The only thing he got wrong is that it should never take anyone to draw an eye 30 minutes. If the only part of the picture is the eye, then sure it'll take awhile. But if it's just a small part, it should never take 30 minutes.
+Carlos Calma I think he was just emphasising to get his point across. And maybe there is a person who uses up half an hour to draw an eye. So I wouldn't say he was wrong
Note for all, sure Sycra would agree Get practising on that eye, but jesus do the other eye too! You'll see what I mean when you try it, the right eye is easier to do for some, it's the first eye we tend to do. Try the left eye and continue working on it, then you're really working a weakness See drawing as training a weak muscle, strengthening it - when you do your confidence grows and you enjoy drawing more.
I know exactly what you mean. At first everything on the left side of the face was a bitch to draw for me and I didn't know why. I had just been practicing features on the right.
Sugar Ray Robinson, This is sooo true. Personally, i've taken to drawing the left eye first. It's the harder one to complete, and if i finish it first, it has become easier for me to get a flow on both the eyes.
I like what you said about letting go of things being precious to you. I've been drawing for a few years now, and I've been completely out of practice lately. It's like starting from the start! And I get that same feeling again of things being precious. That's a clear sign that I need to draw more.
Same. I have a problem with not drawing enough. I mean, I doodle a lot on my papers at school, but I never draw. It has just felt like a job. It just feels like something I have to do, a burden. But I love to draw though. I just haven't felt very good doing it lately, and I've been lacking quite a bit. So I'm watching his playlist
One thing you do not want to do, and this is what I do ALL the time: don't practice for many days and then suddenly stop for weeks/months/whatever and come back to it. You'll see that you sort of almost "forgot" your practice and you won't remember how you used to do things. Even as an intermediate artist, I have gone loooong spaces without drawing and ended up losing some of my skill in the process, having to start back from scratch again. I'll find that my art looks on the wonky side after coming back from a "break." Make sure to keep drawing when you can, and if you take a break, make sure it's not too long. You handicap yourself severely doing it. I've been drawing for almost twenty-seven years, and I'm still nowhere near as good as I could be because of all of the "breaks" I take. Another thing to note: Don't share your artwork with people who you know will nitpick the hell out of you, especially if you're just starting out. If you want critique, give it to someone you trust-- someone that will give constructive criticism (in that they will guide you on what went wrong and how to go about it differently), not just sneer at you. Nitpicking "friends" will hinder you, not help you. I had a "buddy" as a child who constantly berated my artwork because she was a "better artist" than me. Before I met her, I didn't have this anxiety about drawing crappy artwork, and had fun drawing everything, and learning and improving and watching myself get better. After meeting her, she'd write negative, scathing comments all over my pieces to illustrate how humorously bad I was at art, made fun of me for certain drawings I did because they weren't perfect, and I eventually didn't want to draw as much anymore, and lost a lot of the sense of fun I used to have when drawing and learning. It became more of a contest between us then sharing something we enjoyed. Sometimes people are just looking to hold you back, not help you up. I've lost a lot of confidence over the years, but I'm starting to come around to re-training myself to get even better than I am. I want to have fun drawing again.
wherever you are, I want you to grab a piece of paper and a pencil and just draw if you aren't already, go for it! This might seem obvious for some people but for others, and me at some point, All I did was watch art tutorials but I never did anything so remember to practice all the stuff you learn cause you aren't going to get anywhere from just watching tutorials and youtube videos. One more thing: your sketchbook doesn't have to be a piece of artwork, it's for experimenting. don't be afraid to make mistakes. Again, this might seem extremely obvious for more experienced artists but I'm just reiterating it for the new artists or just people who have doubts Okay I PROMISE this is the last thing, but drawing so much to the point where you despise it is unhealthy. Do it often, and even sometimes when you don't feel like it do it anyway, but don't do it so much that it becomes a chore for you. Anyway, enjoy drawing.
This is what I needed to hear! You said exactly the things I was having troubled with. When I watch people's advice for how to draw, they just said "Practice practice practice, and practice everyday!" And I'm behind the screen saying, What exactly? But this! Was so helpful. Thank you!
fuanshin 10k of mindful, focused practice. That's not a goal anybody should be really be concerned with anytime soon. For the time being just try to get better than you are. There is a good TED talk about that (I think it's called 'the first 20 hours') and a really inspiring video essay called 'DaVinci was a loser' or something like that. I think a better goal is to be a master of what you like to do before you die and to be better than you were the day before every day until then.
The line about not having it precious to you is a really interesting one and really hits home to me. I just broke out my tablet for the first time in ages and spent about half an hour drawing a nice simple picture of a face and then saved it. I was happy, I thought it was done and it was saved so nothing could harm it. It is currently precious to me. That's something I will have to work on so I can be proud of my work but that in the end it's just a face. Chill, you can draw another one. Really great video, thank you for putting it out there!
Hit home for me too. A drawing that I started today, I made sure to scan in once I'd made significant progress and it looked good, so that when I continue, if I do mess anything up, I've got a copy of when it looked good.
That was an amazing analogy on how we're supposed to practice, Now I get it, OMG mind was blown. Didn't even Realize the answer was right in front of me the whole time.
ive been a fan of your tutes for a while, but this one should be seen by everyone. We always hear "you need to practice" but to explain it this way, it becomes much clearer. Thank you!
Drawing until it's easy for you is great advice! Just like learning to play an instrument, you don't quit in the beginning b/c it's hard or after learning how to play one song.
What you said at 8:50 - 9:35 gave me confidence. You described exactly what I feel when I draw something and it ruins the fun for me. I thought it'll be always like that but you just opened my eyes and I have to thank you SO MUCH!!!
Ten minutes of drawing eyes along with this video just for the hell of it, and i start to learn which specific parts of the eye i like to focus on. I'm used to drawing eyes, but just the practice taught me even more. This was so motivating! Thank you so much!!!!
Thank you so much for these videos sycra. They are a huge help! I want to get good at drawing and I don't think anyone could have helped out in explaining how to do it better than you. I hope you continue these awesome videos, and I hope there are many more to come.
Those were the magical words "Practice until its not 'precious' anymore". Even though it sounds sorta vague, it really helped me by understanding exactly when I practiced enough. (around 9:30~40 or so)
Wow. I have been practicing drawing for... around 12 years now.. And no one has told me the things said in this video before... And I was brought to frustration over not being able to draw specific things over and over... Just because I didn't think of things the way that you do. This is a very important lesson for beginners and advanced artists alike. Thank you very much for this lesson!
I can't tell you how much I needed this. This is the single most helpful thing I have seen about art in... ever. I practice and practice and for a while I really did get much better fairly quickly, but I've sort of plateaued, and I haven't seen much improvement in a while, and, well, I've been practicing all wrong. It's funny, towards the beginning I was actually on the right track but for some reason or another I stopped. Thank you for nudging me back on the right track.
I've been drawing all my life, and often i have been approached by friends asking me how to draw this and that, and i often give as much advice as possible, and Practice makes perfect is at the top of that, But what you are telling/teaching here is on a whole different level. Some of the things you say here and demonstrate are insanely insightful, honestly moderately mind blowing on its depth and reason.
Invaluable advice. Thank you, sir! It's actually quite basic, but rings really true for me. The emphatic insistence on getting your confidence in your own ability to the point that you know that you are able to replicate your own work is the key.
Thank you SO MUCH for this video! I was kind of lost when it came to practice, really didn't know how to approach it, this has been really helpful!! Thank you!!
I wanted to say thanks for this video. So many people tell me the secret to getting better is practice, but no one ever really tells you how. This was beyond helpful.
I thought the same with my writing ability, but it turns out the box I keep it in just got dusty and I couldn't find it among the rest of the junk in my head. What I mean is, it's not gone, more so just a bit harder to summon. If you can find an hour and something to draw, sit down and loosen your muscles a little, it'll come back in due time. Certainly quicker than how long it took to gain the skills, anyway.
Probably one of the best advice I've ever had about drawing. Thank you! I always feel like I'm not fast enough, although my drawings are very good. And as well, I cherish them a lot, cause I only have like maybe 30 of them. But by practicing this way I'll be faster and be less scared of making mistakes. THANKS!!!!
You definitely know what you're talking about. I try to keep up my art but still a beginner and have those traits where things take ages and I'm afraid of being able to do it again. I've started practicing and this really helps me keep some ideas in mind. Thanks!
I've always wondered how exactly to approach practicing drawing because there were times that I wanted to draw but wasn't sure what and if I was practicing right. Getting quicker was also a concern because I draw so-so, but I'm way too slow. I never liked vague advice like "just draw a lot" or "practice drawing every day" or "practice, practice, practice" because it only states the what but not the how. Thanks for making this even though it's been over a year now since this was put up. I'm going to try this the next time I practice drawing. But there's still one thing missing: how long should I draw a day when it comes to practicing? What about if I have a busy schedule and I can't fit a lot of time in drawing? Thanks again!
I guess there's no limit, that's why they recommend to have a sketch-book with you all the time to practice whenever you get a minute. It's personal but to me 4 hours seems like a fitting practice time, then rest, then 4 more, but really, it's up to you how to schedule it. It's really never enough...
AW MAN! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I mean I should've figured out on my own that this was my issue but hearing you say and demonstrate made it all the more clearer to me on my drawing issues. When my friend introduced me to the wonderful world of concept design to help me get my "chaotic" ideas on paper (and then eventually on computer) I would in fact do exactly like you've described after he showed me how to do one thing. After he was done teaching me as much as he possibly could I moved onto tutorials and did the same mistake. When I tried to draw on my own without tutelage or a guide, on my spare time I would go blank and get frustrated because I couldn't remember how to properly draw anything. Whether it be a proportionate arm or a bat wing or even a skeleton/stick figure head. I gave up on it and my ideas were once again just word on paper or wasting away in my brain. But now, thanks to you and your vid, my ambition to get my ideas out of my head has been reignited! This time I will start from the beginning and make my way forward. Keeping your advice and steps in mind every step of the way. Learning something, taking the time to practice it over and over again, after finally getting right regularly, getting faster at drawing it before moving onto the next thing, then rinse and repeat. Problem is...I don't know what the beginning is. Should I do proportions first and then body parts or simple skeleton to proportions? If I could a great place to start (for beginners) that would be fantastic! THANKS AGAIN SO MUCH!! I LOVE YOU FOREVER MAN!! lol
Thank you man. I started feeling a little guilty recently for drawing the same generic eyes, side-view heads over and over again, but since watching this video, I've realized how effortless doing other things became because of this repetition. Loving your videos!
These videos are the best because they go into the thinking behind skill development. Artists seem to think that learning art is an art. No, it should be analyzed into a science so that it can be cause to anyone who can then make their own art.
I saw this video about a year ago and it helped me a lot. I learned that I should practice faster and not treat my drawings as special. This is the best advice I have found on any tutorial. I made it a habit to draw something quick on each piece of waste paper in the office before disposing of them. I got a lot of 'mileage' doing that and now I can draw much more confidently.
I absolutely love how you made the fighting game reference! It's funny because it was exactly what I was thinking the entire time while I was watching the tutorial, especially since i come from a competitive fighting game background haha. We call it grinding out our execution. It essentially erases the executional barrier so that we can focus more on the mental aspect. It's almost comparable to playing an instrument, ya know?
Perfectly put and answers one of those burning questions I have had for some time "how does someone develop their own style". I understand people come to their own style in their own way, but your explanation both verbal and visual certainly shows how that can come from working the forms as it were. Thank you!
Wow this is extremely helpful. Everything you said make sense and connects with me. I would draw slowly looking back and forth at my references so I could it correct the first time. But doing it quickly - faster and faster getting it ingrained into your head make sense.
Long before I started my art channel, I have been watching your tutorials. I would say probably almost since the beginning of your channel. It has really inspired me, but sadly I never actually did any practicing. That is until very recently. And I'm finding that every video I ever watched of yours really helps me! Thanks Sycra.
8:35 Rang true for me. I used to spend a lot of time on making a single drawing, and then I wouldn't try the same thing again, because I was afraid it wouldn't come out as good. You always make some really valid points in your videos.
I draw great, but my only problems are: 1) I rush 2) I have a crappy since of proportion 3) I use to much youtube vids for my art. 4) I have a really shakey hand Any advice anyone? I use my art mostly for me, or to impress people.
1) Calm down. It's not the end of the world, just take your time. Sometimes the longer the drawing takes, the cleaner and better it looks. 2) Try looking at proportions of, whatever you're drawing, in a different window of a computer/tablet/phone to get an idea of how big something should be compared to another. (Like a human body, you shouldn't want a head that looks like a baby carrot compared to the hands.) 3) It's okay to get ideas from TH-cam, and make remakes of stuff you've seen before. But you should try to come up with your own things. Even if they're a little on the dark side, it's not weird. Stephen King made horror movies that scared the piss out of me when I was younger, and I consider him creative rather than demented. 4) Refer to number one. Taking your time can probably help you not shake so much. It's okay to mess up on "the perfect line" and it'd come out all squiggly. Just erase and fix until it's how YOU want. This may have been two months too late, but hey better late than never right? It doesn't matter how anyone else sees your drawings, take pride in the things you draw! (I draw weird stuff and because other people see that I'm proud of what I do and that I'm not ashamed of it, they like it a little bit more.)
_REZ_ 1. I rush but i adapt to it like i draw very lightly and have a mini-skechbooks [( blank notebooks ) but u still have to make a clean version ] 2. proportions are relation so if u do a cube and one side is 2cm u will do the same w the other ( very simplified ) u just need to understand all the drawing in relation and ur done[ or that how it works for me ] 3. the mini-skechonozaur again if u "get" ideas first do it on the it so u have a mini-simplified version and use it as a starting point so u will not have so many similarities and another thing just get 10 minutes of deviant art before bed but don't copy just look great for inspiration for the other day. 4. Never stopped me so no advice on it (Sorry if Bad English)
FINALLY! Someone who just gives us the facts and not a 40 min video giving us their life story, no one cares if an artist had to walk 50 miles to art school in 5 feet of snow in the nude, up hill, both ways only to figure out that they were practicing wrong and then still don't tell us how to practice right! Before I used to just draw random stuff and expect to get better, now I understand better what I was doing wrong.
What helped me is that I started doing 20 quick sketches a day. Mondays I do chest and back. Tuesday I do full body. Wednesday I do neck, arms and hands. Thursday I do faces and heads. Friday I do legs. Saturday I do full, detailed, finished drawings. Sunday, I don't have a set topic. Sometimes I take the day off from drawing, some days I just draw what ever. I still do this as a warm up, but I've been thinking of doing this again for a while, but doing 40-50 quick sketches.
I just got into your channel today. And I became a subscriber, because I like to draw things. I am very slow at drawing, because I don't do it that often and I want to have everything - well - perfect. Everything is exactly like you said in this video. This is the second video I watched of your channel. And this is where the magic happens: You talked about one of my favorite things in life (this might be a bit exaggerated, but you get the point): The game Street Fighter. Of all the things you could have mentioned, you mentioned my favorite game of all time. This is so motivating: To have in mind that drawing could be as simple as doing a move in Street Fighter. To draw something from the muscle memory. To have no fear of drawing something wrong. To draw whatever you want - quickly! Thank you. Now I will go and finish the drawing I started two days ago ;)
You know, I was really iffy when you said that speed is important in doing art because I'm a perfectionist when I draw things, especially realistic drawings, but I understand where you're going with speed and being comfortable in your drawings. Great advice!
super ! you dont imagine how you help me, you are the only one i undestand what to do, i am in a little little town in France with nobody around , please continue
Thank you very much for doing this video. As a piano teacher this is at the heart of learning the instrument. Students MUST know HOW to practice when they get home. I never got that from my instructors so I had to go and find this out for myself. I did on my own as a kid and the teachers took the credit...it wasn't necessarily all theirs because I had to do an enormous amount of homework to understand things they passed over. If I hadn't been so intent and interested in this instrument I'd have given up a long time ago. So it is with any skill, you must learn HOW to practice, because practice is how you get good at whatever the task is. Finally, I have the information I need for drawing. Thanks again for your video!
Can I make a request? Would like to have a better understanding of how Soft brush VS hard brush affects the drawings in photoshop. Blending doesn't seem to work very well with a hard brush. Thanks!
Wow! This is the first video I've seen of yours. I like your style(s) from what I've seen and you do a good job explaining! I am glad I watched this video all the way through. The advice regarding "do more" is something that will help me a lot! It's funny because I play starcraft a lot, and learned a very similar approach, one that I didn't think to apply to drawing! Similar to what you explained, in starcraft you would play games to get better and improve your ranking, but those who only play a few games now and then get anxiety - each game they play feels very stressful and every loss feels heavy. One who plays two games and then loses both may feel terrible that he lost 100% of his games that day. You can view your match history, showing your wins and losses, I guess that's like the "hanging your picture on the wall" idea. You cherish your wins but can become afraid to play more, worrying that your losses will ruin your stats. But once you play more games, each loss feels less bad, and it's easier to learn as well since you're more warmed up. You can start shrugging off the losses, stop stressing out over every game, and focus on improving and enjoying yourself. All the wins and improvements overshadow your losses more and more. Anyways thanks for sharing!
This video helped me so much. It finally answered a question I've been asking for so long that everyone else I knew didn't know. I bet ill improve greatly after watching this video.
Thank you for making this vid sycra. Summer of 2015, I took this your advice in this video, and drew things over and over, and after a year in a half, I've made some pretty decent improvement.
He probably started off drawing that slow as well. It used to take me an hour to draw a realistic eye but now I can draw a bunch within minutes. It just takes practice as he says in the vid.
What you're saying in this video is so simple. It applies to any skill. I'm a vocalist and the voice is such a personal thing. It comes out of your body so if it doesn't sound right you can't blame anything else. You can't say, the piano is out of tune or I'm using the wrong pencil, the grass is wet so I couldn't throw, but it's the same. If you keep singing and just let your voice come out, you get rid of that fear eventually and stop worrying about messing up cuz you've done it so much and it's not a big deal any more. Thank you for reminding me that I can use what I already know in drawing too.
Everything said here is 100% true - I've been watching tutorials for a good 5 days in a row now. I've learned a lot but it's always good to start with basics to refresh the mind - With all the knowledge you absorb and retain if you start from basics again you'll see a change in your work -
Awesome point. The importance of speed is not just for the practicality of time management but as an indicator of understanding and confidence. You've made me realize that I have a tendency to move on from one subject to the next without taking the time to master them, so you've inspired me to go practice!
Thinks for the help! I draw Evry day! I'm good at cats but... IT'S NOT ENOUGH! And all my classmates I'm the best of evrybody but, they wold never understand that I'm just in the begining EDIT 2020: I feel so embarrassed by this whole thread please don’t look at it
oh my god three years later oh my god look at my spelling skills back in the day mm yes that's some good shit right there. anyway nOW I'M NOT IN THE BEGINNING H A H
this guy is a genius i swear , i realized when am drawing fast i don't pay much attention to details and just sketch with such speed that i feel like my thoughts are flowing into the paper rather than me thinking of face proportions, eye size ... i didn't realized i can use every thing i saw and every drawing i saw until now , art is all about expressing which this guy just demonstrate .. sorry the long comment but this is such a great vid had to talk alot xD sry , hope it made all of u see the bigger picture :)
I've been drawing for years now and the way that I learn is by copying a picture and now I drawing on my own like I've memorized couple things by copying other drawing that now I'ma better at drawing (by the way I draw anime character) I'm just saying this for the people who want to start or improve at drawing...I hope I help some of you! :)
I've been drawing eyes for years now, and people are always amazed when my tests and papers in class are littered with them... guy's eyes, girl's eyes, angry eyes, sad eyes... I've had a teacher mention that the eye sketches were really offsetting sometimes... I can draw a decent eye like the ones you showed here in like 20 seconds. (a lot like the eye at 4:00) I'm working on the repetition of the other shapes and stuff, and it takes forever, but it really does work. Those people who ask how I draw these damn eyes so easily... I've gotten in the habit of deadpanning back "I've drawn these for years. Wanna see my second grade notes? They're filled with them." =/
The problem is not how to dran an eye, but how to draw the second eye symmetricly! That is the question! If you do a the tutorial about that it would be PRECIOUS!
To put this into perspective, out of the hundreds of drawings and paintings I did in three years of illustration school, I have kept maybe a dozen. Be prepared to throw away most of your work; it is quite liberating. Use newsprint and conte crayon, because you don't want to spend a lot of money on something that will end up in the recycle bin.
This is incredible advice because one thing that has been discouraging me lately on learning is how long it takes to draw something that turns out average. It didn't really occur to me to drill the things I learn until I can do them quickly, thank you!!
But my issue is even if I practice over and over, the faster I get the worse it looks, I'm trying to be fast AND detailed but the disconnect happens and I just can't 'do' it...
Corsair Carl Be patient, you can't do both at the same time, that'll come later. Getting good at anything takes an immense amount patience and practice. Just focus on one skill at at a time, like getting down the basic concepts, THEN you can worry about details. ;)
I already can draw fast but what I need is proportion, I always draw like big head and small torso or too long/short leg, it's like I can't make it looks normal...
This video makes me really happy because you're the first really good artist I've seen who understands exactly what it's like to be a beginner at art
The only thing he got wrong is that it should never take anyone to draw an eye 30 minutes. If the only part of the picture is the eye, then sure it'll take awhile. But if it's just a small part, it should never take 30 minutes.
+Carlos Calma
I think he was just emphasising to get his point across.
And maybe there is a person who uses up half an hour to draw an eye.
So I wouldn't say he was wrong
Note for all, sure Sycra would agree
Get practising on that eye, but jesus do the other eye too!
You'll see what I mean when you try it, the right eye is easier to do for some, it's the first eye we tend to do. Try the left eye and continue working on it, then you're really working a weakness
See drawing as training a weak muscle, strengthening it - when you do your confidence grows and you enjoy drawing more.
I know exactly what you mean. At first everything on the left side of the face was a bitch to draw for me and I didn't know why. I had just been practicing features on the right.
Nick Ramirez beginner artists should start copying van Gogh and cut away things they cannot draw perfectly lol
Sugar Ray Robinson, This is sooo true. Personally, i've taken to drawing the left eye first. It's the harder one to complete, and if i finish it first, it has become easier for me to get a flow on both the eyes.
Sugar Ray Robinson YOu mean wear an eye patch while u draw?
Sugar Ray Robinson does the 'right' eye refer artist right or subject's right?
I like what you said about letting go of things being precious to you. I've been drawing for a few years now, and I've been completely out of practice lately. It's like starting from the start! And I get that same feeling again of things being precious. That's a clear sign that I need to draw more.
Same. I have a problem with not drawing enough.
I mean, I doodle a lot on my papers at school, but I never draw. It has just felt like a job. It just feels like something I have to do, a burden.
But I love to draw though. I just haven't felt very good doing it lately, and I've been lacking quite a bit.
So I'm watching his playlist
Same here. Somehow the learner's joy has gone. Have to tune back into it. We'll get there. ;)
right!
I have way too many moments where I'm afraid to continue a pic, because I'm afraid of "ruining" it. XD
Like when you decide to color it...
i think the key to that is to just finish it and fuck up alot, because you learn from your mistakes
Lol I used to do that a lot
Wait this comment is 3 years old
@@zari8903 yeah just realised it too ahah
Please keep making more and more videos.it helps me a lot.
One thing you do not want to do, and this is what I do ALL the time: don't practice for many days and then suddenly stop for weeks/months/whatever and come back to it. You'll see that you sort of almost "forgot" your practice and you won't remember how you used to do things. Even as an intermediate artist, I have gone loooong spaces without drawing and ended up losing some of my skill in the process, having to start back from scratch again. I'll find that my art looks on the wonky side after coming back from a "break." Make sure to keep drawing when you can, and if you take a break, make sure it's not too long. You handicap yourself severely doing it. I've been drawing for almost twenty-seven years, and I'm still nowhere near as good as I could be because of all of the "breaks" I take.
Another thing to note: Don't share your artwork with people who you know will nitpick the hell out of you, especially if you're just starting out. If you want critique, give it to someone you trust-- someone that will give constructive criticism (in that they will guide you on what went wrong and how to go about it differently), not just sneer at you. Nitpicking "friends" will hinder you, not help you. I had a "buddy" as a child who constantly berated my artwork because she was a "better artist" than me. Before I met her, I didn't have this anxiety about drawing crappy artwork, and had fun drawing everything, and learning and improving and watching myself get better. After meeting her, she'd write negative, scathing comments all over my pieces to illustrate how humorously bad I was at art, made fun of me for certain drawings I did because they weren't perfect, and I eventually didn't want to draw as much anymore, and lost a lot of the sense of fun I used to have when drawing and learning. It became more of a contest between us then sharing something we enjoyed. Sometimes people are just looking to hold you back, not help you up. I've lost a lot of confidence over the years, but I'm starting to come around to re-training myself to get even better than I am. I want to have fun drawing again.
I hope you’ve improved these past five years.
this is why i don't show my art to people hahaha...
Jesus Christ thanks for the advice but I wanted to learn to draw not read an essay
I just did that 😭😭😭
I was doing great at gesture and drawing a realistic eye but then I stopped for 1 month 💔 but imma relearn anyways
wherever you are, I want you to grab a piece of paper and a pencil and just draw if you aren't already, go for it!
This might seem obvious for some people but for others, and me at some point, All I did was watch art tutorials but I never did anything so remember to practice all the stuff you learn cause you aren't going to get anywhere from just watching tutorials and youtube videos.
One more thing: your sketchbook doesn't have to be a piece of artwork, it's for experimenting. don't be afraid to make mistakes.
Again, this might seem extremely obvious for more experienced artists but I'm just reiterating it for the new artists or just people who have doubts
Okay I PROMISE this is the last thing, but drawing so much to the point where you despise it is unhealthy. Do it often, and even sometimes when you don't feel like it do it anyway, but don't do it so much that it becomes a chore for you. Anyway, enjoy drawing.
❤ I like this advice
Yep, you don't want to subconsciously connect bad feelings with drawing
No one:
Literally not a living soul:
English captions: hey everyone psyco ass in here
hahahhahaha that was awesome (pshyco ass in here) hahahahah 😂😤😅
@@mariemayemendoza1706 r/emojipolice
@@skibiditoiletrizzsigmagyat wait don't
@@skibiditoiletrizzsigmagyat i will edit it okay
@@skibiditoiletrizzsigmagyat its okay now lol
This is what I needed to hear! You said exactly the things I was having troubled with. When I watch people's advice for how to draw, they just said "Practice practice practice, and practice everyday!" And I'm behind the screen saying, What exactly? But this! Was so helpful. Thank you!
Don't cry guys, attaining mastery takes only 10k hours :D
fuanshin
10k of mindful, focused practice. That's not a goal anybody should be really be concerned with anytime soon. For the time being just try to get better than you are. There is a good TED talk about that (I think it's called 'the first 20 hours') and a really inspiring video essay called 'DaVinci was a loser' or something like that.
I think a better goal is to be a master of what you like to do before you die and to be better than you were the day before every day until then.
Kay Ball I love you
yeah like the eye brow guy
isn't that a reference from that book called the outliers?
1 year ive been drawing for 3 years still not good
The line about not having it precious to you is a really interesting one and really hits home to me. I just broke out my tablet for the first time in ages and spent about half an hour drawing a nice simple picture of a face and then saved it. I was happy, I thought it was done and it was saved so nothing could harm it. It is currently precious to me. That's something I will have to work on so I can be proud of my work but that in the end it's just a face. Chill, you can draw another one. Really great video, thank you for putting it out there!
Hit home for me too. A drawing that I started today, I made sure to scan in once I'd made significant progress and it looked good, so that when I continue, if I do mess anything up, I've got a copy of when it looked good.
That was an amazing analogy on how we're supposed to practice, Now I get it, OMG mind was blown. Didn't even Realize the answer was right in front of me the whole time.
So you're saying the key to success is another one
just do it
and anotha one
Just print out a poster of DJ Khaled saying: "Another One".
Avery NiteStar Glover omg read my mind 😂
Plague Kat Drawing is a journey not a destination.
ive been a fan of your tutes for a while, but this one should be seen by everyone. We always hear "you need to practice" but to explain it this way, it becomes much clearer. Thank you!
The eye at 1:39 was better than anything I've ever drawn...
:v ya
It’s been five years hope you’ve improved
Drawing until it's easy for you is great advice! Just like learning to play an instrument, you don't quit in the beginning b/c it's hard or after learning how to play one song.
What you said at 8:50 - 9:35 gave me confidence.
You described exactly what I feel when I draw something and it ruins the fun for me. I thought it'll be always like that but you just opened my eyes and I have to thank you SO MUCH!!!
I am SO agree :'D
MindPalaceOfGlass That was pretty much the most inspiring thing in the video.
Same here.
Ten minutes of drawing eyes along with this video just for the hell of it, and i start to learn which specific parts of the eye i like to focus on.
I'm used to drawing eyes, but just the practice taught me even more. This was so motivating! Thank you so much!!!!
what the hell was that at 5:48? does he just throw that stuff in there to keep you alert? lol
I think it was an elephant
@@galaxydragon1796 thatmademelaughlmaoithinkitwasanelephantlolofchourseitwasanelephantxdxdrudomb!!?!?!?!
@@unusuallyunusual9479.
@@unusuallyunusual9479 do you know how to use your keyboard?
yana bbb maybe his space button doesn’t work XD
This is a great teacher: someone who explains something that we all thought was self-evident, but wasn’t.
Thank you so much for these videos sycra. They are a huge help! I want to get good at drawing and I don't think anyone could have helped out in explaining how to do it better than you. I hope you continue these awesome videos, and I hope there are many more to come.
Those were the magical words "Practice until its not 'precious' anymore". Even though it sounds sorta vague, it really helped me by understanding exactly when I practiced enough. (around 9:30~40 or so)
Honestly in my opinion the best art teaching channel out there, its easy to follow and understand. Really great work.
you must have the need.....the need for speed
this is the most brilliant channel I have ever come across for tutorials. 10/10
5:48 is important
+lightsoul007 Much elephant. Such miss. Wow.
Wow. I have been practicing drawing for... around 12 years now.. And no one has told me the things said in this video before... And I was brought to frustration over not being able to draw specific things over and over... Just because I didn't think of things the way that you do.
This is a very important lesson for beginners and advanced artists alike. Thank you very much for this lesson!
This is soooo good. People allways tell you: practive. But they never say how to practice.
This is one of the most helpful art vids I've ever watched. Everyone says practice but nobody ever talks about how. Thank you so much for this.
I can't tell you how much I needed this. This is the single most helpful thing I have seen about art in... ever. I practice and practice and for a while I really did get much better fairly quickly, but I've sort of plateaued, and I haven't seen much improvement in a while, and, well, I've been practicing all wrong. It's funny, towards the beginning I was actually on the right track but for some reason or another I stopped. Thank you for nudging me back on the right track.
I've been drawing all my life, and often i have been approached by friends asking me how to draw this and that, and i often give as much advice as possible, and Practice makes perfect is at the top of that, But what you are telling/teaching here is on a whole different level. Some of the things you say here and demonstrate are insanely insightful, honestly moderately mind blowing on its depth and reason.
Invaluable advice. Thank you, sir!
It's actually quite basic, but rings really true for me. The emphatic insistence on getting your confidence in your own ability to the point that you know that you are able to replicate your own work is the key.
sycra...... man... you just made my life simple. made me realize how simple everything is. this helped me a whole lot and i want to thank you for it.
Thank you SO MUCH for this video! I was kind of lost when it came to practice, really didn't know how to approach it, this has been really helpful!! Thank you!!
I wanted to say thanks for this video. So many people tell me the secret to getting better is practice, but no one ever really tells you how. This was beyond helpful.
College takes my time.. I really miss drawing :( I lost my talent and now I am a beginner AGAIN... ugh.
It's not a talent...
@@aloneprayer779 it's a skill
@@clumsily9721 Obviously
I feel that
I thought the same with my writing ability, but it turns out the box I keep it in just got dusty and I couldn't find it among the rest of the junk in my head.
What I mean is, it's not gone, more so just a bit harder to summon. If you can find an hour and something to draw, sit down and loosen your muscles a little, it'll come back in due time. Certainly quicker than how long it took to gain the skills, anyway.
They way Sycra is talking about how we create art is blowing my mind; absolute truth! Especially the part about coveting your work.
Probably one of the best advice I've ever had about drawing. Thank you! I always feel like I'm not fast enough, although my drawings are very good. And as well, I cherish them a lot, cause I only have like maybe 30 of them. But by practicing this way I'll be faster and be less scared of making mistakes. THANKS!!!!
You definitely know what you're talking about. I try to keep up my art but still a beginner and have those traits where things take ages and I'm afraid of being able to do it again. I've started practicing and this really helps me keep some ideas in mind. Thanks!
I've always wondered how exactly to approach practicing drawing because there were times that I wanted to draw but wasn't sure what and if I was practicing right. Getting quicker was also a concern because I draw so-so, but I'm way too slow. I never liked vague advice like "just draw a lot" or "practice drawing every day" or "practice, practice, practice" because it only states the what but not the how. Thanks for making this even though it's been over a year now since this was put up. I'm going to try this the next time I practice drawing. But there's still one thing missing: how long should I draw a day when it comes to practicing? What about if I have a busy schedule and I can't fit a lot of time in drawing? Thanks again!
I guess there's no limit, that's why they recommend to have a sketch-book with you all the time to practice whenever you get a minute. It's personal but to me 4 hours seems like a fitting practice time, then rest, then 4 more, but really, it's up to you how to schedule it. It's really never enough...
It's like after a long time, I'm seeing a GOOD tutorial on how to actually get BETTER in drawing. Job well done. Thanks! I got motivated
Did anyone see that magic elephant? o-o
Idk
Timestamp?
I need a feature on youtube that puts this video on my dash every single day. Sycra is a holy man and I forget that way too often.
I think I'll try practising with an outline pen so that I can't erase any mistakes, forcing me to redo everything.
Good idea!!
+Scias I like practicing with a fountain pen. Interesting look and yeah can't erase. XD
AW MAN! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I mean I should've figured out on my own that this was my issue but hearing you say and demonstrate made it all the more clearer to me on my drawing issues. When my friend introduced me to the wonderful world of concept design to help me get my "chaotic" ideas on paper (and then eventually on computer) I would in fact do exactly like you've described after he showed me how to do one thing. After he was done teaching me as much as he possibly could I moved onto tutorials and did the same mistake. When I tried to draw on my own without tutelage or a guide, on my spare time I would go blank and get frustrated because I couldn't remember how to properly draw anything. Whether it be a proportionate arm or a bat wing or even a skeleton/stick figure head. I gave up on it and my ideas were once again just word on paper or wasting away in my brain. But now, thanks to you and your vid, my ambition to get my ideas out of my head has been reignited! This time I will start from the beginning and make my way forward. Keeping your advice and steps in mind every step of the way. Learning something, taking the time to practice it over and over again, after finally getting right regularly, getting faster at drawing it before moving onto the next thing, then rinse and repeat. Problem is...I don't know what the beginning is. Should I do proportions first and then body parts or simple skeleton to proportions? If I could a great place to start (for beginners) that would be fantastic! THANKS AGAIN SO MUCH!! I LOVE YOU FOREVER MAN!! lol
One of the best drawing videos I've ever seen :) thank you !!
Thank you man. I started feeling a little guilty recently for drawing the same generic eyes, side-view heads over and over again, but since watching this video, I've realized how effortless doing other things became because of this repetition. Loving your videos!
Hey man can you make a video about Street Fighter moves?
I really hope this was a joke...
Lmao
@@mason3872 fr fr
These videos are the best because they go into the thinking behind skill development. Artists seem to think that learning art is an art. No, it should be analyzed into a science so that it can be cause to anyone who can then make their own art.
9:05 - That looks like the eye of Saraun and he just said the exact words " 'Precious' to you." Coincidence? I think NOT!
Sauron*
Anga Bauglir lol
@Tiny I don't think spelling the name wrong like most people do is part of the joke but ok.
I saw this video about a year ago and it helped me a lot. I learned that I should practice faster and not treat my drawings as special. This is the best advice I have found on any tutorial. I made it a habit to draw something quick on each piece of waste paper in the office before disposing of them. I got a lot of 'mileage' doing that and now I can draw much more confidently.
I absolutely love how you made the fighting game reference! It's funny because it was exactly what I was thinking the entire time while I was watching the tutorial, especially since i come from a competitive fighting game background haha. We call it grinding out our execution. It essentially erases the executional barrier so that we can focus more on the mental aspect. It's almost comparable to playing an instrument, ya know?
I liked that too, although a hadouken is down, down-forward, forward + button >.
It's the thought that counts haha :P
Perfectly put and answers one of those burning questions I have had for some time "how does someone develop their own style". I understand people come to their own style in their own way, but your explanation both verbal and visual certainly shows how that can come from working the forms as it were. Thank you!
Wow this is extremely helpful. Everything you said make sense and connects with me. I would draw slowly looking back and forth at my references so I could it correct the first time. But doing it quickly - faster and faster getting it ingrained into your head make sense.
Long before I started my art channel, I have been watching your tutorials. I would say probably almost since the beginning of your channel. It has really inspired me, but sadly I never actually did any practicing. That is until very recently. And I'm finding that every video I ever watched of yours really helps me! Thanks Sycra.
Thank you; this really helped!
8:35 Rang true for me. I used to spend a lot of time on making a single drawing, and then I wouldn't try the same thing again, because I was afraid it wouldn't come out as good. You always make some really valid points in your videos.
I draw great, but my only problems are:
1) I rush
2) I have a crappy since of proportion
3) I use to much youtube vids for my art.
4) I have a really shakey hand
Any advice anyone? I use my art mostly for me, or to impress people.
1) Calm down. It's not the end of the world, just take your time. Sometimes the longer the drawing takes, the cleaner and better it looks.
2) Try looking at proportions of, whatever you're drawing, in a different window of a computer/tablet/phone to get an idea of how big something should be compared to another. (Like a human body, you shouldn't want a head that looks like a baby carrot compared to the hands.)
3) It's okay to get ideas from TH-cam, and make remakes of stuff you've seen before. But you should try to come up with your own things. Even if they're a little on the dark side, it's not weird. Stephen King made horror movies that scared the piss out of me when I was younger, and I consider him creative rather than demented.
4) Refer to number one. Taking your time can probably help you not shake so much. It's okay to mess up on "the perfect line" and it'd come out all squiggly. Just erase and fix until it's how YOU want.
This may have been two months too late, but hey better late than never right? It doesn't matter how anyone else sees your drawings, take pride in the things you draw!
(I draw weird stuff and because other people see that I'm proud of what I do and that I'm not ashamed of it, they like it a little bit more.)
brittani488 Hey thanks dude, I'll try these things. I have been practicing for awhile and recently stopped.
+_REZ_
Hehe, glad I could help.
^_^
_REZ_ 1. I rush but i adapt to it like i draw very lightly and have a mini-skechbooks [( blank notebooks ) but u still have to make a clean version ]
2. proportions are relation so if u do a cube and one side is 2cm u will do the same w the other ( very simplified ) u just need to understand all the drawing in relation and ur done[ or that how it works for me ]
3. the mini-skechonozaur again if u "get" ideas first do it on the it so u have a mini-simplified version and use it as a starting point so u will not have so many similarities and another thing just get 10 minutes of deviant art before bed but don't copy just look great for inspiration for the other day.
4. Never stopped me so no advice on it
(Sorry if Bad English)
FINALLY! Someone who just gives us the facts and not a 40 min video giving us their life story, no one cares if an artist had to walk 50 miles to art school in 5 feet of snow in the nude, up hill, both ways only to figure out that they were practicing wrong and then still don't tell us how to practice right! Before I used to just draw random stuff and expect to get better, now I understand better what I was doing wrong.
What helped me is that I started doing 20 quick sketches a day. Mondays I do chest and back. Tuesday I do full body. Wednesday I do neck, arms and hands. Thursday I do faces and heads. Friday I do legs. Saturday I do full, detailed, finished drawings. Sunday, I don't have a set topic. Sometimes I take the day off from drawing, some days I just draw what ever. I still do this as a warm up, but I've been thinking of doing this again for a while, but doing 40-50 quick sketches.
Very inspirational, I feel pulled towards doing something similar myself.
Sounds like a workout!
***** He obviously means practising for pure skills.. the rest of whatever he wanna draw with those skills.
I just got into your channel today. And I became a subscriber, because I like to draw things. I am very slow at drawing, because I don't do it that often and I want to have everything - well - perfect. Everything is exactly like you said in this video.
This is the second video I watched of your channel. And this is where the magic happens: You talked about one of my favorite things in life (this might be a bit exaggerated, but you get the point): The game Street Fighter. Of all the things you could have mentioned, you mentioned my favorite game of all time.
This is so motivating: To have in mind that drawing could be as simple as doing a move in Street Fighter. To draw something from the muscle memory. To have no fear of drawing something wrong. To draw whatever you want - quickly!
Thank you. Now I will go and finish the drawing I started two days ago ;)
You know, I was really iffy when you said that speed is important in doing art because I'm a perfectionist when I draw things, especially realistic drawings, but I understand where you're going with speed and being comfortable in your drawings. Great advice!
Thanks for the advice. Your so right about not moving on too fast and taking your time getting good at one phase at a time. Again thank you.
is it only me who saw that elephant on 5:48 !!
saw it
NO ONE in my TWENTY YEARS OF DRAWING told me this. You're awesome
Just earned a subcriber! I do this a lot and end up taking forever for meybe one drawing.
super ! you dont imagine how you help me, you are the only one i undestand what to do, i am in a little little town in France with nobody around , please continue
Sycra is the man~
video makes alot of sense .. just seeing how to practice eyes helped alot..
Thank you very much for doing this video. As a piano teacher this is at the heart of learning the instrument. Students MUST know HOW to practice when they get home. I never got that from my instructors so I had to go and find this out for myself. I did on my own as a kid and the teachers took the credit...it wasn't necessarily all theirs because I had to do an enormous amount of homework to understand things they passed over. If I hadn't been so intent and interested in this instrument I'd have given up a long time ago. So it is with any skill, you must learn HOW to practice, because practice is how you get good at whatever the task is. Finally, I have the information I need for drawing. Thanks again for your video!
Can I make a request? Would like to have a better understanding of how Soft brush VS hard brush affects the drawings in photoshop. Blending doesn't seem to work very well with a hard brush. Thanks!
Wow! This is the first video I've seen of yours. I like your style(s) from what I've seen and you do a good job explaining! I am glad I watched this video all the way through. The advice regarding "do more" is something that will help me a lot!
It's funny because I play starcraft a lot, and learned a very similar approach, one that I didn't think to apply to drawing! Similar to what you explained, in starcraft you would play games to get better and improve your ranking, but those who only play a few games now and then get anxiety - each game they play feels very stressful and every loss feels heavy. One who plays two games and then loses both may feel terrible that he lost 100% of his games that day. You can view your match history, showing your wins and losses, I guess that's like the "hanging your picture on the wall" idea. You cherish your wins but can become afraid to play more, worrying that your losses will ruin your stats. But once you play more games, each loss feels less bad, and it's easier to learn as well since you're more warmed up. You can start shrugging off the losses, stop stressing out over every game, and focus on improving and enjoying yourself. All the wins and improvements overshadow your losses more and more.
Anyways thanks for sharing!
7:13
"You have to focus on it"
Me: f-f-f-focus on it
This video helped me so much. It finally answered a question I've been asking for so long that everyone else I knew didn't know. I bet ill improve greatly after watching this video.
Sycra, can you do a "Perspective" tutorial series like you did with light and shadow? It would be awesome
Thank you for making this vid sycra. Summer of 2015, I took this your advice in this video, and drew things over and over, and after a year in a half, I've made some pretty decent improvement.
This just made me feel horrible "maybe this took them a good 30 minutes" while he drew it in like 10 seconds 2:05
He probably started off drawing that slow as well. It used to take me an hour to draw a realistic eye but now I can draw a bunch within minutes. It just takes practice as he says in the vid.
Why? Everyone starts at a slower pace, but with time and practice, they speed up. Confidence is good too.
What you're saying in this video is so simple. It applies to any skill. I'm a vocalist and the voice is such a personal thing. It comes out of your body so if it doesn't sound right you can't blame anything else. You can't say, the piano is out of tune or I'm using the wrong pencil, the grass is wet so I couldn't throw, but it's the same. If you keep singing and just let your voice come out, you get rid of that fear eventually and stop worrying about messing up cuz you've done it so much and it's not a big deal any more. Thank you for reminding me that I can use what I already know in drawing too.
0:42 one punch man
POWER GET THE POWER
Everything said here is 100% true - I've been watching tutorials for a good 5 days in a row now. I've learned a lot but it's always good to start with basics to refresh the mind - With all the knowledge you absorb and retain if you start from basics again you'll see a change in your work -
Wow nice Street Fighter reference you my friend have got a new subscriber
Awesome point. The importance of speed is not just for the practicality of time management but as an indicator of understanding and confidence. You've made me realize that I have a tendency to move on from one subject to the next without taking the time to master them, so you've inspired me to go practice!
Thinks for the help! I draw Evry day! I'm good at cats but... IT'S NOT ENOUGH! And all my classmates I'm the best of evrybody but, they wold never understand that I'm just in the begining
EDIT 2020: I feel so embarrassed by this whole thread please don’t look at it
Wait until you begin to attend colleges then you most likely won't be the "best"
i know
Practicing stuff your not good at for 30 mins a day helps a ton!
oh my god three years later
oh my god
look at my spelling skills back in the day
mm yes that's some good shit right there.
anyway nOW I'M NOT IN THE BEGINNING H A H
Pawstep you know you can edit your comments right.....?
(Click the 3 dots on the right hand side of your comment)
this guy is a genius i swear , i realized when am drawing fast i don't pay much attention to details and just sketch with such speed that i feel like my thoughts are flowing into the paper rather than me thinking of face proportions, eye size ... i didn't realized i can use every thing i saw and every drawing i saw until now , art is all about expressing which this guy just demonstrate .. sorry the long comment but this is such a great vid had to talk alot xD sry , hope it made all of u see the bigger picture :)
I've been drawing for years now and the way that I learn is by copying a picture and now I drawing on my own like I've memorized couple things by copying other drawing that now I'ma better at drawing (by the way I draw anime character) I'm just saying this for the people who want to start or improve at drawing...I hope I help some of you! :)
This is one of the best advices I have ever heard. Everything you said resonated with me a lot. Thanks so much.
What was with the elephant on 5:48?
I've been drawing eyes for years now, and people are always amazed when my tests and papers in class are littered with them... guy's eyes, girl's eyes, angry eyes, sad eyes... I've had a teacher mention that the eye sketches were really offsetting sometimes... I can draw a decent eye like the ones you showed here in like 20 seconds. (a lot like the eye at 4:00) I'm working on the repetition of the other shapes and stuff, and it takes forever, but it really does work.
Those people who ask how I draw these damn eyes so easily... I've gotten in the habit of deadpanning back "I've drawn these for years. Wanna see my second grade notes? They're filled with them." =/
There was a girl who used to sit next to me in class when I looked away for a split second, there were suddenly eyes all over her page
The problem is not how to dran an eye, but how to draw the second eye symmetricly!
That is the question!
If you do a the tutorial about that it would be PRECIOUS!
I love how Sycras videos are really carefully made and address the biggest problems that people who want to draw have.
nice tips and nice elephant 05:49
Hey man, I just want to say thank you for making these videos. You are helping so many people by doing it. Please keep it up.
To put this into perspective, out of the hundreds of drawings and paintings I did in three years of illustration school, I have kept maybe a dozen. Be prepared to throw away most of your work; it is quite liberating. Use newsprint and conte crayon, because you don't want to spend a lot of money on something that will end up in the recycle bin.
God bless you so much Sycra. Your style of teaching is the best. Youre so so generous. Thanks
random elephant .O.
This is incredible advice because one thing that has been discouraging me lately on learning is how long it takes to draw something that turns out average. It didn't really occur to me to drill the things I learn until I can do them quickly, thank you!!
thats not a hadouken motion thats a super hadouken.... pfft noobs
That's not the point of thia video.
Kanaya Pradia *this
Kanaya Pradia thanks i was confused
Lel ikr
MrLedify Bitch that's not a "super hadouken" it's a shinku-hadouken..... pfft noobs
Bro I draw very good right now and I want to tell you , you are one of a very few tutors I'd recommend to anyone learning how to draw.
But my issue is even if I practice over and over, the faster I get the worse it looks, I'm trying to be fast AND detailed but the disconnect happens and I just can't 'do' it...
Corsair Carl
Be patient, you can't do both at the same time, that'll come later. Getting good at anything takes an immense amount patience and practice. Just focus on one skill at at a time, like getting down the basic concepts, THEN you can worry about details. ;)
Thank you. I needed to hear this.
i've been drawing for a long time and your videos have more value to me than oil painting classes.
I already can draw fast but what I need is proportion, I always draw like big head and small torso or too long/short leg, it's like I can't make it looks normal...