[Bjorn]

This is the thing I'm working on right now...I'm having some trouble with it, I keep having this "something's wrong!"-feeling, but I've probably looked at it for too long, wondering where the problem lies...

I still like the idea for the pose, but I'm beginning to fear I can't pull it off with my drawing skills.

Background info: The finished drawing should be the woman walking through a dark alley, letting the blood from a heart she just "acquired" flow into her mouth...

Crits & comments would be greatly appreciated.

I'm sorry for posting something this rough btw, if it's "not done" on these forums just lemme know and I won't do it again.

Bjorn

[Dan Webb]

I'm not certain how voluptuous you want her, but you could make her hips wider (that’s only a suggestion) You might want to drop her shoulders/deltoids down a bit lower. (if you see what I mean) And a warning on the lower legs/calves as well.

I’m uncertain has to how feminine you want her so aside from that, you drew the body great (chest region) Keep drawing, your ALMOST THERE! (I had the same issues my self, hehe)

[Awetopsy]

a couple ways to tell if something is wrong with any picture are these:
1) walk away from it for a day or two. do something else and then come back and look at it.. you'll notice alot that you missed before.
2) flip it. look at it upside down and/or backwards.. you'll see all the flaws like that. If its right the first time you wont notice many flaws.

For this picture I would say that the pose is cool but you need a little anatomy study first. Go check out the Loomis Figure drawing book posted on Anthony's Website.

especially the Figure in Action section. that should help.

the things I notice are this....
-the legs seem short for the length of the torso.
-the arms are a little thin.

anyways hope this helps...
-awe

[dogfood]

She's about to fall.
Check to make sure that the 7th vertabrae (at the base of the neck) is directly above the main support. The other comments are also spot on, especially walking away to "let the paint dry".

[Bjorn]

Thanks guys, for all your crits and remarks...
I tried widening the hips, that didn't really work, at least not in the way I'd like the picture to look...

As for the legs, the reason they seemed short is because the foot of the front leg didn't get on the scan...I did move the front leg to the viewer's right, making her balanced and not about to fall over. Added some thickness to the arms...

Not quite sure about the shoulders. Oh well.

I'll try to get this looking better and show you some progress soon. Thanks for all the help!!

Da Bjorn

[nightmare]

not that i would know or anything... but to me, her head seems a little bit big for her body. just an observation.
*dodges rotten vegetables*

[Sammy]

Bjorn,

Your drawing has lots of promise! Everyone's comments and suggestions are good - but all those "problems" that people feel you need to fix with your drawing are all related to ONE thing. Your approach to the drawing.

*THE* most common approach that people make with drawing the human figure is drawing an OUTLINE. Like a cartoon.

Unfortunately, when people watch cartoons or read a comic book they are looking at the FINAL image which doesn't include all the dozens of research drawings and gesture drawings that the illustrator or animator drew before they sat down and INKED their final illustration. So, most people approach their drawing backwards - well, sortof. They start with outlines and ignore all the research drawing or STRUCTURAL drawing stage.

If you draw around the edge of the character you will find that 99% of the time your figure doesn't seem to look solid - the muscles and the limbs float around and pop out of their sockets which produces that "feeling" that something is wrong.

Don't be discouraged. The fact that you "see" this in your drawing is a GOOD thing - that means you're thinking while you're drawing ...

I'd suggest you study a bit about refining your approach.

I can recommend a couple of FANTASTIC books on figure drawing that will help get you started with developing a new approach to drawing the figure. I've been drawing the figure for many years and I still use these books - they're a lifetime investment.


George Bridgeman
Bridgeman's Life Drawing
ISBN 0-486-22710-3

Burne Hogarth
Dynamic Figure Drawing
ISBN 0-8230-1577-7

Hope this helps you Bjorn! Keep it up!

Sammy
[email protected] www.lilypad.ca
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