Issue 07
June 13, 2006
Hi, and welcome to Learning2draw.com's newsletter. This issue includes:
1) Our Q&A Answer Session, where you will learn exciting secrets
of the artworld exposed through answers to your questions.
2) Video Game Artist Description for 3D Model builders
3) Send us Your Success STories- Congrats to Kelly Walters
4) Life Sketch of Adolphe William Bouguereau- the parental fight
was it worth it? A definite Yes! Further AWB Study
5) Tip of the Month- Drawing the Eyes, It is the portal to the
soul isn't it? Part 1
6) This month's quotes by:
Michelangelo and Rembrandt van Rijn, inspiration pieces to help.
You will not want to miss this!
7) Learning2draw.com Announcements, upcoming changes to site!
Natalie Portman, super bonus, back issues of newsletters,
additional articles and more!
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Feel Free to Pass This Newsletter On to Anyone Interested!
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1) Question and Answer Session with Todd
QUESTION: from Jeff B.
hello, I've been studying the human form for awhile and I can't
seem to get my proportions right when starting with a skull.
For instance I draw the big shape first and then I draw a vertical
line and then I draw a horizontal line. From there I just rough
in the shapes and then I get overwhelmed. Do you have some advice
that will help?
ANSWER: from Todd
Hi, thanks for your question. I would suggest that you read
an article on proportions found at www.learning2draw.com/how.htm.
I think this may help as it goes through the specifics of how to
use a pencil to guide you in your proportions.
A lot of artists will say to draw a box in your head that
matches the specific dimensions of the person you are drawing,
focusing on the height and width ratio. From there, you can
adjust the contour as long as your original lay in dimensions
are correct. Then you can go to gesture.
One important piece of information that I continue
to mention is that although we as artists sometimes standardize
human proportions, it's important to recognize the individuals
uniqueness. Yes, there are some guidelines, but
people vary amongst those standards. We've written a short
article at www.learning2draw.com/how.htm that talks about
simple ways to get proportions and measuring right when
drawing the human form. Check it out and let me know if you
have any further questions. And remember...
(Okay so I leave this in every Q&A, but it's so worth it.)
Let me finish by saying the old addage, Practice, Practice,
Practice. Oh yeah, did I say Practice? That sounds really
cliche' but there isn't anything that is going to give you a
better understanding to your art than practicing.
Question 2 by H.S.
I'm an alright artist, but there's a lot more to learn about
and be able to freehand acurately and fast, as I am a tatoo
artist. Any ideas?
Answer 2 by Todd
Thanks for your question. Tatoo artists do need to work quickly
and precise, I can imagine. I am not a tatoo artist so what I
am going to say may need to be varied a little but here goes...
Gesture sketching is a great tool for practicing speed and accuracy.
It allows you to do quick sketches of gestures in order to
capture the personality of what you are drawing.
As I said above, practice. Take a sketch book with you wherever
you go and draw little thumbnail gesture sketches of people that
are around you in your current environment. Let me know if this
helps you.
Thanks for your question, please let me know if you need any
other questions answered.
Please, if you have a question you would like answered by Todd,
email him at info@learning2draw.com.
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2) Video Game Artist- How do I get Started?
It's often asked of me, how do I get my foot in the door with
a video game company. So, I thought it would be fun to explore
a section on Video Game art. If you have a question that you
would like answered in this section, please email us at
info@learning2draw.com.
2D Concept Artist
This is my favorite to talk about because it is what I am doing
currently.
If you love to create, this is for you. This is my domain because
I love to create worlds and use paper as my medium. If this seems
like it fits you then maybe being a concept artist is for you.
A good video game concept artist needs good classical traditional
art skills.
I think this is why I love it! It requires me to learn and advance
my traditional art skills.
As a concept artist you would need to be able to inspire a team and
come up with concepts and art that generate ideas and high quality
images. You need to be good at having a style and keeping within
those limits at all times. Storyboarding is also a part of the
concept artist,being able to do sequences for cinematics or levels.
Sketching is a huge part of the concept artists tools, so make sure
you are good at it.
Concept artists are responsible for the look and the feel of the game.
Brainstorming and designing on the fly is something that great concept
artists excel in. I love it because you get to create whatever is in
your world, it's an escape and highly satisfying.
It is not an easy job, by any means, and often requires a lot of work
outside of work, because creativity comes when it comes.
By showing some passion you will quickly move up the ranks.
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3) Send Us Your Success Stories!
Congratulations to Kelly Walters, who received our starter kit
full of strathmore paper, pencils, charcoal and kneaded erasers.
We would love to hear from you on how our site and ebook have
helped your art! So much so, that we will enter your name in a
quarterly drawing for an art supply starter kit. Just email us
your story to info@learning2draw.com with the subject line
Success in Art Stories, and we will enter your name for a chance
to win pencils, paper, kneaded erasers, and more. Please email
your story by Aug 5th for our second drawing.
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4) Life Sketch of Adolphe William Bouguereau- from an excerpt
on the Art Renewal Center site
***Note by Todd
I wanted to do one more sketch on Bouguereau to show his deter-
mination and passion. He had no parental support, came from
meager means, yet he had a passion unlike others. We, too, can
do this if we are passionate. I know I preach the "if you can
believe, it can happen" rule a lot, but it works.
He received his first true drawing lessons here from Louis Sage,
a young professor who had been a pupil of Ingres and was a committed
classicist. Sage instilled the precepts of Ingres in his students,
warning them against the seductions of the romantic ‘heresy’ and
presenting the life of an artist as an endless competitive struggle.
Bouguereau’s later convictions were rooted in this rich soil. He
became convinced that persistent hard work was necessary in order
to gain a superior mastery over the technical problems which could
have shackled the free reign of his imagination.
Bordeaux and the Municipal School of Drawing and Painting
In 1841, Théodore Bouguereau, making a clean slate of it, changed
course by abandoning his moribund business in favor of the olive oil
trade in Bordeaux.
Young William, then 17 years old, reluctantly rejoined his family in
Bordeaux. In fact, Théodore had decided to end his son’s studies, not
because of their cost, but rather so that the young man-now at an age
to train for a salaried position-could help him provide for the family.
He was to do the bookkeeping for the business and then later take over
the same responsibilities for a small workshop next door.
Enticed by a friend who took drawing and painting at the Bordeaux
municipal art school, young William dreamed only of enrolling in the
courses offered there. That naturally presented difficulties, for he would
need his father’s permission. Getting it was a long and difficult
process. But, the favorable opinion of his mother and additional support
of family friends weighed in his favor, and Théodore finally relented on
condition that these studies would not lead his son into a thorny and
risky art career.
And that is how William Bouguereau, along with the overwhelming evidence
of a transcendent and obvious talent, was able to gain admission directly
into the senior class taught by Jean-Paul Alaux. At the start he could only
attend morning classes, between six and eight AM, since he could not neglect
his “professional” duties. However, his progress was so rapid that he soon
won the 1844 prize for “Best Historical Painting” although he was competing
against older students who were enrolled full-time.
This powerfully fueled William’s dreams of ‘going up’ to Paris to enter
the École des Beaux-Arts. But first, he had to obtain the indispensable
paternal authority to leave home. Reluctantly, his father uttered the
necessary words of permission and the young artist began to formulate
plans and financial calculations for helping to pay the costs of his
studies in Paris. William then had a very daring idea: with the help of
his uncle, Eugène, who instantly guaranteed him bed and boarding in
Mortagne, he spent three months in the region painting oil portraits of
the notable personalities of Saintonge. Those commissions brought him a
small nest egg of nine hundred francs.
****Note on Sketch by Todd
I just wanted to mention that art is about devotion and passion and
that Bouguereau is a prime example of this. To rise so quickly
in the study of the human form takes hard work, dedication, and
great teachers but can be done! Don't give up!
You can always check out our page
at www.learning2draw.com for more info on how to draw faces and
the human form.
Also, on www.learning2draw.com/how.htm we have an article that
simplifies proportions and measuring. Check it out and let us
know what you think!
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5) Tip of the Month
Meet a Drawing Challenge -- Drawing the Eyes
More Than Meets the Eye
The eyes can be the most critical part of a convincing portrait,
so take the time to get them right and watch your subjects come
to life.
By Butch Krieger
You’ve probably heard the eyes called the “windows to the soul”
many times, but I hope you’ve also noticed that this phrase is more
than just a cliché. They got that label because eyes are such an
essential part of the expression of an individual’s personality.
When drawing a portrait, in fact, many artists begin with the eyes,
but they can still be a formidable challenge for both the beginner
and the experienced portraitist alike. Here are some tips that will
help you draw natural-looking, compelling eyes and get the best
likeness of your subject you can get.
Learning to See
Drawing eyes well requires that you see them well. If you’re
accustomed to perceiving the eye as a single shape unto itself,
you may fail to see it as it really is: a cluster of several shapes
on the surface of the face. These superficial shapes, which combine
to form what we think of as the eye, can all be defined by the artist
in terms of tonal values. In other words, all you need to draw a
convincing eye is a good rendering of the lightness or darkness of
the surface areas.
The tonal values of an eye are formed in two ways. The first is
natural pigmentation. Eyelashes, for example, are usually heavily
pigmented and therefore darker than their surrounding skin. The
use of makeup, however, can act as false pigmentation and artificially
darken or lighten some areas of the eye. Variations in tonal value
may also be created by a source of light. As the rays of light fall
upon the eye, especially the moist surface of the eyeball, they’ll
cause a configuration of light and dark shapes that makes up what
we see, and what you’ll draw, as the entire eye. Whatever their source,
tonal values can be represented in your drawing by the use of shading,
and this is the most important key to drawing lifelike eyes.
Part 2 of this article next issue to see more info on drawing eyes
see www.learning2draw.com/drawingeyes.htm.
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6) Inspirational Quotes
Inspirational Quotes by
"If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't
seem so wonderful at all." Michelangelo
Practise what you know, and it will help to make clear what now you
do not know." Rembrandt van Rijn
* I chose these two quotes because they go along well
with the theme hard work follows your passion and that is what equals
succes. Work hard and you'll have no regrets! Creativity and passion
go hand in hand. Hard work is the tool to bring it about.
It give us great advice on becoming better artists
and advice on better understanding!
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7) Upcoming changes to site!
New changes coming up include, more articles added to our how-to
section. We will be adding new images to the site as well. We've
added a huge bonus to our site as well. Also, we are going to have
an art challenge coming up, we'll keep you posted. Check it out!
Also, if you would like back issues of any of our newsletters
or our series on DaVinci's Proportions, please email us at
info@learning2draw.com with the subject title newsletters followed
by which issue you would like or have not received.
Thank you everyone for your comments on our e-book and for your
support of our site. We've extended our promotion based on your
comments.
Peace and Have a Great Weekend!
Todd Harris Learning2draw.com
If you like this newsletter and would like to share it with
a friend, have them send an email to newsletter@learning2draw.com
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Copyright 2006 Learning2draw.com. All rights reserverd.
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