Advantages of Life Drawing over Photo Drawing
Advantages of Life Drawing over Photo Drawing
For most artists, drawing is one of the basic skills. It can be practiced by amateur artists as well as professionals. Among the numerous ways of practicing drawing, two methods seem to out rank all others: drawing from life and drawing from photos. Both techniques differ in terms of advantages as well as setbacks; hence, it is more crucial for the artists to know the difference between them.
Difference
In drawing from life, an artist makes his work directly by observation of living subjects- either a portrait, scenery, or still life. Drawing from photographs is the creation of art with references directly from a 2D photograph. The two techniques will bring different experiences and varying results, even though both will improve the skills of the artist.
Advantages of Drawing from Life
More Vigorous Observation Ability: Painting from life forces the artist to work his observation abilities more rigorously. He learns to notice nuances of color, light, texture, and form that would have otherwise passed him by a still photograph. This is a very valuable aspect of developing a perceptive artistic eye and overall artistic capabilities.
Dynamic perception of space and composition: the living subject experiences three-dimensional depth, perspective, and proportion more directly for a more profound understanding of three-dimensional space and composition.
Improved Gesture and Movement: The immediacy of drawing live figures or animals affords the capturing of movement and gestures at firsthand. This immediacy usually translates to much more dynamic and expressive work, so that the final piece seems alive and engaging.
Greater emotional involvement: The subjects one takes as models are more likely to be associated with a live model. This can easily translate into the piece, providing it with life and character, which is harder to obtain when working from a photo.
Advantages of Using Photos for Drawing
Convenience and Accessibility: Through photographs, a quick reference is available especially for artists who, because of irregularity of their work schedule are not likely to draw from life regularly. Photos can be taken from angles which would allow the artists to make use of several aspects without having to congregate a living example.
Detail: Photography can easily capture minute details, mostly components one cannot clearly observe, particularly on fast-moving or intricate matters. Detail can also enhance an artist's technical skills in case reproduction of textures and intricate patterns is required.
Environment Control: From photographs, the artists can literally choose the lighting and background for their work. All this freedom can necessarily lead to smoother pieces as artists would not be subject to external factors influencing them regarding the outcome of their work.
Time Saving: More importantly, working from photos is more of a time-save for complex subjects. Overall, their work is completed without the limitations of time associated with a live session.
Conclusion
Drawing from life and from photos are both advantageous and risky in unique ways. Drawings from life give an artist the opportunity to observe, relate, and realize form and movement, while drawings from photos allow ease, detail, and control. Thus, the choice between the two methods is subjective and would certainly depend on the goals, preferences, and circumstances of the artist. Moreover, a combination of both techniques has led many artists to achieve success with this or enhance their respective skills and creative applications. Both methods can eventually be balanced with one another to produce a complete artistic development, which creates for artists their unique style and voice.
Advantages of Life Drawing over Photo Drawing
