For Potterheads

[NobleStripes]

I did this during my down days, and it's ridiculously freehand without using any references.

[Caesar]

Well, You seem to have a good visual memory and hand control, so I'm confident You'll progress dramatically pretty soon. Keep going!

[NobleStripes]

Hmm, I would love some pointers because I can't seem to draw people very well; being trained exclusively on landscape.

[Caesar]

There are many manuals and tutorial to that purpose, dealing with the proportions and the various parts of the face and body from each view and perspective.
As for this specific drawing, for instance if You can figure out the underneath skull shape, it's quite easy to then put a flesh layer and a nose correctly and, considering the eyeballs and the lids (upper and lower) covering it, You may get a sensible improvement. The eye side-view shape, for instance, becomes, more or less, a circular sector. Anyway notyhing's better than a guide, tutorial, manual, eve a cheap, but effective one, to start the right way, with the right approach, and then .... practice, practice and practice once more. You would soon get a built-in capability to sketch correctly and help Yourself seeing and placing the details You progressively learn how to draw.

[D Akey]

Ah, Dumbledoor from actor #2.

I like it. As to the style, yeah, study and learn the tricks of the trade. Many people sidestep the building blocks and structure and jump straight to a finish. And that is a hit and miss prospect.

This has a certain Manga quality. If you're wanting to go that route, then learn to do Manga. If you want to learn something more classical, then there is also ample tutorials available for that as well. Each has its own sensibilities and they don't overlap all that much. Not sure where you want to take your drawing style. One could go either way based on this. It's not a bad drawing, by the way. It's just not clear which way you're leaning. But as a drawing it's kinda nice.

Learning is not so much about talking about it. It's more buckling down and learning it through doing it and seeing what a teacher would say to correct this little thing or that in the context of a picture you're working on as you do it. Also there are different end targets that you aim for for every style. There's linear, there's tonal, there's photographic, there's stylized, there's emphasis put on different aspects of the image in different cases, etc. . . Never hurts to learn structure. Even stylized uses it, albeit their own. But learn that particular paradigm and stick with it until you have it in your bag of tricks as well.

Like I said, this is not a bad drawing. I kinda like it. But clarify what you're aiming for and take that on and narrow your focus for a while and see what happens. If the person you are hoping to imitate is also a good teacher, so much the better.

[NobleStripes]

I think I can bug my uncle to teach me a little, he's a professional who mostly does nude paintings. Lol.

Thanks for all the tips, guys. Most appreciated.

[Caesar]

A professional teacher, lessons, observation and practice, good plan .... I hope You won't draw Albus Silente nude though ....LOL
In the meanwhile, as D Akey wisely suggested, select the styles You like the most and observe/ copy their main features. If you like manga there's little I can suggest (I find that comics/ animation style mostly uninteresting), but if You like an effective and practical approach to drawing useful from comics synthesis up what xould almost be a decent fine art/ classical drawing, then look for someone like Adam Hughes, to give you a target. There are also a few tutorial videos with him showing how to ...

[NobleStripes]

A professional teacher, lessons, observation and practice, good plan .... I hope You won't draw Albus Silente nude though ....LOL
In the meanwhile, as D Akey wisely suggested, select the styles You like the most and observe/ copy their main features. If you like manga there's little I can suggest (I find that comics/ animation style mostly uninteresting), but if You like an effective and practical approach to drawing useful from comics synthesis up what xould almost be a decent fine art/ classical drawing, then look for someone like Adam Hughes, to give you a target. There are also a few tutorial videos with him showing how to ...

Urk, nude, probably. *blergh*