So you’re starting to have a good drawing level, you have improved little by little and you practice regularly. Besides, copying the reality of the real world is part of the things you master more or less. You are no longer afraid of copying and you may even master a drawing program such as Photoshop. And yet, despite everything, your creations of imagination seem to be made by a child… So what can you to get better at drawing from imagination? The answer is in this article.
How to draw ANYTHING from imagination? (Discover the tricks)
Is it hard to draw from imagination?
The human mind is an amazing thing. It can create anything, but sometimes it doesn’t want to cooperate. In reality, We’re too tired, too busy, or just not willing to put in the time and effort required to come up with an original drawing.
Drawing from imagination is not as hard as it seems. It’s just a matter of being able to see the picture in your head and having the patience to draw it. So if you’re someone who can already draw pretty well, you then need to practice visualizing in detail to be able to draw from imagination.
Conflict with yourself
Sometimes you can find yourself drawing for years, and then realize afterward that you haven’t evolved at all. What can be really demotivating is to notice that other people draw better and better with years and that they evolve very quickly compared to you.
Is it because they have talent and not you? Not really. Most of the time, these people simply apply good habits that allow them to progress rapidly.
There are in fact 4 good habits you can implement to remedy this problem and finally give yourself the opportunity to progress quickly and well. I will share these 4 habits with you in this article so be sure to read it until the end!
Why can’t I draw what I see in my head?
The most common reason for this is that people are not used to visualizing their thoughts in a visual format.
When you think of something, your brain has already made a mental picture of it. Drawing an idea is about trying to make this mental picture visible.
Difference between Imagination Drawing and Observation Drawing
First of all, understand that observation and creation do not follow the same mental functioning. Imagination drawing, unlike observation, study, copy (or academic) drawing, does not use the same thought patterns in our brain, and especially does not require the same knowledge. You can draw a perfect academic nude where you can see the structure of the muscles and the skeleton of the model without understanding the anatomy.
Imagination drawing is no longer a simple copy-and-paste activity of elements that surround us. Your observation is not yet precise enough. It is impossible to draw a lion if you have never actually observed one. And if your “eye”, your observation does not allow you to do so, then let’s be clear: you will not be able to draw from imagination if you do not have a good level of observation. That’s why learning to observe is very important for most artists.
Important drawing habits to help you draw from your imagination
As we said at the beginning of this article there are 3 habits that will help you draw from your imagination
1. Drawing Everyday!
This comes with a first habit that I recommend you implement right away!
Draw EVERY DAY! Yes, you heard me right – “EVERY DAY.”
Draw every day, whether it’s raining or sunny, whether you feel like it or not, whether you are tired or full of energy. If you don’t feel like it, take a sheet of paper, a tool that you like to use, and draw a line. Just a line.
Often the hardest part is not drawing, but just getting started. Stay at least 30 seconds. And if after 30 seconds you haven’t managed to draw a single line, then stop there and go do something else. But if you have managed to draw a single line, then continue to draw for at least 20 minutes.
2. Observe, and understand
To learn and master a theory (light, shadow, anatomy, perspective…) in drawing, you need three essential elements. First, you have to know that it exists, then you have to understand how it works, and finally, you have to practice. But often in practice, we tend to either forget steps, skip steps, or burn out steps.
A second observation much less serious, even ridiculous compared to the first, is that often we tend to cut or draw exclusively portions. We draw half of a character, a tiny part of a setting, a hand, a foot, a face. Then we are faced with the problem of the connection. Strangely enough, we can’t put the pieces together anymore. For example, The hand is well-drawn, but it is too big compared to the arm. The head of the character is not the right size… You probably know this difficulty and I have also experienced this.
Third observation, the least serious. I still have difficulties getting rid of it today, it is a lack of diversity. What I mean by that is that we often do a lot of line drawings, but we never go beyond that. If we only do that, we’ll end up mastering sketching, but only sketching. The problem is that if we only draw this way, how can we help our brain to register the mechanisms of light and shadow, perspective, character drawing…
3. Be conscient while drawing
If you have a driver’s license and you have been driving for a few years now, you will immediately understand what follows. Have you ever driven so often between your home and school or between your home and work… that you end up not paying attention to the road?
To have had your head elsewhere without even paying attention to the road and to realize that you have already arrived home without even thinking about it? This is not something only drivers experience even drawing artists.
By doing something continuously our brain can go into an automatic mode. so if been drawing for a while now, you might not be aware while you draw but by being aware, by paying attention to the simple details, you can improve a lot.
4. A habit to make you a better Artist in general
Learn the rules of storytelling in pictures
An illustration is a language. When you draw a scene, you want the viewer to understand what’s going on. So you need to speak the same language as the viewer. That’s what we call narration.
You don’t create an illustration that tells a story by instinct. On the contrary. Like learning poetry, you have to learn how to write letters, words, then conjugation, figures of speech, etc. It is the same for drawing.
Is drawing from imagination important?
Drawing from imagination is a skill that is not necessary for an artist even though it can be really helpful. It helps people to think creatively, learn new things, and develop their skills. It also gives them a way of expressing themselves in a way that words cannot. It can be used as a form of therapy or as a tool for artistic expression.
So, in the end, it can be really handy and useful for an artist but it is not a necessity. You can be a great drawing artist without the need of drawing from imagination.
FAQ
Is it possible to draw from imagination?
The term “practicing” covers a wide range of activities. You have to practice with the goal of improving your ability to draw from your imagination, though, if you want to get better at it. In a word, in order to draw something precisely from your thoughts, you must first develop your drawing skills by drawing the same subject repeatedly and from a variety of perspectives.
Why is drawing from imagination hard?
It does not take much effort to store something in passive memory, and it remains there for a long time. However, you do not have immediate access to it since in order to use it, you need to view the object that it is linked to. You simply won’t have access to the information if you don’t have the physical object.
Why can’t I draw what I see?
There are several reasons why one can’t draw what they see on paper. One of them is the misperception of the object or person. Meaning, someone who isn’t an artist and doesn’t draw doesn’t see a subject the way it should. An artist will easily divide what is he wants to draw into shades, figure out progressively proportions add some shading as he goes, etc.
The other obvious reason is simply lack of practice. If you have never drawn something before how can you be good at it right? You need to practice first and progressively you’ll figure out a way to draw what you see. It is a working process really.
Do artists draw from memory?
When you draw something, you are essentially retrieving the image from your memory every time. This is true regardless of where you get your information, whether it be from real life, a photograph, or your own imagination. The reason for this is that you are unable to gaze at your subject while drawing it since doing so would be physically impossible.
Conclusion:
It’s always hard to change our old habits, but if you want to progress quickly it’s good to set up a new mindset and have a drawing goal. A lot of people what to know how to get better at drawing from imagination. The habits and tricks shared in this article, if followed correctly, will help you achieve that so that you can draw from your imagination. Now it’s up to you. Above all, don’t let yourself be surprised by the progress of others. Think of imagination drawing as a new challenge to your drawing skills.
