Going Past Stiffness

The bulldog I drew in the previous post was drawn by analysis.
I was thinking hard about it.
Whenever you think hard about a drawing, your drawing can come out stiff.

BUT! Once you UNDERSTAND what makes something work, you can stop thinking about it and then draw more freely. That's the goal.

To assign something to memory through will power, stiffness and thought. THEN to let your subconscious take over and get into the zone where what you know just comes out naturally.

But if you haven't really understood the new concept you were trying to study, then drawing freely will do no good, because you will just be making the same mistake over and over again.

1) So read the lessons,
2) try to understand the concepts in your brain,
3) then practice them on paper until they sink in.
4) That will lead to more loose creative and appealing drawings - that actually work.


Here's a stiffer attempt to be loose. And another...


Here I'm finally loosening up.Does anybody have the cartoon "Birdy and The Beast" on DVD? If so, can you take some frame grabs of the bulldog and upload them?

Then we can compare them to the Tom and Jerry bulldog and you'll see a big difference in caricature.

Caricatured Bulldog

Start by analyzing the obvious contrasts.

1: small cranium compared to jaw
2: Big chest compared to butt
3: Small legs compared to body

don't forget construction and perspective

Then go to secondary contrasts

upper muzzle a lot smaller than lower jaw-make that obvious as shit
Lower lip sticks out - stick it out farther

long floppy jowls-I made them longer

Head is slightly cocked to the left
Right eye is bigger than left eye - more open
mouth is tilted on an "s" curve - higher on right

tiny ears, tail, details

BIG NOTE: Use your taste to make the result appealing

it's not enough to just know the theories and apply them mechanically

as a final step you have to judge the drawing overall

is it fun?

More fun than the original?

Less fun? - shame

CARTOONY?? It has to feel like a cartoon

Alive? Does it look like a living character? Or just a constructed pile of balls?

another generic bulldog caricature

better?
I think Im not getting what's wrong with the foreleg

Caricature Daffy 3rd attempt

UPDATE:

painting practice

I've never considered myself much of a painter, but I'd really like to learn... so here's a My Little Ass doodle originally drawn by John, copied, and then painted for practice (not traced, so there are inconsistencies, many of which were way increased by the fact that paint sort of tells you "you are making this change, like it or not" if you're inexperienced with it)... I'd compare it to the original, but... John K Stuff appears to be private? Shock and intrigue!

Also, now the purple ass has a freckle, because I spilled a bit on her ear.

johnkstuff problems???

johnkstuff.blogspot.com have problems or is it just me?

Caricature: Daffy

Result:


2nd try:

Im more happy with this last.