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Hi,

My name is Daniel and I'm from Germany. I've been trying to learn to draw for a few years now. What inspired me to this is that I've been quite a fan of Japanese Manga. So I've bought a book on "How to draw Manga" which unfortunately was of almost no use to me. It had a lot of images and explanations on specialized topics but it didn't really improve my drawings.

I realized that what I was truly looking for is something that can teach me the basics, the fundamentals of drawing. Something that will give me the skill to draw whatever I see or imagine.

So I've read some books which were widely recommended for teaching exactly that. I can't say that they were bad, in fact I've learned some things that improved my drawing skill a bit. Anyway I'm still not at a level that I can draw confidently the things I see or imagine.

So when I stumbled over this website on YouTube it caught my interest instantly. After watching the free video previews I realized that Drawing Academy was exactly what I've been looking for all the time. That's why now I'm quite sure that I'm going to enroll in the Drawing Academy as soon as I finish my busy work at university.

I have the following questions:

Can I learn to draw the human figure without having access to a life model?

I can only access tutor questions by the link provided in the e-Mail Newsletter. I can't find them anywhere on the website.

Question from Daniel Trpka

Hi Vladimir,

What do you think about a sight-size drawing method?

Many artists say that sight-size is not good for imagination and memory drawing.

French artists from 18-19 century (Bouguereau, Gerome, Cabanel…) had excellent imaginary paintings...

Many thanks to all subscribers who are asking various things about art and how to learn drawing.

Today, I will answer several short queries.

If you have any questions, please submit them here »

Question from Skotchy

Do I really have to know how to draw humans if it's my goal to know how to draw animals and made-up creatures?

I ask that because many drawing lessons are about drawing humans...

Question from Anastasia, Drawing Academy student

Dear Vladimir,

I have seen some drawings with very dark backgrounds. When I try to shade dark areas, the graphite marks become glossy.

How to achieve dark tones in graphite drawing?

What is the best technique to render really dark values? ...

Question from Anastasia, Drawing Academy student

Dear Vladimir,

Thank you very much for the drawing course! I have learned so much from your video lessons.

Please see my portraits below that I was doing in a life drawing class. When making these sketches, I have been told by an art instructor that the line use is wrong; she insisted that it all has to be done tonally. Can you please clarify the correct way to draw sketches?

Thank you again for your support and opportunity to study! ...

Question from Slater Smith, Drawing Academy student

Hello,

Some artists and instructors have recommended making blind contour drawings. Without looking at the paper, you move your pencil "with" your eyes until all the contours of an object have been drawn. The practice is supposed to help hand-eye coordination, but I've never seen a Master drawing from any period that uses such an approach, or at least not from what I can tell.

On top of that, all I ever manage to get out of blind contour drawings are scribbles that hardly resemble the subject.

What does the Drawing Academy have to say about this technique?

Should I use it, or am I better off avoiding blind contour drawings? ...

Please critique some works I’ve done from the Charles Bargue drawing course.

Warm Regards,
Jivaji

Question from Steven Lee How do you apply constructive drawing, or drawing what you know, to things from imagination? Answer from Vladimir London, Drawing Academy Tutor The purpose of constructive drawing is to enable you to draw even those things that you never drew before. Creating from imagination you can only draw what you know… 

Question from Slater

I was wondering which aspect is more important while sketching: quantity or quality. I often hear people say that, when learning how to draw, practice is the only surefire way. I completely agree, but I have noticed a few variations on what is expected to be achieved from a practice sketch.

The sketches found in Drawing Academy look, at least to me, like quality ones with clean lines, accurate proportions, and marvelous shading. On the other hand, when I look at the sketches of certain Old Masters, especially Rembrandt's, they seem to be done rapidly with an emphasis on style, but appear to be slightly lacking in proportion and crispness...