I was in art school for 4 years and going job to job for 3 more years, This always make me feel better cause i struggles all the time with the stuff inside my head, he’s right it’s a very lonely place indeed and some time i don’t get anything out of it, i was always shameful of it and think of it as im not good enough for what im doing, is feel very discourage, these worlds of sharing full of comfort and fix a part of it, so I really appreciate this
You put this into words so well. Thank you. I'm starting to develop my drawing skills more everyday and it sometimes feels like cheating to use a lot of reference images. They're still amazingly useful and everyone needs their own inspiration. Glad to know your process
@H. Maximo I agree. The degree of using reference art decreases as you progress in this skill, but you can never really go without it. I ponder sometimes about the trade-off of authenticity and using more reference art. Guess I'll have to find a balance in that.
You make some excellent points. I consider myself an above average artist and my mom used to tell me once that it takes real talent to be able to draw entirely from your head, and as someone who was heavily reliant on using references to make art, this caused me to doubt my natural talent as an artist, so I stopped drawing for a very long time. This video has brought a resurgence of confidence in my artistic talent and not let it go to waste. For that, I thank you Alex Ross.
Yep- agree 100% Whatever I'm working on, it's already done in my brain. I just have to make it match. Your brain is one of the best on this planet Mr Ross. 🤙
I Am Reading Project Superpower Right Now And I Am Blown Away By How Well The Story Flows. It Is Put Together So Well And 2 See All These Characters I Have Searched For (some hard to find on line) And Many I Have Never Seen Before Come Together So Well Is Cool As Heck!!! If You Want 2 Read Golden Age Heroes I Think This Is A Great Place 2 Start And If You Don't Than Trust Me When I Say You Probly Didn't Before This Project, But This Project May Change Your Mind!!!
One of the only illustrators today who i can see a big museum doing a retrospective show, at the scale of Norman Rockwell, Tim Burton and Frank Frazetta.
getting to know reality and how to replicate it is a part of art, yes... But another one is to create a "style" (the sum of your flaws) to transfer your ideas into the paper. What I mean it's that I don't think realism is the ONLY way. Love your art anyhow!
Very helpful advice. You need a reference to get an idea of how you want to draw your character. Your right just thinking about it in your mind gives you no idea on what your character while you are drawing looks like.
It depends on what you're doing. Great comic artists develop the skill to draw figures in any kind of action pose from their mind. Ross spends a lot of time and money costuming and photographing his characters to make his pieces. That is not financially viable for most artists. As a comic artist on a monthly deadline you would neither have the time or cash to photograph everything.
How did you solve the issue of not spending more time on one character that Super Imposes the others? You do so many at once, do you pick a color then go or pic a character then go? Looks like maybe by color.
@03:44 he says "We don't need any of that damn reference, except for these artists here like Hal Foster or Alex Raymond or countless others that came after them that ??? used reference." Does he say "have" or "haven't"? "Haven't" doesn't make much sense when he uses them as an exception. I don't know much about their process, though. Maybe someone can enlighten me here.
Respectfully disagree on the idea that everything is based, entirely, on the how we perceive the world, as there's abstract, avantgrade art very much comes from peculiar places in a persons imagination. The topic of reference photo v. no reference photo is messy because alot of times artists aren't even using the same shared understanding. What's important is how well an artist understands what they are trying to do. The more one understands a subject, the more one can do with it, reference photos or not. Noel Sickles, Alex Toth, and Frank Frazzetta are well known, and duly respected, for their comprehension of whatever they are drawing/painting, without having to use a specific reference photograph, for a specific project. In part because they took time to understand, practice, what it is they were trying to do, before sitting down at the blank page. Both approaches, reference photo, or no photo, are fine as long as the artist is actively learning and comprehending, with each piece done.
yeah there's imagination and also memory of what you've seen and also, knowledge about anatomy which helps alot. Many artists proceed like that and use some reference as support. What i think is that in the case of photorealism as Ross does, both in drawing and painting with complete light and shadows and so on, he requires some reference not to be too generic or even inaccurate. I never completely understood if he starts sketching from imagination, then takes other pics and then redraws, or, if even his sketches are somewhat based on reference, be it a comic book, a photo, whatever, and then the process continues. Neal Adams e.g. could sketch very well from imagination but also used photos for his works. Anyway, Alex results are great, this is what matters the most.
@@Danimat72 of course. The exploration of artistic methodology is part of the fun of not just practicing art, but also witnessing it. The end piece is the goal, seeing the process is a bonus.
I have mixed feelings about his work. I admire his craft and patience but there's something about this literal depiction of fantasy figures that feels forced.
You find that a lot. Paperback artists working in NY in the 50s all used the same model. Steve Holland. Alex Ross probably has 5 or 6 people that model for him so you'll see those faces re-occur in his line ups.
I was in art school for 4 years and going job to job for 3 more years, This always make me feel better cause i struggles all the time with the stuff inside my head, he’s right it’s a very lonely place indeed and some time i don’t get anything out of it, i was always shameful of it and think of it as im not good enough for what im doing, is feel very discourage, these worlds of sharing full of comfort and fix a part of it, so I really appreciate this
You put this into words so well. Thank you. I'm starting to develop my drawing skills more everyday and it sometimes feels like cheating to use a lot of reference images. They're still amazingly useful and everyone needs their own inspiration. Glad to know your process
@H. Maximo I agree. The degree of using reference art decreases as you progress in this skill, but you can never really go without it. I ponder sometimes about the trade-off of authenticity and using more reference art. Guess I'll have to find a balance in that.
@Otter with the quality of realistic accuracy in the amount of detail on the characters and how they fit in perspective, you *have to use reference*
He still uses reference for pretty much everything he does
Well said! The same goes for other art forms. I am an animator and I learned over the years just how important shooting reference is!
Thank you, so much. Your explanation really help me come to terms with my own use of reference.
You make some excellent points. I consider myself an above average artist and my mom used to tell me once that it takes real talent to be able to draw entirely from your head, and as someone who was heavily reliant on using references to make art, this caused me to doubt my natural talent as an artist, so I stopped drawing for a very long time. This video has brought a resurgence of confidence in my artistic talent and not let it go to waste. For that, I thank you Alex Ross.
Yep- agree 100% Whatever I'm working on, it's already done in my brain. I just have to make it match. Your brain is one of the best on this planet Mr Ross. 🤙
If you dont like reference work thats fine. Many of us do. Excellent work Alex.
So great, thanks for sharing Alex!
I Am Reading Project Superpower Right Now And I Am Blown Away By How Well The Story Flows. It Is Put Together So Well And 2 See All These Characters I Have Searched For (some hard to find on line) And Many I Have Never Seen Before Come Together So Well Is Cool As Heck!!! If You Want 2 Read Golden Age Heroes I Think This Is A Great Place 2 Start And If You Don't Than Trust Me When I Say You Probly Didn't Before This Project, But This Project May Change Your Mind!!!
Food for thought!
You are simply the best!
Not many guys can pull The Executioner haircut off.... you sir do it Steller!! I'm working on my own right now, probably 3 more years
Just sit back, relax and learn.
Amazing any chance of a tutorial?
You can see many videos about this, I recommand the one with wolverine.
I agree 💯
Old masters used references. Don’t ever let anyone tell you to not use references.
Epic work
One of the only illustrators today who i can see a big museum doing a retrospective show, at the scale of Norman Rockwell, Tim Burton and Frank Frazetta.
The only time I would use the word “just” when describing Alex Ross’ work, it would only be followed by a word like “astounding”, or “beautiful”.
getting to know reality and how to replicate it is a part of art, yes... But another one is to create a "style" (the sum of your flaws) to transfer your ideas into the paper. What I mean it's that I don't think realism is the ONLY way. Love your art anyhow!
Very helpful advice. You need a reference to get an idea of how you want to draw your character. Your right just thinking about it in your mind gives you no idea on what your character while you are drawing looks like.
It depends on what you're doing. Great comic artists develop the skill to draw figures in any kind of action pose from their mind.
Ross spends a lot of time and money costuming and photographing his characters to make his pieces. That is not financially viable for most artists.
As a comic artist on a monthly deadline you would neither have the time or cash to photograph everything.
How do you wash paint?
you dont take the label off of your paintbrush?
I noticed a lot of Pro's not take the label off there brushes
I wish the music was a little lower so we could hear Alex's voice better.
I just realized that you paint Captain America with your face features hahaha that's so cool like a huge easter egg
How did you solve the issue of not spending more time on one character that Super Imposes the others? You do so many at once, do you pick a color then go or pic a character then go? Looks like maybe by color.
oh man... that tag on the brush would drive me crazy.
GOAT
@03:44 he says
"We don't need any of that damn reference, except for these artists here like Hal Foster or Alex Raymond or countless others that came after them that ??? used reference."
Does he say "have" or "haven't"? "Haven't" doesn't make much sense when he uses them as an exception. I don't know much about their process, though. Maybe someone can enlighten me here.
Good and Beautiful
brillant
🔥💙🔥
people were cruel as a teen, so I stopped, went to a convention an artist I paid for an image used references, thank you for this
🗝️🖼️
👍
❤
Respectfully disagree on the idea that everything is based, entirely, on the how we perceive the world, as there's abstract, avantgrade art very much comes from peculiar places in a persons imagination.
The topic of reference photo v. no reference photo is messy because alot of times artists aren't even using the same shared understanding. What's important is how well an artist understands what they are trying to do. The more one understands a subject, the more one can do with it, reference photos or not.
Noel Sickles, Alex Toth, and Frank Frazzetta are well known, and duly respected, for their comprehension of whatever they are drawing/painting, without having to use a specific reference photograph, for a specific project. In part because they took time to understand, practice, what it is they were trying to do, before sitting down at the blank page.
Both approaches, reference photo, or no photo, are fine as long as the artist is actively learning and comprehending, with each piece done.
yeah there's imagination and also memory of what you've seen and also, knowledge about anatomy which helps alot. Many artists proceed like that and use some reference as support.
What i think is that in the case of photorealism as Ross does, both in drawing and painting with complete light and shadows and so on, he requires some reference not to be too generic or even inaccurate.
I never completely understood if he starts sketching from imagination, then takes other pics and then redraws, or, if even his sketches are somewhat based on reference, be it a comic book, a photo, whatever, and then the process continues.
Neal Adams e.g. could sketch very well from imagination but also used photos for his works.
Anyway, Alex results are great, this is what matters the most.
@@Danimat72 of course. The exploration of artistic methodology is part of the fun of not just practicing art, but also witnessing it. The end piece is the goal, seeing the process is a bonus.
Frazetta constantly used refs. Buscema didn't.
@@Thebearwithnoname Even abstract, avantguard artists' imagination is rooted in reality.
What's his process again? May need to rewatch it again as I learned nothing.
Gangsta.
Would of been nice to see examples of the sketches and not just talk about it.
He shared his sketches for this painting and the x men one. You can find them.
I have mixed feelings about his work. I admire his craft and patience but there's something about this literal depiction of fantasy figures that feels forced.
Same face
?
You find that a lot. Paperback artists working in NY in the 50s all used the same model. Steve Holland. Alex Ross probably has 5 or 6 people that model for him so you'll see those faces re-occur in his line ups.
Скажите пожалуйста а какими красками вы рисовали?
I watched this until I saw that it was about Marvel characters.