I've noticed that when I draw, almost 98% of the time it's something regarding Anatomy, usually Human. I've put a lot of research into it, and have studied it for the past year and a half.
Though I was thinking last night, that maybe I should start to draw more inanimate objects. Mor Still lifes. Rather than the human figure. Or should I just focus on anaotmy, perfect it and make it my forte?
I don't know if it's better to be a jack of all trades, or a master of just a singular subject matter.
I'd like to hear/read some more input on the subject.
Replies
Of course one and a half year may seem much, but it really isn't. Even after 5 years you will still run into situations where you come to the end of your knowledge and it is nothing to worry about. Of course it depends on your lerncurve and the "material" you have at hand, too.
So try to get ahold of models as often as possible. Not necessarily to draw them but just in order to look things up. Ask your girl-/boyfriend or someone else you know. Attend live-drawing classes, though they can be overwhelming at first. If they are, try to split up the information you are looking at, try to concentrate on/learn one thing at a time. Books can be great, too, but they can easily lead to misconceptions and you have to take a look at life itself from time to time in order to see what is possible in nature and not to think in standards too much.
Modeling helped me a lot to learn, since you will often be forced to look at things more carefully, while you can get away with a simple stroke when drawing. (Or by avoiding to draw certain bodyparts at all, for that matter.)
But in any case take your time, some may be faster learners than others, but it is surely nothing to worry about.
When you speak of drawing I guess you mean drawing from your head ? (Cause once you have learned to draw from life, you really can draw anything, be it bigfoot or a cheese-sandwich.)
Just try to build up a library in your head, try to look at the world around you more carefully. Provide some input to have a better output.
Even if you just draw characters, those most likely have "things" attached to them. They wear clothes, may hold a gun might even interact with an environment.
Now anatomy is by far the most complex thing to learn in that list and people are likely to notice if something funky is going on in a face, so it is a good idea to spend more time learning anatomy than studying other stuff, as long as you do that, too.
Unfortunately you can't have all the world in your head.
This is where your huge collection of references comes into play.