![KakaoTalk_20220907_200037576.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/namiks/23wMgkhyFie148G18KJnk7v5fiabeU9uqQLXKLcN4RttXzNGdzpVQG57EfXSm3x6UfYRT.jpg)

I recently took to studying legs and the anatomy behind them. Still drawing pretty much daily, but I made the switch recently to pen over pencil. I found this change to be a bit better for me in learning since I was less likely to spend, and waste, time erasing minor mistakes rather than drawing. Trying to perfect every detail just was not necessary or worth it. I found pen to be pretty clean too. If I do make a big mistake, I just move on or try again. It made me think a bit more carefully before making any lines and thus made me rely more on construction and really thinking when it comes to building things.

Though not just with legs lately, but with other areas I have managed to learn -- currently the arms, torso, and head -- I noticed that my anatomy was getting a bit messy. That these drawings lacked some depth. And where anatomy was perhaps very much considered, it didn't look all that natural because areas of the muscles and body were visible when they shouldn't be. I had the realisation that my next step was to start considering shading. Adding details and considering lighting into these studies. I had reached a general understanding of what goes into certain areas of the body, but not how to accurately portray them. There is still an endless amount of practice awaiting, but that dive into the next stage felt natural.

![KakaoTalk_20220907_200059457.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/namiks/23tc1tQoiXnkRbhq192ndC8A6vkRC68ashdc96ui8jLEH2JbQantkg8w8dh59ZFHtgkFx.jpg)

The other day I did this quick study of a leg from behind, I drew in with red pen the general form and gave the most evident areas of the leg the most definition through construction. I made sure I was careful with my lines but had no intentions of taking the drawing beyond what it is above. Even now it is far from a complete drawing, and I know I definitely made a few mistakes. But I decided that it was time to consider shading quite spontaneously. I grabbed my pencil, and began to slowly shade things in, and give attention to potential lighting scenarios.

You can see it in the first image, the 'final' one. In which I chose a particular side of the body that would be darker than the other, where the brighter side was of course where the light source would be coming from. I made the choice to only line that darker side to display this harsher intensity of shadows, and mostly ignore the right side where the shadows would roll off and lose their intensity and the intensity of the light itself increased. I have a good understanding of lighting and how it all works, but I believe I have pretty much no idea how to go about *drawing* that. With a pencil where pressure results in harsher lines, and you're visually attempting to pull out certain details, it is very much different to photography and the film industry where you would just focus light and use certain tools and materials to control it.

I guess I need to get used to the idea of being fully in control of lighting when it comes to drawing. Considering which areas of the drawing should receive lighting and how. Particularly in regards to controlling shadows and using pressure of the pencil to display how the light may influence something like the muscles of the arm, or the armpit. Or perhaps how the light rolls into the back of the knee and slowly around the more shaped muscles.

![photo_2022-09-07_16-08-08.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/namiks/23tSd3rcXYpqkMLiLBCVSDvYiy6cbKfZceQoPcpVyknWmAxBCs9tYKF58HktRk3ztp1Th.jpg)

You can see in this earlier attempt at shading the leg was met with some lack of confidence in the direction I was pursuing. I was still being far too gentle in how harsh I should be with the pencil, worried that I may make mistakes that I can't hide and easily erase. I have realised that part of shading is having that confidence, and I'll have to remember it more going forward for sure as I approach different shading techniques and getting a genuine understanding of how to *properly* do it.

I think tomorrow I will spend a bit of time really attempting different areas of the body, perhaps using some references to ensure I am not just guessing and going off what I *think* is correct. That said, this next stage has been a ton of fun so far, and I am really loving this process of getting into drawing, seeing the progress I have made and witnessing the ways in which it can really lead to some fun creativity. I find that during these moments I really zone out and feel something. Perhaps I will continue this method of using pen to do the fundamentals, and pencil to do the details. Maintaining this awareness of construction being a general guide and not solid information to consider at all times.

I have also noticed that I really like figure drawing. The whole process of constructing the body with shapes and bringing something into life is really fun. So far I have only really spent time drawing people, and haven't really considered drawing much else. Though I believe that the methods I have managed to slowly learn will also be useful in regards to approaching other areas of drawing. Perhaps one day I will take on oil pastels and painting. But I should not get ahead of myself, that was my first mistake in attempting to learn to draw: I didn't take things on step at a time and really give myself moments to learn and think. 

Though, I still don't actually own a sketchbook. I just hit 2,000 Hive Power again here on Hive so I think I will cash out a little earnings for once and buy one. A little reward for the progress I have made both in drawing and on Hive in being a better member of the community (or so that is what I would hope I am being). Even if they aren't so great, it feels nice to have the confidence to actually show people the drawings. So the more I improve, the more of these you should all expect to see from me!