Hey, @Vincent Duncombe! I should say that I don't think your exaggeration studies had limited success - to me, they seem very succesful. You were able to take what you see, understand its structure and change it deliberately to fit an idea you had in mind in a believable way. This is the essence of succesful figurative art. To answer your question directly, I think being able to draw from imagination is SUPER important as a skill for most artists. At some point, most of us face the need to use imagination skills, either because our reference is not ideal and we need to change or adapt a pose, expression or lighting scheme based on what we see, or because we want to come up with visual ideas for an entire fictional world from scratch. On the other hand, it's not because you CAN draw from imagination that you WILL. Sure, there's a big number of artists who pursue drawing from imagination as "THE ultimate skill", but this doesn't have to be true for everyone. Depicting reality as we see can also lead to great artwork. As Vilppu himself has said: "tools, not rules". And choosing which tools we use is really a matter of what we want to do. So if you didn't have that much fun drawing from imagination, that's totally fine. It's great that you have this clear goal of focusing on drawing from reference now. Who knows, maybe, at some point in your journey, you'll naturally find the place to let your imagination dialogue with your observation some more ... or maybe not, maybe you'll prefer to keep working from reference and honing your observation techniques over time. Either path is welcome. I'll stand by Steven Zapata's quote: draw what inspires you. If drawing from observation is what drives you now, I say stick to it as much as you like and as much as it makes sense to you. I'll seize this opportunity to suggest two videos that address topics related to this discussion. In case you haven't seen them, maybe take a look and, if you want, let me know what are your thoughts: . The Reference Sandwich - A Better Way to Use Reference Photos . Drawing WITHOUT Imagination - When You Can't Visualize ANYTHING Hope this helps!

Hey, @Audrey Giovanni, nice job! :) I like that the figures feel "flowy". The more dynamic poses, especially, show a good deal of energy and movement! One thing that popped out to me as an overall trait in your sketches is that some long lines are often looking "broken", and this is especially noticeable in the 30-sec sketches. Breaking down long contours into smaller angles can be really helpful to draw from observation, so it's not that you have to abandon it as a technique altogether; but it's just that, when it comes to focusing on gesture, I'd say you might try looking more for the "big picture" and how the angles flow one into the other (more so than the smaller, individual angles). So, instead of breaking down the long flows into smaller lines, try the opposite: unifying smaller areas intro longer rythmic flow lines. Check out the image I attached for additional visual notes. Another thing that called my attention is that your sketches really highlight the figure's silhouette - which is not an issue per se, but just notice for yourself if, in your mind, you're also keeping an eye on the 3D forms as you work through the gestures. Even when the sketch is so simple, it's still useful that we "think in 3D", noticing volumes, overlaps, form and perspective - even if we don't draw the actual lines that represent the volumes, having this "think-in-3D" mindset usually helps inform the gesture into a more solid and believable way. Other than that, keep it up! Hope this helps.

I love it!! How are you handling the material so far? Have you gotten used to the way oils work compared to other media you were more used to before? Also, have you watched any of the courses we talked about? Glad to know you're having fun.

@Jesse Yao I really like these mannequin studies! As a suggestion, I'd say you could try to create even more variety in the line weight (you're already getting some): keep the sketchier lines lighter, and darken a bit more the overlapping lines and the lines that add more definition to the figure and the forms - this should help add a touch of clarity and a slightly more refined aesthetics to the sketch. It may sound a bit like cleaning up, although the point is less about having a polished drawing and more about enhancing the clarity of the linework and the construction. I'm attaching a draw-over as an example of what I mean. Overall, great job balancing the solidity of forms plus the curvy rhythms of the gesture. Keep it up!

Hey @Jesper Axelsson, great study! One thing that stuns me in your drawings is how careful and sharp you like to be with the anatomy depiction. I'm not sure about your glenoid cavity question, but have you considered maybe enlarging the Scapula a bit? I see you tracked the Lat, and, if I'm not mistaken, it should overlap the very bottom of the Scapula. So, by making the Scapula bigger overall, you might be able to reduce the gap between it and the Humerus. About the Radius, I'm gonna agree with @João Bogo - when I look at that joint as very simple forms, I see the top plane of the forearm aligned with the top plane of the hand. I've also tried pressing my hand against my desk and attempting to move my forearm, but the wrist joint will always stay "locked" - when I tried this motion with my arm bent in a similar way to Laura's pose, I could only move my forearm a bit by using the shoulder joint; and even when I tried it with my arm straightened, the motion was on the elbow. So even though Laura is really super flexible (and strong by the way - that pose she's doing is absurdly difficult, I've dared to try a few times in yoga...), I guess it's anatomically impossible to rotate the forearm inward that much while keeping the hand pointing forward. Which actually makes sense with the The 6 Types of Joints lesson - since the wrist is an ellipsoid joint, it won't allow much for rotation. Hope this helps. Keep up the good work!

Hey @Lea, it's cool that you got the time to join this assignment! I think your drawing has a nice form structure overall, simple yet effective. I especially like how you represented the volumes around the eyes and nose. What I assume is the main thing you might be missing is a bit more accuracy in the shape and proportions of the jaw. You drawing shows a squarish jaw that extends lower than the bone structure of the model in the reference - a few tweaks might help you get a stronger degree of likeness. Maybe try using Measuring Techniques to look for the angles and size relationships. You might also try to look out for the value structure - establishing a solid relationship of values is one of the foundations of great shading. @Dorian Iten has very recently released a series of lessons on What Are Values?, maybe you might like to check them out? Finally, in case you haven't, make sure to check out Stan's Portrait Drawing Fundamentals course, especially the lessons on ears, lips and hair - there's some really useful information there. Hope this helps. Best regards!

This is a nicely compelling image, I can think of several stories it could tell. @Nanna Skytte, if you're looking for a challenge, perhaps this is something you could try: change the color palette and see how it affects the mood and the storytelling in the illustration. Maybe you could experiment with a variety of different concepts: colorful, dull, bright, dark, warm, cold... Depending on how comfortable you are with lighting fundamentals, you could also try varying the lighting scheme (hard light, soft light, multiple light sources...) , or maybe vary just the colors themselves for now. Perhaps you could even ignore all the details in the image and work just with very simple thumbnails that allow you to see the "big picture". It's just an idea! :) If you do feel like trying it out, I'll be curious to know how it turns out.

Awesome job, @Jesper Axelsson! Love the angles and shape design! Felt kind of "Bridgman-y" to me. As for the wrinkles, that's something I often find pretty challenging myself, but I'll share some thoughts anyway... I think, since the thumb is stretched and slightly pressuring the object, perhaps simplifying the contour to a straighter line could work fine. And, with that, I'd add a few extra wrinkles with a very subtle suggestion of volume shaping the inner edge of the contour line. I dared to try it - honestly, I'm not 100% satisfied, but that's my best take for today. :) And hey, please let me know what you think!

Hey, @Newton Llorente, nice work! As you keep practicing gesture, keep looking for these flowing, rhythmic curves as you seem to be already. If it helps, try to think of the body as a “flow path”: maybe imagine how water would flow throw it in sort of a “wavy” rhythm, as one curve leads to the other. (See the first image attached) I agree some of the figures got a bit cartoony, but I’d say not all of them. Since these are such simplified sketches, I think the “cartooniness” is coming from the head/body relationship - in other words, if you want to go with a more realistic approach, watch out for the size of the head compared to the body. An average human is about 7 heads and a half tall; when we draw the head bigger than that, it may start to feel cartoony. Of course, the most “guaranteed” way to get accurate proportions is by using Measuring Techniques. But save it for the longer drawings - since these ones are quick sketches and are supposed to be fast and intuitive, you don’t wanna spend time measuring and focusing on accuracy. So here’s a suggestion: keep in mind this “7 and a half” average as a mental reference, but, during your practice, try just eyeballing and going with your gut for how the proportions should be in your quick sketches. Whenever you notice a sketch is looking cartoony and you want it to look more realistic, quickly look for the head size compared with the body and, if it feels necessary, make the adjustments you need. With practice, you’ll slowly train you eye and will be able to spot this kind of thing more confidently. I think there is no problem in starting with the bean and attaching the limbs after, but try to make sure you don’t lose sight of the “big picture”. When practicing gesture, remember to look for the “line of action” and consider the overall flow across the various parts of the figure, not just each area individually. Definitely focus on Figure Drawing first if you want your drawings to be more realistic/proportional. Knowing anatomy is important, but Proko’s Anatomy course can get too complex too fast if you don’t have a nice grip on the basics first. Actually, the Figure course already provides a glimpse of anatomy, since you’ll be studying Landmarks of the Human Body at some point. But the Figure course will show you just enough anatomy for you to be able to solidly develop the skills you’ll need as a foundation. The Anatomy course will then approach the human body in much deeper details and will allow you to get more and more control and skillfulness over your figure drawings, but this should all build upon the knowledge you’ll get from the Figure Course - so, in a way, I guess I’d say the Figure course is somehow a “pre-requisite”. To post your drawings under the respective video, you can post it directly from the site’s home page by choosing where you want that post to be placed (don’t forget to check the “help request” box if you expect someone to give you feedback). Or you can also can go straight to the specific page of whatever the lesson and create a post under the “Assignments” tab, where all posts are help requests by default. (See the second image for visual notes on this) Hope this helps! Let me know if you have other questions. Happy drawing!

Hey @Brian Pardo, glad you enjoyed the stream. I like your drawing very much! The anatomy of the facial features feels pretty consistent, and I think the stylization in the proportions, whether intentional or not, conveyed sort of a strong personality to her look. I also like the hair texture quite a lot. One thing you could try when using charcoal or any other softer medium is to keep a small sheet of paper under your hand to protect the drawing from accidental smudges. One more idea would be to use plumb lines or another structural method such as Loomis's or Reilly's to check the measurements and placements in case you want to attempt retaining a stronger likeness with the reference (you can find more about plumb lines in Measuring Techniques; more about the Loomis method in Stan's Portrait Drawing Fundamentals; and more about the Reilly method in Draw Using Reilly Rhythms and in The Abstraction – Reilly Method for Caricature Drawing). Keep it up and please let me know in case you have any questions. Hope this helps!

@aprt2020 Good to see you completed the assignment! If you'd allow me one suggestion, I'd say try using some plumb lines (verticals, horizontals and diagonals) as @Kristian Nee recomended in other posts here in this section (see image). Plumb lines can really help us better visualize alignments, proportions and angles to establish the placements of each element in the drawing. If you have any questions, feel free to let me know. Hope this helps!

@Nanna Skytte I love the linework! I agree with Adam about the ear. For a stonger likeness, I'd say her head would need to be a bit more oval and elongated, especially on the top part. Despite that, I think you managed to build a very solid structure! Awesome job dealing with forms and edges.

Cool! :D

Nice job, @Jacek! The overall construction looks pretty good to me. Indeed, the ear needs more anatomy, but the general proportion and placement are fine! Make sure to check out the lesson on How to Draw Ears – Anatomy and Structure in case you haven't. About the hair, one great thing to be noticed is that, even though there could be more work on the texture, you shaded it very coherently as a 3D mass - I say this is great because it's something a lot of people have trouble with. Stan mentions great tips for drawing hair in How to Draw Hair, in case you haven't seen. Keep it up! And let me know if you have questions. Hope this helps.

@grytova I think it looks really beautiful. Line quality is great, and I like the hair texture a lot. Reducing the distance between the mouth and the chin might help attain a stronger likeness with the reference, indeed. Her left eye (the one farther behind) also looks a tiny bit too high, especially on the inner corner - just a very small adjustment needed perhaps. Other than that, great job!