Life Drawing Classes - Actual Training At Art

Christwriter · Post by **Christwriter** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 3:38 pm

Never taken any art lessons. Ever.

I want to, badly, but I've either A) been in the wrong place/time to enroll (moving, live too far away, conflicts in schedualing) or b) can't afford them.

My mother is an artist, which helps, and I've lived out of anatomy and perspective books for the last three years. And of course, you guys helped a LOT. But no art lessons.

CW

Paul Escobar · Post by **Paul Escobar** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 4:04 pm

I took quite a few drawing classes some years ago, and it was immensely helpful. Particularly the life drawing classes. They were frustrating at first, because I was not at all used to actually observe what I was drawing, but you really learn that when you draw from life. After a few days of classes, I could see my drawing skills improve daily. It was really a "hey, wow!" kinda experience. So:

Black Sparrow wrote:If you've never taken one, take one. Then, take two. These things teach you LOADS about observation and perception, even if you're not really an artist. In these classes, I see uninterested people who are just there for the college credit come in, only to turn into people who have begun developping an art style. It's amazing.

Quoted for truth. Drawing classes are definitely worth taking.

Prettysenshi · Post by **Prettysenshi** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 5:34 pm

blackaby wrote:This isn't exactly for tips & techniques... so I thought I'd ask it here.

I've been checking out Senshi's crazy-awesome artistic progress after taking drawing classes and was wondering how many people here too them, and if they're worth while.

O_O

I'm so flattered!! *cries tears of joy* Thank you Blackaby!

I think I made some progress. I haven't been there very long, but the professor is teaching techniques that I think will help me out in the long run with any style I decide to use. We're doing gesture drawing right now, and that's kinda weird, but soon she's gonna teach us how to utilize that into actual people. The sketches on my LJ was classwork!

Drawing for 2 hours as classwork??
Best class ever.

I didn't want to take it at first cuz I thought "It's my style, I don't need training!" but then I talked with a lot of people: CGers, comic pros at conventions, and others. It really is necessary, cuz I learned so much about anatomy, like where the neck is suppose to be when your arms are up, and stuff like that. I don't know how to translate what I'm learning now into my comic yet, but I think we'll get to that later in the semester.

I think it's better to be in a class too, then reading it from a book, cuz you have someone there to tell you what is good, and bad, and where you're improving. Not to mention that when you're learning something new, especially in art, you need to look at your art without bias, which is hard for me to do, but I'm trying.

Princess · Post by **Princess** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 12:05 am

I used to go to a Russian sunday school teacher for an hour each Saturday morning- She would get me to A. copy pictures from Womans weekly's paint by numbers section in chalk pastel or B. Draw one of her horrible nick nacks (I remember spending HOURS on an onion keeper)

I HATED those lessons but I did learn basic drawing skills from her.

Warbaby1 · Post by **Warbaby1** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 2:03 am

RPin wrote:One time me and my friends decided to hire a prostitute to pose for us, since nude models were too expensive.

Heh. I tried that too. She looked at me as though it was the most perverse request she'd ever heard, and flat out refused.

She said she could do me a titty fuck for forty euros, but stand still for a sketch? What are you, some kinda sicko?

Orion · Post by **Orion** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 7:53 am

I took a summer course in Drawing one year, which mostly consited of drawing still-life pictures of skulls and random objects. I learned a bit (mostly because there wasn't much teaching going on), mostly getting a bit of experiment with things like cloth-folds and shading.

I'm currently taking a Digital Art course, which is turning into a massive disapointment so far. We have yet to touch a computer and the professor merely drones on about what makes something 'art' or whether anything is art in the era of digital reproduction. And he's made us take a bunch of pictures. Not at all what I was looking for to be honest.

Ti-Phil · Post by **Ti-Phil** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 10:11 am

I'm no at my fourth years of anatomy class and I think I'm finally increasing in skills. But you don't have to draw nudes only, just draw people on the bus or subway. It's what I do now and I'm quite proud of the results.

"A cartoon is a distortion of reality. Before distording it, learn to depict reality"
-Hubert Godbout

Dragonmajik · Post by **Dragonmajik** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 7:59 am

blackaby wrote:This isn't exactly for tips & techniques... so I thought I'd ask it here.

I've been checking out Senshi's crazy-awesome artistic progress after taking drawing classes and was wondering how many people here too them, and if they're worth while.

I was an art major for a couple of semesters... art classes are awesome because you can't mimic the environment teaching yourself. There's something about working in a room full of artists, or perhaps it's the opportunity to watch others tackle the same subject as you're trying to draw. Having a teacher and classmates there to give you feed back is a big plus, too

So yeah, I definitely think it's worth while to take life drawing classes if you have the time and money for it.

Faub · Post by **Faub** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 9:40 am

If you're going to college/university you have every reason to take drawing classes. You can minor in art and take all the drawing and design classes.

I only had two years of drawing classes, but I'm grateful for them. They taught me how little I actually knew and that, in itself, was a big help.

While classes are great, they are just a starting point. You need to want to learn more. You need to take opportunities to learn from people who know, even if it's a little thing, it helps.

The Neko · Post by **The Neko** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 9:32 pm

I'm taking figure classes, and I know they're valuable, but I really haven't had much improvement in a long while. This is probably just due to a period of artistic block, though. Or I just suck. Equally probable.

Black Sparrow · Post by **Black Sparrow** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 9:36 pm

The Neko wrote:I'm taking figure classes, and I know they're valuable, but I really haven't had much improvement in a long while. This is probably just due to a period of artistic block, though. Or I just suck. Equally probable.

Or maybe the fact that you've developped beyond the point where a simple drawing class is very useful to you. Also probable.

Where's our Amish porn, anyway?

Faub · Post by **Faub** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 3:39 pm

Drawing from reference material will help you. Drawing from life is excellent because you can get up and move to a different angle if the one you have doesn't work. Problem is, you can't always draw from life.

JTigerclaw · Post by **JTigerclaw** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:25 pm

Life drawing classes are very helpful, though I wish I had taken them when I was making my comic. Instead, I've had time to forget alot of the stuff, though some of it is still burned in my head. I now know relatively simple anatomy (nothing too fancy), which I didn't know before. Most of the hardcore techniques (like foreshortening, and making bodies 7 heads tall) I don't use much though.

Stinkywigfiddle · Post by **Stinkywigfiddle** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 10:44 pm

I've taken life drawing classes. I think they are very helpful.

Lately I've had to make do with anatomy art books.

Black Sparrow · Post by **Black Sparrow** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:03 am

There are some very good books out there that teach drawing... I always pimp "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards.

Dburkhead · Post by **Dburkhead** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:06 am

Black Sparrow wrote:There are some very good books out there that teach drawing... I always pimp "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards.

Well, okay. But isn't paper better for drawing on?

Black Sparrow · Post by **Black Sparrow** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:08 am

dburkhead wrote:
Black Sparrow wrote:There are some very good books out there that teach drawing... I always pimp "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards.
Well, okay. But isn't paper better for drawing on?

You have to be willing to experiment with different media... including human organs.

TheSuburbanLetdown · Post by **TheSuburbanLetdown** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 11:28 am

They didn't offer life drawing at my school till way late in the game. And even then it was once a week. What little I did take helped a lot though.

We didn't have any male models, so all my guys had huge hips for a while.

ChibiJess · Post by **ChibiJess** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 11:54 am

Most of the art classes have been traditional still life (fruits, vegetation, and pottery), or complete abstraction. However, the still life class helped a bit, in aking me realize that things look really bad unless shaded. It's helped me with the semi realistic shading.

But other than that - my anatomy drawing skills still suck rather muchly

Beyonder_alpha · Post by **Beyonder_alpha** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 1:23 pm

2 years ago I started drawing from scratch, 1 year ago I entered a life drawing class. Now I passed the entrance exam from one of the most fappish art schools available where I live. 50 people entered the exam, only 20 passed, most of those people had 7 years of traditional training.

I still have no fuckin clue how I did it.

But if this doesn't convince you to start a class, dunno what will.

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Life Drawing Classes - Actual Training At Art

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