Hi! I tried this exercise today and I was so surprised about how much it helped me improve. I did both drawings today, and the only difference was adding the scale from my notebook by taking a photo of the page with my phone and using canva to make it 50% opacity and overlay on my reference photo. I'm quite proud of the results and thought I would share. Any tips on how to improve the likeness are appreciated!
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(Kudos to my A-level art teacher for this advice).
I’ve found that drawing small makes me more aware of the (literal) bigger picture (component ratios and size etc), while larger-scale makes me concentrate on details. Practicing both has been great for noticing the whole picture and making things look a bit more natural overall.
I like small pictures for simple you can make them to create a rendition of the reference and big pictures for the ability to be more creative and add your own flair
You're using a grid, but you're not focusing on where the shapes hit in the grid. Instead you're drawing what you think the shape should be.
Take a look at these two single grids from your 2nd attempt and reference. The corner of lips hit right around the mid point vertically, but you've made them hit in the bottom 3rd. The mouth line is almost flat, with a little wave, but you've made it with a strong down turn. You've done this in various areas. Also, check the value differences.
These little changes add up to changing the personality of the face. If you focus on grid at a time for the major shapes and values, you'll be able to recreate the reference more accurately.
Wow, that is super helpful!!! This really helped me understand what to pay attention and see the difference between the two. Thank you for taking the time! On my next practice round I'll spend more time on the features inside the single grid points like you suggested
This is going to sound really silly, but something that can help with this is turning the drawing (and reference) upside down. This helps break your brain out of seeing the lips as lips and instead makes them a more abstract shape you can focus on placing in the grid.
Totally fine to do grid drawing, very valid way of drawing, but I would urge you to ask yourself the question of "how do I want to draw." If the answer is "using the grid method to draw from references", keep going. But drawing using the grid method will not necessarily make you better at drawing without it.
Big improvement, but it still looks like you're not copying exactly what you see in the boxes.
These two are lined up the same, 3 boxes high and same width, but look very different. Where did you get the info for the edge of her cheek? The angle of her lips? The shadow you put on her bottom lip but not under it?
Maybe try going box by box but at random, so you're not tempted to draw what you don't see into the next box.
You did amazing! The only advice I can think of is if you're taking the time to make a grid you should be using the grid to help. Look at the cheek and the jawline compared to the reference with the box and yours they're close but don't match.
Nice improvement. There is real satisfaction when a new approach works. Suggestion: maybe you do this already, but try to draw the negative space. By that I mean don’t necessarily focus on “Im drawing a face” For example you have mis-drawn the right contours of the face. Ignore the face and focus on the path of that outline and you probably would have drawn it closer to what had been needed.
I would recommend having a piece of paper and numbering the boxes from lightest to darkest value and fill them in with whatever you are using and (look at the reference) to make sure the values match with the reference as much as possible. And I agree with @PotatoTheOdd
How else do you expect them to improve? All
The professionals Kim Jung Gi or Peter Han to name two constantly reinforce the use of grids until you can picture the grid in your mind. This applies both to the grid, isometric grid, and horizon lines for perspective grids.
Well i just think its a way to undermine the construction process, a shortcut to dodge anatomy and proportions. I could see it being a texture study but not the whole thing.
The gird teaches proportions what are you talking about?
Also you don’t need anatomy to draw, it helps immensely yes but it is not necessary to know what muscles groups connect to what bones and what ligaments and joints. Again IT CAN HELP A LOT but it is no way necessary this is also talked about by many professionals.
They hated him because he told the truth. Learn construction and anatomy and you can make anything; learn using a grid and you can copy 2d drawings really well
Sure if you’re looking to be a professional this seems to be a hobbyist asking for general advice and reactions to what they perceive as a clear improvement from their first attempt, just telling someone to learn anatomy means nothing and it’s annoying to read. There’s so many layers to anatomy it’s just a cop out response to giving advice for beginner artist. I’d rather someone just say “start draw a box” than tell me to dive into medical sciences
Edit; this kinda reads ruder than I intended, would just feel better to know where to start with anatomy than just be given the vague answer of “start with anatomy”
I agree on anatomy. I think anatomy is much better suited for intermediate learners than beginners/hobbyists. Anatomy is importantly for realistic figure drawing and animation, but you don’t need anatomy to draw something cool.
Grid method is good for breaking symbolism drawing. It’s a good method for getting people to draw what they see instead of what they know.
I don’t see how grid is great for proportions though. The problem is that the artist is focusing on just one square at a time instead of measuring the body parts in proportion to everything else. It’s just “see shape, draw shape.” It’s good to get someone out of the habit of drawing symbols, but not so good for thinking in 3D.
It’s fine though since everyone has to start somewhere, and the grid method is more beginner friendly than diving into anatomy that they won’t be able to apply anyway.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t recall Peter Han or Kim Jung Gi practicing with the grid method. They did use grids, but it’s for studying perspective. It’s a totally different exercise from what OP is doing.
One of the reasons that construction is helpful is for breaking symbol drawing, or what newer artists think something should look like, is because looking at the eyes they are generally flat with lines around it, this is the way a child sees it. As we age we know that an eyeball is a sphere and it sits inside of the top and bottom muscle that contains it. This should inform the art.
Of course it’s superior considering that breaking things down to basic shapes is the foundation of drawing. It’s just that learning construction takes time, and it’s possible to break some symbolism drawing with the grid method.
I personally don’t like the grid method either, but it has some use for first month drawers who want to see something nice.
I prefer the method of mindlessly 1-to-1 copying cartoons during the first month, have them come out awful, and then move on to actual fundamentals.
For me specifically the grid helped with proportions because I can use the lines and boxes as measuring points for my reference. If the body is this many boxes on my grid then my line of action should roughly be that many boxes on my grid. It’s not a great method but it was a useful one because I can’t picture 7 human heads stacked on top of each other and I don’t wanna draw 7 head shapes it’ll burn me out before I begin.
Though honestly I’ve just stated to learn maybe I’m not cut out for drawing, or really anything creative or artistic I in no way believe in my ability to persevere through my failures.
Edit: I used their names because I’ve been watching them a lot and they may not specifically be referencing this grid but there is a grid of lines when you do horizon lines and vanishing points as well, many times in their lectures they’ve said draw your grid if you need to until you get the point you can comfortably picture it in your head.
Yeah, but doing don’t that is not really part of the grid method. The grid method is copying what you see in squares on a paper. Putting a grid over your reference so you can measure out the proportions is closer to using a ruler than the grid method. You’re basically using a different looking ruler.
Like, there’s a difference between “the grid method” and the general idea of using grids as a tool for something else. People use grids all the time for architectural drawing, but that’s not really the grid method.
Idk man, if I’m using a grid for my reference and also using a grid to match those measurements I’m using a grid method. Guess we just have to agree to disagree here.
I guess, but “grid method” is in reference to the method used in the book “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.” It’s a named method for drawing that OP is using. We’re not talking about using grids in general.
The way i have understood it is that simple anatomy is the boxes, elipses, cylinders, and connecting them is a term called manniquinization here.. After doing that you can get into muscular anatomy or clothing, or tertiary anatomy which is just fine details like veins and muscle striations.
You can clearly see where they improved using the grid method from their 1st to 2nd try. We all start somewhere and this is a viable way to learn.
For OP advice: Pay attention to the shapes and sizes, from an overview perspective but also per mini grid cell. For instance, the mouth in your drawing curves down, but is more center in the cell and straight. The right eye fills more of the bottom of the cell with the iris starting on the edge. Getting likeness right is all in the details but you’ll get better as you practice and begin to naturally notice these things. Great progress!
Didnt say they didnt improve or that its not a good technique, i would say the same thing about tracing. The only way I have used it is to break down photos into 3D shapes to then redraw.
I see, I definitely think it can help with understanding shapes better but there’s so many different techniques out there that sometimes it’s just trial and error to see what helps us learn best~
Part of the “draw what you see, not what you think you see” process.
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u/link-navi Aug 13 '26
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