Hello!

[Swordticus]

Hello Everybody!

My name is Mauro, I'm 21 and I'm an artist from Argentina. 
I'm currently studying Computer Engineering but somehow along the way I ended up with a hobby relating to a deep fascination with 2D animation, storyboarding and Concept Design.

I have been checking out the forum and I love the sense of community and feedback this place has and am excited to start being a part of it!

About me:
I'm completely self taught and started learning about 3 years ago.

Right now I'm mostly focusing on Gesture Drawing and Anatomy to improve.

My artistic level (I think) would be that I know how to copy very well and also use reference to base my art off of something. I'd love to be able to draw more from my imagination though and not have to rely so heavily from reference but I don't know exactly what the next step should be. Up until now I always felt like I have been moving forward but now it feels like I'm slowly going into a rut of some kind. If anybody has any feedback or advice on what to work on, I'd love to hear what you think. Any studies or drawing exercises would be incredibly helpful as well!

Thank you for reading!

[UselessPotato]

My artistic level (I think) would be that I know how to copy very well and also use reference to base my art off of something. I'd love to be able to draw more from my imagination though and not have to rely so heavily from reference but I don't know exactly what the next step should be. Up until now I always felt like I have been moving forward but now it feels like I'm slowly going into a rut of some kind. If anybody has any feedback or advice on what to work on, I'd love to hear what you think. Any studies or drawing exercises would be incredibly helpful as well!

Hi, and welcome! I mean that's kind of the hustle of drawing... figuring stuff out, am I right? I think in order to leave reference aside you have to build a reliable visual library. That is to study a subject matter (the thing you want to draw, say like fish or knights) so you have a visual representation (kind of like a 3d model inside your head) that you can refer to without the need of references, However, there's only two ways to get this stuff done... and those are: 1 you study that thing (like seriously) or 2 you draw it a lot... and since they are basically the same thing I guess that makes it the only way xD But in all honestly I wouldn't say using references is bad or shameful at all (God knows I used them, and even pros use them) so don't an loser and look for references if you need them... The more you draw the thing you want to learn, the less references you'll have to use, but as always it's a matter of time and practice!

[Reikhard]

A good exercise is to look at reference for e.g. 2 min. and then trying to copy the images/pose/... without looking at it. I have to do this myself more often but it's recommended by Robert Henrí a lot.

[Swordticus]

My artistic level (I think) would be that I know how to copy very well and also use reference to base my art off of something. I'd love to be able to draw more from my imagination though and not have to rely so heavily from reference but I don't know exactly what the next step should be. Up until now I always felt like I have been moving forward but now it feels like I'm slowly going into a rut of some kind. If anybody has any feedback or advice on what to work on, I'd love to hear what you think. Any studies or drawing exercises would be incredibly helpful as well!

I think in order to leave reference aside you have to build a reliable visual library. That is to study a subject matter (the thing you want to draw, say like fish or knights) so you have a visual representation (kind of like a 3d model inside your head) that you can refer to without the need of references, However, there's only two ways to get this stuff done... and those are: 1 you study that thing (like seriously) or 2 you draw it a lot... and since they are basically the same thing I guess that makes it the only way xD 

I like your explanation for visual library. I've seen that term being talked about here and there and I agree.

I mean on one hand, because everything that exists can be constructed using a barrage of basic shapes, technically you could draw anything once you've practiced them enough - But on the other hand, you still have to understand the size, shape and form of those things you're drawing for it to look likable to your subject matter, so that's why studying  as you said, is necessary.

I think you hit it right on the nose on needing to have a reliable visual library to sway away from reference. It's just, grr, kinda angering at times because it feels like a crutch a times you know? But I think you're right, you need to just start drawing things. I'll add some variety in my studies to draw different things.

There was a beautiful quote I remember from a tutorial about drawing from the imagination and I'll change it a bit for context.

If you want to learn how to draw a potato, you gotta know what a potato looks like. :D

Reikhard:

A good exercise is to look at reference for e.g. 2 min. and then trying to copy the images/pose/... without looking at it. I have to do this myself more often but it's recommended by Robert Henrí a lot.

Oh that's a great exercise! I've seen similar but not exact advice before around. Remembering where those came from, it was from a book an artist made called Cognitive Drawing aaannd I believe Will Terrell on Youtube.

I've been looking into practicing like that but I'm glad a great artist like that did the same! Thank you!

[John]

Hey. Looking forward to seeing your work! Welcome to the Crimson Daggers.

[Artloader]

Welcome to Crimson Daggers Swordticus :).

I'm kinda wrestling with how to use reference myself - how can we use reference to inform our art instead of just doing a straight copy? I've received some advice on here that agrees with what Potato has said. Study. Currently I am trying to build my visual library and then construct from simple 3D forms in perspective. Not sure how that will work yet but some ideas for you there maybe.

Good luck!