Sketchbook Thread of Joshua Townsend

#1

Hi. I’ve really got into drawing within the last few months. I’m starting to get into the anatomy of the human figure. I’ve never really worked at drawing before unless for a school art project, so thanks ahead for all critique/suggestions on anatomy, proportions and art technique. I’ll be sure to post any future drawings and work. :slight_smile:

Here are a couple drawings I made within the last couple of days. Both are of myself.

I realized afterwords how unproportional the toes were with relation to each other (especially the second toe from the left).

#2

JoshT,

Welcome to the Anatomy Forum! :slight_smile: It’s always nice to see high school students take an interest in the study of Anatomy. I think the earlier one starts, the better. Your studies are quite nice, despite having a few proportional problems. This is to be expected at first. It just takes study and practice to overcome them. Your shading technique is quite nice. I can definitely see that you are closely observing the subject, which is the key bit to drawing.

There are several threads which I think you would enjoy checking out:

Shading Tutorial - Pencils (in the Anatomy Thread of Slux)

Anatomy Thread of raptor|3D

TUTORIAL - Shading Techniques (Various Media) - by Rebeccak

BEGINNERS’ Drawing Workshop - Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain - With Margie

Open Figure Drawing Workshops
Most Recent: (new one posted every 2 weeks)
NOW OPEN!!! OPEN FIGURE DRAWING WORKSHOP 006 with Ron Eyre and Rebecca Kimmel!!

The best of the Anatomy Forum can be found here:

Tutorials, Workshops, Anatomy Reviews & More … [links within]

I must warn you that the Open Figure Drawing Workshops in particular contain photographs of nude models. I think a high school student is old enough to handle this, but just be advised that nearly all of the Anatomy Forum threads contain what may be considered to be sensitive content.

Looking forward to seeing more of your work! Definitely post updates as you complete your school assignments, or as you work independently on your own projects.

Cheers, :slight_smile:

~Rebeccak

#3

:slight_smile: Much thanks for giving me some direction with those thread links. I’ll be sure to go through them all.

#4

No prob. :wink:

Cheers! :slight_smile:

~Rebeccak

#5

I drew this from a photo in the book “Anatomy for the Artist”, which I bought a month or two back. I don’t think I’ve done enough with it yet. I plan on creating a drawing of a human skull from this at the same angle of perspective. I’m not too sure how I should go about approaching this yet, so I’ll study more photos. Thanks for any suggestions on how to approach this project or on this drawing.

#6

JoshT,

This is an impressive drawing, and I think your idea of doing a view of the skull in the same position / from the same angle is an excellent one. Look forward to your results!

What I particularly like about this piece is the fact that it nearly looks as though it were drawn from life. Are you familiar with the artist Andrew Wyeth? You should check out his work.

Looking forward to seeing your skeletal pieces!

Cheers, :slight_smile:

~Rebeccak

#7

Well, I had some time to get back to this again yesterday. I learned a bunch from some sketches of skulls, but I’m still having much trouble. So, here’s a rough outline, probably too many problems to start shading it in yet. Maybe you guys could see what’s wrong with it much easier than I can :slight_smile: .

PS. Rebeccak, I have been checking out a bunch of Andrew Wyeth’s work :).

#8

JoshT,

Just a quick post before I try to grab some dinner…:slight_smile: ~ Wow, cool to hear you have been looking at Wyeth! It really shows! :slight_smile:

The skull does have some problems. Not enough time atm to go into it, but will a bit later. Great to see your additional work. I would recommend this site:

Gray’s Anatomy Online:
http://www.bartleby.com/107/

GREAT Reference from which to draw! Check out the skulls there. :slight_smile:

Mo’ later. :slight_smile:

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

#9

Wow, great links. Thanks. Hmmmm, some quicker drawings I did a few days ago of the skull from “Anatomy for the Artist”…

…and a drawing I did today using an image from Gray’s Anatomy Online.

I’m slowly gaining some understanding of the skull, and hopefully will be able to draw it better without references soon.

#10

JoshT,

Wow, that last drawing in particular is quite nice! :thumbsup: I would recommend drawing as many of these types of drawings as you can ~ they’re the best way to understand structure and form. Look for side and rotated views of the skull ~ I would recommend investing in a few key Anatomy Books if you can. They’re well worth the money!

Check out the Anatomy Resources : BOOKS sticky thread at the top of the forum if you have not already. :slight_smile: There are several gems listed there, any of which I highly recommend.

Cheers, :slight_smile:

~Rebeccak

#11

Ah, I decided to get some money together and buy a couple books. Well anyways, a side view of the skull. Image reference from Gray’s Anatomy Online. Now I think I’ll attempt to do a whole bunch of loose sketches of the skull at various angles and perspective. Some referenced, some not. I’ll post more skulls if I see any fit for posting.

#12

JoshT,

Beautiful work here! :slight_smile: The proportion of the lower jaw seems a bit large with respect to the upper portion of the skull, but overall this is a very nice drawing. :thumbsup:

One thing I would recommend with respect to shading technique is to check out this little demo ~ not perfect, mind you ~ of using the point of your pencil, rather than the side, to shade:
[b]TUTORIAL - Shading Techniques (Various Media) - by Rebeccak

[/b]Basically, I think that if you draw with the tip of the pencil which is always kept sharp, then you will have more control over the range of values and the look of the shading in your drawing. This is just a recommendation. :slight_smile: One has to find what’s right for them, and you are certainly doing a beautiful job here. :slight_smile:

Look forward to seeing more studies!

Cheers, :slight_smile:

~Rebeccak

#13

Well, I got a little bored of drawing skulls, so I decided to go back to a hand study :). Ah, RebeccaK, I have a little drawing with the tip of the pencil, but I really should try doing a full drawing just that way once to see how I do. Anyways, I just recieved “albinus on anatomy”, and “master class in figure drawing”, so I should get started on going through those when I have free time.

#14

Anyways, I just recieved “albinus on anatomy”, and “master class in figure drawing”, so I should get started on going through those when I have free time.

Sweet! :thumbsup: Let me know what you think of the books! Definitely look forward to your posts! :slight_smile:

With respect to the hand, I think you’ve observed particularly well around the area of the wrist. The hand could use a bit of work to bring it up to that level, but you’ve got a good start here! :slight_smile:

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

#15

Well, here’s my latest drawing. All critique is welcome :slight_smile: . I’ve been getting through ‘Master Class in Figure Drawing’ very slowly. I find it great so far; very helpful. I’ll keep posting when ever I have more time to draw.

PS. I get the feeling my shading technique isn’t too great, so I think I’ll try to focus on that a bit more. I havn’t had the time to work on changing it too much.

#16

JoshT,

Good to see you back, and I quite like this piece so far ~ any plans on finishing it? :slight_smile:

Cheers,

~Rebeccak

#17

Ah, I havn’t had much time to draw lately, so chances are I probably won’t go back to this drawing. There were some mistakes I realized too late, and by now, I don’t feel much ambition to finish it. But who knows? :slight_smile:

#18

Hi
Josh
You might try buying a plastic skull, they make real looking ones now, and they are not
too expensive. I find that if I can feel the object I am drawing, I get a better image of
it in my mind, when I draw it. I bought mine in a joke shop. I think art stores carry them
too. I like that face you did, the quality of the line around the eyes is nice, thought it
was a self portrait when I saw it… KEEP DRAWING, and POSTING.
Take Care
Glenn

#19

Ah, I’ve thought of buying a skull, but I’m still not too sure, especially with christmas holidays coming soon :).

Well, here’s another bone study, done from ‘Albinus on Anatomy’. It was done with a 2B pencil.

#20

It’s been a while since I’ve posted. Holidays and what not led to a decrease in drawing. Anyways, here’s another anatomic study/copy, done from ‘Albinus on Anatomy’. I decided however, to omit the casted shadow. I’m sort of eager to get onto a new drawing. Anyways, any critique and suggestions are appreciated.