How long does it take?

[jublke]

Today I drew my first ever fan art.  I was thrilled that I drew something that actually resembled people (), but I'd like it better if my drawings looked more like our bird people.     (Can I somehow blame this on Zark?)

I was startled at how hard it was to draw the Condor (and I appreciate Wendy's comment on her website which says much the same).  I also realized that the Swan's features are very subtle.  Trying to draw the team made me appreciate all of your efforts much more.     I know that many of you have been drawing the team for a long time, so I'd appreciate your thoughts. 

How long would you say it took before your fan art really looked like the team?  Or, to put it another way, how long is the learning curve?  Are there some team members that come more easily to you?  Some that just never quite look right, no matter what you do?   

[Springie]

Julie, I've been at it for about a year, and I still have a hard time with it...they all have those subtle facial features, and it is tough to get them just right.

IMHO, the Swan is the hardest to draw...I've drawn many a swan that looks like, "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark".   

Joe used to be the hardest for me, and he is still reeeeally tough to draw...but Jun has smaller features like the lips and the tilt and size of her eyes that drive me crazy! I'll keep at it though...

I don't think I can give a definite time frame, as everyone has a different learning curve, but I think the key to it is to keep drawing, and as you draw, you figure out things that make them look more "Condor-ish"...or "Swan-ish"...as you draw...

I know I'm still working on it!

[Julieann]

How long would you say it took before your fan art really looked like the team?  Or, to put it another way, how long is the learning curve?  Are there some team members that come more easily to you?  Some that just never quite look right, no matter what you do?   

Hate to say this, but I'm still learning after all of these years.  The show had a definite art 'style' to it, that has anime-like stylings to it, but at the same time is rather un-anime-like. Even now, when I sit down to work on a character I get out reference material so I can glance at it as I'm working, to keep myself ontrack.  As such, I really can't produce a quick spontaneous drawing of one of the characters and expect it to turn out right the first time.

I've seen Wendy do it though!  And watching Sadao Miyamoto do it after dinner at a Gatchacon was amazing. A few lines and he had Ken in profile (in helmet) exactly, with even the expression! 

[Ebonyswanne]

I started to improve my drawing bit by bit. and then I stopped drawing for a few months....and now I feel like I'm back to the beginning again! Sigh...

[Julieann]

I started to improve my drawing bit by bit. and then I stopped drawing for a few months....and now I feel like I'm back to the beginning again! Sigh...

I'm there right now. I had to stop drawing for a bit to help my arm heal, and now I have a 'fear' of that blank white page.  When I do push past that 'fear', I"m having to erase a lot more (erasers are our friends!  ) . It'll take some time to get back into the swing of things.

Strangely I'm writing like crazy, but art is another matter. 

[Reboekah]

Interesting question...

Let me check my archives....

I started freehand sketching (reproducing existing pictures/screencaps but not tracing) in 1986 with this type of result. Outside of trying to find suitable pictures in the time of photographic screencaps (time and cost for the film, but I still have dozens of photos of the television screen) the challenge was gaining the skill to sketch faces.
I found that focusing on the face was far easier than trying for action/full body shots, but after a couple of years it was starting to get comfortable and I was ready to try for more limbs, but there was a stage where I was drawing portraits without having a specific scene in front of me for reference, I felt reasonably comfortable with the characters - not perfect, but comfortable.These are circa 1989-1990
Then I started on body poses - partly from scenes in the anime, partly from poses in magazines that I adapted to specific characters. This was certainly aided by Bird Scramble and staying interested in the characters - not to mention interest in other series keeping my drawing hand in action. The early 1990's saw my participation in at least three APAs, and having sketch pads to hand almost all the time. Learning poses for one set of characters influenced my choices for other characters.
After that - it was a step to multiple characters in the same picture and keeping them in scale and proportion around 1993-1994. References are still welcome to help with the poses, and reminders of the character designs helped to keep the end result recognizable, but there is still some variation from "standard" visible.

I've had a reasonably long hiatus in my sketching history - some four years (1995-1999) without a sketch to speak of - so I can appreciate the re-ramp needs... but I'm hopefully getting over that now, and re-tuning my character drawing so that the end result is recognizable as a specific character. To me, this is a matter of detail (especially for Tatsunoko based characters) in the eyes, face, stance and hairstyles. I have inspiration from a statement I recall from ElfQuest days - where the challenge was to identify the character simply by viewing the ears. When characters have such detail they take on a wealth of personality I strive to reflect in my artwork.

Sorry for such a rambling, but this is interesting!

[Springie]

No wonder I was so overwhelmed in the beginning! I had no rhyme or reason for my pics...just tried to draw any- and everything...groups, pairs, trios, action, civvies...all of it! Maybe it would have been better for me to take it step by step...

and I agree... face shots are alot easier than dealing with limbs...

[Reboekah]

But those capes do cover a multitude of limb-ic sins... 

Not to mention the uniforms being standard superhero form-fitting, which makes it easier to draw than civvies.

[Springie]

  Too funny! You are so right! Hooray for birdstyles!!! 

[Julieann]

But those capes do cover a multitude of limb-ic sins... 

Unfortunately the animators in Gatch 2 and Fighter thought that, too. Some of the shots of them standing with their capes make you wonder if the team suddenly turned into hunchbacks, were deformed, or wearing REALLY big shoulder pads.  

[Reboekah]

Agreed.

But at least that era of animation had REASONABLE human dimensions - not the subsequent anorexic attenuated scarecrows!

Some of the costuming may have been "fantastic" in the appliication of antigravity material, but it beats the "antigravity boob-age" of the 90's and beyond.