After Anthony Ryder

[Anna Wakitsch]

Ngaire,

I'm studying with Anthony Ryder right now, and we're practicing envelopes and block-ins from the figure. He does measure to check larger tilts and lengths (with a pencil, skinny paintbrush handle, or skewer), though not constantly; most of his measuring is done by eye. We want to develop the abililty to judge and check accurately by eye alone**, but like Debra said, our eye needs to be trained. So it's useful to use a tool to check our accuracy, at least occasionally.

Anna

**By this I mean not simply looking at the subject, but many different ways of looking, checking and cross-checking. For example: scanning with your eye to feel the distance and tilt between points, seeing the larger shapes, looking for the relationships between shapes, glancing back and forth between the subject and your drawing constantly to compare, etc.

[Ngaire Winwood]

Thanks Debra, Marcus and Anna for your support and comments.

There seems to be a contentious issue with measuring constantly or not or eye with the aid of measuring minimally. I just used my eye with this one and wanted to see if my eye had progressed. Maybe I am asking too much of myself at such an early stage on my self training program.

Anna, I only have one book of Anthony Ryder and thoroughly enjoyed it, you are so lucky to have an opportunity to study with him. His blending is incredible. Any other hints you would like to share?????

[Claudemir Bonfim]

Hi Ngaire,
I think your drawing is getting better and better.
There some topics in the forum about measuring which you should examine, the secret is to practice, practice, practice...

[Terri Ficenec]

Hi Ngaire!
Aside from the drawing/measuring considerations. . . you might want to check your dark values. Especially in the more detailed darks, like where his ponytail gathers towards the nape of his neck, I find the original has the detail rendered within a tighter, darker range than in your version. It's easy to get involved in the details and lose sight of that overall dark effect.

[Patricia Joyce]

Hi Ngaire,
I agree, your drawing skills are developing nicely. Don't you love Anthony Ryder's book? I attended one of his drawing workshops and learned so much about measuring, and how the light falls on the figure, and about washing of graphite. I also came way convinced of how important the paper is which you draw on . Tony uses Canson MiTientes (sp?). It has the perfect texture for pencil.

Everyone is giving you good advice about measuring. Let me add my two cents worth. It does take allot of drawing to develop your eye. Do not hesitate to use measuring tools. Until my eye developed well enough and I really learned general relationships, I copied drawings from books to identical size. I used rulers to measure all kinds of distances in every direction. To check my accuracy I did not hesitate to lay tracing paper over the original drawing, trace edges and then lay the tracing paper over my drawing to see where I was off. I learned that I made the same judment errors over and over (i.e., I always "saw" the nose longer than it is, for example). When you are just practicing, this is such a good learning tool. Do not worry that you are cheating (see other posts regarding this subject - they are good).

Keep drawing, every day, if possible. You are really improving and will continue to get better and better!! Besides, isn't it fun?!!

Good luck -
Patty

[Anna Wakitsch]

Ngaire,

I'd love to share tips, although my mind is a blank right now in spite of (or perhaps because of) drawing all day.

Expanding on Terri's comment: You want to remember that the head is large unified rounded form, lit from a certain direction. Do you see how in Tony's drawing the lights get progressively darker as the light has to travel farther or hits at a less direct angle? Your little forms on his face are well-rendered, but keep in mind the idea of shading the head as a whole as it turns away from the light. For instance, the front part of his cheek looks a bit dark in your drawing, and parts of the jaw look a bit light. Also, remember that although his ear catches the light in many places, it is an integral part of the head, and joins at a place that is turning away from the light. It's tempting to make the ear too light and too detached.

Regarding the drawing, I don't know if you were following his particular method, but I'm just curious how you approached the drawing initially? In his book he shows this drawing in progress only after he's finalized the contour. Did you begin by blocking in the big shapes or did you start drawing the contour right away?

Keep up the good work!

Anna

P.S.
If you like Tony's book you might also check out the books his teacher, Ted Seth Jacobs wrote: Drawing With an Open Mind, and, if you can find it, Light for the Artist.

[Steven Sweeney]

Ngaire,

This was an ambitious undertaking, in which you went after some pretty sophisticated techniques. As it is, you can probably look at your drawing and think,

[Ngaire Winwood]

Wow, what wonderful support I have received from you all.

Steven, You explain things so well. When are you going to put out a book titled 'Mistakes are an artist's best tool' or something similar. A how to read a painting and learn book, sounds good to me. I will have to reread your comments again to take them in better. I understand the 'snowball' effect as one wrong shape lends itself to more misjudged shapes the longer you let it go without correcting. I am not so sure about how you measured it though with the two lines bit. I got the ear bit. The hair was my artistic licence allowed to roam.

Anna, yes I see it but when I do it, it is two different things, I just figured close enough is good enough for this level of skill. I was a bit naughty. I just saw the drawing and just eyeballed it the best I could with what I have to work with at the moment. I got the book for my birthday so I will have to save up for the others you mentioned.

Patricia, Yes I can't believe I was lucky enough to get it. As soon as I got I wasn't seen for hours later. My head never came out of it until I needed food. Wow the blending in it. Yes the paper would make a difference. I bet you enjoyed his workshop.

Terri, you picked my artistic licence bit, I thought I could get away with it. Oops, I'm sprung. I will repeat 100 times, I am a bad girl for not observing shapes as they are, not as I would like them to be.

Claudemir, I am glad you noticed. I am practicing as much as I can.

[Steven Sweeney]

Originally Posted by Ngaire Winwood

I am not so sure about how you measured it though with the two lines bit.

And I'm not quite sure, either, where I lost you.

If you're referring to the two vertical lines I "drew" in the image, above, showing your drawing of the nose, those are really just to show the relationship between the two points mentioned, at the top of the nose and bottom contour of the fleshy wing of the nose. There are two lines in your drawing, to indicate the misjudged "horizontal distance" between those two points. In Ryder's version, there is no "horizontal distance," as the two points are more or less directly above and below each other, respectively.

Another "angle" -- Two lines on the form might be, for example, the back and front edges of the neck. If you hold up your pencil and sight along the back edge, say, the pencil will have a slope toward your left as it rises. If you carefully move that pencil over to the front edge, you'll find out if the slopes of the two edges "match" (that is, that they're parallel) or if they diverge, and if so, whether they're getting closer to each other toward the upper part of the drawing or the lower part. That same relationship should be preserved in your drawing.

Lastly -- If you're looking at only one "line" in the drawing -- say, the slope of the back contour of the hair, then compare it with a vertical (or if appropriate, a horizontal) line in an imaginary grid placed over both the resource drawing and your own drawing surface. (If you have trouble accurately "imagining" a vertical, just hold the tip of the pencil at arm's length and let gravity impose a vertical orientation. Or tie a small weight to a length of thread and hold that "plumb line" out in front of you, comparing the vertical thread to the angles of whatever edges you're working on in the drawing.)

Perhaps I touched there on whatever it was that was confusing you, or perhaps I've just been "blendy and fiddly." If something's still not clear, let me know. Text is a difficult way to try to teach visual techniques.

[Patricia Joyce]

I did not hesitate to tell Tony Ryder when I attended his workshop that the first thing I did was read through the book, then I proceeded to take it apart literally removing all the pages and placing it in a binder. This way I could remove a drawing lay it next to my drawing paper affixed to my drawing board and begin copying.

Whenever I am at a loss for something to work on (which is seldom these days, thank God) I pull Tony's book back out and often before I begin a portrait (just this past weekend in fact) I take out Tony's book and reread it. Nuggets of wisdom abound on every page. After three years since studying with him, he still is teaching me!

Steven's advice is invaluable, follow every piece of advice he gives you, he knows what he's talking about! When I was just starting out with drawing he taught me more than any other person. Go back and study his other posts over the years - very valuable exercise.

I am excited for you, Ngaire. I love watching to grow. I can see that you've "got it" and that you will be successful in your artistic endeavors

Have Fun!!!