Month: October 2016

Jonathan

Published on by Melody Horst1 Comment

I adore little kiddos and their adorable little grins. Having drawn several already, I wanted another one to draw. So after much looking on several picture websites, I found this little cutie sitting in a large pot. 🙂 The look of innocence and cheer written all across his face, captured my heart.

Since he, in actuality, is just some random kiddo out there and his name is anybody’s guess, I wanted to make him a little more personal and special and give him a name my self. Jonathan, is what I quickly decided on since that is my favorite boy’s name.

After 10 1/2 hours, I proclaimed the picture complete. And no, I did not draw for ten and half hours straight! I’m not sure that anyone could do that and still claim to be sane. Generally, my drawing segments are about 1 to 1 1/2 hours long. Then it is time for me to get up and stretch and think about something else for a little while!

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“Jonathan” 9″ x 12″ Bristol Board

How to Draw a Face Correctly (Even if You’re not an Artist)

Published on by Melody Horst1 Comment

Often times, how-to art books explain everything but the very basics. Most of them make you feel like you would have to be somewhat of an artist already to even try to do what they tell you will work.

For me, it was so extremely helpful to find out what composes a person’s face, and  where to put things. The eyes, nose, etc. So I have made a very straight forward list for you, that I hope will be helpful in figuring things out. Please, it is not actually a hard thing to learn if you have the right foundations to start from (a good attitude about drawing is great too.). So relax, it’s not scary. If at first you don’t succeed, try again.

Proportions

  1. The eyes. If the person in the picture is looking straight at you, you will have five eye widths at the level of the eyes. In other words, the width of one of the eyes will be the width between the side of the head and the eye, and between the eyes. The eyes are also placed exactly in the middle of the head from top to bottom.
  2. The nose. This is a facial feature that is almost always gotten wrong. The length of the nose is basically the same as the width of the eye. The wings of the nose should be at least as far over as the inner corner of the eyes.
  3. The mouth. The mouth is placed a third of the way between the nose and the bottom of the chin; that is, being the closest third to the nose. If the person is smiling, the edge of the mouth will be directly below the pupil of the eye (if the person is looking straight at you.).
  4. The ears. The ear tops generally are in line with the eye brows. The bottoms are generally in line with the bottom of the nose.

As far as the rest of the face, play around with it! It’s no science.

Other important tips

  1. Go off a picture. Truthfully, the best place to start drawing realistic faces, is to grab a nice black and white photo and copy it, and preferably a friend or family member. Doing it this way, you will be able to get a far better picture and learn how the shape of the eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and everything in between, is composed. After several of these portraits, you can step out and try a simple sketch using the tools you have learned. But in general (and this goes for experienced artists too), you will always have to have a picture or model to go off of to get the picture to look like a specific person. Help hint: Using a grid is the easiest way. You can purchase drawing grids, or make your own by drawing a quarter inch grid on a clear sheet to place over your original picture. You then lightly draw another grid of the same size on you drawing paper which you will erase after the sketch is complete and before the shading is started. 
  2. If all else fails, go stand in front of a mirror, and just stare at yourself for a good long while; noticing where different things are placed, how far apart, and how they are shaded in a rather general way. But it is NOT my suggestion to try to start here. It can all be too confusing if you don’t have too much of an idea what to look for. Where I like to use this is when I am sketching freehand (not off of a picture), and forgot where on earth something is placed or how it is shaded.
  3. Lastly, have fun! It’s truly not a science. People come in all shapes and sizes, so if you flub up… don’t worry. Just try again!

I would also like to point you to another post, Feeling Hopeless? I Was Too! where I share more, as well as some great links!

Kansas Favorites

Published on by Melody HorstLeave a comment

I love photography. Even though I don’t normally think of myself as “A Photographer” (in a more dramatic sense), I enjoy being able to save some of the special moments of life. Big or small, normal or crazy. A trip out to Kansas this summer, served as a great way to not only see some of my extended family, but also to fulfill some of my photography cravings.

I decided to share seven of my favorites with you. So, read on. Which are your favorites?

Out the airplane window.

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An airplane wing in the vivid late July sky.

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Horses!

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An adorable little girly I was privileged to photograph…

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…And another little princess (that grin tho!).

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Ahhh… Kansas! Note the very straight roads.

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And last but not least, horses grazing peacefully.

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So there’s a snippet of my favorites, which one is your favorite? or perhaps you have several. I’d love to hear!

Kara

Published on by Melody Horst10 Comments

I finished the long promised portrait of my sister, Kara. I had done one last year for her birthday, but it was done in so short a time and so soon after I started learning how to “draw for real”, that it turned out kinda bad. So I decided to do a second try.

My dear, one and only sister is very beautiful and sweet and six years older than me (yeah, I dare you to guess how old I am!). She loves Jesus and serves Him passionately – a great inspiration to me. She also plays flute, loves singing and the out-of-doors, and is great with gardening.

So now that you know a bit about the wonderful young lady, here she is!

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Feeling Hopeless? I Was Too!

Published on by Melody Horst8 Comments

I love creating with graphite and have been doing so since I was big enough to handle a pencil. I was always frustrated that that my pictures didn’t turn out like those in the how-to art books. I thought maybe I didn’t have the knack. Or maybe I was just too stupid to get what they were saying.

Fact is, that is how a lot of beginning artists feel. They’re bombarded by all sorts of techniques and ways to do things, and they get confused. And no, it is not their fault. It is because the people who write the books learned the hard way and don’t know how to teach them anything different. Those weird boxes and circles that are supposed to shape your portrait, really are confusing unless you have an experienced eye.

So I blundered around for a while. I thought it was cheating to go off of a picture to get the portrait I was drawing correct. That is, until my parents gave me a video tutorial on drawing by Carrie Stuart Parks, a world renowned artist. I found out that she, a very talented and experienced artist, goes off pictures all the time!

She also teaches graphite drawing in a very easy to understand way. She tells you how to do it and why, rather than just assuming that you can naturally just see it, as everybody else does. She also has several helpful and amazing books on realistic drawing which you can find here.

After watching the video, I was encouraged and decided to try my hand again using her advice… and it worked! Okay, so I didn’t become a pro overnight (of course), nobody does.

Below, I compare before and after portraits that were drawn only a year apart. I did the first ones free hand (not going off a picture) and the second two from a picture (remember, it’s not cheating!). The reason I want to share this with you, is to help you realize that it is possible, no matter how “bad” you think you are, to draw good quality pictures in a relatively short amount of time. I hope you are encouraged and inspired to go check out Carrie’s books and video and begin to draw the things you love!

Before; Freehand
“Meagan” After; Freehand
“Wendy” Before; From picture
“Vanessa” After; From picture

As the examples above show, just with a very small amount of  education, I was able to greatly improve my technique. Of course, I’m still learning and perfecting. But I feel that I have come a long way from a year ago.

I believe that truly anybody can learn how to draw. No matter how good or bad they feel that they currently are. It isn’t just about the talent that you were born with (that is apparent in very few people), it’s about what you do with your interests and learning the best you can. Put your mind to it, and see what happens.

“The starting point of all achievement is desire.” ~ Napoleon Hill