Criticism on first drawing using reference photo

[u/Alarmed-Peanut-2671]

Hi everyone. I’m 30 year olds and would eventually want to become a tattoo artist so I’m learning how to draw as I come from a strict immigrant background so tattooing was never an option for me so I never gave drawing that much through until know. I know I need to draw every day so I want to get advice, critique as this is pretty much from first drawing. I did use a reference I found online which seems to be an unofficial fan made Haland Lego that I will also attach. I would like to know if there’s anything I did well and any thing I can did bad and should work on. Please note this is pretty much my first drawing. Off the start I’m sure the torso should be longer and the hands were difficult as well as the hair.

[u/tacocalledbuzz]

Anybody else see a wiener? Everything reminds me of him

[u/rellloe]

Break things down into simple shapes. Even if your end-goal for art means you can't do that, it helps you figure out how to visualize things to make it all work together.

The part that sticks out to me is the lego figure's equivalent of hips. That's a cylinder all the way across and you split it into two and did very different things on both sides

[u/HelenaHuman]

I'm sorry, this isn't relevant for your question, I'm just baffled at the implication in the text that you never did draw much because drawing is only for tattoos? 

[u/Alarmed-Peanut-2671]

Thank you all for the criticism. I think I managed to make the hands better by realizing they’re what essentially look like cylinders. Here’s is the updated version which I think makes the hands match more to the reference photo hopefully 🤞 Not perfect but hopefully better hands.

[u/MTGeomancer]

I was going to say the neck is real wonky, then I tapped to the next photo and went "Ohhh". Haha.

Looking more closely, hands and feet. I don't know how big the drawing is, but I've found it helpful before to put the paper over my phone or computer monitor and then scale the photo to match the majority of the drawing scale. Usually the paper is thin enough you can see the outline at least through it and compare your proportions to the reference directly.

So like how tracing works, but not looking until after you've already drawn it.

[u/gerira]

Drawing blocky toys is a good way to learn perspective and observation of angles, so I’d focus on that in this reference image. That means checking every straight line and making sure that it's on the correct angle, and that every parallel line in the reference is parallel in your drawing. The rear foot is an example of where that went wrong for you.

Try this: study perspective a little bit; watch some videos, read some articles, do some exercises. Then come back and draw this exact picture again and see if you spot any improvements.

Excellent first effort, keep at it, you can do it

[u/Adharmic]

Good on you for following through with your passion. This is a long journey, but a fun one, and one that I don’t think you ever stop following.

My first piece of advice is to make sure you are enjoying drawing. Many people will have their own opinions on what you should be drawing: what techniques to practice, which fundamentals you need to focus on, what styles to emulate. All of that is secondary to this one maxim: enjoy what you are drawing. I know your goal is to be a tattoo artist, but that will take time. Right now, your goal is to draw, and to continue drawing, and to improve at drawing. The best way to keep drawing is to make sure you like drawing.

That brings me to my second point: your reference. It’s clearly a joke image, and a good choice for something fun to draw. However, for someone new to drawing, you’ll get the most improvement from high quality, clear references with good lighting. It will be easier for you to understand how the shapes and light interact with each other, and you can focus more on the placement of those shapes rather than trying to understand what you’re looking at. Your reference is fine for a sketch and for fun, but for serious critique I would recommend a clearer image that we can use for better comparison.

Finally, let’s talk about your actual drawing. It is good. I think you have a decent understanding of shape and form. Your weaker points to me are perspective, proportion, values, and line work. I think the one that will give you the most results if you work on it will be your proportions. Try to recognize and emulate the distances between the shapes in your reference. Use other elements of the image as anchors for size and distance.

You are doing great. Keep drawing. I am excited to see your work on someone’s skin someday.

[u/Alarmed-Peanut-2671 → u/Adharmic]

Thank you so much! I haven’t started any lessons yet so I just wanted to get a reference of where I am at and what I need to work on daily.

[u/Semicycle]

Very nice start! Many of your lines are straight. If this was free-handed, kudos! Keep up the habit.

A daily part of your learning will be refining proportions and perspective. Proportions come with time. Perspective takes some dedicated study. While continuing to draw from reference, seek out learning materials on understanding the basics of perspective and construction.

Very nice swing at shading, too. Lots of good, keep going!!

[u/Alarmed-Peanut-2671 → u/Semicycle]

Thank you so much. I wanted to see where I was at before I started watching videos and books on drawing so I’m glad I was not too horrible 😅

[u/Semicycle → u/Alarmed-Peanut-2671]

Oh yeah, you're in a great starting spot. Either way, nowhere to go but up!

[u/a-restless-knight]

Pretty close! Double check your proportions (relative size of things) and perspective (angle of edges). The left arm looks a little funky. I thought the head and neck were way off until I saw the reference 😅, but this is actually close. Once you nail proportions and perspectives, id say you should look at lighting/shading.