[Iliya Mirochnik]

Hi Paula B,

I think these animal studies are great! I like that you can see the focus and understanding that’s going into them, and I look forward to seeing more of them on your thread. I do think that you’re composing the pages well too. For the most part, they have a clear focal point that you’re controlling through gesture and size. What I want to recommend is also to add different degrees of finish and value distribution. Since you’re doing these digitally, this should be particularly easy. I think these pages would look even better if, for example, some of the animals were kept in a higher tonal key, while others worked on in a full range of values from white to black. Right now, they’re all a little too much the same. But even more importantly than that, I think that you could push the finish (or polish) in some of them as well. For example, in the Griffon one, the main Griffon with wings outstretched could not only have been more substantial and more gesturally striking, but also more polished, with more considerable edge variation, cleaner halftone distribution, and more intricate highlights. Now that’s not even the end of it. Ideally, you could design the whole page in a way in which no one part is like any other in terms of finish, and by that, I mean not only an animal as a whole but a part of the animal. So, for example, starting with that same Griffon, for instance, a part of the wing and head, let’s say, could’ve been maximally polished, then there’d be al title fall off on the rest of the bird. Then one of the other birds would have the same kind of variation within it but also as a whole be subdued to the main bird, and so on. Now I know that sounds a little crazy, and possibly too much to think about, but take a look at sketch pages or design paintings/drawings of any serious Old Master painter or draftsman. It’s all there. Now the secret is that you need to do one or two pictures where these things are conscious, and seeking out that hierarchy of finish will begin to enter your intuition, and you’ll have a hard time doing the drawings any other way from then on.

Keep up the excellent work!
Iliya

[Iliya Mirochnik]

Hi Dominique,

I have to say, I’m quite a fan of this last piece. I like the combination of figuration and abstraction and I think that there’s something at the same time forceful and delicate at the same time. I took it upon myself to do a little draw-over but it’s different from the way I usually do them, which is for corrections. Here I just tried to take what you did and push it a little further in both the figuration and abstraction directions. I think what you have here is very spontaneous, seemingly done quickly, but I also believe that you could work longer on the pieces, occasionally destroying parts, but also finding new ways to rebuild and revitalize them. In a sense, layering more, accenting more, even using more media of different kinds, like ink. My draw-over is just an attempt at pushing it further in my way. You would most likely do it differently, but I recommend “overworking” a little. Also, check out the artist Anatoly Zverev. He was completely crazy, but I think his paintings are remarkable.

Let me know what you think, and keep up the great work!

Iliya

 

[Iliya Mirochnik]

Hey Jakob,

I really like that you’re doing these figure drawings and working to keep them structural. I’m attaching a draw-over with some pointers on what to keep in mind in terms of structure. What I do recommend is that as you keep working in this one, do try to do some strictly observation (and most importantly, tonal) exercises along side these to train not only your analytical skills and knowledge of anatomy, but also your observational skills.

Best,

Iliya

 

[Iliya Mirochnik]

Hi Ruxandra,

I really like this work! I think you’re thinking compositionally and creatively, allowing the format of the page, as well as the medium to really emphasize the pictorial impact and feel of your subject matter. I’m a big fan of graphic work and I really like your use of pen, especially the hatching. I see that your working a lot from images and I think you’re doing a good job not making the pieces look too photographic, but I, of course, will recommend working a little bit more from life. There’s something in the analysis of a much more full reality that teaches you to condense the situation in a way the photograph can’t. I think that once having had that practice, working from photographs becomes all the more enjoyable. It would also solve the main problem that I’m seeing here, which I believe is the lack of “environment.” Now that could be a graphic preference, but I do believe that it’s important to learn to integrate foreground and background into a single space. This means essentially, that the atmosphere is more important than any of the objects within that atmosphere. If you decide to forgo such a naturalistic approach later, that’s ok, but here and there you’ll use things you’ve learned from it and I think it’ll make your work all the better. I think you’re already doing it somewhat in your preference of contrast on the elements and objects that are closer but there’s still a lack of unifying shadows and light. I would look at the etchings and ink work of artists like Rembrandt, Whistler, Zorn, and Repin (drawings). As for the specifics, i.e. anatomy, tone, and all the rest as applied to individual animals, objects, and people, I think that’s all quite good. I especially like the portrait. I wish you luck on this work and I’ll check in next week and do a draw-over one of your images.

 

Keep up the great work!

Iliya

[Iliya Mirochnik]

Hi Alieke,

I’m really liking that you’re approaching this portrait with an emphasis on character and composition. I’m including a draw-over where I have your original on the left (marked up) and then a corrected version on the right. I think that some of the things I’m doing here would really work to further bring out the great qualities that this portrait already possesses.

Good luck!

Iliya

[Iliya Mirochnik]

Hi Julian,

Thank you for working through my course! I think this is a very good portrait! I particularly like the clear attention spent on structural and tonal analysis and I’m really liking the near clavicle and shoulder. Here are some critiques:

1. I don’t think there’s enough cranium.

2. The darks on the outer left hand side of the head, on the hair, are too dark and creating too strong a contrast against the paper.

2.1 The terminator, instead, needed to be the primary locus of contrast.

3. The left clavicle and sternocléidomastoid are a little too “stringy” to evenly shaded and outlined from top to bottom (left to right)\

4. The eyes are just a tad too close together.

5. The side plane of the nose needs to be darker, it needs to read darker (especially the wing of the nose)

6. I would just hint at a centerline along the sternum. I know that part is not that important in this bust but I feel things are getting a bit muddled down there.

7. Try to build up more of the medium in important areas of core shadow right after the terminator. Hatching will help add a finished look as well.

 

I think if you address these things, either in this piece or in the next one, you’ll really see a difference. But as I said, this is  already at a very good place in a drawing’s development.

Good luck and keep up the great work!

Iliya

[Iliya Mirochnik]

Hi Jonathon,

I think that this is a pretty striking composition and an impactful painting overall. I, myself, love still lives. I’m including a draw-over with some things that I believe can help solidify and accentuate some of the great things already happening here. The key one is that I don’t think you need to model equally everywhere. Let the volumetric lighter areas stand out by contrast to the darker, flatter shadows and tertiary details. The Dutch are experts at this. Although it might look like every little detail is painted, upon a more global examination, one can really see a very strong hierarchy of accents and elements.

 

[Iliya Mirochnik]

Hi Myriam,

I really like this portrait, it reminds me of some of Antonio Lopez Garcia’s wonderful graphite drawings. There’s a lovely interplay the linear quality and the tonal masses, making the lines read like a logical extension of the tone. I can recommend a few things. For one, in a portrait where wrinkles are playing a structural and characteristic role, try to divide the wrinkles into those 2 categories. Find the ones that exaggerate and enhance the skeletal and muscular structural forms. And then find the folds in-between those structural ones but accentuate them slightly less and fine as much variation there as possible. I think the earring could’ve been darker with the ornate elements shown as highlights. The ear could use more form. And the most important thing to work on here is the hair. I think it’s not decorative enough to be left as a flat compositional element, but also not precise and varied enough to describe actual hair. I would look in fact at Antonio Lopez Garcia’s drawings, but also the drawings of Ingres, for a really wonderful way to “shorthand” hair and showing the form, direction and character all with very minimal effort.

 

I think you’re doing a great job and I’m looking forward to seeing more of your work on the forum!

Best,

Iliya

[Iliya Mirochnik]

Hi Dean,

I really like how you’re working this portrait digitally. The brush work is interesting and I would try to leave more of it visible, without necessarily blending everything together. I also think the hair and facial hair are maybe a little overstated. I’m including a draw-over with some things to think about when it comes to the big tonal relationships and head and face structure.

Good luck and keep up the awesome work!

 

[Iliya Mirochnik]

Hello Jean-Pierre,

I really like that you’re focusing on the legs and feet. Hands and feet are extremely important and often ignored so I’m glad you’re devoting the time to them. What I want to recommend is to try to use fewer lines when drawing. It’s good practice to learn to commit to lines and as I always say, it’s easier to correct one line, than 4, 5 or 20. That’s not to say that being scratchy and sketchy isn’t an interesting stylistic choice sometimes, but I’m just saying that you shouldn’t let it become compulsive. I am attaching a draw-over focusing on some important anatomical and structural information to focus on moving forward. It might not exactly correspond to the orignal Raphael but if you look closely, you’ll see he has some version of the same stuff that I marked up.

Good luck and keep up the good work!

 

[Iliya Mirochnik]

Hi Bryan,

I like that you’re working in color and pastels while focusing on drawing principles. What I would do here, in the last image you posted is try to use the whole page, and also work in a bit of the background at the same time as the colors and tones on the figure. I really like the way you’re treating the shadows on the torso and arms, but I think a similar treatment would work well on the legs. Ignore reflected lights most of the time, and add them only after all of the shadows are blocked in relatively flat. I do think that it’d be good to find shadows on the ground too. The feet should probably be larger and don’t forget the cranium, it’s currently a little small. The other thing to do is to try to get the lights a little more varied.

Keep up the good work and keep posting. It’s looking great!

 

Iliya

[Iliya Mirochnik]

Hi Shazad,

I’m so glad you’re doing my course and on top of that, spending so much time on the shoulder girdle! I’m including a draw-over with some corrections on this last drawing you posted.

 

[Iliya Mirochnik]

Hi JJ,

I really like these tonal studies you’re doing, especially the portraits.  I’m including a draw over for the most recent drawing, the “Conan” one with some structural and tonal corrections.

 

[Iliya Mirochnik]

Hi Zhi Su!

Great job on all this work! Keep it up! I’m including a draw over with some structural corrections and things to keep in mind and a more painterly draw over to demonstrate the importance of the big tonal relationships.

 

[Iliya Mirochnik]

Hi Nicki,

I quite like this painting, particularly in the work put into carefully observing the dog, and also in the treatment of the hair. Your question concerning working in reds is interesting and an important one. In school, I purposefully switched to working in red chalk because I didn’t want to have the full value range I had when weokign in charcoal. It teaches you to control and see much more subtle gradations of tone, and in my book, that’s a great thing.

There are a few things here that I would think about here. I think the soft edges (the one’s almost completely lost into the white of the canvas are quite effective. Some of the hard edges on the other hand, like the ones in the mouth and down the muzzle, seem a little sharp and almost outlined. I don’t think this approach lends itself to such a graphic treatment of edges and I’d watch out for that. As for the red, although, as I said above, I like the challenge, I do think that you could play around with working with a couple of different reds, pushing the painting into the browns in the darkest of areas. But start as you did with one color, and then push the darks as you need to. This way, you preserve the subtle gradations, but have the power to add punch where you need it. I would also make sure to either keep the background pristine or allow for more color to enter there. Another thing to attempt is to do the exact same painting but on a slightly darker ground. Even slightly darker, like a gray. This would also give you the ability to push lights with white.

Keep up the good work!

Iliya

 

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