Hi,
As always with animation, it's good to keep up to date with your life and figure drawing skills. Even more so for someone in my shoes, who is looking to apply for college next year - as life drawing is the staple diet of folio applications.
I actually quite enjoy life drawing, and my classes have noticabley helped me in my approach and application. But as everyone knows, paid models posing for up to ten different people can only go so far towards individual needs. So venturing out and studying real life is defo the next step. I've been wanting to do it properly for a little while now, as gesture drawing is my favourite part of it all. I love drawing, so if i could get somewhere confortable, i could sit and draw for hours. Maybe even with a cheeky beverage and a little musical aid. Yup, i could see myself being there for many-an-hour!
However, my public drawing has basically been a brief period on a beach between fixing my submerged boat (a whole other story...)!
And to be honest, i'm a little nervous about sitting there in public and just drawing. Perhaps it's just 'begginers' nerves. Any one done alot of it, and can give any tips on good places to go? I've been told beaches are great, so i will give that a try again (minus the sunken boat!). Any other ideas?
I think it's cus I don't fit the artistic 'steretype'. You know, you see those sitting in the busiest places - older generation people in there summer shirts and hats sat with an easel merrily drawing/painting away without a care in the world. I wish i had their attitude! But i get funnier looks! Hopefully i won't in time...
Anywho, any experiences/advice to share?
Rich
________________________________Perpetual Motion________________________________
No experience but I think you might need a small quiver of non offensive remarks for the people who will be talking to you.
Oh and say "Yes, I will do a caricature" if she is really cute. :D
Food court at the mall has recently been my number one. I rarely get the opportunity though so it's whenever I'm out, but there's SO much interesting character going on with the people there and how they go about that particular business.
Cafes...love cafes.
I just sit back and draw. Most cafes have seating that is scattered about so viewing folks uobtrusively is easy.
Love it...plan to do some on River Street in Savannah tomorrow.
Thanks,
Larry
web site
http://tooninst[URL=http://tooninstitute.awn.com]itute.awn.com
[/URL]blog:
[U]http://www.awm.com/blogs/always-animated
[/U] email:
larry.lauria@gmail.com
ScatteredLogical: That's a great idea! Always lotsa action - and from many different types of people. Dunno why I had overlooked that - as there is a great mall but 10 minutes down the road from me with an almost perfect 'central' seating area in the entrance to see all. Thanks for the tip.
How do you feel about people looking at you thinking 'what the hell is he sat there drawing for'? I'm sure once i get into the ryhtym in a place like that i wouldn't care - just starters nerves i guess.
And after i read your suggestion, i scrolled down and there was another great one from Larry! Cafe's i'll defo check out i think - as places like Starbucks seem more easy going with folks sat around for ages doing work and wot not (on laptops etc) too. Great ideas - Thanks guys.
I've always thought the most interesting things that you can draw from life are the little 'quirk's and ways of going about doing everyday things and tasks that people have. Like ScatteredLogical said, you can really can get someone's charcter down with these. Which is what gesture is all about i suppose...
________________________________Perpetual Motion________________________________
I don't feel jack squat, because they make it really easy for me -- they don't care either. My food court easily has 40-60 tables, and each person or group thinks their table is the only one in existence. I've been drawing people the next table down, or two tables to the side, and not gotten questions or even a look. Also helps to have someone with you to act as a shield =)
Malls. Parks. Zoos. Those are my usual haunts. And I am never harrassed or leered at. Quite the opposite, in fact. The people that come up to me are usually intrigued by what I am doing.
Company website
My Animation Blogspot Site
I was always a doodler, so my friends never question that I am sitting there drawing something, most of the time they don't even bother to look.
Get over being self conscious about it, no one is really looking.
And I may be senior now, but I doodled more in my twenties than I do now. And my college friends never questioned me about it, it was just part of who I was. Actually I doodled more than I took notes in college, no one ever ask me to share notes. But I did well on the tests, so it worked for me.
Pat Hacker, Visit Scooter's World.
I draw sometimes on the train to and from work. When the train pulls up to a stop I try to get in a gesture or two of people waiting at the station.
I try to catch people walking as well, great for getting some interesting walk styles for study as well.
Oh, and I also have my wife who from time to time will do some posing for me =)
Lindsey Keess
Animator
Even though I'm a total n00b, I've done drawn people in public before. The more you do it, the less embarrassed you feel, and you do become a better artist. Just don't feel bad if your drawings suck. Because, people don't pose for you in public places. But it is great practice, and something that I enjoy a lot. It's a great alternative to taking a figure drawing class if you can't afford to. :)
--Z
I was once in the middle of a busy pedestrian mall downtown, surreptitiously (or so I thought) quick-sketching a bloke a few feet away reading a newspaper, and then *click* and I looked up to see a lady with a camera. So, somewhere out there a complete stranger has a photograph of me, but then we've all wandered into other people's holiday snaps by accident :D
liebestrauma - http://rach3.animationblogspot.com
If you are looking for people to draw with you could try going on a Sketch Crawl near you.
I'd love to do one in sunny Newcastle, UK :)
Visit my website:
Claire O'Brien.com