🎅🏻 12 Days of Proko
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Every December, to celebrate the holidays, we do something special for 12 days! This is our way of saying thank you to all of you who have supported us throughout the year. This year we have Daily Sketchbook Tours from some incredible artists!
Peter Han shares his incredible journey through sketchbooks, showcasing creations like the "Dynamic Bible" and his accordion books. From travel-inspired drawings in Italy and Japan to studies of animals, machines, and imaginative themes, each sketchbook reflects Peter’s blend of observation, creativity, and dynamic storytelling. Learn how he evolves through art, creating meaningful connections with every page.
Today's sketchbook tour features Devin Elle Kurtz! She shows how she blends fantasy with reality in her art by filling her sketchbooks with studies of elements she later incorporates into her paintings. Her method of building a visual library is something every artist can learn from.
Discover a senior Blizzard concept artist's (Dave Greco) step-by-step process for creating illustrations. Learn how to start with thumbnails, refine sketches, build layers, and collaborate with art directors. The lesson covers effective use of references, balancing compositions, careful addition of effects, and making final adjustments. Understand the importance of iteration and adapting compositions for different formats.
Faith Schaffer is an artist who works in animation, comics, and illustration. She uses three sketchbooks to support her creative process. The first is her planning sketchbook, full of thumbnails and rough ideas. It’s messy but helps her organize her thoughts. The second is her "no thoughts, head empty" sketchbook, where she does stream-of-consciousness drawings, usually while watching TV. The third is her travel sketchbook, where she draws from photos or sketches on location. Through these sketchbooks, she explores themes like mythological figures, designs characters, and captures life’s inspirations. They’re key tools for brainstorming, planning, and recording her experiences.
Marshall Vandruff, now in his 60s, looks back on his career in freelance illustration and shares some key lessons he’s learned. He remembers how, at first, he hated working with airbrushes but stuck with it and eventually found success. Back then, everything was done by hand—tight deadlines, portfolios to secure clients, and no room for big mistakes since lost work couldn’t be recovered.
Then came digital tools, which transformed the industry. Marshall adapted to the new tech and embraced the changes it brought. Still, he points out that some fundamentals haven’t changed: hitting deadlines, producing quality work, and building solid relationships with clients. Through his experiences, Marshall hopes to inspire others to improve their craft and build strong careers in the creative world.
Discover Eliza Ivanova’s sketchbook journey and drawing practices. Learn how to embrace a sketchbook, develop daily drawing habits, and use references like photos and videos to enhance your skills. Explore materials and surfaces, dive into shape exploration and minimalism, and find efficient ways to keep drawing. Eliza shares insights on composing overlapping images, deciding what to render or imply, and finding inspiration everywhere. This mini sketch lesson offers practical tips to experiment without pressure and maintain a consistent art practice.
After work, Len Nicholas relaxes by sketching whatever inspires him. He loves drawing robots and arming cute animals like ducks and tortoises. His sketchbook is a space to experiment and have fun. Len focuses on big shapes before adding detail, and believes in embracing failure by trying things that might not work. For Len, art is about fun and relationships. Keeping a daily drawing routine helps him stay creative, and he includes things he loves, like Zelda and cyberpunk, in his art.
Alaine Baybayan is a character designer and animator on "My Adventures with Superman". She focuses on stylized, dynamic art, emphasizing foundational anatomy. Using references—from photos, life, or 3D models—is key to improving her work. She starts with loose sketches, often focusing on a hand or head, and builds around that. Tools like Clip Studio and Procreate help her plan perspective and composition. Practicing gestures and warming up before work helps her understand how the body works in different positions, making her art more dynamic and alive.
Discover efficient watercolor techniques for quick figure drawing. In this sketch tour, Bryce Kho shares methods from his sketchbook, like using watercolors to capture rapid poses and laying down values swiftly.
James Gurney takes you through three of his sketchbooks, spanning from 1985 to recent works. He shares insights from his self-taught journey, studying masters like Dean Cornwell, Caravaggio, and Velázquez. You'll see his early sketches that led to "Dinotopia" and learn how he combines media like gouache, casein, and pen in his work. James discusses techniques for capturing motion, handling complex subjects, and emphasizing imagination in sketching. He also answers questions about his process, warming up, and using 3D maquettes for reference.
If seeing sketch tours of modern-day masters is discouraging to you, I got a treat for you today! Some artists believe that these artists were always this good. That talent is the ingredient they’re missing. So, in this video, I’m doing the opposite. Instead of just showing my best work, I’ll show you my early stuff. The BAD work. I want you to see that becoming a good artist isn’t about being born with talent. It’s about practice and growth. I want to show you how much you can improve if you're dedicated.
Sketch Challenge
It's been one year since we launched our Timer tool and to celebrate we're holding a small timed sketch challenge!
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