Planar Head Portrait Drawing w/ Gary Geraths (Otis College)

[Poypull]

What pencils is he using I wonder..

[poisonsting8404]

@Poypull The kind you draw with lol

[93Hiroko]

@Poypull

Im not sure but I have seen him use verathin pencils and various charcoal or pastel pencils. There are a lot of different kinds.

[MajorTom18]

Very useful, thankyou! I've always been envious of those cross hatched portraits because I have trouble discerning distinct planes myself. That planar head is a great reference.

[bigbignose]

@EraserKneaded's comments: "You will not have learned to look, see, and draw what you see, the real person." The structural analysis is actually teaching you what to see and observe, kid. Without these basic knowledge, given you a live model in front of you you won't draw right on what you see. You comments only show you didn't have solid training. Be humble and go to kingagarten and let the teacher show you how to hold a pencil. Don't bragging your foolish "insights". LOL

[bigbignose]

In responding to EraserKneaded's comments: "Or photo all the information you need is right there in front of you. There's no need to confuse and distract yourself by having a running structural analysis running through your mind."??? By what you have said, people who what kind of artist you are and pretending knowing so much.

[FemJesse]

@EraserKneaded I think this is more of an instructional method for people who haven't yet learned to break the face down into shapes, which is a necessary skill when drawing from life. His end result isn't very organic because he's drawing third party from the reference, but the video illustrates how the human face can be broken into planes. This is for a foundation class, after all.

[EraserKneaded]

If you draw a person by drawing a dummy and modifying it to look like the person, you will end up with a drawing of a modified dummy and it will look like a modified dummy, not a lifelike person. As a matter of fact, you will probably modify the person to look like the dummy. How artistic is that? You will not have learned to look, see, and draw what you see, the real person.

[EraserKneaded]

When you're drawing from a living model or photo all the information you need is right there in front of you. Tthere's no need to confuse and distract yourself by having a running structural analysis running through your mind. The analytic, language-based approach usually interferes with clear visual perception. Why would I bother to explain a living model in terms of anything but the model herself? Why add any more information?

[theRedPress]

@EraserKneaded Because that's called copying the model...and that's great but that won't teach you how to draw that figure from imagination for example. Deconstructing the figure is a process by which we come to understand the figure, why it looks the way it does, it's not about copying the surface information (although that is another lesson for rendering the quality of a material for example).

So in that sense, it's not about adding more information, it's about explaining it.

[EraserKneaded]

@theRedPress I think I jumped the gun here. The artist is taking measurements from the model. When I looked at this vid some time ago, I thought I was watching yet another example of someone drawing a basic structure and then altering it to fit the model. Believe it or not, I've seen people do that, taking the structural approach too literally. I was too hasty here and I apologize. I hope I haven't offended.

[theRedPress]

@EraserKneaded Not offended at all, just was attempting to explain one purpose to learning the underlying structure and form in addition to copying the model. With youtube anyone can become an instructor and get online and teach something in this age, and it's sometimes difficult to discern what is good. So when I find something good I try to explain why it IS good, rather than just call someone an idiot like is more typical on youtube. =D Cheers!

[EvilAsa93]

@hasaniguy I disagree, learning the science behind anything can really help you expand as an artist. I've always been a "freehand" artist, but recently taking the time to learn the mechanics behind the human body and generally the things around me have really helped. This method looks intimidating and time-consuming, but damn, it's worth it if in the long run you want to express something beautiful.

[puppeteye]

great tutorial!!! you must learn this staff firs,t later on you are free from it and you

can draw with your own style. tnx 4 sharing, keep them coming!.peace.

[weefeatures]

guantanamo bay music

[Djole0]

i love the drum and bass track ! Nice video, thanks!

[bprayer]

i there you migth be interestedin this competition:

"Best Eyes Drawing Competition" - Prizes - WACOM Bambom and portfolio sites

see more at: nunobarao com

Best regards.

[lonemapper]

I would love to study with this guy!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ezcondition]

i'd have to learn like this in school?

[cannoir]

howdy lol!

[Trintinaz1]

good :)

[Astrocreep2046]

I can appreciate the opinions of the people below but you all should know that I have taken 2 semesters with this man and his level of knowledge is simply unrivaled. The point of this video is not to draw a laborious photo real portrait (which he can do, believe me) it is to understand the planar shifts in the face so one can convincingly draw this stuff from imagination. This is important for prospective professionals who want to go on and do things like comic books and character design.

[tizzlekorea]

I hope he is not the chief representative for your school's life drawing program. I visited his webpage and viewed his work. What I saw seemed to be that of a beginner, then I read his biography and realized that he is the head of life drawing at your school. It seems to be a shame that someone with his ego and lack of understanding for art could hold such an important position.

[dumpywhite]

@tizzlekorea It just seems to me he focuses too much on trying to copy things exactly rather than interpreting and being able to actually draw.

[Olecranon89]

I recognize the knowledge that you're utilizing in your procedure and it is good knowledge but I think that your emphasis on precision is hurting your overall design. Your drawings lack rhythm and even though this is a video on structure, I must say that I feel your work lacks structure too, there is too much of an emphasis on the outside contour and not enough on the way the masses are fitting into one another (or wedging together as Bridgman might put it). Just my opinion.

[gerardrondeau]

vraiment très pédagogique.bravo.

[ishmealoj]

wt type of pencil did he use

[indogitrust]

There are no magic pencils. Any pencil would do, Carbon, Crayon, Pastel, Sepia, Charcoal are all suitable for portraits. What is important in this video is to learn the basic principles in getting the proportions correct and capturing the likeness

[YrUlUKkiNAtM34]

this is great stuff, ppl who says its complicated must realze that this is needed to produce a realistic head accurately.

[the430movie]

This is more a Scholastic aproach, or studio approach to doing structural drawing... This is just for practice. I agreee about the Howard Sanden comment though. With a few strokes you can make a wonderful rendering!

[frankenshank]

There is a certain amount of good that can come from studying the figure (or head) geometrically like this. It gives you a good conceptual basis for rendering the light upon the face.

Too often I've found that this approach leads to inaccuracies in the drawing, and a rigidity that is uncomfortable to the eye.

John Howard Sanden shows an absolutely great approach to drawing that lends much more believability to the finished product

[artbeach]

OMg he makes it look sooo complicated!!!!errr

[Scherzo7]

Excellent analytical approach to drawing. Extremely handy, even for newbies like myself. It would be great if there was a demonstration on how to draw other body parts in similar fashion. I'm struggling with anatomy right now, because the muscles I draw look kind of flat, but it becomes so much easier when you break things into planes.

[novatron11]

This video deserves a better rating.

This is one of the strongest fundamentals of drawing the head.

Great work!

[ritamarie5050]

Good Job

[richmond436]

Does he have an engineering degree from MIT?

[InLoveWithMIYAVI]

i dont think i could be in a class like his, he is amazing, this video alone shows that much

but i like drawing.. for expression, and creativity

this is crazy accurate and scientific, itd ruin art for me

[gclpunk]

it will actually enhance your creativity and expression, Drawing is hard i struggle with it too and ive really only been doing for almost two years. But I think you could do it.

[gerardrondeau]

superbe démonstration.

[limberger66]

The proportions look nothing like those of the model, or like those of the plaster head. The blind would lead the blind. Measuring things out with a pencil held between you and the model, at arm's length, is good advice. The teacher just does not apply it with competent results.

[summonzygote]

I'm in this teacher's class, actually. And we do measure things out with a pencil against the model himself/herself- nearly all the time. This is a video DEMO. If I were you I wouldn't assume this the only way he teaches things. And last I checked, there is no such thing as 'perfect' or 'exact' proportions, so of course the drawings going to look off.

[JinXuanJun]

i should've taken at least one of his classes. i didnt take his class because i was afraid of him because i heard he's pretty harsh, but thats what makes you better.

[kentuckyfriedplus]

It's a good technical study for when one wants to apply the knowledge to "real" drawings (like the ones shown briefly in the closing seconds of the video).

[albrechtthreeten]

achingly pedestrian. these myriad measurements should stay confined solely to the mind, spare the poor page the thousand hesitant fumblings and draw life from life, independent of cripplingly mechanical methodologies.

[tufnoodle]

Achingly ignorant. The myriad pseudo-intellectual ramblings should stay solely in your mind. Spare the poor readers of your comments your ignorance of art education and wannabe intellectualism.

TL;DR: Read a book and get a fucking clue.

[albrechtthreeten]

straw-man withstanding, you offer some sound, if hypocritical, advice. which book do you suggest?

[TekkenPlayersVideos]

this kinda thing is more about understanding what youre looking at and how to interpret it in a way that makes for more accurate drawings.