I'm back!! (2016 version)

Okay, so a few days ago while I was shipping some orders, I did my usual bookstore/ office supplies tour and bought myself a new cheap sketchbook. At first, I intended to have one so I can sketch some ideas that I would hope to draw or paint in the future. But since I don’t go out much, watch movies much, don’t see anything much, or in short, won't be seeing lots of inspiration from, I’m afraid it’s gonna be empty for long. So instead, I'm using it for my daily drawing.

For my first reunion with sketching this year, I started looking for photos of people to copy. I remember I did use a website of quick poses but since that was eons ago, I have already forgotten the URL. So I searched again for something similar and found Quickposes.

I think I’m gonna be using this site for a longer time. Here are some sketches I did with 60 seconds per image. Sketching muscles are still sleepy for sure.

Upon realizing that my sketches seemed to be too incomplete, I searched for Youtube videos on how to draw from form. I liked this one from Ahmed and followed his boxes technique.

Drawing Figures and Poses QUICK TIP #1

I see an improvement from my sketches. But I did increase the sketch time to 120s to accommodate more detail:

A day after, I searched for more “drawing from form” videos on Youtube and found this nice advice roundup from Illustrator Clint Cearley:

Best Art Advice I've Ever Received

His tip on “Form before Detail” was so strong that I can’t believe how stubborn I was all these years to not accept it. I know I have been really debating as to where I start and why am I so overwhelmed by everything --- and this is the answer! I just have to find the best technique to draw from form. No more details until I am wowed by my own form drawings, whatever that’s called. My watercolors, pens and pencils will have to wait before I can really draw well.

I did remember Kelly Eddington saying that in college, the students weren’t painting until after two years of learning how to draw well.

Sigh, but the lure of painting and putting in the fun details just is so irresistible. Thus, explains my non-progress in this craft I have been so wanting to be good at.

So I searched for some more ‘draw from form” videos and one from Sycra came up. I have been watching Sycra tutorials since forever but I seem to just have the wrong mentality about things that is why I have not learned a thing from him. So I skipped to the next video from Marc Leone:

Basic Drawing: Sketchbook Techniques-Basic Form Sketching of Solids in Spatial Direction

I was reminded that before form, there was flow. I kind of had an idea about this way back from an Italian illustrator but Leone’s combination of flow and volume got me hooked.

On Day 3 of my reunion with sketching, I applied what I have learned over the past few days.
First, you should recognize the flow of your subject’s mass, put in the boxes or give volume to each of the masses that comprise the body, then flesh out the muscles. The following sketches were timed at 240s or 4min each.

For now, I’m gonna pause from doing portraits or watercolors so I can practice on form. I know I should’ve done this long ago but oh well. I’m excited now to fill this sketchbook with my practice sketches.

Til the next sketchbook page!