$159
Bundle discount Each additional course part in your cart adds 3% off all courses, up to 15% off.
Full course
You’ll learn the most important foundational concepts for drawing anything and soon you’ll be drawing pictures out of your imagination or from reference.
$159
Give a gift
Give a gift card for art students to use on anything in the Proko store.
Or gift this course:
Founder of Proko, artist and teacher of drawing, painting, and anatomy. I try to make my lessons fun and ultra packed with information.
DOWNLOADS
project-learning-to-sketch-from-observation.mp4
121 MB
project-learning-to-sketch-from-observation-transcript-english.txt
3 kB
project-learning-to-sketch-from-observation-transcript-spanish.txt
4 kB
project-learning-to-sketch-from-observation-captions-english.srt
5 kB
project-learning-to-sketch-from-observation-captions-spanish.srt
6 kB
ASSIGNMENTS![]()
![Thom]()
![]()
![Vanessa White]()
![]()
![Vanessa White]()
![]()
![Vanessa White]()
![]()
![Sam]()
![]()
![Ben Kraske]()
![]()
![Louche]()
![]()
![@morb]()
![]()
![Balaperdia]()
![]()
![Ben Kraske]()
![]()
![Esteban Aguirre-Garcia]()
![]()
![Ben Kraske]()
![]()
![Spencer Fox]()
![]()
![Liza]()
![]()
![Alvi Anowar]()
![]()
![Davide Piccinini]()
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!
I seem to have an issue with sketching as per my first attempt (on the left). I keep rubbing out and trying again over and over so it ended up being another line drawing which doesn't match the brief.
I tried again in red pencil and forced myself to be more freeing with my arm and also stopped myself from using the eraser completely. Then did a quick pencil line afterwards over the red. Total rush job but I definitely has way more fun the second time. I'm going to try the other 2 images next in the same way a few times over and see if I can improve.
I tried drawing out a very light sketching of the “envelope” first, then drew the outline and details. I got some of the proportions (very) wrong 😂, like the beak, the eye, the back, but I’m quite happy with the outcome.
One thing I noticed that I struggle a lot in all the projects/practices, is that I don’t know where to start, even for the envelope sketching stage. Somehow I feel like the first line determines the right proportion of the overall drawing, and getting the proportion right is my current biggest struggle.
Gonna try the spider hand next!
Just finished watching the demo video, I think it answered my question about readjusting my sketching along the way, and also some other problems I mentioned in my own sketches.
but I also noticed I wasn’t really “sketching”? I think I turned out to be kinda “redrawing” all the images instead of keeping it as sketching. Like, in the demo video, I feel like his final sketches were kind of like in between my “light” and “final” sketch. I’m thinking if it was because, like he mentioned, that I was trying to “redraw the lines” from the references, instead of bringing out the ideas to my canvas.
I think this is something I need to improve, but I also find it a bit difficult for me to get into that “in between”. Or is my sketching ok? (For context, my goal is mainly to be a digital artist)
Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
I can’t seem to get the proportion right. Another thing I noticed is that, when I draw out the actual outline, sometimes I tend to not follow my first light “envelope” sketching (like I readjust the proper outlines instead of following my light outline sketching). I’m not sure if this is a bad habit? When I was drawing the “envelope” light sketching, I was thinking more of “ok this is roughly where things should go to ensure the proportion is about right”. So when I draw out the actual outline, I make adjustments if anything doesn’t seem right.
I’ve attached one clean sketch, and one with my envelope light sketch underneath for your reference. You can see that for certain areas, my actual sketch isn’t really following the light sketch.
I’m just wondering if I should be more precise with my envelope light sketching moving forward?
Before watching the demo/critique. Still struggling with clean lines and keeping proportions/scale so not so happy with this.
•
19h
Nice work! It'll take time and practice, but making clean lines and getting proportions accurate will come more easily each time you draw! Remember to sketch lightly as you're searching for the right line, and also use the ghosting technique (going through the motion of a stroke before you actually draw it). Doing those will keep your drawing from getting lost in a lot of pencil marks. Your penguin and hand are looking good, though! Keep up the great work :)
I tried my best. These were my first attempts without the demo and the critiques. Both helped quite a bit.
Felt good about some parts of this but the hand really got me 😅
I do think I'm starting to get a feel for tapering my lines though
I’ve always drawn by copying ever since I was little, and now that I’m older, I find it hard to do anything else... I try to sketch, but... this happens :(
•
8d
It can be hard to try something different to what you're used to! I think you'd benefit from practicing tapering your strokes, making sure you let the stroke follow through, and make sure you're doing it lightly before further defining the line. Focus on making longer, confident strokes -- for example, the lines on the forearm are short and choppy, and drawing to follow the flow of the arm will make it look and feel more natural. Keep it up, you got this! :)
This project was a breath of fresh air for me. I’ve never really drawn in such a loose and sketchy manner. I initially struggled with the penguin because I was putting down lines without really processing what I was drawing, as I was trying to be quick and loose. I didn’t like the result I ended up with for the penguin, so I slowed down and fragmented the complex parts while still trying to maintain a loose approach. I think it turned out well, so I continued using this approach with the other drawings.
After watching the demo and critiques, I realized I was still focusing on the details and contours rather than the shapes and rhythms of the subjects I was drawing. Another realization I had while drawing was that I was starting too dark, making it harder to correct shapes without making the subject look messy. So, I started drawing lightly, and when I was confident with the shape, I would add a darker stroke.
I did some additional drawings to get a better grasp of sketching, and I really liked how they turned out. However, I still think I can improve when it comes to using tapered lines.
Overall, I loved the emphasis on exploration in this project, as I’ve always felt like I needed to have perfect strokes when drawing and couldn’t have messy lines. Now I realize that I can do both and shouldn’t be limited to one mindset.
Pre demos on the left and post demos on the right.
The three additional drawings at the end of the list with reference photos.
•
8d
I really love the work you've done for this project, and your reflection on exploration and adjusting your technique! I can see the growth between your before/afters, and you've done an excellent job taking it further and using your own references! Great work :)
I like loose sketches like this. Thank you for including these lessons about different lines for different scenarios, as some tutorials on YouTube from other creators stress that EVERY LINE needs to have a very DELIBERATE purpose ALL THE TIME, which, for me personally, is very creatively stifling.
I didn't use an eraser when drawing the hand and the penguin to see my searching lines. I don't do many of them, but then my lines lack confidence.
Another learning: my lines are boring :D almost all of them are the same thickness.
My attempt at trying to do the level one project. Please feel free to critique or provide suggestions. Going a bit slow as I am getting crushed by my research work. On to the level too here I come.
I'm finally back after some time!
Here are my submissions, as usual before and after the demo.
Overall I'm satisfied even if I feel I could be looser on the sketches.
Feedback is very much appreciated!
