The Value of Studies

To shake out the cobwebs, I've been doing a few studies from research images. The first, above, is from Edward Dodwell's Views and descriptions of Cyclopian or Pelasgic remains in Greece and Italy. The second is from Marie Gabriel Florent Auguste de Choiseul-Gouffier's Voyage pittoresque de la Grèce.

In general, the purpose of doing studies like this might be to learn how another artist solves artistic problems. The strokes they make to render stone or foliage, the balance of shapes they put into their composition, the way they might have observed the scene in front of them; these are all things you can try to divine by re-drawing someone else's drawing. Sure, you can look at it and say "oh they did this and oh they did that," but you gain a better, more complete understanding by trying to reproduce it (or, in my case, by noting and then ignoring their rendering methods). 

This is also a good way to practice observing the artist's subject. By looking, processing, and reproducing the image by hand, you note things you might not have, otherwise. Like, in the first image, I notice that the windows on the buildings are often arranged in no grid pattern, and are of different sizes. In the second, especially, I get a better sense for how the tree moves around the fountain by trying to understand it and reproduce it. Also, I noticed the columns holding up the tree branches. If you don't think I'm stealing this tree-fountain-columns setup for a scene in the book, you're drunk.

Very specifically to my needs, this sort of study helps build up a "visual library." By having drawn a few of these scenes, I have a better idea for how, say, buildings might be arranged against each other (haphazardly) or how far eaves extend past building walls (not very) or how much variety there is in the building architecture and design (not a lot). When I have drawing that requires some of these elements, it's useful to have that practiced library to quickly pull from, instead of having to do new research for each panel.

Next: there's got to be an online resource with extensive photo documentation of the Pirates of the Caribbean Disneyland ride, right? The internet is soaked with theme park enthusiasts. I want to absorb a bunch of pirate tropes and visual elements so I can at least try to do something interesting or novel with my own pirates. (I guess I could get screencaps of the movies, but… blerf.)