Lovely Faces Of Death...And Life, Of Course!?!

Drawing Faces

If you were going to take a crack at drawing a face, where would you begin?

WRONG!!!

You should start at my latest Squidoo article, A Comprehensive Guide To Drawing the Head, which outlines all different variations of drawing the head, including turns, expressions, head tilts, a number of resources, and Preston Blair's phonemes series.

So, there you have it.  But, if you just want the quick and dirty.  Here are all the images I used.

Turning A Head

Male Head Guidelines

Male Head Features

Male Head Final

Female Head Guidelines

Female Head Features

Female Head Final

Facial Expressions

Facial Expressions

Facial Variations

Facial Variations

Preston Blair's Phonemes Series

Preston Blair's Phonemes Series

And, there you have it.  Happy drawing!

Prepping For Saint Paddy's Day and Heavy Metal

Drunken Leprechaun

Whoa!!!  It's been some kind of winter, so far, huh?!?

I'm talking crazy snow.  My arms have been exhausted from shoveling--probably because I'm so out of shape, and all.  These string beans can't move mountains.  They were designed for more delicate work.

Anyway, aside from all that, I've been very busy.  I've had a few set backs, but for the most part, things have been going good.

If you're gearing up for Saint Paddy's Day, as I know you are, I pounded out a great How To Draw a Leprechaun article, over at Squidoo.  Click the link to check it out.  If you like that, there's also shirts for sale, over at Boneworld's Zazzle Store, that you can check out, featuring the drunken leprechaun.  Click the links below to check them out.

Get Drunk and Carry On Leprechaun on Zazzle

Cheers Leprechaun
Get Drunk and Carry On Leprechaun

Most people who've read my articles should note that I'm a big fan of anime, and I've written several articles reviewing anime movies, as well as discussing anime topics in depth.  However, the truth is, I've always been more of a fan of American animation and comics.  I wouldn't say I'm any kind of expert on the subject matter, but I am very interested in it.  And because of that, when the option to review a super hero animation came up, I jumped on it.

I reviewed the feature length animated film Ultimate Avengers, in the article Avengers, Bringing Captain America Home.  Click the link to read all about it.

Metal Hurlant
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Alexis Ziritt

Along the same lines of my American animation and comics, is Heavy Metal.  The movie, I mean, that was sort of a skit based drug induced science fiction film.  There were two movies, Heavy Metal and Heavy Metal 2000, and it kind of ended there.  The magazine it was based off of discontinued.

However, in France, where the magazine originated, being called Metal Hurlant Chronicles, they've created a new series of shows based upon the magazine, with the same name.  It's again a skit based series of twelve episodes.  Many people are mildly aware that this show was created, and that it was originally only available in France, but that has all changed, as Syfy channel has bought it, and will air the episodes in April.  Check out the full story on Coming Soon and ScienceFiction.com.  This is a great day for anyone who was a fan of the original movies and magazine.

Cheers!

Got Me a Roku!!!

Roku

After a good bit of thought, I've finally decided to ditch cable and go for the Roku.  WHAT?!? You've never heard of a Roku?  Well let me tell you a little about it.

A Roku is a magical device that hooks to your TV, that allows you to stream shows over the internet directory to your screen.  You can use the AV cable that comes with it, or buy a HDMI cable, and watch in HD.  These things are great.

Anyway, the Roku offers a number of applications, some free and some not, to stream TV and movies using your existing internet connection.  So, I decided to drop my inflated cable bill, and go with Netflix and Hulu.  I'll probably drop one of them eventually, as I figure out what we like better, but for now, they're only $7.99 each, so it's not such a big thing, just yet.

Roku Channels Screen

On top of these channels, there are a number of other channels that are free, like US TV Now, Crackle and Nowhere TV.  There's also CNN, ABC, NBC and other networks that offer free streaming on the Roku.  To find more, check out the following links:

2014 Roku Private Channels List on mkvXstream Blog
Roku Private Channels on I Love Roku TV
Roku Private Channels on StreamFree.tv

Or, you can read my review on Squidoo, called Cut the Cable, Go With Roku.

How To Draw a Woman's Face

On top of all that, I also updated a couple of step-by-step drawing lessons I wrote on Squidoo, called How To Draw a Man's Face In 9-Steps and How To Draw a Woman's Face In 9-Steps.  I've updated all of the images, using ones that I lined out in Inkscape, rather than sloppy pencil drawn images.  Click the links to check them out.

You can also find the final images in much larger resolution on Boneworld's DeviantArt Gallery.  I'd love to hear what you might think in the comments section.

Twas the Nightmare Before Christmas and...AAAAAAH!!!

It's about that time of year, when the leaves are on the ground, the trees are bare, and nights are early, dark and gloomy.  It's that middle of the way time, that some like to attribute to Thanksgiving (which is great, I like me some turkey), but others, others, like to think about what if?

It's about this time of year, when I start to think, maybe me and Tim Burton aren't so different after all.  The thing is, I had never had even a single inkling of combining holidays, but the moment I saw him do it, I had a sensation of AH-HA!!!  He's a creative genius in another league, but in some ways I feel he's kind of a kindred spirit--a man who sees that color and darkness can go hand-in-hand.

That's one of the reasons I think I enjoy his movie, "The Nightmare Before Christmas," so much.  I enjoyed it so much that I wrote a review of the movie on Squidoo.  If you want, please take a look at my take on how Tim Burton Mashes Holidays.

However, in the spirit of this 'tween holiday, that's not all I did to honor the movie.  Being that I love to draw, I also wrote a number of How-Tos on how to draw four of the main characters from the movie, in another Squidoo article.  If you'd like, please take a look at How To Draw Nightmare Before Christmas Characters.  The four characters include Jack Skellington, Zero, Oogie-Boogie and Sally.  I also went so far as to draw up my own holiday poster to demonstrate.

First, just the pencil

Second, in color

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Also, as an update, you can now get any of my art on my Zazzle page on a t-shirt, poster, coffee mug or now it's even available on several different covers for electronic media, such as iPhone cases and laptop covers.  So, if you have some time, please check out Boneworld on Zazzle to see the latest products, and if something catches your eye, please feel free to buy it, or share it with a friend.  

Otherwise, all of my art is also available on my DeviantArt page, where you can also purchase anything you like as a print.  Check it out, take a note, and let me know in the comments what you think.  Thanks so much!

Drawing Tips: How To Draw a Woman's Face -- Front View

Woman's Face - Front View
Photo Credit: Drawn By Me

If you're learning to draw, the head angles are the place to start.  Start with a How To Draw a Man's Face -- Front View, and then move on to a woman's face -- front view.

The two are very similar, but while a man's face is mainly made of straight lines and hard corners, a woman's face has many more curves in it.  There's a lot more finesse, and in most cases, less is more.  Draw fewer lines, and make each one count.  Take a look below.

Step 1: Head Shape

Woman's Face - Head Shape

Step 2: Facial Feature Guidelines

Woman's Face - Facial Features Guidelines

Step 3: Facial Bone Structure

Woman's Face - Facial Bone Structure

Step 4: Draw Eyes

Woman's Face - Draw Eyes

Step 5: Draw Nose

Woman's Face - Draw Nose

Step 6: Draw Mouth

Woman's Face - Draw Mouth

Step 7: Draw Ears

Woman's Face - Draw Ears

Step 8: Draw Hair

Woman's Face - Draw Hair

Step 9: Finishing Details

Woman's Face - Finishing Details

As you can see, it's a step-by-step process to draw the face.  For more details on this, go to How To Draw a Woman's Face.

Drawing Tips: How To Draw a Man's Face -- Front View

Man's Face - Front View
Photo Credit: Drawn By Me

If you've ever considered learning to draw the human form, you should know the first place to start is with the front view of the male head.  Looking at a human face, and attempting to draw it for the first time can be a daunting task, but once you've broken it down into its component parts, it can be a bit simpler.

The following is a step-by-step process for drawing the forward facing male head.  You'll need nothing more than some paper, and a sharpened pencil.  Take you time, and know that you can never draw too lightly.



Step 1: Head Shape

Man's Face -- Head Shape

Step 2: Facial Feature Guidelines

Man's Face -- Facial Feature Guidelines

Step 3: Facial Bone Structure

Man's Face -- Facial Bone Structure

Step 4: Draw Eyes

Man's Face -- Draw Eyes

Note: The eyes are actually made of three parts--an eye-ball, a top eye-lid, and a bottom eye-lid.

Eyeball

Step 5: Draw Nose

Man's Face -- Draw Nose

Step 6: Draw Mouth

Man's Face -- Draw Mouth

Step 7: Draw Ears

Man's Face -- Draw Ears

Step 8: Draw Hair

Man's Face -- Draw Hair

Step 9: Finishing Details

Man's Face - Finishing Details

As you can see, it's a step-by-step process to learn to draw the face.  For more detail on this, go to How To Draw a Man's Face.

On Learning to Draw and Who to Thank

Steampunk Girls From 2011 to 2013

Sometime, back in 2011, I began scribbling terrible drawings into a yellow lined notebook. The urge to draw had come over me several times before, but it wasn't until then that I actually took pencil to paper, and tried my hand, literally. I was awful, at first, and nearly gave up, before doing some research on the internet.

I found a few tutorials that allowed me to enhance my drawing to where I was at least comfortable to show an air force pilots helmet to someone I worked with, at the time, who I knew had some expertise in drawing. And it's him, I should thank for encouraging me to continuing drawing.

The first thing he said, after looking at what I'd done, was to ask, "Did you have fun drawing it?" And I said, "Yes."

Get the Right Criticism

For some reason, that attitude in him was all I needed to keep going with drawing. He didn't criticize, awkwardly stare at the picture quietly, or just offer a lame, "It's nice," before passing it back. His response gave me the impression I should draw for me, and that's exactly why I had picked up the pencil in the first place.

That wasn't the only piece of advice he gave me either. I began drawing every day, and I showed him several things I'd done. And each time, he never lumped on loads of criticism. He offered mild non-personal critiques that sounded like, "These are looking good. Now you need to work on..." His gentle approach allowed me to learn at my own pace and allowed me to feel good about my accomplishments, and not get bogged down trying to strive for perfection that was too far off. I just had to work on making it a little bit better each time.

I don't see him anymore, but I still appreciate the lessons he offered to me, and I'll never forget the style in which he offered them. And I still draw everyday.

I think it's important to find a mentor that's willing to be patient, and offer advice without bias or ego, especially in something so personal as drawing, because the wrong kind of critique can be painful. It's easy to whip that joy of drawing into a straight line, which is the complete opposite of what someone who wants to create art is trying

Doodle Dude, says, "Loosen up."

to accomplish. It should be a joyous experience that is nurtured as slow as it needs to go. There's no schedule to beauty.

For more on this, read I Wish I Could Draw, which is an article I wrote highlighting a number of the aspects needed for you to get your head in the right frame of mind for drawing. It's a broad spectrum of information, and muchy of it can be applied to learning just about anything creative. So, if you're curious, please stop on by.

Thanks for reading.

Woman In Profile