matthew

My fruit perspective...

http://www.thinkdraw.com/picture.php?pictureId=70929

marg

I'm guessing that most people have already discovered this, but I just worked it out.

If you've got a picture saved as a draft, you can still create another pic in the same medium and submit it, without losing your draft - as long as you don't save it, of course.

May seem obvious to most of you, but I'm happy !

matthew

Thanks Marg, I have always been afraid to try that since I wasn't too sure... You are my hero...

matthew

Bumping this up for all you new folk...

Sarahad524

what wuz tht website to teach us how to make the eye of the tiger?

Arw65

http://www.thinkdraw.com/howToDraw.php

polenta

thanks Arw

Dragon

Just bumping this one up for any new users.

chelydra

I'm putting in this non-reply just to bump this thread back up the list where we can see it.

Qsilv

now we need its contents catalogued...

;>

brigsis

Saving drafts has never worked for me. I stopped trying to do it when it said DRAFT LOAD FAILED or something like that and I had to start all over.

mum23

I wanted to ask a question of the artists on TD, so looked for a thread on which to post it.... and found this! It is full of great technical information and there is much to digest!

My question is a bit nebulous, but relevant, I hope for others out there who would like to improve their artistic abilities.

It is interesting to note that many TDers arrived here from the Jigsawdoku website. I too, had just started to enjoy Sudoku (although that has fallen by the wayside since discovering TD!) and have always loved puzzles, both visual and mathematical. In fact, I think that I've had some success at creating pictures with TD because it FORCES me to break a picture into its components of colour rather than trying to draw the whole shape, and learning how to use the pieces is very much like doing a puzzle. I've been thrilled at being able to produce pictures on TD and hope that I have started to unlock something which will really go somewhere... but I am not yet ‘artistic’....

Time and again, I’ll start a picture which I can see clearly in my mind, only to get bogged down in detail and give up! I most admire the art which conveys the essence of a subject or idea without slavishly trying to depict every last detail.

My question is: are there specific exercises which develop this ability, or does it come only from lots and lots of looking, reading and practising?

malini

HI Mum,When I found TD I was very naive,didn't even know how 2 exploit the pieces, their shades,the texture n all .Still I struggle a lot 2 complete a picture.some time i get the success sometimes falls flat.:).Its just try again n again n again n.................So the only mantra is-___Try again n again n again n............................:)

Shanley

Hi Mum23! You've put an interesting question here. Can't wait to see some more responses here. Here's my opinion: i believe getting the details right is requires more than one tehnique. I've got one theory based on which part of the brain the artist uses most. As scientists claim, some are good at having a strong reason, organisation and some are mess masters.( I obviously tend to migrate from the second category to the first one. ) The 'mess master' is an old claim I've got against my way of putting the pieces together, so I hope nobody will feel offended reading this. For some, this actually works. I refer to artists who can actually make a great diversity of pieces connect into something beautiful. That's one way of keeping a more intimate approach of the subject, therefore focusing only on 'significant' details...details that build the character, the atmosphere, etc. Not necessarily building a strong composition, more like...using the pieces wisely. Oh, and having a great perception to help you with that!
The tidy way of achieving something good is having it 'computed'. Or computing it on the way. This however assumes a good focus on details and better tehnique. So unless, you can draw something starting by any corner and going one direction without having it deformed...it will take lots of patience and 'training'. Or simply, having that tidy mind.
;)
__
This being said, I believe it's not really a matter of choice, unless you are really keen on not 'wasting the training' on things that come naturally for you. ...as I said...it's how i see it

Shanley

erm....tend+in=intend (to migrate)
-some
-here. ([...] more answers)...sorry, posted in a hurry...

five

The more you learn about form -- this takes time, observation and study -- the more your know what you can leave out.

Yes, there are exercises that help. A book, "Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain" (or something like that) has a bunch of them. For one, gesture drawings -- no more than than 30 seconds on a drawing (the first 10 seconds or so should just be looking at the figure) -- of figures, just to get the pose and energy help a lot; you don't have time to get any details at all;) You could do this in a cafe, airport, park, etc -- anywhere where there are people. Really, giving yourself a short time limit on any drawing is a way to force yourself to make choices and limit detail.

Another simple exercise is just to break your habitual way of making a drawing. In theory, you should be able to arrive at a completed drawing from any starting point. Start with the chin of a person (we usually don't), for example.

Be willing to make bad drawings -- that mind set frees you up a lot.

Qsilv

There are solid studies showing we do use two parts of the brain separately, to measure (position and light/dark and color) and to lay a sort of judgment on the whole. The trick is to integrate the two.

~20+ years ago Betty Edwards produced a book called Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain -- still a huge seller with great insights and terrific exercises.

There's a significant difference between drawing and painting, again helped by integration. I'm naturally a linear thinker... a draughtsman... I draw. But as Mum pointed out, TD forces us to look at it in a more pixellated way, collage-like. And yep, that's done me a world of good... my own work is now definitely more "painterly" (usually... lol).

;>

Qsilv

(laughing) well we overlapped, but Five's advice is, as always, clear and excellent.

I'll just add two more exercises --

- try drawing a subject upside down (turn the subject or use a mirror or a photo of one too big to physically move)

- try drawing with both hands at the same time, one pen in each

These shake up your preconceived mental ruts. ;>

Hazer

I'm glad you brought that up mum because I've been wondering the same thing. I greatly admire those creative people on TD that seem to be able to go with the flow of their imaginations and produce such lovely pictures. I seem to be as you say a slave to detail which I think takes a lot of fun out of drawing. I'll be very interested to see what others have to say on this topic.

five

(chuckles)

If your really want to play games with your mind and perceptions, draw objects watching the drawing develop in a mirror, so it looks right side up in the mirror, rather than on the paper itself. You have to move your hand opposite to what you are trying to draw. Warning, it may well give you a headache. I've done paintings this way. Even more interesting and mind boggling if you use a convex or concave mirrored surface.

I also occasionally draw/paint with my eyes closed, leaving it to the hand to do all the work. Though I have not tried that on TD