What's the best method and strategy to learn to draw from the imagination?

Question

I'm pretty good at drawing anything I see. Given enough time, I can do a photorealistic rendering. But I cannot draw anything from the mind.So what is the best method and strategy to learn to draw from the imagination?With "method" I mean:- Which construction principle to use? (These are the Bridgman / Hale / Hogarth / Loomis / Famous Artists etc. schools.)- Not use a construcion principle at all but rather just keep drawing from reality (or photos) and find my own abstractions? (This is the Kimon Nicolaïdes school of "The Natural Way to Draw" and gesture drawing (Glen Vilppu).)- Other methods?With "strategy" I mean:- Where to begin?- How to proceed?- What to do each day?My ultimate aim is to draw realistic comics, so figure drawing is at the core of what I need.

Answer 1

You should look into Fantasy Genesis by Chuck Lukacs! The core concept is combining features of already-existing things to create fantasy creatures.

Think of your imagination as a muscle, the more you work it out without straining it, the stronger it'll become. Are you having trouble with creating images without a reference or are you having trouble coming up with things from your imagination?