04-23-2021, 08:59 AM
*makes a funny noise at mention* Inspiration, my work?
So, I gave a lot of thought to whether it's wise to post this because it has pitfalls that may be confusing instead of helpful. As far as I know this is not something formally taught in art schools but a way of making sense of the world I came up based on what feels natural to me and the things I like to put in my work. It won't quite help with accuracy, technique or reproductions. It helps with building figures from imagination and eventual deeper dives into anatomy if you feel inclined to. The way one paints and draws is ultimately a mix of the approaches that feel the most natural for them, and to be able to concoct your own mix you need to be aware of their existence.
If anything use this as an example of how to not do things. Hey, a bad example is still an example!
I really like to think in terms of planes for shading reasons. When it comes to portraits one of the most influential things I've ever came across was Asaro's Planes of the Head:
![[Image: cTZfL.jpg]](http://imgur.com/cTZfL.jpg)
(thread containing zip w/ other angles)
This is a framework to look at the head in terms of volumes instead of features. It helped me by leading me to pay attention to things like the types of curves the area surrounding the inner corner of the eyes creates when it connects to the nose, small things I never minded or even noticed before.
So when I look at a face like Astrid's I'm doing something like this:
Studies based on this method won't be 1:1 copies, they're more like filtered interpretations of an image. Let's say I really liked her eyelids. I located them, I understood their shape. I now have ways to increasing the focus on them by exaggerating light or shadows. Or if I need a breather in a out-of-focus area I soften and combine and similar planes of, let's say, the neck. Before diving into details I tend to determine what the major shapes in a face look like just like the left side of the bust photo.
This is the perfect opposite of drawing what you see; instead of flattening you're 3Ding the image.
Even if you ultimately decide to take the academic approach to studies and flatten this might still come in hand when building your visual library or to evaluate values or colors since they obey these planes changes thanks to the strong connection between light and surface angle.
That's it!
Regarding your work, I like your ears and the object studies in the first post in special for their texture, colors and brushwork. You seem to have an affinity for material rendering and light-based colors; as in you're not just adding black or white to them and that's really good!
Also, you seem to be interested in doing things from imagination, making this "studies interposed by something from mind" a spot on way to study. Keep up the good work!
So, I gave a lot of thought to whether it's wise to post this because it has pitfalls that may be confusing instead of helpful. As far as I know this is not something formally taught in art schools but a way of making sense of the world I came up based on what feels natural to me and the things I like to put in my work. It won't quite help with accuracy, technique or reproductions. It helps with building figures from imagination and eventual deeper dives into anatomy if you feel inclined to. The way one paints and draws is ultimately a mix of the approaches that feel the most natural for them, and to be able to concoct your own mix you need to be aware of their existence.
If anything use this as an example of how to not do things. Hey, a bad example is still an example!
I really like to think in terms of planes for shading reasons. When it comes to portraits one of the most influential things I've ever came across was Asaro's Planes of the Head:
(thread containing zip w/ other angles)
This is a framework to look at the head in terms of volumes instead of features. It helped me by leading me to pay attention to things like the types of curves the area surrounding the inner corner of the eyes creates when it connects to the nose, small things I never minded or even noticed before.
So when I look at a face like Astrid's I'm doing something like this:
Studies based on this method won't be 1:1 copies, they're more like filtered interpretations of an image. Let's say I really liked her eyelids. I located them, I understood their shape. I now have ways to increasing the focus on them by exaggerating light or shadows. Or if I need a breather in a out-of-focus area I soften and combine and similar planes of, let's say, the neck. Before diving into details I tend to determine what the major shapes in a face look like just like the left side of the bust photo.
This is the perfect opposite of drawing what you see; instead of flattening you're 3Ding the image.
Even if you ultimately decide to take the academic approach to studies and flatten this might still come in hand when building your visual library or to evaluate values or colors since they obey these planes changes thanks to the strong connection between light and surface angle.
That's it!
Regarding your work, I like your ears and the object studies in the first post in special for their texture, colors and brushwork. You seem to have an affinity for material rendering and light-based colors; as in you're not just adding black or white to them and that's really good!
Also, you seem to be interested in doing things from imagination, making this "studies interposed by something from mind" a spot on way to study. Keep up the good work!