HOME | DD
Meorow — Pastel Practice
#oil #people #oilpastel #pastels #traditionalart
Published: 2016-02-14 16:47:02 +0000 UTC; Views: 382; Favourites: 28; Downloads: 1
Redirect to original
Description
Something I finished at my private art class later.It's pretty simple; it originally had no background besides the beige, but I added in a little something with Photoshop. It's not much, and I sketched this probably back towards the end of last summer maybe, so the anatomy's really off as usual, but I thought I'd share this since I've been so quiet.
-
Beautiful reference that looking back at it I realized I really botched: fav.me/d9a4ush
Oil pastels on board; edited in Photoshop CS5
Related content
Comments: 9
It's a far cry from an exact copy - which is what I like about it. Not that there is anything wrong with copying. But here I can see a creative thought process working out an original interpretation. The colors aren't "pretty", they're just "right". It's as if you could pick up any pastel at random and figure out where it could do it's job well. I think you could have gone farther with it, too . . . it's one of those works that you can push and push and push right over the edge and then wish you had taken photos of the different stages before the process reversed and you lost it. Haha. Those "lost" pieces count for so much! They are the stones in the foundation skills, so to speak.
The anatomy could be improved by getting to it under the skin, laying in a type-form, like a box, and subjecting it to perspective. A box has depth lines that you can easily mark off to get relative measurements. Line them up to a vanishing point to get symmetry in perspective. You attempted that by copying the model, which is possible, but, Gosh, so difficult, and better used as an exercise to sharpen hand-eye coordination, than as a working method.
Unlike with the use of color, the line work appears to be an attempt at literal translation of the contours. That is copying the model. Instead of that, study the model. Practice forming a complete image of the model in your mind and draw that (that's what you did with the color). I don't mean "memorize" the model, and draw that - because that's the same thing as copying the model. What I mean is study the model and develop concepts about the forms. That is where a construction method comes in. It's a way of analyzing model - breaking it down into basic concepts and categorical forms (box, ball, pipe, cone, wedge, egg) and then developing a mental image of the model built on this simple, volumetric/geometric foundation. For example, it's much easier to draw the symmetry of a box in perspective than to do the same with a face. But, if you base the face on the box, you can do it on both with equal ease.
One tip that applies here is one that is often given to cartoonists and comic book illustrators - draw the entire thing. If you draw only part of a head, for example, it is difficult to figure out proportions and relative placements. So, even when only part of a face is going to show in a panel, the artist should draw the whole thing, then crop out the part that's not needed. This enables you to focus on forms, instead of taking cues for abstract shapes and lines. That, in a nutshell, is the purpose of volumetric construction methods.
(If you haven't done it, I'd recommend you watch the video with Rey Bustos in last weeks journal post - the part where he explains symmetry in perspective and how to achieve it. Also, in the same post is a painting demo by Marco Bucci that relates directly to what you did with color.)
TL; DR: 1) Great original color interpretation! 2) Study the model; don't copy model - develop an image of the model in imagination and draw from that.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Wow; this was worth posting just for your comment; thank you very much for your time. I agree that I could have taken it further; I purposely left it rather unfinished for an attempted minimalist effect at the advice of my teacher. But I can see that I would have possibly learned more in pushing it further; that's a good point.
I sketched this ages ago, and when I came back to it December I tried to fix the sketch some, but it still retained plenty of errors. I probably should have just started again from scratch using the construction methods you've mentioned. I have been doing more of that now, but I didn't know anything about construction or perspective when I first sketched this. Also I've never tried subjecting a portrait/figure to perspective; I've seen it done, but I've never done it myself. I should really practice that.
I've been trying lately to do more studying than copying; that's where the learning is done. I'll definitely keep what you said in mind. I've also never thought of drawing the whole thing before, but that does sound pretty helpful.
I have not seen that video; I'll check it out. And thanks! Yeah, the color is the only I like about this, haha.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Since you're proficient in digital art, you could scan the image and do a digital overlay to A) complete the forms and b) lay-in a construction. You could use a bunch of different methods to experiment with them. For example, Bridgman is big on using the box, while almost everyone else in the world will recommend eggs, or break down the egg to a sphere and cone. They all have merits and drawbacks and using them in turn will help reveal your strengths and weaknesses.
In any event, as you study using construction, you'll automatically adapt it to perspective, which you can then fine tune with some study of perspective. It's not at all difficult if you (oh no, you won't - yes, I will . . . hehe) keep it in perspective. XD
___
And about the minimalist thing - that's over my head, but it's true that you can get a lot of mileage from a little color with a lot of gray, especially if you make the grays from complements of the hues you're showing off (as its seems you've done deliberately, here). Those "colorful" grays are like fuel for the color bomb just waiting for a spark of high chroma to set them off. So, either way you go, conservative or radical, there is something to learn.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Ah, that sounds like a good way to do it. I could practice that on other images I've done too; thanks.
Haha, nice one. And I've watched all the free videos on ctrl+paint on perspective; they were a nice starting point. I've been considering buying the full lessons he has on perspective. They look pretty fun, actually, and I find that amazing because I'm one of those people who has always run away from perspective.
Yeah, I've seen the minimalist technique done well before, and I've also seen it fail. It's a tricky thing to pull off I feel, though it looks simple, but when it works, it tends to work quite well. True. It was good practice for me as it is.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0