this is how I studied for exams and I never thought to apply it to my art💀 tho with my exams it was 1- blind copy (recall) 2- reference copy (review) 3- blind copy (recall)
@@anapple6912 as someone who stopped drawing for 5 years and basically lost all of what I thought was "skill", it was fairly easy to get back the basics by easting myself back into my drawing process
@@anapple6912 I believe one would do a recall first, without grounding themselves in the proper knowledge first, for two main reasons. First, to see what exactly you have for prior knowledge, properly understanding where the biggest and most noticeable holes are, and second, to seriously engage your critical thinking so you can better absorb the knowledge in the review.
For future reference: 1. Pick one part to learn (e.g. eyes, head, etc.): limit the scope, don't try to do too much at once 2. Quick analysis: get a feel for the overall structure, break it down into simple shapes, understand what you're looking at 3. Normal copy (optional): draw a copy while being allowed to look at the reference 4. Compare-Analyze-Fix 5. Blind copy: draw a blind copy, remember the lessons you've learned so far, don't feel down when the first blind copy doesn't look good 6. Compare-Analyze-Fix 7. Repeat: each repetition usually takes 10-20 minutes, but may vary depending on the complexity of the part you draw; repeat until you think that you've learned enough from this particular artist/artwork Compare, Analyze, Fix: 1. create a duplicate of the reference with 50% transparency 2. adjust the size of your copy to roughly match the reference 3. create two duplicates of your copy and line them up next to each other 4. use a different color and try to find and mark improvement points 5. fix differences on copy 1 by trace or transform and note down the changes (why did the master do it differently? -> write down your best guess) 6. fix copy 2 without tracing (only use eraser and brush) 7. compare your two fixed copies with the original copy and appreciate the improvement
@@sebastianarevalo9113 If you want to memorise a list of items, do you repeat the entire list over and over again or do you memorise small bits first and learn to put them together at the end? Both methods work just fine and which one you choose depends on what you want to practice and what works best for you. For example you can draw crap faces with correct anatomy and learn the details later, or you can learn to draw everything nicely individually and learn how to connect them correctly later on. The latter one worked for me, and maybe the fomer worked better for you. People learn differently. Saying "Your approach of studying is wrong bc it doesn't work for me" is really narrowminded imo
4:02 - I read somewhere that the human brain learns stuff much easier if it has a need too. I applied the same strategy to language learning, its almost like a cheat skill!
Ohhhh yes. That it does. "Needing" something can be simulated too. Enriched Wheat Flour: Wheat flour, malted barley flour, folic acid, riboflavin, thiamin mononitrate, reduced iron, niacin. Made myself recite potentially meaningless ingredients from bun back in 2021... STILL remember it for no reason. Simulated a need to USE the information every day for that week and a few rehearsals later on. Needing Information = Using it regularly for any reason.
@@corasundae LOLZ no pun this time 🤣. Just the fact that the importance has less to do with memory retention as reciting or using the information with spaced repetition.
It's less about necessity and more about consequences. Like in school tests, it is necessary to learn everything as good as possible to get a grade as good as possible, but that obviously doesn't turn everyone into someone who gets A+ on everything. The thing that people miss, who get worse grades are often the consequences, since getting anything above D usually makes you pass the classes and less strict parents might not punish you for it (or even worse, you might even form a group with others, making fun of people who're doing too good, that might even happen in drawing groups, where there's only praise, but never critique). However, when you might get punished or rewarded by your parents or you need a specific grade to pass the year, then that might make you perform better Same with learning languages. The best results can be achieved, when living in said country, as not being able to speak the language has the consequence of not being able to communicate properly. As for studies, universities often work with monetary incentives for the test subjects (usually students, who might have money problems to begin with) to introduce an external motivation to be as productive as possible, thus it ensure, that all testers actually try to perform properly (since making mistakes will actually make you loose money in these cases). So even though these studies imply, that some methods work better than others, you should still be aware, that trying to use it for hobby learning might miss this crucial motivational part about the studies. And for drawing the problem is, that when starting out as a hobby, we simply don't have any consequences, as nothing happens when we're bad. Sadly i don't really have any way to give tips on this, as this is a very subjective matter. Everybody needs to find the motivation in themselves and build a habbit around it (or try to get paid for doing good i guess^^)
The fastest way to learn anything is to learn how NOT to do it first. Most people are so afraid of failure that they don't realize that failure itself is the greatest teacher of all.
Yeah thats true. For me it is the hardest to accept because in my childhood I was never allowed by the outside to do mistakes or I will be punished. This thinking is also with me when I draw... Wish I could unlearn that
New artist here! I've been using this method for the past seven days, and tried drawing something from scratch today and I feel like I got a new pair of hands. The techniques and methods I memorized while doing this made the drawing process way faster and I'm way happier about the result than before. Going to binge all of your videos right now. Thank you!
For the past week, I've tried to go back to the basics like drawing with circles, etc. but ended up feeling like my art skill are getting worse. I just got a notification that ori uploaded a video, It's nighttime but I suddenly feel motivated to draw now. Kinda feel exaggerated, but its not. Big thanks!
You might be training your eye faster than your hand. This was a problem I had when I first started (not saying you a noob, it could happen any time). I rapidly learned a million problems to spot and so for every 1 thing I improved on I learned 3 errors to spot. It got frustrating and I ended up stopping watching all tutorials. Letting my hand catch up with my eyes. Then once I stopped finding errors I started to learn new things again.
the circle thing is something I can't seem to ever understand i don't see how ppl draw a circle and a few lines and automatically know how to turn it into a perfect head and body
I actually kinda did this as a kid (not consciously as practice of course) by copying from my grandpa's dinosaur books (I started out copying but since I didn't always have access to the book, I ended up drawing them "blind" a lot as well) and later the Pokemon artworks from the guidebooks. I did it every day too, since I wasn't all that sporty. Didn't know it was considered a valid method though. That's cool.
Honestly, I was skeptical about how well this would work... but I gave it a go and was making near perfect blind copies after my 4th repetition! And it really did only take an hour!! Gonna try doing this regularly now xD Thanks Ori-Sensei!
@@rataV7517 I practiced with 1 reference until I felt I could replicate it accurately. Then I'd move to a new one. It can get a little repetitive, but the results are definitely worth it in my experience!
for peeps out there that use pen and paper to do blind copies, theres a way! first just make a copy looking at the og, then cover it up, making a blind copy based on what you remember. yes, it will be harder, but afterwards, reveal your og copy and note down the differences using your own eye, since it should be quite noticeable (sadly) and repeat! you woukd actually be surprised how much you remember after the third copy! tips: note down even the tiniest differences (like longer hair strands, thicker hair, etc...) hope this helps!❤
A concept artist taught me to include blind studies after reconstruction from reference, plus studies for imagining subjects from completely different perspectives and making modifications without reference. It felt impossible at first but it helped me improve a lot when I was starting out. I gave up studying though when I hit a plateau and realized a few years later I have visual aphantasia. I was basically just memorizing how to reconstruct specific works methodically, step by step, rather than improving visual memory and having a vivid picture in my mind to work with. Drawing from imagination for me is like going through a complex algorithm in my head I can barely remember anymore and the sense of touch I feel looking at a drawing. Blind people identify things using their hands and that's basically how I work with art in my imagination. For lighting I use my sense of heat. This video makes me think I might be able to still improve though by analyzing drawings by feeling them in my imagination first before doing a blind study because then I could be like 'oh yeah, I remember what this part feels like.' I never thought of studying like that before.
I kinda feel the same, i close my eyes, i can't help myself but see just nothing or a blurry mess. So my drawing skills plateaud at 14 and stopped drawing. Now 18 years later, i kinda want to start drawing all over again, but find it very difficult to endure that so many years went by and got stuck in the past. (I moved into programming and did few games with other people's art, but now kinda want to make one with my own art, it will be nightmare incarnated, but already did 2 game jams and one of them ended up in third place.)
@@vivishii_that's how good creator do things. they create not because the sponsor, they create just because they want to. And sponsor come right after Love him
Love the work Anders Ericson did and hate how Malcolm Gladwell basically turned his work practically into a meme with the "10,000 hours rule". Glad to see more people going to the source though! great vid!
This is honestly one of my favorite videos for art studies. The method just makes so much since on how it relates to how people retain and study information. Absolutely game changer for me personally!
I feel encouraged when you said having this mental sense about something feeling off when you’re noticing something not correct in your drawing because I recognizing that same feeling too, and it help improve my drawing process.
there's actually a legit exercise that has you copy lines by looking at the reference but not at where you're drawing. it's been a while but it's something like that
This is amazing, I always struggle with doing studies and always looking at the reference doesn't often help me, explained learning better and taught me how to get better at chess as well. Thanks Ori!
I'm not even an artist but this was extremely well made- explaining the theory as discovered by experts, explaining how to apply it, then demonstrating yourself following it with plenty of examples. Excellent video, what you've talked about could apply to learning many skills!
I have been unknowingly using a very similar method for months when doing studies from real life images, and can definetly say that this sort of "blind copy" aproach has been helpful for me!
no way! you are a genius, i never thought of using active recall in drawing even though it works great in my studies. but now that you show it, it's like how i never thought of it? thanks a lot, i'll make good use of it!
This actually works! I used to do this method whenever I feel stuck with my art. Doing this method sparks creativity and the same excitement that I'm looking for when I'm in an art slump ☺️
i do something similar. i study looking at a reference first, then try to actively recall that and then decide what i messed up in my recall and try again. this might not be as productive or time efficient but it works more comfortably for me and has helped a lot :)
Just found your channel today. I can't believe I never did this blind method because I thought I lack imagination...I'm gonna practice drawing now thanks!
Watching Ori‘s videos legitimately makes me angry. Not because i don‘t like them, it‘s the exact opposite, but rather because it makes me mad seeing how incredibly talented some people are and how everything i do seems so pale in comparison. Love your art and love your Videos. They‘ve really helped me improved even though i hate practicing and essentially never do it. Keep this up
Is it because u do it as a hobby? Because if u are just a hobbyist, personally I draw just because I can and only sometimes I'm in the mood to improve even more. I mostly just draw character designs
Ori your art is quite literaly what got me to start drawing difitaly. Especialy your Laplus art got me wanting to draw as well. Thank you yet again for another helpfull video Ori!
Thank you, Ori. I've made massive progress since watching your last videos. I'm finally starting to understand the small improvements that I need to make and how to fix and learn from my mistakes. This guide will help me improve even more! Most importantly I'm actually starting to have fun finally.
This was an incredible demonstration. Love how you put studies in but not only just putting them in, you demonstrated the why and you made it entertaining. So good. Subbed.
I was going to say, I wouldn't recommend people just jump into the blind study first. Then you showed both the analysis and reference steps. This is what I stumbled upon myself. Try and draw it once with the reference, then all other steps after that, try and draw it without the reference. Often my second and so on attempts without the reference end up better than the first. Because I'm remembering and actively fixing/changing the mistakes from the reference step. But I still needed to do the first reference step.
I've been doing a less extensive version of the Blind Method you described here for these last couple of months now so this is awesome to see. It really works guys! Ive imporved more than i have in years combined (this isnt even an exaggeration, when you practice right you grow right) I'll definitely follow your tips with a more critical analysis like note taking though, very helpful, thank you!
I’ve been experimenting with efficient learning methods and will tweak my methods with what you’ve shown here. And thanks for the book recommendation, it’s one I have yet to look into!
the transparent overlay comparison reminds me a lot about the metric scott young used to improve at drawing portraits in 30 days, i recommend finding his post about it if you havent seen it before very cool video and love that more learning theory is being applied here :)
I did this when i noticed that every time i copy an art and i draw anything else i get bettee and better, which exlaplains that Blind Method is actually just your muscle memory combining it with your creativity then Voila! You just created an amazing art without a reference.
The way you use your other field of interest for studying art is pretty clever. This made me remember on how calligraphy class taken by steve jobs helped have apple earn their beautiful font
Never heard of this until now but will try it! I can also recommend to go through old art and throw away some things. I recently moved and I am slowly working through a lot of old sketches, drawings I did especially while studying. It's nice to see what I did good back then and where I improved. It doesn't make you better necessarily but it gives a mental boost of confidence that there is and will be improvement that is even more apparent in the future ☺️.
I find my reference and print it out, and then draw a circle with a line down it and start making a head over the reference so I know how the artist did it, if you don’t have a printer screenshot your reference and import it into ibis paint X
I'm studying engineering in college, and the way you described "studying the masters" is quite literally how I study for my Calculus 3 Exam right now I'm no artist but take it from me that learning like this works!
great video, new sub here! I have been drawing on and off for the last 25 years. I have VERY slowly improved over that time. this video is the first time I have seen something that I can actually use to get better that will work for me. even in 1 hour of trying this I noticed things that I would not have ever figured out myself. thank you
Looks like a cool method, though as an aphantasic artist, ill probably have to keep the blind stage to very localized areas or principles (like gesture, colors). I dont think it would be productive for me to try to copy a whole peace from memory. Imma give it a try tho
Tried it just now. God it's brilliant. I'd just adjust to not do "parts" (eg: eyes, hands, ...) but "big general shapes" and then practice dividing things up in "remember-able" ways (eg: the big piece's HALFWAY point is where the neck ends, this finger starts A THIRD of the way from such and such) etc.
16:17 Dude! I first heard that a decade ago from Neil Gaiman's speech about making good art to a batch of art graduates! I kept that quote in a special place in my heart and mind. Glad I heard that from you of all people. That caught me off guard lol
Thank you so much!! I feel like I learned so much from you! I want to improve on lighting and shading so I can't wait to try this process for my improvements ♡♡
Just here to say your voice and accent are really lovely and calming and made me smile while listening to this. Like I dunno what about it, it's just generally pleasant. :D
i have to thank you for this tutorial. one thing that's really liberating is the idea that we can select "masters" based on who appeals to us personally. in retrospect, it's obvious, but it makes it easier to have the will to practice when i'm able to say "I want to learn to draw like this"
In my art classes at university, we started every class with blind drawings as well as blind contours (looking at and drawing the reference's "bones" if you will without looking at our drawing until we are done). Not only does it teach you to recall the information, but it relaxes your brain and acts as a "warm up" to move into more strenuous, detailed drawing.
I think this method is great for not only learning but just improving your memory as a whole because like the active recall method, you're not just trying to replicate what you're looking at, but your brain is trying recall and recreate it from your own head. And in doing so it leaves more of an impact on you. It's like having a live model to draw in front of you, and then they just walk away but you still have to recreate their body shape, the pose they were doing, the lighting that was cast onto them ect. It leaves a greater impact on your brain and therefore it's easier to learn and carry over into your own art
This is so helpful because i want to learn how other artist draw and i don't really have a method to do it so the blind method would be perfect thank you ori.
the idea of "blind copy" itself isn't the first time i've heard of it, but I think you bring up some really good points regarding the specifics; you say it's okay to make a normal copy of it before attempting the blind copy, which reaaaally made things click for me. Its was just way too hard before when I tried it lol, will be continuing to try this out over the next few days, thanks!!
To this day, I still find it funny when people say you can't draw from imagination. This video debunks that pretty well, I feel, considering that the best way to learn fast, is basically the same as drawing without a reference.
i just knew that i can learn art using that method. cuz i already use the review method and i felt that its really hard to improve. and btw i use this method every time there's academic study, thanks ori for remembering me this method again
This is honestly the most definitive guide on how to study I've ever seen. It validates so much of what I was doing earlier (copying and analysing) but some people, even teachers, would tell me not to do it because "tracing and copying is bad" (I only traced for the initial analysis as in your video). Where was this approach so many years ago when I needed it! In any case, I'm glad it's here now. Thank you for this
THIS! In all my years of creating art, if I’ve used a reference at all, it would have been a quick glance once and then I’d draw from memory. As a result, drawing just feels natural for me. I’ve had so many people tell me that they can draw, just not without a reference, and this is perfect practice for them. Side note, I also test this way, end up acing most tests/exams without actually putting much effort reviewing. Who knew being lazy paid off?
Anyway, my approach to drawing a character involves two main steps. First, I create a stickman version of the character or pose I'm trying to draw. Then, I use shapes to help reconstruct and refine the character's body, essentially building it around the stickman framework.
ngl this made me realize I've always been doing the "active recall" method because I'm lazy lol. I thought this was a lazy way to draw by making mental notes and do it by memory every time I draw. I rarely draw so it does confuse me why I'm still able to draw, AND have improvement in my art despite drawing like literal 1-2 times a month. Also, these 1-2 art are finished art. Knowing that I rarely draw, I make sure that every time I start an art I finish them to cover my lack amount of drawing (basically quality over quantity). I don't even consider my wips as my art lol and would usually just immediately scrap them.
Excellent advice, no matter how many years I already have in the industry I'm using this approach now to get the hang of model sheets quickly. Thanks a lot! Just a small critique of your heads. The fundamentals here will help since it's apparent the ear could be shifted further screen right in your studies. and the back of the skull needs enlarging to make sense of the eye positions. At the moment, because you are having to guess what's under the hair, it makes the eyes look like they are too far apart. Best of luck on your road to success and thanks again.
Love your videos so much ori, they're so valuable, cheerful and kind, and I'm so grateful for what you do to help aspiring artist to grow up And I just realized I was already applying this method to music, when I want to learn a piece by ear I always start with what i recall of the music, trying to figure it out, then give it a listen and ajust. I always did it unconsciously, and never thought of doing the same for drawing
I'm learning to draw and I'm bashing my head because I didn't think about this before. I learned this principle in a quick learning course a decade ago and I promptly used it to make people stronger faster than before. It works not only for mind things, but it also works wonders for "mindless" things, like any kind of physical training. Thanks for this!
I love how you explained it but it really seems that, and this also applies to gaming(e-sports), you want to spend as much time as possible reviewing/changing yourself. So here you want to draw fast, so you don't spend as much time drawing, which has limited teaching possibilities, and instead spend time in your review mode, looking what you can do better.
I'm surprised, because active recall has been my go-to method for studying for quite a long time! I have never heard about it being the best method for quick sessions of study, but I can totally see why. And I'm glad that a method like this can be used for drawing as well, since I've never been good at it and I wanted to delve deeper into it.
Ive actually been doing this subconsciously! I would always draw something and then later come back and end up drawing it much better. I wish CZcams allowed pictures because it happened just now! I drew some legs that were way off a while ago but i came back after a couple days with some light leg study, and observing other things not related but had legs in them, and there's a massive improvement! I'll need to follow yours more since it has more structure but im happy i was doing something that helped when i thought it used to hinder!
I've used approaches for music, math, and programming, and it works well. I think the key reason it helps is that you have no hope of remembering what to do unless you actually understand the original properly. You have to pay very careful attention and reduce everything to principles, or you'll be partway through the copy and have no idea what to do next.
THE ONE PERCENT!!! THE ONE PERCENT IS REAAALLL!!!! (I can see the improvements, thank you! To anyone who is on the fence about this, take it slow until you feel comfortable. Regardless you really should use this, it's amazing. I'll be putting this into my routine now.)
I was originally trying to search up "How to draw hair" But accidentally forgot the "Hair" part and I found this more helpful. Thank you. But one question? How would I take about this method on Paper? Is it a similar process or is it something more for Digital?
this has to be why i get better at art not drawing anything for two months but actively studying methods and trying to memorize the different techniques. Its not faster than drawing actively but it still works for me in terms of remembering useful patterns like rendering and anatomy.
Honestly, i love THIS art advice the most from all i watched and it's really amazing! It contains everything - research about learning science, and god it's sad how NON OBVIOUS this thing is and how USEFUL it was for me from the first time i applied it (more for colors and palette choices, but damn it's really opened my eyes on differences between my color choices and choices of my fav artists. great!) Thank you! Im so grateful to be recommended such an amazing art tutorial. Thank you for publishing it for free! I really love how universally it's easy to apply to almost everything, and i love it. Would totally rewatch 1000 times. This is some really brilliant tip that others art videos and my artschool personally lacked (dont get me wrong artschools in old academic fashion are great and useful, but this can be used for any part of art and skill, indeed.)
I didn't expect this to be a technique, i was using this for years because i draw in a phone in spray paint the only thing i have in mind is my memory 😮
Ok I get your point, I bought a tablet two months ago and I will try this method for a month, then i will post a video or a series of screenshots of my results. Good luck to me and thank you!
hey, just wanted to say, i tried the blind method and saw improvement almost right away, thank you so much. Still have a long way to go before I'm as good as a lot of the artists on here, but hey, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and for once its not a train.
I love how Ori just explained how to prepare before your exam and how to make your art better in one video.
this is how I studied for exams and I never thought to apply it to my art💀
tho with my exams it was
1- blind copy (recall)
2- reference copy (review)
3- blind copy (recall)
@@JeetKunDrawYT can you recall even when someone forgot all the basics?
@@anapple6912 as someone who stopped drawing for 5 years and basically lost all of what I thought was "skill", it was fairly easy to get back the basics by easting myself back into my drawing process
@@anapple6912 I believe one would do a recall first, without grounding themselves in the proper knowledge first, for two main reasons. First, to see what exactly you have for prior knowledge, properly understanding where the biggest and most noticeable holes are, and second, to seriously engage your critical thinking so you can better absorb the knowledge in the review.
Thanks for the tips guys :D
For future reference:
1. Pick one part to learn (e.g. eyes, head, etc.): limit the scope, don't try to do too much at once
2. Quick analysis: get a feel for the overall structure, break it down into simple shapes, understand what you're looking at
3. Normal copy (optional): draw a copy while being allowed to look at the reference
4. Compare-Analyze-Fix
5. Blind copy: draw a blind copy, remember the lessons you've learned so far, don't feel down when the first blind copy doesn't look good
6. Compare-Analyze-Fix
7. Repeat: each repetition usually takes 10-20 minutes, but may vary depending on the complexity of the part you draw; repeat until you think that you've learned enough from this particular artist/artwork
Compare, Analyze, Fix:
1. create a duplicate of the reference with 50% transparency
2. adjust the size of your copy to roughly match the reference
3. create two duplicates of your copy and line them up next to each other
4. use a different color and try to find and mark improvement points
5. fix differences on copy 1 by trace or transform and note down the changes (why did the master do it differently? -> write down your best guess)
6. fix copy 2 without tracing (only use eraser and brush)
7. compare your two fixed copies with the original copy and appreciate the improvement
Nope, if you learn only a part, later you will struggling putting all together like eyes.
@@sebastianarevalo9113 If you want to memorise a list of items, do you repeat the entire list over and over again or do you memorise small bits first and learn to put them together at the end? Both methods work just fine and which one you choose depends on what you want to practice and what works best for you.
For example you can draw crap faces with correct anatomy and learn the details later, or you can learn to draw everything nicely individually and learn how to connect them correctly later on. The latter one worked for me, and maybe the fomer worked better for you. People learn differently. Saying "Your approach of studying is wrong bc it doesn't work for me" is really narrowminded imo
@@francis7336as a guy who loves playing games I agree practice a thing so much or remember it u will be good at that
thank you so much, random commenter! this will save a lot of time since i'm quite forgetful
but what if I don't have an artist as an inspiration, is using photo references a problem here?
My dumbself thought I was supposed to put a blindfold and draw blindly for the Blind technique
i literally thought the same
wait you arent?
@@sasvkeee._ nope, just not looking at the original
FR
that was my thought too. that's why i clicked on the video like : wait a minute
4:02 - I read somewhere that the human brain learns stuff much easier if it has a need too. I applied the same strategy to language learning, its almost like a cheat skill!
Ohhhh yes. That it does.
"Needing" something can be simulated too.
Enriched Wheat Flour: Wheat flour, malted barley flour, folic acid, riboflavin, thiamin mononitrate, reduced iron, niacin.
Made myself recite potentially meaningless ingredients from bun back in 2021... STILL remember it for no reason. Simulated a need to USE the information every day for that week and a few rehearsals later on.
Needing Information = Using it regularly for any reason.
so it will be easy for me to learn how to draw?
@@alexmccaleb2152 thought this was gonna end in a pun about kneading bread.
@@corasundae LOLZ no pun this time 🤣. Just the fact that the importance has less to do with memory retention as reciting or using the information with spaced repetition.
It's less about necessity and more about consequences. Like in school tests, it is necessary to learn everything as good as possible to get a grade as good as possible, but that obviously doesn't turn everyone into someone who gets A+ on everything. The thing that people miss, who get worse grades are often the consequences, since getting anything above D usually makes you pass the classes and less strict parents might not punish you for it (or even worse, you might even form a group with others, making fun of people who're doing too good, that might even happen in drawing groups, where there's only praise, but never critique). However, when you might get punished or rewarded by your parents or you need a specific grade to pass the year, then that might make you perform better
Same with learning languages. The best results can be achieved, when living in said country, as not being able to speak the language has the consequence of not being able to communicate properly.
As for studies, universities often work with monetary incentives for the test subjects (usually students, who might have money problems to begin with) to introduce an external motivation to be as productive as possible, thus it ensure, that all testers actually try to perform properly (since making mistakes will actually make you loose money in these cases). So even though these studies imply, that some methods work better than others, you should still be aware, that trying to use it for hobby learning might miss this crucial motivational part about the studies.
And for drawing the problem is, that when starting out as a hobby, we simply don't have any consequences, as nothing happens when we're bad. Sadly i don't really have any way to give tips on this, as this is a very subjective matter. Everybody needs to find the motivation in themselves and build a habbit around it (or try to get paid for doing good i guess^^)
The fastest way to learn anything is to learn how NOT to do it first. Most people are so afraid of failure that they don't realize that failure itself is the greatest teacher of all.
I've never understood it that way, thank you
This sentence goes so hard ure so right
Yeah thats true. For me it is the hardest to accept because in my childhood I was never allowed by the outside to do mistakes or I will be punished. This thinking is also with me when I draw... Wish I could unlearn that
New artist here! I've been using this method for the past seven days, and tried drawing something from scratch today and I feel like I got a new pair of hands. The techniques and methods I memorized while doing this made the drawing process way faster and I'm way happier about the result than before. Going to binge all of your videos right now. Thank you!
Kind of a late reply but it would be interesting to see your art ^^
everytime I start to lose motivation ori posts a video and it gives me motivation to continue drawing again
Ori : all according to keikaku
Build a routine, don't depend on motivation, it makes your progress too slow...
I draw like my life depend on it. (dont be me though)
@@CunnyVirus same lol
also for me
For the past week, I've tried to go back to the basics like drawing with circles, etc. but ended up feeling like my art skill are getting worse.
I just got a notification that ori uploaded a video, It's nighttime but I suddenly feel motivated to draw now.
Kinda feel exaggerated, but its not. Big thanks!
You might be training your eye faster than your hand. This was a problem I had when I first started (not saying you a noob, it could happen any time). I rapidly learned a million problems to spot and so for every 1 thing I improved on I learned 3 errors to spot. It got frustrating and I ended up stopping watching all tutorials. Letting my hand catch up with my eyes. Then once I stopped finding errors I started to learn new things again.
the circle thing is something I can't seem to ever understand i don't see how ppl draw a circle and a few lines and automatically know how to turn it into a perfect head and body
I actually kinda did this as a kid (not consciously as practice of course) by copying from my grandpa's dinosaur books (I started out copying but since I didn't always have access to the book, I ended up drawing them "blind" a lot as well) and later the Pokemon artworks from the guidebooks. I did it every day too, since I wasn't all that sporty. Didn't know it was considered a valid method though. That's cool.
Honestly, I was skeptical about how well this would work... but I gave it a go and was making near perfect blind copies after my 4th repetition! And it really did only take an hour!! Gonna try doing this regularly now xD Thanks Ori-Sensei!
In each practice, did you use a different reference?
@@rataV7517 I practiced with 1 reference until I felt I could replicate it accurately. Then I'd move to a new one. It can get a little repetitive, but the results are definitely worth it in my experience!
for peeps out there that use pen and paper to do blind copies, theres a way! first just make a copy looking at the og, then cover it up, making a blind copy based on what you remember. yes, it will be harder, but afterwards, reveal your og copy and note down the differences using your own eye, since it should be quite noticeable (sadly) and repeat! you woukd actually be surprised how much you remember after the third copy! tips: note down even the tiniest differences (like longer hair strands, thicker hair, etc...) hope this helps!❤
A concept artist taught me to include blind studies after reconstruction from reference, plus studies for imagining subjects from completely different perspectives and making modifications without reference. It felt impossible at first but it helped me improve a lot when I was starting out.
I gave up studying though when I hit a plateau and realized a few years later I have visual aphantasia. I was basically just memorizing how to reconstruct specific works methodically, step by step, rather than improving visual memory and having a vivid picture in my mind to work with. Drawing from imagination for me is like going through a complex algorithm in my head I can barely remember anymore and the sense of touch I feel looking at a drawing. Blind people identify things using their hands and that's basically how I work with art in my imagination. For lighting I use my sense of heat.
This video makes me think I might be able to still improve though by analyzing drawings by feeling them in my imagination first before doing a blind study because then I could be like 'oh yeah, I remember what this part feels like.' I never thought of studying like that before.
oh wow I have visual aphantasia too! so interesting to hear another artist explain their approach with it
I kinda feel the same, i close my eyes, i can't help myself but see just nothing or a blurry mess. So my drawing skills plateaud at 14 and stopped drawing.
Now 18 years later, i kinda want to start drawing all over again, but find it very difficult to endure that so many years went by and got stuck in the past.
(I moved into programming and did few games with other people's art, but now kinda want to make one with my own art, it will be nightmare incarnated, but already did 2 game jams and one of them ended up in third place.)
this is gotta be the best kind of sponsor video there is
H yeah
h aeyh
yeah i really love how he incorporated the sponsor into the video!! i dont think ive ever seen anyone do it this well haha
@@vivishii_that's how good creator do things. they create not because the sponsor, they create just because they want to. And sponsor come right after
Love him
It actually feels like he plays/would play the game ngl
Hello ori, I found your videos 4 months ago and have been practicing every day since then and I have improved so much since!
perchance a video to see some of your artwork?
@@twilightreaperx8382 can't link but my art acc is arcticaviary!
@@twilightreaperx8382 art acc is arcticaviary!
@@twilightreaperx8382 arcticaviary
@@twilightreaperx8382you can't just say perchance
Love the work Anders Ericson did and hate how Malcolm Gladwell basically turned his work practically into a meme with the "10,000 hours rule". Glad to see more people going to the source though! great vid!
Babe wake up! Ori-Sensei posted again!
bruh
This is honestly one of my favorite videos for art studies. The method just makes so much since on how it relates to how people retain and study information. Absolutely game changer for me personally!
I feel encouraged when you said having this mental sense about something feeling off when you’re noticing something not correct in your drawing because I recognizing that same feeling too, and it help improve my drawing process.
You're literally the best teacher ever! Your past and this video has made me improve a lot. I'm so glad that you're here to teach us.
I accidentally have been doing this and I thought I was crazy for not actively using references, thank you for validating my sanity
Who else thought you actually had to draw blindfolded, not even looking at the paper/screen? lmao
there's actually a legit exercise that has you copy lines by looking at the reference but not at where you're drawing. it's been a while but it's something like that
@@alienfortytwoblind croquis!!
@@alienfortytwoi was just about to mention this, i hated doing it so much in my drawing classes lol
This is amazing, I always struggle with doing studies and always looking at the reference doesn't often help me, explained learning better and taught me how to get better at chess as well. Thanks Ori!
I'm not even an artist but this was extremely well made- explaining the theory as discovered by experts, explaining how to apply it, then demonstrating yourself following it with plenty of examples. Excellent video, what you've talked about could apply to learning many skills!
I have been unknowingly using a very similar method for months when doing studies from real life images, and can definetly say that this sort of "blind copy" aproach has been helpful for me!
I got all pumped up to draw using this method. I realized that I can't even draw a circle the moment I gripped my pencil 😭
fr
this sound crazy but without line tool i can't even do *perfect straight* line 😭
no way! you are a genius, i never thought of using active recall in drawing even though it works great in my studies. but now that you show it, it's like how i never thought of it? thanks a lot, i'll make good use of it!
This actually works! I used to do this method whenever I feel stuck with my art. Doing this method sparks creativity and the same excitement that I'm looking for when I'm in an art slump ☺️
Thank you for Japanese subtitles！
It helps．
アートと物事の見方を改善するのを手助けしてくれてありがとうございます！これらを心に留めておくよ。
i do something similar. i study looking at a reference first, then try to actively recall that and then decide what i messed up in my recall and try again. this might not be as productive or time efficient but it works more comfortably for me and has helped a lot :)
"There isnt a correct answer in art, but we can find our correct answer" thats so good, i already love this
theres no correct path to becoming a master, but some paths are definitely shorter than others
For anyone skeptical about this method, I just tried it and after about 30 minutes I had so many useful notes and a clear improvement to my sketches.
you lost me at drawing 3 art within 1 hour
😭😭😭
😭🙏
man you are so lucky to have a sensei to guide you draw better
some people just draw alone
I have narrowed down on a similar method, so seeing someone else advertise it actually gave me a boost of confidence. Thanks bro.
Just found your channel today. I can't believe I never did this blind method because I thought I lack imagination...I'm gonna practice drawing now thanks!
Watching Ori‘s videos legitimately makes me angry. Not because i don‘t like them, it‘s the exact opposite, but rather because it makes me mad seeing how incredibly talented some people are and how everything i do seems so pale in comparison. Love your art and love your Videos. They‘ve really helped me improved even though i hate practicing and essentially never do it. Keep this up
It always feels like that. The only choice we have is to improve. There's never failure, but you don't always succeed first thing either.
Is it because u do it as a hobby? Because if u are just a hobbyist, personally I draw just because I can and only sometimes I'm in the mood to improve even more. I mostly just draw character designs
Ori your art is quite literaly what got me to start drawing difitaly. Especialy your Laplus art got me wanting to draw as well. Thank you yet again for another helpfull video Ori!
Edit here, I Messed up writing digitaly lol.
Thank you, Ori. I've made massive progress since watching your last videos. I'm finally starting to understand the small improvements that I need to make and how to fix and learn from my mistakes. This guide will help me improve even more! Most importantly I'm actually starting to have fun finally.
“I’ve come up with the blind method.” Ericsson actually mentions the blind method in his book.”
I think it's less "come up with" as in "invent" and more "come up with" as in "searched for it and found it"
More like "come up with" in the sense of compiling an easy to follow version for art for a video and naming it.
I can’t find the “blind method”. What’s the actual technique called?
@@_jeezgg idk I’m not the one that found it
@@supermemobee it’s misleading 🤷
This was an incredible demonstration. Love how you put studies in but not only just putting them in, you demonstrated the why and you made it entertaining. So good. Subbed.
I was going to say, I wouldn't recommend people just jump into the blind study first. Then you showed both the analysis and reference steps. This is what I stumbled upon myself. Try and draw it once with the reference, then all other steps after that, try and draw it without the reference. Often my second and so on attempts without the reference end up better than the first. Because I'm remembering and actively fixing/changing the mistakes from the reference step. But I still needed to do the first reference step.
Thank you so much! I just tried the blind method and it makes the studying way more fun too! Maybe because you can see the improvement a lot sooner.
omg your art improves so much just by the pass of a few months, you are really incredible 😭😭
I've been doing a less extensive version of the Blind Method you described here for these last couple of months now so this is awesome to see. It really works guys! Ive imporved more than i have in years combined (this isnt even an exaggeration, when you practice right you grow right)
I'll definitely follow your tips with a more critical analysis like note taking though, very helpful, thank you!
Ive been waiting for this!
AKIHIKO⁉️
youtube is my art school lol
Agreed especially cause I'm broke
I’ve been experimenting with efficient learning methods and will tweak my methods with what you’ve shown here. And thanks for the book recommendation, it’s one I have yet to look into!
the transparent overlay comparison reminds me a lot about the metric scott young used to improve at drawing portraits in 30 days, i recommend finding his post about it if you havent seen it before
very cool video and love that more learning theory is being applied here :)
I did this when i noticed that every time i copy an art and i draw anything else i get bettee and better, which exlaplains that Blind Method is actually just your muscle memory combining it with your creativity then Voila! You just created an amazing art without a reference.
The way you use your other field of interest for studying art is pretty clever. This made me remember on how calligraphy class taken by steve jobs helped have apple earn their beautiful font
Never heard of this until now but will try it! I can also recommend to go through old art and throw away some things. I recently moved and I am slowly working through a lot of old sketches, drawings I did especially while studying. It's nice to see what I did good back then and where I improved. It doesn't make you better necessarily but it gives a mental boost of confidence that there is and will be improvement that is even more apparent in the future ☺️.
Crazy that we have oridays here, he's one the only few artist that help me improve significantly fast and keeps me motivated to drawing
omg your pfp is so cute
I find my reference and print it out, and then draw a circle with a line down it and start making a head over the reference so I know how the artist did it, if you don’t have a printer screenshot your reference and import it into ibis paint X
I'm studying engineering in college, and the way you described "studying the masters" is quite literally how I study for my Calculus 3 Exam right now
I'm no artist but take it from me that learning like this works!
great video, new sub here!
I have been drawing on and off for the last 25 years. I have VERY slowly improved over that time. this video is the first time I have seen something that I can actually use to get better that will work for me. even in 1 hour of trying this I noticed things that I would not have ever figured out myself. thank you
Looks like a cool method, though as an aphantasic artist, ill probably have to keep the blind stage to very localized areas or principles (like gesture, colors). I dont think it would be productive for me to try to copy a whole peace from memory. Imma give it a try tho
This video was one of those that made me first think its probly stupid clickbait but ended up being deep and thought provoking 👍
Tried it just now. God it's brilliant. I'd just adjust to not do "parts" (eg: eyes, hands, ...) but "big general shapes" and then practice dividing things up in "remember-able" ways (eg: the big piece's HALFWAY point is where the neck ends, this finger starts A THIRD of the way from such and such) etc.
Lol, I bet you have aphantasia too. That sounds a lot what I've been doing this week.
16:17
Dude! I first heard that a decade ago from Neil Gaiman's speech about making good art to a batch of art graduates!
I kept that quote in a special place in my heart and mind. Glad I heard that from you of all people. That caught me off guard lol
Why did this get my grades and art skills up, congrats on another sub
Thank you so much!! I feel like I learned so much from you! I want to improve on lighting and shading so I can't wait to try this process for my improvements ♡♡
Just here to say your voice and accent are really lovely and calming and made me smile while listening to this. Like I dunno what about it, it's just generally pleasant. :D
i have to thank you for this tutorial. one thing that's really liberating is the idea that we can select "masters" based on who appeals to us personally. in retrospect, it's obvious, but it makes it easier to have the will to practice when i'm able to say "I want to learn to draw like this"
In my art classes at university, we started every class with blind drawings as well as blind contours (looking at and drawing the reference's "bones" if you will without looking at our drawing until we are done). Not only does it teach you to recall the information, but it relaxes your brain and acts as a "warm up" to move into more strenuous, detailed drawing.
I think this method is great for not only learning but just improving your memory as a whole because like the active recall method, you're not just trying to replicate what you're looking at, but your brain is trying recall and recreate it from your own head. And in doing so it leaves more of an impact on you. It's like having a live model to draw in front of you, and then they just walk away but you still have to recreate their body shape, the pose they were doing, the lighting that was cast onto them ect. It leaves a greater impact on your brain and therefore it's easier to learn and carry over into your own art
This is so helpful because i want to learn how other artist draw and i don't really have a method to do it so the blind method would be perfect thank you ori.
You are my biggest motivation right now thank you 😭💗
the idea of "blind copy" itself isn't the first time i've heard of it, but I think you bring up some really good points regarding the specifics;
you say it's okay to make a normal copy of it before attempting the blind copy, which reaaaally made things click for me. Its was just way too hard before when I tried it lol, will be continuing to try this out over the next few days, thanks!!
To this day, I still find it funny when people say you can't draw from imagination. This video debunks that pretty well, I feel, considering that the best way to learn fast, is basically the same as drawing without a reference.
i just knew that i can learn art using that method. cuz i already use the review method and i felt that its really hard to improve. and btw i use this method every time there's academic study, thanks ori for remembering me this method again
This is honestly the most definitive guide on how to study I've ever seen. It validates so much of what I was doing earlier (copying and analysing) but some people, even teachers, would tell me not to do it because "tracing and copying is bad" (I only traced for the initial analysis as in your video). Where was this approach so many years ago when I needed it! In any case, I'm glad it's here now. Thank you for this
THIS! In all my years of creating art, if I’ve used a reference at all, it would have been a quick glance once and then I’d draw from memory. As a result, drawing just feels natural for me. I’ve had so many people tell me that they can draw, just not without a reference, and this is perfect practice for them.
Side note, I also test this way, end up acing most tests/exams without actually putting much effort reviewing. Who knew being lazy paid off?
It also feels naturally to me too but man does this help alot
This is the best art tutorial I've ever seen in my life. It just makes sense.
Nothing inspires confidence in an art teacher like seeing their content filled with 90s clip art
Anyway, my approach to drawing a character involves two main steps.
First, I create a stickman version of the character or pose I'm trying to draw.
Then, I use shapes to help reconstruct and refine the character's body, essentially building it around the stickman framework.
i spent so long in a hole of confusion with improving my art but thanks to you you simplified it enough for my small brain to understand
ngl this made me realize I've always been doing the "active recall" method because I'm lazy lol. I thought this was a lazy way to draw by making mental notes and do it by memory every time I draw. I rarely draw so it does confuse me why I'm still able to draw, AND have improvement in my art despite drawing like literal 1-2 times a month. Also, these 1-2 art are finished art. Knowing that I rarely draw, I make sure that every time I start an art I finish them to cover my lack amount of drawing (basically quality over quantity). I don't even consider my wips as my art lol and would usually just immediately scrap them.
I love this channel, it's what has kept me learning to draw. Thank you very much for the guides
Excellent advice, no matter how many years I already have in the industry I'm using this approach now to get the hang of model sheets quickly. Thanks a lot!
Just a small critique of your heads. The fundamentals here will help since it's apparent the ear could be shifted further screen right in your studies. and the back of the skull needs enlarging to make sense of the eye positions. At the moment, because you are having to guess what's under the hair, it makes the eyes look like they are too far apart.
Best of luck on your road to success and thanks again.
Love your videos so much ori, they're so valuable, cheerful and kind, and I'm so grateful for what you do to help aspiring artist to grow up
And I just realized I was already applying this method to music, when I want to learn a piece by ear I always start with what i recall of the music, trying to figure it out, then give it a listen and ajust. I always did it unconsciously, and never thought of doing the same for drawing
0:05 is that a reference to ch4nge by giga lmao
I'm learning to draw and I'm bashing my head because I didn't think about this before.
I learned this principle in a quick learning course a decade ago and I promptly used it to make people stronger faster than before.
It works not only for mind things, but it also works wonders for "mindless" things, like any kind of physical training.
Thanks for this!
just picked up a job working 60 hours a week, I really needed this.
I love how you explained it but it really seems that, and this also applies to gaming(e-sports), you want to spend as much time as possible reviewing/changing yourself.
So here you want to draw fast, so you don't spend as much time drawing, which has limited teaching possibilities, and instead spend time in your review mode, looking what you can do better.
Thanks for coming up with this method and sharing it with us.
I'm surprised, because active recall has been my go-to method for studying for quite a long time! I have never heard about it being the best method for quick sessions of study, but I can totally see why. And I'm glad that a method like this can be used for drawing as well, since I've never been good at it and I wanted to delve deeper into it.
Ive actually been doing this subconsciously! I would always draw something and then later come back and end up drawing it much better. I wish CZcams allowed pictures because it happened just now! I drew some legs that were way off a while ago but i came back after a couple days with some light leg study, and observing other things not related but had legs in them, and there's a massive improvement! I'll need to follow yours more since it has more structure but im happy i was doing something that helped when i thought it used to hinder!
I've used approaches for music, math, and programming, and it works well. I think the key reason it helps is that you have no hope of remembering what to do unless you actually understand the original properly. You have to pay very careful attention and reduce everything to principles, or you'll be partway through the copy and have no idea what to do next.
I really appreciate how practical this is. 🎉
THE ONE PERCENT!!!
THE ONE PERCENT IS REAAALLL!!!!
(I can see the improvements, thank you! To anyone who is on the fence about this, take it slow until you feel comfortable. Regardless you really should use this, it's amazing. I'll be putting this into my routine now.)
I was originally trying to search up "How to draw hair" But accidentally forgot the "Hair" part and I found this more helpful. Thank you.
But one question? How would I take about this method on Paper? Is it a similar process or is it something more for Digital?
The process applies to all media
this has to be why i get better at art not drawing anything for two months but actively studying methods and trying to memorize the different techniques. Its not faster than drawing actively but it still works for me in terms of remembering useful patterns like rendering and anatomy.
Honestly, i love THIS art advice the most from all i watched and it's really amazing!
It contains everything - research about learning science, and god it's sad how NON OBVIOUS this thing is and how USEFUL it was for me from the first time i applied it (more for colors and palette choices, but damn it's really opened my eyes on differences between my color choices and choices of my fav artists. great!)
Thank you! Im so grateful to be recommended such an amazing art tutorial.
Thank you for publishing it for free! I really love how universally it's easy to apply to almost everything, and i love it. Would totally rewatch 1000 times.
This is some really brilliant tip that others art videos and my artschool personally lacked (dont get me wrong artschools in old academic fashion are great and useful, but this can be used for any part of art and skill, indeed.)
i love your videos!! the editing is amazing and your voice is calming to me
was searching from randowm video to accompany me eating, didn't expect will learn so much from this, thank you so much
Ori, please do a Q and A video 🙏
4:05 makes sense, since just looking at it til you remember it for later isn't actually learning it-
I didn't expect this to be a technique, i was using this for years because i draw in a phone in spray paint the only thing i have in mind is my memory 😮
Ok I get your point, I bought a tablet two months ago and I will try this method for a month, then i will post a video or a series of screenshots of my results. Good luck to me and thank you!
hey, just wanted to say, i tried the blind method and saw improvement almost right away, thank you so much. Still have a long way to go before I'm as good as a lot of the artists on here, but hey, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and for once its not a train.