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The Body and Soul of Art

The Body and Soul of Art

Question from Dean Pridmore

“Which is more important: the subject of your art, or the way the piece is executed? I pose this question to you in the hopes of ascertaining a professional view on whether fine art is as much about capturing the emotion of the subject as it is about producing an accurate portrayal. Or can one be done without the other?”…

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How to get likeness in portrait drawings?

How to get likeness in portrait drawings?

Question from Ray Habyan

I have always started my drawings by either using a light box or projector to get the fine details. Now I am not using either of those and seem to not be able to get the critical likeness of my subjects down, especially the eyes, nose, and lips. What do I do to mitigate this? …

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What is the classical approach to drawing?

What is the classical approach to drawing?

Question from Keith Ruiters

Hi Vladimir and Natalie,

Is there more than one classical approach to drawing? Various artists online who claim to be classically trained give different versions of what it entails, hence my question. For example, some emphasize drawing in straight lines right up to the end before putting in curved lines. Others make extensive use of comparative measuring when drawing from life, something I have yet to come across in your course (as far lessons 1-15 go anyway). And while you teach that hatching and crosshatching with a graphite pencil typifies classical rendering, other classically trained artists smudge and use blending stumps, claiming that this is the classical approach. Could you please provide some clarity on this? …

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What’s the best way to learn anatomy?

What’s the best way to learn anatomy?

Question from David, Drawing Academy student

I’ve been learning anatomy thanks to the Drawing Academy online course.

I have a tight schedule, but I still make time to draw. Learning anatomy is kinda difficult. I guess I’ve never realized how learning anatomy is very important and helps when drawing out your creative thoughts. Arms and hands are very hard for me.

How long did it take you to learn anatomy?

I’m also an actor, which helps with my creativity, but many people tell me all the time I have to pick one and leave one. I can’t, though. I’ve been doing both since I was 8, so quitting one is out of the question, unless it’s a bad idea to do both.

I took a trip to Japan and toured Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music, where they would create countless figures from their imagination. It was amazing. I asked one of the teachers for tips and he told me something useful. He said, “You should worry about drawing the figure and making sure it is well balanced before worrying about clothes. If you can’t draw the body, then clothes are not going to look right.” So I’ve been dedicated to learning anatomy…

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Use of plumb line in drawing

Use of plumb line in drawing

Question from Gilberto

In a previous art school I attended, I was told about the use of plumb lines to help in my drawings. I’ve never got to use one; in fact I’ve never seen a drawing plumb line before, thus I do not know the technique for such instrument in drawing.

What is a plumb line and how could I use it properly for the drawing, say, of a live model?

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A Drawing Academy Diploma Question

A Drawing Academy Diploma Question

Question from Dean Pridmore

I am new to your fantastic course and was a little confused on one aspect.

I have all of the lessons open to me to complete. However you say the course period is to be completed in three months to be eligible to receive the Diploma.

So I was wondering how I go about the lessons, and how you evaluate my work. Do I complete all lessons within three months and send the work to you via email, along with an example of my drawing ability before I took the course?

Thank you for any help you can give me…

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How to capture a likeness in a portrait

How to capture a likeness in a portrait

Question from Noah, Drawing Academy student

Good Day Art Tutor,

My name is Noah, I’m a fashion design student. I’ve been drawing for quite a while, and I particularly love illustrating human subjects. I’m self-taught and would like to learn more about drawing and also to correct my amateur mistakes.

I have a problem creating the foundation of my heads (I do not have an art museum that’s conveniently close to me so I use reference photos). My problem is that I can’t get the proportions right to capture the likeness of the subject I am working on, so I tend to focus on a particular part of the face, which makes the final product look like a caricature instead of a real drawing.

My questions are:

1. How do I adapt proportions to fit the subject that I am drawing?

2. How do I get the correct nose, eyebrow, and mouth levels?

I would like to thank you in advance for teaching and preserving the Masters’ way of drawing, and I look forward to learning more…

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What is your take on digital drawing?

What is your take on digital drawing?

Question from David

Is it okay to redraw old drawings to see how far your hand skills have improved or just to exercise before drawing the real deal? I work 5 days a week but I make sure to draw for a least 2 to 3 hours. On the weekend, I draw all day.

What is your take on digital drawing?

Also, how can I see the Drawing Academy student handbook?…

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