Oswald The Wucky Wabbit

The perspective lines I drew for the drawing are a bit more extreme than the photo. I'm stil squeezing crap. Need to make him a little fatter.

How Best To Use This Blog - To Surmount Plateaus

Plateaus:

How many of you know what "reaching a plateau" means? It means hitting a wall you can't get past in a certain skill. Like weight lifters who advance for awhile and build up say their bench press till they can lift maybe 200 lbs. Then for weeks they can't get past it. That's a plateau. It doesn't mean they are stuck there forever; they just have to change up their routine and need some help from their trainer.

In art, there are so many skills we have to balance in order to become functional and gain control over our pencils, that we often hit frustrating plateaus we can't surmount, or think we can't.

Each artist has different plateaus or problem areas:

That's what this blog is for-to help a few hand-picked individuals who already have natural talent and strengths in certain areas - and to strengthen the things you have trouble with - to get past your plateaus.

People Avoid Fixing Their Problem Skills:

We all hate these plateaus. If we have a certain skill that doesn't come natural to us, we just assume we can't do it, and avoid it, concentrating instead on what is easy. That's why there are so many sketch book doodlers on the internet. But endlessly doodling has the tendency to magnify weaknesses and bad habits, and makes it harder and harder to go back and learn some valuable artistic skill correctly.

Take Advantage Of Criticism.

I am tailoring my critiques to each artist here. If you read everybody's posts and my comments, you'll see that each artist tends to get different comments than other artists. The comments are short and succinct - to the point. On purpose. So you can easily understand them. So if you get the same critique more than 2 or 3 times, you should know to fix that particular problem once and for all. Get rid of it, so you don't have to read the same critique again.


For example, if you hear:

"You are making your details too big and they are eating up the overall big shapes". Then you need to believe it and immediately do the same drawing again and correct that very thing. The solution? Make the details smaller.

or: "You are shrinking the negative spaces within the character. You need more space behind the face." The solution. Draw it again and ADD MORE SPACE BEHIND THE FACE. Then always be thinking about that on every drawing you do-and always check it carefully until it finally sinks in and becomes second nature.

Or: You are drawing too stiff. Don't pile balls on balls. Your curves are too mathematical or mechanical. Solution: Draw more organic shapes.

Or the opposite: You are drawing everything too wobbly. Make your major shapes more solid.

Or: You are arbitrarily changing the drawing you are copying. Solution: Analyze the drawing you are copying with words first, then copy it.

Each person has their own strengths and weaknesses and I am trying to help you banish the stuff that is hardest for you. Take advantage of that and help me do it.

Take The Criticism Literally- Read It Carefully AND DO IT.

I see a lot of people after getting a criticism, just go ahead and redraw a pose, and make the exact same mistake again. The exact one. That tells me you didn't read the critique; or you didn't understand it, or you didn't think about it when you redrew the drawing. This is a self-made plateau.

Some people just read the critique and then don't fix the drawing at all. They just go on to something else, maybe thinking they understand the criticism just from reading it. That won't work. You have to fix the mistake or it won't sink in, and you'll just keep repeating it.

The only way to get past the plateau, is to literally take my words on face value-concentrate on what I said and then purposely DO IT. Don't just draw something the same way you are used to and hope by luck or magic you won't get the same critique back. Because you will.

If you don't understand the words, then ask me to try to rephrase the critique. Especially if English is not your first language.

Things don't change for the better on their own. YOU have to force the changes. You don't want to slow your progress through force of habit.

GO BACK AND REREAD ALL YOUR CRITIQUES:

See if you get the same one from me over and over again. If you do, you know what you have to work on. Write down the critiques in big letters and stick them on the wall in front of you when you draw. Read them and memorize them.

So then forcefully, thoughtfully concentrate on that problem and make it go away. Then you will never have to worry about it again.

MY Rule Of Threes
On a production, here is my rule of threes. If I correct someone's work once, I am calm and very careful and nice about it. I explain how and why to correct it and then expect the artists to do it every time.

MAKE A NOTE OF IT:
The second time I see the same mistake from the same artist (after I had already explained what was wrong) I get a little frustrated because I hate explaining myself again. But I understand that certain concepts don't sink in the first time, so I will re-emphasize the correction and ask that the artists make a big note of it and pin it to their desk, and always read it before handing in another scene.

The Third Time:

If the artist makes the same mistake 3 times in a row, I start to get impatient. If this was a real school, it would mean you failed that assignment. After that I feel like I am being cheated. There are only so many times you can explain the same thing again and again. When it starts to cost me money and patience then I feel like it's an artist being irresponsible and not follwing instructions on purpose.

So again, if you just don't understand the correction or critique - ASK RIGHT AWAY to try to explain it better. Don't hope it will go away on its own. It won't. I'll help you, but you have to make the fixes yourself. I can't do that part for you.

If you read this post, why not comment and say the critique you get most from me, then do an assignment where you really focus on correcting the problem? You'll be happy you did. So will I.

****Oh, and on every post you put up, put your name in the labels, and make a label of what the concept is. So you can find the posts easily later.

layout and toy study

Here are 2 layouts I made. I found the storyboard drawings on John's blog.

I did the toy study. I think it looks too soft and the construction is could be stronger. His head seems to small as well.

Yogi Toy Construction - UPDATE

here is another try... I tried to be more accurate in this one and follow the adivices given by mr. John K.

I don't think it is good yet, but at least it looks better than the last one.

Ideally it should be more caricatured, but I don't think I was able to get right in this point.

that is it..

Happy new year for everybody!!!

until 2010 :)

Here goes my second try on Yogi's toy.

I tried to caricature it more and to give more contrast between the soft areas and the rest.

I think that it looks better than my first try... but it could have more appeal and more contrast between filled areas and empty space... what makes some parts of the drawing hard to read.

It is good to see that everybody are working hard.

abraço

davi

Tub Tub

12/28:
Updated:

I gotta walk before I can run!



Problem with photos like these is that the perspective isn't exactly the same as our eyeballs. It's more distorted.

I'm so glad I have this toy, because he's pretty close to Slab. Especially his head shape. I need to learn to do the right perspective so that he looks planted on the ground, and that things wrap around him correctly.

Back Tubs

Update:still crappy

Normally I wouldn't even bother posting something like this, because it's complete and utter horse shit. But I'll try again later.

more yogi layout copies

I saw all of those pictures from this post, and I got all bummed that I didn't draw that good. So I started copying some, since that's how I learn best I think. This is only a couple but I plan to do a few more. I was wondering what the tree behind the police man was for, but then I figured it must be to unify him with the billboard. I really like that comic panel, how the speed limit sign points to the cop and everything.

Slab

I've decided to start knowing the characters and how to draw them before making the layouts. These are some Slab's.






Now Im gonna try some ernies and donalds.

Yogi Toy

"learning how to walk before run"... as Kali said :)

I am going back to copies and construction exercises for a while before practice the layouts again.

The eyes are too big and the hat looks like a deformed popcorn.

I will post more exercises soon.

abraço,

davi

running too fast

Maybe I first need to learn how to walk before running. I'm feeling that I'm struggling with the construction of Slab & Ernie. I will train that first, before going further with layout.

Thanks for all the feedback.


^this is my latest attempt. I find it hard to fit the character right into the background. Maybe drawing toys is a good way for me to improve, like Kali is doing. But I only have photo's, but even only with photo's it's a good exercise right?

Oyeah btw merry christmas everyone ;)

layouts

^I tried a digital layout. Having layers is really handy. But I think that drawing for real always is better.

^My last version. Do you mean like this John?

More Layouts

Hi everybody,

it is good to see your drawings.

I have made more studies.

I think I am getting more used to the model of the characters.. and also tried not to tone down too much the expressions and poses.

I will try to translate the emotional statement that I made for these drawings... actually I have a problem of vocabulary when I try to make the emotional statements in English... I can explain their expressions much better in Portuguese.

abraço,

davi

im still alive

Hee all.

Didn't post anything here for awhile. And to be honest, I feel a bit ashamed that I didn't. I feel guilty that I don't try to study more. Especially that I have the privilege to get on this blog (actually I have the feeling that Im not good enough to be part of this blog). But in my daily life I need to draw my own "style" to eventually get a job, I need to fill my portfolio with drawings I don't like. So it's hard to find time to study. Especially studying takes allot of time for me, a really good study takes me almost a day.. If I want to compete with all these great study's I see on this blog.

But enough wining. I want to get better. So I started working on these layouts. Actually I think they are too bad and to rushed and rough to post here. But what the heck, I want to progress and wanted to post something again after a long time.

*I don't have an scanner at the moment, so I have to make photo's. So the quality is kinda bad.

^I had the most trouble with him. So I drew him separate to practice it. His forehead and eyes are kinda strange in the drawing above...

I have the feeling I keep learning by redoing them. I notice all the things that I learned by studying other drawings. I still have some trouble manage all the different objects in one drawing. I will try to do some more tomorrow and push myself more. And my next goal is to make them more clean.

Does anyone have some feedback? How bad is it, drawing this rough? Should I take more time to do one drawing, or should I go for allot of different takes?

Did everyone die?

?

This started out pretty good, but seems like everyone fizzled out

Layout Study - "Slab & Ernie"

Hello everybody,

here comes my studies of the last exercise.

it was harder than the one with Kaspar, specially because I haven't practiced a lot the model of these characters.

I just finished the drawings (I need to rest) so I can not see the mistakes yet.

I will take a look tomorrow and I will be able to post a self critique of the exercise.

I want to do more of this, it is very cool.

abraço

davi

Setups 1 - planning for multiple scenes to use the same setup - long shots

when you read through a storyboard, you look for scenes that use the same angle and same camera distance

http://jkcartoonstories.blogspot.com/2009/12/slabs-first-fist.html

when you find them, you try to design a layout that can use the same "setup" for all the scenes



In other words, one master Background that all the action can take place in

That means you have to plan how much space you need around the characters in order to be able to draw all the most extreme poses

Like all these images can use 1 setup:

This is a "long shot" That means the camera is far away enough to show the whole bodies of the characters.


so you have to plan all the drawings to work on the same background, and the sixes of the characters have to make sense from pose to pose

if they are on the bed they are smaller

if they are on the floor in the foreground they are bigger

if there are consecutive poses within a scene, the poses have to "flip" between each other

This lesson is to draw all these poses, so they use the same background, and that the consecutive poses flip.

You also of course have to remember everything from previous lessons - like negative space, style, not toning down the poses etc.

Questions?

What Do You Need?

I noticed that this site is slowing down. I haven't seen anything from Ann, Kali, Geneva, Mitch, Kelly, Becky and others lately.

Do you need new lessons?

One thing I gotta stress is that constant practice and applications of each lesson is what makes you good and functional.

Just doing a lesson once is not enough to make the concepts stick.

My goal is to get you out of sketchbook scribbling and into practical drawing with control.

If you're just stuck on a concept, ask a question.

very difficult pose to do

This was my third attempt and is still BAD
This is a very hard pose to do, look at the head! is a very difficult angle, too many subtleties, the left foot has a rare knee, very difficult to interpret.
In this drawing every line is there for a reason, there is no line that exists by itself or random. I was impressed that even the tail is solid.
The cheek that is close to us was the hardest part I think.

A Corny Bugs

It's a very hard pose to translate, very curvy, solid, full of life, appealing and funny.

First I layout his basic general structure and made some lines for his arms and legs just to make a path for the positions. It flows better this way, with the lines.


Then I made the forms, the second level of forms. I had a very hard time with the legs and hands, I really don't know how to block the form of his fingers.

The 3rd level of forms...

And finally de details.

I made right his line of action!
His head fits almost very well, I hae to make his mouth more open and the nose more down.
His hands and arms are bigger, and they have to be more up.
His body should be slightly thicker, also his legs.
The ears are not in the right place.