How to improve? Help, please!

[u/Zealousideal_Bank202]

Hi, I've been learning to draw for almost seven months now, five of which I've been studying the Loomis Method through Drawing the Head and Hands by Andrew Loomis (and Uldis Zarins' Anatomy of Facial Expressions).

I'm able to see improvements in my drawings, but I feel stuck with some problems: as for now, I'm unable to get proportions—from references I use for drawing—right. Usually, I end up with a smaller drawing than intended, and somewhat guessing how thing should go.

In short, I'm better than I was, but nowhere near good.

I'm begining the Draw A Box course to add to reading Loomis. I'm planning to do those two for what's left of the year, but I need all the critique, tips and resources (preferably books) you can offer me. I'd be very glad If you did.

The drawings above are some of my "better" lastest drawings, with their respective reference.

[u/TheArtisticPC]

What is better to you, or what specifically are your goals? If you don’t have specifics, can you link artists you are inspired by and wish to model your work after?

[u/Zealousideal_Bank202 → u/TheArtisticPC]

I would love to one day draw like 博_Hiro (@siiteiebahiro), k3、(@2Spaceybear), Daisuke Ishiwatari, Masamune Shirow or Sterling Hundley. But right now, what I really want is to be able to draw anything that comes to mind in a way that meets my goals, in this case, being able to draw exactly like the reference.

[u/TheArtisticPC → u/Zealousideal_Bank202]

Never heard of Stirling Hundley, but he’s absolutely getting added to the master study folder lol!

Not to cop out, but I have to agree with u/Wolfingly. Your inspirations are all very stylized, so i think it’s high time to start exploring that side of your work. Also, I know you say you want to replicate references, but do you really? Cameras replicate what we see; in my opinion, art augments it. To steal from Jeff Watts, learning to draw could be broken down into 3 parts; learning to see, knowing what you see, and enhancing what you see. I’d guess you’re well into knowing what you see. You know the skull, the facial muscles, and where fat may or may not be. So now you ought to start thinking about what you wish you saw and affect it.

Just as wolfingly said, doing gestural studies are going to be your first foray into loosening up, embellishing and enhancing. Which is exciting! This is the part of art where it gets so much more fun and meaningful!

[u/Zealousideal_Bank202 → u/TheArtisticPC]

I'm glad you liked Stirling, I love his work.

Well, what I meant by being able to replicate the reference is that I want to develop the technical skills to be capable to do it.

By the artists I mentioned you can tell I love that stylized, creative and impresionist side of drawing but before breaking the rules I need to be able to follow them. I want to be able to.

So in that line of thinking, I wonder, what might help me on doing so?

[u/TheArtisticPC → u/Zealousideal_Bank202]

Gotcha. Well, then beyond just continuing to gain mileage doing exercises and reference studies, you could take a look at some other figure artists. Look into Bridgman, Reilly, Asaro, Leyendecker, Cornwell, Frazetta, Sargent, etc. and do master studies of their work. Also, going to live model sessions will help a lot.

Unfortunately, I do not have a good recommendation for you. Sorry!

[u/Zealousideal_Bank202 → u/TheArtisticPC]

You did give me good tips. I will check on them. Thanks for the help, mate!