Project - Learning to Sketch from Observation
Project - Learning to Sketch from Observation
This lesson is premium only. Join us in the full course!
03:44
22K views
lesson video
Project - Learning to Sketch from Observation
courseDrawing BasicsFull course (185 lessons)
-20%
$127.20
$159
You save $31.8
assignments 3352 submissions
Rachel Dawn Owens
A VR girl of my own. I wanted to make her cooler, so I gave her a sword and a shield… and a cape.
DOWNLOADS
jpeg
Level-1-Penguin.jpg
425 kB
jpeg
Level-1-Spider-Hand.jpg
515 kB
jpeg
Level-1-VR-Girl.jpg
819 kB
mp4
project-learning-to-sketch-from-observation.mp4
121 MB
txt
project-learning-to-sketch-from-observation-transcript-english.txt
3 kB
txt
project-learning-to-sketch-from-observation-transcript-spanish.txt
4 kB
file
project-learning-to-sketch-from-observation-captions-english.srt
5 kB
file
project-learning-to-sketch-from-observation-captions-spanish.srt
6 kB
ASSIGNMENTS

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 2023

Good luck and please have some fun!

Mike Bonifacio
Level 1 - VR Girl
Mike Bonifacio
First two from Level 1 - I kept these are around 5 to 10 minutes each to avoid getting into too much detail. The gesture of the fingers came out pretty good. Didn't sweat the small stuff...like the inaccurate penguin feet.
@muddysoul
11h
Penguin done, hand submitted earlier. Just the last one left. Any feedback is appreciated :)
Melanie Scearce
These projects are turning out great! You have a good eye for proportions. Looking at this one and your hand drawing, my advice would be to focus on the amount of pressure you're putting on your pencil when you are making your lines. When you're laying in your initial searching lines, use barely any pressure, keeping those lines light.That way, they won't compete with the finalized, darker lines and give the overall line quality that 'hairy' appearance.
@thatgurltom
All drawn before the tutorial. Any feedback would be appreciated 🙏
Mike Bonifacio
Great detail and accuracy! Maybe try it with looser / more expressive strokes. Don't be afraid to make this one messy.
@everettl
12h
More attempts using other people's images. Still sucks. I tried to use a lot more searching lines, especially on the deer. But unfortunately, I guess I didn't in retrospect. I felt like I had already gotten the lines right, so I didn't know how to use more. Furthermore, when I did use a lot of lines, I had to erase them so that I could see what was going on.
@everettl
13h
second attempt after watching demo and critique. Before it looked accurate which was actually a bad thing for this project. But now it looks inaccurate, AND my lines suck. 0/10. Complete fail.
@muddysoul
17h
Sketched the hand. I'll sketch the rest in the upcoming days. Will appreciate critique on this project hehe.
K G
23h
Okay this was a scary assignment as someone with no experience drawing anatomy and forms. But that's exactly where having a 'searching lines' mentality came in really helpful to get started!
K G
1h
@Nicholas Allott Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, I will def be studying the demo! @Melanie Scearce Thank you so much for your detailed feedback! It gave me a bit of a mindset shift. Essentially the project asks for us to capture a draft/searching stage sketch, as if/as you are working towards a final clean version of it. I tend to think of new concepts as pure 'techniques', and forget to consider it as part of the organic process of creating a final drawing.
Melanie Scearce
You did it! I agree with Nicholas, your searching lines look great in your penguin and hand drawings, but they get a bit wrapped up with the detail in the VR girl drawing. I would simplify a bit more- ignore some of the details and try to find ways to let your lines flow between the major forms. For example, I would try to use one line to connect the arms through the shoulders. You are heading in the right direction 👍
Nicholas Allott
Well done! I can see more searching lines in the penguin and hand. The robot is more single-lined. Stan's demo on these shows how to use layered searching lines really well.
@sketchenstein
Draw, erase, draw. erase.
@shirabs
1d
It felt a lot more challenging to do a drawing of another drawing. This surfaced some old beliefs about how I can’t draw. I noticed it was a lot more challenging than a photo reference of a live object.
Bryan Reed
It's painful to make large strokes that go through where other stuff needs to go in the drawing... I need to redo this assignment again after watching the demo and force myself to do it.
Larry
3d
Attached are my 1st and 2nd attempts of the hand. I did not use any erasers on my 2nd attempts and kept the searching lines as well as the messy lines. Just so everyone knows that was killing me, but I tried hard to do the assignment. i know we are doings lines; however, im excited to learn shapes, proportions, and values in the future. im following the process and enjoying the new skills. More to learn for sure!! keep drawing
Nicholas Allott
My Redo of this exercise using photos for Unsplash. I was aiming for more loose, confident lines this time. Its an improvement I think. I'll keep working on it. Done with Col-erase on paper and in Krita with both my right and left hands. These were my aims: • Refer to Stan's examples throughout for a similar line quality • Confidentially accept the first lines are inaccurate, but guide the later ones. • Show the overall flow and gesture – not aiming for accuracy • Big shapes to small • Multiple confident light line passes, darken as you go • Big, smooth and loose lines (disconnected). Exploring. Searching lines • Whole arm, tapered, follow through boarders. Reference photos from Aldo Vuka, Chris Charles, Dmytro Koplyk, DuoNyugen and Marc Julien.
Nicholas Allott
These are the references I had on another screen while working:
Larry
4d
Here are my 1st and 2nd attempt on the 21/185 VR Girl. still working on my lines; this one was very tricky! Took me around 3 hours each. I did take a break every 30 minutes for around 10 minutes. Each time I came back, I could see areas that I did not notice before break. 2nd attempt I left more searching lines, but still erased more the I should. For some reason when I would come back to my drawing, I would notice my angles and relationships were way off. I know the more I draw these will hopefully get better. working on 2nd attempt of hand now
@ctellez
4d
Here are my sketches. I tried not to erase anything and just make the lines I didn't like fade into the background. I also ran out of room on the page for my hand which was a bummer because I was pretty happy with how it turned out minus the weirdly bent index finger.
@everettl
sucky lines. I think that the lines on the latter two ended up better.
Jonah Jenkins
I definitely need to work on this exercise more. I could feel myself constantly wanting to scratch out chaotic lines rather than searching lines. Part of it is my inability to see proper proportions until it's somewhat in front of me. The second penguin on the right was so much clearer since I started out with basic forms to place it and then thickened the lines around it.
Larry
3d
I get what you’re saying. This morning I posted my 2nd VR Girl. Still not good with not erasing and leaving searching lines! I like your looseness and searching lines! That is the exercise im going to work on my 2nd attempt of the hand. I’m going to put eraser away and see what happens keep drawing
@meneedlearn
These definitly turned out better that the my drawing 1.
Brian Delsandro
Happy with the penguin on the first go. I tried the hand twice.
@kseniafeey
Help!
Browse the FAQs or our more detailed Documentation. If you still need help or to contact us for any reason, drop us a line and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!