01-16-2014, 11:07 AM
Wall of text incoming lol:)
And then again, I constantly see anime artists jump from style to style with no effort, which implies there should be some kind of common denominator. And that's something I assume I have yet to "learn to learn". I mean, a 10 year old japanese kid would probably draw a smiley face that's more anime than anything I can produce at this point:) (which could be seen as logical). Yes, it would be worse technically, though (hopefully):D
I mean, essentially, that was a "half-justified" whine and letting of some steam:) I mean, if I would still feel the same after like six months or so of constant practicing from now, then I probably should really start to think hard about that subject.
Yeah, I have to say I was a bit lucky to go to a certain studio which was quite good in brainwashing the students with constant fundamental talk and application. I was extremely lazy back then, so yeah, not much improvement and practice until this sketchbook really:)
And, while, because of laziness, I haven't acquired much practical skill, I did acquire some knowledge - to look at things the painter's way, to criticize, to recognize the quality, I have learned to filter information etc. A lot of artists which I considered godlike, I discovered they weren't that good etc.
Which I think helped me a lot in choosing sources, approach to studying etc.
And, the reason I am writing this is because you have mentioned a really interesting subject and that is the problem of knowing how to approach to studying art and the ability to filter information when you are at the absolute start. And it's something I constantly see abused in anime tutorials and, let's call it, beginner anime scene. There are like more anime tutorial books than books in general:) And one in 50 is actually decent.
People saw that anime is extremely popular and yet very simple looking style and they decided to cash on it, even though they really don't know what they're doing, because the untrained eye can't really see the difference in quality when there's much stylization involved.
And then, when you are the absolute beginner, you can't really tell good from bad, especially when it comes to anime sources. I mean, why should you, you are only starting. And thus, you are like a perfect target for taking advantage of.
I really think that all of us that are into anime and are on this site (for example) are extremely lucky that we got our facts straight and are now in a "safe place" when it comes to recognizing good sources or approach to practice or schedule etc. Regardless of whether one started with anime and other with realism and the third one did plain air landscapes:) For example, my biggest handicap is that I haven't drawn from imagination and my visual library is like non-existant BECAUSE I went to the studio:) And now I'm like "an apple? I can draw an apple, give me a photo of it. No photo? Omg what should I do!". So I think everything has it's merits as long as the "main path is secured":)
And the whole topic kinda interests me, I mean, when browsing the internetz, I am always like screaming inside my head "no, don't listen to this guy" or "no, your approach is bad, you won't progress" or "no, anime isn't easy just because it looks simple" or "no, that book is bad":) I mean, I remember watching some anime sped up process and some guy asked in the comments about whether practicing figure drawing and anatomy would make him better in anime. And this other guy responded like "no, don't do that, it would actually be bad for you because anime people are stylized, so studying real anatomy would hurt you. Go and trace over illustrations that you like". I mean, yeah, it's a youtube comment, but you know what I mean, it's about the same with some of the major anime learning resources on the web.
I have actually been thinking of creating a youtube channel (when I get to some decent level, of course) where I would address these things constantly and hopefully sway beginners on the right side:) It's a trend that's very painfully visible when observed and yet, people who know what they're doing probably don't have time for crusades and the others aren't noticing it. But I really think, although the phenomenon is somewhat related to art on a general level (you can't really bs people into buying your book on physics if it's not good), it's extremely common when it comes to anime specifically.
Yup, I would say, I'll just plunge into practice and study and we'll see in a while how it goes:)
Gah, that was some wall of text! But, what can I do, I find these topics extremely interesting:)
Today, I did some stuff from imagination. I've tried to apply stuff from the book. I've tried to use some soft brushes, that's something I'm not used to, I tend to block things and then block more and then more etc.
I picked this from my earlier sketches and tried to work on it a bit more. After a while I started going in circles, so I think this is some level beyond which I just make it worse (and less anime:D).
I dislike the build of those girls. I guess I would have to incorporate some kind of anatomy analysis from anime references in particular, to get the feel of elongation and contortion and stylization. My approach is too stiff, I guess I'll try to go crazy and sketch some ridiculous proportions, just to free myself a bit.
Quote:Doesn't it also depend a lot on which kind of anime style you want to adapt? There are so many 'shades' of anime, from realistic to hyper-simplified..Well, I think yes, to a certain degree... Thing with that is that I don't have the fixed idea. I do like a "regular modern" anime style, where the knowledge has been packed into pretty simplified (but not overly simplified) package. And then again, I do like me some baroque-cliched realistic korean magic from time to time:) But if I had to choose, I would pick something like Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's work, as I find it to be a perfect blend of stylization, anatomy application, simplification and it's all in a well constructed box AND it has quite a bit of appeal - for example http://e-shuushuu.net/images/2013-05-09-578146.jpeg ).
And then again, I constantly see anime artists jump from style to style with no effort, which implies there should be some kind of common denominator. And that's something I assume I have yet to "learn to learn". I mean, a 10 year old japanese kid would probably draw a smiley face that's more anime than anything I can produce at this point:) (which could be seen as logical). Yes, it would be worse technically, though (hopefully):D
I mean, essentially, that was a "half-justified" whine and letting of some steam:) I mean, if I would still feel the same after like six months or so of constant practicing from now, then I probably should really start to think hard about that subject.
Quote:it is kind of interesting to see someone come from studying realism and anatomy etc trying to master anime.. while I myself was struggling really hard to eliminate anime influence in my drawings (because that was unfortunately where I started.) Your approach of starting with realism is a lot better though.
Yeah, I have to say I was a bit lucky to go to a certain studio which was quite good in brainwashing the students with constant fundamental talk and application. I was extremely lazy back then, so yeah, not much improvement and practice until this sketchbook really:)
And, while, because of laziness, I haven't acquired much practical skill, I did acquire some knowledge - to look at things the painter's way, to criticize, to recognize the quality, I have learned to filter information etc. A lot of artists which I considered godlike, I discovered they weren't that good etc.
Which I think helped me a lot in choosing sources, approach to studying etc.
And, the reason I am writing this is because you have mentioned a really interesting subject and that is the problem of knowing how to approach to studying art and the ability to filter information when you are at the absolute start. And it's something I constantly see abused in anime tutorials and, let's call it, beginner anime scene. There are like more anime tutorial books than books in general:) And one in 50 is actually decent.
People saw that anime is extremely popular and yet very simple looking style and they decided to cash on it, even though they really don't know what they're doing, because the untrained eye can't really see the difference in quality when there's much stylization involved.
And then, when you are the absolute beginner, you can't really tell good from bad, especially when it comes to anime sources. I mean, why should you, you are only starting. And thus, you are like a perfect target for taking advantage of.
I really think that all of us that are into anime and are on this site (for example) are extremely lucky that we got our facts straight and are now in a "safe place" when it comes to recognizing good sources or approach to practice or schedule etc. Regardless of whether one started with anime and other with realism and the third one did plain air landscapes:) For example, my biggest handicap is that I haven't drawn from imagination and my visual library is like non-existant BECAUSE I went to the studio:) And now I'm like "an apple? I can draw an apple, give me a photo of it. No photo? Omg what should I do!". So I think everything has it's merits as long as the "main path is secured":)
And the whole topic kinda interests me, I mean, when browsing the internetz, I am always like screaming inside my head "no, don't listen to this guy" or "no, your approach is bad, you won't progress" or "no, anime isn't easy just because it looks simple" or "no, that book is bad":) I mean, I remember watching some anime sped up process and some guy asked in the comments about whether practicing figure drawing and anatomy would make him better in anime. And this other guy responded like "no, don't do that, it would actually be bad for you because anime people are stylized, so studying real anatomy would hurt you. Go and trace over illustrations that you like". I mean, yeah, it's a youtube comment, but you know what I mean, it's about the same with some of the major anime learning resources on the web.
I have actually been thinking of creating a youtube channel (when I get to some decent level, of course) where I would address these things constantly and hopefully sway beginners on the right side:) It's a trend that's very painfully visible when observed and yet, people who know what they're doing probably don't have time for crusades and the others aren't noticing it. But I really think, although the phenomenon is somewhat related to art on a general level (you can't really bs people into buying your book on physics if it's not good), it's extremely common when it comes to anime specifically.
Quote:Maybe you could do some focused and comparative studies of different people's anime work that you like, similar to what you did on the last page? Just more focused, trying to break down how they stylized what part of the body/face and why. Maybe even a comparison to styles you do not want to adapt, just to figure out the differences. Picking the brains of people you admire does sound like a good idea too though, I am sure many are willing to help if they see that you are really trying and serious about it (as this sketchbook does prove).Yup, I certainly have to do that, it'll take time though, but yeah. At this point, when I do analyze it, I have relatively little success when it comes to "aha!" moments when breaking down the styles. I find it quite specific and elusive. I'll attribute it to the lack of experience and I'll whine as rare as possible:D
Quote:And yes, lots of application and experimentation will surely help, too. I do think you have lots of very cute anime-ish drawings in here already :)Yay!:)
Quote:great hampton studying, I just skipped to the anatomy section cos I'm a knuckleheadOh, I'm a major knucklehead:) I just use "artificial leverage". Like, I know if I start to go through the book selectively, I will end up reading like two pages and being like "well, that was a good book, let's go through another one". So I basically put myself to a gun point and decided to simply read, look, draw and even write notes about every page from start to finish. Otherwise, my scumbag brain would find a way to somehow not benefit from it:)
Quote:Thanks for stopping by my skechtbook (:Thanks and no prob, thanks for stopping by to my sketchbook:D
Great work on the colour studies and the hampton sketches!
Quote:I understand your trouble with lines and the wacom, I actually have the same problem unless I work in SAI, where there's the stabilizer to help get really beautiful lines. It feels a bit like cheating though. I understand your hair problem a bit better now, but I think it's also something that comes with exploring the whole anime thing a bit more. It's also a bit of a reply to the thing you explained in your last post I think. I would basically just suggest the same like Lyraina! Experimenting a bit and playing around (:Ah, yes, SAI:) It's a strange beast, really. I LOVE it's blending and mixing behavior and it's speed and ease of use, I mean rotating canvas, opening, closing etc. it's phenomenal. For example, I do the Hampton studies in SAI. Photoshop has always been too digital when it comes to blending and mixing colors, even with the mixer brush. On the other hand, photoshop is simply a behemoth when it comes to blending modes, brushes and really, all the other stuff. I use them both, I avoid using the stabilizer, for the sake of practice. But, I have mixed feelings about that feature, really. While I do see it as a crutch, I don't see it's use as necessarily a bad thing when producing commercial artwork, in the similar way I don't view photo textures as a bad thing.
Oh and btw. hair, for me it's kind of the other way round, I regularly despair when I want to draw hair realistically, I just have no idea how to do it, especially curly hair. I can't seem to simplify it enough.
Yup, I would say, I'll just plunge into practice and study and we'll see in a while how it goes:)
Gah, that was some wall of text! But, what can I do, I find these topics extremely interesting:)
Today, I did some stuff from imagination. I've tried to apply stuff from the book. I've tried to use some soft brushes, that's something I'm not used to, I tend to block things and then block more and then more etc.
I picked this from my earlier sketches and tried to work on it a bit more. After a while I started going in circles, so I think this is some level beyond which I just make it worse (and less anime:D).
I dislike the build of those girls. I guess I would have to incorporate some kind of anatomy analysis from anime references in particular, to get the feel of elongation and contortion and stylization. My approach is too stiff, I guess I'll try to go crazy and sketch some ridiculous proportions, just to free myself a bit.