The litmus test for someone who knows truly how to draw is to ask them to redraw whatever object they drew but from a different angle or perspective. Most people to learned by measuring and training their eye won't be able to do it.
In order to draw, you need to internalize the 3d shape. Start from basic shapes and learn to draw them in different angles and perspective distortions - surprisingly difficult.
Then increase the complexity. As you draw, you need to not think in 2d, but in 3d and it needs to be more intrinsic than just "translation". You are so into it, you forget that you're drawing on a 2d plane.
When you learn it this way, it gets easier to do follow up tasks such as shading and coloring.
Syrcra is a great resource on YT and expands on what I just summarized: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpHAxHY8zvaMOCO6zeYxq...
I’m a bit surprised at the perceived hostility here. When it comes to making things, since when was there only one way to do anything?
an example - https://www.pinterest.ru/pin/442760207118409728/ Generally such result is achieved through very specific rigorous steps to which that downvoted comment referred.
The training that you suggest is also nice but I understand why someone classically trained would object to it.
The problem is that your method is an easy way to get great results and probably good enough for hobbyists. But if you really want to seriously learn how to draw, I implore you to explore the formal way of learning how to draw. It's hard and long haul task, takes years but it is damn satisfying.
That exercise I outlined was the first project that gave me the confidence I needed to pursue a fine art education up to an undergraduate level. I didn’t get to that point without learning anything more, but I honestly don’t feel I made a critical error here.
And with respect to the OP, it kind of does look like he aims to only be hobbyist levels of good.
I commend your passion for the subject. I just can’t support the idea that there is a right and wrong way to learn how to draw.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
If someone puts forth a view, and you say what he consciously chose as his recommendation is the worst option to choose, literally any other choice would have been better[1], you are basically implying that the criteria of that person is actively harmful to the world and he would have best shut up. That he is an idiot, basically.
[1] Yes it is clearly an exaggeration but it is what you wrote. Kind of drawing what you see instead of what you think there is there :)
> The litmus test for someone who knows truly how to draw is to ask them to redraw whatever object they drew but from a different angle or perspective. Most people to learned by measuring and training their eye won't be able to do it.
How many of us, when we encounter a piece of artwork we appreciate, really care if the artist is able to redraw the object from another angle?
There are some limited circumstances where I can see this skill being relevant: for example, if you want to publish a series (a visually elaborate webcomic or such), or you want to be hired to work to spec doing e.g. animation or storyboarding. That aside, just being able to draw something others appreciate—even if that involves shortcuts and working around own limitations—sounds like an important stepping stone and a source of dopamine that can motivate further learning, which could eventually get you to mentally seeing things in three dimensions and being able to draw an object from any angle.
A parallel I can draw from personal experience is with music. We don’t make students learn notation and music theory first; we start with actually playing, practicing the motions, stretching fingers, learning to hit the right keys/buttons/strings, etc. If you get to being able to just play cool tunes, that’s good. If you don’t advance past that, some would consider that unfortunate and I won’t argue with that, but invalidating this stage outright sounds like unnecessary gatekeeping.
> ask them to redraw whatever object they drew but from a different angle or perspective.
since the context presented in the original article is the question of how to learn to draw.
It is asking too much to expect a student to redraw an object from a different perspective before they have even learned how to render anything.
Learning takes place in steps. Roberthahn was being far more constructive with his comment that offered the exercise of copying a black and white drawing in order to learn how to see light vs shade. That's the first two steps in learning how to draw - learning how to see light vs shade, and translating that perception into your fingers.
In my view, the only valid critique of the copy method (or any other way of learning) could be if it doesn’t work, otherwise I see no reason to declare that method of learning as unequivocally “bad” except to heighten the barrier to entry.
It is so powerful! You can draw comic strips to serious fine art almost effortlessly after understanding the construction of the form.
I just think that it is the only way to learn how to draw because it is a superset of everything else.
On the other hand, presuming I had some basic ability going (which is what the copy method appears to promise), having proven to myself I can draw at all, I can see myself advancing to this skill eventually.
Parent advice is spot on: the initial exercises need to focus on arranging lines and spaces maintaining arbitrary proportions, and copying existing things is great for that. The other foundational stkill is shading, but that's easy enough to learn by doing.
Then you move into figure study, and maybe begin to develop your own style, but it's not really needed at this phase. You know shapes by now, so drawing cats, animals, persons outlines works great in putting harmony into shapes.
Once one can reliably put down shapes and proportions and shading, it's time to move up to scenes. Object interactions, shadows, relative positioning are the skill to master here, perspective lines can help at the beginning, copying architecture and placing figures on it a great exercise.
Once this skillset is built then you've the tools to test yourself, and the litmus test is not drawing figures, that is foundational. The litmus test is to draw a figure out a scene in various styles so that it's clear in each different production both that the character and which style does it fit.
But I do agree. The best thing I did to improve my drawing skills (which are still shit) was to move from thinking in 2D to think in 3D. This small (but mentally big) change improved my drawing skills 10 fold.
This is my pet peeve.
There are similar things in learning instruments. Bad habits stick.
When I observe people who quickly paint portraits, they usually first fill the paper with big dark areas (where the major shadows will be), and only afterwards add shapes and details. So it's a bit like iteratively loading JPEG: first the entire picture in low resolution, then gradually increasing resolution.
Would you call both these approaches "learning bad habits"?
Was this a university course? Unless you're a fine arts major I can't imagine any teacher being such an asshole that they grade an art class based on artistic ability. Usually its just a matter of participation and putting effort into the assignments.
Try this project:
Take a sheet of paper and divide the space into 2 equal halves. In one half make a collage of black and white images. No color - this is important. Try to fill the space if you can.
Once done, get a pencil, eraser and ruler. Your job is to copy the collage into the other half as accurately as possible.
To do this, measure where every point is on the collage - any place where 2 edges come to a point, then plot that point in your working space. With or without the ruler, copy the edges. Then focus on how dark or light the part of the collage you’re copying is and replicate that.
After awhile you will find you’ll want throw away the ruler and do it by eye. Try it. You will find yourself drawing much better.
Some tips: you have to use pencil and paper. A screen is going to throw you off. You can always try it on a second or third attempt of this project.
This one project literally took my art mark from a failing grade to 85%, and everyone after swore I had a gift. It’s not a gift. It’s just a skill that develops with hours of practice.