Ask Tutors Questions Archives - Page 16 of 20 - Drawing Academy

Charles Bargue drawing course

On 22 Oct, 2014 With 3 Comments

Please critique some works I’ve done from the Charles Bargue drawing course.

Warm Regards,
Jivaji

Question from Steven Lee How do you apply constructive drawing, or drawing what you know, to things from imagination? Answer from Vladimir London, Drawing Academy Tutor The purpose of constructive drawing is to enable you to draw even those things that you never drew before. Creating from imagination you can only draw what you know or imagine, not what you…

Quality vs Quantity in Drawing

On 15 Oct, 2014 With 0 Comments

Question from Slater

I was wondering which aspect is more important while sketching: quantity or quality. I often hear people say that, when learning how to draw, practice is the only surefire way. I completely agree, but I have noticed a few variations on what is expected to be achieved from a practice sketch.

The sketches found in Drawing Academy look, at least to me, like quality ones with clean lines, accurate proportions, and marvelous shading. On the other hand, when I look at the sketches of certain Old Masters, especially Rembrandt’s, they seem to be done rapidly with an emphasis on style, but appear to be slightly lacking in proportion and crispness…

How do we measure with a pencil?

On 14 Oct, 2014 With 0 Comments

Question from Richard Tsai, Drawing Academy student

“How do we measure with a pencil the objects that we see in Drawing Academy videos?”

I want to know how to copy the Victorian urn from video lesson 4.

Many thanks,
Richard

How to Draw Eyelashes

On 9 Oct, 2014 With 6 Comments

Question from Ray, Drawing Academy student

I seem to have a real difficulty getting the eye lashes rendered. It seems as though when I do an eye on a male, as soon as I start rendering the eye lashes, the eye soon becomes a woman’s eye. I have tried laying in sparse lashes, very small, and then a few longer ones without any luck. The bottom lashes are just fine, very soft and not to many. I am sure there is some way to solve this issue…

Grounds for Silverpoint

On 7 Oct, 2014 With 0 Comments

Question from Ron, Drawing Academy student

Vladimir,

Are you aware that inkjet photo paper can take silverpoint? If not, give it a try and see what you think of the paper as a ground. I have been experimenting with silverpoint, and because inkjet paper is a prepared paper that had a fine tooth that acted as an abrasive I decided to try it and was pleasantly surprised. However, I feel perhaps the depth of tone may not be deep enough. Regardless of that, it may be a useful paper for soft rendering…

Drawing Texture

On 3 Oct, 2014 With 0 Comments

Question by Yuri Magalhaes

I have a question about drawing textures. Say, for example, that I’m portraying an old man, or a scene that shows some concrete or a wall: how do I show the textures and irregularities of the surface under the layers of hatching? …

The Body and Soul of Art

On 1 Oct, 2014 With 0 Comments

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?”…

How to get likeness in portrait drawings?

On 23 Sep, 2014 With 2 Comments

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? …

What is the classical approach to drawing?

On 23 Sep, 2014 With 0 Comments

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? …