Project - Learning to Sketch from Observation

Lesson by

Stan Prokopenko

inDrawing Basics

2.8K

Assignments 477

Lesson Notes

Downloads 8

Project - Learning to Sketch from Observation

Lesson by Stan Prokopenko in Drawing Basics

2.8K

Assignments 477

Lesson Notes

Downloads 8

Use the three reference images of clean line drawings and sketch them using simple loose lines. Don't try to match the cleanliness of these drawings. Instead, sketch them out with energetic, tapered strokes. Don't hesitate. Just practice moving your arm with confidence. If you draw some lines and then you realize that, Oh, shoot, I need to curve that more. Go ahead and just draw the new curve right over it. As you get more confident that you've found the shape, you can darken those lines and the lighter lines start to disappear. Focus on the big idea and the shapes the lines represent, rather than on each individual line.

For you, Level 2 monster trucks, I want you to start with this Level 1 project as a warmup, and then head over to the Learning to Sketch from Imagination project page for your instructions.

If you'd like to have a chance to be included in the upcoming critique videos, you must submit your drawings below by March 9th.

Good luck and please have some fun!

cujovic

Got carried away a bit with fun details on the space theme but Stan asked us to have fun :-) The other two I tried to do really quickly in order to stay loose

Mike Hicks

13h

Couple of the lvl 1 assignments. I admit I got impatient with the hangy round thing in the second one.

Audrey S

In your first one I can see more sweeping lines, which is good. For VR girl, you've got a nice line quality, and it's very stiff. This assignment is more about exploration, so if you were to work on something, I'd suggest finding the energy and flow of the reference as opposed to replicating line work. Keep it up!

James Quijada

13h

Finally finished this assignment! I know I’m extremely late with this and I figured out why; I took way too much time cleaning up the lines and focusing on matching the reference rather than capturing the flow. Next time I’m going to try to be looser and not try to make it perfect!

Audrey S

I think your self critique is spot on! While you've captured the contours really well, the gesture and energy is missing. Nice job self critiquing -- it's an underrated skill!

jutin0921

16h

Audrey S

These are quite nice. I can see the looser lines in the hand and the penguin, that I would have loved to see in VR girl. Because she's so angular, it's easy to turn to structured straights and all, but her pose has a certain energy. I think in VR girl you've turned a little too much to contour and detail without the same impression of exploration that you had in the hand and penguin. Very nice work!

offworld

Haven't watched the demo yet but I feel I didn't simplify enough.

Laurie

(Moved this post from the critique video to here because I just realized this was an "assignments" tab.) These are pre-demo/critique and post-demo/critique attempts. Pre-demos were done like the CSI project - oops! After the demo/critique, I tried to redo them looser, more gestural, and building upon initial light/searching lines. I think overall the 2nd attempts are more sketch-like, although you can´t see much difference for the VR-girl #2 because I tried to clean smudges on that one and accidentally took off much of the initial light line work. I guess I need to start leaving the smudges alone.

kendallx

After completing this project I realized I did not follow instructions very well for this one. I got caught up in the small details smaller instead of freely sketching shapes. I also feel that I struggle with drawing clean lines, mine feel a little scratchy and smudgy. When doing the spider hand sketch, I realized that I definitely need more practice with human anatomy. Animals are easier right now for me since it seems you can be a bit more ambiguous and abstract with their forms.

Ken Wood

Enjoyed this exercise a lot, and strangely found VR Girl to be the easiest of the three, while I was expecting the opposite. The hand I drew looks like it went through a stump grinder.

Audrey S

Your lines look great! I would make sure if you try again to try to capture the lines of energy through the forms. Think of it a bit like a sculpture. Find the rough forms so you capture the energy, then gradually refine the lines! Keep it up!

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Browny Sparks

definitely much quicker than the last assignment. took me about 1hr rather than the 5+ for the last one lol

Audrey S

This is a great attempt! On the penguin especially, I can see your searching lines and then your gradual refinement. I think that's the exact point of the assignment. I would love to see more of that in your VR girl. You've done a great job of it in the boots, but once you get into the chest, it's harder to see the flow and energy as well as exploration. Keep it up!

Gustavo Melgarejo

I finally managed to catch up with the project, this is my first try on the vr girl. The tapered stroke was very difficult for me, I need more practice, I'm going to see the demo and try to correct my mistakes.

Jeramiah Escobar

Audrey S

Nice attempt! One thing to note, I think your lines are a little too clean. They don't have the sketchy quality of "thinking with your pencil so to speak". It feels like you've tried to go more for line accuracy than "exploration". I would say you've gotten closest with the penguin. Loosen up your arm and try to find the larger shapes before you get into detail. I would definitely check out the critique video for more details and demo!

polinaagame

Hello everyone:) Tried to do this task also with different characters

Andrea Böhm

Nice confident lines!

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Mara De Saulles

Been busy with uni recently, but managed to get these done inbetween working. While they're not bad, watching the demo definitely gave me some good advice on where I can improve!

Audrey S

You for sure have the sketchiness on the hand and the penguin! I think with the vr girl you're starting to get a little stiff and concerned with accuracy. She still has some long sweeping shapes that you can identify before getting into more accurate shapes.

apatchy

Audrey S

Great attempt! On your hand I think you've started a little dark with your lines, which makes it hard to see your though process as you explore the drawing. I would suggest (re)watching the tapered line video as well as the "searching lines" video. On VR girl, there is more evidence of the searching. For example how you captured the rhythm across the shoulders connecting the arms. Looking forward to more!

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Lee Davis

might start doing everything digitally. it's just so much easier to get a bright image. it's hard to get good lighting for photos. anyway here's my 3 for the assignment

Audrey S

These look very nice! I would say that they're a little clean. Remember that we're not copying the reference images, we're sketching and trying to get the major flows. Here it looks like you've gone line for line to try to capture the details. On digital, what is nice is you can do layers. Maybe do your exploratory sketching in the first layer -- find the long lines and the major forms. As you refine and eventually get to linework you can go on different layers so you have the final image but we still see your thought process as you figure out the flow of the lines.

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Gustavo Melgarejo

First attempt at spider hand. I'm going to try to draw the vr girl before watching the demo.

Laurie

Finally caught up! Pre-demo level1. I boxed in areas first to help with proportions, although I still had to move a few things anyway. Dunno if erasing was allowed, but I did. Glancing now at the demo images, I think I wasn't loose enough and I have too many contours. Any feedback welcome!

Audrey S

These look great! I feel like erasing is fine, just don't over rely on it to replace deliberate placement of lines. These look pretty good and the line quality is pretty good as well. You're right that they seem a little stiff. if you were to re-do them, I would think about longer "gestural" lines or "rhythms" as Stan calls them. These are really just long strokes that describe movement through the hand. If you add those and then go darker as you correct your forms, then we can actually see your thought process through the drawing as well! Overall, very nice! Keep at it :)

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czarek

My attempt at the level 1s

daviddelsolar

Finally, a bit caught up. So much to learn!…but overall happy with the attempt. Im sure they as long as we don’t quit on ourselves, whatever our level is, a year from now we will all be able to look back and see how far we have reached. Keep it up everyone!!

Lee Davis

I like these a lot. These a very accurate in terms of likeness. That's pretty impressive. You seem to be able to observe very well. Did you have to measure a lot? The only critique I would suggest is maybe be less strict on matching the reference exactly and be more playful and intuitive, just to free your mind a little. Maybe don't measure with an object at all and just use your eye. I struggle with that myself. If you're already doing that, I'm impressed!

Gustavo Melgarejo

First attempt at the penguin. I don't like the quality of my lines, I need to work more on that, and in the proportions.

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Stan Prokopenko

Founder of Proko, artist and teacher of drawing, painting, and anatomy. I try to make my lessons fun and ultra packed with information.