thinking up this idea all on my own: To use Poser along with anatomically correct figure models as a 24/7 source of virtual life-models to pose, draw and sculpt from (with turn around pose renders). Today I found a book all about getting started doing what I've been setting up for. I didn't know this book was out there but I was sure stoked to find it on the shelf. It comes with some figures and a free trial version of the Poser Figure Artist software. I'm not bothering to use the demo software cos I have DAZ Studio and already bought several figures along with skeletons and eroche (skinless) muscle maps to use. However, the book reads like a course in figure drawing with the difference of using your software as a source for "life" models or also models in crazy poses (such as being blasted through a wall/falling through space, etc.). There are also chapters on lighting and composition. I'm excited to get started reading it so I'll quit typing now, but if any of you are art/natomy book hounds this one is worth checking out.
($30 US from Thompson Course Technology)

looking for a model?

freiheit — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 21:04:20 GMT

It's not that I particularly like myself, but I've got time on my hands and a camera, and I know it's not always the easy to get a friend to strike the pose for you. I'm not a very shy person, but you can gess I won't do anything not tastefull. I'm personnally thin, so I can't help much for bigs muscles and fat vs/gravity

I don't know if anyone else here would be willing to play model for people, but I wouldn't mind a couple of male and older people refereces.Yeah..I started this topic because having a nude model isn't free and deviantart's stock section has it's limit when you need something in particular. hopefully it's in the right forum, I saw life drawing, so I assumed it was.

eed help with smiling

indi1288 — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 00:47:15 GMT

well i just cant get teeth right. Everytime i try i just pronounce tem too much and that makes the drawing really creepy.

So in other words HELP!! here is my best try at teath.

Simple, figure drawing tutorial

YOYO — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 02:51:28 GMT

Hey guys. I decided to post this simple, figure drawing/layout tutorial. By no means is it the only way of laying out a figure/gesture, nor is it 100% anatomically correct, but it's one way of going about it. Just follow the link to the tutorial (copy and pase, i can't get the html to work for some, strange reason). Hope it helps some of you :)

http://www.studioqube.com/forums/tutorials/small.jpg

My expressionless, anatomically incorrect character...

ChenYun — Mon, 07 May 2007 13:19:51 GMT

I wrote about this in the WiP forum but I just realised maybe this is a better place. I'm having real problems with the character I'm painting (the fact it's my first painting doesn't help but I don't want to use that as an excuse for a bad picture)...

Expressionwise, her eyes don't convey anything other than retardedness, when in fact she is standing on a cliff overlooking a city that has been taken over by robots and technology, wiping out everything natural etc.

Her lips are flat and don't look at all real because when I try to copy what it looks like on a real person, it ends up being over-detailed and looking out-of-place with the rest of the picture, so I've settled for a rather boring and dull lips which look like they're just a picture of lips glued onto her face and again show not much expression beyond constipation.

The real problem though, is in the neck and front-regions. I've never drawn somebody on this angel with an open top before and I have absolutely no idea how to draw it!! As you can tell from the picture I've just moved around various shades trying to make it look vaguely okay but I have a few problems; when I looked in the mirror I saw two cords going up the side, and I don't know how or where to place them on a figure on this angle. There are also the coller bones which I'm having trouble placing because I don't know how much of her chest is hidden by her clothes. And then underneath that....... well you know what's underneath that on a girl, but again I don't know how to draw that and all my tries so far have made sort of overly-sexual images which is not what I want this girl to convey because she is innocence. But, she is still an adult woman with a low cut top.

So I looked at some photos of people sort of on that angle but although they look just fine in the photographs, if I try to copy what I see then my figure ends up looking like she has a tree-trunk neck that's too long or too short. And also in photographs it tends to have not much shading to define those cords or bones but if I use similar shading on my picture it just looks flat, I think in drawings you need to accentuate things like the cords and the bones to give it depth.

Anyway there are many many other things wrong with this picture but if you could help me understand how to construct a neck/chest area so I can draw it realistically, or how to make Miss blank-look have a bit of emotion in her without having a big manga expression, I would be gratefully appreciated.

So sorry to bother you with my newbie questions!!
Thankyou for reading

-J