MichaelCrichlow on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/michaelcrichlow/art/Gestures-VII-92505564MichaelCrichlow

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Gestures VII

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I’ve read up to Lesson 49 so this will cover up to that point. ^_^

Drawing is not easy. Even those who have the talent for it (if they’re honest) will reveal this to you. Every once in a while (like once in a generation) there may come along one artist that totally shifts cultures with the ideas, concepts and ease with which he or she creates works of art. An artistic prodigy in other words. That’s not the norm. Everyone else has to go through the process: building and learning, constantly striving to improve. Just understand that, and move forward.

There is a great deal of difference between drawing and doodling. Doodling is letting your drawing tool wander over the paper aimlessly until something comes out. Right or wrong, good or bad, doodling is good for just that…doodling. However, drawing is going after a specific thing, whether it be a pose or a concept or something of the like, and refining it until you reach the goal of the drawing. Think about it like this: doodling is channel surfing, but drawing is watching a movie from the beginning to the end. It’s MUCH more deliberate. Just this realization should bring a different mindset to your work. Our goal is drawing, not doodling.

Drawing is mostly thinking. The end product must continually run through your mind. “Where do I want this to end up?” is a good question to have in mind, and every line that you put on the paper must take you “down the road” to THAT particular destination. Don’t let your mind wander with, “Oh! It would be cool if…” or “Now that I look at it, I could move this to…” . All of that just distracts from what you’re doing. Like I said previously, all of these questions are answered when you break a drawing down (which is done after you do a gesture of the piece). Study what you want to do. Draw little sketches of ideas that will get you there. Then, once you are FINISHED the drawing (mentally and concept-wise) then you may START.

Drawing is a lot like juggling. Juggling is the art of keeping multiple objects in the air at one time. It’s like controlled falling. It may look chaotic, but in actuality it’s very controlled. An artist must have the ability to “juggle” many different aspects of drawing as the piece is completed. Aspects like perspective, anatomy, weight distribution, lighting and silhouette (just to name a few) must be thought about and quickly applied to the situation at hand. It’s very tiring and deliberate at first, but after drawing for years in this manner, “addressing all the conditions as you go” kind of becomes second nature.

We all want to draw well. We all want to make artwork that makes people go “ohhh” and “ahhh”. This is simply a result of knowing how to address all the situations that come with a drawing. If a drawing has met the requirements for perspective, proportion, caricature, etc., then the result is, what we refer to as, a “great drawing”. Learn how to answer the questions of art and your reward will be greatness.

Creativity + knowledge + problem solving + practice = Excellence in draftsmanship. ^_^

The sketches that are shared here are a few quick gestures that I did during my lunch break. Kids were running around, so I had to sketch quickly (which is perfect). I also included an idea that I’m thinking about for the Dagger (working title) story that I’m working on. She would be the little black figure that’s obviously in WAY over her head. Ha! Fun stuff. Hope you like it! :D


Black Ink Pen: 1 min - 5 mins each
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2628x3114px 832.74 KB
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