Hello
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I'm Jered. I live in Seattle. I'm a college drop-out who makes pictures which are turned into applications for the web and iOS. I currently work for Expedia.
I've taken a recent interest in learning to draw and illustrate. I drew a lot growing up but stopped when I made friends who were much better than me. I thought I just wasn't meant to be an artist since others were "gifted." However, I'm picking it back up now for fun and for the love of creating.
The courses so far have been great. I just finished the courses "How to Draw Everything" and "Mastering Perspective." I feel the key to drawing 3d objects well is understanding basic shapes and how they distort and skew with perspective. I keep thinking there's shortcuts or secrets, but like most other things in life, my guess is that practice is the best teacher.
If anyone has any recommendations on books for starting out, I'd love to hear it. I've already read "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" and "The Natural Way to Draw."
I look forward to getting to know everyone and being a part of the community here.
Thanks,
Jered -
Hello Jered,
It is nice to meet you. I am glad to hear you picked up drawing again.
It can be discouraging to be around people who draw better, but it can also be inspiring and a good learning opportunity. At my first year at art school, I had my doubts that I did not deserve to be there because I was not as good as the others, but that went away when I realized that EVERYONE has a right to learn no matter what level of drawing they are at. I have been drawing since I can hold a pencil and I met many who started drawing later in their lives and were tons better than me. By being around around people that are better, you as an artist GROW really fast. You gotta look at these people as mentors, learn what they know. It will help you be a better you.
Another important thing is getting in that drawing mileage. The more you draw, the better you get. It is a skill and anyone can learn if they practice.As for books, what kinds of topics are you interested in? Do you like drawing people, animals, or landscapes? Do you like cartoony or more realistic? I have a lot of books on animation and art books. One book I do recommend for a beginner though is Artistic Anatomy by Paul Richer. This is a good book to have when practicing to draw the figure. It shows many views and layers of the body that is helpful when drawing a model live.
~Joslyn
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Hey Jered, Welcome, I would get any book by andrew loomis,
