Jan '24

I actually had one more drawing in me today. I don't normally put personal projects up in this thread, but this is sorta relevant since I had to practice posing figures. So here are some skellies, put together as an adventuring party.

Jan '24

Almost, it's going to be a staff, not a spear, but yes, the pose is supposed to be her leaning on it.

Jan '24

Cool! Its interesting to see how youre posing your characters at this early stage, I still shy away from working on pieces where i start off entirely from imagination. Do you use any reference at this stage?

Jan '24

Do you use any reference at this stage?

Normally, yes, since it saves me a lot of frustration and wasted time. This drawing, however, just came to me on the spot, and I put the sketch down on the canvas pretty quick. I might use references for some poses later on.

EDIT: One more thing: I sometimes find that when I rely too heavily on references for poses/anatomy, my figures become a bit stiff. Dunno if this is a problem for anyone else though.

Jan '24

That's really awesome! I also think the composition came out strong with the balance play, the heads lined up in a diagonal one way up to the mace and another towards the big one in a zig zag that kinda plays all the way down the knees but then not quite. A strong base with all the legs making an overall impression of a triangle

i gotta kick up my imagination game going soon

cheers!

Jan '24

I remember manequins from references where ok, but from imagination where a big challenge. These look good though, and the forms given to feet and hands make em more natural.

That said, something that helps th overall form is to place another element in between the 2 squares in between the torso. Overall the torso and hips are supposed to be two pieces brought together by the spine and muscles on the abdomen, so giving form to the in between helps keep the overall structure, for example:

Jan '24
1

That's some sound advice, thank you! Next time I'll try this method.

8 days later

Jan '24
1

Figure practice. I feel rusty and discouraged :unamused: Hopefully, now that the finals are over, I'll have more time and energy to practice properly.

Jan '24

I'd say that looks pretty good! we all progress at our own pace, so no need to worry.

Jan '24

Thanks for the encouragement. Sometimes I just get frustrated for not having as much time for drawing as I'd prefer, which, in turn, slows my progress :confused:

Jan '24

Reply to

cobalt_kat

EDIT: One more thing: I sometimes find that when I rely too heavily on
references for poses/anatomy, my figures become a bit stiff. Dunno if
this is a problem for anyone else though.

I often find that when I closely rely on reference, I start to focus way too much on miniscule countour details, and less on the overall gestrure, and that eventually hurts the piece. I think it is just about finding the right amount of abstraction and exaggeration, and looking at the reference rather as an inpiration, than as something you have to stick to. What sometimes works for me is if I take a photo reference and try to render it first in a very exaggerated/cartoony way. The expressiveness often gets diminished in subsequent passes, but if the original sketch is exaggerated enough, it's sometimes less of an issue.

I love those crisp lines in your studies and the lineart piece on top. Can't wait to see more.
Oh, and I'm also glad to see another Hungarian here!

Jan '24

I think you nailed it. I tend to get bogged down in the details. Hopefully the gesture studies will help with that.

That sounds like an interesting method, I might try it, though I often find that when I draw in a cartoony style, I inevitably mess up the anatomy. It's pretty much a balancing act, as you said.

8 days later

Feb '24

I love the energy and the stylization choices you made here. Youre rendition of hands and indication of head orientation are on point. Can't wait to see more!

Feb '24

Thank you, I'm glad to hear I did a good job on that!

On another note, how did you manage to change your forum pfp? I can't do it, and others seem to have this problem as well.

Feb '24

I just used the menu.

I'm a bit afraid to experiment with it now, but it worked a couple of days ago.

Feb '24

Thanks, it worked now! (It didn't work earlier when I tried it, so it must have been fixed.)