I want to draw more...

[Bloodh4wk]

Maybe it's just me, I can draw people, anime, landscapes Very well(atleast in my opinion) by looking at another drawing, or a RL photo.

BUT...

Everytime I sit down and want to draw from nothing, or just make up anything, I just can't make it look like anything but a middle school sketch/doodle. I don't know if it's just 2 different kinds of talents, or maybe mine isn't a talent.. Can anyone draw really well by looking at a photo or picture(copying basically)?

Maybe art classes would help by actually teaching me the structure of people, shading, etc.

When it comes to drawing, I don't practice as much as I'd like, but it is one of the main things that interests me, and I hope my talent isn't just dribble :P

If anyone can shine some light on this, is it just 2 Whole different things of Copying(not tracing :P) and drawing from your mind? I hope there is a way I can improve :)

[EightyFour]

I guess it would be a little different. Most people draw from a reference and than add on from there. But others can project the image on to the paper before they start to draw it. And than from there they fill in the lines that they have projected from there mind on to the paper. It's not a bad thing to have a reference, if you want to draw a building, look at several different buildings in your area, and look at all the different lines they make, draw some of those out, and than come back to your project, imagine a building in your head, project it on paper, and draw a rough sketch, than when you get stuck on exactly how to do this corner right or that shading right, look at your references and see if you can find similarities. After awhile you start to remember how the lines and shading work to get the desired result. And than you can project all the time.

Also, I don't know what level you’re at, but if you want to take your art to the next level, you can take a class. But you can also just pick up a book, one book at a time, maybe 2 if you think you need that. Go thru them and as soon as your done shelf them for later and pick up one or two more.

I would recommend Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain - by Betty Edwards. There are others, but you have to find who you like to learn from best.

[Metal Wolf]

I like starting form nothing then just going where the drawing takes me. However my anatomy sucks so I never draw people.

Some people have a natural tallent for going from their mind to paper but most have to be taught a little of how to do it. Some art classes and a bit of practice is mainly what you need. Once you've done it a few times its easy but the first time is a bugger.

Ohh, and if your doing it on a computer dont use white and black use really dark grey and a light version of the main ambient color. That will make your lighting look much better. Though I'm bad about following this bit of advise myself, bad habits are hard to break. Dark grey being 98% grey and light being the 95+% count of that.

[Bensidhe]

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain - by Betty Edwards. There are others, but you have to find who you like to learn from best.

I'll agree, thats one of the best books out there . As for drawing people, that too depends on the body type you're going after . Figure drawing classes can teach you how to train your eye to pick up shapes, lines, etc .
Another way to learn is to find an artist or artists that have a style that inspire you . Many people start with comic books as they're usually the figure in its basic form . The newer "grunge/Gothic" comics are pretty decent at showing light/shadow and brightness/contrast . Most pictures look pretty simple and the really good artists are masters of simplicity.

Anyone can copy pretty well, but to pull something off the top of your head and make it look good in all ways is what its really about .

Take lessons or teach yourself . IF its something you really want badly enough you will get better over time and a ton of practice . One thing, be your harshest critic . Think about what you do, change it as you create it, and keep the lousy ones to see where you went wrong and where you were at one stage of your creativity .

[Zuku]

Practice, practice, practice.

Part of the problem, for me at least, is that when I draw off a reference, I'm not really paying attention to the form of the object. I'm concentrating on reproducing what I see. I don't pay attention to how the muscles lay on each other or how the joints bend or the proper perspective of the hands. I'm just drawing shapes.

In order to draw without a reference you have to understand form and function.

Practice and study.

[Thrudgelmir]

hmmm just practice anatomy. draw some simple scetches just to get it down on the paper. its not that hard really. when you have the anatomy correct, just add shading, features and details to the drawing. also, you should try to study peoples you see, for example on the street etc. and you should try to draw with a model some times just for practice and to get the basic anatomy right. try to study the human body and how it moves, porportions and how it shades...
also...good imagination always helps;P

[TizzyFoe]

i remember in one of my art classes (2 art classes were required at my HS) we learned that your eyes are actually in the center head. that took me a while to grasp because i knew that eyes were about 75% of the way up from the chin. but after looked at a few faces to my amazement they were in the middle. i imagine that

[EightyFour]

Yep, I believe that's because of hair. For females their hair line is a little higher on there head. Small difference, but small things like that well make something look real vs. some drawing. Ears can be hard to get down, things like that, but if you want to draw people, walk up to someone you know and start examining there features. Pick leaves off of trees, get references so that you can see all the small details, when you focus on the small stuff, everything that is proportioned normally comes together. Art takes a lot of work and a long time to produce something. Patience is key.