altuixde's learning to draw thread

[ChocoCats]

The image won't load for me, could you upload it again?

Here you go.

[altuixde]

Okay, I'll look for a pen like that.

[ChocoCats]

And one more thing: don't be afraid to use references on your drawings. They're there to help on proportions.

[altuixde]

I got some pens of the kind that you recommended and they do feel smoother across the paper than one with a plastic tip. Now if only all of my pens and markers were a little heavier... I think it would help reduce the severity of jittery lines.

[DeviantProtagonist]

Ah, yes, that feeling of slipping on those old pair of shoes again. It's always good to pace yourself, and what you've came up with so far is awesome. ChocoCats is a great help, too.

Moreover, how well does Christopher Hart's tutorial do for you? I've never heard of him, personally.

[altuixde]

I prefer Crilley's drawing style to Hart's. For example, in this first exercise from Manga for the Beginner, the finished drawing looks like Hart has gilded the lily: the second to last step actually looks more appealing to me. When I was doing this exercise I left out a lot of detail from the last step. Also, Crilley provides more in-between steps in each exercise than Hart. Oh, and their writing styles are comparable. However, Manga for the Beginner goes on to teach how to draw characters in original poses, something absent from Mastering Manga, which is why I bought Hart's book.

[altuixde]

Here's a drawing of Hatsune Miku that I messed up pretty badly:

I'm pretty sure that I shouldn't have made her pupils solid black, but what else did I do wrong? Is there anything I can do to save it? Would making other lines bolder help to reduce the contrast of the eyes with the rest of the drawing? Also, I could take some lines out digitally, like the line starting at her chin that moves up below her left eye (it's supposed to indicate a shadow).

Here's the pencil drawing, which looks nicer:

As you can see I used reference points galore in order to draw this.

Here's the image that I was copying:

At this moment in the video Miku's smile (her entire face, not just the mouth) is contagious. I couldn't quite replicate it, not even in the pencil drawing.

Some final thoughts: If you're going to ink your drawing, don't follow your pencil drawing too closely, because what looks good in pencil may not necessarily look good with dark ink over it. Also, inking in a sketchbook is starting to seem like a bad idea because there's no place to rest my wrist when working close to the edge of the sketchbook. I've gotta start ripping the paper out of the sketchbook first, and I need to get a desk.

[animagic4u]

Making good progress. I think the overall form is strong and your vision comes through.
In my opinion, though, her left eye looks a little off because the reflection seems to be slightly missplaced. If you look at your reference image, it is actually touching the top of her eyelid.
Also, her clothes and details look really...well, plain. To me, they look flat. The addition of the frills on her armband (sleeve?) and dress and making the straps 'thicker' (hollow) I think will give the image more overall spice!

[MetalPredat0r]

Like animagic said, the clothes look a bit too plain. The head area in general is brimming with detail, so much so that the outfit and torso feel lacking in comparison. Perhaps a few frills and some detail on her torso can help with this issue. Other than that, good job.

I do agree that somethings just look better with pencils. Though shadows can go either or when it comes to pencils or ink. I used to shadow using the pen itself, making my stuff look closer to Superhero Comic Books, but I stopped doing that when I discovered that that drains your ink MUCH faster as a result. Also, I need a desk too, but my room is small as is, so I'll have to settle with a folder and my knees. *sighs*

[altuixde]

Thanks, you two.

About the frills, I left them out because I don't have the skill to draw them. I need to study how to draw clothing.

animagic - are you referring to her left eye or the eye on our left? I wanted to draw the reflection in her right eye a little bit lower because the pupil in her left eye is partially hidden by her eyelid, so I thought the reflection in her left eye should be slightly higher. However, now that I think about it, the pupils in both of her eyes may be partially hidden by her eyelids.

Arturo - I agree that drawings need to be balanced in detail, but what detail can I add to her torso? Aside from the frills, she's wearing a very simple dress... but I suppose I could add stuff that isn't in the reference image.

[animagic4u]

About the frills, I left them out because I don't have the skill to draw them. I need to study how to draw clothing.

Clothing is an entirely different animal. 
I've been trying to study drawing for fashion and how clothes are drawn to help me with my cosplaying pursuits. The way fabric falls on the body is really hard to draw. >w<;

[MetalPredat0r]

Arturo - I agree that drawings need to be balanced in detail, but what detail can I add to her torso? Aside from the frills, she's wearing a very simple dress... but I suppose I could add stuff that isn't in the reference image.

Maybe you can add some lines or some tones to her torso. Like a bit of emphasis on the chest details, as perverted as that might sound. It IS generally a good idea to not go by the reference 100%, as one of my friends from school who graduated years ago advised me. She tells me that the reference isn't always accurate so adding your own details could bring some improvements to the original reference that were possibly overlooked.

[altuixde]

Above is the same girl I drew earlier.

For comparison:


I left out her ahoge this time because I couldn't figure out how it should look from the side. Also, I didn't use my ruler to measure the reference or create reference points. I'm trying to rely less on that. I still made guidelines, though.

Bonus points if you can figure out who this next one is.


I was trying to portray a different emotion in this one. This is the first drawing I've completed in the same day that I started it. In retrospect, I'm noticing that her eyes are a little too far apart and there are some other errors, but oh well.

[liza94]

Bonus points if you can figure out who this next one is.

Maybe it's Haruka without her ribbons?

[altuixde]

It does kinda look like Haruka, doesn't it? I was going for Kotori, though. Here are the references I used this time:



Drawing something and uploading it on the same day probably isn't a good idea. It helps me to return to a drawing after a night's sleep because then I can take a fresh look at it, and so notice more things that can be improved.