Problem of what to draw, copy image or create image?

[OZZY1]

My problem has been creation of concepts when drawing. Do I copy an image, copy the style, proportions and colors? Or do I create an individual drawing where I do not look at anything and just draw what image I have in my mind. When I copy an image it looks much better because then I have an idea where the shadows go. But when I create an image it is more personal, and really when copying an image one can never get as good as a picture can get, and really if one wants to make it realistic why not just take a picture.

So I guess just curious if anyone else has this problem. What do you guys think? Draw copy drawings of awesome images that look better, or create individual images and colors yet have it look a little less real and decrease in quality?

Thanks!

[imaginary]

I always use images!! I have a whole book full of images that inspires me, help me ect ect... people in different postions so I know how to draw it... the head in different positions so if I have an idea of a woman looking up, I search for the picture and use it..
But I always change something about it in the way I like it, so it will be a whole different picture than the one I got it from..
I even make up parts the way I want it and for one drawing I use like 10 different pictures.. it doesn't have to be precisely the picture you found, you can give it your own touch.. if you have something in your mind don't be afraid to use pictures that could help you with the shading and the positon of what you have in mind so your drawing would come outgood like you want

[Jay Garing]

Ozzy, why not have it all? I mean, as a goal to be reached someday, why not work on being able to draw accurately from your own head?
You also bring up good questions about realism vs. stylization. Some people truly love photo realistic drawing for its own sake, and that does brings up the question of why not just take a photo? For me, I love what becomes possible when you deviate from what you see, but in my case, I always strive to make things better than what I really see. Unfortunately, I seem to spend lots of time making things worse that what I see, but I don’t show people those drawings. I make millions of mistakes where the result is just frustrating errors and unplanned deviations. I work hard to eliminate all unplanned deviations.
However, for me, the biggest reward is when I am able to consciously deviate from what I see because I can find a way to make it better. Maybe the model’s pose is a little awkward that day, and I wish her hand was in a more elegant position, or maybe there is a harsh shadow cast by her arm across her torso and I wish it was softer, or maybe her eye is lost in all the shadow and I wish it was clearer and had a cool highlight, or maybe there is only a boring single lighting that day and I wish there was a backlight on her cheek, etc. In cases like this, I always try to change what I see to what I wish I was seeing, and I figure if I practice that enough, I will get better at two important things: first, I will get better at accurately drawing from my head, and second, I will get better at seeing chances to make things look better. This second is a subtle point, but I feel it is truly where greatness comes from in art. It is this changing of things that makes artwork truly yours. If you simply and literally make an exact copy of the photo, then you aren’t really adding that much to the artistic process and you are depending a lot on the photographer. In that case, I feel people should give credit where credit is due. When working from your head, the result is always 100% original, but it is also very hard to make it accurate.
A personal goal of mine is to someday be able to accurately draw the human form in any position with any lighting using nothing but my imagination, but I fear it will be many decades until that happens – if it ever happens. Until then, I mostly work with live models, and I occasionally work from my own photos.

[DivineRAiN]

gotta agree with Jay, why not do both? Using references is a good way to learn about anatomy, lighting, perspective and all that jazz... but relying on references 100% of the time can hinder creativity, or get you stuck. That's what I read anyway.

[imaginary]

that's what I tried to say, but I guess it wasn't clear enough

[buffyfan]

just do what you feel like to, if you feel creative do it yourself or if you see an awsome image try making that.

[Corey]

I think its great to do both. However I think it helps to draw from a reference and move on from there, or if not use it as a supplement.

A reference seems to allow you to develop and eye for how things are shaped/lighted etc. When you draw from you mind, you might have an idea, and then your'e expereince from looking at a reference will augment your drawing to become more accurate because youv'e developed an eye.

I remember my grade 9 art teacher saying that just because you can recreate an image it doesn't make you a great "artist", but it does mean you have great technical ability.

I understand what she meant in principle because your are reproducing an image. At the same time I disagree because you can reproduce an image in your own likeness/style. that is artistry.

However to take the next leap, and creating stuff that comes in your head, that is the mark of a great artist in my opinion.

[OZZY1]

Recently I have hear comments about my drawings from family about the fact that they are mostly all female images and half of which are naked. All right, is it just me or is the male body/figure really boring to draw. Ok, I look at it as I am a 24 year old male, why would I want to draw men? Women from top to bottom are so much more beautiful, the face is way more interesting, the hair is great and the shape of the body is outstanding. Is it just because the people that make such comments just see a nude woman not a work of art?

I feel motivated to create beauty and I see so much beauty and potential options for designs in the female figure. Is this just me or do others feel the same way? I believe one draws or creates what appeals to them and the female figure appeals to me, ESPECIALLY the entire concept of angels. And I make most of my angels nude because why would an angel have clothing? However my next drawing I think I will have a cloth on the angel just to change it up.

[imaginary]

I don't know, I'm drawing women most of the time.. I think it's beautiful, i'm even painting a half naked woman right now so it's not just you even if you're a boy haha

[DivineRAiN]

maybe they worry that it's perverted? Kinda funny, some people have bugged Steven Stahlberg about how almost all of his renders and paintings are of beautiful women. Linda Bergkvist was bugged also about how she almost always paints women, and the few men she painted were feminine instead of manly. I don't understand the issue, it's just art to me. Personally, I don't think the male body is boring, I just think it's more difficult to draw.

Wanted to get back to the reference bit a little more since I rushed through my post. Using references as a learning tool can only get you so far, it isn't going to necessarily help you in the long run,.. drawing from imagination. You have to actually study and study, over and over until it's burned into your mind. That's why people do studies of just hands, starting with primitives (cubes) and directional lines and such... even drawing the bones and joints. Arm studies, leg studies, feet, noses, lips, eyes and so on... in all sorts of poses you can think of, point of views. Muscles. Study the center of gravity, weight. Proportions, foreshortening. What's the difference between a tense body posture/position to a relaxed one? Study lighting. Shading primitives. Shade the human skull in different angles. Where's the center line down the head?.. torso? Knowing how to get that line helps with perspective.
Drawing from the mind by itself, without having a foundation causes a lot of things to be off. The mind has a tendency to see the head too big in relation to the torso, hands too small, the width of the rib cage too narrow or small, the space between the top of the head and eyes too small (caved in) while the space between the eyes and chin is huge, legs too short, feet too small, elbows placed wrong, one arm longer than the other, the armpit placed too high, head too narrow and eyes too big. Copying from a reference is just a copy, the studies is what builds the foundation you need to draw the human figure accurately from your mind. At this point, drawing from your mind can help you see what you need to work on. You learn from your mistakes. And listen to people when they give you advice or criticism. If someone says one arm is longer than the other, fix it. Don't just leave the mistake as is... your finished drawing will just look wrong.

http://forums.cgsociety.org/forumdisplay.php?f=177
there's a lot of helpful stuff on cgtalk's artistic anatomy and figurative art section.
Check out the tutorials and workshops. I'm not going to put a direct link to Gist's tutorial.. but it's on the first page of the tutorials and workshops section.... Watts Atelier Figure tutorial. He gives tips on drawing the figure, shading, breaking things down into primitives, how to draw your lines. It's a good 1.