Sketching Session 2

I really feel like being creative today, so I am going to attempt to make a relatively coherent and helpful sketching session, especially since I just bombarded deviantart with a massive sketch dump. I guess that the main thing that I want to focus on now is perspective, that is, making art look more three-dimensional. It is one of the hardest things to do as an artist, and even the people who are very good at drawing may not have fully mastered it.

The main thing that I find helpful is something to look at how the body looks in different positions. They can be pictures of yourself so that you can see how your arm looks when stretched in front of you, or how you look when sitting in a chair. Or, like what I use when I am at home, you can use a mannequin as a reference. They are three-dimensional objects as they are, and when they are positioned in the pose of your choice, they not only show you what each part of the body should look like, but they also indicate how the figure would be shaded.

 Of course, nothing beats practice, but the hardest part is that when it is wrong, it looks wrong. You will be able to tell before all of the main lines are drawn if the person or object is in the wrong position (which is why I always draw the outlines lightly first), so it might be fixable before you darken the final outline. The worst thing that I find is that I get frustrated when it keeps turning out badly, so I tend to give up on that specific piece for a while. Even though I tend to come back to it by the next day, it is very uncomfortable to know that no matter how you draw it, the figure will not turn out right. Be persistent and don't give up. It will take a while, but eventually the perspective will fall into place-- so long as you practice!