Drawing without reference isn't a badge of honour.In fact, it's a daft thing to do. And you can't get good at anatomy by never using reference.
Kristen Perry explains it better than I could: www.merekatcreations.com/mere_html/tutorials/process.html
(Kristen Perry explains it better than I could: www.merekatcreations.com/mere_html/tutorials/process.html
Bob Todd whee,
Tue 2 Sep 2008, 21:53,
archived)
Trial and error. You work at something until it looks right.That way you know how to do anatomy and construction without reference, which helps a lot when you are trying to draw things which you physically couldn't have plausible references for.
It's like saying that when drawing buildings instead of learning perspective you should always just look at references of buildings instead, which is fine for copying shapes and details of architecture. But when it comes that you want to draw a building at a particular angle, and you want to add an arch to it or something, it's unlikely unless you had a particular building that you were drawing from beforehand that you will be able to find a reference from the right angle. I would just like to be able to draw, and not even proper artistic life drawing drawings, but passibly outline or illustrate a human figure without having to find an image of a twirling overcoat from below or something.
(,
Tue 2 Sep 2008, 22:04,
archived)
It's like saying that when drawing buildings instead of learning perspective you should always just look at references of buildings instead, which is fine for copying shapes and details of architecture. But when it comes that you want to draw a building at a particular angle, and you want to add an arch to it or something, it's unlikely unless you had a particular building that you were drawing from beforehand that you will be able to find a reference from the right angle. I would just like to be able to draw, and not even proper artistic life drawing drawings, but passibly outline or illustrate a human figure without having to find an image of a twirling overcoat from below or something.
I find that just looking 'right' often looks quite wrong --sometimes I'll sketch a picture with no reference, then draw it again with reference. Even though the first one looked right when I did it, I nearly always surprise myself with how much I got wrong when I do the second one.
Yes, you do need to learn perspective/anatomy too, but that's still a kind of reference.
(Yes, you do need to learn perspective/anatomy too, but that's still a kind of reference.
Bob Todd whee,
Tue 2 Sep 2008, 22:06,
archived)
Well I've just read that link, well I read the preperation and the stuff about referenceand had to skip through the rest due to it being so long.
All I can really comment is that despite using a reference the front hand going for the katana looks wrong. I think it's because in his version as opposed to the reference, the hand is bent down at the wrist slightly and the lower arm is less vertical than it is in the photo. Also the fact the fingers are completely straight and not even slightly bent in preperation to grasp the hilt makes it look unnatural - completely straight fingers themselves being a fairly unnatural pose to be in.
(,
Tue 2 Sep 2008, 22:22,
archived)
All I can really comment is that despite using a reference the front hand going for the katana looks wrong. I think it's because in his version as opposed to the reference, the hand is bent down at the wrist slightly and the lower arm is less vertical than it is in the photo. Also the fact the fingers are completely straight and not even slightly bent in preperation to grasp the hilt makes it look unnatural - completely straight fingers themselves being a fairly unnatural pose to be in.