Fandom Snowflake Challenge #7: Reference

[razielim]

FSC #7: "In your own space, tell us about 3 fandom resources, spaces, or communities you use or enjoy. (One or two is fine, especially if you're in a smaller fandom!)"

I'm going to link something that's fandom adjacent - art resources!

James Gurney, the guy with the seriously calming frog painting video that went semi-viral when the world needed it most, not only has phenomenal instructional books (I recommend Light and Color especially) but also a blog where you might learn more about what to take with you plein-airing and be exposed to new old masters you never heard of and might really want to study. You never know what might inspire you and take you in a new direction with your art. (But seriously, I consider his L&C book invaluable to painters - I reference it to enhance my understanding what the hell it is I'm trying to paint.)

You can download PDFs of every single Andrew Loomis book here. Lots of artists love, refer to, and praise Loomis. He's not the end-all, be-all, no one is, but he certainly does a great job of talking about what makes pictures GREAT and what you need to learn to start moving in that direction. You can also buy the large and pretty hardcover books through other sites, of course, but this can be a great resource to figure out which of his books is best for you. His Figure Drawing book will get you beyond stick figures and into gestural depictions whether you like it or not.

Lastly, we have Drawabox, for people who prefer drawing over painting, though everyone can benefit from better motor control and knowing when to move from the shoulder rather than the wrist. The guiding philosophy of constructional drawing of the (free) course is the same as what Peter Han, Kim Jung Gi, Steve Ahn, etc. generally demonstrate in their art. You can also sign up for personalized critiques of your homework via Patreon, or just crowdsource critiques for free on r/ArtFundamentals and I think the forums. I personally have a bone to pick with their pen-and-paper-only approach, but they can't send the art police after us, mwahaha.

Happy arting!

Comments

[brokenhighways]

I am not an art person (I did take up calligraphy last year, so maybe the drawing course might help with the fancy swirls? :D), but these resources sound very comprehensive and wonderful! I hope someone is inspired by them :D

[razielim]

I don't see why it wouldn't help, especially if you ever want to make bigger lettering than normal. Obviously the best way to practice calligraphy is to... practice calligraphy, haha, but there's definitely something you can benefit from in the in the intro/lesson 1 videos about using your elbow or shoulder for bigger, bolder lines.

[mekare]

I just found James Gurney last week and agree that his website is a wonderful treasure trove! I already put his book on my birthday wishlist.

[razielim]

Oh, nice! He definitely has plenty of information that will be valuable to you with studying values. :)

[goddess47]

Also not an artist, but it's lovely to see art books and instructions that have recommendations associated with them. Having someone who is an artist give an opinion about materials like these is so valuable.

Many thanks for joining in!

[dreamersdare]

Ah, thank you. I'm gonna have a poke through these and try (again) to draw something more substantial than stick figures and a cartoon dog.

Dare to dream :)