Hands are Handy to Draw Dynamically

photo © 2016 H. Simpson

Time and again I've heard artists say hands are the hardest to draw. I've always wondered why, because we always have a hand model with us. Ourselves!

You can look at your hand and pose it at any time. Use a mirror for poses for the opposite hand or other views. See how keeping a mirror near your drawing table is coming in handy? And you can take a photo with your smart phone or tablet, which costs you nothing! and you can have the EXACT pose you need, as well as the lighting you want.

Also don't be intimidated by the moving pieces. Start with the larger basic shapes and then drill down to the smaller sections. Draw all the fingers as one solid mass, before separating them to draw each finger one by one.

to be continued…

read next - How Do You Make it?
previous - Betty Davis Gave Good Face

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copyright 2016 H. Simpson

Betty Davis Gave Good Face

Drawing Faces and Heads

Kim Kardashian art copyright 2016 by H. Simpson 

Faces are based on shapes.You can get a lot of variety from combining different shapes in your drawing.

Head Shapes 

It’s always best to start with clearly defined shape for your head. globe, oval, cube, egg or pear shapes are you basic choices.

Basic head measurements 

For a normal adult front view face, draw an oval divide the width in fifths. Why? The width of your head is 5 eyes wide. Now divide it equally down the middle horizontally and vertically. This is your starting point to locate the other features. The horizontal line gives you the location for your eyes. The eyebrows and top of ears start usually an eye height above the eye. The bottom of the ears end at bottom of nose line. For a normal child front view face, the head is divided into thirds. The eye line is two-thirds from the top. In all heads, the bottom of the nose is placed halfway between the eyes and chin. The distance from the bottom of the nose to the bottom of the chin, will be divided into thirds. The first two-thirds is where you draw the meeting place of the lips. The mouth extends no further than the mid-point of the eyes. This is where the dental cavity ends. If you are drawing an abnormal or exaggerated face, these beginning measurements will be different, as you may be drawing someone with a large forehead and you want to place the eyes lower the the middle of the oval. It’s best to concentrate on a normal head dimensions while you are learning.

Artist can develop what I call drawing glyphs. This is a shortcut method for drawing the same thing over and over to communicate to the audience. Your glyph for drawing a nose may be two lines or three lines. Using two or three lines don't make it a glyph. It's drawing those same style of lines for the nose on every face that makes it a glyph. This type of glyph doesn't fall into the stereotype or caricature category, it falls into the laziness category.

Sadly, it may not be a conscious decision to be lazy. It sneaks up on you. It becomes a muscle memory. It goes beyond just your stylistic choices. It becomes what you perceive as way to communicate what a nose looks like and you know your audience will accept it.

Beware of glyphs. More about glyphs here.

to be continued…

read next - Hands are Handy to Draw Dynamically
previous - Don't Maroon Your Animals: Learn to Draw Them Too

Follow and subscribe to me. If you have found this helpful, please let me know and share with other creators. Are the explanations clear and complete? Feel free to ask me questions.

Please support me making video tutorials on Patreon

Remember… Just Create!

If you are interested in further expanding your knowledge, then I recommend these books.

You can support this blog when you purchase a book by clicking the link below, I get a piece of the action and helps me to continue doing this blog. Support an artist today.


copyright 2016 H. Simpson

Don't Maroon Your Animals: Learn to Draw Them Too

We all love the zoo as kids. Now as adult artists, we can love them for the opportunity to draw them live. I was always disappointed at the lazy lions, because I came to see them move. Now that would be an advantage to get a long pose, while I draw. Draw your pets. Draw your dogs, cats, birds, fish, snakes and hamsters at play and rest.

Check out these animal anatomy books

Now add books to study the anatomy and we fill in an overlooked area that is a weak spot for most artists. Animals don't have the same muscular structure as human.

Here are some recommended books to buy or read. I say read, because, if once again, you have an excuse that you can't afford to buy them, then you can use the library for free.

Buying any of these books I recommend below, gives me a little kick back and helps support me doing the blog.

to be continued…

previous - A Word About Books
read next - Betty Davis Gave Good Face

Follow and subscribe to me. I also would like to see your comments. Is this helpful to you? Are the explanations clear and complete?

Please support me making video tutorials on Patreon

If you are interested in further expanding your knowledge, then I recommend these books.

You can support this blog when you purchase a book by clicking the link below, I get a piece of the action and helps me to continue doing this blog. Support an artist today.

Remember… Just create!


copyright 2016 H. Simpson

A Word About Books

Great anatomy books to own.

Fortunately, we don't have to use cadavers to learn about the muscles in our body, as artists did in the past.

Books are our best friend in this regard. Use them to learn the names of muscles, how they connect to each other and bones. Learn how they move, bulge and twist. Ooo, I think that's called kinesiology now.

Don't reject a book because you don't like the style of the artist. You are not using the book to draw like that artist. You are using it to benefit from their knowledge of anatomy, which includes muscles and skeletons.

It’s important to learn the muscle names, as this will help you to remember to draw them and to which muscle they are connected.

It is helpful to know the names of bones also and very important as the muscles and tendons connect to the bones.

Here are some recommended books to buy or read. I say read, because if once again you have an excuse that you can't afford to buy them, then you can use the library for free.

Buying any of these books I recommend, gives me a little kick back and helps support me doing the blog.

to be continued…

Follow and subscribe to me. I also would like to see your comments.

read next - Don't Maroon Your Animals: Learn to Draw Them Too
previous - How Does Observing Anatomy Help Your Drawing?

Keep reading and follow me. If you have found this helpful, please let me know and share with other creators. Are the explanations clear and complete? Feel free to ask me questions.

Please support me making video tutorials on Patreon 

Remember… Just create!


copyright 2016 H. Simpson

How Does Observing Anatomy Help Your Drawing?

Draw your bodies with energy, even when they are at rest. Think of it as a coiled spring ready to release. A crouching tiger ready to strike.

art © 2016 Marcin S

This example (used with permission) is from fellow artist +MARCIN s on G+. I show it here because it struck me as something we all should strive for in our figures. There is an economy of line, yet there is weight to the figure and a sense of life even though the figure is sitting.

When you draw a passive pose such as this, it can still have a sense of energy to it. This can be achieved by observation and drawing from life. Even though we may not be drawing at the time, our mind should always be observing and creating mental files for later use.

How do people stand? How does a woman hold her purse? The difference between how a man sits from how a woman sits.

As an artist, you should be training yourself to really SEE and not just look at what is around you.

to be continued…

read next - A Word About Books
previous - It's Not Grey's Anatomy

Keep reading and follow me. If you have found this helpful, please let me know and share with other creators. Are the explanations clear and complete? Feel free to ask me questions.

Please support me making video tutorials on Patreon

Remember… Just Create!

Copyright 2016 H. Simpson

If you are interested in further expanding your knowledge, then I recommend these books.

When you purchase a book by clicking the link below, I get a piece of the action and helps me to continue doing this blog. Support an artist today.

It's Not Grey's Anatomy

art © 2016 H. Simpson

The study of anatomy should not just be about studying muscles. It should also include figure drawing, gesture drawing and life drawing classes. Go to museums and draw the statues.

Figure drawing is something you can do anytime. You don't need to pay to do it and you go anywhere you want to do it. You can go home. Draw your family members or roommates as they watch TV, play video games, sleep, whatever.

You can go to the park and do a variety of drawings. Gesture drawings for action and quick poses. Longer poses with people sitting down or lying on their blankets reading, eating and sleeping.

You can do this anywhere there are people. A beach, mall, laundromat, even a movie line. It costs you nothing. This is for those who say they can't afford a life drawing class or can't find a class.

to be continued…

read next - How Does Observing Anatomy Help Your Drawing?
previous - Should I be Afraid of Drawing Glyphs?

Keep reading and follow me. If you have found this helpful, please let me know and share with other creators. Are the explanations clear and complete? Feel free to ask me questions.

Please support me making video tutorials on Patreon

Remember… Just Create!

Copyright 2016 H. Simpson

If you are interested in further expanding your knowledge, then I recommend these books.

When you purchase a book by clicking the link below, I get a piece of the action and helps me to continue doing this blog. Support an artist today.