Dude, PREACH.
I spent the last 15 years learning how to draw what I see, because that was emphasized so often as the only thing that mattered. But I hit a wall, ate some humble pie, and started drawing cubes. It's really elevated my art, but man, it's difficult. Not impossible, but hard.
Draw cubes, kids. They will help you so much.
Every single time I give students the cube exercise they respond with 😳😩😩😩😩, BUT they always thank me later
I'm a 63 yo woman who drew cubes a few days ago. I was trying to figure out how much material I needed for outdoor chair cushions. Lol.
In order to draw what you see you have to understand what you’re seeing and I learned that
When something doesn’t work, go BACK to the fundamental shapes. Because if it’s wrong in its most basic form, no amount of “dressing” is going to fix it.
I've been drawing for almost 50 years. The structure/shapes are what stick with you for the rest of your life, insomuch that you can pick up a pencil from a dead sleep, and immediately sketch something from a dream without having drawn for years. The drawing structures becomes automatic like breathing.
This is actually the first time I've heard anyone mention 'structure,' in terms of drawing, directly. I usually just hear "practice your simple forms" over and over. Its nice to know there is a name for the concept.
Say it loud for the people in the back! I was doing my daily sketch and it was of flip flops. Going okay and then I realized flip flops are short rectangular boxes. And that help so much. Using this in my daily sketches now. Thank you.
I have to tell you I have been using this daily. Curved Pedestrian bridge? Check. Bottom of rocking chair? Check. Flopped teddy bear? Check. Before I start a drawing or sketch now, I try to figure out the cubes/boxes. Thank you again for sharing.
Thank you for everything!
In the last six monthes i started to take drawing classes..
Every time i make drawing i wasnt heapy with it.
The reason is that no one understood that my problem is with my basic skills.
Two monthes ago i buoght both of your books and finely i am not throwing my drawings away!
Thank you so much!
Each of your little gems is so much a part of my keeping my eye on the prize. I confess, I was going to skip this one the moment I saw the S word! So glad that I didn’t Alphonso. I have both your books and owe you so much for being there to guide, to instruct to encourage. I hope you know what a treasure your videos (and books!) are to those of us who don’t have access to a good teacher. Thank you so much.
Thanks so much Alphonso, emphasizing on the basics is truly critical, even for a well seasoned draftsperson.
This step is so critical to any artists journey, yet I always found myself struggling in the beginning to get through this step when I was first learning to draw. So if anyone is looking for advice, I found it helpful to make those shape studies relevant to what you'd like to draw instead of doing them at random. It helps to go with your impulse to draw the cool thing, then do it again but breaking it down into shapes and references, then redraw the cool thing a third time with the 2nd attempt as a guide. Helps to see the progression too if that helps with reassurance.
Thanks so so much. Everyone of your videos moves me closer to being a better artist. You are so clear and concise.
I bought and used your pen and drawing workbook. It was fantastic I learned an amazing amount. I was a complete novice at drawing and I had never had a legitimate art class. Your book taught me the tools that I needed.
After 2 years of diligent work, I'm proud to say, I'm on my way to becoming a credible tattoo artist.
Thank you Mr Alfonso Dunn,
you're brilliant.
C.
Found your UA-cam channel a couple of weeks ago, ordered your book and got it a couple of days ago. Just wanted to say thank you for THE best instruction and description and suggestion and all the tion(s) of shading I have EVER found! OMG thank you so much! Love it! You’re words resonate with me and I find myself listening to you and saying to myself, “of course”. Very intuitive. I am overjoyed that I found you
I so admire your drawings. You are tops. Thank you for reminding us of structure first. Sometimes I get lazy or hurried…or both…turning out unsatisfying sketches that look ill-formed, flat, and rushed.
I have both of your books. I even bought one for a friend of mine because she said "i'm so nervous when i use a pen!" I said "well there's this guy named Alphonso Dunn..." 😁. Keep it up. You're a great teacher👏👏👏👏
I have the Pen and Ink Drawing book, What is the big difference between that one and the workbook?
Really love how relaxing this video is when I'm drawing and listening.
This is something I have been trying to spend more time doing is going back to my basics. A lot of my sketchbook time these days has been spent working on improving my basic skills.
I am currently reading George Bridgmans constructive anatomy book and they explain things in similar ways like first understanding mass of an object then the plane and finally defining those things in strokes and lines. This video is really helpful and a good reminder that I need to focus on the simple shapes more because they are extremely important.
This explains why I struggled with texture and volume in my drawings for a while. Thank you so much.
So true I never understood why my drawings came out wonky until I realized I needed to work on structure.My drawings have definitely gotten better
Best way I’ve come to understand this is like when drawing something like a fork, the question isn’t what is a fork, but what IS the shapes that when put together just so happen to produce something that looks like a fork? But to even get to this point, I know of a LOT of artists, myself included, that had to put their egos to the side before this reality opened up to them.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. It Helps so much When I finally realized how fundamental structure is to drawing it changed everything. It stopped me wasting hours on drawings that were flawed from the start. Now I don't proceed unless the underlying form is solid. Take care
Wow. I just half-realized this today while I was drawing a character in perspective. This video really solidified the importance of structure for me. Great vid!
I just bought your books. They are excellent. I’ve drawn for far too long without the knowledge you bring. Thank you.
For this reason children's toys can be a great subject to sketch from a few angles just for practice. They usually have simple geometrical shapes without distracting details, so you can get a feel for rendering those shapes on a flat page.
I'm going through your book now and indeed I agree that the structures are the important part I wish I could be better at, and at the same time, structures are not the 'fun' part of drawing.
That rock at 4:12 was really eye opening to me in how you use a simple cube in order to illustrate something that doesn’t need to follow the same exact shape as the cube but instead uses the cube as guidelines to achieve the depth of a complex form
I haven't watched your videos in a very long time. I'm glad to see you're still great at explaining concepts like this.
Such a precise and detailed video! props to you man, and thanks for this! I've started drawing around 6, almost 7 years ago, and even though i have a slow progress, I'm always down to learn important stuff, like structure. As a self-taught artist that isn't very active on, well, learning *new* things, this has actually piqued my interest! I think it'll help give my drawings a more tridimensional feel to it, so yeah, thank you so much again!
Oof okay, guess I'm going to start drawing basic shapes! I've been thinking that that's an exercise i should probably do, but I've been passing over it in favour of other more exciting or glamorous ones. But I've watched so many videos where accomplished artists have stressed the importance of learning how to convey volume, and now this! Thank you, such an illuminating video. Really concisely conveys the importance of learning structure and how it will support the rest of your development!
I was struggling with practicing drawing until I took a second to reevaluate everything and found out that I am having a problem with confidence because I didn't learn about structure yet and so I didn't have a solid foundation to build up from.
Its ok, many many students skipped structure. Take the time to revisit the basics and do your best to get a handle on them. Your drawing will thank you
Too many art teachers fail to express what parts of art intuitive and what is technical. Learning the concepts should be the easy part. I had all the observation skills but couldn't figure how to apply it in a way that made sense. Took lots of trail and error. Lots of confusing artbooks out there that are big for no reason
great advice! this stuff is my morning practice
very useful reminders! Bought the workbook, it'll help my skills advance.
An excellent point on why we need to learn this first. Thank you!
Damn. A UA-cam creator explain shapes and forms better than all of those disappointed looking art teachers I’ve had… big W
Hey man, been watching a lot of you videos lately. its helped me to understand some essential concepts and helped me improve my work. Thanks for the uploads!1
My art didnt start improving until I actually learnt what simple forms are. I thought I knew how to draw a box, but I actually didnt. This was proven to me when I tried to rotate a box in perspective. So I practiced that a LOT. probably over 10k boxes by now. I figured out what the minor axis and degree of an ellipse actually meant and how it related to perspective. I started manipulating simple forms, bending and twisting and cutting them. I started to FEEL the space, like I was drawing on a 3D surface. Still not entirely comfortable I feel, but when I am I will start constructing objects and oberve more before going into anatomy
This is exactly what I hope more and more students would do! But its hard to convince them that its worth pushing through the practice for
I will like to thank you for inspiring n’reminding me: to go back, and enjoy the time I spends in the process, for the process of improving~practicing drawing.
I just bought your simple guide book. It's insanely helpful, just like your UA-cam videos. Thank you so much for the tutorials I have no idea where I would be without them 😁
I draw fairly well but still trying to get better…your videos are so awesome!
Great video! Have both your books and love them.
i have always had a talent for drawing. not much actual training though. for a long time i felt like i never improved but this concept has changed my whole perception of drawing and brought back a lot of fun to me. nice discussion on this topic though. i feel a bit inspired hehe
Structure is a concept that normally is overlooked, especially if youre self taught or work mainly on your own
Fantastic video. So helpful. Thanks
Thanks for the reminder!
You just changed everything for me :) This is the key to everything ! THANK YOU so freakin' much !!!
UA-cam Artist Reiq (Reynaldo Quintero) often uses the term "dimensionality" or "Three dimensionality" to discuss form and structure. He tends to not draw through objects, but applies the light and shadow to simplified forms to create a 3D look. This is a shortcut, but he is skilled and experienced enough to do the 3D form and basic shapes work in his head, keeping it in mind for the rendering stage, without actually drawing it on the paper. I hope to get there one day.
"Pros get it but students don't" ...yeah, that's kind of how most professions work :P
Jokes aside, great video. I certainly wish I'd started practicing this sort of thing earlier
I have a character design that uses pinball flippers for ears. Every time I draw this character I dread the ears because they require a precise structure at a relatively small scale, and there's just no way of getting around that without redesigning this feature. At the same time, it means I'm practicing my simple forms, every single time.
Then I did it to myself again by making a robot character with blocky limbs...
Excellent lesson!
Shapes are my go to whenever im bored
I feel like a learned a whole class worth of information in a five minute video
ive been doing structure without even noticing 😫
i can draw cartoons a little but not real stuff. stick figures only lol. i'm sculpting now using clay which i have a talent for. i find ur videos helpful in my sculpting. sculpting a male figure currently.
I am finally getting your book on Thursday. Maybe sooner I hope. I had my granddaughter get it for me for my birthday (yesterday), 9/15
Great message!
Thanks you very much.
Alphonso,Nice talk about,thanks..
It's quite funny.. I view fine arts the same way I view any other profession. To me a student who wants to skip structure, blocking in, proportions, basically the "boring" steps of a drawing is exactly the same as a carpenter who doesn't build a steady foundation or frame for his house, and skips straight to what plants will look good on the window sill, what curtain will go good with the carpet, what color the walls should be.. 5, 10, even 20 years pass by and they still don't know why their drawings are always crooked or "off". I always been told by my peers that my skill is "good enough", they don't understand what I'm trying to do.
Thanks 👍
it was !
thanks
Thanks!
Very good information.
Hello Mr. Dunn, like the other commenters said, I too wasn't taught much about structure and I am very interested in learning how to do it. Other than your two drawing books (which I have), are there videos that you have that teach, to show me step by step (showing more examples) on how to do structure?
Your videos and instructions are great you mention things that a lot of art instructors don't, sometimes I need to see the whole process. To walk me through.
Thank you very much.
Thanks so much. I have a series of videos on drawing complex forms and the basic lines of drawing
@@alphonsodunn Thank you so much, I will have a look at those and practice as soon as I can.
Thanks bro.
Wow….your teaching skills are impeccable. You turned the light on for many of us. Thank you for what you do. Sometimes, you don’t know what you don’t know. From now on, my primary goal will start with “structure “. 😊
Thank you, this video helped me to understand that I am moving in the right direction^___________^
Great, thanks! Which pen/holder are you holding there?
If I want to reproduce your drawings for practice, should I use a pencil under drawing, or try only with a pen?
Brilliant five minute art class. Five minutes to watch, but hours of information to think about. Do I detect a cold or sore throat? Your voice is sounding a bit rough on this video.
could you post on how to cross hatch or hatch shade a costumed figure? coz I see many head renderings but not figures and it would help
Se pudesse compraria seus livros desejo de consumo
Hay quick question is that a standard number 2 pencil you are using?
True
I’m still trying to figure structure out but one practice method I’ve found to be useful is to take a lump of clay, form it into whatever I want and then draw that. Having just handled the clay in a way where I understand it’s mass in a 3-Dimensional way, the structure becomes much easier to understand. Hope this helps out some other students out there! :]
My usual drawing pattern:
Ok, enough structure, I think I got it now, I`m experienced!
Yes, I can skip this! After some hours of drawing and painting:
Hold on, something is off with the perspective and why does it look so flat?
I really want to be a dynamic comic artist when I grow up. Should i draw everything I see or is that not important? Can you give me some direction?
And I really like your 3d shapes barely seen and then all the sudden you draw a really good nose. I have a problem where I draw something really good but its so light that no-one can see it
And I don't know when to lighten the drawing because when I do, even after all the construction and everything, the end looks worse then the beginning
You don’t have to draw everything. Focus on the fundamentals and then learn how to construct what you love to do via the fundamentals
Drawing light is good and important, just have it be at the beginning stages of your drawing but as the drawing progresses, extend your value range
I realized over the years that drawing is a skill and not a talent ! It was opposed to what i learn from my seniors .
The redline of preview image made it look like I've already watched this video
You are a very good person. Thank you so much
❤❤❤❤
Your videos have been the absolute best help for my art. Which is saying a lot because I procrastinate watching art youtube way too much.
How can I take out the captioning on the video. It blocks a lit of what you're drawing.
Hello Alphonso! Your art is a big inspiration for me, and I try to put all that you teach us on practice, so thank you very much. I see that there are many artists worried about AI replacing art. It would be interesting if you could talk about it, if you want. I would love to hear, and maybe it would make me feel better about this all.
Amazing to see you now have 800k subs! I remember watching you while I was still in high school :)
So helpful! I know your books are Pen and Ink, but are they also good learning tools for just pencil? Thank you!
They are really designed for pen and ink drawing but much of the instruction is also based on core principles applicable to all drawing
@@alphonsodunn Thank you! I believe any type of drawing instruction and practice will improve my watercolor art as well.
💖
Alphonso, pls, write another book! Write a whole textbook. I am so impressed with your teaching style and writing skills. Your emphasis on the science of drawing and the science of life is brilliant.
Dude! You’re the author behind the ink book I borrowed from my art teacher!! Awesome vid, really glad I found your youtube!
Thats sooo cool! Tell your art teacher I said thank you! I hope you enjoy it and can learn a lot from it
I'm realizing how many elements my art teachers skipped over the years. I think in my day, many years ago, it was assumed you had talent, not treating drawing as a skill that could be learned from nuts and bolts. I appreciate this lesson.
And it really is a set of skills that can be learned
This so much, I gave up on drawing(and writing) so often because people always said it was some innate talent or ability. Never did anybody say it was a skill to learn like carpentry or cooking.
@@cosmictraveler731 Infuriating, isn't it?
@@zonelesilightore3993 I grew up drawing so by the time I was in art class, teacher always praised my ability. But never anyone else that never drew anything before, I had a lot of practice beforehand but they didn't. I always tell people when they say "wow you're so talented" I say "I'm skilled it can be learned" I actualy said that today at Wells fargo whilst signing up for an account. The banker wanted to learn but said he didn't have the talent and I told him to practice, anyone can learn the skill and it's never too late to start.
Or, more likely, you weren't listening like many high schoolers.🤣