Critique My Artworks

We are never too old to learn

Thank you for your course. I am enjoying it immensely and learning a lot at the same time.

At 70 I have a way to go but as they say we are never to old to learn...

I'm trying to improve my drawing techniques

Nymph

I want to thank Vladimir and Natalie for providing such a wonderful experience. I had no training in art at all. In fact, I did not really draw or paint anything until I turned 54. It was the Drawing Academy course that got me started. I have a very LONG path ahead, but at least I have begun. The journey is the point, right...

Portrait drawings from Albert, Drawing Academy student

Artwork from David, Drawing Academy student

Dear Vladimir and Natalie,

First of all, I would like to thank Drawing Academy for teaching me how to improve my artworks. Your lessons have taught me so much. Now what I need to do is work harder to reach my goals.

This is a drawing of my friend that I did when we were at a coffee shop. My goal was to capture the light in her face and her eyes, but I see a bunch of mistakes. Hair is my biggest problem. The amount of detail can be overwhelming to me; I guess cause I'm still an amateur. How can I render shade to the hair and face with over-rendering? And how to keep pencil lines smooth yet defined? ...

Artwork and story by Jean Botha, Drawing Academy student

Self-Critique:

My creative aim was to try and get photo realism. Outcome: failed.

I love this picture more and more as time goes by. Despite the failure to achieve the goal and all its perspective distortions, I honestly love the outcome. Cartoony looking but striking with color saturation and exposure.

What can be improved:

The most obvious perspective error that an untrained eye will notice is the distortion of the blue bowl behind her. Just drawing what I thought I saw and not knowing to draw what I didn’t know to draw at the time resulted in this distortion.

The vanishing point for the perspective of the bowl is located on a much higher horizon line than the actual point of view from which this picture was taken from, resulting in more of the back plane of the ellipse being visible at the top plane of the bowl, making it look odd because you get the sense that you are seeing the dog from the front yet the further object is seen from above...

Artworks by Lisa Lieber, Drawing Academy student

I have just started the drawing course and I love it! I am in my second week and have already learned so much and have gained a lot of skill. I know I will continue to grow! I am sending in a portrait drawing for critique, ( I also included a drawing of vases from the class).

I have included a portrait done by Natalie Richy to help explain my question. To me my portrait shows great improvement from my past attempts, but doesn't look like art ( or at least not what I hope to create). Natalie's does! Can you help me understand what I am seeing and not seeing? I appreciate any thoughts and comments ...

Drawing by Carl, Drawing Academy student

I want thank the Drawing Academy and the other students. It inspires me to work harder and to try and get better all the time. I will admit it does get frustrating because my skill level limits what I see in my mind's eye. I have been focusing on portraits of the human face because this seems to be the most difficult...

Still-life drawing by Bill T., Drawing Academy student

I have just joined the Drawing Academy and begun exploring the videos. This my first go at drawing basic shapes...

Artwork by Dan S., Drawing Academy student

Here is a still life that depicts all of the tools needed by the the sketch artist.

It is drawn in two-point perspective with the light from above and to the left slightly.

The drawing includes a sketch book at the foundation, a supplementary drawing text (for that extra bit of information) by an Italian artist ( who better than the Italians?), several pencils of varying hardness, including the workhorse "HB" variety and a couple of sanguine pencils thrown in as well. It also includes five erasers (three gum and two rubber) because some of us need more erasing than others, an Exact-o sharpener to keep those pencils razor sharp, a soft brush to brush away the rubber bits (or cracker crumbs after a quick snack - even artists have to eat)...