If blog's could be dusty...

I feel bad that i haven't been touching my blog- especially for the first term.
And i'm sad to have realised this near to the end of the xmas holiday- hopefully i'll be able to rectify this in the future <:D Anyway, i don't know why:

• But i ALWAYS find myself browsing on DeviantArt
• I find beautiful, inspiring imagery which i looooove
• favourite it.
• and then forget about it.

WELL NO MORE.

I will start blogging i think, even stuff that's not relevant to my project's in hand; simply because it's good for the heart.

So, today i found this on Popular Recent Deviations (i usually check on here the most, as well as checking in with my favourite artists on there):

"Hands Reference I" by Ninjatic

When it comes to life drawing, i have a massive problem with drawing the hands, especially when drawing the entire model. They always look like the "sausage fingered" things that have a big red cross through on the image.

When i saw this reference sheet, i could stare at this for hours. Literally. Why?... Because i know i'm nowhere near that level of skill. (Boys only like girls with skills. FACT.)

But it did inspire me to keep something in mind, next time im caught up in a hand-drawing frenzy: to always ALWAYS be aware that humans have wrists. I noticed on all the pictures that the tiny wrist makes a huge difference, it sounds simple, but im telling you, in my mind it's so easy to forget.

The simple shading aswell, SO SIMPLE! but why did i never think of it?! Just a little suggestion of shading gives it that POW! IM IN 3-D!!... Another thing i often forget.

And one last thing, the shape of a hand's palm has always baffled me. But that rounded edged, slanted square shape (lol awful description) i think, is enough to get the point across that yep, it's a palm in the middle of a huge picture of a naked man.

I know all the points that i've noted are tiny, and the fact i forget things like simple shading and the anatomy of wrists probably makes me sound like a crap artist (ha!)- but hey, at least i notice when im going wrong, right? :)

This has actually been a lot of fun annotating something that's inspired me today- maybe i should make it a new year's resolution, to try and blog something that's inspired me everyday :)... well, at least once a week ;P

-Chrissi x

P.S:

Just as i finished this post, i found something else that i may find useful for the forthcoming portrait exercises in life drawing:

"Eye Tutorial" by riefra

I wouldn't say this has inspired me AS much but... (don't worry i will keep this short and sweet) it has given me an insight into how some experienced artists build up the realistic element when drawing eyes, particularly in the shading, the light glare, and texture.

Not forgetting, the attention to detail when drawing the direction of hair growth on the eyebrows, something i find terribly difficult to pick up on. So maybe i should find a tutorial on drawing hair :P

So far, thanks to this blog post, i can draw a hand with eyes :)