Hello everyone. I started drawing about 11 weeks ago as a fun diversion. I am a network engineer, and my other hobbies are tournament-level chess and distance running. I have never done anything artistic before in my life, so this was completely new to me. It has turned out to be a very relaxing and rewarding hobby.

I take weekly lessons under a great teacher here in Memphis. I started with her 10 week class based on the (wonderful) book Drawing on The Right Side of The Brain, and have finished that class and just started a no-instruction life-drawing class.

I've attached the obligatory self-portraits from when I first started and from last week. I've already found several faults with the most recent one, but I think I learned a lot. I actually was pretty impressed with myself when I drew the first one, and now I can't believe I drew that.

I want to post a lot more of my drawings but I had linked to them all on my website and I think that I can't make a post with links for some reason. Maybe I will post them as attachments later on, but I don't want to make a big post with 30 attachments.

I am going to keep going to the life drawing class, and have got a new book Keys to Drawing, and will also use the excellent material in this site to further my study. I love learning!

Hope to be bugging the crap out of you guys on the forums in the future, and maybe I can even help out some other beginners


Thanks,

Kevin

Hi Kevin

welcome to drawspace

Hi Kevin

thanks for the advise on the pencils

Welcome to drawspace

Welcome Kevin.
Start up an album and post your pictures that way. Then everyone can see them.

Thank you everyone. I just uploaded some photos into an album, but I can't seem to link to it in this post (saw something in another thread about you have to have a certain # of posts to make links).

A recurring problem with me seems to be eyes, mainly getting them straight. I also need to force myself to slow down (I don't think I've ever spent more than an hour on a drawing). I seem to get into a groove and work very fast and think that I may do a little bit better if I could slow down.


What is the recommended method of taking photos of drawings? Consider that I only have a cheap camera and no tripod. The flash tends to create glare on the drawing. Should I just take them to Kinkos and have them scanned?

The eyes are my main problem Two things that helped me. There is a book by Carrie Stuart Parks that gives the detail proportions of the eyes Secrets to Drawing realistic faces. That really helps also don't practice just one eye, practice pair of eyes. I was always practicing the right or left by itself and never got it right.

Photographing your drawings. Try to get near a window to use natural light. I do photography for a living but I don't apply it to my own stuff (LOL) or shine several light sources on your work from different angles, I have also scanned it in from my printer.

Hope this helps

Hi, Kevin! Welcome to Drawspace! I'm kinda new here, too...wow, tournament-level chess?? That's crazy! I can barely win a game against my father!

Sounds like you're doing really well so far then, huh? That's awesome! I really like the picture you posted...the toning and everything is really good! Looking forward to seeing more stuff from you!

hi, welcome to draw space