Project - Learning to Sketch from Imagination

Lesson by

Stan Prokopenko

inDrawing Basics

10K

Course In Progress

Assignments 1.7K

Downloads 5

Project - Learning to Sketch from Imagination

Lesson by

Stan Prokopenko

in Drawing Basics

10K

Course In Progress

Assignments 1.7K

Downloads 5

Pick an animal, a bug, or some kind of creature, and find several reference photos to use as inspiration to sketch a new character.

Don't copy the photos. Feel free to explore with proportions and exaggerate or simplify things to make it your own. Do multiple sketches to experiment and try different ideas.

Once you think you have a clear idea of a character, do one full page sketch. Even in this final sketch, try to use loose, confident lines and focus on the shapes of the character you have in mind. We're trying something new here with this project by starting to develop our ability to draw from imagination. So it might be a bit of a challenge, but don't sweat it.

Let's keep it loose and rough with our sketches and just focus on letting those creative juices flow. Don't focus on the cleanliness of your lines. We're sketching, and when you post your assignments, please include the photos you found and all your experimental sketches.

If you'd like to have a chance to be included in the upcoming critique videos, you must submit your drawings below by March 9th 2023.

And don't forget to have fun!

Katie King

•

I decided to try a praying mantis and am really happy with how it worked out! I worked off of the references for my practice page to get an idea of shapes and proportions, and made my full page character off of those. I started way too close to the side of the page, but I still like how she looks. I tried to focus on confident lines and feeling out the sketch, but I kept falling back into searching, chicken-scratch lines. I also tried adjusting my work space to encourage drawing from the shoulder and elbow rather than the wrist. It is making a difference but it is taking a lot of effort to break the habit. Either way I had a lot of fun with this one, and have a new love of mantises.

Melanie Scearce

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Searching lines can be beautiful, just keep them light! Overall your lines look good, but I see what you mean about getting a bit scratchy. I suggest trying to incorporate more of your CSI lines to try to mitigate the urge to use shorter, scratchier lines. These drawings are great, I love the shapes that you used to simplify the face!

@chrisdzy

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Tried some new pencils while studying reptiles then went off imagination for the little claw guy

Nancy Larson

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A Level 2 assignment is a challenge for me, and then the added imagination component made it even more so. In any case, I came up with a rock star prairie dog. A good exercise for me to stretch.

Martha Muniz

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Such a fun idea! I think with blobby creatures like these, it can help to think about two balls attached together (one small one for the head and a larger squishy oval-like one for the body). Breaking it down like that can give you more control to move and pose the figure around, so you are less attached to the reference and can work with looser lines from imagination.

Henry H

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My son asked to do a great white shark. Here are the inspiration photos, and the wildly different approaches we took to the assignment. Frankly, I'd rather hang out with his shark than mine, I think he did a better job of reading the assignment, lol.

Marisa Del Campo

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I used Kangaroo references for this assignment. I struggle a LOT with confidence when it comes to drawing from imagination and often have trouble coming up with good ideas. Anyway, I found their bodies really fun to draw. Hopefully this post goes through and stays up. Don't know if anyone else has had any issues with posts disappearing or if I'm doing something wrong.

Le Hai

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I post assignments. They took more than 30 minutes to finish. I used 4b for the outline after finishing the sketch with 3h. That's really fun.

Dylan Trahan

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10d

I'm a level one, working through the course after falling off of it last year. I drew all the rough exploration sketches this morning from reference images I found on Google and then just worked from imagination for the final drawing. I just kind of dove in to putting the large shapes in for the baby T-Rex. And then added in some detail and reworked it a bit but decided I was getting too much into the detail of it so I figured I should post it before I started overthinking.

Melanie Scearce

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10d

It's perfect for the assignment! Great use of CSI lines. I love the details you included, like his eye trained on the fly and the wagging tail. All really great narrative elements. Looking forward to seeing more :)

@chadcando

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10d

I wasn’t to sure what to draw from imagination, so I asked my wife and she requested a scorpion. Which didn’t really help me but after asking what would she like the scorpion to be doing she said that it needs to be a chef with a spoon in its tail. It’s was fairly challenging to draw, so did a few simple thumbnails to figure out the shape of a scorpion. The face was hard as not knowing what the face of a scorpion looks like but I feel like I came up with a good concept in the end.

Marisa Del Campo

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Nice job! My husband hasn't been much help when I ask him what to draw. But maybe if I'm more specific 🤔

Daniel

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14d

I try to make long movements with my arm and as spontaneously as possible.

Melanie Scearce

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14d

Really nice! This idea will be covered a bit later in this course, but looking for rhythms in the pose can help you really practice those long movements from the shoulder, and help create cohesion in your drawings. And as usual, using a variety of CSI is great for creating visual interest. Keep up the sketches, these are looking great!

Carmen Ciumber

•

17d

Difficult exercise, especially when trying to draw divas :)

Rachel Dawn Owens

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17d

These drawings are fun! Your shapes are looking very nice. My only critique might be about the line quality. Try using fewer marks. This will give your drawing more clarity and energy.

Ryan C

•

20d

I chose langurs for this project. It was difficult. I had fun studying the reference images, but I had a hard time nailing the shapes. That got even harder when I had to work from imagination. I can see why people get "cramps."

@brimarie

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19d

Great sketches. You really nailed the different facial expressions.

Melanie Scearce

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20d

Your lines in these sketches are perfect for this assignment. Very gestural lines, loose but without getting muddy or messy. Nicely done 👍

Richard W

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20d

Not happy of the result, but, have to deal with it :-(

@brimarie

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20d

I have decided in favor of the raccoon:-)

Melanie Scearce

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20d

Amazing shapes! This is very advanced work :)

Ryan C

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20d

These are great. I particularly like the one lying flat on the floor, you really got the softness across.

The guy from BluishDot

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20d

A great choice! Really nice drawings. :D

@pancakequeue

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20d

Wanted to draw a red panda sitting on top of a bookcase like a cat would. I liked the perspective and am happy with the line work but wish I could get the shading down better. Though shading is something we only covered with the fruit wanted to try it here cause red panda's anatomy is more blobish with very black sections on the limbs so figured I'd want to try out some shading.

Ken STACKS

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23d

I don't know what i'm doing anymore....

Michael de Graaf

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25d

Rachel Dawn Owens

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23d

These elk are some bad dudes. I dig it.

@piba

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28d

Following the chicken saga I decided to try open winged poses and Im not sure of a cohesive way to simplify it Tips?

@piba

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28d

Just a example of the biggest simplification I came up with

Hetty

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29d

Lucas Santos

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29d

Apollo

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30d

Patrick Bosworth

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30d

Nice work! I love the personality you've injected into this, the googly eyes and the extra round abdomen really takes the spider design from creepy-crawly to adorable. Reminds me of Lucas the Spider! Keep up the good work!

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Stan Prokopenko

Founder of Proko, artist and teacher of drawing, painting, and anatomy. I try to make my lessons fun and ultra packed with information.