Thread by @Richmond_Lee

Doing some Bengus studies (oh man this is HARD lol)! Let me share some learnings with you! ...
#Darkstalkers #Art #MasterStudy #StudyStudyStudyStudy

Something that Bengus does really well is that he primarily uses straight lines to convey everything. He rarely uses curved lines. Every line has a strong sense of direction that conveys the underlying mass. That's why his linework is so DIMENSIONAL.
#Darkstalkers #Art

Look at what happens when I copy Lord Raptor's face using a lot of curves. The drawing feels much flatter because the curves don't have a strong sense of direction. They seem to only move along the X and Y axis without conveying depth. They're ambiguos, unconfident.
#Darkstalkers

Now look at what happens when I try to only use straight lines to convey all those rounded surfaces. I have to think harder about the underlying mass to decide when the line should end and a new one begins. Because of this, the drawing is much more solid (and cool looking!)

When relying on curves it's easy to end up with a contour made largely out of smooth goopy shapes. It feels flatter and weaker. There's little sense of where the forms overlap. No dimensionality.

When using lines to convey curves, you should think about it as overlapping forms creating those curves. These intersections create a greater sense of dimension. Your lines arent just moving ⬆️⬇️⬅️➡️, they're also moving towards and away from the viewer.

Here's a quick (and terrible lol) example of how one might approach drawing a curve with straighter lines.

Obviously nothing's etched in stone. But in general, especially if you're just starting to take drawing seriously, you'll probably do better work using straight lines instead of defaulting to more generalized curves.

I'm just thinking out loud here. Let me know if this makes sense. I'll try to refine my thoughts and elaborate on them in the future.

My main takeway today is, when you're drawing, try to think about your line as moving in 3d space, not just left and right. Is it moving towards or away from the viewer? What is necessitated by the underlying forms? Give priority to the frontmost masses.

And when doing studies of your fav artists, try your best to match the direction of their mark making. Follow those contours! Really think about why those lines were drawn that way. What does it convey?

And do better than me 😂! My drawings are so off!
#StudyStudyStudyStudy

Let me know if any of this makes any sense (or not!). I often wonder if I'm just stuck in my own head out here 😋