I actually always found Loomis’s “Fun With Pencil” to be the most helpful book of the set - purely because it was so silly on purpose and obviously overly stylistic, but still used the same principles underneath from his wealth of experience.
It's severely under rated but I do think it's one of the best too. Tbh all of them are great if you actually read the content. Creative illustration has some great commentary in it
Jake holy frick. I just finished and ignoring the insanity of this being right where I'm at in my own philosophical thought processes of drawing, this could genuinely be the last art video I ever watch. The amount of thought, the open and closed ended sentiments, the information, the practice, the study, the DOING, its all so well put together I can't even believe it. To my utmost deliberate thinking, this is a perfect video. I think you could give this to anyone(not even started drawing to a lifelong drawer) and they'll learn, be inspired, and/or remember. Thank you so much. This was such a boost and put exactly where and what I've been beginning to think into complete existence! It's brilliant! Thank you. edit: made it frick. sorry for not being age appropriate
i gotta agree this might be the best art video ive ever watched. i think it rly hits the nail on every doubt ive had in regards to art theory and how to learn it. Jake's channel is the best ive ever seen at teaching art to any audience of every level
I was struggling to write a comment with the same sentiment as this, so I'll just reply and say I totally agree with you too!! Very well put, both this video and this comment
Finding this video feels like finding that non-existent "step-by-step guide to drawing", only to realize that the fact that one doesn't exist is a far better reality than one where such a "guide" does exist. This is a perfect representation for struggling through the creative process in the context of the present day. Phenomenal stuff, and super excited to continue learning!
Philosophical video essay with the end result of “just go make broad sketches and strokes and keep messing up until you understand a bit more and have a love of the game”, but the point was the process of the video meant to cultivate that love. Great video! Subscribed
Wow. This is probably the best art related video I’ve ever seen. I began realizing this a long time ago when I was staunchly a beginner - but actually seeing someone put this into words so precisely has completely changed my perspective; and now has me eager to get back to my regulars old sketchbook and start doing more studies, that follow both the methods taught by others, but to also figure out my own technique that works for me. Thank you
I'm actually stunned at how good this video is, better and clearer information than 99% of art tutorials on youtube while remaining fun, with absurdly good editing and an incredible story that makes a 27 minute video feel 5 minutes long... This is for sure your best video yet, honestly gonna be putting art schools out of business if you keep up this level of quality well done
It's funny to think of this putting art schools out of business. While my experience of a few different art schools gave me specific methods and tools to learn and improve, the main things I gained were momentum, guidance, critique, and experience. I just wouldn't have got as far with drawing the human form without spending a loooooong time looking at nude models and having a teacher say "have you noticed that this proportion is off?". Having the external view of a teacher (or honestly even an untrained eye can tell you things because they don't get caught in technicalities) just fast tracks noticing and learning to correct mistakes, which is how you get better. It's also really helpful for your mental wellbeing (and thus your drive to create) to not be comparing yourself to thousands of different peoples art online, just a classfull, and to be in a real life environment with respect for art. Not to say you can't learn to draw through videos, but just... I still think there's a lot of merit in irl learning
I have been craving your videos. Finally my longings have been satisfied. This video has a fantabolous quality. It covers what I have been failing at. My drawings weren't of much live. I think this video will help me, I appreciate your effort in making art fun. You are different, you show your fails, you admit that you make mistakes and hit dead ends and how you have to take 5 steps back to take “the right route". Thanks you are a savior.
I found this video not only speaking very well to the trials and tribulations of creating portraits, but also serving as a wonderful parallel to understanding and navigating life: That there are no tried and true, objectively correct answers, actions, steps. Everyone is trying to find the solution that works best for them, their life skills, and the nuances of their society and environment. Thanks so much for this excellent, high-quality video. Really resonated with me and my experiences creating art, and living life.
Thank u so much man, I been struggling with art lately, feeling like I'm missing a puzzle piece then spend hours trying to find the answer to that piece, but the answer was just me. When your drawing from a reference, add yourself to the mix, maybe draw the hair differently don't get stress out if it's different, because if it's different that just means the art style your developing is working, all u need is time and patience to understand YOUR way of drawing, to create a little world on that piece of paper. Thank u sm man
I'm not sure why youtube has decided to place this video in algorithm hell, I've watched all of your videos but only just got recommended this one after watching a different art video. So commenting to boost engagement, cause this is a super interesting and educational video!
After 2 years of self taught drawing with YT tutorials and online references, you made it pretty simple and saved so much to all beginners 👏🏼: learn the basics, practice techical skills but from then on you should always take whats most helpful FOR YOU from every tutorial, book or even in person lessons and mix them up with your intuition and creativity. If you enjoy drawing and it gives you the result you were looking for, then what does it matter if you didn't apply the exact loomis method or followed strictly this or that, is more of a "what's your goal" type of question. I really enjoyed this video man, great content 💯
This was such a great video Jake. I’ve always thought that drawing tutorials were missing the soul that I saw in classic art but couldn’t put it into words. Thank you for the immense amount of research and editing put into this
You are one honest artist, unforgiving to himself enough to achieve some very high results in the future. Of that I am sure. And you are already there, where millions of artists will never get in their lives. I subscribed because your honesty is so refreshing.
This video does cery much capture the very words and feelings and frustration of becoming an artist. The thirst for answers that never seem to be there, the obsession. It also very much captures how 200 years ago people longed for freedom and knowledge. But how now we only want our stability and structure back, the knowledge didn't sate us. In the end it was meaningless.
I came for a video and experienced a masterpiece of cinema. Well written, well thought out, the music was perfect with the topic and the emotions brought into the talking points. This video contains more than just an incredible look and discussion about art. It contains contemplative conversations about understanding depth beyond the paper and depth into who and why is creating the art.
I have scoured the internet and different books for years for a “perfect method” that’ll surely fit me. But it was only when I gave myself permission to give myself my own set of rules, (of course reminiscent of past constructive ideals) that made me start to comprehend the form and what makes a drawing of any style believable. It is a constant back and forth jump between big shapes, placement, the features themselves and constantly questioning my methods along the way and experimenting- That have led me to a more intuitive and believable place for portraits. This is genuinely, one of the best videos I’ve seen on the website for anatomy. Good stuff. 🙏
Thanks for taking the time to make this video. It inspired me so much on my art journey and Im many others as well. It reminded me what drawing is about and the real reason why I started. Also reminded me why drawing became daunting sometimes. Again, thanks for this light the brightened my path!
Damn Jake, what an incredible and inspiring video. As someone who has only recently begun their journey in actively trying to better myself in artistic ability, I've often watched your videos looking for a solution to the common problems I run in to. After finishing this video I've not found that solution, but my perspective have changed almost entirely and I'm excited to keep searching and learning. Thanks for all the effort you put in to this!
Tremendous - I've spent nearly a year trying to find a 'method' for drawing portraits that avoids the rigidity of Loomis and the lack of heart in photorealism and the truth as you've just pointed out is that we are all unique and need to find our own method. Great video mate.
hey jake, i haven't picked up a pencil or a brush for more than a month and its all bc of that, ive been thinking about creating a video of something similar to your idea but yours is truly a masterpiece. i have watched one or two videos of yours before but they were so goddamn it boring now im gonna rewatch them as i think wasn't at the best head space, as what you wrote is just so true and i know its coming from inside you bc that's exactly how i feel, that's why i have been struggling for so long. i wanted something, anything to remind me of the past, of my younger self, when she drew just to enjoy it. it never mattered if the result turned out perfect the drawing was the fun thing. so thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Banger of a video, the part about the difference between understanding the concept in theory vs in practice is extremely important in my opinion. You can understand a muscle anatomy diagram and still struggle with drawing actual figures in poses from imagination
Wow! Ive been dedicated to improving my drawing skills the past few months and this video was enlightening. When I first started I used pen and simply used references and tried to copy it as best as I could. I’d do it a few times until I got closer and closer. Despite feeling like I was achieving nothing, I actually did get better. I then learned the loomis method, asaro head and beyond. All these methods combined to generally make my art better, but learning is such a personal thing that I’d never tell someone how to do it either. I think my takeaway is to simply draw for the love of drawing. Learn new techniques and take what you like, don’t kill yourself trying to use a method that doesn’t work for you. :)
8:54 I just graduated with a Bachelors in studio art from a public university, and this is by far my biggest gripe. I gained skill in TALKING about art, but every class was focused on self expression and coming up with a compelling idea regardless of the quality of execution. We never learned about composition or color theory, and figure drawing was cancelled during the pandemic and never returned. I know that its really on me to develop these skills outside of school but it would have been nice to actually receive the teaching I will be paying for through the next decade
This was so good, recently been getting frustrated cause it felt like the more things i "learn" how to do i lose freedoms that i had before in my art. The ending was such a click
Thanks for taking the time to make a reassuring video like this. I'm sure many young artists like myself can benefit from knowing that there's no "best" way of going about becoming an artist, everyone has their path and no ones path is ever the same
It lends to the message of this video that this is the most beautiful video on the subject of drawing I've watched on UA-cam, and I feel like this is one of the only videos that have tried to achieve that feeling. Incredible watch.
That Venus drawing is enchanting! Very, very competent. I'm fascinated by portraits, have done some in the past, but eventually had a very long break from the drawing and painting, yet still am attracted to getting back to it. So far, just preparing and preparing.. I've been doing some photography portraiture, where I guess the results were satisfying. Now taking a break from photography. I feel the need for a proper art, expression, emotion etc.. Need to get there.
I found my own way to solve the issue of rendering hair in a sketchy hatched manner, it's definitely important to adapt and create solutions based on the tools you're using, on the knowledge you've acquired from observing the world and studying artists you like
I Love your videos so much, you feel relatable, you're not some art god with 20 years of 16 hour a day practice sessions, your just a guy trying to get better at art. I totally don't mean that you're not skilled tho, you are an amazing artist.
jake, I have to say every single one of your videos just keep getting better and better. entertaining, inspiring and educational. I am watching this as i eat breakfast before getting to all my work i have to do and i feel like this video is going to help out with a decent amount of it
I would consider myself an intermediate artist in skills and for the most part I usually do enjoy how well a drawing I made came out but I recently did two drawings that just looked horrible and I couldn't figure out where I went wrong, I tried to draw it again and it still doesn't look good. I'm planning on trying to do the hundred heads challenge soon which is why I watched this video and man was everything on point, I bought the drawing heads and hands book years ago and remember feeling exactly what you described, I don't even want my style to be too realistic but the best way to learn is to study realism first, my style wasn't apparent to me until I started to learn how to shade. Anyways all this to say is that I appreciated this timely video, I'll just focus on form first and try not to get concerned about the rest, it can get frustrating when something doesn't turn out well especially when you spend hours on it but I guess that's how we learn. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk 😅
For me, words can't describe how entertaining, fullfiling, educational and entertaining this video was. So I'm not even going to try. Just keep being yourself, I love everything about this
I spent this days making thousand of portrait, frustrated than the fact i can't draw, this causes unironically anxiety and this video saves me cuz talk seriously about the topic thank u :)
this might be the best video relating to art I have ever seen, never sat to focused for a video like this in such a long time, thank you for this video, I look differently at the art and how should I pursue it now. Thank you
I felt compelled by the video to break out my Loomis book and do some practice tonight after months since I last did some drawing. I'm familiar with the concept from videos and the book but not very practiced in using it, and it's incredible how much the quality of my drawing suffered from trying to apply it. I believe in it being a great method, but like the video says, even if you know "the length of the nose" is "equal to the space of the forehead, or from the brow line to the hairline" which is "halfway up from the brow line to the axis" (page 21), that doesn't actually tell you where to place the line on a 2D plane with a flat circle on it that's supposed to represent a sphere. That still takes practice and intuition. When I ditched Loomis to just draw intuitively by imagination, I produced something rough while more in line with my aesthetic sense, but not having a sense of the actual construction definitely limits the degree of fidelity it can actually achieve vs practicing more and really being able to use the Loomis head. I drew a head from reference afterward just to prove to myself that I hadn't lost all my former drawing ability (which was nowhere near Jake to begin with) and did enough to satisfy myself, but I'd certainly like to better understand Loomis to accurately manipulate the forms of the face without always needing a reference. That's the learning to draw for ya.
I never comment on videos. But this shit made me tear up. I've been going through a similar process myself in my own art, but seeing it articulated through your words and struggle was absolutely beautiful. This video itself was art. Thank you.
Loved the video. It just so well captures the feeling of learning a drawing technique and trying to put it into practice, but also feeling like it's never enough, like there's some piece of knowledge that might be missing. Pretty early on in the video I had the inmediate thought, "Just do Loomis method and practice," but the video goes on so well to show what it's actually like to try and actually apply it and where it feels like it falls short. But at the same time there's of course no perfect technique for drawing a head. Loomis definitely feels like a good foundation without taking it dogmatically. I'm definitely not currently where Jake is with drawing ability. Possibly never will be because I'm not sure it's something I value spending time on to develop to the same degree, but I do often think about honing my skills beyond my current level. I grew up (UA-cam and social media in its infancy) learning some basic proportions of the face and body (I think eyes halfway down the face is just such a game changer that absolute beginners often don't know), learning a bit about approaches to portrait, profile, 3/4. I learned perspective and did life drawing too which complemented that knowledge. But not much about the 3d construction of the head. Hearing about Loomis more recently and seeing this more rigorous approach people take these days to 3d construction of the head in drawing education along with the tremendous wealth of quality drawing knowledge available online is pretty incredible. I've got my copy of Loomis and have tried some exercises out, but there's definitely the gap between just knowing the ideas vs being able to execute to a satisfactory level. Cool video. Good luck to everyone on their art journeys.
This is a really good video, you should be proud of it Jake. I'm trying to start my drawing/art journey right now and this video has given me a lot of inspiration.
this is by far your best video, I really like this more high effort stuff (not that your others aren't) i hope you continue to make videos like this in the future, even if they are infrequent
I feel like I asked my professor a question and this was the response 😂 But thank you for taking us through a unique experience of someone who (I think) can already draw well. Sometimes I am going through a tutorial or book and I am drawing simple shapes and all of a sudden everything is done and i felt I missed a lot of steps. What I realized the shading and values section is where I needed to go back to because I was in the portrait section. The authors tend to not repeat themselves. But man it feels good to draw a shit ton of 3d shapes and shade them! That grind is funny to me. It is like I am learning guitar and i am doing drills over and over again. Gotta love the grind in a hobby.
Love the video. This actually inspired me to make more progress with my art as I've been procrastinating and making a page in my sketch book I'm actually happy with. 👍
Hyper realistic drawing is boring imo. I have only know people irl who also can draw, but both of them are good in drawing because they draw hyper realistic and used grid. To me, it just lacks creativity.
Exactly, they're all impressed by hyper realistic, but it's just human printing I'll rather take the photo , Yess the whole point of art is creativity and to try to understand the emotions the artist want to express
That's what I'm thinking! My other art friend got a lot of praises because his art focuses on realism but he admitted that he could never draw only using imagination.
For muddy values it helps to have a hard surface under your drawing rather than drawing on a stack of paper in a notebook. My advertising design teacher told me HIS teacher's secret (which was his teacher's secret) to get the best darks was to draw on a slab of marble. Crazy that a jealousy guarded secret from three generations ends up in a UA-cam comment. Lovely video and glad I found it. :)
This is an amazing work you've done. Thank you for sharing it! Very interesting. Love how you document the journey and the thought process. Off to read the Heads book, you got me interested
I've recently been trying to draw with my shoulder instead of my wrist to get faster at drawing. A quick solution that helped me start was replacing my mouse with a graphics drawing tablet. After about an hour of nearly punching my monitor, I actually began to improve. This is how I now operate my computer: Tablet on the left and keyboard on the right.
Beautiful video! I'm a comp sci student in my last semester and decided to take a life drawing class this semester and my teacher stresses similar concepts. My art has improved drastically because of it.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I actually always found Loomis’s “Fun With Pencil” to be the most helpful book of the set - purely because it was so silly on purpose and obviously overly stylistic, but still used the same principles underneath from his wealth of experience.
It's severely under rated but I do think it's one of the best too. Tbh all of them are great if you actually read the content. Creative illustration has some great commentary in it
Figure drawing for all it’s worth was a godsend for my practice
And I just bought drawing on the right side of the brain too? I don’t know what to do really. I bought this guy’s course thing too.
Jake holy frick. I just finished and ignoring the insanity of this being right where I'm at in my own philosophical thought processes of drawing, this could genuinely be the last art video I ever watch. The amount of thought, the open and closed ended sentiments, the information, the practice, the study, the DOING, its all so well put together I can't even believe it. To my utmost deliberate thinking, this is a perfect video. I think you could give this to anyone(not even started drawing to a lifelong drawer) and they'll learn, be inspired, and/or remember. Thank you so much. This was such a boost and put exactly where and what I've been beginning to think into complete existence! It's brilliant! Thank you.
edit: made it frick. sorry for not being age appropriate
i gotta agree this might be the best art video ive ever watched. i think it rly hits the nail on every doubt ive had in regards to art theory and how to learn it. Jake's channel is the best ive ever seen at teaching art to any audience of every level
This is something I would have typed out on my first day of ADHD meds
@@meandmyguitar4675 Lol, nah, the video was just that good.
I was struggling to write a comment with the same sentiment as this, so I'll just reply and say I totally agree with you too!! Very well put, both this video and this comment
Finding this video feels like finding that non-existent "step-by-step guide to drawing", only to realize that the fact that one doesn't exist is a far better reality than one where such a "guide" does exist. This is a perfect representation for struggling through the creative process in the context of the present day. Phenomenal stuff, and super excited to continue learning!
“I’m sus and Im venting”
😭😭😭
Quote of the year
🔥
🔥🔥🔥✍✍
A m o n g u s
What are you doing here Simeon 😭😭😭sus
when i was younger i'd find the tutorials like the ones you showed at the beginning and i genuinely stopped drawing bc it was so boring :')
You can always start learning again
Its never late to pick up art again!!
@@ippinkorca probably should have clarified that I do art now! But when I first got into it I got discouraged quickly
@ Ohh I see, great to see you are back in it!
@@emmar.130 glad you got too continue keep on going
FINALLY SOMEONE SAID HOW ANNOYING IT IS TO LEARN HOW TO DRAW ONLINE 🙏🙏🙏🙏
Philosophical video essay with the end result of “just go make broad sketches and strokes and keep messing up until you understand a bit more and have a love of the game”, but the point was the process of the video meant to cultivate that love. Great video! Subscribed
Wow. This is probably the best art related video I’ve ever seen. I began realizing this a long time ago when I was staunchly a beginner - but actually seeing someone put this into words so precisely has completely changed my perspective; and now has me eager to get back to my regulars old sketchbook and start doing more studies, that follow both the methods taught by others, but to also figure out my own technique that works for me. Thank you
I'm actually stunned at how good this video is, better and clearer information than 99% of art tutorials on youtube while remaining fun, with absurdly good editing and an incredible story that makes a 27 minute video feel 5 minutes long... This is for sure your best video yet, honestly gonna be putting art schools out of business if you keep up this level of quality well done
It's funny to think of this putting art schools out of business. While my experience of a few different art schools gave me specific methods and tools to learn and improve, the main things I gained were momentum, guidance, critique, and experience. I just wouldn't have got as far with drawing the human form without spending a loooooong time looking at nude models and having a teacher say "have you noticed that this proportion is off?". Having the external view of a teacher (or honestly even an untrained eye can tell you things because they don't get caught in technicalities) just fast tracks noticing and learning to correct mistakes, which is how you get better. It's also really helpful for your mental wellbeing (and thus your drive to create) to not be comparing yourself to thousands of different peoples art online, just a classfull, and to be in a real life environment with respect for art.
Not to say you can't learn to draw through videos, but just... I still think there's a lot of merit in irl learning
I have been craving your videos. Finally my longings have been satisfied. This video has a fantabolous quality. It covers what I have been failing at. My drawings weren't of much live. I think this video will help me, I appreciate your effort in making art fun. You are different, you show your fails, you admit that you make mistakes and hit dead ends and how you have to take 5 steps back to take “the right route".
Thanks you are a savior.
Marry him
@@colourkingdom 💀💀
The quality of this video is just amazing, thank you for making these kinds of videos.
it is, that must be said. Hear, hear!
I found this video not only speaking very well to the trials and tribulations of creating portraits, but also serving as a wonderful parallel to understanding and navigating life: That there are no tried and true, objectively correct answers, actions, steps. Everyone is trying to find the solution that works best for them, their life skills, and the nuances of their society and environment. Thanks so much for this excellent, high-quality video. Really resonated with me and my experiences creating art, and living life.
Another absolute classic of a video
Thank u so much man, I been struggling with art lately, feeling like I'm missing a puzzle piece then spend hours trying to find the answer to that piece, but the answer was just me. When your drawing from a reference, add yourself to the mix, maybe draw the hair differently don't get stress out if it's different, because if it's different that just means the art style your developing is working, all u need is time and patience to understand YOUR way of drawing, to create a little world on that piece of paper. Thank u sm man
I'm not sure why youtube has decided to place this video in algorithm hell, I've watched all of your videos but only just got recommended this one after watching a different art video. So commenting to boost engagement, cause this is a super interesting and educational video!
This is by far the best video I have watched on drawing so far. So much to be learnt from it, thankyou.
After 2 years of self taught drawing with YT tutorials and online references, you made it pretty simple and saved so much to all beginners 👏🏼: learn the basics, practice techical skills but from then on you should always take whats most helpful FOR YOU from every tutorial, book or even in person lessons and mix them up with your intuition and creativity. If you enjoy drawing and it gives you the result you were looking for, then what does it matter if you didn't apply the exact loomis method or followed strictly this or that, is more of a "what's your goal" type of question. I really enjoyed this video man, great content 💯
This was such a great video Jake. I’ve always thought that drawing tutorials were missing the soul that I saw in classic art but couldn’t put it into words. Thank you for the immense amount of research and editing put into this
You are one honest artist, unforgiving to himself enough to achieve some very high results in the future. Of that I am sure. And you are already there, where millions of artists will never get in their lives. I subscribed because your honesty is so refreshing.
this has somehow put into words something ive felt about art tutorials forever, amazing video, incredibly inspiring
Best video I have seen in a while. I feel like the commentary in this video applies to so many things, then just art, and it really paints it clearly.
This video does cery much capture the very words and feelings and frustration of becoming an artist. The thirst for answers that never seem to be there, the obsession. It also very much captures how 200 years ago people longed for freedom and knowledge. But how now we only want our stability and structure back, the knowledge didn't sate us. In the end it was meaningless.
I came for a video and experienced a masterpiece of cinema. Well written, well thought out, the music was perfect with the topic and the emotions brought into the talking points. This video contains more than just an incredible look and discussion about art. It contains contemplative conversations about understanding depth beyond the paper and depth into who and why is creating the art.
Absolutely amazing video all around. The storytelling, history, educating, editing, etc… You should be proud of yourself.
I have scoured the internet and different books for years for a “perfect method” that’ll surely fit me. But it was only when I gave myself permission to give myself my own set of rules, (of course reminiscent of past constructive ideals) that made me start to comprehend the form and what makes a drawing of any style believable. It is a constant back and forth jump between big shapes, placement, the features themselves and constantly questioning my methods along the way and experimenting- That have led me to a more intuitive and believable place for portraits. This is genuinely, one of the best videos I’ve seen on the website for anatomy. Good stuff. 🙏
Thanks for taking the time to make this video. It inspired me so much on my art journey and Im many others as well. It reminded me what drawing is about and the real reason why I started. Also reminded me why drawing became daunting sometimes. Again, thanks for this light the brightened my path!
Damn Jake, what an incredible and inspiring video. As someone who has only recently begun their journey in actively trying to better myself in artistic ability, I've often watched your videos looking for a solution to the common problems I run in to. After finishing this video I've not found that solution, but my perspective have changed almost entirely and I'm excited to keep searching and learning. Thanks for all the effort you put in to this!
Second best art related video I’ve seen in all my time on the internet, keep it up
Don't gatekeep first, we're all waiting
whats the first share it with us
Tremendous - I've spent nearly a year trying to find a 'method' for drawing portraits that avoids the rigidity of Loomis and the lack of heart in photorealism and the truth as you've just pointed out is that we are all unique and need to find our own method.
Great video mate.
2:00 Can you make all your content like this so I can absorb it faster? Don't forget Subway Surfers.
I’m starting to think this guy really does know how to draw and is lying to me
This video is so insane, this might be the best one yet
i have no idea why thius doesnt have more views, genuinely this changed my whole mindset about drawing, loved teh video
this is one of the best videos I've ever seen. genuinely impactful and inspiring perspective on learning drawing and creating art.
hey jake, i haven't picked up a pencil or a brush for more than a month and its all bc of that, ive been thinking about creating a video of something similar to your idea but yours is truly a masterpiece. i have watched one or two videos of yours before but they were so goddamn it boring now im gonna rewatch them as i think wasn't at the best head space, as what you wrote is just so true and i know its coming from inside you bc that's exactly how i feel, that's why i have been struggling for so long. i wanted something, anything to remind me of the past, of my younger self, when she drew just to enjoy it. it never mattered if the result turned out perfect the drawing was the fun thing. so thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Banger of a video, the part about the difference between understanding the concept in theory vs in practice is extremely important in my opinion. You can understand a muscle anatomy diagram and still struggle with drawing actual figures in poses from imagination
Wow! Ive been dedicated to improving my drawing skills the past few months and this video was enlightening. When I first started I used pen and simply used references and tried to copy it as best as I could. I’d do it a few times until I got closer and closer. Despite feeling like I was achieving nothing, I actually did get better. I then learned the loomis method, asaro head and beyond. All these methods combined to generally make my art better, but learning is such a personal thing that I’d never tell someone how to do it either.
I think my takeaway is to simply draw for the love of drawing. Learn new techniques and take what you like, don’t kill yourself trying to use a method that doesn’t work for you. :)
"I know this is gonna cause me some great pain, but-"
*Gets an ad for constipation*
This is actually one of the best illustration videos I have ever seen
8:54 I just graduated with a Bachelors in studio art from a public university, and this is by far my biggest gripe. I gained skill in TALKING about art, but every class was focused on self expression and coming up with a compelling idea regardless of the quality of execution. We never learned about composition or color theory, and figure drawing was cancelled during the pandemic and never returned. I know that its really on me to develop these skills outside of school but it would have been nice to actually receive the teaching I will be paying for through the next decade
This was so good, recently been getting frustrated cause it felt like the more things i "learn" how to do i lose freedoms that i had before in my art. The ending was such a click
As someone who has been struggling with the beginning of their art journey thank you for sharing this. I find you extremely relatable and articulate
Very good food for thought
i was drawing and saw that you uploaded and now i feel like practicing even more!
keep it up i love the videos!
this might be one of the best videos you have ever made and easily one of the best videos I've ever watched... Big ups to you man
Thanks for taking the time to make a reassuring video like this. I'm sure many young artists like myself can benefit from knowing that there's no "best" way of going about becoming an artist, everyone has their path and no ones path is ever the same
It lends to the message of this video that this is the most beautiful video on the subject of drawing I've watched on UA-cam, and I feel like this is one of the only videos that have tried to achieve that feeling. Incredible watch.
genuinely one of the best videos on drawing that ive ever watched
That Venus drawing is enchanting! Very, very competent. I'm fascinated by portraits, have done some in the past, but eventually had a very long break from the drawing and painting, yet still am attracted to getting back to it. So far, just preparing and preparing.. I've been doing some photography portraiture, where I guess the results were satisfying. Now taking a break from photography. I feel the need for a proper art, expression, emotion etc.. Need to get there.
I found my own way to solve the issue of rendering hair in a sketchy hatched manner, it's definitely important to adapt and create solutions based on the tools you're using, on the knowledge you've acquired from observing the world and studying artists you like
I Love your videos so much, you feel relatable, you're not some art god with 20 years of 16 hour a day practice sessions, your just a guy trying to get better at art. I totally don't mean that you're not skilled tho, you are an amazing artist.
jake, I have to say every single one of your videos just keep getting better and better. entertaining, inspiring and educational.
I am watching this as i eat breakfast before getting to all my work i have to do and i feel like this video is going to help out with a decent amount of it
Such a good video. A simple concept many people miss. Be proud!
This video inspires me to continue working on my portraits. Also I appriciate the Grim Fandango soundtrack in the background.
I would consider myself an intermediate artist in skills and for the most part I usually do enjoy how well a drawing I made came out but I recently did two drawings that just looked horrible and I couldn't figure out where I went wrong, I tried to draw it again and it still doesn't look good. I'm planning on trying to do the hundred heads challenge soon which is why I watched this video and man was everything on point, I bought the drawing heads and hands book years ago and remember feeling exactly what you described, I don't even want my style to be too realistic but the best way to learn is to study realism first, my style wasn't apparent to me until I started to learn how to shade. Anyways all this to say is that I appreciated this timely video, I'll just focus on form first and try not to get concerned about the rest, it can get frustrating when something doesn't turn out well especially when you spend hours on it but I guess that's how we learn. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk 😅
ngl I have to say, this is one of the most helpful and informative/reinspirating art videos I have watched in a while, thank you
Well worth the wait!! Insane quality on this one. So profound
This video made me think of Leonardo da Vinci and how he worked his paintings.
For me, words can't describe how entertaining, fullfiling, educational and entertaining this video was. So I'm not even going to try. Just keep being yourself, I love everything about this
as a "fix it with rendering and brushwork" andy thank you for opening my eyes to the actual value of construction
I spent this days making thousand of portrait, frustrated than the fact i can't draw, this causes unironically anxiety and this video saves me cuz talk seriously about the topic thank u :)
Your channel inspired me to get back into art and since you last posted I’ve been researching portraits, perfect time for this video to drop. 👍
This needs more views. I’ve been drawing my whole life and this opened my eyes on healthy growth. This video is amazing
This is, by far, the best instructional art video i've seen. A must watch, full of insight and entertainment. Thank you Jake
Jake, you've crafted one of the greatest videos on art I've ever seen and will see.
One of the best art videos I ever seen on UA-cam. The production is top-notch, full of interesting art history insight, wonderful work Jake!
this might be the best video relating to art I have ever seen, never sat to focused for a video like this in such a long time, thank you for this video, I look differently at the art and how should I pursue it now. Thank you
Thank you for this excellent video.... I can't begin to tell you how much it has helped me with my struggle with portraits...
I felt compelled by the video to break out my Loomis book and do some practice tonight after months since I last did some drawing. I'm familiar with the concept from videos and the book but not very practiced in using it, and it's incredible how much the quality of my drawing suffered from trying to apply it. I believe in it being a great method, but like the video says, even if you know "the length of the nose" is "equal to the space of the forehead, or from the brow line to the hairline" which is "halfway up from the brow line to the axis" (page 21), that doesn't actually tell you where to place the line on a 2D plane with a flat circle on it that's supposed to represent a sphere. That still takes practice and intuition.
When I ditched Loomis to just draw intuitively by imagination, I produced something rough while more in line with my aesthetic sense, but not having a sense of the actual construction definitely limits the degree of fidelity it can actually achieve vs practicing more and really being able to use the Loomis head.
I drew a head from reference afterward just to prove to myself that I hadn't lost all my former drawing ability (which was nowhere near Jake to begin with) and did enough to satisfy myself, but I'd certainly like to better understand Loomis to accurately manipulate the forms of the face without always needing a reference.
That's the learning to draw for ya.
I never comment on videos. But this shit made me tear up. I've been going through a similar process myself in my own art, but seeing it articulated through your words and struggle was absolutely beautiful. This video itself was art. Thank you.
Loved the video. It just so well captures the feeling of learning a drawing technique and trying to put it into practice, but also feeling like it's never enough, like there's some piece of knowledge that might be missing.
Pretty early on in the video I had the inmediate thought, "Just do Loomis method and practice," but the video goes on so well to show what it's actually like to try and actually apply it and where it feels like it falls short. But at the same time there's of course no perfect technique for drawing a head. Loomis definitely feels like a good foundation without taking it dogmatically.
I'm definitely not currently where Jake is with drawing ability. Possibly never will be because I'm not sure it's something I value spending time on to develop to the same degree, but I do often think about honing my skills beyond my current level.
I grew up (UA-cam and social media in its infancy) learning some basic proportions of the face and body (I think eyes halfway down the face is just such a game changer that absolute beginners often don't know), learning a bit about approaches to portrait, profile, 3/4. I learned perspective and did life drawing too which complemented that knowledge. But not much about the 3d construction of the head.
Hearing about Loomis more recently and seeing this more rigorous approach people take these days to 3d construction of the head in drawing education along with the tremendous wealth of quality drawing knowledge available online is pretty incredible.
I've got my copy of Loomis and have tried some exercises out, but there's definitely the gap between just knowing the ideas vs being able to execute to a satisfactory level.
Cool video. Good luck to everyone on their art journeys.
Great video. I try to stick with: draw what you see, do not draw what you know.
seeing the apples was actually so so helpful, you're a gifted teacher
This is a really good video, you should be proud of it Jake. I'm trying to start my drawing/art journey right now and this video has given me a lot of inspiration.
this is by far your best video, I really like this more high effort stuff (not that your others aren't) i hope you continue to make videos like this in the future, even if they are infrequent
You really up yourself with every post Jake. I genuinely think that you will be remembered as the great inspiration for the next generation.
I feel like I asked my professor a question and this was the response 😂 But thank you for taking us through a unique experience of someone who (I think) can already draw well. Sometimes I am going through a tutorial or book and I am drawing simple shapes and all of a sudden everything is done and i felt I missed a lot of steps. What I realized the shading and values section is where I needed to go back to because I was in the portrait section. The authors tend to not repeat themselves. But man it feels good to draw a shit ton of 3d shapes and shade them! That grind is funny to me. It is like I am learning guitar and i am doing drills over and over again. Gotta love the grind in a hobby.
Love the video. This actually inspired me to make more progress with my art as I've been procrastinating and making a page in my sketch book I'm actually happy with. 👍
This video is insanely good, the editing is amazing.
What a fantastically uplifting video! Thank you for it!
wowow the way u explain things &guide us down ur train of thought makes topics &concepts a lot more understandable! thanks for another good video ♥️🙏
Hyper realistic drawing is boring imo. I have only know people irl who also can draw, but both of them are good in drawing because they draw hyper realistic and used grid. To me, it just lacks creativity.
Exactly, they're all impressed by hyper realistic, but it's just human printing I'll rather take the photo , Yess the whole point of art is creativity and to try to understand the emotions the artist want to express
That's what I'm thinking! My other art friend got a lot of praises because his art focuses on realism but he admitted that he could never draw only using imagination.
A masterpiece of a video Jake, well done
Ma man, this is one of your finest videos to date 👌
this is probably the first good drawing video on youtube
It’s 12 in the morning and this video rewired my brain and how I think about art. I feel my frontal lobe expand
1:16 mmm yes
Nooooooooo 😢😢😢
For muddy values it helps to have a hard surface under your drawing rather than drawing on a stack of paper in a notebook. My advertising design teacher told me HIS teacher's secret (which was his teacher's secret) to get the best darks was to draw on a slab of marble.
Crazy that a jealousy guarded secret from three generations ends up in a UA-cam comment. Lovely video and glad I found it. :)
video is crazy good
This is an amazing work you've done. Thank you for sharing it! Very interesting. Love how you document the journey and the thought process.
Off to read the Heads book, you got me interested
Such a must needed indepth exploration of a difficult subject , now subscribed.
God came down and said: 9:24 "that's our goals as a artist, To turn chaous into beuty" ✍️🔥
I've recently been trying to draw with my shoulder instead of my wrist to get faster at drawing. A quick solution that helped me start was replacing my mouse with a graphics drawing tablet. After about an hour of nearly punching my monitor, I actually began to improve. This is how I now operate my computer: Tablet on the left and keyboard on the right.
Beautiful video! I'm a comp sci student in my last semester and decided to take a life drawing class this semester and my teacher stresses similar concepts. My art has improved drastically because of it.
I needed this. Thank you saving my sanity, Jake.
i don’t ever comment on yt videos but this was very well articulated and inspiring. thanks for sharing
This is such a well done video, good fella
"NOOOO NOT THE GRIND!!" I relates. I appreciate you man
Thanks Gov.
the algorithm neutered this video even though its one of your best ever
The death note ost in the beginning lol
Jake continues to get better and better 🔥