Sunday, August 27, 2006

Figure drawing part 1/analyzing the pose/bilateral symmetry

Most of the art I see here at myOtaku is character based, so knowing some simple anatomy and proportion formulas is necessary if you want your characters to seem more believable. Anime and manga characters are highly stylized, but still represent a reality. The human body has bones and joints and muscles and skin. This effects how we look and how we move. It helps to have a few different ways of analyzing what you see(especially when you get stuck)so I am starting with some basic things to know and look for when drawing a human being.

I will cover specific anatomical issues in depth by body part later. That means I will do a whole issue on the head, the hands, the feet, etc. This is just something to get you going. I will also list some books that would be beneficial to have and will make a whole issue just for them so these don‘t get too long. A few of these books were written by teachers I actually had in art school or studied under independently. I own many books and will use scans from them to illustrate my ideas with. (Where I use my own art, it will be noted. All ref material will be included at the end of the post.) This will take some time, so please be patient. I’m still learning Photoshop Elements 4 and how to use my tablet.. I will try to keep each installment as short as possible.

Here goes:
















For those of you who might be wondering what all this has to do with anime or manga drawing, I give you this pic of Kakashi. It’s a perfect example of the use of the principles I just outlined and well, it’s nice to look at. Can you figure out which shoulder is higher, where the weight is, what his posture is, which foot is in front of the other? Is this a 3/4 pose or straight on? I have just given you the tools to analyze this pic and figure out how it was drawn.



* Big thank you to TomieHarley for sending me this hot Kakashi pic.*

* The male model pics used for this portion of art tips came from scans of a book I own called The Human Figure-A Photographic Reference for Artists by Erik A. Ruby. All the words used to explain the concepts illustrated above are mine and written by me and cannot be used or reproduced without my permission.

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Sunday, May 7, 2006

Paper part 2/types of paper/general art terms

Here is part 2 of the article on paper.I decided against trying to cover more types of paper specifically and instead chose to start with some art terms you will need to know about paper. In the interest of keeping this short enuff to read I think I will cover specific papers when I cover specific medium. I will also list suggested reading(books) and any online sources I know of for more info at the bottom(end) of the tutorial just to keep things simple. Your feedback is greatly appreciated about how long and how much to include with each issue. I will probably adjust it as we go and of course it will change some when posted to it’s own webpage.

Paper part 2

General art terms you need to know

So let’s start with the word medium. Nope, it doesn’t refer to someone who talks to dead people and it isn’t a size of shirt between small and large either. In the art world, medium refers to materials used to make art. Example: graphite is a medium. So is clay. So is watercolor. In fine art painting, medium can also be an additive substance (or vehicle) used to make your paints handle differently(make the paint thicker or thinner or dry shiny or matt.) For the most part when I use the term here, it will mean materials-- drawing implements and paints to be specific.

A couple other terms you will need to understand are hard and soft. Okay, I saw you snickering. Ahem, generally if a surface is referred to as “hard“, it is smooth and non-porous. If it is referred to as “soft” it has a more absorbent and well, soft quality. A softer surface may also have more texture. Compare glass(hard) to a bath towel(soft.) Of course most surfaces we draw and paint on fall in between these extremes. This is important to know when choosing what medium to work in. Certain mediums will work better on certain surfaces or supports than others. Ink for example works better on a harder, smoother paper that is of a medium(in this case medium does mean middle) weight. Watercolors generally work better on a softer, textured paper that is of a heavier weight.

Hard and soft can also be used in reference to drawing implements, particularly pencils, charcoal and pastels. These all come in differing grades of hardness. If it’s brittle, won’t erase, keeps a sharp tip or edge, and will make fine lines or even scratch your paper, it’s generally considered a hard drawing medium. If it’s crumbly and smudgy, won’t stay sharp and wipes off your paper easily, it is generally considered a soft drawing medium. I will go into more detail on the hardness/softness of pencils and drawing medium later. A general rule of thumb for choosing your supplies is this: Hard drawing mediums require smooth(hard) surfaces; soft drawing mediums require textured(soft) surfaces. It’s not that you can’t mix them up, but that takes practice and experimentation and won’t usually get you the desired results unless you are willing to spend time and money playing around with techniques and materials. I am trying to save you time and money(and aggravation.)

Another important term to know is tooth. Simply put, tooth is the surface texture or roughness of your paper or support. Charcoal, especially soft charcoal, will require more tooth to grab hold of and stick to. That’s why most charcoal and pastel papers are rough or have visible texture. Lastly there is weight. This pretty much means how heavy or dense a paper is. Can also be referred to as thickness but that can be misleading as some papers are mounted onto a thick board.. Simple right? Are you with me so far? I hope so.

You can buy paper in pads or as individual sheets in most art supply stores. Most stationary and office supply stores have an art paper section as well. So do some drug stores. Generally, specialty papers are sold by the sheet ie, tinted charcoal/pastel paper. When you buy a pad of art paper, it will say right on the cover what medium it is best suited for. That reminds me, fine art paper(pads) will also have the weight (a number in pounds) on it too. All you need to know about that is that the higher the number, the thicker or “heavier“ the paper. Heavier weight paper is usually more expensive and of higher quality. It is not meant to be used for sketching!

Additional terms helpful to know:
What you actually make marks on by drawing or painting can be called a support or a surface. It can be paper, illus board, canvas, wood--whatever. For the most part we will be talking about papers.Support in this case is not to be confused with emotional support altho that is nice when you are an artist having doubts about your work.
^_^

Other words used to describe hard in regards to paper are: plate, smooth, vellum and hot pressed

Other words used to describe soft in regards to paper are: rough, “regular“, all purpose, multi purpose, medium tooth, medium weight , “drawing” or “sketch” and cold pressed

Additional terms for surface quality in regards to paper: finish, surface, tooth

Common brands and sizes of paper
Common brands of paper include Strathmore, Canson and Bienfang. Some large art supply chain stores like Utrecht have their own brands of inexpensive paper. I prefer buying inexpensive store brand drawing paper to using newsprint. Newsprint paper is low quality and decomposes quickly. Avoid it at all costs. Try to get acid free or PH balanced paper whenever possible. That will be listed on the cover of the pad as well. Anything saying 100% rag is really good.

Common sizes of papers in pads are 9x12, 11x14, 14x17 and 18x24. Tinted and specialty papers come larger than 18x24 and are sold by the sheet. Sketchbooks come in all sizes, some as small as 4x6. I suggest using printer paper and a clipboard if you like to work 8.5 x 11 instead of buying a sketchbook. (See paper part 1.) I already said that tracing paper is a must have. I will add to the list Bristol Board. It is a really nice paper to work on and comes in plate, vellum and regular. The plate or smooth finish is excellent for pen and ink work. The regular finish while still relatively smooth has enuff tooth to be good for graphite and colored pencils. It’s a slightly heavier(thicker) paper than probably most of you are used to. You could cut it down to 8.5 x 11 and print on it if you wanted to.

Suggested papers
*Printer paper for sketching or finished drawings depending on weight
*Tracing paper for transferring /perfecting /protecting drawings
*Bristol Board for pen and ink, colored pencils, multi media or more detailed work
*inexpensive store brand drawing paper

Suggested reading:
I don’t know of a book that covers just paper comprehensively, it is usually covered in books about drawing and painting. If you know of one, let me know and I will add it to my list.

Online resources for art information:
www.artcyclopedia.com
www.artlex.com
www.wikipedia.com

Online art supply retailers:
www.dickblick.com
www.jerrysartarama.com
www.utrecht.com

* Note: I know many of you cannot buy things online because you don’t have a credit card. The online art suppliers are still a great reference to learn about materials, availability and prices. You can always write down or print out the info and take it to your local art supply retailer to compare. You can also ask your local retailer to special order art supplies for you they may not carry. Smaller stores cannot stock as much inventory as larger stores but most will order what they don’t have. Just ask.*

*If you do not have an art supply retailer in your area, try a college bookstore, they usually carry art supplies.*

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This concludes this installment of Art Tips my darlings. Hope it was helpful to you. As always, if you have any questions or suggestions contact me thru my main page here at myOtaku.

TTFN,
Yensid

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Thursday, May 4, 2006

Paper part 1/what to get first/transfer methods

I thought really long and hard about how to start this article. I knew I wanted to deal with the subject of paper but wasn’t sure exactly what to say or where to start. There are so many types of paper available and I don’t want this to turn into a wordy history of paper lecture that nobody will read. To tell you the truth if I ever knew the history of paper--which I don’t think I ever did-- I have forgotten it. So, lets start with the obvious. Oh, I prefer to call this a helpful tips page and not a tutorial. Here goes…

Paper part 1

Question: What kind of paper should I use?
Answer: What do you need the paper to do?

I know, I know, my answer is a question too. No, I’m not being a smarty. Hehehehe, often times in art it is important to ask yourself the right questions. I guess another way of saying it is this:What you want to use the paper for will dictate what kind of paper you choose. I will explain and it’s actually pretty simple. If you want to write, sketch and doodle ideas and have something to carry around with you, then any kind of paper will do. Even*gasp* binder paper. (Shudders at the thought.) I have drawn on napkins at restaurants(cause I didn’t have a sketchpad with me) BUT I would never, ever, show the napkin to a client or a gallery or turn it in as homework for a grade. I certainly wouldn’t scan it and post it along with the restaurant’s logo and ketchup stain to the fanart galleries here at myOtaku or anywhere else. Get my drift? So my darlings, be clear on what your needs are when you decide on what kind of paper to buy and use and what you are willing/able to pay for it. Know your needs and know your budget. This logic can be applied to all art supplies…and maybe life too!
^_^

To get around the whole lined paper issue without investing a lot of cash I suggest using printer paper. It’s cheap and you can get it anywhere. No fancy art store required. The grocery store carries it. Just tuck a stack about an eighth or quarter inch thick in your binder. Most of your tri-fold binders have a clipboard--use it. If not, you can just slip it in under the binder paper. See, easy! Now you have your own “sketchbook” for a fraction of the price. This way if you are bored and drawing during class and the drawing turns out well you won’t have to worry about it being on lined paper. Leave the rest at home or it will get mangled in your book bag. When you run low, replenish your stash. Instead of investing in a pricey drawing board, I suggest buying a clip board. It’s all you need if you work 8.5 x 11 and it‘s easy to carry around.

Another handy thing about printer paper is it’s size. It’s 8.5 X 11 and will fit most scanners and copiers easily. If you don’t mind working small, this is an advantage. It also has a fairly nice surface (texture) and handles most types of dry medium well, especially graphite(pencil.) and ink as long as you don‘t overwork it. Colored pencils and markers work well on printer paper too. There are differing grades of printer paper from really thin, almost transparent to heavy like cardstock. You might want to have a couple different kinds. One for sketching and one for more finished work. Be sure to use a light touch and build up your drawing if working in graphite. If you are too heavy handed(make your lines too dark and heavy), you cannot make any corrections as they won’t erase and your drawing will quickly become smudged and messy looking. Once this starts to happen you need to start another drawing or stop working on the one in progress and transfer it to another piece of paper so you can continue. I will explain a couple ways to do this.

Tracing paper is an absolute must have in my opinion. It has so many uses a few of which I will outline here. You can use it to protect your drawings by using it as a cover sheet and resting your hand on it while you draw and it allows you to work up a sketch into a more detailed and finished drawing by what else--tracing. You can then use the tracing paper to transfer the “line art” to another piece of paper to be “colored” or “shaded.” It acts much the same way layers do in Photoshop or Painter. It’s not too expensive either. If you are working on printer paper you won’t need a pad bigger than 9 x 12. I don’t think you should try and carry it around too much, it’s pretty fragile stuff, but you should definitely have some on hand.

Okay Yensid, I understand how I can put tracing paper over my drawing to protect it from smudging and how to make corrections with it but how do I use it to transfer my drawing to another paper?

Answer: After tracing the drawing you scribble lightly on the back(reverse side of tracing paper) with a soft pencil following the lines of the original drawing and lay down a coat of graphite That way when you flip it back over right side up, you have basically made your own transfer paper. How’s that for cool? Then just hold the 2 pieces of paper steady, one on top of the other or tape them down, and go over the drawing with a pen or a colored pencil(so you know where you’ve already traced) and the pencil line will show up on the new piece of paper beneath. Don’t push too hard or you will get an embossed effect. What I mean by that is you will literally carve lines into the paper’s surface that might show up when you start shading or coloring it later--not good. This is called a “double transfer method” for those of you who are interested. It is a very effective means of transferring a drawing and you can use any color on the back of the tracing paper, it doesn’t have to be graphite. You could use white charcoal or colored pencil and transfer onto black or toned paper for instance. I do this all the time!

other transfer methods
The other way I know of transferring a drawing without using a mechanical device like a light table or projector is to use a window and trace . Hold up the 2 pieces of paper--the original drawing and the clean sheet-- against a window(it must be daylight) and the light will make the paper transparent and allow you to see the drawing underneath providing it isn‘t too lightly drawn. If it’s drawn so lightly you can‘t see it to trace, chances are you can continue to work on the original just fine or the paper you are transferring to is too thick. If the lines are just too light and you want to transfer it using this method, you will need to darken the lines on the drawing first. This will not work with colored or tinted papers or paper that is too thick for light to shine thru it. See the double transfer method outlined previously.

Finally you can always use a copy machine. If your line art is clean and free of smudges and you want it on a different type of paper, want your lines darker or want multiple copies, you can use any photocopier provided the paper you want it on is 8.5 x 11. This is great when you want to get nice black lines and don’t feel like tracing the whole thing over in ink. It’s also nice if you want to experiment with color or a new rendering(shading) technique/medium and don’t want to wreck the original drawing. You’ll have copies. Professional illustrators do this all the time and it works and it’s fast .If you don’t like the paper at the photocopy place, bring a few sheets of your own. As long as it is 8.5 x 11, the machine will accept it. Of course, if you have a scanner and know digital art programs, this can all be done on the computer once you have your sketch or line drawing scanned in as your first layer to work from.

To recap:
Suggested papers to start with:
*Printer paper, different types, only use inexpensive brand for sketching
*Tracing paper-a must have in my opinion
*A few sheets of better art paper, also referred to as drawing paper
*Bristol board( I will talk about this in part 2 )

Suggested reading:
I don’t know of a book that covers just paper comprehensively, it is usually covered in books about drawing. If you know of one, let me know and I will add it to my list.

Online resources for art information
www.artcyclopedia.com
www.artlex.com
www.wikipedia.com

Online art supply retailers:
www.dickblick.com
www.jerrysartarama.com
www.utrecht.com

* Note: I know many of you cannot buy things online because you don’t have a credit card. The online art suppliers are still a great reference to learn about materials, availability and prices. You can always write down or print out the info and take it to your local art supply retailer to compare. You can also ask your local retailer to special order art supplies for you they may not regularly carry. Smaller stores cannot stock as much inventory as larger stores but most will order what they don’t have. Just ask.*
*If you do not have an art supply retailer in your area, try a college bookstore, they usually carry art supplies.*

..................................

I think I will end this portion of the tutorial here my darlings. As you can see( if I was successful) I played with some coding of the text. I will try and add some illustrations as my skills get better. I will continue with paper briefly and then head straight into mark making(drawing) medium. I will also include some definitions of art terms. These art terms are pretty common so don’t worry, there won‘t be pages of vocabulary to memorize. You will need to know them however or you will not understand any tutorial or art techniques book you read or what I am talking about. Hope this was helpful to some of you and you can always ask me specific questions via comments box, pm or e-mail. If I get the same question from many ppl, I will add it into the tips page. Otherwise, I will try and answer then individually as they came up.

TTFN,
Yensid

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