#71 - Artists, Consolidate What You Learned, Keep Practicing Until It Becomes Second Nature Is Better Than Looking For New Art Tutorials Online
Do this instead of looking for tutorials online and only superficially studying them.Warm-Up Drawing Exercises
Quickly become better at drawing—without burning out—by using my workbook.
In previous articles, here , and here , I argued that you should try the drawing from memory exercise.
If you know me, you know that I will now argue the opposite!
Because, as I explained elsewhere , you should not take advice from someone who doesn’t know what you’re trying to achieve.
And did I interrogate you? Do I know where you want to go with your art? Do I know what you want to do with your life? No, I did not, and I don’t.
Hence, I cannot advise you on what to do.
But in all seriousness, do try the drawing from memory exercises. Do the exercise for fifteen minutes each day for five days.
You know you have time for it. Stop doom-scrolling on Insta for fifteen minutes and draw something you saw yesterday from memory. It’s time better spent.
What should you do otherwise instead? Look at the lessons you learned recently, open your sketchbook, and practice these.
The two huge influences on my growth process are currently Marshall Vandruff and Kim Jung Gi.
Marshall’s teachings on Bridgman— his videos are now on YouTube for free —taught me so much about thinking about shape, form, and expressive poses that tell a story that I am still processing. His insights on composition, balance and yin and yang, reveries, touchstones, and gathering design inspiration, are all still things I am still processing.
When I learned about Kim Jung Gi’s private practice methods, where he drew references from memory. I tried that exercise, and the results blew my mind. I am still processing that, tuning the exercise a little here and there to see what it does for me.
I don’t need to look up more educational material online. Frankly, doing that can be a form of procrastination.
No, I need to open my sketchbook and practice and try things.
And you should, too.
Or maybe you are learning a lot from Hampton’s view on constructing the figure, and you feel like practicing that.
Or maybe you don’t know what to do. Pick something you think looks cool, and draw it from memory. There are worse things you can do for your artistic growth.
Doomscrolling is not going to make you a better artist. Just ditch these and open your sketchbook!