Here’s a project to help you avoid chicken scratch. We’re going to simplify our drawings to C curves, S curves, and straight lines.

The Zolly App challenge is live! Test your perspective and speed drawing skills with this quick challenge. Submission deadline is July 6th.

I launched a new FREE app with the help of the team behind the Skelly app! The app is called ZOLLY and is designed to help you practice perspective.

Now that you’ve all had some time to try the first project on your own, you can watch how I do it and figure out what areas you are exceeding and struggling with. Here is my step-by-step demo on how to properly execute the first project for level 2 students.

Demonstrations of 30 second gesture quicksketch

In this project, we’ll continue working on improving our shape design by applying the concepts we learned from the last lesson. You’ll be working on identifying the gesture of your subject and then designing dynamic and interesting shapes that support that gesture.

It's time for the level 2 project. Using the same cast drawing from level 1, I'll refine the drawing by adding values and adjusting edges.

How to Draw Gesture

Now that you’ve all had some time to try the first project on your own, you can watch how I do it and figure out what areas you are exceeding and struggling with. Here is my step-by-step demo on how to properly execute the first project for level 1 students.

I enjoyed the habit of drawing everyday during the 12 Days of Proko. The timer tool is great and there are lots of professional photos to work from. I took one day off from it and got right back on it. Now the habit is a fixture in my daily routine. I've been posting the images in the two week challenge thread in the Drawing Fundamentals Course, but since a.) this will be a longer habit than two weeks and b.) not everyone on Proko is enrolled in that course, I'm starting a thread here. Anyone inclined, feel free to join in. Use the timer and whatever photos you have packs for, or are freely available. Here are a few two minute sketches from me--mostly from the Viking Volume 2 Pack. 22nd Day of Proko and counting.

Alright level two-ers...Since you've already got some experience with sketching, I want to give you a bit more of a challenge to start practicing sketching from Imagination!

The first project of the Drawing Basics course is to challenge yourself to simplify the shapes, edges, and values of a pear or portrait from observation. I provide you two photo options over in the downloads tab. Being able to simplify is a very useful skill to be able to communicate clearly in your drawings.

Let's make drawing boxes fun by imagining constructing mannequin hands. This method is great for practicing perspective, breaking down hands and fingers into 16 boxy segments. The goal is to improve perspective skills, not perfect anatomy. Level 2 will take it a few steps further and draw the same hands from different angles.

I'm a beginner and working through the fundamentals course. I've been doing ok, until I got to 'Sketching from Observation'. I chose the VR girl, and I feel like I have no idea how to address the complexity of the placement and proportions of the various elements. I'm not even referring to the details, but the major shapes. My eye feels like its swimming.

It’s time to inherit some power from the masters! In this project, we’re continuing to improve your line quality by choosing a master drawing that excites you and studying the artist's use of lines.

In this minor assignment, you will be challenged to limit your values so that you can control hierarchy in your compositions.

The picture plane is like a window that helps solve perspective problems in drawing.

Challenge yourself to draw every day for 2 weeks! See if you can get into the routine of drawing daily.

I am on my dads account on proko just to clear that up. i am a kid learning comic book art on the drawing basics lessons. Give me feedback! P.S. Hope you like it!

Lean the two common ways to hold your pencil while drawing.

After a little break from art study, I've been doing daily gesture figure drawings the last few days to get back to basics. I'm trying to overcome my tendency to be overly sketchy and messy by focusing on clean, deliberate lines, trying to follow the example of Stan in the Figure Drawing Fundamentals course. To that end, I've been doing only 30-second gesture drawings the last few days. It's challenging to be clean and identify the gesture at this time control, but it's the medicine I need. I feel a little better about today, but I still fell into old habits here and there. Feel free to join in with your own daily gesture drawings, whether of figures, heads, hands or even other objects.

My next course is now on presale! This course teaches you how to paint portraits with ease.

Cross Contour Project Deadline Extended! I wanted to add in an additional project video for level 2 students. So, in the lesson we are taking our ginger root blobs and turning them into humanoid characters.

Now that you know about the tapered stroke and simple CSI lines, it's time to learn how to sketch! Here's your next project.

Level 1 demos are done and it's time to move on to level 2! In this lesson, I show you how I would approach the level 2 CSI project.

It’s time to simplify those snails and boots! I show you how I would do it in these step-by-step demos for the level 1 CSI project. Make sure to check back tomorrow for my level 2 demonstrations!

Looking for an art friend to keep me motivated in this course. Just started the arts basics course, I've been drawing for a while but I'm trying to improve my skill so here i am. So, if anyone wants we could exchange discords and keep in touch:)

Alright, it’s time to start practicing your cylinders! For this project, we’re going to draw wheels on vehicles from various angles.

Organize values into connected shapes of oceans, lakes, and rivers to improve readability, add depth, and command attention.

By mastering basic shapes such as the sphere we’ll be able to draw portraits much faster later on.

In this level 1 demo, I show you my process for finding rhythms with quick figure sketches. Check back next week for the level 2 demo!

A brief introduction to the course, how it's structured, and where you can submit work.

New video :) In this lesson you will learn how to draw the spine in motion and 3 assignment to practice drawing the spine.

For this project, we're going to design our line quality to be more interesting by practicing organizing the line weight.

Blobs build intuition, grids train proportion—this video shows how both sharpen your drawing skills.

Let’s look through your simplified animal portraits! In this critique, I’ll be looking through both level 1 & 2 submissions and giving advice on what is working and what can be improved.

I’m wanting to improve on this and be able to blend it better.

Stan and Marshall break down how to learn color by combining theory and practice without getting stuck in rules. They explain hue, value, and saturation, share stories about their own color frustrations, and outline exercises like using limited palettes, plein air painting, and master studies. You’ll learn why repetition, observation, and balancing intuition with knowledge are key to developing your color sense over time.

Following the sphere, we dive into understanding how to render the cylinder and continue to learn the fundamentals of lights and shadows.

When I was doing my Alex Ross Kingdom Come master study, I came across his original thumbnail in "Mythology, The DC Art of Alex Ross." I'm sure this little sketch only took a few minutes, but so much about what makes the final piece amazing, is right there from his initial conception. Thumbnailing is one of the most creative parts of the picture making process. When staring at the white of a blank sheet of paper, the possibilities are infinite. As soon as the first mark is made, it starts to become specific, literally making something from nothing--creation in its purest form. For many, me included, this part of the process is intimidating, but like anything else, we can get better at it with practice. As 2024 draws to a close, I'm nearing the end of my scheduled master studies. From them, I learned a lot about the painting process. The next step as we start 2025, is to apply what I've learned from that process to my own original compositions. But what to paint? In this thread, I plan to develop a thumb-nailing habit, and from the library of ideas I intend to generate, to pick a few to complete as paintings. I love comics, so you'll see a lot of comic book cover concepts from me, but it doesn't need to be limited to that. As this is a good habit for all of us that are interested in picture making, this is an open thread anyone can join in. No finished pieces here, just rough concepts--the first efforts you make when wrestling with the blank page or canvas. Good luck! I hope you join in.

In this last anvil demo, we'll draw from a below-view, focusing on structure, vanishing points, and curves like the horn.

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Just like in the last demo, I’ll be using orthographic views to draw an anvil, but this time we’re looking at it from eye level.

In our new lesson, I share with you the fastest way to getting good at drawing.

Hello, this is a portrait i did early this month. I would love to get some helpful critiques and what i should work on more, thanks!

Philip Dimitriadis expands on the "Melted Pancakes" technique to add more depth and realism.

The long awaited day has finally arrived! I'm ready to teach you perspective, check out the introduction to the course. PRESALE! Save 25% during our early bird launch.!

Learn how to draw airplanes starting with rough blobs and refining them into structured forms.

Join me as I take you to a World of Wonder.

Watercolor color study of a stone bridge – grayish blues and greens give it a snow-dusted feel. If I could fly abroad right now, I’d love to stroll across the Stone Bridge in Regensburg. The nearby old town with its red-tiled rooftops is simply charming.

In this demonstration, Marshall Vandruff explains the joints of the foot and how to draw them as simple forms in perspective.

To master perspective drawing, you need only basic tools: a sharp HB pencil, paper, and erasers. Mechanical pencils and printer paper are fine. Use a ruler! Don’t worry, it's not cheating. Understanding angles is crucial to learning perspective: protractors, T-squares, and triangles help. Axonometric perspective uses fixed angles without vanishing points. Linear perspective uses vanishing points; more flexible but harder to learn. Practice drawing toward vanishing points freehand. Keep tools simple and focus on learning.

Let's practice showing form using cross contour lines by drawing blobs, ginger, seals, lobsters, and other creatures.

If you struggle imagining boxes and drawing the angles correctly, it might help you to start with a blob! Here's a project that will help you improve your visualization skills, making it easier to draw forms in perspective.

For this project, you’ll continue to practice The Shape Method. You’ll focus on gesture, perspective, and building the figure from head to foot. Practicing this pushes you to slow down and get used to this new approach—it’s about reshaping how you think and developing a new way to draw the figure.

In this lesson, we'll be going over the materials you'll need to build a portrait armature and how to assemble it.

Join me as I take you to a World of Imagination

A step-by-step look at foreshortening arrows using boxes, vectors, and scaffolding to understand 3D space and draw with more confidence.

A beginner's guide to pencils and erasers! A breakdown of the many different pencil and eraser options out there. I’ll go over the different types, how they each differ from one another, the best way to hold them, and the most effective way to use them.

Ben Eblen demos how he creates stylized portraits by thinking in 2D and 3D, exaggerating features, and using reference for structure and not accuracy.

I'm working on the Notan Master Thumbnails demos, but in the meantime, here's an unnarrated bonus demo I recorded for the project announcement. I figured it's beneficial to watch me go through the motion, even without narration. Narrated demos coming soon.

Here's part 1 of a three-part demo. In this one, I'll be using orthos to draw an anvil from an above-eye view, focusing on building it with solid proportions using a structural box. The next parts tackle the same form from eye level and below to show how the perspective shifts.

This lesson guides you through two methods for drawing one-point letters: precise illustration using a ruler and rapid freehand sketches.

I was thinking of doing some art pieces on various fairy tales. Wondering what art style would suit for the following: iron hans aladdin and the magic lamp puss and boots momotaro the peach boy crane wife

Alright guys, this is going to be a fun one! In this project, we’ll be constructing animal portraits using basic shapes.

One of the things people ask about most are questions related to my materials. In this lesson I go through exactly what I use and why. If you have any questions about my materials, please ask them here.

In this level 2 demo, I'll show you how to construct heads with accurate perspective and well defined 3D forms. I'll start by identifying the simple box of the head's orientation. This box serves as a map that guides us to align the smaller forms to the angles of the 3 axes, ensuring a more lifelike and dimensional portrait.

It's time for the week 4 assignment. I'll show you what we're gonna be doing and then it’s your turn to give it a try.

In this demo, you'll learn how to refine a roughed-out clay sculpture by focusing on secondary forms like fat pads and muscles. Use small pieces of clay and a loop tool to clean up textures and smooth transitions. Pay attention to anatomical details, blending forms by crosshatching and varying your strokes.

I'll break down a cast portrait into clear value groups and show how to map light and shadow with graphite plus a hint of charcoal.

Experimenting with different toned papers— While working on a lion-themed piece, I found the feline body structure really fascinating. That led me to the idea of analyzing the shape characteristics of different parts of a cat. Their continuous and dynamic movements are truly captivating—I'll come back to this topic and share more in the future.

I'm asking cause I always wanted to get into something creative. but lately I been wondering if I should just treat it as a hobby?

Pear Critiques are here! Critique for the portraits coming Thursday, but I recommend level 2 students watch this critique video too. I give advice and demonstrate things that should be useful to both levels.

In this lesson, Stan explains the Value Scales Project.

Practice freehand drawing techniques by working with circles, angles, and straight lines. This lesson focuses on improving hand control and turning theory into confident execution. Keep practicing freehand drawing daily, even if it's tough at first; over time, your hand skills will rise to meet your brain skills.

Philip Dimitriadis shares the "Melted Pancakes" drawing technique to explore perspective and depth using organic shapes, contour lines, and overlaps. A great exercise for practicing perspective and form.

Time for Level 2! Let’s push the shapes in our simple animal portraits and see what happens.

Learn to use blobs, grids, and perspective techniques to draw diggers and scenes with depth, even when combining multiple perspective systems.

You'll simplify images into just 2 or 3 values. This will improve your ability to observe and interpret values in your drawings.

It’s time for level 2 critiques! Let’s take a look through your “Learning to Sketch from Imagination” projects and talk about some of the common mistakes.

Once you’re done with the gestural architecture project, let’s practice deforming boxes with a focus on torsos. Draw dynamic torso boxes from imagination and photos, focusing on twisting, leaning, and deforming simple form.

In this lesson, I’ll show you how you can train your mind to improve the accuracy in your drawings, measuring methods you can use along the way, and most importantly how you can give yourself quick feedback so you can improve faster.

Hello great artists Im kind of a newbe on this group, but I've been drawing for quite some time. Recently my portfolio got rejected from school that I wanted to attend. That event struck me like a lightning and in conclusion I got lost in prioritys of things. Firstly I know for sure that I want to attend to this school next year. Secondly I know I have to get better at design and I know for sure Proko is the best place to get help with that. So here I am asking for some kind of help. I'll link my porfolio here. Go ahead and check it out!!!

I'll demonstrate how to modify head construction for different character types, focusing on male vs. female differences. For females, use softer curves, less prominent bone structure, and understated features. Keep the forehead more vertical, jaw angle less pronounced, and brow ridge subtle. For males, emphasize angular features, broader jaw, more prominent brow ridge, and reclined forehead angle. Adjust proportions and planes to achieve desired character traits while maintaining basic construction principles.

In this lesson, we explores isometric illusions and how to make flat shapes appear 3D by adjusting lines, overlaps, and perspective.

I know when starting out drawing you shouldn’t really focus on developing a drawing style, rather one sort of starts to develop on its own. However, I am trying to actively think about what I do and don’t like regarding characterized drawings. Through this I notice that people who have a style it seems the only things that differentiates the characters they draw are accessories or hair/eye color. Does that mean having a drawing style is really just kind of having Sam’s face syndrome?

In this chapter, we'll learn to draw the nose by simplifying its forms, studying anatomy, and practicing shading and color in various exercises.

You need to know the limits to stretch the limits. In the new Types of Joints lesson, we go over the 6 types of joints of the skeleton.

How to draw from above or below eye level using perspective and horizon line tricks.

Alright, let's move beyond random floating boxes. For this project we’ll practice our 1-point perspective skills by building a room and filling it with boxy objects like furniture and appliances.

Drawing consistently good looking lines can be hard. Here are 5 line quality warm-ups that you can practice to improve your line control.

In this lesson I talk about refraction and how light bends through objects.

It’s time to switch our brain over to think more three-dimensionally for the Depth and Form method. In this demo I'll show you how you can primarily use one method, but not be strict with it. So, I sprinkle some influence from the light direction method.

Learn to break down 3D forms using the XYZ axes, label complex lines, and use construction techniques to improve your spatial drawing skills.

It's time to take what you've learned about proportion and give it a try for yourself.

To make someone look old in a drawing, focus on more than just wrinkles. Start by laying out the basic planes of the skull, like the eye sockets, nose, mouth, and cheekbones. Emphasize the cheekbones and how fat shifts with age, revealing more bone structure. Pay attention to how gravity affects facial fat, causing it to sag and create new contours. Use light and shadow to highlight these changes, and avoid over-relying on wrinkles, which can distract from the overall form.

Use this model to pose the Loomis head in any angle and practice drawing.

It’s time to apply the concepts you’ve learned about storytelling by working on your penciling techniques! Stan gives you a multi-part assignment that will help you practice the lessons taught in this section of the course.