How much do you draw from ...

[concept_artist_noob]

How much do everyone of you draw from life and imagination. Comparing to each other is it more from life or head. Thanks for all the replies.

Sorry if I posted this in the wrong forum. Feel free to move it.

[Carnifex]

i'm doing more from imagination-although i probably shouldn't do it.but i feel some things(better said,some poses) can't be done from life without heavy effort(f.ex. a jump).

[SeraphSword]

I think it's probably best to draw from life for a long time before drawing too much from imagination. The life drawing will give your imagined images a better sense of reality (better knowledge of proportions, anatomy, perspective, etc.).

[NoUseFrAName]

equally important.....although I draw from my imagination more lately because I've become too reliant on observation.....accuracy can stifle imagination....it's just as important to practice imagining....really practice imagining...not just draw without reference.

-Rob

[Carnifex]

my biggest problem when drawing from life is that i only see the things and probably don't understand them.i like knowing how things function-f.ex. muscles on bones-and by doing life drawing i only see the outer structure.this may be a reason also why i do less life drawing-it lacks thoughts behind it.

[Jonny]

Yea I think their importance is about equal. It is important that what you learn from life you try to emulate from imagination. For the longest time I would just draw from imagination because I didnt' like to copy things or whatever but when I began art school I learned the importance of figure drawing and observation drawing. Once you start learning about how to draw from life, the way you draw from imagination changes because you start to draw mostly using your memory of things you have seen in the real world, or as some people have mentioned you can develop a photographic library. It's a constant balance between the two for concept art I think. If you try to achieve realism and naturalism in your work then your imaginative work needs to be based on what you learn from life drawing.

[kgb]

Wow, good replies.
I tend to draw from life, but I've been kicking myself to draw from imagination more. I want to but I'm, I guess afraid to cross over that line, because I feel like my life drawings are not that strong. I guess I just need to take that jump forward.

[Ian Mack]

I draw alot from imagination when I'm sketching and I get my weekly dose of drawing from observation @ life drawing.

It's when I'm working on a serious picture that I'll mix the two because I create the pose from my head in thumbnail form and then I use alot of references to make sure it's accurate when I enlarge. It is a slower process for sure but in my opinion, you have to know how something works before you can draw it and the memory of "armor" is now in my head for future works.

ie. I'm drawing a paladin as a gift for a friend. I did some thumbs to get the pose and then I used references (Siegfried from Soul Calibur 2) to get an idea of how the armor is worn. I found that the armor started out identical to what he has but after 2 full drafts, the armor has taken on its own look.

I'd say about 70 imagination/30 real life for but I would definitely say a 50/50 mix would be best.

[softdrawer]

I never use refs, they waste.

Mind blowing's bettar.

[Denart]

hmm, you first need a good solid knowledge of life drawings / anatomy, then you should move on to drawing from imagination. (this I believe, is the best course of action!) :)

[jfrancis]

You can try something in between.

Get a reference. Look at it briefly, then set it aside. Draw it from memory. You will be immediately confronted by what you don't know. Where do the shoulder muscles attach when the arm is down? What's that? They attach at about the same level as the bottom of the shoulder blades are on the back? Good to know. I'll remember that little detail next time.

See how far you can go without looking, but as soon as you feel yourself going astray, ask yourself a specific question about what you need to do next and then peek for the answer.

People who draw well from imagination have a thousand little checks on a huge list they do for placement and proportion. Most of them do it subconsciously, so that it doesn't feel even to them that that is the case. They might even deny doing it if asked, because they don't even realize they are doing it.