Brenda, could we have a lesson on converting a reference photo into a drawing? I don't know whether you draw from life or use photo references, but I would love to see a drawing from inspiration to completion, particularly how you simplify so that the drawing looks complete but not overworked.

Thanks!

J

I see alot of " and beautiful work at that, but J-Lyn made sounds like she is doing the same as I am .I use photos as a reference. People have told me for example, " Oh, the ears are too low...or the face is too wide or eyes are uneven"... but they are suppose to be that way. What iif they are/were that way on the person wearing the or the angle of the face is tilted. I too would love to see some sketches made from reference photos...of Real People. Anybody else do that? I dabble in genealogy and sketches are the only way to enlarge some old photos, by reproducing them in a different medium.

I draw from the heart. I have found that I mess up a good sketch by using pastels, so I have restricted my self to "black and white: My sketches might be mediocre to many because I draw what I see. Real people are not perfect. I 've had no lessons, only an insight of shades and lights. So ...I took a stab at drawing. I wanted to put a picture to the people in my family tree instead of just a name!


Candid photos and those which capture a personality are what I search for as a model. To capture the sparkle of the eyes or the smile in a totally candid moment and to be able to produce a drawing ...one which will instill in one the feeling felt when first observing the original photo .

i sometimes use photo's also sometimes. with my mom i drew from memory, but i used a couple of different photos on the praying hands, i read also that to make someone look like them is to get the points where one eye maybe lower than the other, or if one ear is different(which in my drawing was not the case i just messed up) my moms ears are alike.
Lori

I use references with everything I draw. If it's a specific person I'm drawing, I sometimes reproduce the photo or part of it. If I'm drawing something from my imagination I'll still use a reference for certain things, like a piece of clothing or a vehicle or whatever. There's nothing wrong with using references for your work. It just means it's that much more accurate

Of course, drawing from life is much better than using a photograph. I try to do that as often as I can

I almost always use photos when drawing something even in part .. all drawings of people even in fantasy art i use photos and slightly change the look ie eyes or hair etc.. when doing a portrait of an animal or a child i always use a photo as animals and children just dont sit still long enough .. but i work from various poses taken by my camera first as just one photo dosnt always seem to catch the subjects personality ...

Most of the artwork in my gallery are based on photos.