Applying Traits of Successful Copies to Your Own Poses

This is an excellent copy of a Eisenberg pose by Geneva.

It has:

Construction flowing around line of action
Good clear silhouettes - made up from big negative shapes

and... NICE LINE QUALITY that doesn't obscure the construction.

Now applying these traits to your own work is the goal.
http://unlearningartschool.blogspot.com/2009/07/tom-poses-phase-1.html

Here's an original pose by Geneva. Good construction but:

Weak silhouette- no negative spaces:

Here's her correction: Good, now there are negative spaces

http://unlearningartschool.blogspot.com/2009/08/more-tom.html

Here's the clean up. Whoops! The negative spaces got eaten up by details - like thumbs and lumpy hands and toes.

Also the linework is too harsh. Not as nice and soft and flowing (while holding the construction tightly) as the first drawing at the top of the page.

http://unlearningartschool.blogspot.com/2009/08/tom-poses-further-along.html

Facial expression is cramped.

Lesson? - each stage of the progression of a drawing, there are dangers in losing the initial idea by toning it down. With each stage be conscious of the clarity of the pose, the silhouette, the construction and the hierarchy of the details. Don't let the details defeat the overall pose!

http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2007/10/maintaining-guts-from-department-to.html