I wrote ~5000 words on what 40 hours of studying drawing can do.
Uncategorized
36
Posts
2
Posters
20
Views
-
I wrote ~5000 words on what 40 hours of studying drawing can do. I know my drawing is not great, but it has improved considerably, and I believe it is a story worth sharing.
-
undefined aeva@mastodon.gamedev.place shared this topic
-
I wrote ~5000 words on what 40 hours of studying drawing can do. I know my drawing is not great, but it has improved considerably, and I believe it is a story worth sharing.
@nina_kali_nina it is my opinion, as a lapsed formally trained artist, that if you are motivated to work through a book like that in the pursuit of your need to connect with images on a deeper level, you've more than earned the right to call yourself an artist with pride. In most cases, the only thing someone you might see as being more skilled than you has over you is the benefit of more recent practice, not more total practice.
-
@nina_kali_nina it is my opinion, as a lapsed formally trained artist, that if you are motivated to work through a book like that in the pursuit of your need to connect with images on a deeper level, you've more than earned the right to call yourself an artist with pride. In most cases, the only thing someone you might see as being more skilled than you has over you is the benefit of more recent practice, not more total practice.
@nina_kali_nina I'll have to give your article a closer reading when I'm done with work, but I think you might find Lynda Barry's writings on teaching STEM college students how to draw again (and unlearn their trained fear of it) an interesting contrast to Betty Edwards's book.
In particular, the part you mention about drawing from memory to surface symbols is a common thread between the two, but it seems the two authors have very different conclusions about what the value of those symbols are.
-
@nina_kali_nina I'll have to give your article a closer reading when I'm done with work, but I think you might find Lynda Barry's writings on teaching STEM college students how to draw again (and unlearn their trained fear of it) an interesting contrast to Betty Edwards's book.
In particular, the part you mention about drawing from memory to surface symbols is a common thread between the two, but it seems the two authors have very different conclusions about what the value of those symbols are.
@aeva nod nod; thanks for the recommendation, I'll look it up! I've read and watched lots of advice after this book that made me convinced that the system of symbols is extremely important in both art and commercial illustration. It's just it seems like the system of symbols needs to be expanded and polished so it can be put to good use.
-
@aeva nod nod; thanks for the recommendation, I'll look it up! I've read and watched lots of advice after this book that made me convinced that the system of symbols is extremely important in both art and commercial illustration. It's just it seems like the system of symbols needs to be expanded and polished so it can be put to good use.
@nina_kali_nina I think Lynda's primary goal as a teacher is to help her students unlearn the destructive inhibition, shame, and fear of making imperfect works / of making art in general. Her philosophy is that "bad" drawings by naive hands are able to capture something fundamental that is a lot harder to reach as a practiced trained artist, and that fundamental something (she calls it an Image) is something to cherish and is worthy of study.
-
@nina_kali_nina I think Lynda's primary goal as a teacher is to help her students unlearn the destructive inhibition, shame, and fear of making imperfect works / of making art in general. Her philosophy is that "bad" drawings by naive hands are able to capture something fundamental that is a lot harder to reach as a practiced trained artist, and that fundamental something (she calls it an Image) is something to cherish and is worthy of study.
@nina_kali_nina ok, the books by Lynda Barry that I have on my book shelf are all wonderful, so I'll give you some brief summaries and you can decide for yourself if any of them sound interesting:
-
@nina_kali_nina ok, the books by Lynda Barry that I have on my book shelf are all wonderful, so I'll give you some brief summaries and you can decide for yourself if any of them sound interesting:
@nina_kali_nina "Picture This" is a memoir on creativity. It explores various motivations she's had for making art over the years, why she rejected the more formal stuff she learned in school, in favor of a more loose and radical comic style, discusses burnout, and chases after this illusive thing she calls an Image which is the animating spirit of life that can be found in all art. These are all very visually dense texts, and this one probably the most so.
-
@nina_kali_nina "Picture This" is a memoir on creativity. It explores various motivations she's had for making art over the years, why she rejected the more formal stuff she learned in school, in favor of a more loose and radical comic style, discusses burnout, and chases after this illusive thing she calls an Image which is the animating spirit of life that can be found in all art. These are all very visually dense texts, and this one probably the most so.
@nina_kali_nina "Picture This" is also not very instructive. I think it's notable for condensing a lot of her philosophy that is explored upon in more detail in other works. I found it helpful for clawing my way out of burnout in the past.
-
@nina_kali_nina "Picture This" is also not very instructive. I think it's notable for condensing a lot of her philosophy that is explored upon in more detail in other works. I found it helpful for clawing my way out of burnout in the past.
@nina_kali_nina "What It Is" is focused on exploring memory, and the latter half is entirely exercises. This is focused on writing not drawing, but it is a method that dill draw out Images (capital I), and I think the creative exercises in it are broadly applicable. This is a book about exploring the depths of your mind and creativity.
-
@nina_kali_nina "What It Is" is focused on exploring memory, and the latter half is entirely exercises. This is focused on writing not drawing, but it is a method that dill draw out Images (capital I), and I think the creative exercises in it are broadly applicable. This is a book about exploring the depths of your mind and creativity.
@nina_kali_nina "Syllabus: Notes From an Accidental Professor" is her notes from teaching a drawing class focused on students from a wide variety of backgrounds and inhibition about drawing, and is about unlearning shame and inhibition surrounding art making, and finding you voice and developing a style. Also good for getting out of creative ruts. The book is a mix of theory and exercises.
-
@nina_kali_nina "Syllabus: Notes From an Accidental Professor" is her notes from teaching a drawing class focused on students from a wide variety of backgrounds and inhibition about drawing, and is about unlearning shame and inhibition surrounding art making, and finding you voice and developing a style. Also good for getting out of creative ruts. The book is a mix of theory and exercises.
@nina_kali_nina "Making Comics" is another compilation of notes, theory, research, and structured course work much like Syllabus, and is the continuation of her research on adult learners. This one is nominally more specifically about making comics as the name implies, but it's really about hooking up a lightning rod to your creativity and animating The Creature
-
@nina_kali_nina "Making Comics" is another compilation of notes, theory, research, and structured course work much like Syllabus, and is the continuation of her research on adult learners. This one is nominally more specifically about making comics as the name implies, but it's really about hooking up a lightning rod to your creativity and animating The Creature
@nina_kali_nina and I'd say broadly the throughline of her pedagogical work is dismantling the widespread culture of learned helplessness and pretension surrounding art to work out what the biological function of art is, and how to draw that out of people. Her creative philosophy is radical and powerful. However, these books will not make you more proficient at the technical aspects of drawing, nor will they teach you how to make Correct art.
-
@nina_kali_nina and I'd say broadly the throughline of her pedagogical work is dismantling the widespread culture of learned helplessness and pretension surrounding art to work out what the biological function of art is, and how to draw that out of people. Her creative philosophy is radical and powerful. However, these books will not make you more proficient at the technical aspects of drawing, nor will they teach you how to make Correct art.
This post is deleted! -
@nina_kali_nina and I'd say broadly the throughline of her pedagogical work is dismantling the widespread culture of learned helplessness and pretension surrounding art to work out what the biological function of art is, and how to draw that out of people. Her creative philosophy is radical and powerful. However, these books will not make you more proficient at the technical aspects of drawing, nor will they teach you how to make Correct art.
@nina_kali_nina I'm reading through your blog post in earnest now, but need to take a break for dinner, but I want to emphasize this before I forget, that drawing should be a joyous activity, not one where you feel depressed, so I think your instincts are right that this is something psychological that you learned over time (and can also unlearn with time)
-
@nina_kali_nina I'm reading through your blog post in earnest now, but need to take a break for dinner, but I want to emphasize this before I forget, that drawing should be a joyous activity, not one where you feel depressed, so I think your instincts are right that this is something psychological that you learned over time (and can also unlearn with time)
@nina_kali_nina this painting I did last week was a practice piece https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@aeva/115880174021858716 and going off the social media numbers it wasn't a particularly successful work, and there are some technical problems with it, but it is one of my favorite things I've made recently, primarily because of how much fun I had making it. the image was completely alive under my stylus, and the only reason I stopped working on it was chronic pain flaring up and physical exhaustion
-
@nina_kali_nina this painting I did last week was a practice piece https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@aeva/115880174021858716 and going off the social media numbers it wasn't a particularly successful work, and there are some technical problems with it, but it is one of my favorite things I've made recently, primarily because of how much fun I had making it. the image was completely alive under my stylus, and the only reason I stopped working on it was chronic pain flaring up and physical exhaustion
@nina_kali_nina as I would have injured myself if I kept going. It's a lot of fun. I put on drum and bass music to groove along to it while I paint, I set my cintiq up like I'm standing at an easel, and I count it as my daily physical exercise. I call it "drawing and bass".
-
@nina_kali_nina as I would have injured myself if I kept going. It's a lot of fun. I put on drum and bass music to groove along to it while I paint, I set my cintiq up like I'm standing at an easel, and I count it as my daily physical exercise. I call it "drawing and bass".
@nina_kali_nina ok done with dinner, I have more thoughts on your post, maybe you will find some of them useful.
Some technical advice for pushing your drawing further:
I recommend experimenting with charcoal and conte chalk when you sketch. You'll be able to do more subtle gradients and more striking dynamic range, and a pink pearl eraser or a kneaded rubber eraser will lift it back up just fine if you don't like a mark, just like pencil.
-
@nina_kali_nina ok done with dinner, I have more thoughts on your post, maybe you will find some of them useful.
Some technical advice for pushing your drawing further:
I recommend experimenting with charcoal and conte chalk when you sketch. You'll be able to do more subtle gradients and more striking dynamic range, and a pink pearl eraser or a kneaded rubber eraser will lift it back up just fine if you don't like a mark, just like pencil.
@nina_kali_nina second, I noticed you are fond of the outline. In observational drawing, it is a good exercise to try to avoid drawing any outlines beyond light contour lines used for planning out sketches. This will look more naturalistic, because real life does not have outlines.
-
@nina_kali_nina second, I noticed you are fond of the outline. In observational drawing, it is a good exercise to try to avoid drawing any outlines beyond light contour lines used for planning out sketches. This will look more naturalistic, because real life does not have outlines.
@nina_kali_nina third, there is nothing correct about point perspective. it's a geometric convenience for planning out technically impressive works, but it is not optically accurate, nor is it how our brains process what our eyes see (it's so much weirder, I have some interesting reading to point you toward on that, but I can't seem to find it at the moment). there's also "zero-point" perspective which is generally more useful for naturalistic drawing when you are away from architecture
-
@nina_kali_nina third, there is nothing correct about point perspective. it's a geometric convenience for planning out technically impressive works, but it is not optically accurate, nor is it how our brains process what our eyes see (it's so much weirder, I have some interesting reading to point you toward on that, but I can't seem to find it at the moment). there's also "zero-point" perspective which is generally more useful for naturalistic drawing when you are away from architecture
@nina_kali_nina four, next time you go to an art museum, bring your sketch book and draw pictures of the art. I don't know if this is obvious or not, but you will not get in trouble for drawing in an art museum. If you see something that grabs you about the art, try to pin it down with a quick technical study.
Gli ultimi otto messaggi ricevuti dalla Federazione
-
Reti 5G, UE: “In tre anni via ZTE e Huawei”
@informatica
“Insieme agli Stati membri, individueremo quali componenti specifiche della catena di fornitura ICT dei nostri settori critici richiederebbero misure di mitigazione mirate. Proponiamo una serie di possibili misure di riduzione del rischio, tra cui restrizioni per i fornitori ad alto rischio”.Così ha scritto Henna Virkkunen,
-
Esce al #cinema "La Grazia" di Paolo Sorrentino, film presentato all'82 Mostra di Venezia. Tra i vari riconoscimenti ha ricevuto il nostro Premio Brian per aver affrontato con profondità laica il tema del #finevita in Italia.👇 https://blog.uaar.it/2025/09/06/premio-brian-2025-la-grazia/
-
@filobus @marcoboh Sono anni che mi domando perchè non sfruttiamo l'enorme potenziale della massa di denaro disponibile in UE.
La risposta credo sia facile: non vi è un mercato dei capitali efficiente, unito e capace di collegare i risparmi europei agli investitori europei che potrebbero farli rendere....in Europa. Da qui il calo patologico di produttività e la scarsa capacità di innovare. (per ora) ancora non ci mancherebbero talenti e capacità ....
-
@anominominominous si, vedevo dalla mappa ieri che ancora la zona nord-orientale della Sicilia era messa male, non so la Calabria.
-
Postazione trobadorica pronta, direi.
-
@andre123 @marcoboh UE finanzia il debito americano e non investe a casa, siamo proprio scemi (capisco i guadagni ma se non pensi a lungo termine mai arrivi alla resa dei conti prima o poi, cioè oggi)
-
Vi ricordate di #ZioTibia?! đź’€
Il narratore macabro de I Racconti della Cripta (1989-1996), che ci ha fatto venire i brividi con quella risata!
In Italia arrivò su Italia 1 nel 1991, diventando un culto assoluto per gli amanti dell’horror. E sapete chi ci ha recitato ? Arnold Schwarzenegger, Demi Moore, Brad Pitt e persino Michael J. Fox! 🎬Un mix di paura, ironia e star hollywoodiane che non si dimentica! @spettacoli@diggita.com @spettacoli
-
@andre123 @marcoboh un cambiamento c'è già , ma da un lato siamo vincolati dai nostri stessi interessi (mica possiamo togliere tutti i soldi dal debito pubblico americano, lo faremo ma piano piano), dall'altro per avviare e terminare un cambiamento strutturale ci vuole tempo, non si fa in un giorno
E il momento attuale richiede cambiamenti repentini
E siamo costretti a tentennare senza poter concentrare le forze e i nostri sforzi, che quindi andranno in gran parte a vuoto come un boxer tuonato
