This Is Why You Struggle When 'Drawing From Imagination' - My Solution!

Hey everyone!

Many artists struggle when "drawing from imagination," which in reality is "drawing from memory." Imagination often relies on recombining, altering, or expanding upon elements from real-world experiences stored in memory. So, your goal in this specific problem is to optimize your imagination process through storing key visual memories.

I learn by doing. Every time I draw a reference, it feels like my brain is creating a new road for my hand to follow when addressing that specific visual problem. Later, if the road is simple enough, it becomes easier to come back without the need for having the reference as a guide. Here is an exercise that might help.

Building Memory Roads

Memorizing is a process that occurs beyond our conscious capacities. Sometimes, we would like to remember things we like or forget things we hate, but that department is not in our control. What we can do is expose ourselves to certain activities in which we can memorize specific topics through repetition and through that repetition increase the chances of storing visual information.

For this example, let's imagine our goal is to learn how to draw female faces. Here is what you can do:

1. Pick one portrait picture reference.
2. Open it in Photoshop.
3. Create a new file; in the new file, select windows/arrange/2-up Vertical and position the reference side to side with your canvas.
4. Try to guess with lines what you are seeing - the shape of the eyes, nose, mouth, face, head, ears. (Don't trace).
5. Keep it simple; don't add shadows.

It might look odd or not perfect, but that does not matter. You are building a new memory about how to capture that specific face, so it makes sense to look odd. Remember, your point is not perfection but building that path in the first place.

Simplification

Create a new layer and draw the face again, this time use fewer lines. I tend to make quicker strokes so the shape feels more simple and clean while exaggerating the size of face features like the eyes. However, the quality of the line or the style is not the goal here. The goal is for you to slowly capture this subject with fewer and fewer lines so your memory can later remember.

You can try again, making bigger strokes and fewer lines.

You can compare how in my first study I used more lines to capture shapes, like the eye, for instance, and how after some attempts I chose to shape the eyes using fewer lines.

Conclusion

The more complex the road, the more difficult it is to memorize; the more difficult it is to memorize, the more difficult it is to imagine. Reality is very complex, and our brains store just what is necessary. By targeting a topic and trying out this exercise, you will help your brain to capture specific sets of visual information in line with your goals, so that later, it can become easier to recall and create from imagination.

It's important for you to understand that this skill will not develop in a day or two. It does not happen accidentally quickly; otherwise, it wouldn't be a problem. So, set aside 1h or 2h a day to try out at least one reference. I focused on the female face today, but you can approach different subjects depending on your goal.

Last but not least, in HERE you can find more references, sharing is caring.

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Tomorrow, I'll be sharing the process video of this piece along with the files and insights. They will be available for Mastering Maestro tier and above. Feel free to upgrade if you want more insights about my work.

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