Figure drawing

What Hacker News says

1. whateveracctApr 2023
   But if you do learn, you can then render photorealistic image with nothing but pencil and paper instead of being reliant on a beefy computer running a blackbox model trained at enormous cost :)

   SD will never compare to the power of pencil and paper imo. Drawing is an essential skill for any visual artist not just for mechanics but for developing style, taste, and true understanding of the world around you visually.

   I recommend Freehand Figure Drawing for Illustrators as a good starting point (along with some beginner art lessons). It won't take 1k hours before you see results. It's also fun!

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2. rckclmbrJan 2023
   Also highly recommend https://www.proko.com/ (particularly "Figure Drawing Fundamentals") and https://drawabox.com/. I didn't realize how much structure drawing has, and both of those describe it in a way that's good for my right-brain. I'll never be a great artist, but it's still fun to draw!
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3. HiroshiSanJun 2018
   Optimal way to practice

   > Deliberate practice

   Best books

   > Depends what you want to draw? How to Draw by Scott Robertson and Figure Drawing Design and Invention by Michael Hampton should keep you busy for a while

   How do I learn to self critique?

   > Take a picture of your drawing I find it easier to see mistakes by looking at a picture of it. Another trick is to get up, walk around and come back in 5 minutes. You'll get a fresh look and see the mistakes.

   Honestly I wouldn't worry about optimal practice from experience it's very difficult to achieve until you've built a habit out of drawing and some proficiency.

   Step 1: Have fun. Do you enjoy drawing? If not find a way to enjoy it.

   Step 2: Build a habit out of practicing and enjoy the process. From reading about many experts and mastery the process is the key to mastery. Enjoy the process, not the outcome.

   Step 3: Don't stop. Quitting happens only once. If you stop drawing for a month that's fine, pick it back up. This is a life long journey. Again enjoy the process.

   As an aside check out www.artstation.com it's a concept art website where industry professionals post their work. Fantastic site for inspiration.

   Read this post: https://noahbradley.com/blogs/blog/dont-go-to-art-school

   Pick up a copy of Art & Fear and read it whenever you feel discouraged.

   Good luck.

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4. dayvidMar 2012
   I think we're hitting into a possible issue with these book recommendations.

   Recommendations on learning/understanding something logically, and recommending a book based on how to learn how to do something can be very different.

   I've read all of these art books (except Vilppu's), and I DON'T think the best text on how to learn how to draw is a copy of Preston Blair's books.

   For me personally, I got the most advancement through Loomis' Figure Drawing For What It's Worth. I spent a lot time going over diagrams in the book. It transformed the way I approached drawing Other people, (especially people who get into art with no prior experience) swear by Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.

   In this case, a lot of what you think the best text would be depends on which way you prefer to draw. I like figure drawing mostly, so I learn towards Loomis and Hogarth. Someone who likes general life/possibly painting would prefer Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Someone who prefers animation, would definitely love Preston Blair's books (and possibly Fun with a Pencil).

   I think not only a good book recommendation is useful, but a good useful explanation needs to go hand in hand with it.

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