how to draw without tracing?

Question

How do I draw freely without tracing others' art?

Answer 1

Definitely listen to the answers above! It's real solid advice. I just wanted to add something else you might find helpful -

Practice by doodling specific shapes. Try drawing parallel lines, crosshatched lines, circles, squares, triangles etc. Drawing basic shapes will help train your hand to cooperate with what your brain is envisioning and will help you improve a lot faster!

Answer 2

Based on your question, it sounds like we need to start at the beginning with how to make believable simple 3d shapes (cubes, spheres, cylinders, pyramids, etc.). And then add shadow for added realism. Even the most complex subject to draw (the human figure) is made up of a combination of simple shapes.

It will take practice. But, you may be surprised how good you can become very quickly with patience. You may find it encouraging to know that even many of the masters are still struggling to get better. Art is not a destination. It is a journey.

Answer 3

There are many answers to this question, but what I have found to be very helpful in learning to draw without tracing is to study the picture or reference you are looking at before doing any drawing. You want to ask yourself what makes the picture stand out to you, what shapes catch your eye first. Once you have taken the time to study the reference, you should try to capture the likeness of the shapes and compositions that caught your eye first. The closer you achieve those elements' likeness, the closer the drawing will look to the reference. It won't be perfect, but it's not supposed to be, as we humans are not copying machines, but you will better train your eye to notice composition and subtle detail, which is the gist of being a good artist. Also, never be afraid of starting over and trying the exercise again!

Happy creating!