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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
This exercise will help you avoid chicken scratch. Instead of uncertain pecking at the paper. We're going to draw each line with a focused and intentional path. Remember to draw from your shoulder, elbow and wrist. Avoid the fingers. When I tell you guys to simplify your lines, I'm usually referring to three types of lines, two curves and one straight.
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DOWNLOADS
project-simplify-to-csi.mp4
147 MB
project-simplify-to-csi-transcript-english.txt
4 kB
project-simplify-to-csi-transcript-spanish.txt
5 kB
project-simplify-to-csi-captions-english.srt
7 kB
project-simplify-to-csi-captions-spanish.srt
7 kB
ASSIGNMENTS![]()
![@jose7c]()
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![@francescovittone]()
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![Elizabeth Lhotak]()
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![Alvi Anowar]()
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![Bruno Villarrreal]()
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![Ratthew Rattington]()
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![Melanie Scearce]()
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![@samuels]()
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![@matt22german]()
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![Clue]()
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![Chuck Ludwig Reina]()
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![Sven]()
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![Patrick Bosworth]()
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![Yves]()
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![@richalynn]()
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![Martha Muniz]()
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![Nikolai]()
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![Ben Kraske]()
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![Daan Van Cauteren]()
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![Daan Van Cauteren]()
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![crina fratean]()
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![Melanie Scearce]()
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![Jorge]()
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![Ben Kraske]()
Download the photo reference images and try to simplify them using CSI lines. Draw each line with a focused and intentional path.
Your pace should be quick, but not rushed.
For this exercise, we will just consider the individual segments of the contour of a shape.
Same instructions for level one and two. Just a difference in difficulty of reference. The level two photos have more fun little tidbits to tempt you to get into the details, but fight the urge and simplify.
Also, no shading in these please. This is not meant to be a portfolio piece.
CSI
C = C Curves
S = S Curves
I = Straights
If you'd like to have a chance to be included in the upcoming critique videos, you must submit your drawings below by February 16th.
These are my first try of those drawings!! I had so many problems in proportions but trying to solve them!
Here my attempts for level 1. I felt I was lost too much in the details when drawing the boots
Here are my attempts for level 1 and level 2 assigments. I drew them before watching the demo and critique videos. Some of them were more challanging than others - the shoelaces in particular were confusing to me.
I feel like it's sometimes hard for me to draw in simple lines because I'm not a complete beginner, but I still find things I can improve in my drawings.
This is my work before I watch the demo and do them again. Might upload after work. Please let me know if you have suggestions. I think I am blind when it comes to like figure out the way thing looks or the perspective of a subject . I have tried that left boot so many freaking time. It still looks bad and wrong . I tried doing box and see if I can figure it out but no luck. I think the laces was the easy part at this point. The images are uploaded in the order I have finished so I think my lines look a bit more confident than the first ones. But feel free to critique.
Here my first and second attempt, I feel proud of myself for now, I always have troubles drawing clothes specially booths lol.
Simplifying lines is very helpful to understand the position of things, let you focus in what is importan 🧐
Pre demo / critique, excited to watch those as I'm sure there's a lot to learn there. I was seriously doubting myself going in, though I'm glad I pushed myself to see it through as it turned out way better than I thought I was capable of doing.
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2d
Very nicely done! Glad to hear that you surprised yourself. That's a great feeling 🙌 You made great CSI choices in both of these drawings. I think you got a little too detailed with the contour of the shell in the snail drawing, but that's a small critique. Overall this is a perfect level of simplification.
I found the boot very challenging - particularly the laces. I haven't watched the demo yet, but this was my attempt pre-demo.
I found myself forgetting to think about CSI.
My first attempt at the shoes and the snail before watching the demo. Please leave comments
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3d
Nice work! The object is to get some pencil miles in, so that eventually the art flows out of you without thinking. Doing these exercises can be tough because it seems like work, but I promise it is worth it in the long run! As you do them, make sure you are getting straights and curves in there. The blend of the two will help you control the feeling of solidness in your drawings. Again, nice work, and keep at it!
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4d
Nice work, and welcome back!
My try at the level 1 assignments - to be completely honest I can't STAND drawing shoes/boots 😖 those laces drive me crazy. Also couldn't resist a little bit of shadowing 😬
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7h
Very nice overall! You've got good proportions and a good balance of simplification vs detail. I would just recommend trying to find more straight lines to incorporate into the drawing, as having a variety of each kind of line adds visual interest and helps reinforce that balance of simplification. See if any areas can be further reduced to just a straight line. But solid work already! :)
I tried to use CSI but felt that I needed „searching lines“. The exercise felt useful nonetheless! Looking back at the pictures I notice that I did quite a bit of chicken scratching!
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6d
Utilize those techniques!! These are just sketches, and absolutely don't have to be single, clean linework only! If you look at how Stan's drawing in the demos, he uses searching lines! It's an important and valuable tool! If I could say one thing, is I'd see about getting your searching lines lighter so they don't overpower the lines you choose to define. Maybe tweaking the opacity/pressure for your brush? Nice work on these, keep it up!
Did the snail today, interested in what the demos are pointing out. Very fun drawing to do!
Did the boots, the laces were a bit much to handle but I think I did ok. Drawing the long csi lines to make the important outlines is satisfying and really makes you think about the object.
Started with the camel and felt confident and then moved to the snail and had some issues and got to the boots and I was sure that foreshortening and laces were going to put up a fight....and they did 😂 🤣 these 3 were all in one shot and I posted them right after finishing them which might mean that I am not fully done with them but I fear that if I add more I will ruin them. The skull is on the wish list for now because I did not want to do it exhausted.
I probably relied on my wrist more than I should have, and I have multiple questions about posture because I'm not sure if developing a Golum-esque posture is what I should be striving for.
Had fun. Hope you all have fun with yours as well
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6d
Your line quality it beautiful! Do you use a tripod grip or overhand grip? I fall into that same habit of getting kinda hunched over if I'm working really tightly/using tripod grip and focusing on details. If you're not using the overhand grip it might be worth a try to see if it makes a difference for you. It really encourages using your full arm, and as a result it's more difficult to get curled up. I do find it's helpful to draw a bit larger when using the overhand grip. This video goes more in depth into both pencil holds, the difference between them, and how to practice the overhand grip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMC0Cx3Uk84&vl=en
Just getting them in frame was quite difficult for me. I had to start over a few times because the boots would be too big. I also had to remember to not just trace visually. Think I should've made the whole shape first but I think the focus was the CSI aspect of it. The shoe laces added visual noise and made it a little difficult to come up with the whole shape. I thought it was interesting how what's I thought is in my mind's eye may not really have been there.
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6d
Using the envelope method may help with the size and shape, if you decide to try this project again! As for the laces, designing specific lines from that noise is part of the challenge! It'll get a lot easier with more practice with drawing from observation. Nice work and keep it up!
