Iterative Drawing by Sycra (Notes/Summary)

Iterative Drawing - The Fastest Way to Improve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0ufz75UvHs


Interative Drawing - for analytical people
Analytical people think too much
Analytical is left side of brain
Creative/Intuitive is right side of brain
Intuitive can't explain how they draw so well
Called "talented"
Intuitive have good grasp on drawing
Analytical learn through tutorials
Intuitive - "yeah that color works"
Analytical - "is it warm or cool, what will work?"
Analytical based on theory
Everyone has the ability to be creative, some have more access than others
People dream accurately shapes, people, colors, etc.
There is difficulty transferring this to drawing
You can be degrees of analytical and intuitive, not one or the other
You can look at a drawing and notice when something is off
Difference is the bridge connecting the two sides
Might not judge drawings as harshly when less analytical
Analyical can spot mistakes quickly but can't imagine things as well
Mileage is important
Mileage is strengthing intuitive part of brain "muscle memory" through repetition
At first language learning is analytical, becomes intuitive as you become more fluent
Being analytical is good as you spot mistakes but can be bad as you tend to second guess yourself and doubt the method
Tutorial or a book telling a theory can be applied right away
Through mileage, but not mileage alone
Not just drawing aimlessly, using all your brain power to analyize your drawing
When lacking mileage don't do the drawn out method as it takes too much time
Don't focus on too much at once
		Example: for head have 20 circles
Think about all the things you remember
Don't get too detailed, keep it simple
Analyze it, what am I doing?, what did I do?, how can I do it differently?
		Example: what happens to the head if I lower the eyes
		Example: what happens to the head if I make the eyes even lower
Compare the attempts and see which worked best
See what needs improvement about the best attempt
Ask "how can I solve that?" and attempt solutions
Create something, analyze it, then fix it
Each time you're getting another iteration, also getting mileage
You will get faster as you draw the same thing more often
Again, mileage will lead to it becoming "muscle memory" over time
		Example: What if I make the nose and mouth very high?
The intuative part of your brain is very stimulated while you do this
Instead of just drawing 1 very detailed head you already have 5 (out of 20) simple heads
Some intuative people already have the mileage (Example: done 1000 heads)
		Example: while a newer artist maybe have done 10 or 100 heads
		Example: 20 heads drawn a day for 5 days makes 100 heads completed. In 50 days it'll be 1,000 heads.
If you're only doing one view you need to practice other views. Different views are itterations of the same thing.
Ask what it would look like when you rotate the object etc.
Also analysing by trying to remember what you have seen in the past of the same object
		Example: After 20 heads a day, stop, put it away and wait a day, then look at them again and analyze what you did right, what looked wrong, then make iterations again.
The more you do this the more you'll improve and increase your mileage
This can work for anything
		Example: In composition class you are learning rule of thirds
		Example: Focal point should fall on one of the thirds
		Example: Task is to make an appealing composition using a house
		Example: For Iterative Drawing draw 20 boxes instead of just one idea
		Example: There are 2 elements: the land and the house
When first starting start with your best guess (quality doesn't matter)
Ask "what if?" questions
		Example: What if the horizon was lower?
Does it look better or worse after your change?
		Example: Better. So what happens if it was even lower?
		Example: What if we put the house off to the side instead?
		Example: In the example experiments it took 6 tries to go from the first guess to the proper rule of thirds
		Example: However we aren't stopping there as we are iterating and figuring stuff out
		Example: What if there is a lot of land and small horizon?
		Example: What if we tilt the horizon? What if we tilt it and have the house slightly cut off?
It doesn't need to be "good", it's not about making a "finished product" to show someone
You're changing your brain from something purely analytical to something that has intuitive mileage built into it
		Example: So next time in art class someone asks you to do a cool composition with a house
		Example: Trained person might strictly follow the rule of thirds, while intuitive person might try something unusual
Rules are arbitrary, not important
		Example: If you stick to just learning theory you stop at "the eyes are halfway down the face." While an intuive person will move the eyes based on the character.
Intuitive not stuck in a world where everything has to be explained
Intuitive comes off as more lively and free even if not technically "correct"
Don't stop with just doing something once (or in only one way)
		Example: Colors. Need to color a face. Skin tone and hair.
		Example: Copy the head if digital, redraw if traditional, so you have several to work with.
		Example: Trained person uses Default burnt sienna mixed with white skin and brown hair
		Example: Untrained person experimenting uses bright green hair and dark brown skin. Doesn't quite work.
		Example: What is different? What is not right about it?
		Example: What if the skin wasn't this tone? What if it was more saturated? What if it was less saturated?
		Example: What if the hair is less saturated? What if it was darker?
		Example: You might get more creative with it. What if the skin was blue? What if the hair was a different color, does that work better?
		Example: If digital you can select the area and use color sliders to quickly change the color.
Waiting for a feeling of "that's interesting" or "that looks about right" or "that looks okay"
The more you do this, the more you'll see patterns
		Example: Salmon colored skin, purple hair. It works. What about orange hair? That also works. It doesn't matter which way you go as long as you're in the right direction.
		Example: This looks too pink. Compared to what? Compared to the hair.
You just got all this range while the person only using a book is stuck.
		Example: Someone asks for regular skin and brown hair, but you know if the hair is too bright or how blonde isn't as blonde as people think of it, etc.
		Example: People say you have good color sense. Is it because you read it from somewhere? No. It's because you've put in color so many times you've made enough iterations and experiments that you can naturally connect these things together
If you're drawing randomly/rushing, you're getting mileage but not helpful. Taking something you've done and analyzing it is more helpful.
You're not jumping around from topic to topic. Analyize it and make better guesses.
Don't use a reference to copy it. Do iterative drawing and experiments first, then look at reference to study and learn from it.
		Example: If you stopped at your first figure and said it was stiff the contrast between the reference would be too great to deal with. More likely you'll just copy the reference.
		Example: By experimenting with the figure you can compare a specific part like the crossed arms.
		Example: How does your experiment look different from the reference?
		Example: Close your reference, try again. Try and remember without looking at the reference. What do I remember?
		Example: What if I made both slant the same way? Doesn't look that good. If that's not relaxed then this way must mean it's more relaxed.
		Example: You may not know it's called an S curve, but know what it is from mileage
When asking for critique don't hop from topic to topic (Example: a curtain, then a stool, then a head, on the same page)
Train your visual library. Try to draw an object from memory before using a reference so you can correct it and build up your memory.
Instead of 1 page of finished work it's better to see pages and pages of just iterations of things
It's important to combine the analyzing with your iterations.