Hello, hope everyone is having a good summer!
Here's my issue..
I'm currently on summer hols until end the end of September from university. I've just finished my first year, and during that year realised my life drawing skills need to be improved alot. I want to be really good and am prepared to put the time in. I decided it would be a great opportunity to make big advances in my practice over the summer, before the course becomes more intense next term.
I work 4 days a week, but have the other three to work on my drawing, although I don't always have the full time off.
My problem is that I told myself I'd draw and draw and draw unitl I improve. But I'm finding it really hard drawing with no aim or goal. I have no model so alot of my drawing is done from photos/magaziones/off the top of my head.
It's REALLy frustrating because I sit there, like today, reading Richard William's book and just wanting to draw, but don't know where to start!!!
I've been out into town like people have suggested before, but can't do this every day as it is a bus trip away and it is an exercise that takes up over half my day. Plus its people moving quickly about all the time, not studies.
The most annoying thing is, I want to do all these things and have ideas for them, like painting, animation, illustration, sketching, comics. I've even written these ideas down! I told myself I'd work through them, but find it near impossible to start one when all I want to do is draw!
Today was when I admitted to myself I was struggling with this. I feel as though I need structure, like a project or something. But what? Does anybody else get this confusion/stuck in a rut thing? I feel as though if I had life drawing classes to go to I'd do it because it's set in a timetable, a structure. And I'd feel like I'm doing stuff.
At the moment, I'm still drawing and doing stuff, like random paintings, drawings, sketches. I evemn started a comic, but it came to a halt as it was too ambitious. I think tht is also my problem as I set myself to higher goal, then can't achieve it.
PLEASE help me get out of this if you have any advice!
Thank you for your time in advance,
Adam :confused:
Have you checked out all of the Villpu's life drawing pages on the "favorites" section of the opening page of AWN? there are some good excercises on there that you can do at home. For live models the library is a good good place to go, parks or a beach are also good places to find people that will stay still for 30 sec. to a minute.
I personally have been wanting to get to a zoo lately, if there is no zoo a wildlife museum may have some stuffed or dried out animals that stay still for you.
As far as working on your own projects, I have heard it works well to set a specific time of day to work on the project and stick to it (that's easy to say, but maybe not the easiest thing to practice.)
Good luck, hope this helps a bit
ok thanks for the tips. i'll head on over to Villpu section after this. Never thought of the library, I could go there tomorrow!
The time of day thing might work, as I work better (normally) in terms of creativity in the evening, and I will have finished work by then too.
Thanks! Any more suggestions welcome.
www.adamoliver.com
Frustration is great, its where you want to be actually.
Actually, you want to become even MORE frustrated.
Lemme, explain:
Frustration has been observed to be the human brain in a state where its looking for answers, but not finding any. The human brain is biologically wired to answer any question put to it--even if it has to make something up.
If one accepts this as being the case, then you will find an answer--thus frustration works in your favour. The more intense the frustration, the more emotional resources are devoted to finding the answer.
Consider WHAT you are drawing.
If you want a professional yardstick to gauge your talent then draw/copy from professional materials. Do your own creation for pleasure, but do others works to learn. Match that pro work as closely as possible--study it for lines, shapes, forms etc.......then once you've master those, extrapolate.
In the industry, you'll be working off of other people's characters anyway, so the sooner you get comfortable with drawing to a standard the easier this will be later on.
If you cannot get real subjects, work from photos, if you cannot get to a public place then draw people off the TV.
Chunk it down to manageable sizes and go from there--keep it simple.
"We all grow older, we do not have to grow up"--Archie Goodwin ( 1937-1998)
wow, i never thought about it that way. if the brain does actually find answers, then mine is. It's been breaking it down into managable bits, i don't feel so uptight about it now.
I have an idea for a short animation film and a comic. Also, the other day i just started drawing a little animation of this girl jumping asnd shooting somewhere off screen. I don't know where it came from!
Well, i'll try and improve my life stuff. I don't copy others work but I do try and draw in their style sometimes, to see what it's like. that helps.
Thanks,
Adam
www.adamoliver.com
Cafes, bars, and restaurants are all great places to find interesting subjects that will sit still for you, too. Great for charicature work. And it gets you out of the house.
And I second the setting a set time to do it. The longer you keep at doing something regularly, the more likely it is to become an enjoyable habit. I've noticed that the people who are best at sketching and drawing do it nearly constantly because they love it. But I would bet that it was hard work when they started, too.
I'm in the same boat, trying to draw and get better and fighting off the "I'll do it later" syndrome. I'm getting better which encourages me to draw more, so it's getting easier.
Good luck!
Producing solidily ok animation since 2001.
www.galaxy12.com
Now with more doodling!
www.galaxy12.com/latenight
I'll second that, and vouch from experience. The hardest part with things like that is getting started. The second hardest part is fighting off the moments that threaten to break the routine. It's like exercising.
Thanks guys! Great advice, I feel really enthusiastic now!
You've given me confidence because I've realised (i know it sounds dumb) but i do actually enjoy sketching and drawing, even from life, it's just i get frustrated when it doesnt look as good as i want it to. but i still go bk to it.
This week coming up I've got time off work so I'll get to do some then.
Adam :)
www.adamoliver.com