After Anthony Ryder

Mischa Milosevic · 01-26-2006, 01:03 PM

Ngaire hello, Your drawing is quite good and easily adjusted. So, please do not despair for you are almost there that is perfection is the next step.

Have you heard of the Bargue drawings? Well, I hope this will help out on your next project. Whether you wish to do a comparative or sight size method this will work. There is a number of ways to start a drawing this is just one but if you wish to train your eye to see correctly than this will help. This is the method that most The art academies throughout the 19th century teach this method.

Steven Sweeney · 01-26-2006, 01:44 PM

In telling you to just keep at it, Ngaire, an old Chinese parable came to mind. The details change with the source, but the fundamental teaching remains and is, I think, a core instruction.

The Wikipedia version is thus:

Quote:

A Chinese Emperor commissioned a famous artist to paint for him a picture of a fish. The artist delayed giving the emperor his painting. He always said that it wasn't ready yet.

After a year, the impatient Emperor went to the artist, demanding his painting. The artist sat on the floor with a paintbrush and paper, and with one motion of his hand, painted a masterpiece fish. The Emperor, angry, demanded to know why the artist delayed giving him his painting.

The artist moved quietly to open a closet door, and thousands of paintings of fish fell to the floor.

Ngaire Winwood · 01-26-2006, 08:45 PM

Dear Steven, Patricia, Michele thanks heaps for your support and invaluable advice.

Steven, I think I get it now. I feel I need to do a few more life studies to compensate for this weakness. I have painted a foam ball, a cube and a toilet roll white to study at night with one light source to help with the values bit. Looks like I will just have to start measuring more often. I love that parable, I will print it out and put it on my wall. It is obvious my length and angle was out with the nose and I should have used a unit measure to check it against and a vertical measure. Oh well, that what happens when one eyeballs without a seatbelt.

Patricia, it is great to hear from you. What I am finding lately is that the more knowledge I gain, the more clearer things become and advice or books that I have read seem to make much more sense and have to go back and reread things, is this what happens to you. There is so much to know and practice and I suppose it all fits like a jigsaw eventually. I am not sure about the 'got it' bit but I hope it finds me sooner than later and it stays with me.

Mischa, thanks for the Bargue drawing. I am studying from the book and am on Plate 3 at present and haven't done that one yet. I seem to get a bit bored with my slow progress with it, so I decided to do the dreadlock man for a bit of difference as I just received the book recently. I have to spend more time developing my eye as it is failing me at present and no doubt his exercises will definitely help and I have to get into the habit of measure, measure, measure.

No freeeyeballing again, promise. Gee it felt good though.

Mischa Milosevic · 01-27-2006, 07:43 AM

Ngere Smile a While!

Please do not stop eyeballing but do not forget to check by measuring. The goal is to train your eye.

I too have the book my favorite study tool. While at the academy I learned a lot about what to do with the Bargue drawings. For example plates 1,1 - 1,4 are a challenge for them self. The plates 1,5 - 12, 1,41,42, 49 are the ones to start with for the study of construct, simple tones or values and how they relate to each other. Make the best copy that you can of the original. Paste it on a board and beside it paste the paper you wish to draw on (Light value Canson is good). Draw a plum line on both and then measure and establish the height of the original. To train properly use the sight size method. This is just the proper setup for drawing rather than casts. As you know the instructions are in back of the book. I hope this helps.

One more thing do not neglect thumb nail sketching. Good source for instruction is the Andrew Loomis book Fun With a Pencil and have fun.

Ngaire Winwood · 01-27-2006, 08:11 AM

Mischa, thanks for your support. Are you saying that 1.1-1.4 are challenges in line making. 1.5-1.12 (construct). Plates 1.41, 1.42 and 1.49 are exercises for simple tone and value? Could you explain further how you used Bargue? I am just starting with 1.1 and now up to 1.3 and I was just going to keep doing them one at a time. Do you have a better suggestion on how to do all of them?

Ngaire Winwood · 01-27-2006, 08:13 AM

Oops sorry Mischa, I spelt your name wrong in my second last reply.

Mischa Milosevic · 01-27-2006, 11:17 AM

Plates 1,1 - 1,4 are a challenge for them self. They are advanced exercises.

The plates 1,5 - 12, and 1,41,42, 49 are the ones to start with for the study of construct, simple tones or values and how they relate to each other. Pick one amongst these and reproduce it to perfection. Perfect will force you to train your eye. Seek a critique after each step. Do your best not to mix the steps this is quite important.

Step one line drawing. Step two shadow shapes. Step three halftones. Step four will be perfecting all.

Remember, if you are serious about what you are doing and I believe you are than to much at once is counterproductive. So, one step at a time and you will be where you should be faster. We believe in you.