Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
8.4K
Artist Points Out The Mistakes Beginner Artists Make Because They Draw With Their Brain, Not Their Eyes
Drawing is a form of art people dedicate their entire lives to. But when their beautiful drawings inspire you to pick up a pencil, you might end up with a hideous doodle that looks more like graphite vomit than an attempt to portray something. But don’t worry. Imgur user omgrun has created a drawing tutorial for beginner artists, showing why most rookies fail. And yes, they’ve included the sauce that most schools lack – the informal language that compliments the information so well, the step-by-step tutorial on drawing techniques becomes easy to digest.
RELATED:
How to Draw With Your [friggin] Eyes and Not Your [friggin] Brain: The [stuff] your art teachers tried to teach you but totally sucked at (probably)
1. Okay so congratulations! You are learning how to draw! You took the first big step to learning! I’m really proud of you because I know sucking for a long time at something before you get good is not easy but you are brave and did it anyway. FEAR NOT!!! I’m here to teach you what I consider one of the most valuable skills there is… HOW TO DRAW WITH YOUR EYES AND NOT YOUR BRAIN.
2. Something that totally [screwed] you if you are trying to draw, for example, a face from a picture, is your brain’s ability to recognize symbols. What I see a lot in beginner artist’s work is people NOT drawing what they see, and instead of drawing a SYMBOL of what they see. What is this… some sort of philosophy?? No, let me explain.
3. Here is an extreme example. The artist sees an eye…. so they draw what their brain tells them an eye is. Something like this, right??
The artist sees eyelashes. So they draw what their brain tells them eyelashes look like.
4. However, they have COMPLETELY disregarded what their EYES are telling them. ALL the information is right there!
5. If we use our eye to mentally trace the shape of the eyeball, we see it’s not very ovular at all, really… sort of angular. His iris isn’t a perfect circle, and his eyelid is covering part of it. And you can barely even SEE the lashes on half of his eye! DON’T ignore what your eye is telling you! The shape of this white space matches the shape I drew!
6. If you say… [damn]… I’ve been drawing with symbols all along! SLOW YOUR ROLL. Let’s break this down. When you draw, you are not drawing a face. You are not drawing a nose. You are not drawing EYES OR HAIR OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. You are drawing SHAPES. “Hey! Is this more philosophy bullsh*t?” you say. No. Every drawing on planet earth is a combination of light and dark SHAPES. Every drawing is an illusion. So, for the sake of the example, let’s say you are trying to draw this guy. I got this reference image from google images and I chose it because it has very defined areas of light and dark. The more defined SHAPES you have in your reference, the EASIER it will be for you to draw.
Let’s look just at it JUST as light values, completely forgetting color for now.
7. So the easiest way to get your brain to stop seeing symbols is to FORCE it to stop seeing symbols. This becomes easier when you turn your image upside down! Have you started noticing shapes yet? Drawing blind contour drawings will help you with this skill!!!
Here’s some easy to notice ones. A physical object… a collar… easily becomes a shape. MENTALLY trace the shape. Pay attention to each curve and angle. Note: this is not how I would typically start a drawing. I am just pointing out shapes to get your brain in the right place. You will not be good at this when you first start. Drawing blind contour drawings will help you with this skill!!!
But how do we actually use this to draw a face? IMPORTANT: do NOT let yourself be distracted by fine details! Focus on the large areas first, and then begin to add details! My teacher always taught me to SQUINT, so let’s blur! LOOK AT ALL THESE SHAPES
Let’s start drawing! I like to start with the darkest values first. If you are using your eyes, you should be looking at your reference image as much or MORE than you are looking at your drawing.
Treat your drawing like a “find the differences” game. Does the shape you just drew look like the one in your picture? No? Find the differences!
INACCURACIES EVERYWHERE. While I am drawing, I am also judging or comparing the shapes I am drawing to those in the reference image. I am judging their -VALUE (how dark/light they are) -POSITION in relation to other shapes -the SHAPE itself. This needs to be happening CONSTANTLY. THIS shape looks odd…
I imagine the edge of my drawing area like a ruler, and re-draw the shape to match the one my EYES see. While doing that, I can see that the jawline I drew is a bit too far out. FIND THE DIFFERENCES!!!
I continue refining my image. I even used the transform tool at some points to help fix my sketch. DO NOT be afraid to erase, even if it’s a large part. Your image will look better because of it. You can always redraw.
Whoa… that was a lot of work, right? I mean, DANG. A lot of detail. But flip that thing over…
HOLY COW! Pretty good start, actually! GOOD NEWS: The more you do this, the better you will get!
THERE YOU GO, CONGRATS, YOU CAN NOW USE YOUR [friggin] EYES AND NOT YOUR [friggin] BRAIN TO SOLVE EVERY ART PROBLEM EVER. So maybe I m exaggerating buuuut who cares
And remember ladies and gents, in the WISE WORDS OF BOB ROSS… TALENT IS A LIE. No one has ever gotten good at something by popping out of their mom’s vagina. Talent means you practice hard and draw every day and be proud of EVERY SINGLE THING you draw and even the things you FAIL at because it means you are ONE STEP CLOSER to being an EXPERT!
People felt had a lot to say about this tutorial
What do you think ?
Lili Képes 5 years ago
I am so grateful this article came around! I've always struggled with drawing. When I was 8, I was so bad, a teacher couldn't resist the urge to pick up my actual drawing from my desk, holding it like a piece of trash (by the way, it was trash) and shouting in anger humiliating me in front of the class. I don't remember receiving actually useful advice on how to draw in my whole school carrier, though I attended a good middle school. But I think it is never too late to get started, and this article will be a good point for it.
Andrew Keane 5 years ago
Wow, such a s****y teacher. I've taught art classes before and i can't move from student to student without insisting that they learn something from it. In my first classes everyone starts the way I did in college. Everyone gets some newspaper and they practice drawing circles and straight lines freehand. I tell the kids they can't use an eraser. They should learn to be comfortable making a mess at the start in order to get figure out what they're drawing but stress the importance of light lines. I then build the process from there.
Load More Replies...
Ritchat 5 years ago
Being an illustrator myself I partially disagree. This indeed a good method for beginners how to learn to draw realistically but it's just about drawing something that already exists. To become a real artist, to create something from scratch, you need to remember things, get to their core, understand how they work, then use this knowledge to create something new. For example: Don't just copy a protrait. Look at the picture, understand the bone-structure and muscles behind the face, really take it in, then use it to create something original. But that are just my 2 cents.
Anna Repp 5 years ago
I agree! I'm an illustrator myself and I do not think these are good instructions for learning how to draw. For learning how to copy - yes. There's nothing bad in copying, it is a great way to learn to draw like the masters. But it is only a small part of learning to draw realistically.
Load More Replies...
M Plorkie 5 years ago
Good job pretty much copying Betty Edwards' wonderfully instructive book "Drawing on the right side of the brain". http://www.drawright.com/
TerrySane 5 years ago
I do not agree that "talent" is a lie. I am not good in drawing (I never really tried to get better) but I have friend who is artist. I remember our math class in high school - geometry. We learn how to cut cube or cuboid and draw it. My friend didn't know about theory but she was able to imagine it in her head and put it on the paper really good. I have not imagination a I only learn theory. (She fail at the exam. I did not.) The result was almost same. Someone can feel it.You can train drawning and do good stuff but when you are artist you put something more in it. Something what creates art.
Quinn Alexander 5 years ago
I mean, style of drawing is a thing. Not everyone has the knack for straight lines as much as they do appealing curves. You pick up on what individual artists do best and that's their focus. I think some people just need to be less critical about that kind of thing, unless someone is legitimately trying to be photorealistic and failing at that. I draw cartoons for a living and I don't get much of the same critique often but when I do it's like 'I drew what I felt looks appealing, back off about 10 yards'. But for whoever finds the article useful information, more power to them and I'm glad they can use that to improve, and happy that the artist wants to share their skillsets with those who would appreciate it.
Grumble O'Pug 5 years ago
This is all completely plagiarized from "Drawing on the Right Side of Your Brain"
Jon Penryn 5 years ago
All this stands true if all you want to do is produce an "acceptable" product. What is more interesting in art is making something new, a new way of seeing that must be filtered through a brain and connects with your own thoughts of feelings.
Dorothy Parker 5 years ago
Not a bad tutorial but for the fact that the artist is preciously throwing in junk profanity to appear edgy. Just appears ignorant Pity. Might otherwise have something to offer. Seeing this way too much on the web.
Daniel (ShadowDrakken) 5 years ago
Talent absolutely exists. But it only determines your starting point, not the finish line.
David Addy 3 years ago
I have worked through Drawing on the Right Side 40 times or more. Whst is wrong with me? https://learningtodrawweb.wordpress.com/
Fonzie Bulldog 5 years ago
Hmmm, that must be the case when i sometimes dont get it right. Fonzie-Bul...69a5f4.jpg 
HoffLensMetalHedLovesAnimalsUK 5 years ago
As someone who is horrible at drawing, this won't help me one bit. But i do play 7 musical instruments.
Kim Lorton 5 years ago
Yep. I always liked the part in art, where we had to do light and dark and it would become a picture!
Riz Leslie 5 years ago
lol at people who can naturally draw acting like those few rules actually help those of us who can’t
Tisha Bell 5 years ago
Figure drawing is a technical skill but it helps if you have the natural talent to actually draw what you see. This person is using a photo as a reference which is great for beginners, but if you want to really tap into drawing what you see, you need to use an actual still life or figure and practice as different angles and perspectives.
Jolene Oldham 5 years ago
I got this book in 1979. Your upside down method is literally the first lesson in the book. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. http://www.drawright.com/
Alessandra Fryzel 5 years ago
It's a bit of a combination. Draw what you see, but also what you know. For instance you should study human anatomy and have an understanding where bones and muscles are placed and how they act in relation to each other. No I'm not saying you should learn every single name of tiny bones, but have a good idea of the main ones. When you're in a life drawing class you will be able to spot those important structures and then you'll be able to flesh out the drawing better. Of course you will start with main shapes and measurements, but knowing how a ribcage looks underneath helps. For fantasy creatures you practice the animals that might form a dragon....lizards, horses, bats and whatnot eventually you can draw from your imagination, but yes, daily practice is key.
Colton Slivka 5 years ago
Talent is something people have naturally. You can be talented at a lot of things. SKILL trumps talent always. Having skill is the pursuit of interest, not talent.
Tobias Meiner 5 years ago
This is basically the first thing any competent art teacher will tell you - draw what you see, not what you think you see (a great idea is to draw random things as you start to focus on them for the first time). The second one will be the distinction between drawing and painting, as painting operates with colour, drawing operates with valor (value). By the way, talent by all means exists and this is often something you're either born with or what forms within the first years of life. Talent means only that one needs less practice than others to achieve the same results, but the lack of it may be easily off-set with the will to work. People who are compelled to do something will often practice every time they have the opportunity to, learning more over the month or year than people who do not do this so often.
Trisha Ries 5 years ago
Art is up to the artists interpretation. While the info is valuable, I say let the people draw how they want to. I mean, look at Picasso?
Kristina Whatsabear 5 years ago
Never heard of this??? Been there, done that in 1979 already! Look up Betty Edwards, Drawing on the right side of the brain. Brilliant lady, brilliant method. It works AND she teaches it well!! http://www.drawright.com/
Andrew Keane 5 years ago
It's a great starting point, but then you have to know and understand anatomy, composition, proportions and a lot of other things. You can look and try your best to draw what's in front of you, but then it's sometimes difficult to use the right techniques to get the right result.
Nina Lupe 5 years ago
AssamLaksa, That comment is partially wrong, (by the way i'm not talking directly towards them) some art teachers do teach this, and some don't. My teacher used to literally tell us that drawing from a reference, upside down is the best way to catch all the better 'details' i think she said, something like that, because of the fact that our brain thinks it sees something, but only draws the shape we think is more 'natural' or 'better' so we don't see all the ways the shape comes to be? (sorry if i don't make sense, i'm also a 14 yr-o trying to write what my teacher said) but the point that she gave us was that if we see things upside down/from a different perspective, than we wouldn't recognize the figure and we would copy down the main, strange/disfigured shapes and add detail as we went down and we could add a little more detail defining things as the original image was upright? My Teacher was amazing a teaching art and was a funny hilarious teacher at the same time #1 teacher for me
Bored Onion 5 years ago
All y'all with the dysgraphia, join me in crying about not drawing right. #DysgraphiaSucks
Sophia Cai 5 years ago
the squinting thing explains a lot... i usually draw an outline before putting on glasses to see the actual details and stuff
Russian Otaku 5 years ago
Really pointless post imo. Drawing what you see ain't hard. Doing it well however is. Dynamic angles are a b***h as are certain mediums one can use. Some people can find oils or paints easier then pens or pencils. Drawing certain things don't apply however to the draw what you see like concept art but that is for more advanced drawers who have likely gone past that stage
Renée St-Amour 5 years ago
I remember having to recreate Botticelli's The Birth of Venus freehand, one in black and white and then the other in colour to study shadows. I was struggling with the eyes and my teacher basically told me the same thing as this writer and instructed me to put both the picture and my painting upside down... and it worked like a charm.
Monika Rhodes 5 years ago
Are you an artist? If not- doesn't concern you so why comment? And if you're an artist and think this is dumbest s**t- why comment? No one forced you to see it either.
Load More Replies... Lili Képes 5 years ago
I am so grateful this article came around! I've always struggled with drawing. When I was 8, I was so bad, a teacher couldn't resist the urge to pick up my actual drawing from my desk, holding it like a piece of trash (by the way, it was trash) and shouting in anger humiliating me in front of the class. I don't remember receiving actually useful advice on how to draw in my whole school carrier, though I attended a good middle school. But I think it is never too late to get started, and this article will be a good point for it.
Andrew Keane 5 years ago
Wow, such a s****y teacher. I've taught art classes before and i can't move from student to student without insisting that they learn something from it. In my first classes everyone starts the way I did in college. Everyone gets some newspaper and they practice drawing circles and straight lines freehand. I tell the kids they can't use an eraser. They should learn to be comfortable making a mess at the start in order to get figure out what they're drawing but stress the importance of light lines. I then build the process from there.
Load More Replies... Ritchat 5 years ago
Being an illustrator myself I partially disagree. This indeed a good method for beginners how to learn to draw realistically but it's just about drawing something that already exists. To become a real artist, to create something from scratch, you need to remember things, get to their core, understand how they work, then use this knowledge to create something new. For example: Don't just copy a protrait. Look at the picture, understand the bone-structure and muscles behind the face, really take it in, then use it to create something original. But that are just my 2 cents.
Anna Repp 5 years ago
I agree! I'm an illustrator myself and I do not think these are good instructions for learning how to draw. For learning how to copy - yes. There's nothing bad in copying, it is a great way to learn to draw like the masters. But it is only a small part of learning to draw realistically.
Load More Replies... M Plorkie 5 years ago
Good job pretty much copying Betty Edwards' wonderfully instructive book "Drawing on the right side of the brain". http://www.drawright.com/
TerrySane 5 years ago
I do not agree that "talent" is a lie. I am not good in drawing (I never really tried to get better) but I have friend who is artist. I remember our math class in high school - geometry. We learn how to cut cube or cuboid and draw it. My friend didn't know about theory but she was able to imagine it in her head and put it on the paper really good. I have not imagination a I only learn theory. (She fail at the exam. I did not.) The result was almost same. Someone can feel it.You can train drawning and do good stuff but when you are artist you put something more in it. Something what creates art.
Quinn Alexander 5 years ago
I mean, style of drawing is a thing. Not everyone has the knack for straight lines as much as they do appealing curves. You pick up on what individual artists do best and that's their focus. I think some people just need to be less critical about that kind of thing, unless someone is legitimately trying to be photorealistic and failing at that. I draw cartoons for a living and I don't get much of the same critique often but when I do it's like 'I drew what I felt looks appealing, back off about 10 yards'. But for whoever finds the article useful information, more power to them and I'm glad they can use that to improve, and happy that the artist wants to share their skillsets with those who would appreciate it.
Grumble O'Pug 5 years ago
This is all completely plagiarized from "Drawing on the Right Side of Your Brain"
Jon Penryn 5 years ago
All this stands true if all you want to do is produce an "acceptable" product. What is more interesting in art is making something new, a new way of seeing that must be filtered through a brain and connects with your own thoughts of feelings.
Dorothy Parker 5 years ago
Not a bad tutorial but for the fact that the artist is preciously throwing in junk profanity to appear edgy. Just appears ignorant Pity. Might otherwise have something to offer. Seeing this way too much on the web.
Daniel (ShadowDrakken) 5 years ago
Talent absolutely exists. But it only determines your starting point, not the finish line.
David Addy 3 years ago
I have worked through Drawing on the Right Side 40 times or more. Whst is wrong with me? https://learningtodrawweb.wordpress.com/
Fonzie Bulldog 5 years ago
Hmmm, that must be the case when i sometimes dont get it right. Fonzie-Bul...69a5f4.jpg
HoffLensMetalHedLovesAnimalsUK 5 years ago
As someone who is horrible at drawing, this won't help me one bit. But i do play 7 musical instruments.
Kim Lorton 5 years ago
Yep. I always liked the part in art, where we had to do light and dark and it would become a picture!
Riz Leslie 5 years ago
lol at people who can naturally draw acting like those few rules actually help those of us who can’t
Tisha Bell 5 years ago
Figure drawing is a technical skill but it helps if you have the natural talent to actually draw what you see. This person is using a photo as a reference which is great for beginners, but if you want to really tap into drawing what you see, you need to use an actual still life or figure and practice as different angles and perspectives.
Jolene Oldham 5 years ago
I got this book in 1979. Your upside down method is literally the first lesson in the book. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. http://www.drawright.com/
Alessandra Fryzel 5 years ago
It's a bit of a combination. Draw what you see, but also what you know. For instance you should study human anatomy and have an understanding where bones and muscles are placed and how they act in relation to each other. No I'm not saying you should learn every single name of tiny bones, but have a good idea of the main ones. When you're in a life drawing class you will be able to spot those important structures and then you'll be able to flesh out the drawing better. Of course you will start with main shapes and measurements, but knowing how a ribcage looks underneath helps. For fantasy creatures you practice the animals that might form a dragon....lizards, horses, bats and whatnot eventually you can draw from your imagination, but yes, daily practice is key.
Colton Slivka 5 years ago
Talent is something people have naturally. You can be talented at a lot of things. SKILL trumps talent always. Having skill is the pursuit of interest, not talent.
Tobias Meiner 5 years ago
This is basically the first thing any competent art teacher will tell you - draw what you see, not what you think you see (a great idea is to draw random things as you start to focus on them for the first time). The second one will be the distinction between drawing and painting, as painting operates with colour, drawing operates with valor (value). By the way, talent by all means exists and this is often something you're either born with or what forms within the first years of life. Talent means only that one needs less practice than others to achieve the same results, but the lack of it may be easily off-set with the will to work. People who are compelled to do something will often practice every time they have the opportunity to, learning more over the month or year than people who do not do this so often.
Trisha Ries 5 years ago
Art is up to the artists interpretation. While the info is valuable, I say let the people draw how they want to. I mean, look at Picasso?
Kristina Whatsabear 5 years ago
Never heard of this??? Been there, done that in 1979 already! Look up Betty Edwards, Drawing on the right side of the brain. Brilliant lady, brilliant method. It works AND she teaches it well!! http://www.drawright.com/
Andrew Keane 5 years ago
It's a great starting point, but then you have to know and understand anatomy, composition, proportions and a lot of other things. You can look and try your best to draw what's in front of you, but then it's sometimes difficult to use the right techniques to get the right result.
Nina Lupe 5 years ago
AssamLaksa, That comment is partially wrong, (by the way i'm not talking directly towards them) some art teachers do teach this, and some don't. My teacher used to literally tell us that drawing from a reference, upside down is the best way to catch all the better 'details' i think she said, something like that, because of the fact that our brain thinks it sees something, but only draws the shape we think is more 'natural' or 'better' so we don't see all the ways the shape comes to be? (sorry if i don't make sense, i'm also a 14 yr-o trying to write what my teacher said) but the point that she gave us was that if we see things upside down/from a different perspective, than we wouldn't recognize the figure and we would copy down the main, strange/disfigured shapes and add detail as we went down and we could add a little more detail defining things as the original image was upright? My Teacher was amazing a teaching art and was a funny hilarious teacher at the same time #1 teacher for me
Bored Onion 5 years ago
All y'all with the dysgraphia, join me in crying about not drawing right. #DysgraphiaSucks
Sophia Cai 5 years ago
the squinting thing explains a lot... i usually draw an outline before putting on glasses to see the actual details and stuff
Russian Otaku 5 years ago
Really pointless post imo. Drawing what you see ain't hard. Doing it well however is. Dynamic angles are a b***h as are certain mediums one can use. Some people can find oils or paints easier then pens or pencils. Drawing certain things don't apply however to the draw what you see like concept art but that is for more advanced drawers who have likely gone past that stage
Renée St-Amour 5 years ago
I remember having to recreate Botticelli's The Birth of Venus freehand, one in black and white and then the other in colour to study shadows. I was struggling with the eyes and my teacher basically told me the same thing as this writer and instructed me to put both the picture and my painting upside down... and it worked like a charm.
Monika Rhodes 5 years ago
Are you an artist? If not- doesn't concern you so why comment? And if you're an artist and think this is dumbest s**t- why comment? No one forced you to see it either.
Load More Replies...
Related on Bored Panda
303
62