drawing improvements?

[Miss Z]

They're good, you are improving! If I must critique, then this is what I noticed:

On the first sketch, the outline of the eye is way too dark. Yes, you want the eyes to stand out, but they also have to look part of the face, so shade the eyes more and also shade the area around the eyes. With horses' heads, I often find it useful to try and imagine their skull. If you get a good picture of a horse skull from google, then you'll see all the little convex and concave parts, and these will help you with your shading. Things that are closer to you are darker, things that are further away are lighter.

I I I I I I I I I


Here, for example, stare at the above for a few minutes. You should start to see a sort of passageway, as if you are standing near the dark Is and the furthest point is the lightest I.

I would also say that you are being too neat with your original outlines! I know that's a weird thing to say, but your outline shouldn't be too detailed. Like rutylr mentioned, drawing with circles can help (which is what I do), or simply making a rough outline lightly using your lightest pencil. Your eraser is there for a reason, don't be afraid of using it when your picture starts to take shape to tidy up any loose scribbles.

Your eraser is also good for highlighting light areas, as remember, unless you are in pitch black (which wouldn't make much of a crawing, lol), light has to be falling somewhere. A stroke of the tip of your eraser can bring out this light and make the picture more 3D.

Hope that helps! I have a bunch of sketches I'd like to show you as examples on how to improve yours, but unfortunately SOMETHING *kicks scanner* is stopping me doing so.

[wombat2u2004]

Wow! ...Your top drawing is truly excellent! You are obviously a sensitive individual with a love of animals. The head & neck proportions look good. Because you haven't finished the "shading" on the L of the neck it appears to be thin. Is that the case?
My advice is to forget about using any HARD pencils. They can often tear into the paper. Next, don't always START your drawing from an outline & work inwards. Variation in line quality will always make a drawing more interesting. So, in other words, use thick, thin, heavy, light, sweeping, straight lines etc to give interest.
One observation about the nostrils - they are in the correct position IF you redraw the angle of perspective of the horse's jaw line so that its bottom R side is lower than you have drawn it. A suggestion for drawing eyes - drawing a dark even outline around any object or feature will flatten it so it loses its volume. This has happened here.
"SMUDGING" as a shading technique is not the best option to take to add volume & a 3 dimensional quality.
I will give WOM some useful websites for you that will clearly illustrate what techniques are possible.
DON'T be AFRAID of the paper or of making a mistake. Keep on making art because you have a natural talent!
Oh, I forgot to say that sometimes it is NOT what you put ON the paper that makes a drawing superb, but what you LEAVE OUT!
Regards, Karen

[JuniorxMyxLove]

thanks :]]

and what IS the best option? you said smudging wasn't the best...yet if i try anything else, it looks like a 5 year old got at my drawing

[wombat2u2004]

Hello again! ....Here is a website that shows shading techniques with a pencil. The subject is a human head, but the principles are the same.
http://www.portrait-artist.org/basics/techniques.html
Regards, Karen

[Karen]

My advice is to forget about using any HARD pencils. They can often tear into the paper.

I had to grin at that - not unless you bear down too hard, silly Wombat!

One of my special illustration major friends always turned in work that the teacher judged was far too light - probably nothing darker than 60% black. Finally, in frustration, he told her he was going to break all her hard pencils, and make her work with only 2B and 4B pencils to work with!

[JuniorxMyxLove]

thanks for the website! I fixed the noce on the top drawing...I think i will post it later :]

and I am going to try another drawing using the website ;]

wombat - is the eye on this one any better?

[JuniorxMyxLove]

I fixed the nose...and is the eye any better bc I redid that too!

[wombat2u2004]

thanks for the website! I fixed the noce on the top drawing...I think i will post it later :]

and I am going to try another drawing using the website ;]

wombat - is the eye on this one any better?

MAJOR IMPROVEMENT in BOTH drawings!! .... Tonal values have more variation. Eyes are excellent! Do not just sit flat on the paper. Here is another website just on drawing horses. You have a natural talent! Keep drawing. xKaren

http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/farp/horses/horses.html

[wombat2u2004]

I had to grin at that - not unless you bear down too hard, silly Wombat!

One of my special illustration major friends always turned in work that the teacher judged was far too light - probably nothing darker than 60% black. Finally, in frustration, he told her he was going to break all her hard pencils, and make her work with only 2B and 4B pencils to work with!

I know. The H pencils are just too scratchy. Karen always kicks off her drawings with 2B, and then finishes up with the others.....that's when she can find them of course, I think I have about 10 of them in my truck tool box that she doesn't know about. (Good for marking out timber )
Wom