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Next best thing to life drawing

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Next best thing to life drawing

I'm a college student and have tried every available way to check into any life drawing courses offered within the school. I'm looking at drawing nude models but there doesn't seem to be any programs on campus for that. What would be the next best thing to do if I want to get really good at life drawing? Is there a website that has good models I can check out or do I really need to find a class?
Thanks.

Start using that porn for something else... seriously though if your a guy with blood in his veins you have prabably seen a nude magazine. Even if your a woman, in this new technological age theres naked people all over the internet. There are bodies posed in all different positions, it might not be specifically what your trying for but at least you get to see something of an unfettered figure to get the form and anatomical relations.

It's true. I found some nude photography on Flikr that was not actually porn and was very helpful at practice.

Also, a lot of art schools offer a block of time for figure drawing for cheap. Around 5 dollars or something a session. You just show up with your materials and draw the model. You don't need to be enrolled in the school to attend.

I've started a sketch round here at the Filmakademie in which we concentrate on character design exercizes. I always start off with warm ups, though and one of the most popular is drawing everyone else's non-drawing hand.
i.e: everyone draws everyone else's posed non-drawing hand (as well as their own). 1 minute per hand.
Another is simply what I call 'dueling artists' - draw each other.

All of these are simple, quick exercisea that really teach a lot... particularly if you can get together with others who discuss your drawings with you.
Another exercise that some of my students have adopted is a 15 minute self-portrait every morning.

Main thing is: draw. Draw constantly, and search things that arouse your interest so that you continue to draw.

In ye olde days some artists learnt from plaster models. Nip down the charity shop and see what you can find. Or you could persuade some of your friends to pose. Then there is always a large mirror and strip off yourself. Sit in a café and draw the other patrons etc. :)

For me using any photography is useless to learn from. Likewise are those posable mannequins....even the ones with the anatomy because the muscles don't expand and contract and twist, etc. After one learns how to draw and their anatomy do those become useful when one knows what they are drawing. Nothing can replace the 3D experience of having the model in front of you; a slight move of your head you can change your perspective and see where that muscle is going. ALOT of people can copy photos perfectly but they don't have a clue and never learn what they are copying....and an artist can tell by looking at their drawing.
Right now until you can find a class you should get a sketch book and discreetly do quick gestures of people; that is focus on what they are doing rather than what they look like. I would augment this self learning with anatomy books by Burne Hogarth and/or George Bridgman. Those books are more helpful to copy from because they'll explain what the anatomy is doing and give you an understanding.
Many artists have learned from those books; a young Glenn Keane used Hogarths and a young Frazzetta copied Bridgman's, for two examples.

alright im jus a lowly 1st year animation student but ill tell you whut ive learned thus far

one of the most important aspects of life drawin is capturing 'gesture'.

'Gesture' is basically like...uhm not sure how to describe it, but jus capturing the feeling of the pose, not necessarily anatomically correct, sometimes the gesture is more aptly captured through use of exaggeration, a couple of quick strong strokes can really make a drawing look MUCH better than one you might slave over for hours tryin to get that meticulous detail

thats the thing bout drawin from life, sure, photos or cadavres may help you get some of the anatomical info down, but in real life no one stands still for very long.

this is why drawin peoepl in the street can be great, ill be honest and say i dont do it much, but i really understand how its beneficial. in life drawin lcasses we often start with 5 or 10 second poses as warm ups, tbh i much prefer these than the 15 - 20 mintue poses at the end of a session

basically whut im trying to say is you can copy photos all day long, and sure, by the end you may have figured out the general proportions a little better, but i could guarantee yer drawing would have no weight or substance, itd jus feel like a replica, as oposed to bein a little bit alive i guess

posemaniacs.com would probably be a good place to start if you wanted the digital equivalent of a posable lay figure. It takes a little time to load, but it's well worth the wait. There are walk cycles and all kinds of poses available.

Cheers!:D

Go for a Cafe day!

Hello.

Go to a cafe for a day - or part of it and draw the people.

It is one of my favorite things to do....

Lessons in drawing attitude

For a FREE Lesson in drawing attitude, buy a DVD of Alice in Wonderland and browse through the disk till you find a 1 GB movie on the making of Alice in Wonderland. There's a treasure out there. Just check out the acting and exaggeration in the scene "Mad Hatter's Tea Party" and also the really animated 2D animators furiously sketching all poses in live exaggerated action.

This is a Not-to-be-missed video for animators.

http://www.3danimationtrainingstudio.com I still have not told my story! - Vineet Raj Kapoor