Project - Simplify from Observation

32K
Course In Progress

Project - Simplify from Observation

32K
Course In Progress

Use the reference photos in the downloads tab or go find your own reference and start drawing! Remember, this project is all about simplifying to clarify.

Make sure to keep these 3 things in mind:

Shapes - Draw your shapes with straight lines
Values - Use only 5 values. 2 in the shadow and 3 in the lights
Edges - Make every single edge sharp!

I'll publish my drawing demos of both levels next Tuesday so you can watch me go through the problem solving process. For a chance to be included in the critique videos, you must submit your drawing to the community by January 26th, 2023, so I can begin filming and producing the critique video.

Newest
Egor Kuzmenko
Hi! It's my first drawing. Can't say I'm proud of it, but at least I made this first step. It was really hard for me to see all shadows. i tried moving and changing light, but decided to stop with this setup. I'd like to improve my shading but my head cannot understand how to do it :) . I'll keep working on!
Rachel Dawn Owens
Thanks for sharing! Maybe this tool can help you seeing values- https://www.proko.com/values
Donna Lynne
Hello everyone. I'm new here and still getting the hang of how things work. Hopefully, I posted this in the right place. I did this drawing before I watched the demo. I'll very likely draw it again after that. I see things I should have done differently. Please, let me know all of your thoughts and suggestions. Thank you for the feedback! PS - Don't worry about not being too harsh. I'm a painter and need much better drawing skills to do what I want to do with my art!
Maher Aldemerdash
Hey guys, This is my first sketch ever. Stan said it is ok to start at zero but after seeing all other submissions I think I am starting below zero :D This is done before watching the demo. I will re-attempt again after watching the demo
Rachel Dawn Owens
We are all just here working to improve. There is no ceiling and someone will always be better. I love you pear drawing. This is the perfect place to start.
@neoimagination
My first try at the assignment... the 1st one on self-try and the 2nd one following Proko... any feedback would be invaluable.
Melanie Scearce
Big improvement in the shape design! Nice work.
Philip
17h
I think I started having too much fun with these, so I ended up blending a lot rather than maintaining the sharp edges as per the assignment's requirements. Overall though, I really enjoyed the assignment and learned a lot. Any feedback is appreciated.
Melanie Scearce
Glad you had fun with these and learned a lot :) The portrait turned out especially strong. The eye area I feel like could be simplified in a different way to be more accurate to the reference image. The pure white in the eye feels a bit out of place. Instead of drawing a symbol to represent the eye, think about how to simplify the values into shapes that look like an eye. The same principle could be applied to the lips.
Matt Pope
22h
I can relate to what Wes said below: but it is frustrating and I feel vulnerable. It’s promising until I start with the values and then it seems to go downhill from there. 🤣. Would love some feedback.
Wes
23h
Unlike a lot of people, growing up I didn’t draw much, if at all, and as an adult, that didn’t change until recently. Putting my pencil to the paper is a daunting task which I feel a lot of mental blockers to even get started. However through all of that I do really enjoy the process, despite the frustrations. Here is my pre-demo pear, to me there were a few different pain points. The first being just getting the general shape right. I fight myself constantly trying to determine if a line is in the best position or if I am achieving the right overall form. My second pain point is determining values, I can easily try to copy what I see, but understanding why those values matter is difficult. I appreciate any feedback, and I hope to meet others who come from a similar background as me.
Márta Kovács
Hi! I like your pear, I think you did well in making it simple! I can also tell the difference between most of your values. One thing that Stan mentioned is to not make a dark outline around the highlights. Hope that helps, keep up the good work!
Matt Pope
22h
Hi Wes! I really like your drawing. There is brilliance in simplicity! I, like you, don’t come from a lot of experience in drawing but I enjoy the process/challenge. Looking at your photo I am thinking that maybe I need to focus more on taking a photo that has more of a contrast between light and dark.
@halo_lit
Like most people, I used to draw when I was little but other than that I'm pretty new to everything here, especially the more structured approach. I've always wanted to learn how to draw, maybe this time I'll be able to actually get somewhere. I think I struggled most with preserving the sharp edges. I had to go over the darker areas several times because I started out with an HB pencil, so the dark areas weren't dark enough and the light ones were too dark. The darker area of the shadow under the pear and the one on the pear itself kept merging together as well. I didn't know if the contour of the pear was still supposed to be visible. Maybe I should've shaded horizontally instead of vertically? It just seemed easier to hold the pencil this way. Overall, considering that I struggle a lot with proportions as well whenever I try to draw something, I think it turned out to be a pretty recognizable pear. :) (It definitely helped me to use the photo as reference instead of an actual piece of fruit — might have to give that a try in the future). Any feedback at all would be very much appreciated!
@pmirko
1d
had a go at level 2 just for fun..man this is hard...
Mo B.
1d
Great googly moogly this one was TOUGH!! Definitely looking forward to trying again after watching the demo! To the model: please know you’re doing us a great service by letting us momick your face as we learn to be better artists - I appreciate you
Melanie Scearce
You handled this very well! I like the choices you made with the darker value shapes around the eye and the mouth.
Radu Rentea
This is my first attempt without watching proko's demo
Carlos Pérez
i like the sense of volumen created , they feel like two heavy rounded spheres one on top of the other .
@pmirko
2d
my very first attempt at learning how to draw seriously...after decades of half commitments... feeling very vulnerable for some reason....
Melanie Scearce
It takes courage to share your work 🦁 Very nice job here. This is very stylish, I love the shape that you made for the core shadow. You could try experimenting with the distribution of your values. Your light values are pretty concentrated in one area of the value scale, so when we simplify further they don't hold their own and flatten out. Giving more space between the values will help keep the form.
Mo B.
1d
Your render looks awesome! I feel the same, but there’s never a better time like the present to jump back into it!
@alanel
2d
My first three drawings! I did the first one without watching Proko's demo or critique video, and also using low-quality paper I had lying around. Proko specifically warned us in Lesson 4 not to use rough newsprint, and now I know why! :-D My second drawing was done after watching the demo and critique videos, and using proper Strathmore sketchbook paper. The third drawing was done with Procreate on iPad, which I purchased two days ago and am still figuring out. Comments and advice are welcome!
Matt Pope
Matt Pope
This was my first attempt. Didn’t have a pear so I used a banana.
Matt Pope
Going to try again with a pear. I didn’t understand that i should try it in my own before watching video.
Dylan Jagiello
Melanie Scearce
Nice job simplifying the value shapes!
Sasquatch B Studios
My first attempt was based on what was shown in the free youtube video, the second was after purchasing the course and after watching the demo.
Melanie Scearce
Nice! Your second drawing uses a wider value range and you've designed your shapes more intentionally. You nailed it 👍
Márta Kovács
My attempt on the portrait (and posting the pears again) all three before watching demos. I do recognize that I'm not following the assignment rules as I should, I tend to have more values, more shapes, and softer edges. Also I probably rushed the portrait because it took a lot less time compared to what is mentioned in the demo. I would appreciate any other tips or critiques that could help me improve.
@faezehy
6d
Márta Kovács
Two attempts on the pear, both before watching the demo. I struggled with seeing the different values and also having a difference between them while drawing. I think the first time I was afraid to use more straight lines and was trying hard to keep to the "rules", while the second time I did it more freely, and while I like that one better, I'm aware that it didn't exactly follow the main point of the assignment. Critiques and tips are appreciated!
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Founder of Proko, artist and teacher of drawing, painting, and anatomy. I try to make my lessons fun and ultra packed with information.
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