Depressed and need some art inspiration
polycounter lvl 6
Hey everybody I was sculpting so much on this Christian Bale character and some art professional told me to stop sculpting and start studying (anatomy basic forms). I felt like crap and I know this is for the good of me and all but does anybody know a good place to start as an artist? And books or articles I could learn off from? any special advice? All would be much appreciated
Thanks
Thanks
Replies
and the book that was linked in your thread...
My advice would be to do lots of them - if you're sticking to sculpting than try not to spend way too much time on any one piece. Study a part of the body..a joint, a limb, a region - and move on to the next. Figure it out and block it in on a muscle-by-muscle basis until you feel you know the form of that section and can draw it without reference at the drop of a hat...
speaking of drawing - if you don't do it now, then start. I know it's been a topic of some debate, but it's the fastest and most convenient way to quickly practice form and anatomy. if you can describe it in 2d you can sculpt it in 3d, no problem. and you can always draw wherever you are.
and spend extra time on the face.
do a handful of studies for the next few weeks then go in and do another full body piece..but don't bother with clothes at first methinks...
That's like saying you want to learn how to drive a car, but don't want to learn the basics of how to drive, or what each color of the lights mean, etc.
There is no special advice or magic button to make it happen, you get back what you put in, and if don't put in effort and start from the first steps, then there is nothing anyone can do for you.
And it looks like that you're aware of your 'sources' and where to look, but don't want to.
Also, you'll be hearing lots of people (in the workplace) tell you to scrap something and redo it, so if you're already down the gutter for someone telling you so for a 'folio piece, how are you going to manage that when your boss says the same exact thing? You need to have a little bit of a tough skin, or hell, just don't take it personally, remember, the art you make, while still a part of you, can only improve, not be taken back.
Others most likely will have better feedback, but from my side of things, I feel like you just want to start big and think to make your art look 'awesome', and that's not how it works, it never will be.
Here are some baby otters in the mean-time to lull you over:
https://plus.google.com/hangouts/_/431eb3dad1e570d716f09cceb8ca90cad79ed4c0#
also here: http://lovecastle.org/draw/
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=101777 - Last post usually has the most recent hangout link.
actually i took an anatomy class where the teacher stole all of your pencils and made us scrape charcoal onto a piece of paper and do gesture drawing with that and a damp paper towel. another day made us go outside and get a twig to use with ink or black guache...
speaking of anatomy classes: if you're able to draw (or have a tablet and laptop with Zbrush) than find out if there are any figure drawing workshops or get togethers in your area. I know out here there's a couple of groups that meet up in coffee shops and the like once a week...real life reference is infinitely better than books or photos. if you can take a class in a community college or something that's great too.
http://www.anatomytools.com/male-figures-c6.php
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Head-Figure-Perigee-Jack/dp/0399507914/ref=la_B001HMLKYA_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351298326&sr=1-1"]Drawing the Head and Figure (Perigee): Jack Hamm: 9780399507915: Amazon.com: Books[/ame]
http://www.amazon.com/George-Brant-
Bridgman/e/B001IGLP90/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_22?qid=1351298471&sr=1-22
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Bernini-Sculpture-Baroque-Rudolph-Wittkower/dp/0714837156/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351298358&sr=1-1&keywords=bernini"]Bernini: The Sculpture of the Roman Baroque: Rudolph Wittkower: 9780714837154: Amazon.com: Books[/ame]
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Bernini-Sculpting-Clay-Metropolitan-Museum/dp/0300185006/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351298369&sr=1-3&keywords=bernini"]Bernini: Sculpting in Clay (Metropolitan Museum of Art): Ian Wardropper,Tony Sigel,C. D. Dickerson III: 9780300185003: Amazon.com: Books[/ame]
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Human-Anatomy-Artists-Elements-Form/dp/0195052064/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351298383&sr=1-5&keywords=anatomy+for+the+artist"]Human Anatomy for Artists: The Elements of Form: Eliot Goldfinger: 9780195052060: Amazon.com: Books[/ame]
Also do try the hangouts they help alot.
Start small. Go big later. Quality over quantity isn't always true, especially when you can be stuck noodling on something you think is "quality" when in reality there's a lot of things wrong with it. The only way you'll be able to tell whether you're doing something wrong is by STUDYING. If you don't study and you only rely on us for feedback it's going to take you a REALLY DAMN LONG TIME to catch up to people you admire.
For inspiration. Here's one of the first head's I ever sculpted:
And here's the kinds of heads I do in the same amount of time after 2-3 years of practice, studying, and a lot of mistakes:
http://imgur.com/a/Y5YPC
Good luck, and don't be a big babby, power through your depressed stages and kick some ass. Also don't get butthurt when people be givin you the real talk, son.
Finding good reference is very important. As others have said; take the human anatomy in stages. Sculpt an arm for a few nights in a row. Concentrate on parts of the body before moving on. If you don't mind spending a little bit of money I recommend this video: http://www.zackpetroc.com/skeleton-and-muscles-lecture/
Sculpt and follow it every night for a few weeks and you will feel much more confident. But also post your work in P&P so you can get specific critique.
I'ts no different in AAA game development. We routinely pull up anatomy references, and tweak and change models based on feedback. It's the only way you can improve!
learn the stuff get the paper
I agree with previous poster.
We all get a little bit depressed sometimes doing this stuff. I've been there as well. I wouldn't really say that you need to stop sculpting, sculpting is practice as well. Just have a good anatomy book beside you when doing it. Especially the ones that let you see the muscle-structure properly, it'll help you in your sculpting.
You'd end up in the same situations in AAA-development, people saying that you need to change this or that, scrap whole characters or levels. It'll just be a phase if you stick through it, taking crits will always be hard and the better you become the bigger expectations will be for your work, stressing you to keep producing quality work and keep questioning if you're going in the right direction.
saved.
this is a nice book for starting learning anatomy
If you want to sculpt and that some professional artist told you to study anatomy. Start sculpting the anatomy.
This is how I am learning the anatomy, I draw them or sculpt them.
This needs adding to the bottom:
"See them driven before you, And hear the lamentation of their women!"
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=107918
The two are not the same.
+1!!!