Searching Lines

6.8K
Course In Progress

Searching Lines

6.8K
Course In Progress
Stan Prokopenko
In this impromptu bonus lesson, I explain how I think about Searching Lines when sketching, show you 3 levels of 'losseness', and explain the practical application for each.
Newest
Ary 27 P
1mo
Dauntae S
3mo
Hands are honestly my kryptonite but i did better than i thought i would
Isaiah
3mo
This, was a fun one. Especially drawing the hippo. Nice sweeping curves.
@pioneer_land
I love your style!
Rachel Dawn Owens
Beautiful sketchbook page! I love it
@kkingmd
6mo
most of what i’m doing now is “lost”, but every once in a while i a nice clean ellipse. i just fill each page of the sketchbook with practice and trust that progress will come. thank you for this insightful lesson!
@rennielindoso
This was very helpful because I used to get a sense of awkwardness, of not doing the right thing, whenever I had lost lines while i was designing a new character I didn’t really know yet how it was going to go, while I was still searching. It’s great to hear it is part of the process of figuring it out.
Zenas
11mo
I kind of like the lost and found lines
Sean MacLean
When I was trying the Mario Mushroom exercise, all my line were lost lines it was very frustrating and disheartening…
Emma X
6mo
Me toooooo T_T
@karlyn
1yr
My attempt at drawing some animals.
Martha Muniz
Hi there! I think something that can help is to think about the basic shapes that make up the subject, helping inform the preliminary searching lines for your sketch. The course has a section that goes further into this, but you can start applying it here with a focus on linework. For example, the mouse can be broken down into a simple oval for the body and an oval for the head. Lightly sketching these major shapes in first will allow for cohesiveness and flow throughout your lines as you start adding in more details, since they act as unifying "big picture" guide and free you up from narrowing into a single stroke at a time.
@mingle757
2yr
For Miss Robot, I first used a red pencil to rough in the drawing. I think she turned out pretty well, but got a little messy. I traced over the first drawing to better see the final result. She still needs work.
Nicholas Allott
This is a good way of thinking about lines. Its nice to know they all have their place.
Theresa
2yr
Fantastic bonus lesson Stan…just clarified my ‘searching thoughts’ about the various introductions of the different line exercises. I just stopped spinning and started dancing!
@thewayofallflesh
That is a really good metaphour
@sheldron
2yr
@misepuca
2yr
Dang, that was helpful. Thanks. I feel like spend a lot of time and anxiety in this space.
@bonnieblue
Sketching from imagination from a velvet work & a hat. A character for my 2 yr old granddaughter to color. I worked it out on my tablet, then sketched w/ pencil
Lynn Fang
2yr
Thank you Stan for confirming the use case of lost lines! That made me not so frustrated when I drawing down a mess to get my thoughts materialized. But in another case, if I'm not very good at drawing some kinds of shapes(especially ellipse), I tend to draw down "lost lines", even I'm so clear about which shapes they should be. I just can't control my arm and shoulder. Here is a typical failure below.
T.M. Dusablon
The tire proved to be much more challenging than I anticipated
John Daniels
Looking back through my last few days of drawings I noticed I end up with "lost" lines when I have no idea how I am suppose to translate a reference to the page. Those lines help me stay ahead of any fear from a blank page since no stroke is precious in that mess. This gives me the confidence to keep making marks until I figure things out. If I am lucky enough to feel I know what I am doing, I start on "searching" lines. Otherwise it a second pass from the "lost" line scribble with a better plan of action. I still have to search because I'm not skilled enough to make clean lines without some under drawing. "Clean" lines either come after lots of deliberation, hesitation and ghosting or are an over draw based on "searching" lines.
Barbara Van Asperen
Thank you, John, for explaining your proces of getting the feel by getting started. I recognize it and your explaining makes me feel better... It is a sort of a proces ... And I do it less when i am more confident with what I draw... But sometimes I don't get the feel of the markmaking at all. For me it is sometimes also a problem of not being able to concentrate.../focus.
Marek Krząszcz
I just want to say thank you Stan - I was kind of fixed in my head to have as clean lines as possible (but still drawing things loosely) and I was wondering if I am missing something. I think I found the answer in this video to utilize more "searching lines" because at the end at the current stage of the course, I should be sketching and learning to do it fairly quickly, not focusing on making my sketch look like the finished work.
Erin
2yr
So just to confirm, when you do the single clean line, you use tapered lines to achieve it?
@samkatz405
That's the message I am getting!
Margaret Langston
This lesson is actually very helpful. Thank you for pointing out that thought-vomiting has value. Sometimes, it's all I can do when trying to get out an idea.
Rui Pedro
2yr
Just because I’ve bern drawing so much of the lv. 1 assignment, the VR girl is turning into a character. Next I’ll add the penguin
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About instructor
Founder of Proko, artist and teacher of drawing, painting, and anatomy. I try to make my lessons fun and ultra packed with information.
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