How do you draw...

Beanie

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#1
your own dog?
I'm trying to draw Auggie for my tattoo idea and I am seriously struggling. I think it's because I'm too close to the subject and I'm wrestling with really trying to capture AUGGIE here... I spent a LONG time trying to get the eyes just right, and now that I'm happy with those I'm not happy with everything else and want to start over. =P

I want to beat my head against my desk. I've hardly been working on it because of how much I'm struggling, I'm not enjoying drawing this at all.
Suggestions please?
 

xpaeanx

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#3
I don't have any tattoos, but am friends with many people that do.

The people I know, will talk to the actual tatoo artist. They bring in photos, sketches, throw ideas, and really talk about what it is they want. They work together to create the tatoo drawing.

Some of the tatoos my friends have were MONTHS in the making.

So my advice would be to call your artist, and set up an appoitment for you to sit down and discuss your next tatoo!

BTW: we better get a pic when it's done! :)
 

Fran101

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#5
Maybe you and allieM could trade? lol she could do auggie and you do finnegan :)

As for me.. I cant draw anything soo me drawing kenya is def a NOO
 
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#6
I tried to sketch Maggie just now just to see what it would look like and it looks almost exactly like a pig. Maybe if I try to draw a pig, it'll end up looking like Maggie.....
 
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#7
I make the best dog tattoos for free.

This is Pit:


:lol-sign:

I'm sure you'll get it right soon. When you do, you must must must share!
 

Beanie

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#8
Allie already drew an Auggie. => Trust me, I would have already commissioned her for another if I wasn't so particular and precise on what I have in mind - and I have no intentions of screwing up a friendship by being a demanding, particular PITA of a client over a drawing of my dog. ;>
 

Barb04

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#9
My stepson had his pittie tattooed on his arm. He brought a couple of pics of his dog and the guy at the tattoo place drew up a pic for him.
 

smkie

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#10
I Find the photo i like the very best and look carefully at it. You can even lay it out upside down if your having trouble. That helps you look at your negative space and draw what is really there not what your mind thinks is there. DRawing from life is always a challange but wonderful practice too.
 

bubbatd

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#11
I agree with taking a picture to the artist and see if you like his/her drawing .
 

smkie

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#12
Make sure you approve the drawing before they start! REMember that FAIL one of the bride, that was sad but hysterical at the same time.
 

Beanie

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#13
Like I said, what I have in mind, down to the pose and expression, is very exact - but I don't have the perfect matching photo. I have to draw it first, and then give it to the tattoo artist to make his own interpretation of.

I am a competant artist, guys. Thanks for all the votes of confidence in telling me not to draw it but have somebody else do it instead...
 

Romy

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#15
Maybe sit down and do a bunch of gesture drawings, very quickly one after the other. Use big paper, I like using vine charcoal because you don't need to put any pressure down, and it's impermanent. That helps me to remember it's just for practice and not to get tense about how it will look.

Just do that for 2 minutes or so at a time. Set a timer, you can ever do it while he has the zoomies and try not to look at the paper while you're doing it. Maybe that will help you develop the "connectedness" you're looking for. It sounds like you're getting so bogged down in the details that it's hard to keep the overall feel in mind, and that's frustrating.

I know you can do it. :) And it would be pretty special to have a tattoo designed by yourself. If I was a tattoo type person I wouldn't want it any other way.
 

smkie

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#16
YOu didn't hear that out of me. AT the same time they might not remember your work and do not draw themselves so i doubt they meant it in a bad way.

IS it a softness around the eyes or a certain body position your wanting? I would not want someone making their own interp of my drawing. I would want it exactly as i did it. I am pretty fussy about my lines. I am not fond of most tattoo artists renderings of dogs. THey lack the spark of life. I ahve only seen a couple that i thought outstanding. I certainly would not trust anyone to do one of mine but me so i hear you there.

I would think then to just keep at it until you have it.
 

Beanie

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#17
No, smkie, I didn't hear it from you. I didn't mean you at all. I appreciate your suggestions, that's what I was looking for. Thank you.
It is a particular pose that I'm looking for, and a particular expression, too. Some of it is the overall expression in the eyes, some of it is just that sheltie smile, you know? Auggie's eyes are particularly hard because they are so dark they're practically black. I don't want it 100% realistic, either, so there's a element of getting down a style involved also... sorta cartoony but not stupid-looking cartoony, you know?
I want to capture Auggie as I know him, as I think of him, the whole spirit of Auggie if that makes sense - so it's also trying to translate that in a successful way that's giving me problems. That's also why I wouldn't trust my tattoo artist to draw it, even based off photos. He doesn't know my dog, so how could I expect him to really be able to capture it accurately? You know what I mean?

I am worried about getting the drawing down, having it perfect, and then handing it over to the tattoo artist and how the final interpretation is going to come out - and how it will come out on my skin (permanently!) I think the struggle to get the drawing in a way I'm happy about has made me apprehensive than I was before, worrying that once I get it perfect there's no way to successfully recreate it on my skin... I'm not sure yet.


Romy, I think you're right - I am getting too bogged down in the details to enjoy drawing it and have any fun. That's certainly making working on it a drag, and when I'm loathe to work on something that makes it even harder. =P I think I do need to step back from it a little in order to achieve what I'm looking for. Maybe I should just scrap what I have entirely and start over, see where that gets me.

Thanks for the constructive help, guys, I really appreciate it.
 

smkie

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#18
I chew on things in my mind sometimes for years before i ever get it to paper or now clay. I think you have it working in there and even when your not working on it, your mind will be playing with it. I think in the future you will get exactly what you want.;)
 
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#19
if you print out the image you may be able trace it by using a window (on a sunny day) or a light table. I have to do this sometimes when I do portraits.
 

smkie

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#20
^^^^ that to me is against the rules.:D I am a purest at heart. IF your serious about being an artist sooner or later you have to bite the bullet and learn to see your negative space in order to correctly place your postive.
 

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