Posted February 5, 2009 by jwebster45206
Whether you’re drawing with a pencil or with vectors, some of the same ideas apply. In my vector drawings, I used to try to be very precise, drawing the finished lines and shapes exactly. Then, after I started learning to use brushes, I saw that I could make much more fluid and interesting shapes by following a larger and looser process. Here are a couple images to show the technique.
- First, I draw with big loose lines, defining the lines of motion, and worrying about intersection points, but not too much about end points of lines.
- I try to create relationships between different lines so that they complement each other.
- Then I add some detail to pull it together. Even with the detail, I don’t worry about defining endpoints very much. This is how a good artist would draw with a pencil, so it makes sense to do the same in Illustrator.
- Once the rough drawing is done, I copy it and start cutting, masking, and applying brushes to bring it closer and closer to a finished drawing.
That’s a big part of my drawing strategy right now. Sometimes it’s hard to sort out all those loose and crazy lines, but I think the result is worth it–a little bit of unique style and a lot of cool in-progress images!
Posted October 18, 2008 by jwebster45206
I was looking through my drawing books earlier this week, and I came across a really old book that was handed down to me by a relative. I remember when I was in school I thought it was a great resource, so I started looking through it again. It’s called Figure Drawing for All It’s Worth by Andrew Loomis. I looked at it again, and it’s still awesome. It shows an author with a talent for teaching drawing without the pretentiousness that I remember from instructors in art school. His work also shows an appreciation for the classic pinup, and that attracts me.
So I started digging around online and discovered that Loomis wrote a total of 6 books. All are out of print, considered rare, and usually sell for $80+. But the good news is that they have been out of print for so long, that they are considered public domain. So I looked a little deeper and found that I could download them as e-books, although some were difficult to find. I thought I would clean up the pdf’s and re-post here along with some short reviews.
The first of Loomis’s books is called Fun with a Pencil. And it lives up to its name. It’s written in a light, approachable tone, and it’s a short and relatively easy read. But when you dig in and start looking in detail at all the sample illustrations and measurements, you’ll see that this is really detailed stuff. He covers all the basics needed for good drawing, and he makes it easy to understand.
Whether you are working digitally or with traditional media, in 2d or 3d, a solid understanding of art theory will go a long way to helping you make the most of your abilities. I can’t imagine a better basic resource than this book.
I’ll be posting more of Loomis’s books in the coming weeks, so stay tuned. For now, click the link below to download:
Posted April 2, 2008 by jwebster45206
Just wanted to drop a quick note to announce that there?s a new and better Comic Artboard available. Professional artist Brian Denham (of Iron Man Hypervelocity), who runs a great blog full of tricks and tutorials for drawing comic lineart with Illustrator, has put together a new must-have resource.
His board has sizing guides for all the common formats, suggestions on how to organize layers, and a smart color-coded system for managing a comprehensive library of comic brushes. And get this?he even included some of my brushes!
Brian?s very generous to share, so give him some clicks and check it out for yourself!
Click here to get the Illcraft Comic Artboard template.
