Hey People!
Lets get to it!

To make up for my missing sketches on Thursday (my arm was exhausted from sketching things for work). I decided to get some sketches going for the Saturday and surprise its unknown timed sketches of good calibre. IMG 1 is what started as a bean exercise which gradually adapted into a pose from my imagination. I mentioned before that I am getting better at standing poses for the female form I may need to mix this up so I get comfortable with lying and sitting poses too but I didn't intend for these sketches to go this far... but they did. I will get back on the male poses at some point this week I just dont want to lose my progress with the female ones. More will come!

(IMG 1 - Unknown - 15/02/2020) Female Sketch from Imagination "Lines are a bit harsh but its good form"

(IMG 2 - Unknown - 15/02/2020) Female Sketch from Imagination "Its not bad, the head is a little off and the legs"

IMG 2 is not my best work but it has a bit of a story. Its constantly bugged me that when I draw a bean I gradually diverge away from it to the point that the pose doesn't fit the bean any longer. Ive tried it in the post but I have a predilection to adapt the bean into a pose rather then use it as a building block for a pose. Things just fall by the way side and I end up just going with what looks right not really caring that its no longer based on the original bean. For this pose I tried to stay within the framework for the bean I drew with a slight twist in the torso pulling away from the pelvis. This is the first pose Ive made an effort here so while its not a great sketch its true to the bean.

Catch you guys tomorrow!

Over & Out,
xXStItChXx

Hey Guys!

A post focused on the male form (I bet your all thinking" finally", right?). I had a few test sketches I did quickly as a trial run just to make sure I didn't do anything too crap. I dont post up every pose especially ones that I consider warm up exercises because Its just to get in the mind set not real sketching. I often draw spirals, circles just to loosen my arm up a little bit along with the odd bean/test pose. I have had instances where a warm up exercise has turned into a finished sketch but not in most cases. Anyway, the beans for today (IMG 1) are on point I just wonder about the size of the backside. My gestures look much better (IMG 2) but still a bit on the hesitant/light side... Lets begin.

(IMG 1 - 45 Sec - 14/02/2020) Various Beans from Male Pose Series Tests 2 - "Looking okay, maybe make the torso bigger"

(IMG 2 - 45 Sec - 14/02/2020) Stretching/twisting/muscle male pose series x10 - “Not bad - remember gesture line on front poses!”

(IMG 3 - 5 Min - 14/02/2020) Male Sketch from Bean "Very stiff dont focus on the muscles get the flow first!

(IMG 4 - 5 Min - 14/02/2020) Male Sketch from Bean "Better - keep the lines lighter and free-flowing"

IMG 3 was all about hesitancy because I was pretty much trying to draw every bump and curve of the body and it shows because the pose just looks stiff. I'm happy to say in the pose that followed I managed to turn it around (IMG 4). I really like what I got in the pelvis region specifically his butt (no I'm not perving here). I dont think the sketch conveys the pose because his left arm is actually pulling back a little but its early days and practice makes perfect. I'm getting better and standing back/front neutral poses (almost from imagination now) though they often have little issues. Throw a severe twist at me though or a weird angle and I'm back to square one... Keep at it Stitch.

Over & Out,
xXStItChXx

Hey people!
A new round of sketches incoming!

Some new developments at work had the big boss asking me to draw him up a female model for a project and may potentially lead to more. This is great because of my credo - "the more I sketch the better I get". This should also afford me more excuses to sketch while at work which while a little nerve wracking is ultimately what I want to do more of. I spent pretty much all of the early morning and afternoon drawing in my iPad so much so that my hand ended up hurting. I will be investing more time in drawing more boxes as a warm up exercise because the kind of things they need me to draw will require that. Then after as a treat I get to draw a character some of the time. Awesome :)

(IMG 1 - Unknown - 12/02/2020) Female Sketch from Imagination "These are nice - simple but effective"

(IMG 2 - 45 Sec - 12/02/2020) Various Beans from Male Pose Series Tests 1 - "Less curves for men & bigger torso shape"

(IMG 3 - 5 Min - 12/02/2020) Male Sketch from Bean "Be careful with the posterior, more male practice required"

(IMG 4 - Unknown - 12/02/2020) Male Sketch from Imagination "Better, keep practicing the difference between male and female"

This leads me into what is the weaker side of my anatomy drawing currently: Men. I had such a long spell drawing men traditionally that I let the anatomy fall by the wayside by focusing on women. If anything this just shows me I need to start broadening my range once again, I just love focusing on one thing but its just not a good idea. I liked the output I got from IMG 4 but my Beans and gestures left something to be desired and it took quite a while to get the form and a pose I was happy with. Men are more rigid so less flow and more bulky obviously, in terms of beans its a bigger torso and a comparatively smaller pelvis. I'll keep at it so please keep watching this space :)

See you guys!

Over & Out,
xXStItChXx

Hey Guys!

I have another mental note to make so please bear with me here. Firstly, before I sketch I should try to read up on the last posts feedback. I should also be trying to post up every day instead of once a week while the sketches are fresh. At the moment I batch post back logged sketches and I dont think this blog is serving its purpose if I keep doing that. Its also been noted that I keep drawing the poses without a gesture I just try to draw the curves in the right places. I think I may need to study gesture more sternly because when It comes to the back of a person I use it but the front not so much... I think its because the stomach throws me a little and I make the torso too short.

(IMG 1 - 45 Sec - 11/02/2020) Sitting/twisting/Stretching female pose series revisited - “Make harder lines - its difficult to see"

(IMG 2 - 45 Sec - 11/02/2020) Various Beans from Female Pose Series Tests 54 - "Better J is the best for form!"

(IMG 3 - 5 Min - 11/02/2020) Female Sketch from Bean "Still messy, your feet are better though"

(IMG 4 - 5 Min - 11/02/2020) Female Sketch from Bean "Start with gesture/flow through the body"

(IMG 5 - 5 Min - 11/02/2020) Female Sketch from Bean "Keep the lines soft - the pose is a bit better"

Lots of epiphanies for this post but the most important is that I try to post my etchings every day so the notes are fresh in my head. Even if I cant post them I should write down my impressions. I believe I keep making the same mistakes because in the moment none of them are fresh and I end up doing them again. It doesn't really matter in longer sketches because I can spend hours tweaking them but in the moment for a 5 or even 10 minute sketch the mistakes find their way back because I'm not thinking I'm just trying to draw what I see. With the 45 second sketches I think even less but I think thats the point, no time to think just draw the simplest form and move on.

Until the next one!

Over & Out,
xXStItChXx

Hey Guys,
An interesting week!

I know you have seen this kind of post a lot but I still like to go back to the old lessons just to make sure I haven't missed anything. I know by now your groaning "why more beans dammit?". Truth is I dont want them to get rusty if anything I want to be able to evolve the bean and pull a figure from it. You may have noticed my more recent beans are mimicking the female body shape more and more these are no exception (IMG 1). You can tell I'm not confident in this area because my beans are not as smooth or flowing because I am actively thinking but part of the body can I see? how much is twisting? etc. It doesn't always kick in immediately, so I let a few sketches go.

(IMG 1 - 45 Sec - 10/02/2020) Various Beans from Female Pose Series Tests 53 - "Messy but more human"

(IMG 2 - 45 Sec - 10/02/2020) Sitting/twisting female pose series revisited - “Try to work from the gesture line"

(IMG 3 - 10 Min - 10/02/2020) Female Sketch from Box "Bit messy, work on the anatomy here"

I wrapped things up again with a 10 minute sketch which once again wasn't ideal (IMG 3). From this Ive identified that my sketches work if I spend a long time  on them (unknowns) or speed through them (45 sec).  I think this is because I've been neglecting adding lines for the shoulders and legs (tilt lines) and focusing on the bean too much. Proko says the gesture should go the whole way through the pose I should probably invest more time in this area so I stop making the same mistakes. I can improve a sketch over a longer period but because of my eagerness to get the form down I let details and flow slip away to get key building blocks down... I need to sort that.

Later Guys!

Over & Out,
xXStItChXx

Hey Guys,
Here we are the most recent post

I never actually thought I would catch up to the present now I will try to post these or at least write up something on the day to go along with them so I have something more knowledgeable to say. Todays efforts were fundamentally about long drawings again trying to break into how to make the beans work more with the poses and how to structure based on perspective. Lessons like tilts, leans and twists are not always simple and can be missed. Then before you know it the pose doesn't look right or simply looks stiff. You could also draw the anatomy wrong in an attempt to correct the pose I find myself doing this a lot so its nice to sit back and examine why.

(IMG 1 - 25 Min - 07/02/2020) Female Sketch from Bean "Not bad, try to do it quicker"

(IMG 2 - Unknown - 07/02/2020) Female Sketch from Bean "The best of this bunch the knee looks a little dodgy"

(IMG 3 - Unknown - 07/02/2020) Female Sketch from Bean "The torso is the right shape be aware of how they intertwine"

Proko says that every minute drawing is a gift so it should be fun, not stressful. When I started this journey drawing wasn't fun because I'd get frustrated spending hour after hour trying to figure out why my sketches didn't feel right. I feel everyone goes through this and people who stick with it can find light at the end of the tunnel. I wont lie its not easy because everyone has bad days when no matter what you do the sketches just dont work or look completely rubbish and no matter what you do they just keep getting worse. I find it every time I step away or go back to a different type of pose (sitting, laying, etc). However, I love the feeling when it actually works.

I love understanding why it works and you will too.

Over & Out,
xXStItChXx

Hey everyone!
A new post just for you!

I feel I'm starting to find a bit of a flow here dont get me wrong I've seen other peoples that well its amazing what they can do in like a 1 minute gesture BUT I'm getting better. You can tell with my gestures (IMG 1) that the legs are like the lost thing to be added because they are just vague squiggles its the main thing I dont like same with the arms really. I mean its 45 seconds I'm not going to kick myself for not having time to knock them into blocks but it is a bench mark to aim for in the future. My beans (IMG 2) are getting more reflective of the pose in which they are based which is great especially twist which is something that baffled me. Here's hoping I keep improving.

(IMG 1 - 45 Sec - 06/02/2020) Sitting/twisting female pose series revisited - “Keep an eye on the legs otherwise good flow”

(IMG 2 - 45 Sec - 06/02/2020) Various Beans from Female Pose Series Tests 52 - "Keep aiming for better ratios (Bigger Butt - female)"

(IMG 3 - 10 Min - 06/02/2020) Female Sketch from Box "I love this shot would be nice if it was complete"

I've left this paragraph just to talk about IMG 3 because damn if I didn't need any further evidence of how the boxes work with these poses this clinches it. When I drew the initial Bean a lot was wrong I didn't draw the top bean out of the bottom which I should have. It made the chest overlap the lower body more instead of angle outwards. The boxes really helped correct it. I especially loved how I constructed the box for the torso it looks just like its pealing back how it was in the models pose. I didn't want to get too lost in it so I left it there but I really like how this is starting to work on my drawings. I have a few avenues now to figure stuff out.

See you guys in the next one!

Over & Out,
xXStItChXx

Hey Guys,

This was probably my best sketch session yet. My gestures, my beans even my longer sketch has merit and while I dont usually toot my horn I think my skills will revert back to normal tomorrow. For my gestures (IMG 1) I focused on the pose and drew everything I could within the 45 second limit I tried to start with the closest shape or with the longest lasting curve. I tried to go with the feeling more then what she was actually doing. I got the two basic volumes down (chest/pelvis) then the limbs and the head. For my beans (IMG 2) I tried to get the sizes right and the distances the twist is a little weak in some but I really thought this series was nice.

(IMG 1 - 45 Sec - 05/02/2020) Arms back chest out/sway female pose series revisited x 10 - “D is awesome and I and J”

(IMG 2 - 45 Sec - 05/02/2020) Various Beans from Female Pose Series Tests 51 - "Good distance good sizes keep it up!"

(IMG 3 - 10 Min - 05/02/2020) Female Sketch from Bean "Be aware of harsh lines - keep an eye on those legs!"

(IMG 4 - Unknown - 05/02/2020) Female Sketch from Bean "I cant believe I drew these, I love them"

I feel really confident after this series of sketches but I know it never lasts I just have to try to discern what I can and move on. I think the key here is breaking down these forms just a little more so I can get the angles right first time like with the bean. I'm pretty sure I usually have to file the bean down to make the pose work I'm not using it the draw the pose I just place it and then forget about it. The angles need to be right and t he pelvis bean needs to flow into the upper bean without it overlapping too much (I always overlap them too much). This results in a bloated chest cavity and makes the back angle less towards the pelvis.

All in all, a good day!

Over & Out,
xXStItChXx

Hey People,
Here we go again!

Today I had a look back over my older posts its been quite a journey already I have to say I'm seeing improvement even if some of my experiments haven't paid off. This has really pumped me up. I still have the odd issue with accurate anatomy when it comes to quick sketches but the point of them is to capture the pose nothing more really. I seem toe forget that when I'm in the middle of a drawing and like anything the more you try to improve the more you file off the flow and fluidity. I'm gonna have to double my efforts to identify how I keep that element in my drawings because I feel its the main thing I lack... my quicker sketches have it they just lack polish and form.

(IMG 1- 45 Sec - 04/02/2020) Coked Hip/Tilt female pose series revisited x10 - “Nice flow - keep an eye on the anatomy?”

(IMG 2 - 45 Sec - 04/02/2020) Bent forward/bent back female poses revisited x10 - “Simplistic but effective - dont lose sight of this”

(IMG 3 - 5 Min - 04/02/2020) Female Sketch from Bean "Remember the feet and ground plane"

(IMG 4 - 10 Min - 04/02/2020) Female Sketch from Bean "Good legs and feet here keep an eye on balance"

I'm actually starting to get my head around feet a little more too at least in proportion to the body. My problem in the past has been making the bottom of the calf too large which in turn makes the foot too big. Now I draw it thinking that it needs to flow out of the foot and taper. I know the foot is more then that when you break it down more but at this point I'm just trying to understand the shapes and figure out why some work and others dont. Thats ultimately what this blog is about because without analysis I could stumble onto it but I dunno it feels good to assess things and draw a consensus to see if something works or if it simply doesn't.

Over & Out,
xXStItChXx

Hey Guys!

I got another hot post off of the presses. I stepped away a little from the structure of my former sketches for gesture and just went with the flow like I said I would. I feel these sketches are much better and say so much more about the poses. My most recent series of gestures (IMG 1) Is like a turnaround of two poses and its so well conveyed in these gestures. If I had one problem it would be that they were a little rough in places but damn if it doesn't look cool. I'm starting to wonder if they would work if I put them in a video and played the one after the other would there be an accurate turntable animation. Maybe I'll do that one day.

(IMG 1 - 45 Sec - 03/02/2019) Arm behind head/bending female pose series revisited x 10 - “Much better then prior efforts”

(IMG 2 - 45 Sec - 03/02/2020) Various Beans from Female Pose Series Tests 50 - "C is the best, keep it up!"

(IMG 3 - 5 Min - 03/02/2020) Female Sketch from Bean "Lines are a bit heavy here - keep the soft flow"

(IMG 4 - 5 Min - 03/02/2020) Female Sketch from Bean "Miles better but work is needed on the arms!"

I try not to for my quicker sketches but I know understanding the form will make my work a hell of a lot easier. I will work on this more for my longer sketches and then try to throw it into my shorter ones if I get stuck. The biggest problem I have when I know I have so little time is where to start. I know Proko says with the head so you have an idea of the scale but I find that tricky at times. I usually start with the torso and move down to the pelvis then add the head afterwards. Its probably why some of my sketches are proportionally inaccurate. I think this is gonna be a simple case of whatever works in the moment on that particular pose for that sketch.

Drawing is freeform right, any structure and it becomes rigid.

Over & Out,
xXStItChXx