The Observation Challenge - Deadline Reminder!

Hello fellow Serious Artists!

It's time for our first inter-group challenge! This challenge's subject is Observation, as a follow-up on our last blog entry, which you can find here. All members may participate! Non-members are obviously welcome to partake in the event if they so choose, but they will not share the members' privilege of being able to receive critique or advice upon request, nor will they be listed in this entry; in short, non-members are on their own, but the value of the practice remains the same for everyone!

Finay day of week 3 folks! Finish your final pieces now and be sure to combine them so I can add them to this entry . Lovely work by everyone so far, don't be yourself up over what you're doing and remember that you can still ask for critique!


The Challenge


So, here's what we are going to do!

Week 1: Draw a portrait of a fantasy creature or character from memory.

Week 2: Find a clear reference of an animal's skull (or skulls) that is closest to the creature you have drawn, and copy it by observing and measuring. If you're not sure what would be the best reference for you, feel free to ask advice!

Week 3: Redraw the creature or character you first drew.

References allowed; in fact I'd say references are a must!
Again compare and measure; Try to spend at least half of the time observing! And remember: Don't give up!

End of week 3: Compile your pictures and submit the result to your gallery (or submit the final result and add links in the description to the other pieces). Show everyone your progress!


More Information


Purpose: The purpose of the challenge, and the steps taken, is first and foremost to make clear how important good observation is to any artist. Most of you probably already know this; but it's never bad to be reminded! The reason why I chose to let you draw a skull is because I don't think many artists realize how important it is to understand the structure underneath a face's skin for the face to look convincing and real (and the same applies to full-bodies). The reason why I'm letting you actually draw it rather than just using it as a reference, is because you will spend much more time observing the skull closely and taking in the information of the forms and directions. The more you do this, the faster you will improve; and don't forget that drawing is a physical activity, one that the brain has to be trained into doing and perfecting. The more you draw from observation, the better your drawing mechanics will become.

For who: As stated above, all members can participate. This is purely for your own development; there are no demands, though I would encourage anyone who thinks they have the time and need a little extra studying to participate!

Medium & quality: Entries can be made in whatever medium you choose, and finished to whatever degree you choose. If you wish to only make a line drawing, that's fine; though try to keep it consistent so the differences between the first and last entry are clear (as in, don't make a line drawing in week 1 and then a full color in week 3, finish your last entry to the same degree as you finished your first). Don't make things unnecessarily hard for yourself, unless of course you're a die-hard and want to make it as challenging as you possibly can ;>!

This is not a contest! I can't press this enough; it's a challenge, an opportunity for any willing member to improve themselves. Some people will be faster to improve than others, and some may already be of a higher level than others; please do not let this discourage you. It's about you, and your development, not anyone else's.

During the challenge: All participants and their final drawings (of every week) will be listed in this entry. Comments and questions should also be left below.

So let's get started!


Week 1 (March 3 - March 10):

leccathufurvicael.deviantart.c… - LeccathuFurvicael
ardengrail.deviantart.com/art/… - Ardengrail
theartdragon.deviantart.com/ar… - Varatera
angela-free-glades.deviantart.… - RekalaRain
snashyle.deviantart.com/art/Fl… - Saskle
demonml.deviantart.com/art/Gry… - DemonML
jessica1003.deviantart.com/art… - Kyrrahbird
gryphoniss.deviantart.com/art/… - Gryphoniss
l-archi.deviantart.com/art/Chi… - L-Archi

Week 2 (March 10 - March 17):

ardengrail.deviantart.com/art/… - Ardengrail
theartdragon.deviantart.com/ar… - Varatera
angela-free-glades.deviantart.… - RekalaRain
snashyle.deviantart.com/art/Ga… - Saskle
leccathufurvicael.deviantart.c… - LeccathuFurvicael
demonml.deviantart.com/art/Eag… - DemonML

Week 3 (March 17 - March 24):

ardengrail.deviantart.com/art/… - Ardengrail
theartdragon.deviantart.com/ar… - Varatera
leccathufurvicael.deviantart.c… - LeccathuFurvicael

~ Lhune
Founder of SeriousArtists