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Alan Davis
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Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2005 9:13 pm

Post by Alan Davis »

You hit the nail squarely on the head, Jim. Practising CORRECTLY is the essential point.
In my opinion, over-reliance on refs teaches an artist to focus on the surface of an image rather than the content. This is the crucial difference between a comic artist/storyteller and an illustrator who works in comics. The storyteller generates images that serve the story rather than finding an image and shoe-horning it into a patchy visual continuity.
I don’t know how this works because, in my experience, so much of the creative process seems to be instinctive/ subconscious. I’m sure that, to a degree like the muscle memory built up with repetitious exercise of martial arts, the repetition of basic forms becomes ingrained BUT I would like to think there is more to it. My favourite quote, from Dr Jonathan Miller is ‘Consciousness is the oil slick on the surface of the mind’. To write we must learn an alphabet and vocabulary but once learned we become unconscious of both and focus on the content/purpose of the communication. I believe, or want to believe, that the process of drawing can become instinctive so that, rather than focusing on the technicalities of construction and linework the artist can concentrate on representing emotion or movement.
Appropriately to your problem with hands Jim, and my earlier martial arts analogy, “… Don’t concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory.” (Bruce Lee, Enter the Dragon)
DungeonmasterJim
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Post by DungeonmasterJim »

Every now and then throughout my years of drawing I get those pesky things known as hands somewhat decent looking in a drawing. Observe:

Image

I just wish it was more the norm. :x

DM Jim
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