ramonn90
patreon
This Is Why You Struggle When 'Drawing From Imagination' - My Solution!
🕑 Added 2023-12-19 18:28:00 +0000 UTCHey everyone!
Many artists struggle when "drawing from imagination," which in reality is "drawing from memory." Imagination often relies on recombining, altering, or expanding upon elements from real-world experiences stored in memory. So, your goal in this specific problem is to optimize your imagination process through storing key visual memories.
I learn by doing. Every time I draw a reference, it feels like my brain is creating a new road for my hand to follow when addressing that specific visual problem. Later, if the road is simple enough, it becomes easier to come back without the need for having the reference as a guide. Here is an exercise that might help.
Building Memory Roads
Memorizing is a process that occurs beyond our conscious capacities. Sometimes, we would like to remember things we like or forget things we hate, but that department is not in our control. What we can do is expose ourselves to certain activities in which we can memorize specific topics through repetition and through that repetition increase the chances of storing visual information.
For this example, let's imagine our goal is to learn how to draw female faces. Here is what you can do:
- Pick one portrait picture reference.
- Open it in Photoshop.
- Create a new file; in the new file, select windows/arrange/2-up Vertical and position the reference side to side with your canvas.
- Try to guess with lines what you are seeing - the shape of the eyes, nose, mouth, face, head, ears. (Don't trace).
- Keep it simple; don't add shadows.
It might look odd or not perfect, but that does not matter. You are building a new memory about how to capture that specific face, so it makes sense to look odd. Remember, your point is not perfection but building that path in the first place.
Simplification
Create a new layer and draw the face again, this time use fewer lines. I tend to make quicker strokes so the shape feels more simple and clean while exaggerating the size of face features like the eyes. However, the quality of the line or the style is not the goal here. The goal is for you to slowly capture this subject with fewer and fewer lines so your memory can later remember.
You can try again, making bigger strokes and fewer lines.
You can compare how in my first study I used more lines to capture shapes, like the eye, for instance, and how after some attempts I chose to shape the eyes using fewer lines.
Conclusion
The more complex the road, the more difficult it is to memorize; the more difficult it is to memorize, the more difficult it is to imagine. Reality is very complex, and our brains store just what is necessary. By targeting a topic and trying out this exercise, you will help your brain to capture specific sets of visual information in line with your goals, so that later, it can become easier to recall and create from imagination.
It's important for you to understand that this skill will not develop in a day or two. It does not happen accidentally quickly; otherwise, it wouldn't be a problem. So, set aside 1h or 2h a day to try out at least one reference. I focused on the female face today, but you can approach different subjects depending on your goal.
Last but not least, in HERE you can find more references, sharing is caring.
.
Tomorrow, I'll be sharing the process video of this piece along with the files and insights. They will be available for Mastering Maestro tier and above. Feel free to upgrade if you want more insights about my work.
Welcome to all new patrons! Feel free to drop any questions here in the comments, via DMs on Patreon, or in our Discord group. I'll be more than happy to answer and track your progress.
For more information, check out our Patreon FAQ: https://ramonn90.myportfolio.com/faq and Patreon Catalogue: https://ramonn90.myportfolio.com/work
Thank you.
Comments
Ramon Nuñez
It changes because you are actively copying another artist's style; it's actually a 'fan art'. You don't need to draw from photos; you can draw people or casual objects from the real world, and not an exact copy btw. The point of that exercise is understanding reality through the process of drawing, and storing this process for later use from imagination. This eventually will lead to a series of personal choices that might change, but it will be mostly distinctive from your subjective experience of the world. Fan arts are okay, but what you are actually doing is an interpretation of another person's interpretation of the world, disconnecting you from the original source, reality. It's like using someone else's eyes instead of yours. This is particularly useful for capturing a specific execution from the artist or art you admire, but remember, it's just one part of developing 'your style' as a whole. Ask yourself what is it that you like from that specific art/artist you want to do fan art of, and take that 'thing', whatever it is, as an object to study, not only from the artist you like but from subjects in the real world. That way you can find rich new details that may be missing in this limited interpretation from someone else.
Ludovica Fiore
my problem is that I find it very boring to draw from photos I would like to draw some fanart but my art style "changes" always TT how can I improve by doing fanarts?
Ramon Nuñez
You have some great storytelling skills, I've been paying attention. Keep going!
Doge
Interesting… I always daydream all the time. Probably I watched anime too much. Anime/manga inspires me to create my own story 😂 that’s what I made funny/interesting comics. I love to draw different expressions or something make my friends laugh.
