Uncomfortable's Advice from /r/ArtFundamentals
seedatruthpen's Comments | Check out their posts instead

seedatruthpen in the post "Check out Bryan Lee's Sketchbook Kickstarter. More info in the comments"

2015-04-22 02:43

I do agree with you though, the tumblr questions he did around June were really abrupt and uninformative.

seedatruthpen in the post "Check out Bryan Lee's Sketchbook Kickstarter. More info in the comments"

2015-04-22 02:30

I didn't even know Bryan Lee had a tumblr. I think the creator of Scott Pilgrim(Bryan Lee O'malley) has one and he seems to have an odd beat sense of humor.

seedatruthpen in the post "Video: Portrait study timelapse by Mike Meth, a good friend of mine - focus on how he lays in the underlying structure of the face"

2015-01-29 21:34

There are a million ways to arrive at the same result, like many said.

I hope you're not assuming that the method I proposed was superior to yours. I get the feeling a lot of people seem to think that but that's a wrong assumption. I'm merely stating the value way gives a huge edge for beginners than hard edge outlining.

I've tried plenty of different approaches, but measuring out with straight lines, blocking out basic shapes, etc, tends to be the best way I know to achieve accuracy.

Again it might be to you but honestly the value approach in my opinion is just easier to comprehend. Just like how this subreddit encourages using felt tip pen and certain exercises, I firmly believe approaching portraits as sets of values prevents really obvious mistakes and encourages a perspective that respects three dimensional space.

but measuring out with straight lines, blocking out basic shapes, etc, tends to be the best way I know to achieve accuracy.

And the value way doesn't achieve the same effect? It certainly does achieve the same type of accuracy as seen in the video I've listed.

seedatruthpen in the post "Video: Portrait study timelapse by Mike Meth, a good friend of mine - focus on how he lays in the underlying structure of the face"

2015-01-28 23:34

This is the classical approach usually taught at ateliers. Set the proportions, block the shapes, mark shadows/darks, etc. There's a big downside to the classical approach however. The final product is very blocky and voluminous (almost like it's been sculpted by marble). The value approach is exactly the same but you're putting the values first then the linework last.

seedatruthpen in the post "Video: Portrait study timelapse by Mike Meth, a good friend of mine - focus on how he lays in the underlying structure of the face"

2015-01-28 17:54

I think people should practice both. It works different mental muscles.

There's going to be linework in both approaches so naturally you're practicing both. However when you're approaching value, you're essentially working from "inside to outside". This approach is really advantageous to beginners because it emphasizes value change and soft edges (probably the key principle in portraits) and minimizes lines (the number one culprit for poorly drawn portraits).

That's why it takes some much practice, there's just too much to think about unless a huge chunk of it is ingrained.

This is kind of my point. The art fundamentals on this subreddit cover the basics of lineworks (line weights, contours, etc) so I'm not really worried about people not practicing lines with portraits. There's just better exercises to do if you really have problems with your linework (like the one detailed in dynamic sketching lesson 1 & 2) than just trying to force linework practice onto portraits.

seedatruthpen in the post "Video: Portrait study timelapse by Mike Meth, a good friend of mine - focus on how he lays in the underlying structure of the face"

2015-01-28 14:40

Honestly I prefer the value approach to potraits over the hard edge line work in the video.

You can avoid the big beginners mistakes like putting hard edges on the lips, nose, eyes, etc. And it's easier to map the multiple plane changes on the face.