TIPS INSPIRATION REVIEWS RESOURCES INTERVIEWS 

RECENT POSTS

Scott ‘Diggs’
Underwood On His
Time Storyboarding
For Ed, Edd n Eddy

ArtCenter Alum
Nicholas Foong
Shares Tips Working
As A Pro Concept
Designer

Vietnamese Artist Chi

Ngo Shares Her Story
via Sir-Croco Of Art, Animation &
Publishing

Constructionist vs. Realism for Background Artist

Entertainment Art & Design Leon Lee On Diversity
& Creativity In Art
TIPS

Disclosure: This post may contain a liate links. That means if you buy something we get a small commission Free Blender Models
at no extra cost to you(learn more) & Character Rigs For
3D Artists
This isn’t a subject talked about very frequently but it’s a big piece of everyone’s art
education. There are two similar yet distinct methods of learning to draw & see which I
loosely define as realism and constructionism.
CAE NEWSLETTER
Only one thread on this topic shows up in Google, but it’s still very a important topic
nonetheless.
Get monthly updates on new posts &
cool art links sent right to your inbox.
The terms I’ve used merely describe the methods of output and how you achieve that
output when drawing from life. Better terms may be optical and sculptural in regards
EMAIL ADDRESS...
to drawing techniques.
SIGN UP
But what does this all mean? Let’s examine the two methods and see how they apply to
the artistic process.

Optical vs Sculptural Drawing

Realist painters mostly work optically in the sense that they’re trying to capture life as
accurately as possible. Proportions, perspective, and color values should ideally match
reality.

But illustrators, animators, and many concept artists prefer the sculptural route. This is
where you construct life from shapes, lines, and curves. The goal is not always
accuracy, but rather to portray what you need in the simplest manner possible. It’s
much easier to draw from your head this way because you can draw with basic forms
rather than reference photos.

An interesting divide happens for concept artists because they work in both worlds.

Concept art should be very realistic, but it also needs to come from imagination. This
means when you’re painting concept art you don’t always copy reality. You will need to
sculpt ideas from your mind, but also make them as realistic as possible.

This is why the method of constructionism also fits best for animators and illustrators.
They can draw characters with thin pipe arms or thick muscles, all of which are
comprised of spheres and cylinders.

The Proko figure course teaches this exact method working from model poses.

Illustrators also don’t look for perfect realism, although there is usually a sense of
realism.

Take for example the artwork of Will Terrell.

His style uses powerful exaggeration and caricaturing but in a realistic way. Realist
painters are trained not to exaggerate, which is why constructionist/sculptural
techniques appeal more to cartoonists.

So how does this dichotomy affect your studies? It ultimately boils down to your end
goals with art.

If you don’t wish to render very realistic paintings then you should start with a
constructionist mindset. The free Drawabox lessons are a great starting point. But
honestly Proko is the best way to go for premium content because you’ll learn both
styles with a slant towards sculptural techniques.

How To Practice
Realist painters follow more traditional methods taught at schools like the Florence
Academy. Realism forces artists to look at life methodically. It’s possible to draw or
paint a figure with accurate realism without memorizing human anatomy.

However sculptural techniques do require much more knowledge because of the

imaginary component. Having a model is always useful. But if you plan to exaggerate
something you’ll need to know how and why you’re doing it. This requires an
understanding of the object(or person) and how it naturally moves.

Neither method is right or wrong. That’s very important to clarify because they both
have their benefits and drawbacks.

In fact most artists eventually learn a little of both methods, but lean towards one or the
other.

In regards to concept art this is vital to understand because of work output. The biggest
difference with concept art is rendering to a complete finish.

Animators and illustrators can choose to not render with as much detail. It’s nice to
learn and have the option, but it’s not a requirement for those art forms.

Concept artists should learn to render with exquisite detail much like a realist painter.
But concept artists should also be able to work without being shackled to reference
materials.

How does someone practice both of these techniques? Well the constructionist route is
taught well by Proko and Vilppu. The realist route is primarily the domain of ateliers and
classical schools, but you can teach yourself with a lot of life drawing and patience.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Realism is about seeing accurately and copying without judgement. This involves a lot
of looking and measuring to triple and quadruple check your work for mistakes. It can
be tedious, especially if you don’t want to create realist art.

But the more you practice rendering the better you’ll get. Try not to concern yourself too
much with either method at first. The best thing for a beginner is to just draw.

As you improve you’ll run into more specific roadblocks and should deal with them as
they arise.

Choosing Your Path

While it’s important to just get started, you should have some idea of what you want to
do before starting.

If you want to do anything other than realism then your initial methods shouldn’t be a
concern. You can always change your style as you progress.

The most difficult aspect is learning to render because this is where detail comes into
play. You can exaggerate the lines and gestures, but rendering in detail can rarely be
exaggerated.

I personally recommend Color and Light by James Gurney. It’s one of the few books
concerning realist painting techniques in regards to imaginary concepts.

Most of the lessons and techniques you need will be picked up as you practice. Try to
draw something from life every day. If you’re new it’ll be pretty bad.

But take time to study your work and examine why it’s bad. Great artists eventually
learn to teach themselves through self-analysis.

If you have more questions or want to follow through with one particular method of
schooling then check out this CA forum thread. It has 30+ pages full of links and
information debating this topic and discussing the values of both methods.

Related Posts:

Why Is It Important To Practice Realism In Art: What It Means Best Books On Drawing From
Fundamentals First? & Why It’s Valuable For Your Imagination
Practicing Artists

Best Books On Realism & What is an Art Atelier? Are The Drawabox Lessons
Realistic Drawing Techniques Good For New Artists?

HOME ABOUT SEARCH TERMS & DISCLOSURE WRITE FOR US TWITTER FACEBOOK CONTACT

COPYRIGHT © 2019 CONCEPT ART EMPIRE