Have you ever tried drawing something out of one of those drawing books and just couldn't complete it? I have a couple drawing books at home and when they try to explain how to draw a dog for example they like to split it up and start out with seperate circles. Here is a simple one.



My books gets much more complicated than this but I hope you get the idea. Well, I just don't draw that way! I always draw the circles like it said but it dies and can't go forward. I have seen this used so many times out of the books too but whenever I am drawing from a picture that isn't even from a drawing book I like to just copy the outline and proceed. Although I think the lessons on this site tend to follow more of my way. Does anybody feel the same way, know what I am talking about, or can offer advice?

Aviation, none of my "How Too" books have reference images like that to copy. Now my books I have bought for my children do...so maybe you have one intended for children???

Maybe. The choice of drawings are kiddish but the detail is not! If I were to skip the structure of the animal or whatever I wouldn't be able to draw the detail.

If it is a kid book my question is why do they choose that method to teach kids? It is so confusing with all the circles.

yeah I never cared much for the circle techniques either..I just used the reference from the finished line drawing and used that as my guide instead of the whole step by step method. But I know with my kids drawing books they actually find the circles useful and dont do that bad a job on their drawings. So I guess it may work better for some than others.

I find using the circular process invaluable at some stages, specially for maintaining perspectives...by creating blocks of area, it helps with layout, and overall presentation on your medium...

For instance, with feet I ALWAYS layout with circles...for the toes, then for the ball of the foot, then for the heel...then I join them all together...Even in the higher end human form books I have, they use circles and blocks before laying in any details, so as to assist with perspectives and foreshortening and stature, etc...

I used to draw the upper layers of things (start a dog, draw a dog, no inbetween issues) however I have learned that an artist really needs to understand the LOWER layers in order to understand a subject...For instance, take Bateman (my fav), he has sketches he has done that are skeletons and then he fleshes them...just to understand WHY a shadow is in a specific area of the animal, and understand HOW to create the upper layers based upon the way an animal was crouching, jumping, sleeping etc...

I personally think its very important that the artist needs to understand the lower layers of a subject in order to present the upper layer...

I now step off my soapbox...

Brenda teaches this way also.
Paulette

Horsewhisperer,
what you want to say is, that an artist like a painter/drawer has to know the correct anatomy?

Okay - hm - I've studied Biology and later on a little bit of the human anatomy and it helps me nearly nothing.


I tried to draw this way and it did not work. Totally not, my %##&/# brain always told me "this MUST go back - you cannot draw something that goes back"... stupid brain!

For me the best way is to draw what I see and not to think about how the muscle goes through the arm or the body.

But this is my very special own personal greenhorn opinion.


About the circulism technique - I have definitely not enough patience for it. For what is this technique good to use?

You'll have to forgive my skills with mspaint. But think of the circles as blocks for reference. Sometimes it really helps with perspective and composition. For me, though, it only works when I'm drawing from imagination. When drawing from life or from a photo, I just block in the overall shapes like in lesson B-02

Martina,

Whereas not everyone learns the same way, there is alot of meaning to understanding the underlying structure that causes the top layer to behave the way it does...

I used to be like you...my brain REFUSED to understand and slow down...It just wanted to the finished result, no questions asked...but after a while, I got to wondering WHY that shadow was there...WHY the light fell like that across a flank...and it became apparent that I needed to understand that I needed to understand the underlying layers to understand the language of the top layer. When I figured THAT out, my drawing ability exploded, it was quite interesting...

It also explains why I skipped the first three chapters of any drawing book worth its salt until I got that sorted out... Chapter 1 Human Anatomy, Chapter 2 Sketetal Structure, Chapter 3 Muscle Structure

Cheers.

Paul

Paul,

after thinking about a while I must agree you. I asked me the same questions a syou (why is there a shadow... etc).

So I must agree that it is important to know sth about the anatomy. Maybe this is the reason why I prefer to draw nature and things and why I'm not very good in portraits or pet-portraits.

*mumble* Means - now I have to refresh my knowledge of the anatomy . . .

Thanks for all the help guys. I am glad to hear that other people have the same problems.

Horsewhisperer - I do understand that it is helpful to understand the anatomy. However I think it would be more helpful in order to understand the position and stance of the animal. Such as if I were to ever animate the dog(I like it how we are using the same example) it would be important to understand the position of muscles, when they retract, and so on. With a still picture it is the same way but frozen. But I ask does the shadow rely more on understanding the anatomy or understanding the direction of the light source?

Blade - I remember drawing the human figure a lot with those circles in elementary school but I didn't like it. I have recently learned to like gesture drawing more. Eeven though I need a lot of improvement on them, I think it is effective.

And that lesson you provided starts out with the contour, right? I think I have used that the most. I just like to see the whole picture on the paper so I know I have the right size and it is easy to start filling in the white space.

Aviation...
I guess it could have some to do with the light source, but once you have the anatomy nailed down, it doesnt matter WHERE the light source comes from...

You could take that light source and move it around the subject, and the only thing that will change is how the light is laying on the structure. Once you understand the structure, it is much simpler figuring out how the light and shadow plays on it...

I guess it wouldnt be that big a concern with a hairy beast, however have a look at some pics where you are trying to draw a muscular, short haired stallion who is defending his herd...I guarantee you will want to know something about anatomy then!!!

PS...I just found this website (dont wanna post the url cuz of all the spam probs lately) and here is an interesting blurb from the first part of the screen...

"If you've ever wondered how masters of drawing can draw a horse leaping or a bear dancing without copying photographs, this crash-course is for you! It will show you how to confidently draw animals from imagination as well as to interpret what you see when drawing from real animals - those mysterious bumps on a lion's limbs will make sense when you know the underlying structure. This course is similar to the Human Anatomy for Artists Seminar but focused on animals. We will compare various types of four-legged animals with humans, always with an emphasis on how to master "form in space" so they look realistic, alive, and authoritative."

That course sounds wonderful!

Well, I often find that when I am drawing something that I think the perspective is important I am changing the perspective constantly. For some reason I have a problem with perspective, so maybe thats why I think the light can be a problem.