VOTE

YES: VOTE— How to vote in the United States– here’s a website for your to find out for your state:

How To Vote in the 2020 Election

About the Art

As you know, I’ve am a novice artist, learning many ways to draw, paint, pattern, etc. by taking online classes, mostly at Skillshare.

Faces and bodies are my most difficult struggle. So, I challenged myself to practice drawing through the  #funwithfaces challenge on Skillshare by teacher Charly Clements.

I challenged myself, someone who just cannot figure out faces, to complete the challenge first in Procreate, a rastor app and then in Affinity Designer, a vector app.

My posts: #funwithfaces challenge blog posts

My Instagram: 42Sheri

Full size pictures on Flickr: Sheri Edwards

Now, I’m expanding into bodies. Scary. There’s so much to know: proportions, movement, balance, the clothing. My gosh, it will take a lifetime to learn when you don’t know a thing and you’ve only drawn stick, jellybean, and gumdrop people!

I’ve taken detailed classes on proportion and sketching, but each one was too much information– too many things to consider. I needed another way.

I was greatly helped by Diane Bleck– especially gum drop people– and other ways to draw in a style that lets me create standing characters. You can read about her influence here:

21 Doodle Days Slice of Life

Her class that got me started: 21 Doodle Days

But, I found a perfect class by Ira Marcks on Skillshare:

Cartooning: People in Motion

With his clear process, loose style, and yet precise lines, I was able to draw the “VOTE” picture above. He really gives you a feeling for loosening up your lines, sketching and re-sketching, creating a balanced figure. He shares basic tips to get your figure set and moving! The idea of the 14 points of articulation really make sense— you know– the joints and areas where the body is able to move.

Next, I took another of his classes– more on motion and action, with even more helps in proportion and personality– and trying to be loose in the sketching, redrawing over to get the lines to flow, like our bodies do.

Cartooning: Drawing Bodies and Poses

His proportion template really simplified the idea of body proportions, and then he shared his process for using verbs to sketch, re-sketch [little erasing], ink, and color an action character. Here are two: Surprised and Trip!

Surprised. This happens in my backyard– a bird zips by and startles you. See how my right leg is planted on the ground and my head over that leg? That’s the keeping the body balanced part. I know, it is sooooooooo not perfect. But what a start!

Next— a character tripping and falling forward:

Again, I’ve got my right leg planted with the head over it. I need to be more loose with my lines and get the proportions better, but I’m getting better!

The app I’m using is ProCreate, and I even adjusted one of the apps’ brushes to make a better “inking” brush that fits my style and hand movements.

So, I’m off to practice– don’t trip me up!  I’m on a roll!

And remember to VOTE!