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April 3, 2012 at 7:21 pm #989538
I came across this website for drawing:
http://www.fivepencilmethod.com/
Has anyone taken any of their lessons or have an opinion on them?
The lessons seem rather expensive for what they are, or is that just me?
Thanks in advance.
Doug
April 3, 2012 at 8:29 pm #1159419They are somewhat pricey IMO as well. Darrel gets excellent results however. I got a sample lesson of his which was very good .. but his technique is entirely different from mine – so much so that I could not manage it. For one thing, he likes sharp pencils … I much prefer a dull tip. Also his method of application is basically a very light series of lines drawn with the tip. I use an underhand grip and the side of the pencil for circlism for human skin. So we’re entirely different in our approaches and that’s why I never looked much more deeply into his lessons. Besides which I think my results are pretty good on their own merits.
However, as I said he is quite good. As for spending the money on the lessons, well, that’s going to be up to you. We have a lot of lessons right here that are free which you might want to look into first. In the end, no lesson is going to be the magic ingredient that makes anyone a good artist. It’s practice by the artist that leads to better results.
April 3, 2012 at 9:40 pm #1159425They are somewhat pricey IMO as well. Darrel gets excellent results however. I got a sample lesson of his which was very good .. but his technique is entirely different from mine – so much so that I could not manage it. For one thing, he likes sharp pencils … I much prefer a dull tip. Also his method of application is basically a very light series of lines drawn with the tip. I use an underhand grip and the side of the pencil for circlism for human skin. So we’re entirely different in our approaches and that’s why I never looked much more deeply into his lessons. Besides which I think my results are pretty good on their own merits.
In the end, results are what count-no matter how you get them. Would you say from what you saw of Darrel’s method that it is a standard way of drawing or is it some quirky offshoot?
In the end, no lesson is going to be the magic ingredient that makes anyone a good artist. It’s practice by the artist that leads to better results.
I’m not looking for a ‘magic bullet’, but I am looking for a good guide. Money is no problem, but I don’t want to throw the money away if the lessons are garbage either.
At this point, I’m trying to see which sources are worthwhile. So far, there is the material here at WC, Darrel’s lessons and Michael Britton’s Art Academy Portrait lessons. I am leaning toward Britton’s lessons because they follow classical atelier practices. Having said that, I am still looking to see what is around.
Thanks for your help.
Doug
April 4, 2012 at 5:04 am #1159420I learned my techniques from people like Armin Mersmann and others. I don’t know of anyone who approaches drawing the way Darrel does.
As for Michael Britton … he is much more classical in his approach. What I’ve seen of him (I own a couple full lessons) are that it’s all live model .. Darrel is more photograph. Most of what you’ll find at WC is also based on working from photographs but both are valid means.
There are also a series of books available for free download by Andrew Loomis which are useful as well.
April 4, 2012 at 5:31 am #1159423I agree that Darrel’s full tutorials are quite pricey, but I recently invested in his portrait tutorial and I reckon it’s worth it’s weight in gold, I’ve learned so much from it!
I now know how to go about things in a much easier way than I have been doing for years, which is great because I get bored very easily, and tend to leave drawings unfinished. I’m also one of those people who learn better by being shown what to do, rather than from reading about it or being told how.I, like Ken, use the circulism method for skin rather than Darrel’s tapered stroke, but I do use his method for other parts of my drawings. He does some hour long tutorials for a few £’s and, for me, they are worth every penny. It’s like personal tuition. The techniques you learn are invaluable.
All in all, it depends on what you’re looking for. There are many videos from him on Youtube, including the basics, tips and critiques, which are well worth a look……..and they’re free! :thumbsup:
Jan. C & c's always welcome.
April 4, 2012 at 1:08 pm #1159426I don’t know of anyone who approaches drawing the way Darrel does.
I’m no expert obviously, but I got that impression as well. It’s great that his method works for him, but ….
As for Michael Britton … he is much more classical in his approach. What I’ve seen of him (I own a couple full lessons) are that it’s all live model .. Darrel is more photograph. Most of what you’ll find at WC is also based on working from photographs but both are valid means.
Michael Britton does have Drawing Portraits from Photographs, just for the record.
Doug
April 5, 2012 at 11:15 am #1159428Doug, whatever the method you will choose the best advice I can give to you is to always start with the big shapes.
You can do that with still lives, faces, the figure, etc. Always try to see and look for a simple and almost rough outline made of no more than 5-6 straight lines that connect the most outwardly points of your subject. This practice is highly recommended by a lot of great artists and after you have done enough of the so called envelopes, you can start to refine the countour and the minor shapes of your subject.Good luck and happy drawing!
Saludos
Luicre
April 7, 2012 at 6:55 pm #1159427Some things can be taught to make us better artists, but Darell is an exceptional individual. He has more talent in his pinky than most. He is a very humble man and has a big heart for artists young and old. :thumbsup:
April 8, 2012 at 2:41 am #1159430Just for thought, have you looked at Mike Sibley techniques? I considered purchasing his book when I was wanting to learn, how ever I chose to turn to colored pencil’s instead of graphite. So can’t really comment about what techniques are like, maybe someone else can?
Just wanted to add, that I agree that practise is the key.
Sonia.
My photos available as reference
"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." ~ George Bernard Shaw.
April 8, 2012 at 6:44 am #1159421If I could only have 1 book on drawing, it would be Mike’s book Line to Life. I have read it at least 6 times now and each time I find another tidbit within it. It is definitely worth it’s price. Most of the members who have been here for years have bought the book and I have yet to hear of any criticisms.
He has some tutorials at his website … http://www.sibleyfineart.com
He does specialize in animals however. If you are looking for portrait instruction, much of what he says is useful, but he doesn’t delve into skin the way some others do. His treatment of hair/fur is outstanding.
September 22, 2012 at 10:25 am #1159431Ive been watching his portrait dvds over this weekend and find his drawing astonishing. He really goes to town for his initial layout which is going to take multiple viewing to get, but I will give it a bash. His pencil work so subtle I dont know if Id have the patience but will definetly give it a try. Whether its worth the money is all relative but for someone with absolutely no knowledge of the basics in pencil work I find watching and listening to him most valuable indeed.
September 22, 2012 at 10:38 am #1159422If I could only have 1 book on drawing, it would be Mike’s book Line to Life. I have read it at least 6 times now and each time I find another tidbit within it. It is definitely worth it’s price. Most of the members who have been here for years have bought the book and I have yet to hear of any criticisms.
He has some tutorials at his website … [URL=http://www.sibleyfineart.com]www.sibleyfineart.com[/URL]
He does specialize in animals however. If you are looking for portrait instruction, much of what he says is useful, but he doesn’t delve into skin the way some others do. His treatment of hair/fur is outstanding.
I have to echo this and what Ken has said previously in the thread. Mike’s book is by far the best instruction book out there, but as said, it focuses on animals/dogs primarily.
Two other books I recommend are The Art of Pencil Drawing by Gene Franks : http://www.amazon.com/The-Pencil-Drawing-Collectors-Series/dp/1560101865/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348324542&sr=8-1&keywords=gene+franks
and Drawing Realistic Textures in Pencil by J.D. Hillberry.
http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Realistic-Textures-Pencil-Hillberry/dp/0891348689/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348324612&sr=1-1&keywords=J.D.+Hillberry The Hillberry technique does make use of combining Graphite with charcoal and carbon.Those will give you the techniques but the main thing is to practice, study what you create and study others WIPs and techniques on line.
Kenny A. Chaffin
"Strive on with Awareness" - Siddhartha GautamaSeptember 22, 2012 at 2:07 pm #1159429I have looked over all the five pencil method free videos and learned quite a bit, I don’t use five pencils to draw, mainly a HB and a 2B, 6B if I really want to go dark, I get all the values I need form those three pencils, Darrels hair technique is very good and helped me very much!
I feel more like I do now than I did awhile ago!
http://mongrel714.deviantart.com/
http://freemanfineart.webs.com
September 22, 2012 at 11:22 pm #1159424Great post!
I have purchased a few of Darrell’s lesson and tried the tapered stroke. I think I can do the practice strokes pretty good but I personally have a hard time putting them together to get a smooth tone and transition from dark to light. But I think it’s just me, like anything else; I have to practice more with it.
I love Darrell’s work and I love Armin’s work. Both are amazing artists with different styles, approaches, and look to their portraits.
I haven’t read Mike’s book yet but I have J.D.’s and I think it’s a valuable book to have, especially for the portraiture section.
Darrell has a nice way of explaining the technique and his videos are well done but they are a little pricey. If you sign up to receive the free videos, you get a good feel of the technique from the free videos.
~Ricky
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