It's crazy how your brain packages information... looking at the 2 next to each other (and _maybe_ holding your phone at arm's length), they basically look alike. But in reality, the difference in "errors " and the level of detail is pretty vast. It really drives home his ongoing message of starting with form and general values, as our minds happily fill in the pieces. (you see this alot in animation, when things get moving fast, the individual frames lose major fidelity, but you barely notice)
if you don't want to measure i think its in part slowing down for the big shapes and training your eye, + maybe you can do like quick 5 min or less portrait sketches where you just try to get the proportions right. i do struggle with slowing down and truly checking if the shapes are right personally
Breaking everything down into its simplest shapes will help a lot and solve a lot of the confusion. Pay attention to the negative spaces just as much as the positive spaces. Taking on the spot relative measurements like how many heads tall or wide is the figure or measuring the width of the shoulders in relation to the hips, you can really measure any feature against any other. Using a plumb line which is just a string with a weight (creates a vertical line) to hold against your view of your subject to determine how much of the figure is on each side when you split it down its center of gravity. Imposing a mental grid on the subject as in if you imagine a grid over your subject what lines up vertically and horizontally. For example on a portrait maybe the corner of the eye lines up vertically with the pit of the neck and horizontally with the top of the ear, then see what lines up with those features that line up with the eye. You dont need to use all of these all the time, use what tool is useful at the time that you need it. Also take your time and slow down to think about the structure of the form. Studying anatomy is also very helpful, but more about the design and mechanics of the body, you dont need to get into the complex medical side of things, keep it simple.
Practice your proportions. I used to follow an artist by the name of angel who would promote “Lay-in’s” as he would call it. He would have you practice laying in the planes of the face on top of the reference image, then you would once again redraw the face with the planes with the reference off to the side. Then you would compare the master “lay in” to your free handed “lay in” and get a sense of where you need to improve. This is maybe a 30 minute exercise, but done even a couple times a week has greatly improved my proportions, understanding of facial geometry, and my rendering to a high degree. Imo, the asaro head is an astounding tool for learning portrait art.
@@user-mh6ie9wm6mAngel Ganev. I've been following him for years and he went viral recently with his insta/tiktok reels of correcting his follower's paintings. He's still going strong as of today.
If you're serious about art, a decent sized tablet is probably worth it though. Not because the art gets better but because it prevents wrist pain (which can occur with mouse and small tablets). Starting with mouse is obviously fine (or doing challenges like this) but if you can tell that you'll draw/paint a lot, then consider saving up money or wishing for a tablet for Christmas. Nowadays there are plenty good ones for under $100.
You don't need expensive tools to be a good artist, tools are meant to make it more convenient for you. And simple tools can be great for those who get overwhelmed easily, I switch back to Microsoft Paint whenever I feel overwhelmed by those very complicated program and drawing with a mouse is not that bad either. :)
while using a mouse is pretty intense for most people, usable tablets are like 20 bucks new and dont even feel that much different than higher priced options. you really dont need much to practice digital art comfortably.
honestly, thank you. You have taught me a lot about art, and I have been practicing things I've never thought to do until you. I started doing digital art recently and all your tips have helped me improve my foundations. Thank you
That's true what he said about the whole "you don't need expensive stuff for art" thing. I painted along with Bob Ross on a screenless drawing tablet and it turned out pretty great (Albeit it's Bob Ross, of course it'll look good)
I had only took 1 illustration class in school, but you convinced me to take another. I had a blast and did so much better this time around. Just trying to focus on the design principles has really made me care less about not being good :)
Totally agree you can absolutely do this with a mouse! What got me to get a pad tho is line quality. There isn't pressure sensitivity there. But otherwise, if this is the style you want to go for, then do it!😊
I think the only reason you get told to get a tablet is because it makes your muscle memory actually useful. And pressure sensitivity is great for drawing more than painting. Many masters are incredibly skilled and can use any medium to convey what they are trying to. Like the people that start with ink spots and then drag it around to make something interesting
this shows how much practice its taken to reach such level that with smth like a mouse you can still create so beautifully. great message btw! you can even draw with your finger on your phone and theres free apps for both IOS and Android (i use ibis paint). there really is no excuse to not learn!
I drew with the gyroscope of a Dualshock 5 by mapping it to the mouse via Steam Input to draw an elf, just to prove a point on Discord. Any precision drawing or smooth curves were really difficult. But shit still worked and made me think that if you have a disability that doesn't allow you to use a mouse or a pen, then use a dualshock 4 or 5 lmao.
I started out with a mouse, MS Paint, and WMM6. Windows Movie Maker I still adore and will absolutely still use, but for the life of me I do not have the patience anymore for drawing with a mouse. I have no idea how I tolerated it. I guess it was all I knew that's why.
the point of the expensive tools are to make it easier. not possible. if you lower the barrier for practice, you practice more. i get trying to accomplish that by getting people to realize using a mouse is possible, but it's going to be immensely much harder for new artists to keep up a practice routine on a mouse than on a tablet. they already have so much more their brain needs to do than an experienced artist has, they don't need more stacked on top of it.
😭lol I thought that the spot on the nose was where he was painting the eye at first... How am I EVER able to paint faces?!...I guess having a photographic memory and minds-eye-3D-visualization helps...but boy if I were on my own...I would be so done for 💀
Drawing with mouse is no joke, in my university i met a guy who draw with mouse and animated with mouse. I gift him a wacom intuos, but he still was drawing with the mouse and he was very good at it.
Can anyone help? What is it called where you only paint the tones of the painting as a base before you get into the more intricate detail. Like the flat colors before really getting into it. I want to practice this "technique" but I don't know what it's called or how to begin.
Its just the first step in direct painting after the drawing is done, laying in base tones or the overall average colors. Look up academic painting (or your favorite painters name) color studies. Underpainting is different, its basically using a neutral color paint like raw umber to draw the structure before painting instead of using a pencil or charcoal
Jake, good job. Remember that analog materials (oils, acrylic, whatever) will open up a world of physical sensation that the screen cannot ever achieve. Real paint will open your eyes, will put you on the path toward true sight. The way you See can truly evolve and develop but not thru the screen, which is a deception.
You really don’t I got a cheap 20 dollar drawing tablet (no screen) then my boyfriend got me a 150 one but umm I was TRASH with it I never got the hang of it
If you count only technique yes paint color is not relevant. But when you have your single voice in art include type and your art sign simply voice must be train. To get your way to history and be immortal you need simply train art unique voice next train everything else. If this happened you learn everything what you talk in your movies.All masters must learn all your life. From begining of your art life to last days. Remember if you chose cheap oil and tools if something will be good to save for future people time will vanish and destroy . That way you will never reach eternity immortal life in your art. That should be target of master of art. Nothing else nothing different.In next 2 generation no one will remember you only your paintings will survive if you use cheap color will vanish and paint will be destroyed. Think about that. Voice will stay in eternity and that way you will be immortal.
You said a number of videos back sumthing to the effect that it's an artists job to create new forms of art out of chaos, or sumthing close to that and I never heard it put like that nor had I thought of it like that it wuz a refreshing take,,I used to always say it's our job as creators or painters, or whatever label u identify as, to birth sumthing objectively perceived and sometimes appreciated by somebody else from what cud been seen as nothing to as simple as material or complex as an oredi worked piece in what cud be perceived in a sense as a sort of physical evolution an metaphysical alchemy... Idk ur way of explaining is prolly more sensical (｡>ㅅ
Ppl do sometimes say "you can make good paintings or drawings because of your expensive equipment" just completely ignoring the skill of the painter like I used maximum of 4-5 dollars of paint and I had graduated from 2nd year of art school in highschool, not even counting the fact that I used to only use my phone for digital work only getting an upgrade to a laptop from my birthday. Equipment is nice but what can you do with an expensive fishing rod if you don't know 'how' to fish?
