Hello! Thanks for these great videos. It appears that you work with your sketchbook on a flat surface like a table or desk, right? Do you have any problems with distortion from not working upright on an easel?
Hi Sally, what a great question :) yes I do have issues working flat. I started doing it this way because it was the best angle for filming, I found that when filming myself drawing upright on an easel, I would get in the way of the camera way too much. Also, since lockdown, I started to do more sketchbook work because I wanted to show ways to draw the figure when we can't get to a life drawing session, and figured most people would be drawing in a sketchbook at home. So over the last couple of months, I have got used to it a bit, but I miss drawing upright, and on large format! :) Do you find it make a big difference when drawing flat vs upright?
@@Drawing-Life Thanks for your reply. I really enjoy your videos and style. Yes, I do see figures getting elongated when drawn flat. I've gotten comfortable holding the sketchbook upright in my lap against the edge of the desk. It helps with sketchbook work. I absolutely prefer an easel and working bigger in live sessions but I find that drawing from models online or Zoom are too hard to see from my easel.
Hi thanks for watching! Let me know in the comments how you handle gesture drawings - do you let the mistakes stay on in your work, or try to erase and re-draw?
Just discovered your channel and felt in love with it. I like your approach of figure drawing, your marks absolutely loose, i also like that u said that u not erase in order to keep record, this is quiate a good advice. As for me I started drawing just around 8month ago and I feel i m trying to be perfect and not allowing myself to be lose because of fear of wrong doing/mistakes. U showed me another approach, thanks a lot.
@@Drawing-Life Thanks for ur feedback, and it's amazing because actually couple of days before I started reading exactly this book!!! if u have any other suggestion for books for figure drawing, will appreciate ur comments on that. Many thanks again for the videos, u make many of us better
All of these drawings day by day improves me Thank you very much Can you make a video about how to draw the head and the face while doing a full body gesture drawing
Hi Anura, yes for sure! I'll aim to do something like that soon. My approach would be to draw the head and face in the same way as the rest of the body, but for the face I get that it's way more detailed! I'll try to put a video together about that.
Really nice and highly interesting videos. Love to know what's going on in your head. 90% thinking - 10% drawing (Michelangelo) - Thank you for sharing.
Regarding letting mistakes stay in, I am dependent on vine charcoal and I rub out the mistakes. I am going to try to not do that so much. You have inspired me.
Yes, I tend to leave mistakes in or draw over them. I guess it's a result of years of drawing with compressed charcoal!! One thing I love about vine charcoal is how it allows you to actually use the eraser as a drawing tool itself... Also, another thought: with vine charcoal you don't really erase completely, there are hints of marks left behind and that is also very nice to have in a drawing. I guess my advice is don't think of them as mistakes! Think of them as explorative marks :)
Hi Robyn, for the most part I don't use graphite pencils (aka regular HB or 2B etc....), I prefer to use either charcoal stick, or charcoal pencils or conte pencils. Conte is a mix of charcoal and crayon or wax base, you can buy these in any art store... the brand i go for is Conte a Paris. Hope this helps! :)
Thanks for making these videos. They are very helpful! Your drawings are so loose and expressive. Beautiful. Question... do you use a fixative on your charcoal drawings when finished to prevent smudging? Also, when drawing, are you looking at the subject more or are you constantly looking back and forth between subject and paper? Thanks again!
Hi Rolf, yes I generally use fixative on charcoal drawings, if I think they are worth keeping. The charcoal pencil I'm using here isn't as smudgy as a charcoal stick, so I haven't been fixing these sketches, and they are doing ok in my sketchbook. To answer your other question - definitely looking more at the subject. 70 - 80% looking at the subject. If I look too much at the drawing i end up trying to make it "more better" rather than engage with the process of observing. hope that makes sense :)
Hi Cherise, I'm drawing with a charcoal "pencil" ... it's basically charcoal instead of lead. So it gives a nice line, and if you have a long enough point, you can also get shading. I prefer to draw with charcoal because a regular pencil doesn't give dark tones or a variation of marks the way charcoal does. Hope this helps?
I'd like to better understand the tactics you use at the beginning of your drawings, when you start with very light signs that apparently seem like doodles. So I ask you, if it is possible in a next video, to highlight this first part more with more marked signs to make us see your process of seeking proportions and gesture more clearly. Meanwhile, thank you for your videos.
Hi Francesco, yes definitely! I will, thank you for pointing that out. And thanks also for watching today :) hope you are keeping well and keeping drawing!
Hello! Thanks for these great videos. It appears that you work with your sketchbook on a flat surface like a table or desk, right? Do you have any problems with distortion from not working upright on an easel?
Hi Sally, what a great question :) yes I do have issues working flat. I started doing it this way because it was the best angle for filming, I found that when filming myself drawing upright on an easel, I would get in the way of the camera way too much. Also, since lockdown, I started to do more sketchbook work because I wanted to show ways to draw the figure when we can't get to a life drawing session, and figured most people would be drawing in a sketchbook at home. So over the last couple of months, I have got used to it a bit, but I miss drawing upright, and on large format! :) Do you find it make a big difference when drawing flat vs upright?
@@Drawing-Life Thanks for your reply. I really enjoy your videos and style. Yes, I do see figures getting elongated when drawn flat. I've gotten comfortable holding the sketchbook upright in my lap against the edge of the desk. It helps with sketchbook work. I absolutely prefer an easel and working bigger in live sessions but I find that drawing from models online or Zoom are too hard to see from my easel.
Thank you so much for your videos. I’m really into your technique.
I'm so glad! thanks for watching I appreciate it! :)
This is so cool! Can't wait to do some gesture drawing at home!
added you in my fave drawing channel thank you teacher!
Awesome! Thank you so much, I appreciate that :)
Hi thanks for watching! Let me know in the comments how you handle gesture drawings - do you let the mistakes stay on in your work, or try to erase and re-draw?
I never delete the initial lines of the drawing, even the wrong ones, and I never use the eraser . All I have done until the end remains.
Just discovered your channel and felt in love with it. I like your approach of figure drawing, your marks absolutely loose, i also like that u said that u not erase in order to keep record, this is quiate a good advice. As for me I started drawing just around 8month ago and I feel i m trying to be perfect and not allowing myself to be lose because of fear of wrong doing/mistakes. U showed me another approach, thanks a lot.
I'm so glad you are here, thank you!! I appreciate all your comments, thanks for the support it means a lot
@@Drawing-Life Thanks for ur feedback, and it's amazing because actually couple of days before I started reading exactly this book!!! if u have any other suggestion for books for figure drawing, will appreciate ur comments on that. Many thanks again for the videos, u make many of us better
I love your process of sketching!
Thank you Elizabeth :) so appreciate that, thanks for watching
I usually erase my mistakes it makes me feel a way lol you seem to incorporate your mistakes/finding the right line into your drawings.. its dope!👍
Thanks!! yeah, I actually like to let the mistakes be a part of the drawing up to a point ... if it's way off, then I'll erase. Thanks for watching!
All of these drawings day by day improves me
Thank you very much
Can you make a video about how to draw the head and the face while doing a full body gesture drawing
Hi Anura, yes for sure! I'll aim to do something like that soon. My approach would be to draw the head and face in the same way as the rest of the body, but for the face I get that it's way more detailed! I'll try to put a video together about that.
Really nice and highly interesting videos. Love to know what's going on in your head. 90% thinking - 10% drawing (Michelangelo) - Thank you for sharing.
Thanks! I think for me there's much less thinking
👍
Regarding letting mistakes stay in, I am dependent on vine charcoal and I rub out the mistakes. I am going to try to not do that so much. You have inspired me.
Yes, I tend to leave mistakes in or draw over them. I guess it's a result of years of drawing with compressed charcoal!! One thing I love about vine charcoal is how it allows you to actually use the eraser as a drawing tool itself... Also, another thought: with vine charcoal you don't really erase completely, there are hints of marks left behind and that is also very nice to have in a drawing. I guess my advice is don't think of them as mistakes! Think of them as explorative marks :)
👍👍👍
Hi Sibourn, I would like to know what pencils you draw with ? Many thanks I learn a lot from watching you. Robyn
Hi Robyn, for the most part I don't use graphite pencils (aka regular HB or 2B etc....), I prefer to use either charcoal stick, or charcoal pencils or conte pencils. Conte is a mix of charcoal and crayon or wax base, you can buy these in any art store... the brand i go for is Conte a Paris. Hope this helps! :)
hello, which pencil did you use for this drawing? i used conte 2B it seems too dark
Thanks for making these videos. They are very helpful! Your drawings are so loose and expressive. Beautiful. Question... do you use a fixative on your charcoal drawings when finished to prevent smudging? Also, when drawing, are you looking at the subject more or are you constantly looking back and forth between subject and paper? Thanks again!
Hi Rolf, yes I generally use fixative on charcoal drawings, if I think they are worth keeping. The charcoal pencil I'm using here isn't as smudgy as a charcoal stick, so I haven't been fixing these sketches, and they are doing ok in my sketchbook. To answer your other question - definitely looking more at the subject. 70 - 80% looking at the subject. If I look too much at the drawing i end up trying to make it "more better" rather than engage with the process of observing. hope that makes sense :)
Hi please an you tell me what materials you are using in this video? Thanks
Hi Cherise, I'm drawing with a charcoal "pencil" ... it's basically charcoal instead of lead. So it gives a nice line, and if you have a long enough point, you can also get shading. I prefer to draw with charcoal because a regular pencil doesn't give dark tones or a variation of marks the way charcoal does. Hope this helps?
That's great thanks you make it look effortless! 👌
@@csyt4404 ha! no not effortless at all!! always a battle (but in a good way) :)
I'd like to better understand the tactics you use at the beginning of your drawings, when you start with very light signs that apparently seem like doodles. So I ask you, if it is possible in a next video, to highlight this first part more with more marked signs to make us see your process of seeking proportions and gesture more clearly. Meanwhile, thank you for your videos.
Hi Francesco, yes definitely! I will, thank you for pointing that out. And thanks also for watching today :) hope you are keeping well and keeping drawing!
Or with different colors to see the whole process
@@francescobiancardi9922 that's interesting! ... not sure that would work but i'll consider that :)