How to Learn from Drawing Academy video Lessons

Question from jhehn13

In the Drawing Academy video lessons, am I supposed to pause the video at the beginning and attempt to draw what the lesson is about or (and this is my assumption) try to draw something similar? Does it matter?

I see the value in drawing from life to help achieve the goal of drawing from imagination.

About me.
I have been creative since I was young, off and on (mostly off). I would create art, drawing, painting, etc., though I have never taken a class save a few in high school. Now, more than 20 years later, I am pursuing art education (rather than relying on my innate talents) in most of my free time to better myself, because I love drawing and art! It brings me peace and pleasure, especially when I look at it and don’t think, “Something is wrong, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.” I am highly interested in drawing people. I thought this was something I couldn’t do in the past, but now I am beginning to see that was a preconceived notion on my part.

So far I am really enjoying the lessons, and I look forward to the entire course.

Thank you very much for putting this course together, I can tell you are passionate about art and teaching.

Many thanks for your positive feedback and question.

If your idea of good drawing skills is to be able to draw whatever you see, think, or imagine, then copying somebody else’s drawings will not get you what you want. In this way you will learn how to copy, not how to draw.

I encourage you not to copy from the Drawing Academy art lessons. Instead, watch the “How to Draw” videos to learn the necessary information on drawing techniques and methods, proportions, perspective, human anatomy, and so on; then apply this knowledge to drawing from models, nature, and life.

The Best Ways to Learn Drawing

To your creative success,
Vladimir London