help/advice for drawing people?

[pvtbones]

As the title suggests I could use some help.I've never been great at drawing people except from photos (and then it's 50/50).

any advice, tutorial sites, etc. would be most appreciated.

Some of my work:

small picture taken from a magazine.
Sleeping girl

heavily digitally edited when I tried to get the verticle lines out. Emp_Canyon from the Empires Mod.
EmpiresMod drawing

One of my few attempts at heavy shading.
Howling

 

[nofx]

if you cant get classes its best just to get a book from the library all the art books and just draw and read try to take in all there is to ttake in really

 

[Kadayi]

When beginning to draw, think of the form of things overall, rather than getting caught up in the actuality of what it is you are observing. Don't get into the habit of (for example), firstly drawing the hand, then working up the arm, then the shoulder, neck, head etc, instead roughly map out the whole form of the person/object on the paper and then gradually draw the details out of the composition. Constantly double check the spatial relationships within the composition, and never be afraid to erase and redraw some element if it is out of place. The thing that breaks a drawing more than any other aspect is poor composition.

 

[Sparta]

check out www.conceptart.org and read the forums there. They've got one the best artistic communities around and some incredibly awesome artists there. They've got some great stickied tutorials and lessons throughout the forums so be sure to read those. Awesome site.

 

[Kadayi]

Also:- http://forums.cgsociety.org/

 

[Gray Fox]

www.polykarbon.com