Project - Learning to Sketch from Observation
Project - Learning to Sketch from Observation
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Project - Learning to Sketch from Observation
courseDrawing BasicsFull course (185 lessons)
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assignments 3223 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.
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Level-1-Penguin.jpg
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Level-1-Spider-Hand.jpg
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Level-1-VR-Girl.jpg
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mp4
project-learning-to-sketch-from-observation.mp4
121 MB
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project-learning-to-sketch-from-observation-transcript-english.txt
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project-learning-to-sketch-from-observation-transcript-spanish.txt
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project-learning-to-sketch-from-observation-captions-english.srt
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project-learning-to-sketch-from-observation-captions-spanish.srt
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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!

Myra Lemmond
Birb attempts. Struggling with this.
Krock
3h
I tried a sketch of the vr girl, not a big fan of how it went Problem was it isn't leaning to the left and also probably some proportion errors.
Simon McCaffery
This was a struggle for me, I felt like I really missed something in trying to do this my self didn’t feel like I was properly utilising the lessons, CSI etc, that came before. Plus my lack of knowledge for proportion and anatomy has left me pretty disappointed in the outcome. Instead of getting frustrated trying to ‘fix’ it I’m moving on and will revisit after the demo and critique videos I think.
Nicholas Allott
Good idea to keep moving on. The demo / critique will give you some good ideas to work from. Even revisiting after later projects (and therefore more general practice and knowledge) can be good if that's motivating (I reckon). I also find it hard to use new advice in practice. I think you just need to keep reminding yourself as you work until it becomes habit. It can be good to have a list nearby that you look at from time to time as you work. I should do this also. 😅
Patrick Bosworth
Nice work here! You're closer with your proportions than you might think, these are pretty good for loose sketching from observation! Don't worry about the anatomy right now, keen observation will get you most of the way and you're picking up a lot of great cues from the reference. For now focus more on observing correct proportions while in the earlier stages of sketching light and loose. While you're sketching, it helps to flip the entire canvas to check your proportions. It'll immediately show you where you're off. The proportions of the thumb and index finger are a bit large compared to the rest of the fingers on Spidey-hand, but you maintained a good deal of the gesture for the entire arm. You might be zooming in on your work during the sketching process, which can lead to tunnel vision and losing control of the proportions so try to stay zoomed out where you can see your whole sketch. It looks like you're still a little hatchy with your lines, it takes a while to get used to using long flowing CSI lines. Try to get your whole arm and shoulder working instead of just the wrist. Tougher on a tablet surface, but try to remind yourself to work confidently from the shoulder when executing these longer continuous lines through the forms. Hope this helps, definitely move on and check out the demo and critiques for this on before you try again, you'll pick up a lot of great tips. Keep up the good work!
@xolotl1973
Not loose enough. That's going to take some work
Jacob Troutman
I need to hone in on what I was doing with the hand. Loose confident strokes is a skill that I want to refine.
@ruoyi105
Lyn Umu
3d
My sketches!
Umberto Sincovich
In this assignment I tried to focus more on line quality than on proportions, although I’m still not very happy with the lines themselves. Thinking too much about direction and length makes me lose confidence, so the lines end up feeling stiff instead of fluid and energetic. Hopefully this will improve with practice over time.
Melanie Scearce
You will develop this skill with practice, absolutely! It will take some experimentation to find the sweet spot. You want to work at a brisk pace but not so quickly that you stumble over your decision making. My advice is to try to find ways to simplify a bit more, using CSI. Focus on the biggest forms first; this will help you figure out your general proportions, and as you work you can figure out the smaller forms.
Krock
3d
My first attempt at drawing the hands exercise, after watching the demo for the penguin. I realised i should've used a larger art book for this lol. I haven't learnt on anatomy yet, and I am wondering if i have retained the knowledge from this lesson + the demo, to not focus on the individual lines solely and rather focus on the flow and expression. If there's anything that I can improve on, please let me know.
Melanie Scearce
Your hand drawing has good flow! It feels really clean, which is great, although this assignment gives you more permission to be a bit more exploratory with your lines. I would encourage you to loosen up a bit for your next drawing; don't be afraid to overshoot your lines. It can be difficult to -not- overshoot when you're going for energetic, tapered strokes, so I think you have room to push that energy a bit more. It's a learning curve for sure if you feel better with controlled and careful linework, but it's great for learning how to use your elbow/shoulder to draw (drawing larger definitely helps here).
Dana Cross-Payne
First attempt without watching the demo. Attempted the more sketchy lines that were suggested. Definitely struggled with proportions for the hands, and am working on more confident lines. Definitely felt the urge to scribble over areas I didn't like, but tried to resist. Feedback welcome
Listo
7d
My result for this assignment. I'm not very proud of it. I tried to focus on having dynamic lines ^^ It was hard to fit the figures into the page of my sketchbook, so for the penguin I used the head as a reference point to make it fit on the page. It was hard but fun, especially the part where I darkened the lines to get a better finish.
Scott Mooers
First attempts before watching the demo. My proportions are a little off but it's fine. Feedback is always welcome!
Krock
10d
My first attempt on the Level 1 Penguin. I think I got the proportions right. I got rid of its feathers on its backside because I felt that it doesn't provide much value to the drawing, and i was wondering if it'll look out of place in the drawing. I used the red pencil as recommended for the sketch.
@almagel
11d
Bobby Lo
11d
@chumbucket
Hi, i am very late, but i would love some feedback. Do ou think i missed the point of this assignment of did i hit the nail?
@sinnay
14d
My attempt at sketching from observation. I'd be happy to hear any feedback!
Mengran Xie
Welcome any critique for my sketches :) Had fun sketching the penguin, but the hand is very challenging to sketch out
Gerardo Spira
Ho if some one would give me some advice I would be so happy
Martha Muniz
Nice work overall! I like that you still thought about CSI lines for this assignment, as that's a principle that's helpful in drawing overall. Keep focusing on gaining a flow in your drawing as you sketch -- the goal is to get a loose, confident line as you put pencil to paper. I like that you redid lines until you found the correct mark, as being able to put down a mark and correct as you go is an important part of the loose sketching process. I would recommend to finish the line fully, even if you feel like it's wrong, in order to build a momentum instead of starting and stopping too quickly. You can still redo it, but following through helps keep your hand in a drawing flow. If it's looking too messy with all the overlapping lines, try starting lighter with faint lines, then once you find the correct line, go over it with a darker, final line. Hope this helps, you got this! :)
Jordan
19d
Here’s my assignment for the penguin, spider-hand and VR girl! I tried to use some gesture for the VR girl. I have trouble with landmarks and aligning features but think these came out okay! Feedback always welcome
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