Sunday, February 1, 2009

Construction: copy and learn

The Original Cover

Drawing the line of action and constructing the forms around the line of action. Keeping an eye out for proportion, positive and negative shapes, and perspective.

After scanning it I decided to draw in photoshop on different layers. I added the hat. Then...
I added the next level of detail and refined the shapes a little.

Lastly I added the final level of detail. Then i put the original on a layer to see how close I came.
My proportions are a bit off but I am satisfied. This is my first attempt at this.

For the past couple years or so I have been reading John K's Blog. His blog is mainly used to try and teach the drawing principles behind cartooning. He emphasizes a lot on construction. He has had a lot of posts lately on copying from master cartoonists to learn how to draw well constructed and appealing characters. The best way to get better as an artist is to copy, learn, and then apply (to your personal art). I should have been doing this back in art school. I now have to keep up with this exercise because I think it will really help my drawings. The only way to stay on top of your game is practice, practice and more practice.