02-24-2014, 08:13 AM
Sup dude, thanks for the comment!
I noticed you're making a point of not using reference, I don't agree with your mindset here. I see how working from imagination alone seems more freeing since you don't have to rely on anything else and you get to build up your imagination muscles, but unless you've spent a long, long, LONG time studying whatever it is you're drawing (and by that I mean studying its function and the different parts that make it up and the different variations it can have across different peoples and cultures, not just doing studies of it) then whatever comes out of your head will be more generic and less interesting than real life. That goes for anatomy, costume design, architecture...everything.
I seriously recommend studying anything new you aim to draw, drawing it from observation and then from memory, and by that point you'll have enough of it in your head to draw something cool from imagination. But even when you are drawing from imagination, I'd still recommend having reference around to check that what you're drawing looks right.
I think of it like a test in school, you'd study a lot before a real test to make sure you remembered the answers. A test is the same as a big commissioned piece. What you're doing is like a pop quiz, suddenly testing stuff you now about a subject you haven't done as much work to memorize or know. And pop quizzes can definitely be useful, but they can't be all you do.
Keep drawing!
I noticed you're making a point of not using reference, I don't agree with your mindset here. I see how working from imagination alone seems more freeing since you don't have to rely on anything else and you get to build up your imagination muscles, but unless you've spent a long, long, LONG time studying whatever it is you're drawing (and by that I mean studying its function and the different parts that make it up and the different variations it can have across different peoples and cultures, not just doing studies of it) then whatever comes out of your head will be more generic and less interesting than real life. That goes for anatomy, costume design, architecture...everything.
I seriously recommend studying anything new you aim to draw, drawing it from observation and then from memory, and by that point you'll have enough of it in your head to draw something cool from imagination. But even when you are drawing from imagination, I'd still recommend having reference around to check that what you're drawing looks right.
I think of it like a test in school, you'd study a lot before a real test to make sure you remembered the answers. A test is the same as a big commissioned piece. What you're doing is like a pop quiz, suddenly testing stuff you now about a subject you haven't done as much work to memorize or know. And pop quizzes can definitely be useful, but they can't be all you do.
Keep drawing!