How did you learn to draw?

[Kevin]

Ok, So I've decided that I will teach myself to draw. Whenever I get to a scanner I'll show you what I've done.

Anyway, How did you learn? Me, I copy. NOT TRACE, but copy, like refence it. Did you guys learn that way? Did you go to school for it?
Tell me what I'm doing is not the wrong way! please!!!... and tell me, of course, how you do it today. Laterz.

 

[Neto Magnus]

I started out tracing comics as a kid. (which incredibly decreased the value of em) Then thought myself how to draw by reference. Now I do digital manipulations.

 

[WeaponZ2]

<P>

Ok, So I've decided that I will teach myself to draw. Whenever I get to a scanner I'll show you what I've done. </P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>Anyway, How did you learn? Me, I copy. NOT TRACE, but copy, like refence it. Did you guys learn that way? Did you go to school for it?</P>
<P>Tell me what I'm doing is not the wrong way! please!!!... and tell me, of course, how you do it today. Laterz.

<BR><BR>Classes. Books. Practice. Trying this, trying that. Seeing what works. What doesn't.<BR>Me I saw how other artist did certain things and took what I wanted. So, in away I'm a mixture of many different styles.</P>

 

[Phrostyphlame]

Well i taught myself how to draw by drawing a lot of the same things over and over till i can make them up myself the way ur trying is not the wrong way but takes time copying and not traceing is the best way and another thing tweak the drawings you do till they become your own

 

[Machx72]

I've had to teach myself over the years. I tried taking art in high school, but none of the two classes I took taught me anything towards my style of art. It taught me shades of color and how to paint, which sucked, and attempted 1- and 2-point perspective, but failed at that as well. We did watch a video that "demonstrated how to draw portraits" but was utter bull****.

So, to this day, I have not had a REAL art class, and every bit of my work has come from teaching myself after buying countless anatomy and how-to books. I'm not a great artist by any means, but I'd be more than willing to bet that you all would be surprised at the way I draw after having no formal lessons.

As well as the fact that my eyes apparently have such bad astigmatisms that- according to my optometrist, "trees should look like giant green lollipops" to me, and that, with as bad as my eyes apparently are, "everything should look 2D."

Yet, I don't ever wear my glasses.

 

[C. Lee]

I just constantly drew things. Nothing looks good at first....you have to stick to it, keep drawing, and trying to improve. I would look at things and draw them....but I've never traced (just a personal thing, I've heard that it helps other people though).

 

[Machx72]

^^I'm with this one. I was never a tracer either. I really don't understand how it helps people, but if it works for you, go for it.

 

[Mee]

I've been drawing since I can remember, got serious around 10, bought some books etc etc. Didn't start taking a class until this past May.

 

[Kevin]

I couldn't even trace if I wanted to (I don't, by the way) when i was younger and did trace, it never looked like what I was tracing... it's really sad. And I want to reference stuff from the 80's, one of my favorite art decades. Is that too old fashion?

 

[C. Lee]

I couldn't even trace if I wanted to (I don't, by the way) when i was younger and did trace, it never looked like what I was tracing... it's really sad. And I want to reference stuff from the 80's, one of my favorite art decades. Is that too old fashion?

I started drawing in the early 60's.....so I see nothing wrong with the 80's.

One of the things I like doing is drawing things in different styles...like from different eras and such. Art is timeless.

 

[Machx72]

Hey man, artistic reference. If you wanna draw it, draw it. If it satisfies you, do it.

 

[Anita18]

I started out by copying (not tracing, I hate tracing and gridding) Disney characters. My really good figure drawing teacher from last year also started out drawing Disney characters as a kid. From what I've read, Geof Darrow (concept artist for the Matrix trilogy, his work is insane) did the same. So I guess I'm in good company, LOL.

I think I'm pretty good for a so-called artist who rarely draws for fun. I guess it's a combination of not being creative enough and knowing that if I get really into a drawing, I can spend days on it and not do anything else. Or maybe I just have a knack for retaining skills....

Copying other artists will definitely help, but it depends on what you want to do. The programs that I want to get into (medical illustration), requires drawing strictly from life, so I have to get my butt to workshops which have real flesh-and-blood models. I've also gotten pretty picky - once you get used to drawing from a live model, you can't go back, LOL. It just isn't the same.

 

[flavio_lebeau]

i draw since i was like 6 years old, so I really don't remember. I never took classes, I just improved with time. (not that I am great nowadays.) Never used any technique, nothing, i just...drew. Practice is the word. If you feel you have talent, you will go further. If you don't, you can be a good designer if you take courses etc.
I was autodidact...

 

[blah]

see and immitate. see and immitate.see and immitate.see and immitate.see and immitate.
It never fails, eventually I think of a different way all my own that makes it easier or look better. When that happens, I try it out untill it becomes a habit.

 

[Kevin]

Okay, I need a favor. I suck at drawing the body, legs, torso, arms, the works. Do any of you think you can show me any examples on what to do and how to do it? I would try to mimic the pictures I have laying around, but it's harder for me when there is color or shading involved. Can any and everyone please help? I would get those drawing books, but I can afford next to nothing.

 

[blah]

The best thing to do is to simplify what you see to the most simplest form. Try to picture something as a skeletal frame and add simple shapes to it. Add more obsecure shapes as you look more in it and slowely the drawing will be fleshed.
P.S. don't despair if your drawing isn't exactly like the one you see. It's better to improve on what you can do well, rather than drawing how you like it to be exactly.

 

[StrainedEyes]

Okay, I need a favor. I suck at drawing the body, legs, torso, arms, the works. Do any of you think you can show me any examples on what to do and how to do it? I would try to mimic the pictures I have laying around, but it's harder for me when there is color or shading involved. Can any and everyone please help? I would get those drawing books, but I can afford next to nothing.

What you should do is show us something you have drawn. That way we can help you on an actual basis and not speaking generally.

 

[Mrh7448]

When I first started drawing I would copy something I would trace if I had trouble with recreating what I was trying to do. After awhile and a lot practice it gets to the point where you don't need those things anymore. Of course all the while I was taking art in school and taking it seriously (as opposed to most of the people who took it as a "bird" course).

The other thing when learning to draw figures was tracing in pictures, actual photographs using shapes, cylinders for legs and arms, boxes for torso and hips. This helps teach proportion, foreshortening etc. It's a very useful exercise and had us doing it even in college.

If you can, life drawing courses would be incredibly helpful. The problem with copying from comics is that you are learning from people who aren't necessarily the best artists. You create the same mistakes they do and they usually get worse, it's like making a copy of a copy.

Ultimately it comes down to practice. But you should post some work if you can. Get some honest critiques of your work and that will help you get better. Oh yeah and check out the Drawing the Marvel way book it's a pretty decent way of starting.

 

[EXCELSIOR]

Been drawing since I decided brown crayons tasted nothing like chocolate!

Self-taught, but I've had some training, life-drawing classes etc..

My biggest suggestion would be to carry a sketchbook with you 24/7 - draw anything and everythig. I remember drawing batman & superman way back in the 60's (yeah I'm old) and I'd copy & trace all the time, nothing wrong with it... it's the best way to learn. Also when I was young would copy photos out of the National Geographic mag...

I'm a proud owner of Drawing Comics the Marvel Way... in fact I just saw it at the book store the other day and it looks just like the 1978 first edition I have

Best advice, just draw... practice practice practice...

 

[War Lord]

I just whip out the photo copier and go.

 

[imagine12]

Drawing from comics was pretty much how I practiced as a kid. Never trace though, it won't do anything for you. I've been teaching children to draw at a before and after school program lately and it's wild how they just can't reproduce the lines they see from comics. They get really bogged down and say, "I just want to trace it" but really, if you trace the lines, your not going to learn how that artist made them. The thickness, the perspective, the proportions; you'll only every really understand the process if you work by reference. Sure it will take time (ALOT) but you'll see a visual progression each time you sit down to draw. Moving from stick figures, proportioning out the figure(seven heads tall generally) to building the mass of the figure, facial proportions, line shading, cross hatching, 1 point, 2 point, 3 point perspective. All these things will gradually fall into play the more you practice, praCTICE, PRACTICE. Really every time you look at a comic or drawing you'll start to really notice their techniques and you'll say, "gee wiz! that's how they did that!"

 

[IRON_Lad]

gee whiz......

 

[webhead731]

7 years of practice helped me. I started doing it as an actual hobby in 1999. I was 8 years old. Yeah, I look back at my pictures now and I'm suprised I didn't give up because my stuff looked so crappy. I didn't think I was a bad artist back then. I really, really can't see why I didn't. I didn't think I was SUPER good either. I thought I was average. I used to just draw my own stuff without copying and then in like 2000 I did both. I copied sometimes for reference. (never traced though, I'd feel too guilty if I did and said it was mine)
I just copied sometimes because it made me better and I thought it was kind of fun. My copied stuff looks better than my drawn stuff from back then of course lol.

Now, I don't copy whole pictures anymore. Except, I copied one picture for a Fan Art contest in, I think July, on re-creating your favorite comic/movie moment. I made some changes to the pic though. I told everyone I copied it and just changed some stuff.
But now, my other art is all by me. Sometimes maybe I have to look at something for one part of it maybe. Like a hand that's too hard to draw, look at action figures for ideas on poses and character angles, etc. Action figures are a bad reference sometimes. You know, their body parts aren't perfectly real, if you hold YOUR arm up your shoulder goes up too, but action figure's shoulders don't move.

So I rarely do action figures. Another way is look at your own body parts for reference. Stuff like hands, feet, arms, poses, etc.
I think I learned mainly from reading so many comics growing up and seeing the art. Then the style and ways it's drawn got burned into my head. I read comics today and go "Oh, that's how lighting is done when you're in front of the sun" "Oh that's how you draw this guys head from that angle"
It just goes on. I also do manips in PhotoShop. I started that in summer 2005. I color my art in PhotoShop too.


Just practice. I'm 100% sure that practice makes perfect in this area.
I hope I helped.

 

[Kevin]

thank all of you guys. i have alot of practicing to do, huh?

 

[Syncos]

I'm self taught. I started out sketching while I worked back shift at a convenience store a few years back. It's tough, it gets frustrating, but it's worth it.
My only suggestion is to really look at anatomy. understand it, draw parts and figures over and over again until proportions look right. once you can draw an accurate body structure, you can easily exaggerate it to get the body shape and design you're looking to achieve.
Good luck, I look forward to seeing some of your work down the line. =)
-Syn