Bexxton

Geometric Guerilla

Joined 4 years ago

500 Reputation

bexxton's Sketchbook

  • Sharing the Knowledge
  • Geometric Guerilla
  • Tamer of Beasts
  • The Fearless
  • Giver of Life
  • Dimensional Dominator
  • The Relentless
  • Basics Brawler
    1 users agree
    11:31 AM, Tuesday January 18th 2022

    Yes, just doodle. See where that takes you.

    The process of studying and the process of creativity are almost opposites which is why the 50% rule is so necessary. Creativity is where the most resistance is found and this resistance needs to be chipped away at. Remember that these drawings are only for you and not for public display.

    1 users agree
    4:16 PM, Monday January 17th 2022

    I understand your problem. I have also just started and I don't really know what to draw sometimes. I have two suggestions.

    There are a bunch of daily drawing prompts online. I use one to give me a boost when nothing comes to mind to draw. I often use references to have some idea how to do something. My prompt the other day was "Mouse with a tiger mask". I didn't know how to draw a tiger mask, so I found a google image. I didn't copy it exactly though. I changed the angle of how I drew mine but tried to keep the same structure of the original. I think that is what uncomfortable means.

    The other suggestion I saw recently was: Draw the same thing everyday for a period of time. A week, a month. Draw the same subject everyday. Maybe you choose apples. Everyday draw a least one apple. I think choosing something simple is a better choice. After you draw your apple, Is the apple in a bowl? on counter? a worm in it? Someone is eating it? You get the idea. The simple thing leads to more complex ideas.

    Both ideas remove the "What should I draw?" question from your mind and lets you focus on drawing. I also find that once I am drawing, ideas start to come into my imagination. I started drawing the top of a building the other day. It was a very simple shape. Before I knew it, there was a superhero standing on it and an angel sculpture on the building. It was not a good drawing (yet), but I was drawing from imagination. I hope this helps.

    1 users agree
    2:41 PM, Monday January 17th 2022

    If you're finding it harder to get yourself to draw from imagination then try the other route of drawing from multiple references to see if you can ease into that better.

    Beyond that there's no right way to be bad in regards to the 50% rule. The goal is specifically to deal with that fear of drawing things that aren't just exercises. Literally anything can be drawn. If you have a specific goal in mind with your drawing (aka character design, realism, webcomics, etc.) then try starting with that.

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Michael Hampton's Gesture Course

Michael Hampton's Gesture Course

Michael Hampton is one of my favourite figure drawing teachers, specifically because of how he approaches things from a basis of structure, which as you have probably noted from Drawabox, is a big priority for me. Gesture however is the opposite of structure however - they both exist at opposite ends of a spectrum, where structure promotes solidity and structure (and can on its own result in stiffness and rigidity), gesture focuses on motion and fluidity, which can result in things that are ephemeral, not quite feeling solid and stable.

With structure and spatial reasoning in his very bones, he still provides an excellent exploration of gesture, but in a visual language in something that we here appreciate greatly, and that's not something you can find everywhere.

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