And the sketch:
I'm aiming for more control with my watercolors. Previously I was putting watercolor over detailed graphite drawings, but I also like the effect of watercolor over black ink. The line drawing was done with a G-nib and Holbein black ink.
I hope you don't mind some random thoughts on this image. You said you were practicing anatomy so I thought I'd do a little drawover during my lunch break to help make some points about the patterns of anatomical errors I've seen you make in hopes that it might help you out!
ReplyDeleteThe drawover
In blue, I've traced her skeletal form as I can make out from the figure as you've drawn her. In doing this, it comes to my attention that her skull is just a tad too small, her torso/arms are in proportion to one another, but the proportion of her lower legs to her upper legs is quite off (even if we can't quite make them out because of the skirt, the mere length of her legs is a clue). I've noticed this in other drawings too that you tend to make the lower legs very long (anime influences I know).
Keep an eye on upper vs lower leg proportion as well as the width of the shoulders, which leave a wide gap between her shoulder joint and rib cage on her left arm (on our right).
In red, I've sketched my suggestions for how I imagine the anatomy. I'm not an expert by any means, but from what I can tell about the figure, her arms in the original are lifted from her body in a very uncomfortable and unnatural looking angle, which is accentuated by her left wrist (on our right) which is twisted inwards to grasp the scroll despite the angle of her arm as a whole (an uncomfortable angle to hold anything at!).
Don't be afraid to add bends and curvature in the joints of arms and legs. Accentuating this can also add flow and motion to the picture in other ways besides just hair and cloth.
Notice how gentler bending to her arms and a turn of the hand gives her a more sweeping graceful motion. Also, I've given more of an S-curve to her spine and torso to accentuate her curvature and the weightlessness of her form. As she stands in the original, she seems very stiff and weighted, which can be aleviated by adding more bending and curving to limbs and joints.
I've nudged her facial features up a notch as well. They are in proportion on the original, but are just a bit too low on her skull as a group, accentuating the smallness of her head in comparison to her massive amount of hair. Her legs are also a good deal shorter than the original to help match her upper body's proportions.
Practice your skeletal structure more and worry about the muscles less (as I think you have those down pretty well already). Doing this will help you add more weight and volume to your figures while making it easier to keep your proportions in check. I know you can't change this image now, but hopefully this info might prove helpful to you in the future :)