Cross-eyed Drawing Techniques...Just kidding

So here's another post on how I practice. I motivate myself to do this everyday at work .Unless I get a non stop crowd, and then I don't get to :(

 

Mark Simon's facial Expression books, are a fabulous way to practice, in all types of medium. I started out using his book (of adults) "Facial Expressions: A Visual Reference for Artists, in 2010. The photo's in this book are in black and white. (He also has one called "Facial Expressions: Babies to Teens :  A Visual Reference for Artists, which is printed in color.

Anyhow this is what I do:

*When I get to work, once I get situated, I grab my paper, orange col-erase pencil, and AD Chartpak marker. Then I randomly open the book to a page and the first photo my eyes lay on (be honest with yourself!) I make myself draw that. No matter how challenging it seems!!

*I set my stopwatch on my phone (or you can use your watch or another method, as long as you're timing yourself.) I start with a reallllllly fast gesture sketch of the shapes that make up the face. THE SHAPES ARE IMPORTANT!!! Everything has a shape, or many. And I do mean everything! Cups, flowers, your phone, your BBQ, food, your car, etc. Sometimes, when a persons face is frustrating me, and I can't "grasp" the overall shape. I "blur" my eyes. It's the same way you'd cross your eyes, lol, only it's not "all the way crossing". You just "out-focus" your eyes, if that makes sense. You know how sometimes you squint to read a sign or something far away? Do that, until what you're looking at becomes a little blurry. Once you've blurred your eyes, you can see more of the overall shapes, and the details aren't clouding your judgement/vision. Just don't go TOO crosseyed when doing this. Either you'll make a kid cry (or even better, they'll laugh) , or make people think you're wierd. lol...And besides, my mom always told me if I kept my eyes like that too long, they'd stay that way. Hardy har har...lol.

TIPS TO REMEMBER:

*Gesture sketch is REALLLY fast - basic shapes and direction of features (i.e. drooping eyes)

Gestering faces for caricature should only take a few seconds, but no more than 30 seconds, otherwise you're cutting into your detail time with the marker, and your coloring time.

*Do all your detail with the marker. You won't get better at anything you do, if you don't take that first step and challenge yourself. It can be kinda scary at first, you'll think "I can't do that ", but eventually you'll get it as long as you step out , and stick with it!!!!

And remember, you don't trace your lines on your gesture. They are only there as a guide. So if you realize the nose needs to be wider and the eyes droopier, then do it. The more you do practices like this , the easier and faster your gesture sketches will become, and the more detail and freeform exaggeration you'll be able to do with the marker, just on a whim :)

*Quickly right your time in the corner for your gesture sketch with the pencil, then once you're finished with the whole drawing, stop your watch/phone watch , and write down the time, date, your signature, and the page/picture/row number.

KEEP THESE PRACTICE DRAWINGS!! You should keep these drawings for a while. Eventually the stack will start to build. Go through your old drawings. It will help you down the road on those days when you're uninspired, or lacking motivation. Also, it will inspire you to draw them again! "Oh wow, I drew that 4 months ago? Man, I see what I did wrong. I can do that much faster and better now! " There is ALWAYS room for growth.

A while back I went through my "growing-pile-of-caricatures-over-the-last-4 years" and organized everything into portfolios, so they are easier to look back at. And I have a couple specifically for my Facial Expressions Practice.

Here are a few close ups. Enjoy!

As you can see in the two above, there are big differences in the drawings.

All of these are drawn on different dates in 2010 and 2011.

The one on the left is the first one I did, and the lines are pretty rough.

The one on the right is the second, and is OBVIOUSLY better. Better lines and quality,

and actually took less time than

Hope this post will help you in your daily drawing practice!

And dont forget: ALWAYS HAVE FUN WITH IT!

NEVER take it too seriously!!!!!

*Peace Love and Paintbrushes <3

Practice techniques

So... Been swamped with commissions since October. Which is wonderful in many ways. For one, I LOVE being busy doing the work I love, plus there are so many different styles and mediums on these commissions, that it's a refreshing process.. Switching from art stix caricatures, to a watercolor caricature, to oil, etc is a big help in refreshing my eyes and my art brain/imagination. This is alot like my daily practice routine.

I'll let you in on a few of my "warm up" secrets that I use daily, to inspire me and get me going :)

When I get to the Caricature stand in the morning, (not complete without my Starbucks of course), I start by doing just random lines, squiggles, circles and all kinds of shapes on the paper. I always try to start out super fast, but sometimes I can be in a funk and not really want to go fast. This is where I "force" myself to think about drawing fast. Many times in the past, when getting to the stand, I'll have people already wanting a drawing before I can barely set my art bags down, or turn the lights on. In this case, I don't get to warm up like I like to, but lately that's been working out OK :) haha.. Forcing yourself and staying determined to stick with a certain "practice" or style of practice, can create a wonderful habit that you can get used to.

Another way I've been practicing lately, and encouraging the girls at the stand to do, is Memory  drawings. I've seen some of my favorite artists, such as Brian Oakes,  post things like this on facebook, and thought it was a great way to stimulate one's artist imagination. ( I used to draw "Casino" people all the time on my breaks, but Strat management has a new break area for employee's now, so I don't take the time to sit and draw in the casino. )

This guy was sitting at the roulette table about a week ago, when I was coming back from Starbucks. The top part of his head was straight across, completely flat! And you could tell he didn't have any teeth in. I knew immediately that I wanted draw him.  I don't take pictures of the memory drawing subjects, as that would defeat the purpose of it being a "memory drawing". lol. It's really fun to try to focus on the image in your brain, and do exactly what you vision on the paper, without any reference other than your brain :)

I saw this lady in the elevator a few months ago, when I was training the new girl Tami. I was trying hard to be subtle about staring at her. Elevators are small areas, and people know when you're staring at them. lol.. This lady was Japanese, and ALSO had no teeth in. Not purposely seeking out old people with no teeth. Just a happy coincidence.

This guy I saw in passing from Starbucks again, the other day. He was a total pear shape.

 So draw from memory. It's fun, and good practice both for the hand, as well as the imagination. Try to draw people that you saw just at a glance. :)






Peace Love and Paintbrushes xoxox
Amanda Nikki

An Artists Progression...proof in pictures

Hello people. Yeah I see you shaking your fingers at me. I haven't been on my blog in forever. (hmmm, I think I said that in the last couple of posts too...argh) No excuses....ok maybe one. LIFE. Everyday LIFE...it just gets in the way sometimes....

Anyhoo, today's letter is P, for Progress : ) Yes, we all face progress no matter our occupation. The truth is, we all face progress on a daily basis as humanoids. Yes, I said it. Humanoids. But this blog post is not about progression as human creatures.

This post is about/for/in thought of/ those of us artists who either; as new artists fear making mistakes, cry out in frustration because of the "I-want-to-draw/paint-better-now!!", just plain fear the process, get depressed/down on yourself BECAUSE you're not progressing as fast as YOU would like, and thus stop drawing for a short while because you want to throw yourself a pity party...even have a slight breakdown (hopefully in the comfort and privacy of your own home) and have a one-sided screaming match at your hand for not cooperating with you artbrain....as well as many other reasons I could list. To be compleeeetely and totally honest with you....I've done ALL of the above mentioned.

This blog post is to show proof that given time, practice, hard hard work at that practice, determination, and yet more practice....the lines start to fall into place a little easier...the sketching doesn't seem so tedious...you enjoy the process more and tend to zone out (then "wake up" and think "wow, I did that just now?")..you start to have fun with it, and stop thinking of it as so much "work".... Ahh...Progress. Seems like such a nicer term for "It's gonna take some time" huh?

When I moved back to Las Vegas in January 2008, I was just looking for any job to get by. I faxed resume's, called places, filled out applications everywhere. Then three months after I had moved here, I hopped on craigslist.com where I knew that sometimes there were mural or portrait jobs in the art section. I thought maybe I could find a quick job I could do to get by with until I found something more permanent. Thus I found the ad seeking "Caricature Artist". Ad said will train, must love to draw, and must not be afraid of heights. I thought "What the heck?". While I was going through my files of art on my laptop, I was constantly judging it ALL. None of it seemed "good enough" to send... afterall, what if I didn't get the job?......So I almost chickened out. But in the end...I ended up sending in some of my "flimsy" cartoons....and lucky me...I got an interview.

<---- This is my very first ever Caricature from that interview 3 and a half years ago, in March 2008. I came in for my interview and the guy that is now my boss, had me draw him with a marker.


I could NOT understand THIS concept! MARKER?? No pencil first? WHHATT? I was sooo nervous, I wanted to do a good job, and I DESPERATELY needed an ART JOB. He smiled when he saw it, and said "Wow, you really like to sketch!" And as you look at it....you can really see how sketchy I am. I never thought I was particularly good at cartoons. I was always better at realistic portraits.


So, he gave me "homework", which was 4 cartoon people he had drawn, that I had to copy many times over and over, plus a few sheets of formulas. The formulas were just basic step by steps for eyes, noses, mouths, hair, etc. He had me come in every couple of days to show my homework, then gave me more etc.

<---- This one was my second attempt at the boss a few weeks later after I had practiced the formula's.

Once he felt I had practiced enough from magazine photo's and practiced the formula's, he had me come up to the stand and had me start drawing live people for free, plus tips!!! I was scared to death....He explained that drawing from magazines is way different that drawing from life.



As you can see in this caricature, my lines are much cleaner, not as sketchy...but it still needs work.

After several weeks of drawing like this, he finally started me for real. It was official. I was a caricature artist. But in those first few days/weeks/months I was constantly second-guessing myself, feeling worthless as an artist, and really feeling like I would NEVER get better.

I've always had a really intense determination for learning, especially with art, and when I want to learn a new style of art, I will buy books, practice, buy more books, look up videos, go watch other artists, etc. ANYTHING to fill up my knowledge tank in that specific area. So on my days off from the caricature stand ( I was only working a few days a week to start with ), I would go there just to watch my boss draw. Sometimes I would watch him for hours....It was inspiring, amazing, educational, and yet....sooooooo completley INTIMIDATING!!!!! ARGH! I remember there was a guy that started right after me, Alex, and we'd both be watching my boss draw...then look at each other in disbelief....He made it look so EASY!!!

I'm here to tell you that it's not easy at first. Nothing ever is. Walking for babies isn't easy at first. They fall quite a few times before they finally find their balance. Learning to cook can result in quite a few burnt meals ( I'm experienced in this as well... I used to burn macaroni n cheese) What I'm trying to say my fellow artists... DON'T GIVE UP!!!!!!!! Keep that determination! And DO NOT... I repeat DO NOT throw your beginning drawings away...Looking at them years from now will reeeeeeeallly help you in the future. Don't sell yourself short. Don't try to forsee what the results will be. You don't know unless you stick with it. Draw. And draw some more. Artists get better by practicing ALL THE TIME. Musicians, cooks, fashion designers, etc. etc. allllll have to practice constantly and consistently. See where I'm going?......

<---On the left is my second attempt at a self caricature, a couple days after my interview. I drew several of these, but they all look like this. lol.


The one on the right was drawn quite a few months later. The lines and shapes have more of a purpose, but you can still see that I don't have much confidence in my lines because I'm still trying to get confident with my marker. This takes alot of practice in getting to know your marker.

<--Both of these self caricatures were completed in 2010.





Two years after a rocky beginning, you can really see how my lines have becomes so much more cleaner, purposeful, and I've started playing around with exaggeration.Over those two years I learned alot about the shapes in people's faces, and really started studying what to minimize and maximize. I think at this point is when I ACTUALLY started having real true fun with caricatures :)

Check back tomorrow for more progression drawings...my 2 most recent self caricatures and 'll show some celebrity caricatures. Thanks for reading my caricature progression novel-Part 1.. Night Ya'll. I'm feeling the urge to paint.....

Amanda

Goofy Caricature doodle

I've been playing around with imaginative caricatures from my head, between customers at the stand. I've also been experimenting with the prismacolor col-erase pencils, for backgrounds, but sometimes also for different shading techniques. Basically, whatever I'm in the mood for at that particular moment.

I see areas where I'm weak, and ones where I'm getting better by the day. I still have trouble with cartooning teeth, but I've been taking more risks on customers caricatures latley, trying to stretch myself beyong my comfort zone.

Either way, I'm having fun with it. :)

Practice Body from Magazine

So heres some new/old art that I've been promising. When I'm at work, it can get pretty slow sometimes. Especially in the winter time....and ever since the economy took a huge canonball down the crapper. So, between drawing customers, I'll either draw caricatures from magazine photo's, made up people from my imagination, or I just doodle random stuff in my sketchbook.

1. I did this cartoon from a magazine photo. Most people know who Ice-T is right? For those who don't, he plays Detective Tutuolla on Law and Order SVU. There was a photo of his wife Coco in one of the celebrity magazines we keep at the stand, and well....I couldn't resist drawing her. I was actually a pretty small photo, but the contours of her body just begged to be drawn. And I'm always trying to improve my cartoon bodies.

Rough sketch with Blue Col-Erase

Finished with Black Faber Castell Fine Tip Pitt Pen.

8 year old Mermaid-princess

So, I went to the post office across the street from my house to mail the "Naked enchilada and pineapple princess mermaid" caricatures(go past the last posts to view the caricature) a few weeks ago. And when the mail lady saw it....she ordered one of her daughter. Now, Sarh knows me well from all the shipment I sent years ago when I was a military wife and I used to send my husband many boxes overseas, so ya...she knows me. So anyways...

Heres her daughter logan.....


And here's the caricature....

Flight Attendant Caricature

Another caricature through my e-mail. This guy lives in London, UK, and I guess a friend of a friend of a friend that was in vegas who had a caricature done by me, gave him my card. So this is his girlfriend, and he wanted a flight attendant style, similar to a picture he saw in a dr.s office. Soooo...

Heres his girlfriend.





Here is the drawing the guy sent me to go by. (I changed it a little when I drew it)


And here is what I came up with....

Caricature through e-mail

Okay, so I drew this lady Kristi and her "other half" Randy, back in september, and I gave them my business card. They were a great couple! So then, I get an e-mail from her, saying she wants me to draw TWO original caricatures in a "different" style. Apparently, he likes to make her Enchilada's at 4am, and she gets to sit in his office chair with a perfect view of his "perfect" behind. However, she loves mermaids, and he calls her his "pineapple princess. Soooo....this is what I came up with....

Letting go...and Angelina Jolie

I've been a Caricature artist now for almost 2 years, and I'm "letting go" and experimenting a little bit more everyday. Thus, my caricatures are getting better every day that I let go a little bit more. I exaggerated quite a bit tonight, and people loved them all. Unfortunatley, I did not take any pics tonight. Grrr...Oh well.

Sometimes it's hard for me to loosen up, because well...I worry about the customers reaction. Sometimes I care tooooooo much about hurting the customers feelings....and yes, yes I know...being a caricature artist I really need to develop thicker skin. So far it all seems to be going ok.

So I'm going to post some of my best, but these were done a few months ago. I have to say that Joe bluhm is my inspiration. When I started working as a caricaturist in April of 2008, a great artist that was one of my co-workers at the time( sadly he doesn't work there anymore) showed me Joe Bluhms "Rejects" book. Funny, my co-workers name was joe too, and I guess Joe got the book at a signing event or something, and joe bluhm drew a quick caricature of my friend joe in the book. SO AWESOME! So this is when I began getting inspired, however I was still learning how to be comfortable with the marker, so I wasn't even thinking of trying his style out.

It is now over a year and a half later.....and while I have in no way mastered the damn marker...I am quicker and more confident in my strokes. However, I have to agree with Mr. Bluhm. It gets soooooooo boring doing the "cute" "generic" "average" and overall "plain" caricatures day after day. So I started playin around earlier this year.

When I started exaggerating a little, my first "victims" were brad and angelina. Seriously, you know they have awesome faces. I don't know where my first ones are but, here is my most exaggerated Angelina a la' Joe Bluhm Style (which I'm no where near as great, but...I'm trying



I think this is my favorite of all my pieces because it's my first real exaggerated celebrity that still LOOKS like the celebrity. :) Makes me proud of myself, considering how my first few drawings were!!! lol