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Thank you, everyone! :D And happy birthday, sweetcell
This was actually gonna be something different, but I decided to "give up" on it and just make it my own personal birthday gift.

Loose

comd (Apr 6, 2006)

After doing my last picture here which was a very mechanical attempt to achieve photorealism where my only aim way to copy the photo, I wanted to go in the opposite direction, getting back more to what I was trying to do in the intermediate boards, instead attempting the loosest attempt to draw from a reference yet, with an attempt to only use the reference without drawing the reference at all. Accuracy to the photo is not going to be a criteria in this case. It's going to be about speed, looseness, and improvisation. I just finished a lot of work, so hopefully I'll have the time to focus on something challenging.

I'm going to try to combine what I've learned from both my practice in drawing with references and inventing forms without references to make something that hopefully doesn't suck too much and doesn't require too much time spent on it (hopefully something I finish by the end of the day). By using a reference, I'm hoping the result will be more convincing and anatomically correct than some of my doodles on this board where I didn't use any references at all. By not drawing the reference directly, the end result will hopefully be something fairly different than the photo and interesting on its own. Most importantly, I'm hoping it will be a useful exercise that will help me get better.

Reference: http://hq55.com/scan/willemdafoe/01.jpg. After cropping out the text on the left, I decided to flip him horizontally. I just liked it better that way after removing all the space on the left. I don't know why I liked it better - I'm not a composition expert, but I liked the initial focus to be on the left flowing towards the right, and having the brighter portion of the face on the left seemed to do that more.

I don't really know what I'm going to end up with. I have a fantasy theme in mind: maybe a warrior or a priest or something.

14 comments – latest 4:

Sweetcell (Apr 7, 2006)

Somewhat elfish, it's interesting to read what was going through your mind as you drew this, I'd say your right side was working conveniently alongside your left. Nicely done comd.

Just have to ask what your name represents, if it's a abbreviation of something. Curious is all.

Shoebox (Apr 7, 2006)

Reminds me of that part in the ROTK movie. Y'know, the path of the dead?

Creepy. But good, very very good. I love how you can still see the sketch lines.

safescene (Apr 9, 2006)

You are crazily talented. I love how it looks as though he came from another era/dimension/time, and his smug face.

Kloxboy (Apr 9, 2006)

That's tight. I really like the subtle highlights and lighting. Structure rocks..hehe.

cfsdfhf

mazi (Mar 9, 2006)

life = hard.

1 comment – latest 2:

mazi (Mar 9, 2006)
drawn in 2 hours 24 min

pretend thats anatomically correct.... at least i'll pretend it is..

davincipoppalag (Apr 7, 2006)

Looks good to me..just nice to see a mazi pic

123

comd (Apr 2, 2006)

Trying a bit more than a head this time since I have all this canvas space in the advanced section. I'm just going to try to copy the photo directly this time as closely as possible.
http://www.kristiaknowles.net/images/gallery/fitness/fit2.jpg

I'm not sure I'll get anywhere. Thanks all for the encouragement.

[Edit] This is the opposite of what I'm striving to do artistically as my goal is to draw more loosely from references (using information from the reference to make a completely different picture, not drawing the reference) and ultimately without needing references at all, but I wanted to try a shot at being unpainterly and more photorealistic: the antethesis of what I've been trying to do. To get the line drawing and major landmarks as accurately as possible, I initially started with a grid for the line drawing. This allowed me to shade and color more loosely without worrying about correcting inaccuracies from the previous stages. I don't think I quite got there as I still got lazy on the shading and didn't quite interpret the values correctly. It looks correct sized down, but not up close.

28 comments – latest 4:

Zack (Apr 5, 2006)

You might find it an interesting exercise to take a ref and try drawing it at a different angle. As soon as I have more free time I intend to make a number of drawings that are loosely referenced like that; maybe they have the same angle but different lighting, or they have different shading styles, etc. Personally, I see loose references as training wheels and strict references as crutches, but that's in terms of my own artistic goals and not a criticism of other artists here. In light of your goals, I'd say dropping the grid system is probably a good idea.

comd (edited Apr 5, 2006)

Modifying angles, lighting, or the original 3D form of the reference is the kind of stuff I'd like to ultimately do when using references. Just anything that demands the 3D form is understood so that it could be used to produce other 3D forms is what would benefit me most. I tend to be more 2D-oriented when copying photos regardless of whether I'm using measuring devices or just freehanding, and that's useful for copying 2D images, but not for inventing 3D ones. I tend to ask questions like, "what's the 2D shape of this highlight? How does it relate vertically and horizontally to this other mark?" Rather than, "what's the 3D form of this figure"? If I understood the 3D form, then I could invent my own highlights without using the precise shapes in the photograph.

I pretty much knew this picture wasn't what I should have been doing when I started on it based on my goals, regardless of the grid (though the grid made it that much worse). I set out only to draw the reference as accurately as possible and nothing more. In that sense, it's one of my biggest failures since that's the last thing I want to be doing in the future as I progress. I didn't even try to experiment with painterly techniques - I was trying to be as unpainterly as possible in this one so that it would look just like a photo. Generally I get the most comments about the painterly aspects of my works when working from photos, but this time I really wanted to try not being painterly (I tend to be painterly for economical purposes, not intentionally). I didn't even really achieve the photorealism I intended to achieve despite the use of the grid for the line drawing, so I didn't even succeed in that respect. While it's completely against my personal goals, I still admire the artists on here who can make their paintings look just like a photograph. I was hoping to achieve it here, but I think I deviated too much in the shading and still relied too much on lines which gave that sort of cartoony effect in places.

frootcake (Apr 6, 2006)

omg biggest posts ever. great pic and i've been a victim of the grid in the past. when the masters of the past were working on frescoes - they couldn't draw straight from life, so they did their preliminary drawing and they would grid that whole wall up before doing some of the greatest paintings ever made, theres no shame :):)

HunterKiller_ (Apr 7, 2006)

Mmm... (damn you essay writters.)

For Woah_Pockster

xiau (Apr 1, 2006)

Artwork long overdue for Woah_Pockster darling \(*D*)/
Because... you're so sweet and talented and wonderful and--- (rambles on)

Love you! <3<3<3

EDIT: I remember when I used to think this was good rofl. Screwy proportions much?

19 comments – latest 4:

Punky (Apr 7, 2006)

Dang it xiau, I hate you. :b You're awesome.

Zeal (Apr 8, 2006)

I love the purple highlights in the air

xiau (Apr 9, 2006)

The purple highlights are there because I thought the hair was too boring without them XP

alichanotaku (Apr 16, 2006)

GORGEOUS I adore the clothes...the way they fade to yellow...I'm SO JEALOUS <3

Avida Dollars

huirimeir (Aug 15, 2005)

9 comments – latest 4:

comd (Apr 3, 2006)

Excellent picture!

Gigge (Apr 3, 2006)

Really nice, Huirimeir, really nice. And, no sketchy lines!

Roytje (May 22, 2008)

The blue and the brown go so wel together. Great!

huirimeir (Jul 8, 2008)

thanks Roytje!!

Actress

Airin (Apr 1, 2006)

a quiet pose, please keep in mind I have not done portraits for some time

6 comments – latest 4:

Artiste (edited Apr 3, 2006)

Airin: dont be afraid to ruin the artwork by adding dark colors where you feel they belong. Your colors are very very light and tentative.
It looks as though you dont want to lay anything too definitive down for fear that you might ruinn the peice. I almost never paint on a pure
white canvas, and almost always start with the darker areas. It looks like youve started from the lights.

Make big broad strokes to define what you see... and dont be tentative... dont worry if you ruin it, you can always start over.

Miss_DJ (Apr 3, 2006)

my first guess would be Gwyneth Paltrow...nice start!

Airin (edited Apr 3, 2006)

Yes, it's Gwyneth, not 100% true to the ref though. There are quite a few areas where i should've used darker overall tones, but it would be very difficult for me to blend that in without changing the entire picture. The eyes for instance are cast in much more shadow than i used.

Miss_DJ (Apr 3, 2006)

yeah!! I knew it! It was obvious to me, great draw! keep goin!

portrait

Artiste (Apr 1, 2006)

...

32 comments – latest 4:

Naz (Apr 12, 2006)

One word: wow. It's absolutely amazing. Awesome. I love the lips and.. well just about everything XD

Roxana1890 (Jun 21, 2008)

extremely great likeness.

saidenlalinda (Sep 30, 2010)

the colours used are phenomenal..the lips and eyes..I have tried to pain this woman's face along with others, but hers the most and I have yet to ger all her facial feature correct...so I enjoy looking at this..the only thing I would stay to tune up some..would be the hair , needs a little definition..but that is me of course, you are your own artist and for you this maybe finished. But this is phenomenal! pardon my mispellings.

madscientist111 (Sep 30, 2010)

Beautiful draw! Very well done!

Wizard

comd (Apr 1, 2006)

Nothing has been popping out to me from the blank canvas to doodle, so I went back to trying to draw from a photo again, but this time I played around with features even more than usual.

Reference photo:
http://gallery.amazon.ee/view_photo.php?set_albumName=European_Championships_2005&id=abh

I was originally planning to do an orc and sought out a scary-looking bodybuilder for the reference, but I ended up with a wizard instead.

This is my first attempt at submitting something in the advanced category. I hope it's okay: I spent ages on it, and I wanted to have the extra space available for revisions since I'm always running out of space.

7 comments – latest 4:

woah_pockster (Apr 2, 2006)

I'm loving all of your work dear, this definatly belongs on advanced. keep up the good work, can't wait to see what you do next =] <3

Opium (Apr 2, 2006)

I really like this! did you really spend that much time on this?? Now that's patience. He looks so much like someone I know....I can't put my finger on it...

Sweetcell (Apr 2, 2006)

Wow just..... wow. You belong, believe me.

Reminds me of General Zod from Superman. Without the crown.

Version 1 looks like a comicbook panel.
Version 2 looks like a bronze statue.
And the 3rd I mentioned.
WOWZERS.

Miss_DJ (Apr 3, 2006)

just awesome! love the tendons in his neck..yowza.

Opium (Apr 1, 2006)

73 comments – latest 4:

patienceisoverrated (Apr 4, 2006)

I like the skin texture you added. I like his wrinkles, too.... people with wrinkles are intresting to draw. It's like, all their life experiences and feelings and whatever are written on their faces.

Sweetcell (Apr 4, 2006)

I think you can be a believer of both, and I am. Being Roman Catholic myself I learned about His creation and evolution, and it's funny it seemed easy for me to blend the two, meld it if you will. I believe He exists and created the Earth and everything around us, but I also believe in the Big Bang and evolution... hmmmm maybe that makes me a bit by-polar. That would explain things.

You can have Creation and Evolution, I believe it. Maybe someone just needs to find the middle where both fits.

Awesome piece Opium, love that hair. He does look tired.....

gerbear (Apr 5, 2006)

Excellent portrait! Very impressed with it.

Opium (Apr 5, 2006)

Thanks Marcello, patience, sweetcell, and gerbear! :)