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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.
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Founder of Proko, artist and teacher of drawing, painting, and anatomy. I try to make my lessons fun and ultra packed with information.
LESSON NOTES
Alright guys, let's jump into the deep end and see how you do! I feel like we've been talking a lot and not drawing enough. So, before we move on to learning about Lines, I want to give you an opportunity to spend some time doing a simplified drawing. You’re going to draw a pear or portrait if you’re doing the level 2 project. I know… A fruit isn’t the most exciting thing to draw, but it’s going to allow you to focus on the process I’m going to show you, instead of being distracted by a difficult subject matter.
This will let us see where you're at with your skills. It’s totally fine if you're at zero. Kind of expected actually. But, you'll identify right away what you struggle with. And you’ll be introduced to a lot of the skills that you’ll be working on improving in this course.
You can draw from the photos I provided in the downloads tab, or find your own fruit and draw from life. Pick a fruit that has an interesting shape you like. Put the fruit on your desk and shine a light on it. Move the light around until you like the balance of light and dark shapes.
If you don’t want to draw the photo I provided, or you want to do more than one, feel free to find your own photo. Just make sure you choose a photo with a strong single light source that creates a clear separation of lights and shadows. Many moons ago I wrote a blog post about good photo reference.
Make sure you take a photo of it from your point of view, so you can include it when posting your drawing in the community. If you want to be critiqued by me or others in the community, we'll need to see what you were drawing.
Join us in the premium course to get access to this lesson, full lesson notes, assignments, demonstrations and critiques!
DOWNLOADS
project-simplify-from-observation.mp4
183 MB
project-simplify-from-observation-transcript-english.txt
5 kB
project-simplify-from-observation-transcript-spanish.txt
6 kB
project-simplify-from-observation-captions-english.srt
9 kB
project-simplify-from-observation-captions-spanish.srt
8 kB
ASSIGNMENTS![]()
![Yeabsira Digafe]()
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![Camille Varner Kolafa]()
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![@grlpatch666]()
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![Camille Varner Kolafa]()
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![@georgeg]()
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![Ben K]()
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![@boondra]()
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![Ben K]()
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![Vincent C]()
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![Ben K]()
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![William Jeggo]()
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![Ben K]()
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![miguel hernandez]()
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![miguel hernandez]()
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![Ben K]()
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![@beyondfire94]()
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![@space_ace]()
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![@zoexxiv]()
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![Camille Varner Kolafa]()
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![Sheyla Rocha]()
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![Camille Varner Kolafa]()
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![dohgameman676]()
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![Camille Varner Kolafa]()
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![@withflyingcolors_art]()
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![Camille Varner Kolafa]()
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![Vincent C]()
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![Camille Varner Kolafa]()
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![Thejas G R]()
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![@xavierriverin]()
Use the reference photos in the downloads tab or go find your own reference and start drawing! Remember, this project is all about simplifying to clarify.
Make sure to keep these 3 things in mind:
Shapes - Draw your shapes with straight lines
Values - Use only 5 values. 2 in the shadow and 3 in the lights
Edges - Make every single edge sharp!
I'll publish my drawing demos of both levels next Tuesday so you can watch me go through the problem solving process. For a chance to be included in the critique videos, you must submit your drawing to the community by January 26th, 2023, so I can begin filming and producing the critique video.
Greetings everyone! This is my first post on the proko platform! After watching the first 7 videos I took a pause to give this first project my best shot(Course of a few days). I still need to purchase some materials but I used what I had, luckily I had some old art supplies from a few years ago.
1. (IMAGE #1 Value) The first image is me seeing what 4 values I would be using for this exercise aside from the highlight value. The graphite pencils I have are pretty old so I don't know how that effected them or if they did but I definitely noticed that something was off. For example my 2b appeared to be darker than the 4b or 5b even though I applied the same amount of pressure for each tonal value. So I just put them all on one page and selected different values from light to dark. (Highlight = blank | Light Half Tone = 4H | Dark Halftone = B | Light Shadow = HB | Dark Shadow = 6B)
2. (IMAGE #2 Pears) I would definitely categorize myself as a beginner although I had some interest in art in the past so I watched a lot of videos but my grasp on the fundamentals and application needs work. The second image I drew all three pear references. (In the words of Proko the more you draw the better you'll get) I struggled a lot with the stem and getting accurate proportions. I also especially had a hard time differentiating between the light and dark halftones. Still getting used to used to drawing with my whole arm. Definitely had some trouble with drawing certain lines at certain angles. ALL CRITIQUE IS WELCOME PLEASE GO CRAZY!!! ID REALLY APPRECIATE IT!
3. (IMAGE #3 Portrait) Like I said I definitely think I would put myself in the Level 1 Category however in spirit of the more in more out philosophy I decided to give the portrait a try. I was on the fence about drawing it at first but one focus I have getting into this course is getting over that avoidance of making mistakes or being bad at first. So I decided to tell myself it will probably be bad anyways and it would only help me to make an attempt. I felt relatively confident in getting a general shape of the head however all that went away when trying to get the actual proportions of the face down especially the brow line and the nose. I felt zero confidence in the ears nose, lips and eyes but I gave my best shot at the anatomy. I did focus on Shapes, Values, and Edges like the exercise requested but it was hard to keep from hyper-fixating on the little things.
I also attached all the reference images just to document everything together. And to whoever reads my essay, THANKYOU!
P.S I could also use some advice on the best methods to upload clear work for revision. I had a hard time scanning the drawings and uploading them with good quality. I scanned with the notes app on my phone, converted the images from pdf to JPG online and then Uploaded them here but I noticed they look a little blurry.
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24m
Welcome, glad to have you here on Proko!
So even though your pencils are old, that shouldn't make them go bad or anything. It may just be the brand/quality that is affecting your output. It wouldn't hurt to try a different brand when you can! I do think the different pencils are somehow extremely similar in value. To me, they all appear as midtones kinda. That being said, for me it could also be the lighting.
On your pears, I think you've got a great start! My biggest notes would be to make sure you're breaking everything down into shapes and giving everything straight lines. Your midtone value (between the darkest and lightest values) doesn't have a defined shape. Work on getting your values to read more clearly in general, I have a little difficulty seeing all 5!
Good start on the portrait as well. You have a great mindset, it never hurts to try, you're getting that practice in! To note for your next attempt, make sure you're getting all 5 of your values in and don't be afraid the darkest value! Proko also has a value tool if you need help seeing the different values! https://www.proko.com/values
When uploading your images, the best and easiest thing I can suggest is just to try and take a good quality photo. It helps a lot to use natural lighting if you can because artificial lighting can make your values appear differently. When I've used the notes app to scan, it never works right for me. I'm assuming you don't have a printer at home with a flatbed scanner, that would be a great option if you do.
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21m
Nice job! Don't forget to try and break the values down into shapes using straight lines, and strive to put in 5 values! This took on Proko is super helpful https://www.proko.com/values. It can help to draw in a value box scale on your page, and you can refer to it as a kind of "key" for referencing your values.
I dont have the right pencils but thought id give it a go anyway. Unsure if I have done this one right
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1d
Nice work! Your cross hatching looks good! However, for this project, the shading should be evenly filled in to purposefully designed shapes. If you outlined the areas you have hatched, and then filled them in, for example. For the shadow of the pear as well, I'd take another look at identifying the lighter shadow in the darkest shadow. Keep it up! You can definitely do a lot with less pencils, but it can certainly make it easier with more options. Keep it up!
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1d
An awesome first go! Don't be afraid to go dark on your pear! The shadow on the pear should be about as dark as the cast shadow. Your shapes and shading are nice and clean! Keep on drawing! :)
My attempt for the level 2 portrait assignment, the values on my level 1 assignment were not clearly distinguishable so I tried doing this one digitally. The initial sketch was made on paper over which I added the values on my Ipad.
Any advice or feedback would be much appreciated!
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1d
Very nice work on the proportions!
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1d
Nice job! You could push your dark values more on the pear and get those shadows darker. The shadows should be closer to the cast shadow underneath it! Keep it up! :)
second try, after watching the demo. Still need to work on a lot of things but i think it looks a little better.
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1d
The best part about a first try is that there are gonna be sooo many tries after, and after a while you'll be able to look back and see how far you've come! For this attempt, I'd recommend lightening up your halftone that surrounds the highlight, and darken the darkest shadow, and see about defining the darker halftone between the shadows and light. Also keep in mind as you shade to fill in consistent strokes in the same direction to keep it looking nice and clean. Keep it up and keep on drawing! :)
Hi! I've been visiting an art school as a kid looooong time ago, I have given up because I was a teenager with no responsibility and lost my passion. I tried to pick it back up a few times, but felt like I've lost all the joy from drawing. I kept approaching it not like fun, but a grind to a future artist profession or something.
So I'm not a complete beginner. I really hope to stick to the course and finish it. I started to pay more attention to the process than the results and don't hope to get any money from it, only joy.
Here's my pearl😄
My first assignment of the course, and I'm not super proud of this one. I ended up ironically using pen to shade the darker parts as I did not have the correct pencils, but thankfully that will no longer be an issue, and tried my best to finish despite my earlier stupid mistake.
Hello everyone!
I've never really studied drawing/fundamentals before, so I am hoping to learn a lot through the course!
My previous experience was all self taught, which resulted in me hitting a wall due to not having enough technical knowledge to execute the ideas I had in mind, which ultimately led to me for quitting drawing entirely for 7 years! But I am back now, and ready to learn.
Any advice or critique is appreciated! I hope to learn and grow, and hopefully become good enough so that in time I can offer advice and encouragement to those that are in a similar position to myself! :)
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2d
Welcome, I'm happy to hear you've decided to return to drawing! This course will definitely help you learn and improve a lot :) Your pear is looking great, you've got the straight lines, shapes, and 5 values down! My notes on this for you would be try to simplify and shape the values you see even more, and try to find more spots to include the darkest value on the pear. Some of your values are really small and almost just lines instead of defining shapes. Keep up the good work, looking forward to seeing your practice along the course!
I just started the Drawing Basics course and completed the first project. I've been drawing on and off (mostly off) for the past almost 7 years. I used to draw very often before that but I guess I've been having severe artist block. I'm hoping this course can help me out.
Any advice is appreciated.
:)
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2d
Welcome, always glad to see someone aiming to improve their skills! I think this course will certainly help you get out of that art block. You've got a great start on this project! I would suggest breaking down those values a little more--I see 5 values, but for the most part there is only 4 in the pear. Try to get that darkest one in more areas. It helps to draw a value box scale somewhere on your page so you can see what technique helps you get the different values. I also think some of your values lose their shapeliness and come across more as "shading", like those close to the middle of your pear. Make sure you break the values down into shapes with straight lines and you're golden! Great work again :)
Some various attempts. I think I have the most trouble getting the proportions of the pear itself correct, which then extends to trouble matching the positions of the shadows.
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3d
It might help to try and mark the most "important" points of the pear! Putting tic marks at the highest point of the stem, highest point of the pear, outermost point of each side, and bottom of the pear. Give it a shot if you haven't already! Your current attempts are looking good though, just be sure you're getting those 5 values in :)
With my first attempt I struggled greatly with differentiating the values, also with the readability of the shadow zones. With the second one, I focused first on the value scale, and made sure the 5 zones were correctly readable. I forgot the names, but zone 2B and 4B could still use some more difference in value, also some outlines show a bit through.
but, onwards to the next!
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3d
Honestly I think your values read really well on your first try! That being said, your coverage is a lot more even on your 2nd attempt so that definitely helped. Really nice job!
Hey everyone! This is my submission for the Level - 1 assignment, please critique it and give me some feedback.
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3d
You've got a great start! My biggest note is that not all of your values are clearly readable, and it is hard to determine if there are 5 values. You did a good job focusing on shapes and straight lines though! I would suggest to try drawing a value box scale somewhere on the page. It will help you establish your 5 values and get used to the technique needed to achieve your values (like the pencil pressure and stroke direction, etc.). Don't be afraid to put lines around all the shapes you see too, like I think I see the light value next to the darker shadow could have a bit of an outline to help simplify it. That value in particular I also think could be a little darker because it is very close to the light one to the right of it (the 2nd lightest, from white of the paper). Great job again, though!
Starting over after being not able to continue. I feel like I have lost a bit of touch from first go around. Hopefully I can follow theough this time 🤞
Here's my first attempt at simplifying a pear! Drawing digitally. I first used an HB pen brush to do the contour. Then used a red one to mark the difference between the values. As for the values (filling), i went with a full color.
I know I want to try with a brush that shows grain for my second attempt. If any advice comes to mind upon seeing my drawing, thank you for sharing!
