As an artist I feel like improving my work all the time. Never satisfied with my own work, I am always looking to references of historical and contemporary artists.

Classic artists such as Da Vinci, Rembrandt or Michelangelo for example, have great anatomical and structural studies. These studies, in my opinion are fundamental for the development of great picture. It is also with the classical artists that a great study in colour and composition can be analysed. Pyramidal, diagonal, the use of the “Divine Proportion” and great use of lights and shadows are widely explored by the classics.

Also very important is to analyse contemporary artists. Nowadays a great range of artists with different styles and techniques, from clean and simple lines, to extremely complex and super realistic pieces, can be found. Some of the contemporary artists I admire the most are at the Massive Black concept art studio.  Studying the work of artists like the ones present in the Massive Black I can find some of the mistakes and can learn a bit of compositions and construction.

Comparing the two pieces of art above (the one in the top from massive black and the one in the bottom is mine, of course) I can find some of the gaps I need to fill to improve my work in the right direction.  It is visible that the exploration of details and tonal contrasts in the top image is much widely used. Also the use of sharp lines and great control of the light contrasts in addiction to a lack line in dynamic poses put together a much more complete picture, full of movement.

Drawing For Concept Artist ICA

Naked Men

The following sketches come from one of our first assessments where we a few images of naked men and women of different ages, sizes and colors were required.

Line Drawing

http://www.herbwiersma.com/transit/line.pdf

In these post I will give my opinion related to the pictures in the link above. The main idea is to study line these line drawing, what make it work and how do my work compare to them.

Nude:
Egon Schiele’s nude is characterized for a very organic free line. With a free movement the artist find the shapes and composition without much care to details and anatomical accuracy. Also the soft line, from what looks to the result of a metal etching, added the texture presented in the background, gives the picture a very relaxed feeling.

Property Owners:
 Unlike to Egon Schiele’s, in terms of line,  George Grosz bring to his picture a very sharp line rich in details. The picture is also not accurate to the anatomical proportions of the human body, however I believe these disproportions are directly related to the picture’s story telling.

Cholera Lines:
The picture from Ronald Searle brings to the spectator a dramatic view. Line in these picture has no longer the function of defining shape only, but also brings shadow and depth. The artist keeps a more accurate body proportion and with a more dramatic line gives the picture a much stronger meaning.

Blind Men:
The artist Hokusai bring to this picture a sharp confident line that enhance the strong style proposed in these characters. Not only to define the shapes, line is very well explore to in a few textures.

Akira studies:
Again, in these oriental pictures you will find a very confident sharp line defining shapes and texture, but different to the “Blind Men” from Hokusai, a more calculated line supported by the hatching lines give it more volume and dynamism to the images.

Holiday Types:
Only one type of line is explored in these images: sharp and confident line. Very successful in giving very different personalities to all his characters, Jonathan Millward define shapes and different textures, suck as different hairstyles and fabrics, not changing much the rhythm and thickness of his line.

Tank Girl:
The black and white Tank Girl from Jamie Hewlett do not have many variation on line style and thickness. The strong comic style enhanced by a the dramatic contrast of the two colors, Thank Girl do not give you much room for other interpretation.

Set Drawings:
Confident and relaxed lines are present to this set sketches from the arts Ronald Searle. The sharp strong lines used in the construction of the characters faces make a beautiful composition when put together to the messy and free line used on the creation of the hair styles.

Vogue:
A sharp and precise line is explored in Carl Erikson’s composition. Full of details and very accurate, the lines in this picture varies from a tick outline line, defining shapes and depth, to a very thin line resumed to the exploration of the picture’s details. Mixed to these precise lines, a dust and a bit random texture in the background, with the non “finalization” of the picture, when the author leave many of the lines opened on the edges of the illustration, invite the viewers to explore it and have further interpretations.

Disney’s Hercules:
Clearly just a sketch from the artist Andreas Deja by the overlap on the strong lines of the composition. The fluidity and the mix of curved and straight lines, supported by a strong style makes it smooth for the eyes. All the curves put together with the sensual hair and look make the character very feminine.

Disney’s Aladdin:
Another sketch from Walt Disney. In these one Glen Keane is clearly trying out with a very loose line. What make’s it work is the line of action. On the top of the thinner lines, a few strong lines bring a few shapes out of the mess.

Skateboarders:
At this picture, from the artist Kevin Springet, a very fluid line defining shapes without many details put everything together. There’s a slightly different style from the skateboarders in the top, from the ones sitting in the bottom, once the use of textures replace the tangled lines present in the first ones.

Juggler:
A sharp tick line flowing in one rhythm brings all together in these picture from Herb Wiersma. The non connection of the lines, with the lack of minor details gives the image at the same time depth in space and expression.

Fleurs du Mal:
Henri Matisse simplifies these picture to its essential lines. A few more of a dozen of loose lines that do not change much in thickness and form, give’s  the viewer lots of space to wander around the picture.

Me ,)

 

Well, I think I was kind of successful in these picture, as a representation of reality and study, however I believe there is a lack of style in my drawing. I think I still have much to learn in terms of line thickness exploration, specially in terms of creating more smooth and subtile  transitions on space and volume. I think these might not be the best example of my work to show this, but I also think there's much in terms of creating a structure that I want to improve in my drawings.