I was doing some thinking lately about how to improve my drawings.
Most illustrations and artwork have different body proportions than "actual" life. A lot of this dates back to the ancient Greeks and their contributions through sculpture. For example, if you scale the head size down to 7/8ths of actual but leave the body scale at 1:1, the form looks more impressive.
Something I've also noticed through my previous forays into drawing are that most illustrated works have limbs that are more slender than they appear in a photograph (to compensate for the "TV adds 20 lbs" syndrome that happens when a 3D object is flattened out to 2D).
Since most of my drawing so far has been based heavily upon models/photographs or in some cases, I've just flat out traced for practice, it has me asking myself (and others) a few questions.
Should I aspire for realism or shoot for the idealized/romanticized a la Sardax or Alberto Vargas' pinup art?
Should I simply let my own style "develop" as I keep going or try to change it now to make my works more attractive?
Your own style is unique to you. Why mess around trying to copy someone else? It's fine to pick up some techniques from others, but I'd suggest that you keep your basic style as it is evolving.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the input, Lady Grey.
ReplyDeleteIt's more that I've been looking at ways to improve my abilities and focusing in on areas that I am not as strong and then practicing them. I also have a feeling that if I strive for less realism it will free me up a bit.
I think my next step is going to require me being able to come up with my own my own unique poses and still getting body shapes/proportions to look right. I may have to bust out some paper and a pencil and work from there.
I know it's impossible to "cheat" the learning curve.