I Draw Sometimes

Generally I think 80% of the time I spend on a drawing I just try to figure out the sketch. I have a lot ideas and emotions I like to convey but it’s rare I that I have an idea for the composition, so very often I just start sketching various poses just floating in space, without paying attention to the size of the canvas; once the key elements of my idea are roughly sketched, I start thinking about the composition and move things around or adjust the poses. At this point my sketches are still quite abstract.

Only once some composition starts to emerge from my readjustments, I start thinking about anatomy. At this stage I also start looking for references for the anatomy or cloth folds, or just look at myself in the mirror in the relevant pose.

I also start applying colors quite early as colors and the composition go hand in hand. Initially I only begin with very simple hues and values. I readjust my sketch if I decide that my darks and lights would fit better in a different arrangement.

Here’s some examples:

Colors are a trial and error for me more than anything so I don’t have much to say about that subject. I begin with almost monochrome palette, based on a color that’s appealing to me and fitting the mood, and then I remember that contrast provides interest and begin introducing complementary colors. I don’t do shading, so I make sure that there’s enough contrast in the hue, value and saturation, on the big shapes so that you can differentiate focal point easily.

As an example, here I use warm greens as my base. I decide to separate the main shape from the background by having the characters all in warm tones and the background in cold tones. Additionally, the focus should be on their faces, and since both of the characters hair is dark, I color the shirts in a higher value, close to the background. I don’t want the pants to draw attention so I use my neutral green for them.

One last note I want to make is that if I care about the drawing, and I’m not happy with the composition at the end, I will try to fix it. Whether I called the drawing finished or not.