I'm getting back in touch with my art (nudity within this post)

[Trailrider1951]

Long story short: I've been drawing and painting since I was a child many years ago, and I just love doing creative things. My education, however, is in Geology and Chemistry, and that is my chosen profession. Lately I have renewed my interests in the graphic arts and I have begun to practice them again. I will try to post images of my latest endeavor for you to critique. Please be gentle with me, as I have not rendered a human figure since I was in high school (I'm in my 50's now), LOL. Here it is as a work-in-progress.













Thanks for looking.

[mopinko]

1. do try to find a live model.

or even draw still lifes, or whatever that is in the real world. drawing from pictures, without enough experience with drawing from life is usually visible from several hundred yards.

nice job, tho. keep drawing.

[Kind of Blue]

2. Hey, Trailrider1951- Fantastic!

For someone who has not attempted figure drawing in a long while, your piece is well done. And I mean that, not just because I'm partial to the human form. You've definitely got the eye as far as composition, prospective and rendering what you see. I don't think that it will take you long to master the pencil or perhaps any other medium you chose, because to me pencil is the first step and you've got that down.

Also you've chosen a good picture to start with - lots of opportunity for light and dark, shapes and negative spaces. My only suggestion, because I cannot see your range of pencils, is to get as many H, B and F pencils as you can to help flesh out those wonderful highlights and bring up the gradations from light to dark.

Funny, I majored in chemistry/biology once upon a time (took a lot of art classes) and worked within the field until I had enough. Very, very cool that you've come back :thumbsup:

I agree with Mpinko on taking classes - probably just Drawing I/Painting I - though I don't think it's an absolute necessity in your case but it would boost confidence :)

[mopinko]

3. lots of models available outside classes.

my suggestion wasn't necessarily to take classes, just to get a model. big difference. volunteers, or just a group of artists that split the bill for a model.
it's a different set of skills than working from something that is already 2d.

[Trailrider1951]

4. Thank you both for your kind words and helpful advice

I realize that I do have some talent, but I feel very self-conscious and lack confidence in my work because I really have no formal art education beyond taking art as an elective back in high school, and one basic drawing course I took in college. And Mopinko, you are right as far as working with a real 3-D model is different and more difficult than working from a photo. Here is a link to my whole album of paintings and drawings:

http://s113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/Trailrider_2006/Art%20by%20Me/

The two drawings of the landscape and wood stove were done on site, not from photos.

The paintings of the lilies and still life were also done with real models, but the three landscape paintings were done from photos. The drawings were done in the 1978 to 1980 time frame, but the paintings were done around 1995 to 1996, when I purchased some watercolors and paper and started experimenting. I want to get back to creating "my take on reality", LOL. And there is good news: a friend of mine from work has commissioned me to do a painting for her, a portrait of her son and daughter-in-law. I'm SO excited about this project!! It will be my first "sold" creation in about 40 years. I'll take pictures of the work in progress and post them so you can see the whole process.