nathanaardvark

Tutorial 79 - Relative Color Temperature

Fairly simple concept here. I got quite confused when I was learning about color temperature. Some colors were obviously warmer than others but some yellows and deep purples I wasn't so sure about. The idea of a cool orange didn't make any sense. A yellow color can be described as a warm green (or yellowy green) but the same yellow can be described as a cool orange (or yellowy orange). This goes for all colors. 

Still confused? Think of the color grey. Now, we can describe grey as a pale ...

Tutorial 78 - Color Definitions

Color definitions can get really messy, and on top of a tough subject, this makes applying color more difficult for the student.

For now, let's make some distinctions and define what we mean when we talk about these particular aspects of color. Later on, we will talk about how to apply our understandings.

There are many ways to talk about color. I've given an example here based on the Munsell color system, which describes color in three dimensions: hue, chroma and value.

We'll expl...

Tutorial 77 - Serious Comedy

In a previous tutorial (tutorial 8) we talked a bit about humor and how jokes often need contrasting elements to be combined in interesting ways that play with our expectations. We also know, in painting, the eye is naturally drawn to the highest contrasting values and colors. A pale face surrounded by deep black hair, for example.

In this tutorial, I'm attempting to explore the contrast of elements on a more metaphorical level. I've sketched a cartoon of a chimpanzee having a good old time pl...

Tutorial 76 - Continuation

We can urge the eye to move around an image and follow a path of our design. The eye will naturally go from one area of interest to another, and another and so on, or simply straight to a single area, a path through the green fields to a house, for example.

Here's a quick example of continuation being used in a composition. In this sketch, the eye might dart between the two main areas of interest or follow the smooth curve of the tail form one to the other.

Tutorial 75 - Symmetrical Composition

Symmetry in composition and design has been used for centuries or more and is still used today to assist artists. Commonly used in book and comic covers but more generally through all types of creative design from websites, film and photography.

Symmetrically balanced compositions must only consist of elements that mirror each other along an axis. Where your axis or axes are placed (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) and how many, will define what type of symmetry is being used. In this e...

Tutorial 74 - The Fulcrum Principle

Balance is one of the principles of design which serves as a guide to painters, draftsmen and designers. 

Imagine balancing two weights either side of a pivot (the fulcrum is the pivot). We can balance any two objects of varying mass as long as we get the distances approximately correct.

The fulcrum principle is a rule of thumb we can apply when concerned with asymmetry, a type of balance*, which can be very difficult to achieve in an image.

However, there's much room for play...

Tutorial 73 - Highlights Align

Here's a quick tip on highlights, especially observed on the eye and eyelids. You'll notice highlights behaving in this way all over nature and the human figure, especially with indoor lighting. When rules like these get stored in our visual library we can use them in the drawings we create from our imagination, enabling us to bring a sense of realism or believably. 

Tutorial 72 - Key

It's important to plan our values before we go ahead and render an image. Without good planning we're in danger of getting off on the wrong foot and most certainly will end up with a muddy looking image. Values should be organised into a narrow range that suggests the overall mood. This is basically how light or dark your image is, overall. A low-key value range will mean our lightest values reach only as far as half way up the scale, and a high-key value range will mean our darkest values re...

Tutorial 71 - Tonal Blocking

To quickly suggest tone we can block in our forms using rough directional strokes. They should be loose and don't necessarily have to follow the contours of the form. Very useful for quick observational studies of a subject, tonal blocking indicates the light and shadow forms giving us a good overall feel for the drawing and help us identify problematic areas and find focal points. From here we can develop a more detailed drawing.

Tutorial 70 - The Cross

Horizontal and vertical lines both have certain symbolic significance. The horizontal line suggests Earth, the ground, matter, life, the body. The vertical line represents Heaven, the path, spirit. When combined they form a cross, a symbol which represents union of body and spirit. 

A Greek cross (plus sign) seems to me more suggestive of union than the Latin (Christian) cross. The Latin cross, with it's horizontal line placed higher up on the vertical line, suggests man's ascension towar...

Tutorial 69 - Curves and Corners

Ok so the dude is way less sexy than Jessica Rabbit. I'm not sure if curves actually make men sexier. I think a sense of humor does that job with guys, and maybe if they've appeared in a Nespresso commercial. But curves generally make things sexier, most of us might agree.

There's a biological reason for this attraction. It's something innate in almost all of us. The human form is curve upon curve and when we layer curves together sharp corners appear in the negative spaces.  

Tutorial 68 - Curved Line

Curved lines can be aggressive or gentle, or both if flowing from one to the other. 

A gentle curve is generally pleasing to the eye and can represent many things. Curves are familiar to us as they are present in nature and in the human body, so we feel a natural sense of intimacy, safety and comfort.

When a gentle curve is presented with horizontal and vertical lines we sense a movement within something rigid. We can play with that concept, perhaps the curved form is trapped, or it...

Tutorial 67 - Character of Line

This tutorial is part of a series based on line and the symbolic meaning we attribute them. 

Simply put, line can be used to separate two areas or it can be a single expression, a direction, a path, a character, a gesture and many more things.

Lines can communicate feelings very effectively. We can convey these feelings in our work by using lines, but we should try to be aware of what they represent.

Vertical. Straight up or straight down, or both. A tree, a tower, ...

Tutorial 66 - Line Quality

Quality of line is so important, it can really make or break a drawing. 

It's something that will eventually develop if you draw for long enough. 

There are many different ways to use line in your work and the way you control your lines will be a defining factor to your natural style. 

When we get inspired by other artists we are often seduced by the finesse of their line work. Lines appear to hold a lot of energy and express all sorts of symbolic meaning. We'll talk...

Tutorial 65 - Cross-hatching

Cross-hatching is an effective way to suggest tone using line. We can also do this with hatching, without crossing lines, and still communicate plane changes effectively but we'll leave that for another tutorial.  

There are a few ways to do cross-hatching but let's go through some of the basics. 

We need to identify the light source so we know where to apply shading lines. The lines should go thick to thin, thickest in the darkest parts of the form, thinner as they reach t...

Tutorial 64 - Four Point Perspective

I bet you thought we were done with perspective - surprise!

Four point perspective is the curvilinear (curved lines) version of two point perspective, which is rectilinear (straight lines).

We begin by setting up a normal two point perspective grid, two points, one either side of the centre line. These are the horizontal vanishing points.

The lines perpendicular to the horizon curve converge at two vertically aligned and centred points, one above and one below the horizon line....

Tutorial 63 - The Pouting Muscle

The mentalis is so called because it was first attributed to an expression of thoughtfulness or doubt. You can see it in action when someone pauses for thought before speaking. The pouting expression, as seen on the illustration, also involves the mentalis. 

The mentalis begins at the mandible (lower jaw) and inserts into the chin's tissue. When contracting, this soft tissue is bunched together and moves upwards, pushing the middle area of the lower lip up and out. Cute.

Tutorial 62 - The Stump Tool

The stump is a tool to assist in the shading of a drawing but we can also use the stump in our application of dry media like charcoal, Conté or graphite. 

The stump comes in a variety of sizes and is basically a solid cylinder, usually made of compacted paper. It's pointed at both ends and ideally we keep one end clean, for the light removal of applied media, and one end dirty, for smudging and shading. 

We can also sketch with the stump tool, pretty effectively, by using powd...

Tutorial 61 - The Kissing Muscle

The orbiculairs oris muscle encircles the lips and acts like a sphincter (though it really isn't) in it's opening and closing capabilities. Almost all the surrounding muscles of the mouth merge with it, allowing the muscle to be pulled in the respective directions for a variety of actions and expressions. 

The muscle originates from the upper jaw and lower jaw and inserts into the lips.

Combined with other muscles in the chin, the orbicularis oris creates a notable W sh...

Tutorial 60 - The Frown Muscle

The frown is caused by this muscle, the depressor anguli oris. It pulls on the corner of the mouth, where many of the mouth muscles converge, and draws the corner of the mouth down towards the chin. The effect is one of the skin folding and bunching in the area. 

Tutorial 59 - The Elvis Muscle

The levator labii superioris alaegue nasi, or "Elvis Muscle" begins at the frontal process of the maxilla, runs down the side of the nasal bone and connects to the cartilage of the nasal wing, then splits off to merge with the orbicularis oris, the ring of muscles that surround the mouth.

When this muscle is active the wing of the nose lifts. There may be some wrinkling of the skin on the side of the nose, near the corner of the eye, depending on how much it's flexed. There will also be a ...

Tutorial 58 - Anatomy of the Mouth

Ok, many muscles here. Actually, humans have the most complicated arrangement of facial muscles compared to any other mammal on Earth. Thanks to these muscles, we can make a large variety of movements which are an important part of expression and communication. 

I may be biting off more than I can chew here by trying to cover so much ground, so let's just try to see this as a diagram of all the muscles associated with the mouth, as it will be useful for later tutorials.

Tutorial 57 - Planes of the Lips

Lips, equally as complicated as any other part of the face, come in many different shapes and sizes. 

I've tried to illustrate the basic contours showing the landscape of overlapping lumps and folds. Pay close attention to the gradual softening of the edges as we approach the corners of the lips. 

The lips will usually, but not always, be a different local color to the rest of the face, which can sometimes be mistaken for a plane change when it isn't. 

The lower lips...

Tutorial 56 - Anatomy of the Nose

Just to expand on yesterday's tutorial, Planes of the Nose, let's have a look under the bonnet, so to speak.

Complicated looking structures of bone, cartilage and fatty tissue can be simplified into four main areas. 

At the root of the nose, between the eyes, we have the nasal bones (tan colored), which extend down as the bridge to become the lateral cartilages (coloured yellow). Connected are the two alar cartilages, in blue, which run down to become the septum, which is part carti...

Tutorial 55 - Planes of the Nose

There's so much to say about the nose, it deserves a number of tutorials, and that's before we even consider the variety of noses out there. The nose gives so much character to a face, so it's worth drawing as many different kinds as you can. There are as many different shapes and sizes as there are faces so it's not easy to pick a nose for a tutorial like this as many noses simply won't display the same kinds of plane changes. It pays off to sit and study the nose and the inspect your own in...

Tutorial 54 - Simple vs. Complex

The simple and the complex are two concepts we can try to understand and reflect on in our work. 

The simple is powerful in it's singular statement. Easy to understand, a simple line can communicate an idea, feeling or emotion instantly.

In contrast, the complex is powerful in it's variety and detail, we can get pleasantly lost in the forage for information.

Together, these two concepts can provide story, or narrative if combined well. 

The simple is usually read fi...

Tutorial 53 - The Quick Pose

The quick pose is an exercise designed to force us to capture the spirit of a pose, to teach us how to identify the areas of most visual importance and to warm us up for the longer poses. 

The quick pose usually has a time range from a few seconds to several (5-10) minutes. After doing many quick pose drawings we are more prepared to handle longer poses. We are generally relieved to have more time to carefully think about the drawing. 

There's a lot we can communicate with...

Tutorial 52 - Drawing a Cylinder

The cylinder is usually the shape we use to visually describe the main parts of a figure or character after drawing the gesture. It's probably the most important shape to know how to draw correctly, after the box, because the box is what we use to contain our cylinder. 

The head, torso, arms and legs and fingers can all be simplified using this basic shape, which is deceptively hard to draw correctly because of perspective.

But luckily we don't really need to draw perfect cylinders ...

Tutorial 51 - Three Point Perspective

We have two vanishing points which sit along the horizon line, as in two point perspective. Though, unlike two point perspective, where all vertical lines are parallel, in three point all vertical lines converge together at the third point. The third point is placed either above or below the horizon. If placed above then we must be looking up from a worms-eye point of view. If placed below then we have an aerial view. 

The three vanishing points create a triangle which should be cons...

Tutorial 50 - Two Point Perspective

When objects are placed at an angle, we use two point perspective. It's a common way to set up an even slightly technical drawing. For the concept artist, interiors, props and vehicles will all need to designed with perspective tools.

Keep the vanishing points on the horizon line and make sure all the horizontal lines are converging at either point.