need help!

[jatherip]

ive got a problem: many, many people told me, that i just learn if i draw from life, otherwise i will just "practice my mistakes" is there anything i could practice when i have nothing worth copying, except for designing things?

[Eugie]

So are you saying you dont have 2 hands, and a mirror?

[jatherip]

of course, but i mean eg in school or on the bus! i already drew my hands thousands times :D

[Serpian]

Do you think you could find a life drawing class in your town? If not, go to a coffee shop and draw people. Ask your friends to sit a short while for you. Make up a simple still life of simple one coloured objects in your house. Like a bowl, a box and some cloth. Go to town and draw architectural studies. As has been said, draw your own hands, draw your self portrait, or your whole body in the mirror. Go to a park and do some landscape drawing. GO to a natural history museum and draw some of the stuffed animals (bugs are especially fun), or go to the zoo and draw living ones. Go to a war museum and draw weapons and armour.

And do all of these things OFTEN and WITH CARE. I know I should... Take your time. If you want it to get good, you need to spend time. Quick studies are good too, but you should start slow.

DO IT.

EDIT: you mentioned the bus! How long is your ride? Even five minutes is enough to do some quick sniper drawing of other people on the bus.

[jatherip]

wow, thanks a lot. i actually didnt think that life drawing ist that important :) but i meant what can i practice from mind and not from life! is there anything?

EDIT: yeah, around 20 minutes. but wont they feel stalked if i do so :D?

[soverynight]

hey there,
I draw dreams if I remember them.. you could try that if you want..

[SoufMeng]

Construction? You know, things like in this thread (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=116213) for example (Yoitisi's boat is cool).
I think that doesnt necessarily require real life references? You know what a shoe looks like, so draw one in perspective but aim for perfect construction of both the visible and invisible parts.
If a shoe is too easy try a car, a head or even a whole body.

Plus, from my short experience, just because you can draw something in a certain view doesnt mean you can draw the same thing from another (less familiar) viewpoint using a construction grid etc, so i think this is good imagination practice.