Back to basics

I've also gone right back to basics.   The other day I watched a Youtube tutorial on how to draw the head,   using the Loomis method.  So I went on the hunt for Mr Loomis, and came across a lovely site with some free downloads of his work.   See pic on the left,  it gives you a demo of how to draw a head, any head!  

So today, complete with new sketchbook  (I've got through so many!) and began practising.  That is all I did all afternoon,  the first attempts were total rubbish,   then gradually I started to get the hang of it and felt confident to draw the head in different positions.  Got a very long way to go.

I've gone past this point in the book, just.   My heads are recognisable,  haven't take a pic - yet, but I will.  I don't want to just copy picture,  but draw my own,  so I figured I needed to know how to draw head, body, hands etc.   There is a lot of stuff on Andrew Loomis all over the net, so if you are interested then just go a searching.  

In the past I was told to draw an oval shape, then divide it into quarters,  it sort of worked.  With Loomis, he says to draw a circle, that becomes the cranium,  the horizontal line denotes the brown line.  Between the brow line and top of circle comes the hairline,  same for the nose,  using the that measurement,  you draw the line for the chin, hack off the sides of the circle,  then add the jaw line...   Simples!  

This is a sketch gone wrong, it is supposed to be Marie Curie,  but her forehead is too short, the eyes aren't right...  so I did it again,  using the Loomis method for the head and it is a much better effort.    It was when I attempted another sketch, and was making a Holy mess of it that I decided to go learn the basics.   So that is what I will be doing all week,  I will do some other stuff,  applying what I am learning to the drawing. 

Here's the second sketch,  much more balanced,  got the hairline in place, eyes are better,  still need more darkening.  But much improved.

Also had a health scare.   All last week I had numbness, plus a pins and needles like sensation in my head, neck, shoulders and arms.  I've had it before but only for short periods,  half an hour at most,  so this was worrying.   I am really suffering with sciatica as well, so I think this is linked to my arthritis.  Anyway went to see GP,  have to have blood tests,  see what they say and go from there.   It has now eased off thank goodness,   though on Monday while I was out it was really bad in my hands.  

And here he is,   my boy, master of all he surveys!    He's sitting atop mum's recliner,   he got a surprise when I made the back move!   This seems to be his latest favourite place,  he has phases of where he likes to sit.    He is eating again,  he can be a right fuss pot,   but I'm learning that if I don't get stressed about it he will eventually eat his food.   A few times I've just taken all the bowls away, except for the water,  that has made him think.   I'm now sticking to a feeding schedule as well.  He's never going to be a fatty,  though if I let him he'd scoff those treats, the stick things, he loves them.  If I need to bring him out of hiding, I just rattle the wrapper, and out he comes.   He likes me to throw them for him, broken into pieces,  so he is darting all over the place,  he even catches them sometimes. 

That's all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.