Look at what I can do!

Maybe he uses it for scale? I dunno its all cool!

 

draw a liger..

it's like a lion and a tiger mixed, bred for its skills in magic.

 

LOL, see you watched Napoleon.

 

Thanks guys. Its really appreciated. I saw a Marvel how to draw book, and I looked through it, but It wasnt my cup o' tea. I want to get a how to draw Anime book, instead.
I know its a bad habit, but I like to use Notebook paper. The lines kinda help me, too. I sometimes use printer paper with none of the Printer edges on them.
I like to draw monsters, and I'm not sure what the anime styling of monsters is, since they usually have smallish eyes compared to the people characters.
I probably have some other good pictures laying 'round somewhere...

 

you have talent and potential, you should really look for more specialized equipements, like better paper, diferrent pencils to make diferent types of details and shadows and books to discover differents techniques. one of those techniques, by exemple, consist to draw lines and curves really quickly with the hand leading the pencil. this creat finier lines, less curving streight lines, looks more natural and less dirty. the best is to practice oftenly and to try! :smt023

 

The "How to draw Anime" series of books are usually quite good...but try to check them out before you buy them (as they are written by different authors so some are real good and others are pathetic)

You should switch to graph paper Its much easier for practise sketches, IMO. Other than that, but a proper sketch pad (somethign cheap, but decent quality paper). It sounds like nothing...but it can really make a difference

Oh, and use a putty eraser instead of uhh...a standard one (I dunno what to call the other types ). as they tend to work alot better

Sorry if you know most of this already, just figured I'd post some of my tips from one Artist to another :smt023

 

"Look what I can do" (said in Stewart's voice, MadTV if you didn't know) hehe I'd like to think I'm a (sketch) artist too except I haven't worked at it since age 12. Wonder how many other graphically artistic individuals we've got.

 

Go to a class. Books don't cut it. And the monsters really aren't anime styling. You'll see there's certain things that make it anime styling, if you go to a class. :smt045

 

How about don't get any instructions at all? If you can't master perspective or learn how to draw things in right proportions how will the "draw shapes, erase, refine..." method books/tutorials help? I always found those books to be quite a joke, some day you'll need to draw without making wireframes first They're like drawing trainwheels. Best thing you can do if you want to draw manga/anime whatever style art is imitation published works and practice a lot.

 

Most people make wireframes.

 

.. I don't. No professionals or other good artists I know do... wireframes are rather popular I know within the American comicbook circles but eh. I think copying things freehand makes good practice.

 

Alright, if you really want to improve your drawing skills, I've got some advice.

Get a sketchbook and carry that thing around with you everywhere you go. Because you never know when you'll get the itch to draw something. It's cool if you like to draw on lined paper but eventually (like if you ever want to do something professional) you'll want to use normal paper.

Don't treat every drawing like it has to be your final masterpiece. Think of little sketches as excersizes, or learning experiences. Like you might do a sketch of how clothing folds when somebody sits, or what crumpled paper or bent up metal looks like.

This one is hard- don't depend on the eraser too much. Draw lightly and loosley, then darken in the areas you want to keep and remove those you don't like.

Putty erasers are good, I've always preferred the white kind myself (like in an eraser stick,) becasue they are more stiff.

Books and classes are nice for specific things, but honestly you don't need them. In a class enviroment you learn, but you only develop talent in seclusion. So don't bother with a book or class until you're at the point where you don't think you are advancing on your own.

When you do decide to take classes, life drawing is a must. That's the one where you draw naked people. The gist is to capture the figure in movement by gesture drawings (the model assumes a pose for about 20 seconds or so, and you do a quick, loose, "stick figure." ) Later on you do more refined peices with emphasis on light, form, and shadow.

Books: I mention the Marvel book becasue it explains the basics in a way that is easy to understand, but really any book that goes over "the method" is fine. There's another one called "Brignahm's life drawing" that is really good- you've problably seen this before, where you start with basic shapes and flesh it out, etc. I saw a bunch of those Anime books at the San Diego Comic con, they are pretty good. The thing is here it doesn't matter how exactly you draw the little things, what matters is that they are in perspective, proportion, etc, and that's where books and classes help.

Last, draw everything. People, buildings, cars, trees, animals, etc, becasue it all relates. Say you bust out the bad-ass monster, but you want to put him in a ruined city setting, you need to know how to draw the stuff in the background as good as the monster. All it takes is one element out of place to make a "bad drawing." This is problably the most important thing you can do, I have sketchbooks full of just eyes, lips, torsos, cars, cats, etc.

So anyway, keep it up and post more drawings.

Some of my art so you know I'm not full of shit:

http://hawanja.com/portfolio.htm

 

The thing about wireframes (or skeletal lines, or whatever you call them) is that it's a good idea to do them in the begining, and as you advance you gradually become less dependent on them. I only start with them when the figure is in a position I'm not sure about (like all twisted up or something.)

It's a good way to learn, but of course you don't "have" to do them. You don't "have" to use any method to be a good artist.

 

Been a while since this topic was seen last by me....A lotta stuff goin on here.
Thanks for all the creative criticism and all. I will keep it in mind.