Beginner figure drawing questions:
I'm trying to understand construction better, and have been reading Hampton's book on figure drawing. I have some question:
1) How does the gesture drawing work? He emphasizes that this should not be trying to capture a likeness, but rather be an exercise in moving the eye. But then I end up erasing like half of it then when I actually do attempt to draw a likeness.
2) I'm kind of stuck on what to do after I get the basic shapes down, and I start reverting back to just drawing contour lines. Any tips to avoid this?
3) Are those figure drawing resources useful at this stage? Like I said, a lot of the time I just end up getting a framework down and then reverting back to contour drawing.
Any advice on this would be really appreciated.
>>2294160
Show us some of your work for context
>>2294160
>>2294163
These are some copies of images from the book. Next are some from my trying to draw from one of those timed figure drawing things.
>>2294171
>>2294173
>>2294171
Draw bigger.
>>2294160
Try not to erase and instead use lighter lines when drawing the gesture. Then adjust.
You seem to have trouble seeing the rib cage and pelvis as simple volumes so I would focus on that too. Hampton has a good approach but don't read the chapters on muscles just yet if you have trouble drawing the simple forms. Vilppu explains further how to do fully rendered drawings starting with a gesture so you could try that too.
>>2294268
Where to find Villpu lessons ?
>>2294160
Well, at the beginning, all you can do is try harder. Do more exercises, and focus on amount
Then you can later try to learn construction, proportions and how to measure in 2D
>>2294993
Look up proko on YouTube he has a video featuring Glenn Vilppus figure drawing
>>2294268
I watched a video of Vilppu doing gestures, and I think his style suits me more. Do these look more along the correct lines? I know I should draw a lot more but I want to make sure I'm at least set up to go in the right direction.
>>2295453
Also, why are the images always rotated when they're not on my computer?
>>2295453
>>2295454
Already much better. Keep going.
>>2295454
Because the image viewer on your computer is shit
Not OP but why is it that you go to the CGMA website and all the student work looks like complete ass? And the recommended texts is vilppu, almost as if they're telling you NOT to dish out 700 gold coins. They usually showcase the best of the best student work and if pic related is the best they've got then something is wrong.
>>2294160
Shit, michael hampton is so good at figures. Does anyone happen to have any finished pieces of him?
I couldnt find anything.
>>2296013
The drawings in OP look horrible though. I mean, Hampton knows his stuff sure, but in that particular image he has really overemphasized the curves to the point of ridiculousness. The woman on the right has a stupidly bent back. Both have their tibias bent to the extreme. The woman on hte left has a poorly shortened arm that looks just stubby and short. The woman on the right is falling over (leaning away from us). All the feet are lazily drawn paddles.
I like some of his stuff, but some of them like this image just look so bad to me. It's like he gets too caught up in the formulas of his construction that he forgets it's supposed to be a real person.
>>2296016
They're gestures. Post yours.
>>2296027
I wouldn't call those gestures. He's spent time constructing them and focusing on that more than the action. They look more like a 3 or 5 minute pose than a 1 or 2 minute pose.
Also my art is irrelevant. Whether my art is good or bad doesn't change his image.
>>2296027
They're gestures. Don't attempt to critique someone like Hampton until you have a few years of experience under your belt and can prove that you actually know your shit.
>>2296033
I've been doing art for longer than most people on this board and work professionally. But again, I shouldn't have to "prove" things by posting my art, nor do I need to be better than Hampton. Just look at the image yourself and see that it looks weird.
As for whether they are gestures or not...well that's up for debate because there's a lot of different definitions and approaches to gesture. I would argue though that gesture focuses on action more than other factors, and in those image he has focused on construction more than action so they would not be gestures. You can call it quick sketch or something. Doesn't really matter, the figures look messed up.
Try to get in the pose of the girl on the right and you will see how uncomfortable it will be and how you are falling over. The angle that the pelvis is tilted at is very extreme and not how people normally stand.
>>2296046
Relax friend, what dose it matter how accurate it is, have you ever just drawn anatomy all wacked and exaggerated for fun. Doing this is often a great learning tool
Anyone can copy, caricature and exaggerating is unique.
>>2296046
Aren't gestures focused on capturing and expressing the movement?
Forms are often exaggerated and the use of visual shorthand is commonplace.
For someone who's been doing art for so long, I'd have thought you'd know this by now.
>>2295453
I think you're making progress, Just keep practicing. You might be drawing too much contour though. I suggest you try to study the spine as soon as possible. Also learning the basics in photoshop could help you to flip your images and make quick color corrections.
>>2296072
I don't think he's been doing this very long at all, I think he might be lying on the internet.
>>2296046
>>2295577
>if pic related is the best they've got
You literally picked the worst image from that very gallery, that's not a particularly good way to make a point.
It's pretty much the only gesture drawing shown there, because Analytical Figure Drawing focuses much more on anatomy and construction than on gesture - and it does a pretty good job at that if you're not absolute garbage when starting the course (way too much feedback time wasted on instructors telling rookies that chicken scratching is a bad thing).
If you want to learn gesture go watch Vilppu on NMA.
>>2296016
Ron Lemen is Hampton's successor at CGMA, and does a much better job imo. He also hates seeing lower legs being bent backwards Hampton-/Proko-style, so you'd probably like him.
He's generally kind of an /ic/ guy, tells you to sit the fuck down and just do it, no bullshit excuses and sugarcoating, says your work is shit when it is, etc.
Feels like home, man.
>>2297345
>He also hates seeing lower legs being bent backwards Hampton-/Proko-style, so you'd probably like him.
I respect him more and more man.
His posts on muddy colors are great and the series in values in his youtube channel are gold
>>2297349
I think he focuses a lot on his own school, rev Art Academy. I'd so love to go, Peter Han teaches there as well, and the courses are a fraction of CGMA's (225$/six weeks vs 699$/eight weeks).
Imagine that: learning from both Peter Han and Ron Lemen in person. Would be so sick.
What a shame all the awesome teachers are in the States, not much to gain here in Europe.
>>2297341
Pose looks stiff and lacks some perspective
>>2297359
Yes, it's not perfect, it is student work after all.
But guess what - you're not being taught by other students, but by experienced instructors who know their shit.
The image I posted was merely to illustrate what the main focus of Analytical Figure Drawing was, after anon claimed that some sloppy gesture was "the best they had to offer", which is, as you surely can see, complete bullshit.
