(Part 2) Best figure drawing guides according to redditors
We found 838 Reddit comments discussing the best figure drawing guides. We ranked the 158 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
I love urban sketching so much and really want to get better at it. I've been bringing my sketchbook with me on vacation for a while now, but have had a tough time using it more than once or twice until my most recent trip. Here are some of my favorites.
My very first time! - this was in Cordoba, Spain. It's not at all what I was trying to do, but I still really like how it turned out. I was hoping to fit a lot more in the scene, but I drew things too big and just went with it. A french guy walking by saw it and said it was nice (I think) and gave me a thumbs up.
Killing time in Tokyo - The Fuji TV building by the Aqua City mall. My wife and I got there early and were waiting for places to open, so we found a bench with a nice view. (Bonus yoyogi park on the other page)
The river in Kyoto - This was the most relaxing place I've ever drawn. It's also when I realized the importance of sunscreen for urban sketching.
The park by my house - I try to get out and do stuff here once in a while too, but it's hard. I live in the deep suburbs surrounded by cookie cutter houses, so it can be tough finding something interesting to draw.
Some memorable things that have happend while I was out sketching:
When I look back at the sketches I did I remember all these things and more. I take a ton of photos on vacation too, but I don't feel attached to them in the same way. Probably because a picture is so much faster to take... you're really forced to stop and take things in when you draw the scene. There's probably a life lesson in there somewhere.
Anyways, that's more than enough about me. Here are some resources!
But really if you're at all interested in urban sketching just grab a sketchbook, some supplies, and get out there. Even if you end up not liking your art at least you spent the day outside doing something you enjoy, and that's tough to beat.
This seems reasonable. So you seem to be adopting a Huemer type view of intuition for a particular reason and in a particular situation. You're saying that sometimes it is prudent to not reflect on our intuition. Namely, those times when the intuition is sufficient (even if suboptimal).
This reminds me of Gerd Gigerenzer's view about intuition and other heuristics.
Example 1
Here is my red line, the legs was what I think could be improved on. I just put the legs in perspective and fixed it up.
Example 2
Here is the version showing the shapes to think about. Think about shapes and how they wrap around the body.
Another example showing the perspective.
Example 3
I would recommend is to practice drawing form. Here is a video explaining it.
The Basics: what they mean
Also read some books on animal anatomy I recommend :
Animal Anatomy for Artists: The Elements of Form
Science of Creature Design: understanding animal anatomy
Also here is a book about perspective:
Perspective Made Easy (Dover Art Instruction)
I hope it helps :)
There's a lot to improve. Let's see...
There's a lot more I could say, but I'll stop here. Regardless, thanks for the compliment!
I'm a big fan of George Bridgman's "Complete Guide to Drawing from Life" and Gottfried Bammes "Complete Guide to Life Drawing" is also pretty great.
Also, here are all of my figure structure drawings from college. It's a little sloppy, but it's free. :)
I'd suggest picking up Burne Hogarth's Drawing the Human Head. I think you're seeing faces with too much intellect right now because they still appear flat and 'symbolic.' When you can start to think about the head as a three dimensional form with distinct geometric planes, you'll breathe realism into your work. You can see that her right eyeball looks odd and lopsided, this is because you thought more about the 'idea' of what an eye looks like (the symbol of an eye) as opposed to the 3D visual form of the eye - a sphere inside a hole on the face. If the sphere of the eye is right, the eyelids can be placed appropriately.
Right now her lips are lacking dimensionality, they look like a flat object loosely put in the right area. The issue is that the center of her mouth is not in line with the center of her nose or chin. This is the 3D issue I'm bringing up again.
You know, you actually nailed the forms under the eyebrow on the left eye, it shows very keen observation. The bridge of the nose isn't half bad either, there is a very clear distinction of planes (one is lit up and bright, the other is dark). You made a further success in the nose by accentuating that bright triangle of light under her eye. It's a plane change that's on the same plane as the nose (because it's lit up identically). It tells us that her cheek is facing forward, like a real 3D face would.
Finally, think of the design of your image. The right side of her face is just floating off into blankness and becoming lost. This is unfortunate because the silhouette of her face on that side has much more interesting features than the roundness of the back of her head. Add some dark tones behind the side of her face and accentuate your observation of this contour. Similarly, if that side of her face was dark, you could bring out a strong silhouette by leaving it light behind it. It's just the concept of contrast - light on dark, dark on light. Here's a great explanation on this topic by James Gurney.
Here's a portrait by John Singer Sargent for example. Look at how much contrast (relative darkness compared to lightness) he created on the side of her face. We can see her much better now, she seems to come forward and makes herself known. Look at how we can run our eyes over her face and almost feel the topography, especially on her lips. Always remember that though your media is two dimensional, you are striving to make it appear to have depth and be three dimensional.
Keep practicing! Try to avoid using clear lines on areas like her chin and face, use value (darkness) to bring these areas out instead. Maybe even try looking up some portraits by Leonardo or Velazquez or Rembrandt or Sargent and just straight up copy them. Go to a bookstore and get a book of portraits. Not only is it inspirational, but by copying their work you can learn their techniques.
I second the other comment. All the guys that do amazing western style comics are masters of the figure and anatomy. They studied their craft, and drew their subjects as realistically as possible. They learned to understand how things are put together, or constructed.
A good start is to locate a figure drawing class you can attend. Alternatively, you can also go quite far by practicing using some of the excellent figure reference out there on the web. Just do a google-drain on it and get drawing. Suppliment your learning by studying human anatomy. I recommend the following books:
[Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist] (http://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Anatomy-Artist-Stephen-Rogers/dp/0195030958/)
[Master Class in Figure Drawing] (http://www.amazon.com/Master-Figure-Drawing-Robert-Beverly/dp/0823030148/)
the animation field is very very competitive. and little by little, jobs are being cut out from the field. if you go for animation, you better have passion. without it, you may as well have no chance...
i wanted to be an animator ever since i was a kid, i love cartoons. animation is a wonderful medium.
Do you know who Richard Williams is? I hope you do. In his book, The Animator's Survival Kit, He talks about his journey into the world of animation. please read that section which is located in the very first pages of the book.
i watched your video SidMonqay, and i will tell you to forget about animating right now. No, i don't mean lose the passion to animate. What i mean is forget about the technical part, which is animation. First, learn how to draw. No, i don't mean learn how to draw cartoons, i mean really REALLY learn how to draw. Study classical drawing and painting...trust me...if you focus on this you will be able to draw ANYTHING:cartoons, anime, illustration, comics, etc. because this is the HARDEST and most DIFFICULT art there is. (Jason Manley from ConceptArt.org https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh37Mtex67w) you don't have to 'master' it, but learn from it. once you know you are ready, you are ready for animation.
I am 22, and studying classical drawing at a studio in Chicago under a very great and talented artist who i call my mentor. he has connections to some of the biggest studios of animation out there, and knows A LOT of well known artists. He teaches classical drawing and painting but also works as a storyboard artists and is grateful to make a living as an artist. He told me he has plans to grow the studio into a small 'academy' where he and other artists will teach classical/digital/animation. I am so happy i found this place. it beats all the art colleges i have gone to.
I now go to the studio and study mechanical design technology at a community college(as a back up, if animation doesn't work out..)
I will introduce you to Bargue drawings(intro to classical training)
http://ricardopontes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/34_plate_I_7_the_foot_of_the_gladiator.jpg
This book my mentor suggested me to read, which i did "Lessons in Classical Drawing: Essential Techniques from Inside the Atelier"
http://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Classical-Drawing-Essential-Techniques/dp/082300659X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1409106710&sr=8-2&keywords=classical+atelier
This artist who has great drawing/painting demos DVDs which i learned a lot from (Robert Liberace)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyC4sxFrr9w
An animation news website
http://www.cartoonbrew.com/
Calarts which is the best school(they say) for character animation
http://calarts.edu/
(but listen, you DO NOT need a degree for animation. you DO need a kick ass portfolio. and i mean it. kick ass...you get the job and recognition from your portfolio and skills, not the piece of paper.
I myself am not getting a degree in art or animation.)
here is my tumblr. i post my art there.
http://cigaretteclub.tumblr.com/
if anything SidMonqay, try art at a community college. it's cheaper than larger institutions. be careful of for-profit institutions and people that just want your money. that is where i messed up, and i lost all hope, until i found this studio. I highly recommend you go and find a studio or atelier and study drawing and painting there. there are also art workshops every year for illustration/animation/drawing/painting you can find each year around the U.S! like this one http://www.artconnectionacademy.com/SaturdayLectures.aspx
but, choose your own path! any questions, feel free to ask
[edit] of course! Richard Williams book on animation! http://www.amazon.com/The-Animators-Survival-Kit-Principles/dp/086547897X
Hi,
This is a good first effort!
Drawing the human body is tough. There are all kinds of shapes involved, they move around and change shape in crazy ways, and people are really finely attuned to the details so it's easy to make a noticeable mistake.
If you haven't already, I would first focus on drawing simpler things -- simple geometric objects like cubes and boxes, then a bit more complicated but still basically geometric shapes like buildings and chairs, then biological things that don't move much like plants, and so on. At the very least, it's important to be able to draw boxes in perspective pretty well. (I'm not sure if you can already do that or not -- just saying in general.)
If you want to just dive right into figure drawing, I would recommend picking up a book on artistic anatomy. There are a lot of good ones out there. One I can recommend (kind of intermediate level) is Master Class In Figure Drawing, by Robert Beverly Hale. He looks at drawings from the greats and breaks them down. It's not a complete reference, and there might be better books/online tutorials out there now, but it helps you think about drawing the human body in general.
More or less, his approach is to go from the largest masses of the body (the rib cage, the pelvis) to the smallest (the nose, fingers, etc.). He describes them in terms of simpler geometric shapes like boxes.
I find that more than half the battle is just drawing boxes for every body part in the right proportion and in the right place relative to each other.
Good luck! Keep it up.
I’m no expert but I’d say to separate gesture from structure.
Start with a sweeping line to the express the overall pose. That’s the gesture, it will inform everything that comes after.
Next turn the gesture into a stick figure with head and chest just like you’ve done and a little box for a pelvis and triangle feet and hands. This is the beginning of structure.
This is the time to make sure all the proportions and slants are correct. Consider how wide and high the figure is and if that matches your stick figure. Where is the highest/lowest/leftist/rightest points and do they match in relation. This is the foundation for structure.
I’d recommend Steve Huston
Figure-Drawing-Artists-Making-Every-Mark-Count
EDIT2: I'm reposting my original comment because the last one was removed. I think the reason it was removed was because I used a link shortener for the amazon links. Anyway, here's the original comment, now with really long motherfuckin URLs.
I've been lurking on this sub for quite a while under a number of accounts and I'm constantly surprised that so few people here are familiar with Gigerenzer's work. He's made a lot of progress undoing the damage done by Tversky and Kahneman's Heuristics and Biases Program and I think anyone intrinsically interested in human rationality will immediately see the value of Gigerenzer's work in this regard. The paper I linked is a must read for anyone who is familiar with T&K's work and might be wondering how the narrative that they constructed could be described as "damaging" to society.
EDIT: Just hijacking my own comment to list a few book recommendations. From another comment:
>> A book not written by someone unaware of the existence of computational complexity and Bayesian statistics
>Man, Gigerenzer is the motherfucker for which you're looking. One of the books I've listed below could be right up your alley. The first is a textbook, but mostly because of its density, rather than difficulty. The other three are a bit more tailored toward people with less background knowledge but you might still prefer one of those if the content sounds interesting. Lots of people enjoyed "Risk Savvy", but I'd choose the one with a table of contents that speaks to your interests.
Heuristics: The Foundations of Adaptive Behavior
Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious
Risk Savvy: How to Make Good Decisions
Rationality for Mortals: How People Cope with Uncertainty
A lot of the people I recommend draw a box to get very OCD about it and take, in my opinion, way too long on the exercises. So yes that's what I recommend but with the exception that you don't get precious about the program- just take as long as uncomfortable recommends.
For instance, I have a friend that will not move on to lesson 2 until he can do rotated boxes perfectly, even though it says right in the tutorial it's introducing more difficult stuff to challenge you. So IMO that friend will likely never do lesson 2, because he got discouraged he couldn't rotate the boxes. The sad part is that I know having done it if he'd just try and fail and move on and come back to it after a few lessons he'd ace the darn boxes.
In difficulty, figure drawing eclipses any other type of drawing, so that's the main reason I suggest do draw a box, it will build motor skills and confidence. As far as realist schools of thought, I can't recommend Robert Beverly Hale highly enough, he preaches constructive art, and not merely drawing what you see but also what you know. In fact, one of the first pages in "Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters" is several men an artist drew which he constructed out of cubes, and even with the simple cube setup the author points out all the anotomical knowledge the artist emphasizes, even on a cube he clearly made points for the sternum, sacrum, 7th vertebrate, etc etc.
Proko and Vilppu can speak more authoritatively on the matter than I can, but from the gist of it naturalist methods are more time consuming because the method is considered arcane (not valueless, just kind of obsolete), because you make a mark, measure your mark, compare, erase. Repeat until perfect. You just keep measuring things and it's kind of formulaic and route.
If you haven't already, check out some Bargue plates. They are not anywhere near drawing from life or a plaster cast, but they are an excellent way to distill form, and to "see" form better than you've ever imagined. Seriously just look at this foot it is the epitome of "footiness" and once you reproduce it and other Bargue plates exactly you just see things different.
Charles Bargue was a virtuoso artist, who rendered 3 sets of plates of, I believe, 100 drawings each, for apprentices to reproduce on the road to mastery. He drew them purposefully with no cast shadows on the model (meaning the nose or other body parts don't interfere with the form by casting a shadow) and they are similar to what you'd see if you stuck a plaster casting in a very bright but also very diffuse pure white lightbox. This obscure and arcane method has been used by Van Gogh, Dali, and even the impressionists Monet and Manet, who were the last people to apprentice under a proper Bargue atelier; after they learned how to be master draftsman, they swore off drawing black and white but went on to change how we see light.
So while definitively a naturalist method, Bargue plates are great learning tools nonetheless. For me they work perfectly for something to draw to stay sharp when I don't feel like producing an original composition, it's a great non-consequential practice tool.
The best figure artist of all time imo is Gustav Klimt and I mention him because I think one can learn a lot just by deeply viewing his work. He would have models lie down on a bed so they looked gravity defying in their stances, just such virtuosity you should check him out, especially the sketch for Medicine which he did in only 30 minutes. He demonstrates the pinnacle of knowing your subject matter.
this is good information on the symbols of drawing a face which is good for a beginner. if you are reading this and feel like you are 'past' the information in this video and you want to draw heads and faces you need two books (well, not need but these are the book i personally swear by).
Drawing the Human Head will give you everything you need to draw the main shape and move it how you will.
The Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expression will tell you everything you need to put faces on that head.
You sit down and do it for 10 minutes today.
Then, you sit down and do it for 10 minutes tomorrow.
I recommend the book, "Drawing for the Absolute Beginner" I wouldn't be where I am today without it.
http://www.amazon.com/Figure-Drawing-All-Its-Worth/dp/0857680986
http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Human-Anatomy-Motion-Dynamics/dp/0770434142
https://www.youtube.com/user/ProkoTV
In the meantime, draw everything. Everything. EVERYTHING.
Keep a sketch book with you always! Draw people waiting for the bus, cars parked outside, city blocks, landscapes, trees, ideas, concepts, doodles, nonsense.
Take pictures of things and use them for reference. Constantly! Can't figure out how an arm looks like in a certain pose, get someone to pose the same way and take a shot with your phone. Its not "cheating" and most artists worth their salt will stare at you like you're insane if you told them to do a large scale project with no live or photo references.
Go to figure drawing meetups. There's usually some at art schools or in any big city. You will be terrible at first but drawing people is a good way to train your eye.
Copy your favorite artist. Not just draw from, but try to copy a whole piece of art, from start to finish, line for line, as closely as possible. Do this a lot! It will help you understand why they put this thing there, and put that thing here, and drew that thing like this.
Its the same reason musicians practice other people's work before they start composing their own!
Figure out who their influence are, and do the same thing with them.
If you're looking for books to get you started, here are some good ones.
you have a lot of potential but you need a lot of work on your fundamentals like proportions, how shadows are cast, and contour. the fundamentals are your building blocks for any form of art. i'm guessing your a young artist and over time your skills will slowly improve and you will figure things out but i recommend formal art classes or reading a few books like;
how to draw the human figure an anatomical approach:
http://www.amazon.com/Gordon-Louise-Figure-PenguinHandbooks/dp/0140464778
Exploring The Basics of Drawing:
http://www.textbooks.com/BooksDescription.php?BKN=652343&SBC=HII&network=GoogleShopping&tracking_id=9781401815738U&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=9781401815738U&utm_source=googleshopping&kenshu=3d418da2-0ea4-7069-1335-000064a7d4c8&adtype=pla&kw={keyword}&gclid=CNuws4y4m7gCFRCe4Aod5gMAYw
after you get through the grind of drawing still life and shapes you can carry these skills over to comics and animation. drawing is just collecting a set of skills and knowledge and applying them to the problem of "how do i make this look good?"
hope this helps, good luck.
Source: drop out art student.
I recommend getting Steve Huston book on figure drawing. It helps me a lot in my beginning year. https://www.amazon.com/Figure-Drawing-Artists-Making-Every/dp/1631590650/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1535985514&sr=1-1&refinements=p_27%3ASteve+Huston
Hogarth's Dynamic Anatomy. My favorite anatomy book of all time. Amazing illustrations, though it is grotesquely exaggerated in order to show, in detail, how the body deforms and contorts. Don't use this for reference, but instead for an example on where muscles are placed and how they twist and turn under stress.
http://www.amazon.com/Dynamic-Anatomy-Practical-Art-Books/dp/0823015513
My two cents is draw from reference. Real life is the best, but anatomy books are a decent substitute, then move to creating your own style or copying a style using what you gain from practicing realism. People say "practice" because the only other things you truly need are devotion and patience. The more you do it the better you'll become.
I'm way out of practice now, but when in school I started off drawing simple ovals to make up the human body, it looked ridiculous but that was the extent of my skill. I kept at it and I was able to see progress in a couple of months. I was still drawing simple ovals, but the proportions were getting better and more consistent.
Also, sign up for any public site and ask for critiques. People will more than likely give you some good tips. Don't get knocked down by people obviously being trolls, nor should you feel bad that you're making beginner's mistakes. My teacher used to tell me you have to draw as much as you can, have all the crappy drawings first, then all that's left are the good ones.
Good luck to you!
Another How-to Post
[Book Recommendation for Animation]
(http://www.amazon.com/The-Animators-Survival-Expanded-Edition/dp/0571238343/ref=pd_sim_b_1)
[Book Recommendation for Human Figure]
(http://www.amazon.com/Figure-Out-Beginners-Drawing-People/dp/1933027800/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341886111&sr=1-10&keywords=figure+drawing)
Looks pretty good!
In the future, I'd suggest that you try to think structurally, building up basic forms before you try to solidify your contours. A professor I had in school used to repeat to us, "Earn your edges." What that means is that you should understand the forms that are in your image, and then define your contours based on those. What's a sphere? A cube? A cylinder? A combination of any of those? A distortion of those? Where is the cheekbone? The eye sockets? What can you break the shape of the bridge of the nose down to?
Obviously, you're not really going to know any of that just by default! That's when you bring in reference as you need it! Whenever you attempt to draw something, look references up for it. If you're drawing an ocelot, try looking at photos of them from various angles. See if you can discern what forms make up their heads. If you're not squeamish, you might even consider finding pictures of their skulls to really understand the underlying structure. Draw them as close to the references as you can! Start your sketch lightly and decide "This is a cube. I can take this cube and remove chunks to make the head shape. Here's a wedge shape. It fits here." After you've got this lightly drawn in, move on to darker pencils and start refining your edges. You can use those forms you defined to start deciding where light will go and how it'll behave on your drawing!
If you haven't already, I suggest you pick up copies of George Bridgman's Constructive Anatomy and Louise Gordon's How to Draw The Human Figure: An Anatomical Approach. Both of these books are chock full of information about breaking things down into simpler shapes and understanding what goes on under the skin of a figure, which is very applicable to anthro art!
From the Library I've taken out
I'm learning to be a professional artist atm, but I'm also eighteen so take what I say with a grain of salt!
Something that I do from time to time when I'm learning how to draw in a specific style or medium is that I look at what other people have drawn and I replicate their drawings as an exercise. Or sometimes when I'm on a flight or on the bus, I'll draw the people around me. I guess what I'm saying is you should just keep practicing and do what comes naturally!
Note: a really, REALLY good book on drawing people can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-People-Portray-Clothed-Figure/dp/1581803591
I do figure drawing 3 or 4 times a week, and try to join special events if available. I find it extremely relaxing.
There are so many books out there but my favorites are Mike Matessi's Force dynamic drawing and Bill Buchman's Expressive Figure Drawing. Those two books should bring you a very long way!
Here are my drawings from last night's session
Just a side note, THE BEST book on anatomy I have ever read and better than all the video tutorials I've ever watched is 'Classic Human Anatomy in Motion' by Valerie L. Winslow.
It covers everything you need to know about anatomy with a focus on movement (something most anatomy books don't cover), has tons of drawings and diagrams, even tells you how to pronounce each body part. This book is truly amazing and in my opinion a much better learning tool than the usual Loomis and Bridgeman books everyone loves to recommend.
https://www.amazon.com/Classic-Human-Anatomy-Motion-Dynamics/dp/0770434142
I really liked Valerie Winslows "Classic Human Anatomy in Motion" for drawing the human form. Hope this helps.
https://www.amazon.com/Classic-Human-Anatomy-Motion-Dynamics/dp/0770434142/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0/134-3765150-0983443?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=0FGCP5TYV0P0TCXP69FA
Look up life drawing groups in your city, in Vancouver there's a bunch - slice of life, Emily carr, basic Inquiry etc. Etc.
The other obvious one is to just practice drawing more. Since you've been working in cgi you must have some idea of what works with poses and how to push em, so use those skills to your 2d and then those skills you build on will transfer right back to your CGI. it's like a mutually beneficial trade deal.
FORCE: Dynamic Life Drawing: 10th Anniversary Edition https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1138919578/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_0NGJAb952ESM9
I also would recommend this book to you.
Have fun!!
Hahaha just realized you mentioned Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters further down below, along with Bargue plates. Thanks again!
https://www.amazon.com/Classic-Human-Anatomy-Motion-Dynamics/dp/0770434142
This is my go to Human Anatomy/Figure Drawing art book. It breaks down each part of the human body. This includes muscle and skeletal structure. 10/10
I absolutely adore [Drawing Wildlife by J.C. Amberlyn] (http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Wildlife-J-C-Amberlyn/dp/0823023796/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383036066&sr=8-1&keywords=drawing+wildlife+by+j.c.+amberlyn). The author does a good job of explaining the reasoning behind how to draw animals instead of giving you a cookbook step by step approach for a single picture.
first of all, dont go on other people drawings, excpeciallly if their subject are strongly characterized, some heads and faces have some featues that could be really hard to achieve and could drive you in the wrong direction, also, you must get comfortable with yout tools, the best way to do is practice and having lower expectations, i mean you dont nedd to go photoreal and anatomically perfect in the first intances of your work, just observe, try to figure out whats right and whats not on basic forms, to figure out anatomy you have to referr to the most correct and in depth kind of images, so its better to look in Anatomy Techinal books like the one in the link below.
also check out the first link. those are the face planes you should manage to achieve a good head shape to work on, regardless of what is your final objective.
https://www.google.com/search?q=head+planes&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjYxtXK2MblAhWdAGMBHV-vCu8Q2-cCegQIABAA&oq=head+pla&gs_l=img.1.0.0j0i30l9.4574.6704..8209...1.0..1.81.716.11......0....1..gws-wiz-img.......35i39j0i131j0i67.I4_VGkkVpmI&ei=be26XZjcA52BjLsP396q-A4&bih=558&biw=1088
https://www.amazon.it/Anatomy-3D-Artists-Essential-Professionals/dp/1909414247/ref=asc_df_1909414247/?tag=googshopit-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=85615193063&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1277251964093564846&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=20621&hvtargid=pla-195166974795&psc=1
Steve Huston has a very interesting book on figure drawing.
He also has some interesting ideas and wordings about the subject while also being one of the better teachers out there that I've come across.
https://www.amazon.com/Figure-Drawing-Artists-Making-Every/dp/1631590650/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
If anybody is interesting in learning classical drawing, I'm really enjoying:
I personally have no experience with the books you have mentioned but Drawing for the Absolute Beginner is a good place to start.
Once you're comfortable with the basics, I definitely recommend getting Drawing Realistic Textures in Pencil by J.D. Hillberry. Great book for a beginner to start and grow with.
Here's a picture of something I'm still working on. I'm a self taught artist and I truly believe that there is no such thing as "natural talent." You get what you put into it. Dedicated time and hardwork pay off, so never be discouraged!
If you ever want any tips/advice, I'd be happy to help. :)
They come on a CD with the book Extreme Perspective for Artists by David Chelsea
Great book, great reference.
What really helped me was that i went into the dissecting room with a friend when it was free and we discussed it thorough and put all the puzzles together. It's actually not that hard, try to take it layer by layer starting from the top.
​
Also what helped me was this book https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Anatomy-Artists-Elements-Form/dp/0195142144
Except i didnt buy it, i downloaded it somewhere for free 😃:DD just google a bit or try piratebay.
Getting a drawing book specially about animals should have a section on fur. I think you have a good start on the fur.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1581807287/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?qid=1452282716&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX220_SY330_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=Draw+animals&dpPl=1&dpID=51mlMfll83L&ref=plSrch
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0823023796/ref=mp_s_a_1_18?qid=1452282716&sr=8-18&pi=AC_SX220_SY330_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=Draw+animals
Im new to zbrush, but have done a fair amount of sculpting in clay. This book has proved really helpful in understanding the way clothing will react when wrapping around the human, or any other form.
https://www.amazon.com/Drawing-People-Portray-Clothed-Figure/dp/1581803591
I can definitely help you with this.
How to Draw: drawing and sketching objects and environments from your imagination
This is the best book on perspective you can buy. Perspective is the number one thing you need to have a grasp on if you want to draw, especially from imagination. Practice this until it clicks for you.
For setting up scenes I recommend Andrew Loomis books, Creative Illustration in particular. Loomis has several books out and they're all amazing. Many artists have learned to draw from Loomis.
Burne Hogarth is another master of the craft and you can learn a lot about musculature and anatomy from his books. These are generally a step up from Loomis so you could move on to these once you have a solid grasp of the fundamentals to take your work to the next level. Dynamic Anatomy, Dynamic Figure Drawing, Drawing the Human Head.
For people and anatomy, Proko (http://www.proko.com/library/) has good free youtube videos. He uses a lot of Loomis and Hogarth methods (which are pretty much the standard) and presents them in a way that is easy to digest. He's constantly updating his channel and adding new videos.
If you can only get a few books, I would get the How to Draw perspective book first, then go through the Proko material, then move onto the Loomis and Hogarth stuff. These learning materials will take you pretty much as far as you want to go.
Also I highly recommend sticking to traditional materials (pencil and paper) while you're learning. Once you have the fundamentals down then you can move on to digital. You're going to make things much easier on yourself if you stick with traditional while you nail these fundamentals down.
Hey thanks. I’d like to recommend a book - The Urban Sketcher by Holmes
Update:
So I asked a colleague that did some art classes and he proposed the following book:
He also said that studying history teaches how techniques evolved and mentioned:
You need to learn anatomy. Get books on artistic anatomy.
An Atlas of Animal Anatomy for Artists (Dover Anatomy for Artists)
The Art of Animal Anatomy: All life is here, dissected and depicted
Animal Anatomy for Artists: The Elements of Form
Start simple and learn the different techniques you'll need. Then build your knowledge by combining things as you learn.
I'll just take time and practice. Lots and lots of practice.
If you plan on animating them, then you will need ...
Muybridge's: Animals in Motion (Dover Anatomy for Artists)
and watch videos of them.
This pretty much sums it up: The Road to Learn Blender
Hi, first some background. I am currently in the hell process of getting my first industry job. Keep getting interviews/test but so far I haven’t gotten a job yet...though it’s only been two months since I finally started to apply haha. I originally applied for RISD MICA MCAD SVA Art Center and CalArts and I got accepted into all of them besides CalArts, which I got waitlisted for. Every school I got into offered me scholarships but once I factored in living/food I still couldn’t afford it. So I swallowed my pride and went to community college for a few years then besides reapplying to art schools I decided to make a hour and a half commute every few days to take classes at Concept Design Academy, Which I’m still currently doing. My original plan was to go to Calstate Long Beach or Cal State Fullerton, both have really good animation programs but I could live with my family while I went.
I’m so happy I didn’t go to a traditional art school. I was about to reapply when one of my friends who now works at Dreamworks told me to just do Concept Design instead. I trusted her opinion since she went to SVA and graduated and ended up not having the exact skills she needed for employment and she was super in debt.
I’d say it’s 50/50 with people I know that attended college and currently work in the industry, other half did what I am doing/didn’t get any higher education, some of my closest friends are currently attending SVA. I’m going to be honest most think it’s useless and wishes they went to a state school with a good art program rather than SVA or did what I ended up doing.
If you really want to work in TV/Movie animation look into Concept Design Academy in Pasadena CA or CGMA online or something similar. If you are dead set getting a degree I’d recommend looking into state schools. Art school isn’t worth the debt. If you have to take on all the loans yourself it’s not worth it it will destroy your credit forever and you won’t be able to move where the industry is.
This is about art center(where I originally got accepted and planned on going too) but all my SVA/MICA/RISD friends have similar experiences
http://ghostbri.tumblr.com/post/178516711920/dude-i-really-wanna-go-to-art-center-what#notes
This specific artist also has great resources for finding alternative education.
DONT RUIN YOUR LIFE BC YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WONT SUCCEED IN THE INDUSTRY WITH OUT ART SCHOOL. THERE IS OTHER WAYS.
If you live in/around LA area or are willing to transfer:
http://conceptdesignacad.com/
https://animationguild.org/about-the-guild/education/
https://laafa.edu/
Online recourses:
https://www.cgmasteracademy.com
https://www.schoolism.com
https://www.theanimcourse.com/courses/
Alternative book based educations:
The Animator's Survival Kit: A Manual of Methods, Principles and Formulas for Classical, Computer, Games, Stop Motion and Internet Animators https://www.amazon.com/dp/086547897X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_U7xwCbZNA4X74
Framed Ink: Drawing and Composition for Visual Storytellers https://www.amazon.com/dp/1933492953/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_m8xwCbE8TH4VS
FORCE: Dynamic Life Drawing: 10th Anniversary Edition (Force Drawing Series) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1138919578/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_U8xwCbTRGJHWJ
(This one is currently out of print because they are changing the cover it should be back in a few weeks and be around 15 bucks)
Also here is a few good YouTube channels:
https://www.youtube.com/user/ProkoTV
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS3ZMbzTOXdDuJlhAZuXgaw
https://youtu.be/uDqjIdI4bF4
If you(or anyone reading this) have any questions please feel free to DM me!! If I don’t have a direct answer I know one of my friends that work in the industry will and I could ask. Art School isn’t the only way to obtain a good quality art education and a ton of talented artist make it in the industry without it!
Also sorry this is so LA centric, I grew up in the great LA area and currently work exclusively in it so it’s all I know in-depth.
Quick Edit; I’m a purely 2D based artist. I work mostly in concept and I’m currently working on transitioning into Boarding/Revisions. I don’t work on the animation end of these but that’s Bc most outsource to other countries now.
You are definitely talented, and being the logical analytical type can work in your favor. Drawing technique is a science, which you can break down and learn regardless of ability. The best way to learn is formal instruction, either a class or private lessons. An instructor will be able to teach you the fundamentals, correct mistakes, and give you feedback on your progress. If taking lessons is not a practical option, I recently discovered r/ArtFundamentals They have organized lessons that teach you the fundamentals of drawing from the very beginning and you can get lots of feedback by posting your completed assignments. It's the next best thing paid instruction.
Personally, I am self taught, and did not have any real formal instruction until college. My bread and butter is character design using my own blend of manga, comic book, and realistic styles. I employed 3 main strategies to teach myself. I practiced constantly, I copied the drawings and characters of artists I liked, and I read lots of art instruction books (I particularly enjoyed learning about anatomy, my two favorite books are Drawing Cutting Edge Anatomy and Dynamic Figure Drawing I like the approaches to style and technique.)
Regardless of the path you take, the most important thing is lots and lots of practice, every day. I never had issues making myself practice, for me it was fun to challenge myself and figure out how to do new things. I definitely understand the frustration of not being able to translate the image in my head to paper, or getting stuck on a detail that just won't come out right. I cannot speak for every artist, but I find that my finished pieces rarely look like what I saw in my head. The trick is to let go and allow the picture to evolve and take shape the way that looks best. It is kind of hard to explain, but I make decisions constantly on the fly on what will look best regardless of whatever I originally planned. Get comfortable with the fact that you won't recreate the image in your mind, adapt to the drawing you are creating, and you will cut down on the frustration immensely. Last little tidbit, drawing on a Wacom is harder than on paper. I have an old Intuos and while I love it and use it a ton there is a disconnect. You look up at a screen and not your hand and god forbid there is any lag between the strokes you make and what shows on screen. I REALLY recommend using pencil and paper while you bone up on your fundamentals before you convert to the tablet. I regularly will start artwork on paper, scan it, and then finish it on the computer. Good luck with your drawing. Don't forget that you will make a lot of mistakes and that's okay, we all do, no matter how good we may be. The most important thing is to enjoy it and have fun. If you stop enjoying it then you will lose your passion. Sorry this post dragged on, hope I was able to help!
Most art schools (not high ones, but like... your avg art schools) are happy with this:
10 realistic sketches - like figure drawings, perspective drawings, properly shaded fruit etc
10 expressive pieces - anything you want. Get creative. Expressive colorful pieces, cartoony shit, whatever.
​
If you don't know how to draw well or make anything, then you better get to work starting now. If 20 pieces of art in a portfolio is stressful to you, you're in for a rude awakening at art school.
I recommend getting a figure drawing book on amazon. Get "How to Draw the Human Figure: An Anatomical Approach" by Louise Gordon. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140464778/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ) It is like $6 and is the best investment you'll ever make.
So do that, get familiar with figure drawing, and learn gesture drawing as well. Build on the fundamentals! That shit is important.
If all of this sounds daunting to you and you prefer art as a hobby, go with a more stable career like Information Techology or go to a trade school for something like electrician work - shit's good money, and you can support your lifestyle and make art on the side (that's what I did, and I sure am glad I did it.)
ORIGINAL DRAWING
FOUND IN: Drawing People: How to Portray the Clothed Figure
Not necessarily accessible online, but here's an excellent book for drawing north American mammals:
http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Wildlife-J-C-Amberlyn/dp/0823023796
And you might as well label me "weird": taxidermy catalogs. You can get a feel for the musculature of the species you are trying to depict.
Other than that, browse DA or FA.
Non-mobile:
^That's ^why ^I'm ^here, ^I ^don't ^judge ^you. ^PM ^/u/xl0 ^if ^I'm ^causing ^any ^trouble. ^WUT?
That looks about where I started, and still am to be honest. Someone mentioned to start learning your anatomy and physical landmarks. I couldn't agree more with that. That's the thing that will help you a lot. One thing to check out id the 12 Days of Realism video list from Ryan Kingslien: https://www.ryankingslien.com/category/12-days-of-realism/page/2/
He is great at breaking down the process of realism and I adopted a lot of what he does in my own workflow. Also if you have the money I suggest looking into these two books.:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0990341100/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1909414247/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
They're expensive, but they are so useful. The first helped me a great deal to learn more about muscle structure which make up the body. Good luck to you!
I'd look in to general anatomy books for artists, like this https://smile.amazon.com/Animal-Anatomy-Artists-Elements-Form/dp/0195142144?sa-no-redirect=1
and look at reference footage for animals: http://www.rhinohouse.com/
​
There's not much in the way of CG specific literature unfortunately, so the best places to look are video reference and books that break down the anatomy. I don't know of anything outside veterinary books and general biology books that go in to properties of fur.
>You seem to be looking for an external answer when in can only be discerned internally.
Odd then that you are trying to use an external method to explain something that can only be discerned internally. Odd that you are trying to use reason to explain that reason is no good for understanding this. "Me and Jesus got our own thing going here."
Of course I understand that this "feeling" thing is compelling. Reason tells us in fact that people will rely on feeling above reason for important decisions. Nevertheless, this state of "feeling" (heart if you like) supports myriads of religions and subsets of religions.
You need to use reason though to see that other people's religious "feelings" are not the same as yours. In addition they are no less (or more) valid than yours. That is the point of "Of course you don't see it my way..."
There is no basis for supposing that your "feeling" is any more correct then someone else's other than it is your "feeling" the only one you personally can feel directly. It therefore must be right. Now you have to step out of that a bit if you want to discern another person's "feeling" is not the same as yours and never will be mainly because they are not you.
>You're right because the proof is only in your heart.
That's right. My proof is in my heart and your proof is in your heart. But the proofs will not be the same because the hearts are not the same. You are willing to grant authority to your heart but not grant authority to the heart of another unless it appears to agree with yours. I say appears because it will never actually agree. This is why religion is necessarily subjective and can never be objective even if it is about an object.
So my point that the Jews would view Jesus according to their own religious "feelings" rather than though the scriptural interpretations that your "feelings" consider correct. It doesn't matter what the text says it matters what the interpreted "feelings" say. For the Jews of Jesus time that feeling said, "nope, this isn't the guy!" And I say those "feelings" were as valid as yours.
>Really? Then why did they drop everything and choose to follow him. They also followed him before he did any miracles
Because they felt like it. If they just knew who Jesus was they wouldn't have had to be discipled by him, would they? Read the story. The disciples weren't on board until Acts. Judas never did get on board. Remember Thomas?
>It was because it was revealed to him by the spirit of God. That being, In your heart, not your head.
And I believe the OP wondered why everyone doesn't get such a revelation? In any case 999 times out of a thousand an experience such as this will be interpreted by the recipient as reinforcing his own religion. Occasionally it will start a different take in someone or even a different denomination or religion if the recipient has enough charisma to infect others with the new meme.
>II. None of the other religions...
Christianity is not the only religion with a risen god man. It is the only just the only remaining viable one. Even if this resurrection is fact, which I doubt, it is irrelevant. In addition it doesn't further your argument since "feelings" are more important then facts. Believe it or not people in other religions are not impressed by this resurrection.
By the way the other gods are not still dead. Lots of them never died to start with. In any case only one third of your god died and then only for about 40 hours.
>Christianity is based on Faith in a redeemer, which is a gift from God which cannot be earned.
If this is the case I don't see how a Muslim or a Hindu would have any reason to believe you.
edit: to add link
If you want to draw people:
I recently found the perfect book (for me, at least). Not too technical with anatomy (pretty much everything but), but also not too simplistic. Has a ton of helpful tips! Drawing People: How To Portray The Clothed Figure by Barbara Bradley. I've never read anything by Andrew Loomis, but I'm always seeing him being recommended so I'm just going to recommend him too lol
Books and videos aren't the only things available, though. I think you should search all over online for drawing tutorials to start out. It's free!
I personally watched DrawWithJazza a lot when I started out. Sycra is incredibly helpful. You might like Mark Crilley and Proko too.
There are little infographic-type things all over deviantart and tumblr. They usually cater towards digital artists, so you're in luck! It's inactive, but this tumblr has tons of posts, and they're all organized!
There's Ctrl Paint, which is a free video library specifically for digital artists. I love this one, it's got tons of stuff.
Really just searching "how to draw ____" will get you tons of stuff.
A few random tips:
Good luck + have fun!
edit: formatting
Here are two books I'd recommend, https://www.amazon.ca/Animal-Anatomy-Artists-Elements-Form/dp/0195142144
And
https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Sculptors-Understanding-Human-Form/dp/0990341100
Well drawing for me started out as a coping mechanism when I was a kid and still is for me today (especially these days). I had a lot of problems with depression and anxiety as a child coupled with a fairly ignorant father that didn't recognize these things as mental problems. I was forced to try to find a way to deal with hordes of feelings and emotions that as a mere child I was incapable of understanding and drawing helped me do that. Around the time I was about 13 or so some close friends of mine started drawing and where WAAAAY better than I was, so that pushed me to start working on things like technique and different styles. I really liked Dragonball Z at that age so I started drawing pictures I printed out from the internet regularly and started drawing in an anime style and eventually began coming up with my own characters, my friends were really good at drawing in anime styles so they taught me a lot about it.
When high school rolled around (I'll say sophomore year or so) I took basic art 1&2 but I never really did too much because the course material was SO rigid that it didn't interest me. Ms. Huelett (the art teacher) felt like I had a lot of talent and took me under her wing in a big way. She knew A LOT about art and helped me learn and meld multiple styles together in order for me to create my own. She taught me a lot about anatomy and how to draw people/characters in different poses, how to properly shadow characters and apply light sources to my pieces, creating expressions and applying drama through a characters poses, she poured as much knowledge into me as she could and I couldn't be more grateful for all she taught me.
I know it isn't much (you've also been given some great advice already I see, which is fantastic) but I'll give you a few links to some books that really helped me learn more about various styles and techniques (I still have most of these books and refer to them fairly often, even now)
http://www.amazon.com/How-Draw-sketching-environments-imagination/dp/1933492732/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1404954561&sr=8-9&keywords=how+to+draw
http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Urban-Sketching-Location/dp/1592537251/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1404954800&sr=8-19&keywords=how+to+draw+graffiti
http://www.amazon.com/Street-Art-Doodle-Book-Outside/dp/1856696820/ref=sr_1_28?ie=UTF8&qid=1404954800&sr=8-28&keywords=how+to+draw+graffiti
http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Head-Figure-Perigee-Jack/dp/0399507914/ref=sr_1_28?ie=UTF8&qid=1404954902&sr=8-28&keywords=how+to+draw+books
http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Manga-Mark-Crilley-drawing-ebook/dp/B006WUD10S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404954990&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+draw+manga
http://www.amazon.com/How-Draw-Manga-Bodies-Anatomy/dp/4766112385/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1404954990&sr=8-6&keywords=how+to+draw+manga
http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Cutting-Edge-Anatomy-Reference-ebook/dp/B00G8ELT2K/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1404955084&sr=8-10&keywords=how+to+draw+comics
http://www.amazon.com/Draw-Comic-Book-Action-Garbett/dp/1440308136/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1404955084&sr=8-14&keywords=how+to+draw+comics
I think that's most of the books I've got, at the very least it'll give you some ideas to practice with and all of those books together isn't too bad of a price and it's a good way to get experience in the things you want to learn (I think) if you're not able to afford the classes you were suggested.
Good god this post is long as hell and I apologize for that, I'm just trying to be as helpful as I possibly can with what I know (call it a flaw)
I'll leave you with a few pieces of advice that help me out regularly and that I feel have gotten me to the level I'm at now (though I think I'm just ok at best truthfully)
Sorry again for the book, I just hope I was at least a little bit helpful with the advice I was able to give and didn't come off as arrogant sounding or anything
Best of luck and I can't wait to see what you do in the future :)
I don't think it's public domain like Loomis is, but here's the Amazon link.
Check page 16 of "Master Class in Figure Drawing" Robert Beverly Hale
For drawing faces, I highly suggest you learn to draw the human skull. I know it seems creepy, but I found it's the best foundation to which you start laying on the details of the face. When I first heard about the method, I drew a lot of skulls. I started laying the facial features we would normally see (eyeballs, nose, lips) and found that the face was structured quite well. Personally, I found the human skull provided better landmarks than the standard drawing faces tutorial.
I also have a life-size (plastic, please stop looking at me like that D:) skull to help me with certain details and figuring out other landmarks. I prefer to have a physical example of it, but that may be a remnant of the drawing courses I was made to take as part of my major. If you find pictures (even digital 3D models) aren't that helpful, then look to buy a skull. They usually sell them for medical (dental) students (I got mine at University of Toronto's bookstore, I think it was about 40 dollars).
Check out How to Draw the Human Figure. It does go beyond just faces, but they have drawings showing how the muscles lay on the skull and how the face looks once the skin is put onto it. It helped me a lot.
From that point on, I suggest you start making observations on how your muscles behave in different facial expressions. However, there is this nice large flowchart showing the different expressions (and grouped).
I hope that helped :)
Glad I could be of help!
Watts Atelier is really amazing. It is beginner friendly - anatomy knowledge helps, but you wont be drawing the figure immediately. It will still be a good idea to learn anatomy while you continue through the program - I'll link you to some great anatomy resources.
To give you a rough breakdown of how the course works, you start by drawing simple shapes (spheres, cylinders, boxes, cones) focusing on form and value. Then you will start drawing other simple geometric forms applying the same principles. Then drawing fundamentals is finished with still life drawing. Next you move into portrait drawing fundamentals, then figure. If you are interested in painting, you can continue the course to portrait and figure painting, along with other specialized classes (landscape, drapery, composition, etc.)
On the issue of sizing, that is a problem that will solve itself naturally over time. It has to do with proportions and measuring, which is a skill that takes time and practice to get a handle on. Eventually you can visualize where everything goes and place it on the page in the right spot. But yeah, Watts Atelier will definitely help.
The difference between Watts and other free tutorials online is 1.) professionalism and structure: The course is taught by the founder of the atelier Jeff Watts, and it is structured like a true academic art class. Learning online gives you random bits of information which are helpful, but you can't contextualize them. The course is designed to take you from beginner to master. The tutorials online are fun, but don't have that structure.
2.) The teachers are world class artists. To give context, here is some of Jeff Watts work. You may not want to be a painter, but you can be confident that you are learning from a master. You can also google his drawings, they will blow you away. Also, the guy Stan Prokopenko who I recommended - and is often mentioned in this sub - was trained at the Watts Atelier by Jeff Watts.
You probably get the picture, its a great program. My experience with it has been an absolute joy. I wish I could go back in time two years when I started pursuing a career in art and taken these classes immediately. It would have saved me so much time and effort wasted trying to figure out how to grow as an artist on my own. What I do is pay for a month and watch all the videos and print out the handouts for the module (currently on portrait II), and then spend however long I need to get a good handle on it before I spend the 100$ for the next month. Also, if you have the cash to blow, you can spend extra money to get 1 on 1 coaching with teachers at the atelier.
I will note that it can get boring drawing spheres and still life all the time, so make sure you schedule time to draw stuff you love. Once you get into portrait and figure things get way more fun, but just be ready for that in the early stages.
Anyway, glad I could help at all! Feel free to PM me at any time, I have tons of resources I've hoarded over the years that can be helpful. Here are some links that might be helpful:
Here is a video of Jeff Watts drawing and answering questions, it will give you an idea of what his teaching style is like and who he is. Also the drawing is really good.
New Masters Academy is another great tool that has been huge for me. The anatomy and figure drawing courses are amazing. They aren't as structured as Watts, but can be very useful for when you have specific areas you want help for.
This book is superb for figure drawing. Also, this book is the equally amazing book on perspective. Also, a lot of books don't talk about drawing the clothed figure (which is pretty dumb considering most of the time, commercial art has to do with clothed people), which is why I also love this book. You are probably familiar with Bridgman's book, but if you don't have it - get it.
A lot of professional artists in many different industries (concept art, comics, film, animation, 3D, etc.) make gumroad tutorials for a decent price, here is a massive list of tons of these great tutorials.
If you want some inspiration while you work, I love listening to Creative Trek and Chris Oatley's Artcast. They both are mostly interviews with other professional artists and contain all sorts of wisdom and inspiration to help you out.
I have more, but I'll leave it there. I hope the best for you man! Keep up the hard work! Feel free to PM me for whatever reason.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/2433658/Andrew-Loomis-Figure-Drawing-For-All-its-Worth
and
http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Lessons-Great-Masters-Anniversary/dp/0823014010/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302320757&sr=1-1-catcorr
Two figure classes I've taken have basically been taught straight out of these two books. There are others too that are as good or better. But that is a good starting place.
See if you can check out this book from your universities library
http://www.amazon.com/Master-Figure-Drawing-Robert-Beverly/dp/0823030148/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1302539682&sr=1-1
It helped me a great deal to really understand how the great masters would do to draw the human form.
btw what university do you attend?
This: https://www.amazon.com/How-Draw-sketching-environments-imagination/dp/1933492732/
This: https://www.amazon.com/Drawn-Life-Classes-Stanchfield-Lectures/dp/0240811070/
This: https://www.amazon.com/FORCE-Dynamic-Drawing-Anniversary-Force/dp/1138919578/
And this: https://www.amazon.com/Figure-Drawing-All-Its-Worth/dp/0857680986/
For a first painting this is good, to get a better likeness pay attention to proportion. Check and recheck the eyes, nose and lips, if you get the relationship(measurements) between them right the rest of the picture falls into place. If you really want to improve check out these books, they'll give you some great pointers:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lessons-Classical-Drawing-Juliette-Aristides/dp/082300659X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346328001&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Classical-Painting-Atelier-Contemporary-Traditional/dp/0823006581/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1346328001&sr=8-3
Good luck and keep at it :-)
​
Get a book or two (& free app from book of lenses itunes store or play store
Hit up your local book store and library to get a good look at what's available, explore all sections frequently.
Learn some art
Buy assets.
Here's some sexy stuff.
Get a Git to keep your goods on.
Hands on, in person, training is way behind the times as far as education is concerned.
Get Unity Certifiied.
Get Live Training
Check with your library they may off Lynda.com for free.
Get a big android tablet to build games for and show off at the office.
Join Meetup.com and look for local game developer groups.
Check the closest community college for game design class, if not see how much basic drawing, life drawing and basic design principles cost, if it's more than $500, try meetup.com and youtube/lynda or udemy or coursera to cover those experiences.
Use the force,
Extreme perspective
Read this book and your questions will be answered.
Sorry I probably didn't explain myself well. I do learn 2 musical instruments and I have no problems practicing fundamentals in them. With /r/artfundamentals it feels different. I can't bring myself to do the exercises. For some reason just thinking "alright let's fill 2 pages with lines" makes me discouraged. It would have been a bit better if I could do it with music but without it I'm more focused.
And about learning, for example in the elipses part, a lot fo things are written about elipses but honestly I don't understand what he means and what's the purpose of learning about it (of course it has a purpose but what is it?). Generally it feels like I'm doing it just so my lines and elipses could be a little better. Maybe that's what makes me discourages. Anyways it's hard for me to learn from /r/artfundamentals and I don't know why.
I've seen people recommend "How to draw". Also some people talked about this. And I just found this which is #1 best seller but I didn't see anyone talk about. Which one do you think is best?
My INTP and INTJ book recommendation would be Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious by Gerd Gigerenzer. It’s a book about intuition from the perspective of a psychologist and neuroscientist. There might even be a Ted talk by the author. Read it as the author is a strong believer in the power of intuition which Jung claimed was “perception via the unconscious”.
I can't agree with your recommendation. Knowing the facts about anatomy and making successful drawings are two different things entirely. I think this book teaches the actual drawing of body dynamics better: http://www.amazon.com/Figure-It-Out-Beginners-Drawing/dp/1933027800/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1344533842&sr=8-2&keywords=figure+it+out
There are many books on the topic to varying degrees of depth, so it depends on your personality as to which one works best for you.
I would recommend also look into some Burne hogarth It's more stylized than a straight anatomy text, but the point is adding a "human" element to your drawings, making them less mechanical and more interesting. I have found using both types of books in tandem is the best way to go.