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Artwork (Traditional) / Animal related (non-anthro)
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More from Ruaidri
Decided I want to get a bit of practice in on drawing faces, using some real animals as references. The way I draw faces is kinda just dumb right now. These are a little less stylized than I would use on any standard art, but I figure if I'm ever going to learn, I might as well start at the source.
I suspect that for most artists, drawing from references is a very natural thing. I, however, stopped using references about four months into drawing (which is in total for like, seven years now). I guess I just always found it boring. So I figured I'd start simple, since I actually need to learn how to draw with references before I can do much else. Foxes seemed like a good choice, since I've drawn a zillion of the things, and have a basic grasp on the anatomy. I started with a few red foxes, then moved on to some other canines and focused on trying ot make them look like their respective species as well.
So, we've got three foxes, a wolf, a fennec, and the uncoloured one is a G-shep. It would have been coloured as well, but I somehow lost the ref between sketching and colouring. Don't ask me how, I've got no clue, but apparently it disappeared off google, I haven't seen it since. xD
Colour was quickly tossed on them, just to toy around a bit. I know most of them look pretty awfulsauce, and some aren't even inked, but I actually had a lot of fun screwing around with different painting ideas. Gotta love that radio-actively bright fox on the top right. x3
So yeah, I know most people won't care about this sort of dealie, but some of you like seeing practice sketches and such, so here ya go. This is for you! I'm going to continue on doing this with various species, but they probably won't be coloured or scanned in, 'cause I'm lazy.
All pictures were found from google, so rights to the images go to whoever took 'em.
I suspect that for most artists, drawing from references is a very natural thing. I, however, stopped using references about four months into drawing (which is in total for like, seven years now). I guess I just always found it boring. So I figured I'd start simple, since I actually need to learn how to draw with references before I can do much else. Foxes seemed like a good choice, since I've drawn a zillion of the things, and have a basic grasp on the anatomy. I started with a few red foxes, then moved on to some other canines and focused on trying ot make them look like their respective species as well.
So, we've got three foxes, a wolf, a fennec, and the uncoloured one is a G-shep. It would have been coloured as well, but I somehow lost the ref between sketching and colouring. Don't ask me how, I've got no clue, but apparently it disappeared off google, I haven't seen it since. xD
Colour was quickly tossed on them, just to toy around a bit. I know most of them look pretty awfulsauce, and some aren't even inked, but I actually had a lot of fun screwing around with different painting ideas. Gotta love that radio-actively bright fox on the top right. x3
So yeah, I know most people won't care about this sort of dealie, but some of you like seeing practice sketches and such, so here ya go. This is for you! I'm going to continue on doing this with various species, but they probably won't be coloured or scanned in, 'cause I'm lazy.
All pictures were found from google, so rights to the images go to whoever took 'em.
Category Artwork (Traditional) / Animal related (non-anthro)
Species Canine (Other)
Size 630 x 821px
File Size 91.1 kB
First, drawing from references is a GOOD THING!! I have never understood why some people think it is bad! If you look through my journals, there is a link to a great post from another artists who used to not use references and now does. It is worth reading if you care to look.
Second, these are REAL nice! I love the top left Fox head, very very nice as are all of them! Useing references just help you get things right and not make it all up, it does not hurt your art in any way!
Second, these are REAL nice! I love the top left Fox head, very very nice as are all of them! Useing references just help you get things right and not make it all up, it does not hurt your art in any way!
I guess I just worry about it being bad for myself because while I do sorta add a bit of my own style to my work (or rather I DID before I gave up on being an artist) all of my work was from a reference, or the entire drawing was really mostly my fursona tacked on to a drawing of someone else's lineart. So I felt worried that I didn't really have any talent and that I was taking it from the people who actually did these drawings I was using for references.
I'd tried drawing without any ref's before...and well let's say those results were pretty bad.
Enough about myself, I do that too much >.<
These are very well done, I can tell you put a lot of work into these and I love 'em!
Also....FLOOFY!!!!
I'd tried drawing without any ref's before...and well let's say those results were pretty bad.
Enough about myself, I do that too much >.<
These are very well done, I can tell you put a lot of work into these and I love 'em!
Also....FLOOFY!!!!
I personally feel that practicing art both with and without reference is very important. Many artists I know can do some absolutely amazing stuff, but everything they draw already exists. They'll take a picture someone else already took or painted, and just re-paint it themselves. Sure, it looks nice, but so did the original, so...
However, it really is the best way to learn. But it's a little easy to get caught up in it and do it for every picture. So I just sort of stopped after a while and never use them now, which is pretty bad. My anatomy and variety has really suffered as a result, and it's something I need to work on now. I've got a lot of issues too, they're just all opposite. x3
However, it really is the best way to learn. But it's a little easy to get caught up in it and do it for every picture. So I just sort of stopped after a while and never use them now, which is pretty bad. My anatomy and variety has really suffered as a result, and it's something I need to work on now. I've got a lot of issues too, they're just all opposite. x3
Using other art as reference is NOT useing reference! Using life or photos IS! Every great artist that has ever lived (who did realistic work and not abstract) used references! They mostly worked from life/nature but once photography started, they used photos as well! You do not use reference for style or to copy, you use it to get things right, to make your work look as realistic as possible!
Waaaay too many exlamation marks. And all of these were referenced from a photo, and that doesn't change anything, it still feels a lot less like really creating when I use a reference. I have no problem with it and encourage other artists to do it all the time, I just don't like doing it myself unless I'm practicing. For actual pictures I find it much less interesting, personally.
I've found using refs help me immensely when drawing faces especially. You don't even have to use refs at the same angle, even just getting a feel for the facial structure xD Although saying that I still prefer life drawing to using photo references, but my zoo doesn't have any canines or vulpines sadly (which is what I have to draw the most).
I'm remarkably slow when it comes to drawing, I don't think I could use a real life reference of something living unless it was asleep, because otherwise they'd have long since moved away by the time I even got started a doodle. Speed was never something I had in abundance when it came to drawing, heh. Another thing I need to work on though, I suppose!
That's what gesture drawings are for though x3
If you'd like some timed practice without having to go into the field you can use this tool: http://www.pixelovely.com/gesture/f.....uredrawing.php
Also I'd recommending using something that you can't erase and that has variable widths (I usually use a marker, or charcoal and conte or pastels are also good for gesture drawings), avoiding pen and pencil as much as you can (at least until you've broken bad habits).
If you'd like some timed practice without having to go into the field you can use this tool: http://www.pixelovely.com/gesture/f.....uredrawing.php
Also I'd recommending using something that you can't erase and that has variable widths (I usually use a marker, or charcoal and conte or pastels are also good for gesture drawings), avoiding pen and pencil as much as you can (at least until you've broken bad habits).
Noted. I've got a brush pen that seems like it might be good for this sort of thing... I've found it pretty useless for normal drawing because I don't have enough control over it to make precise lines look good, and they tended to turn out too thick. But for a quick, sweeping gesture-style drawing it might just fit the bill.
I'll have to give this a try sometime after I wake up tomorrow, methinks.
I'll have to give this a try sometime after I wake up tomorrow, methinks.
Very nice! I especially like the one in the bottom left. The lack of black around the edges gives it quite a different look than the others.
I tend to work from references because my grasp of anatomy just isn't good enough to make my pics look decent without a reference.
Still, I do keep trying to draw things without a reference every now and then to see how I'm going, and I'm slowly getting better.
I tend to work from references because my grasp of anatomy just isn't good enough to make my pics look decent without a reference.
Still, I do keep trying to draw things without a reference every now and then to see how I'm going, and I'm slowly getting better.
I've actually always been a little jealous of your sketch a day thingers. I could never stick to practicing with references for that long, I always give up fairly quickly in. I'm going to try to make myself do it for a little while though, hopefully learn a few things. :P
Thanks! I'm a lot jealous of your skills in drawing poses without references, and drawing multiple characters interacting.
We've got some mutual jealousy going on eh?
The trick to keeping up the daily sketches is to make rules for yourself that keep them quick and simple to do. If you only have to find an hour or less every day for them then it's achieveable, but if you needed to spend 5 hours on each pic it would just be impossible.
We've got some mutual jealousy going on eh?
The trick to keeping up the daily sketches is to make rules for yourself that keep them quick and simple to do. If you only have to find an hour or less every day for them then it's achieveable, but if you needed to spend 5 hours on each pic it would just be impossible.
Whoa, these look significantly different...I commend you, great job on these cuties =3
What is awesome about these is that even though you were following refs on them, your style still shows through clearly; in fact, it shines. The way you draw fluff, the way you paint, the placement of each line, and the way you draw eyes, all of it is distinctly you. I'm always happy to see new pieces from you, you always inspire me to try harder to improve =3
What is awesome about these is that even though you were following refs on them, your style still shows through clearly; in fact, it shines. The way you draw fluff, the way you paint, the placement of each line, and the way you draw eyes, all of it is distinctly you. I'm always happy to see new pieces from you, you always inspire me to try harder to improve =3
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