DrawWithMike.net

Here is a study of a dog nose. critiques welcomed . This was taken with my iPad, so it may not be that great.

PogArtTi wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2023 8:41 am I like your study and attention to the detail.

thank you

You can try improve the LHS of the nostril though, which is less convincing of being 3D form - it does look flatter (2D alike) in comparison to the other.

I'll see if I can improve on this and repost, thank you for you advice.

It's OK, you welcome.
You've done amazingly good job on the other side - just repeat it
Shape the edges with graphite shading as you would while making a clay figurine study - you've got the skills and good eye already, just do not rush it up, repeat the quality job

PogArtTi wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2023 3:31 pm It's OK, you welcome.
You've done amazingly good job on the other side - just repeat it
Shape the edges with graphite shading as you would while making a clay figurine study - you've got the skills and good eye already, just do not rush it up, repeat the quality job

thank you for your kind words. I have been r=practicing Mike;sexercise, here is the upgraded nose

Thank you. I believe I have come a long way since joining in December.I think it is time to try a whole animal. I will continue to learn and push myself to do better.

DanielG wrote: ↑Sun Oct 22, 2023 4:30 pm Thank you. I believe I have come a long way since joining in December.I think it is time to try a whole animal. I will continue to learn and push myself to do better.

The more you practice the more confident you get.
I think you're doing amazing job, so don't be afraid push your limits, as this is the way to get better and better.

There's some good work going on here. You've interpreted, rather than copy, and that approach is the one you should always be aiming for. Even if the result looks just like the reference, you've still gone through the process of understanding what you're drawing.

The three-dimensional form works well, too.

This was going to be a tip for you... but you've corrected the fault in your update. For what it's worth, the tip was: Look at those horizontal marks you've drawn across the vertical front of the nose. They are lines, but they should be creases or valleys, as you can see in the reference. Now look at the reference closely, and you'll see that all of those creases have a highlight running just beneath the dark line of the crease. Including those highlights is vital, because they tell the viewer "this is a crease, not a mark on the surface". Because that’s the only way those highlights could exist. Omit them, and your creases become dark lines drawn on the surface.

Looking at your update, you've made a huge jump forwards. I feel you were drawing what you knew, rather than just what you thought you could see.

If you're planning on drawing a whole animal, handle it in the same way. Concentrate on one part, understand it, and then draw. If you attempt to draw too big an area, you'll just form a generalised overview - and an overview is what you'll draw.