http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:ThatsNotPoetry&section=today deviantART RSS for by:ThatsNotPoetry en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:58:20 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://ThatsNotPoetry.deviantart.com/journal/20022510/ http://ThatsNotPoetry.deviantart.com/journal/20022510/ Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:43:32 PDT
1: If you're new to the field or just need some new practice, always always always reference anatomy from life. If you don't have anyone willing to model, the internet is great for photos. Try not to use someone else's art/style.

2: From the side, the width of the skull (front to back) tends to match the height of the skull (chin to top.) Not always, true, but it's a pretty safe bet.

3: It is a good idea to first study skeletons (first in parts, then as a whole, then in multiple perspectives, then in motion) before studying finished bodies (first in parts, etcetcetc.)

4: Draw the anatomy under the clothes before adding clothes. It tends to be pretty obvious when artists don't do this.

5: If you have a hard time drawing particular things, don't try to hide them (i.e. hands, feet, certain viewpoints, etc.) This is also a generally obvious decision. Practice practice!

6: Keep your proportions in consideration. References can be helpful for this, too. (i.e. How many heads high do people tend to be? How large are hands and feet in comparison to the head/body? How long and thick would arms/legs/torsos on this body be?)

7: Never be bashful when asking for help! A great way to try and pin down a flaw that you just can't put your finger on, is to ask a more practiced artist to redline your work. A quick redline over your original drawing can help show errors in motion, weight, anatomy, or any number of things not quite visible to the person who's been staring at the same drawing for an hour.

8: When working with color, never rely on adding black or white for darkening or brightening a shadow or highlight. It dulls the image considerably. Rather than simply fade, colors change with the subtraction or addition of light.

]]> ~ThatsNotPoetry