Beginner sketchbook - My anatomy sketches (nudity warning)
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Hello I'm a beginner wishing to start seriously and improve.
I currently draw 4 hours (at most) a day but I need to push it further. There was a podcast by Feng Zhu (Design Cinema Podcast EP 6), and I remember something like "it needs to be at least 6 hours or longer or else you will never reach professional standards".
I'm not sure if I'm going to work in the industry (due to the health I have to deal with), all I know is that I always wanted to be an artist who creates professional work.
Anyways my goal is to draw and practice more, and I'm going to start going back to my old notes and have clear goals to aim towards (like what fundamentals I need to practice first). I've been drawing aimlessly by copying anatomy books or doodling and that's no good.
I'll list out the fundamentals of art, write down monthly goals and hopefully I'll improve faster.
Here's what my work looks like now (recent sketches) There's some nudity but I won't show genitals or anything that breaks the rules.
Oh and I draw too much cartoons and anime too. I'm going to focus on realism and keep the anime on the bare minimum.
Any advice will be helpful, and thanks in advance if I receive it (usually I'll reply whether that be asking questions and saying thanks etc., but just in case)
I currently draw 4 hours (at most) a day but I need to push it further. There was a podcast by Feng Zhu (Design Cinema Podcast EP 6), and I remember something like "it needs to be at least 6 hours or longer or else you will never reach professional standards".
I'm not sure if I'm going to work in the industry (due to the health I have to deal with), all I know is that I always wanted to be an artist who creates professional work.
Anyways my goal is to draw and practice more, and I'm going to start going back to my old notes and have clear goals to aim towards (like what fundamentals I need to practice first). I've been drawing aimlessly by copying anatomy books or doodling and that's no good.
I'll list out the fundamentals of art, write down monthly goals and hopefully I'll improve faster.
Here's what my work looks like now (recent sketches) There's some nudity but I won't show genitals or anything that breaks the rules.
Oh and I draw too much cartoons and anime too. I'm going to focus on realism and keep the anime on the bare minimum.
Any advice will be helpful, and thanks in advance if I receive it (usually I'll reply whether that be asking questions and saying thanks etc., but just in case)
Replies
for starters Id say you have a great attitude towards studying and everything, keep that up and you will get good in no time
Im not sure if there are any rules against nudity on polycount tbh, but even if there are I dont think youl have to worry about it as long as its for artistic purposes.
its good that you try to draw from real life and not only cartoons and doing a lot of studies, but thats also the quickest way to burn out, dont forget to have fun as well!
as for actual advice, you are in that stage where you just need to make sure your clocking the hours. I know its not the most exiting advice, but just keep going in the direction you are, and your gonna do great
So far today I've done an hour and 10 min with two 5 min breaks in between. I admit I'm a bit burnt out or bored of drawing lines and planes for an hour right now. But I'll try pushing it more later, right now I'll spend an hour doing drawing 3d forms out of photos.
So far my list of fundamentals (1. being the most important)
1. Gesture/Forms/Construction
2. Perspective
3. Proportions/Placement
4. Anatomy
5. Composition
6. Colors/Lighting/Values
7. Brush edges
8. Style/Concept/Communication
Some go hand-in-hand like 1. and 2., but yeah for now I'll mainly focus on exercising my brain to draw more and while practicing the fundamentals I need.
3/9 - 1 hour and 45 min
3/10 - 2 hours and 30 min
It's not the best improvement, but I feel more 'energized' as I'm going through. So today I'm hoping for at least 3 hours and 45 min+.
I'm doing the best I can to push myself by looking around in this community as well as interacting with it. I hope at least by the end of the month I can work for 6+ hours but it looks like it might take less than that- but I don't want to be too arrogant.
3/12 - 2 hours
3/13 - 3 hours
3/12 was a bad day, but I was able to talk it out and I feel better now. Along with that I made some changes in my life so hopefully I'll clock in more hours as I go.
I've mostly focused on memorizing anatomy, facial proportions, and inking/line confidence, here's one of them.
(ignore the left face, it's really derpy)
I'm able to draw the back muscles without ref so hooray for that.
I use dip pens to ink because of how easy it is to manipulate the pressure of each stroke (though I'm still not good at it). I tried out a micron pen at the bottom right eye, I think I did better using a micron because holding and using it felt like a pencil to me.
Yesterday I was able to do 4 hours so the progress is coming slowly but surely.
Here's a couple pages of the sketches I've done. The other pages were mostly inking simple shapes, getting used to my dip pens.
Also I made an important decision last night. While I was drawing, I was working on a small game alone. I decided I'll stop making the game now and postpone it for later on in my life.
At first, I thought it was a good idea, but later on I gradually realized I should focus on my art only for faster progress.
RIP my base models and UVs I took time on. But I didn't think making those models were a waste of time, at least it helped me learn how to properly unwrap and organize UVs etc.
at the rate you are improving on would probably lead to you redoing all the art for a game in a few months anyway.
Sorry for being inactive, but I'm back now, and my goals are more clear and understood now (going to pause on 3D modeling for good and focus on 2D art)
I'm starting off with practicing rocks and following Design Cinema's EP 89 guide to drawing more. I need to watch more of their videos soon. I'm also going to start asking for crits more often and in other places if I can. It's going to be a bit tough because I'm really shy and a worry wart but I'll manage somehow.