I sorta accidentally got into the habit of doing this because I'm too impatient to look for a reference. It is an incredibly valuable practice and I highly recommend it but it does come with 1 major caveat; if you go too long drawing things purely from memory, you will end up baking bad habits into your style. Artistic style is one thing, my style isn't realistic by any means, but it got to the point I drew rib cages entirely wrong, like I couldn't even put a shirt on them. it took a good while to get rid of that habit, so just make sure you're not letting yourself drift too much.
That's right, I 100% agree that you need to have studies quite often, but trying to use references as a crutch is like not actually learning what you've studied, it's like reading books about business vs building a business, kinda..., not the greatest analogy... but you get the point
Yeah when I was younger I didn’t have a good source of references and I really dreaded looking them up, so my art kinda just stank more than it had to lol
Not using references can be great practice and a fun way to challenge your current skill as an artist, I just don’t want anyone thinking they should never use reference. Almost every single artist should use references. The only artists that might regularly refrain from using references are seasoned artists with immense visual banks after years of using references. I’m not that great at explaining my point but (sorry this feels so rude 😭) if you look up “bad art advice” or related tittles you’ll find plenty of videos where a large chunk of them bring up the poor advice of “you shouldn’t use reference.”
Yeah It's ok, I hundred percent agree with your point, in another video I also explain the pitfalls of not using any references, and I strongly recommend that everyone use them for enhancing their drawing skill, but here I am talking about creating original characters and the best way you can achieve that faster. Thanks for watching, I appreciate your comment!
Really appreciate this comment because, I dont look at references enough , and before college never had anyone tell me to be using references. Coupled with people saying dont ever trace ever, lead me to only drawing from imagination.
@@imadinowithoutaname I mostly drew without references when I was younger and honestly you can really tell when I started using them bc my art is way better now
What I've been doing recently is to first do a sketch without reference as you mentioned here. After I'm satisfied with the design, I then use reference to fix any fundamental flaws in my sketch. This way, you still have the spontaneous design, but are still able to course correct by using proper references without relying on them heavily.
this is a fantastic idea.. I think from being an artist we always tend to forget that references are best tool to use a guide,analyzed and to be studied then from knowing the things that made our references so dynamic we can stylized from then.. some artist have been caged into thinking that copying the references as is will make a really good artist and a good drawing.. but I think art should be expressive that's how we differ from AI...
Ello so you brought up how you would draw squiggly lines and then picked out the lines from there you drew your character from said lines could you maybe do a video one day demonstrating that?
You need a balanced diet of studying. Tracing helps. Copying helps. Combining refs help. And yes, drawing from imagination helps. Work all of your artistic muscle groups!
i'm the type of don't person that don't use reference like 90% of the time... as time passes i'm using references more so the 90% is becoming less than 80%. References are important. If you want to design something you could sit on your desk and start to think about features and write it down on paper then try to do a rough sketch... but i as a person that don't use reference too often i recommend to use reference (the difference is abismal)
For years I've always drawn my original characters, however since 2020 n now i been drawing other's ocs n my favorite cartoons n game characters, i think it's because i became curious about how characters that aren't mines would look if i was to draw them. I always used references but sometimes i do just draw from imagination without using references
Soo would yiu recommend this to someone tryin to learning character drawing but isn't very good with anatomy yet? I always thought I should learn to understand the body proportions first before doing something like this just so I don't get into a habit of doing the body parts wrong. I'm not talking about having yiur own style lol thats totally different. Great video awesome thought process really got me thinking and reflecting on some of my old habits that I should try breaking thankyou.
if you're starting out, you need to pass a period of intense study, and study means looking at the reference and analysing the structure of the object you want to draw, but after you get good at copying and you develop a basic level understanding, then you need to explore on your own and only use reference to get inspired to generate your own ideas. Thanks for watching! I hope it was helpful
For me I did this and then accidentally went too far into the other direction and ended up just doing mindless doodles that didn’t push my creativity whatsoever. So I’m trying to figure out how to balance this
@@Saraartminer i think part of the issue for me is that I don't challenge myself mentally/creatively. definitely about balance between technical challenge and creative challenge, I hope I can figure it out! definitely should do some more studies
I think what you said about it not helping you to copy or draw the same thing over and over isn't true. When you finally drew without reference all of that knowledge you gathered by drawing by referencse came out. I really think most people will start out copying and if you think of it as a learning tool rather than your final destination it can be very helpful.
Yep, then you should use references more often, in this video I am specifically referring to people who have started with studying references and never got into Drawing from imagination.
I sorta accidentally got into the habit of doing this because I'm too impatient to look for a reference. It is an incredibly valuable practice and I highly recommend it but it does come with 1 major caveat; if you go too long drawing things purely from memory, you will end up baking bad habits into your style. Artistic style is one thing, my style isn't realistic by any means, but it got to the point I drew rib cages entirely wrong, like I couldn't even put a shirt on them. it took a good while to get rid of that habit, so just make sure you're not letting yourself drift too much.
That's right, I 100% agree that you need to have studies quite often, but trying to use references as a crutch is like not actually learning what you've studied, it's like reading books about business vs building a business, kinda..., not the greatest analogy... but you get the point
@@Saraartminer 100% yeah
Yeah when I was younger I didn’t have a good source of references and I really dreaded looking them up, so my art kinda just stank more than it had to lol
Not using references can be great practice and a fun way to challenge your current skill as an artist, I just don’t want anyone thinking they should never use reference.
Almost every single artist should use references. The only artists that might regularly refrain from using references are seasoned artists with immense visual banks after years of using references.
I’m not that great at explaining my point but (sorry this feels so rude 😭) if you look up “bad art advice” or related tittles you’ll find plenty of videos where a large chunk of them bring up the poor advice of “you shouldn’t use reference.”
Yeah It's ok, I hundred percent agree with your point, in another video I also explain the pitfalls of not using any references, and I strongly recommend that everyone use them for enhancing their drawing skill, but here I am talking about creating original characters and the best way you can achieve that faster.
Thanks for watching, I appreciate your comment!
Really appreciate this comment because, I dont look at references enough , and before college never had anyone tell me to be using references. Coupled with people saying dont ever trace ever, lead me to only drawing from imagination.
Yeah, drawing without references its just a skill check. References its all for artists because you can't draw a something good if your head is empty.
@@imadinowithoutaname I mostly drew without references when I was younger and honestly you can really tell when I started using them bc my art is way better now
I find myself stuck in a LOOP, but love that you found a way to combat it and are sharing it with others!
Thank you so much for watching, I'm so glad you liked it :)
it sounds like you've built a large visual library
What I've been doing recently is to first do a sketch without reference as you mentioned here. After I'm satisfied with the design, I then use reference to fix any fundamental flaws in my sketch. This way, you still have the spontaneous design, but are still able to course correct by using proper references without relying on them heavily.
I am 💯 down for a video about random lines.
Glad to hear that :)
thank you for the helpful video! i always struggle with drawing efficiently, now i hope i can draw faster too. i love your art btw!
Thanks for watching! glad you liked it, I hope it was helpful✨
this is a fantastic idea.. I think from being an artist we always tend to forget that references are best tool to use a guide,analyzed and to be studied then from knowing the things that made our references so dynamic we can stylized from then.. some artist have been caged into thinking that copying the references as is will make a really good artist and a good drawing.. but I think art should be expressive that's how we differ from AI...
Strongly agree, AI cannot compete with Arts that have personality and the human touch! thank you so much for watching! I Appreciate your viewpoint 💯
Your voice is so cute and soothing!! (also thank you for your wisdom :3)
Thanks, so nice of you! :))
Ello so you brought up how you would draw squiggly lines and then picked out the lines from there you drew your character from said lines could you maybe do a video one day demonstrating that?
Yes I was thinking about making that exact video, it's sucha fun practice!
Thank you so much for watching! :)
@@Saraartminer wonderful can’t wait til then
I feel like the bracketed title suits the video a lot more
Thanks for the suggestion, maybe I should
I will try this with my next project ❤
Happy to hear that! :)
You need a balanced diet of studying. Tracing helps. Copying helps. Combining refs help. And yes, drawing from imagination helps. Work all of your artistic muscle groups!
You said it 💯
i'm the type of don't person that don't use reference like 90% of the time... as time passes i'm using references more so the 90% is becoming less than 80%. References are important. If you want to design something you could sit on your desk and start to think about features and write it down on paper then try to do a rough sketch... but i as a person that don't use reference too often i recommend to use reference (the difference is abismal)
For years I've always drawn my original characters, however since 2020 n now i been drawing other's ocs n my favorite cartoons n game characters, i think it's because i became curious about how characters that aren't mines would look if i was to draw them.
I always used references but sometimes i do just draw from imagination without using references
I do big weapon small character and leg warmers for main characters
Thanks again for your vid and your charming voice ❤
Thank you! I'm glad you liked it :)
You sound like Kooleen
“Oh I just draw some squigily lines and a character appears.” What a punch in the gut.
Hahaha, great, So you don't believe it? exactly like I predicted
It was a good prediction! People will often believe evidence and their own experiences rather than a the assertion of a stranger.@@Saraartminer
Soo would yiu recommend this to someone tryin to learning character drawing but isn't very good with anatomy yet? I always thought I should learn to understand the body proportions first before doing something like this just so I don't get into a habit of doing the body parts wrong. I'm not talking about having yiur own style lol thats totally different. Great video awesome thought process really got me thinking and reflecting on some of my old habits that I should try breaking thankyou.
if you're starting out, you need to pass a period of intense study, and study means looking at the reference and analysing the structure of the object you want to draw, but after you get good at copying and you develop a basic level understanding, then you need to explore on your own and only use reference to get inspired to generate your own ideas.
Thanks for watching! I hope it was helpful
For me I did this and then accidentally went too far into the other direction and ended up just doing mindless doodles that didn’t push my creativity whatsoever. So I’m trying to figure out how to balance this
Yep, you should challenge yourself every so often with some studies, like you pointed out it's all about the balance, thank you so much for watching!
@@Saraartminer i think part of the issue for me is that I don't challenge myself mentally/creatively. definitely about balance between technical challenge and creative challenge, I hope I can figure it out! definitely should do some more studies
I think what you said about it not helping you to copy or draw the same thing over and over isn't true. When you finally drew without reference all of that knowledge you gathered by drawing by referencse came out. I really think most people will start out copying and if you think of it as a learning tool rather than your final destination it can be very helpful.
What pencil brush do you use?
In this video I am using Peppermint and 6B pencil brush
my problem is that i cant make myself use references ; -; i always forget abt it
Yep, then you should use references more often, in this video I am specifically referring to people who have started with studying references and never got into Drawing from imagination.
you're saying a lot of things that don't really mean anything
I agree It's hard to know what it all means, but it will come with experience, thanks for watching!