If you want to improve drawing technique, start with the basics.
Start by spending some time doing some blind contour drawings. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_contour_drawing)
The principle behind this is simple. Humans recognize objects in two ways: by seeing it, and by identifying defining shapes that make up that object. Take a bowl, for instance.
We can see this is a bowl. This is a perceptual drawing of a bowl, what it looks like when I see it.
This is a conceptual drawing of a bowl, the basic elements of a bowl put together. Notice how you can still recognize its a bowl even though there is no perspective to it, but it looks, for lack of a better term, retarded.
Blind contour helps you see things and draw them perceptually, not conceptually. As you get better, and your skills of observation get better, more and more can be accurately drawn from memory. Don't expect to be able to bust out figure drawings from memory after a few hours of practice though.
The biggest problem with straight referencing material is that you are just copying; you might as well just stick the source picture into a photocopier and call it a day. Referencing comes in handy when you are trying to learn a new technique, or are trying to stylize a certain object or picture.
If you want to draw people, get out there and draw people from observation. Make "notes" as to how certain areas look in relation to others. The first step in drawing a stylized version of anything (ie, all illustration) is familiarizing yourself with the subject. I guess it all just boils down to this: if you want to get better at drawing, get better at seeing and plotting and interpreting what you see.
Start by spending some time doing some blind contour drawings. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_contour_drawing)
The principle behind this is simple. Humans recognize objects in two ways: by seeing it, and by identifying defining shapes that make up that object. Take a bowl, for instance.
We can see this is a bowl. This is a perceptual drawing of a bowl, what it looks like when I see it.
This is a conceptual drawing of a bowl, the basic elements of a bowl put together. Notice how you can still recognize its a bowl even though there is no perspective to it, but it looks, for lack of a better term, retarded.
Blind contour helps you see things and draw them perceptually, not conceptually. As you get better, and your skills of observation get better, more and more can be accurately drawn from memory. Don't expect to be able to bust out figure drawings from memory after a few hours of practice though.
The biggest problem with straight referencing material is that you are just copying; you might as well just stick the source picture into a photocopier and call it a day. Referencing comes in handy when you are trying to learn a new technique, or are trying to stylize a certain object or picture.
If you want to draw people, get out there and draw people from observation. Make "notes" as to how certain areas look in relation to others. The first step in drawing a stylized version of anything (ie, all illustration) is familiarizing yourself with the subject. I guess it all just boils down to this: if you want to get better at drawing, get better at seeing and plotting and interpreting what you see.
