[Bare Bonez]

Hello, I was wondering if anyone could help give some advice on the anatomy of this sketch. I want to paint it, but just want to be sure of the anatomy before I put anymore work to it. Thanks in advanced for any comments or crits.

*Original Sketch

[ May 06, 2002: Message edited by: Bare Bonez ]

[SWANYDSPIN]

the eyes are to big, thus being forced to place them to far apart.

[cptoonz]

Hey, BB I like it. One thing to remember her teeth will curve back into her mouth on the outer edges of her mouth, so make the tooth "lines" closer together there, and add a couple. Some of my preferences, not really crits, are a more slender neck, and tapered chin...although you might of had a ref. You might try, with a little shading, to indicate the bridge of her nose...that might help the appearance of wide eye look. I hope that helps, look forward to the painting

[Bare Bonez]

Thanks guys for all the constructive help. The picture is starting to improve lots with all your advice. I have two parts that I need help in:

1) Are the eyes (or corneas) too big still?
2) Where do the lines for the shoulders and the chest go? Also due to the twist in the body, not too sure where the center line goes for that.

Any other helpful comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

*Second Sketch

[ May 06, 2002: Message edited by: Bare Bonez ]

[Light]

Thats not so bad.. But you need to study some good pencil drawings.

Actually she looks sorta like a girl I used to go to school with.

But.. the disk shape of the eye is really messed up. The whole face feels a little flat.

Study underlying facial anatomy
especially cranial sockets, mandibal, and planes of face.

Realize the eyeball is a BALL (this shapes the lid around it).

Vary depth and width of "lips". Realize lips are 3d in nature.

Vary depth and width of eyebrow. Dont make it a simple line.

Perpsective on shirt looks okay. Draw an X in on a flat square and when that sqaure is in perspective the lines that cross mark the center point. Study the perspective in the face.

Check out some of Micke's recent pencil work for a good guide on how pencil work should look. Get some comic work too.

Dont make hair with so few and simple lines. Check curvature and direction of hair (see arrows on lines). Feel that hair is 3d in nature.

Use tracing paper and go over your work to make it nice and correct stuff.

Study old masters
Study anatomy
Study perspective a lot
---------------

Anyway dont feel bad.. I still cant draw but I will learn soon.

+ its not that bad.. just when compared to really nice works

[Bare Bonez]

Ok, word! Your crits have been so helpful. Here's the lastest sketch. I'm satisfied with it and will begin adding the grey tones. If anyone has any advice on fixing anatomical or perspective problems, please let me know. Thanks in advanced.

Thank you everyone for all the help.

[Light]

Here is a rough paint over I did. I just used yours as a rough guide.

You need to go over what you have on a clean sheet of paper or computer program. The eyes are too far apart and shaped wrong. Look for triangles in face as well.

Mine isnt the best either as the eyes are very important and need a lot of work. The nose needs to be more feminine as well.

Study eyes and facial geometry. Also, again, study some good pencil or pen portraits.

This is pretty rough and probably has some errors (like eyes again) and the nose could be made more feminine but I'm pretty happy with it as it was just a quick go-over. (Mickes work used as style reference).

Get some books and make some improvements. Read my article on imagination http://light1.home.mindspring.com/magic.txt

Keep practicing.. you need do a lot of work.

[Bare Bonez]

Thanks for the advice. I did a quick fix and tried adjusting the eye on the right and it looks a little more natural.. Is this how it should look? If that's the case, then is the face also too wide?

Also, I don't understand what a more feminine nose looks like. Could you give me some tips on how to improve that? Thanks.



Thanks for the comments they've been extremely helpful.

[ May 06, 2002: Message edited by: Bare Bonez ]

[Basement bound]

Bonez I noticed in the original sketch you had the internal corners of the eyes lined up with the corners of the lips. It is the pupels that are suppose to line up. I think that will help the image alot.

JA

[Light]

Hmm.. you have to understand that there is not a "one way" an eye looks. Some are slanted and long, and some are "wide" and oval.

The important thing is to remember the underlying structure. Remember the bones. Remember the orbital cavities. Feel your own face. The shallow areas can be shadowed and the "high" areas are usually lit.

Remember that a good drawing is clean, simple, and usually has a variety of lines. (especially the darkness which is a way of recording depth).

But most important remember that a drawing is "surface" -- this "surface" is determined by the structure. Understanding this is a lot of what seperates the good artist from the students.

Be willing to destroy your work in order to make it better.

Mirror your work (horizontal flip). This will instantly reveal flaws.

Realize that even if you work on a piece several hours it can still be poor. But that doesnt mean that yuo are a poor artist -- it means that you are a good artist in seeing this (or are becoming better).

I really think you should work a lot on just visualizing as described in my article. Imagine if you could do what I describe -- then you wouldnt have so many questions.

Remember the eye has "depth" there are inner surfaces, tear ducts, and outer surfaces.

.. There is *so* much to learn and it wont happen instantly:

But Advice:

1. Remember underlying face/bone structrue. Imagine how this changes as the face changes perspectives and or tilts away from you. See how this would change given different light sources.

2. Get some good books on drawing faces and study how they look. Study the different faces.

3. Get a high quality photo magazine and study the face structures.

4. Spend a lot of time practiing the visualization skills I mention in my article.

5. Spend some time studying people faces you see in real life. Feel/study your own face.


Remember that good drawings come not from surface but from depth. I forget this too.

.....

Dont put too much emphasis on standard measurements of face as these change given the foreshortening of the face. But general the face is 5 eyes wide with about an eye or slightly less between the two eyes and about 1/4 to 1/2 on the "sides". The eyes are generaly 1/2 down the head (from the top -- not from hair line).

Your problem is too much space between both the eyes... thus giving her a more "cat like" look.

eh.. remember to make or try to make a good clean line drawing before starting to paint (one method).. study high quality pencil drawings for ideas about how your picture should look.

.. But again if you work on the visualization skills, the drawing technial skills, the anatomy, and seeing you will improve.

But.. you have to do this to get benefits (not just me tell you).

[bearsclover]

I think you've got a good start there. I do think that the color for her skin (at least on my monitor) is a little too yellow, though.

For whatever reason, I thought I'd "touch up" the portrait a bit in Photoshop. (Hey, Light did it! ). Notice how I added more shading to one side of the face, and notice how I moved the eye on the right over a little. Also, notice that I made the nostrils a little more dimensional and a little bigger. And notice how I toned down the lines between the teeth - they don't need dark lines like that. And, I added a little more body to the hair. Just little things here and there - for some reason I thought it was better to show you than to ramble on about it! (Though I am quite capable of rambling ON and ON, I won't lie to you!)

You're doing fine. Keep us updated!

Oh - and Light? Yeah. we know you have written a tutorail! Yeah! Really! We know! We know! Really! We know! (I couldn't resist. No offense. You have been posting the link quite frequently here, you know!)

[BiTMAP]

your touch up is good, but now for some reason her left eye (right for viewer) is looking odd as if it's going into her head...

make her head more slender... and great work, i am unable to draw organic, or smooth objects becuase i have a hard time showing depth and shape on paper... so i stick to very ridgit shapes and such and i hate it. any tips on how to make something look more round when your drawing by hand or pallet? explain in how your hand moves and how it should fade off and such.

[Light]

Nice touch up. She'd look even better if the distance from the nose to the eyes was shortened. But who knows maybe she really looks like this.

[bearsclover]

BITMAP and Light - yeah, there are other features that possibly could/should line up differently, but I tried to alter as little of Bare Bonez's base sketch as possible. I figured that he knew what Polly looked like better than I did! But there is something still troubling about the eye on the right, 'tis true.

Bitmap: I don't know how much help I can be in regards to blending - I just used the airbrush and brush tools (I can't remember if it was in PS 6 or 7 - I still have both installed on my machine!). I come from a traditional art background, so I draw in pencil, watercolor, oils, etc. So I just adapted the way I work in these traditional mediums to accomodate Photoshop techniques!

In Photoshop, I use a lot of layers (lots and lots). Sometimes I'd make a few strokes on a layer, blur them a bit, and then lower their opacity, which seemed to give me the effect I liked for a specific area. And I should hasten to add - this touch up was done quite hastily! I wouldn't want Bare Bonez to think that it was "finished", or anything! I just thought I'd illustrate a few ideas.