April 20th
You say, "The time is now 12 noon, pleases settle down and let us begin."
Piccillo begins speaking, "Now, last week we went over the basics of how to build a human head."=:)
You say, "Turn to https://www.angelfire.com/art2/baac/apr13.html These are last week's works, but we will be using them as reference for today as well."
You say, "This week we will be going over how these rules apply to an anthro, or human-animal mix, head."
You say, "Now, I can't show you how to *exactly* draw the anthro head...due to the fact that there are so many choices. There are species, *how* animal-like you want your picture to be, age. If we did one type a day, 7 days a week, we'd all probably grow old and die doing it and still not be finished."
You say, "Therefore, this class will be about researching the subject you want, and how to go about drawing that head the way you wish it."
You say, "To sum up, wel'll be going over how to research an animal head, and how to apply last week's rules to draw an anthro one."
You say, "The first thing, obviously, is to get a picture of the animal you want to draw. I can't stress enough the importance of learning from real-life, as opposed to other artist's work. After all, no matter how realisticly another draws a picture, his own mistakes and opinions in style will seep through, which you will unconciosly pick up."
You say, "For this class, I will turn to one of the ultimate research and time-wasters availiable : the search engine of the world-wide web."
You say, "Now, we have to decide what kind of animal we want to draw first. Let's choose a common one...a cat. I'll just enter my choce into the engine and..."
You say, "Hrmm...only 2800 or so choices. Looks like the odds favor me finding a picture on the web. :)"
DonQuixote watches Picc type 'cat' into a search engine...and waits to see what percentage of the sites it brings up turn out to be X-rated..:,
DonQuixote thinks Picc should be glad he didn't enter 'fox' :,
You say, "Now, it can take some time but we can sort through the web sites looking for the pic we want."
You say, "Note that you can use it for anything...for example : if you want to do a swimsuit pic, you'll find many stores have large catalouges online, full of helpful pics."
Yasha-Myr replies softly, "Like the one I gave a number of weeks back"
You say, "I've randomly chosen a potential title, the Cat Fancier's association at http://www.cfainc.org/ follow my link as I continue the search."
You say, "Now it seems like I've hit a furry goldmine...it's a breeder's site and show site...the potential for plenty of good pictures to study is high."
Yasha-Myr wooooos and clicks there
You say, "The 'Breeds and Colors' link sounds like a good place to peek into with photo potential. Let's go there."
Piccillo hrmms, "Lots of breed choices, but no pics yet. But hope remains high!
Rox goes, "Grooming tips...? 'Kay..."
ShadowWalker nickers, "whoa...quite a site. Wonder if there's a horse site like it?"
You say, "More than likely, ShadowWalker. Horses, like cats, have shows and such put on about them."
ShadowWalker nods to Pic
You say, "I've chosen the Abyssinian one...http://www.cfainc.org/breeds/profiles/abyssinian.html"
Rox browses through pics of stuff and grooming tips...
You say, "Now I can see this will be a great site for researching all sorts of cats. They have full body pictures, nice and clear for study. Heck, I'm even going to bookmark it for future reference. :)"
Yasha-Myr replies softly, "hairless cat?"
Rox mew mews.
Graytail says quietly, "not hairless Yasha, just short furred"
ShadowWalker nickers, "Short hair, I think Yasha."
ShadowWalker nickers, "pretty too :)"
Rhan'lav giggles. "Mister Bigglesworth. ;)
Rox finds lotsa ugly cats! =D
Sslaxx hisses, "You mean the Sphynx cat, Yasha?"
You say, "Now we've got the animal, and even the specific breed I want for my picture. Now it's time to begin a study of how to convert that into anthro terms."
You say, "Now, the easiest way to do a study of the head is also the simplest; we're going to trace it. Much like your first lessons where I had you hold a blank peice of paper over a picture to trace the body and outline, so we can put a blank peice of paper over your screen. It's a natural lightbox!"
DonQuixote chuckles
You say, "Now everyone, grab a peice of paper and do so - using the rules we went over for last week's class. Don't draw the eyes, but just get the shape of the head and put in the guidelines for eyes, mouth, and nose."
You say, "Thicker paper may not show it though that well,in that case you can do several things. Either free-draw it with the paper right next to it, print it out and hold it up to the light so it shows through easier, or get a book or magazine with pictures in it to copy from."
You say, "As an aside, my paper is too thick,so I'm free-hand drawing it."
Graytail is too, not easy to hold A4 to a screen and keep it still enough to draw on
Piccillo chuckles, "It takes some getting used to. You will find what works best for you and stick with it with practice. The point is to find something that works well for you. These are just some options."
You say, "Now, let's take a good look at the pic. And yes Rox,we are going to work on just that this class."
ShadowWalker nods as he freehands it too. "Monitor isn't bright enough, and the pic isn't big enough yet
You say, "Yes, Don? What is it?"
DonQuixote says, "...print out the pic. Then open a Notepad window, maximize the window so the entire screen is covered in white. It works much better as a lightbox then :, Then just put the printout over the screen with your blank paper on top of it :,"
Piccillo nods to Don, "Good suggestion." he says. :)
You say, "Now we have a subject to study. It now comes to a big question...how animal do we want our pic to be?"
ShadowWalker nickers, "Great one, Don"
ShadowWalker nickers, "May I offer another suggestion?"
Rox notes the amont of whiskers on that pic...
You say, "Go ahead, ShadowWalker."
DonQuixote says, "Thanks :, (to Picc and SW)"
ShadowWalker nickers, "One thing that threw me off more than anything with deer heads, was the way they was arranged. My breakthough came, when I printed the heads out on paper, then traced the basic head outline, with a marker. "
ShadowWalker nickers, "I saw then, there was in essence 2 blocks. From there, it's easy to start."
You say, "Great idea, I'm glad it worked out for you. :)"
Rox nods... Heads are his biggest problem, he might try some of this out...
ShadowWalker nickers, "Unfortunately, it didn't work well with human heads :)"
You say, "The problem with anthro heads...the more animalistic ones...is what I'd call 'chin syndrome'."
Yasha-Myr drew her cat head lookin likt it hit a wall at 70mph
ShadowWalker tilts his head at Pic
Graytail says quietly, "Where to put it you mean?"
ShadowWalker grins as he looks over yasha's shoulder. "ooo..that had to hurt.
DonQuixote blinks at Y-M, that had to hurt
You say, "With the human heads last week, we saw how we added the chin. But for anthro work, don't think of it as a chin. It is,actually, part of the human's 'muzzle'...which is the nose/mouth/chin area."
You say, "The problem most artists will have at this point is a change in thinking...moving from a human to an animal style head. "
You say, "What you are going to do is actually extend the animalistic muzzle a human has, exaggerate it, into something more resembling the animal you are trying to copy."
You say, "This has the effect of making it look more natural, rather than just an animal muzzle attached to a human face."
You say, "Use the guides that we went over last week. The lines change the entire shape of the face when moved...by plotting it out first following the rules we went over last week, we will get a more pleasing result."
You say, "This cat for example : it's head is wider, eyes larger...but with plotting out the lines first,we can begin to get a feel as to how it's face is constructed - and see how we would alter the human face to more match it as we desire."
Yasha-Myr replies softly, "Im thrown off by the tilt of the cats head to left... how can i do that?"
ShadowWalker smiles to yasha, "One of the problems I had starting out.
Yasha-Myr replies softly, "the one i did was tilted but looking straight at you"
Piccillo nods to Rox, and begins to answer Yasha's question. "Well, that's a matter of perspective. It basicly boils down to practice, but working from easier pictures might be better for now. For example,scroll down the page and you see a picture of the same type of cat, but from the side. Perfect for a study using the second set of pics from last week."
Yasha-Myr ahhhhs and does so.... "thankies..
You say, "We can go over perspective next week Yasha...and get everyone settled into how to think 'beyond the box' and see the head and figure as a 3-d model in your head."
ShadowWalker will post some of his deer pics he was talking about after class on his web site, Yasha. It might help you.
You say, "That's a good point though Yasha, not everyone can grasp that concept easily. So it should be gone over.
Piccillo continues. "Now for the next important step in our picture...how animal should it be?"
You say, "Now I could make a picture called "AWESOME CAT BY PICCILLO"...which in reality is just a human-looking face with a few whiskers and slightly pointed ears. But art is that way...everyone has their own style and way of wanting something to come out. So there is no 'right or wrong' level that I need to shoot for.".
You say, "On the opposite paw,we can go the way of Rox and ShadowWalker...even more, and draw a totally animal head seemingly grafted onto a humanish body. Also a perfectly good way of doing so."
Rox goes, "Tha' sounds like me. Furred human body (with paws for feet), with an animal 'ead."
You say, "The most difficult chore, and one we've been touching on already, is how to get something 'in between'...a mix of both the animal and the human."
You say, "Now there is no easy way to do it...you've been exposed to the tools needed to do what you must do to craft a picture, and you are beginning to understand the process behind building one."
You say, "Hello Andrea! You've arrived for the tail-end of the class I'm afraid. But sit down and listen if you wish,and we can play catch-up at the end of it if that's alright."
Andrea finds a seat somewhere
You say, "Now, do we have any questions about anything up to now?".
You say, "Let's sum up this week's shorter,but information-packed class."
You say, " 1) It is important to research the animal you are basing your picture on. Lots of artists - myself included! - are guilty of drawing animals without fully knowing how they look, and if you study them to learn you will be picking up their errors. Try to work with a real-life picture for reference whenever possible."
Yasha-Myr nods and did wanna draw from art sites, but this seems best
You say, " 2) Know your basics. Every animal head can be broken down using the lessons we went over last week. I'll go over next week how I broke down the cat we looked at by the way, so we can go over the basic building blocks as they apply to animals, and how to apply them to your choices."
DonQuixote offers suggestion: If you have a zoo or nature center or natural history museum near you, you may be able to sit down with a sketchbook and sketch either live animals, or ones that've been stuffed and mounted...so you can have a 3D model rather than just flat photos :,
You say, "There is nothing wrong with that Yasha. They have a lot of good sites that give great advice. But keep a real pic at hand if you can, so you can compare and study from it."
Piccillo nods to DonQuixote, "Good point."
ShadowWalker nods to Don, "True. Also ask around for private zoos. There's at least 2 I know of within 30 miles of me.
Yasha-Myr will bookmark this site too.... well she got good at drawing 70 mph kitty faces
ShadowWalker nickers, "Also loads of horse farms :)"
DonQuixote says, "..if it's a zoo, tho, just be prepared for your model to get up and walk away :,"
You say, " And 3) Knowing what you are shooting for in a picture. After all, if you don't know your destination you won't know if you arrived. :) Decide how much human or animal you want in your pic, but don't feel afraid to experiment."
ShadowWalker chuckles "Or turn their backs on you, or make funny faces or about 20 people looking over your shoulder..
DonQuixote says, "You'll still have 20 people looking over your shoulder in the museum or nature center as well, SW :,"
ShadowWalker nickers, "How would you suggest a fur draw a live, moving animal? ""
You say, "Now for the class' homework,I think it's obvious but I'll say it anyways."
You say, "I want you to find your favorite animal site,or photos, and try doing some buildups of the head. Don't try to finish it fully, get a feel for the understructure. Learn the 'rules' that apply to your animal."
You say, "Live movnig studies are difficult...it requires you be 'quick on the draw' SW...I'd suggest doing moving studies for a bit later, once you've mastered the basics of building,so you can draw them quicker."
ShadowWalker nods "Ok, that's what I thought too. Thanks
