TUTORIAL // creating light & flowy sketches (subtitled)

This is what I really needed. Thank you so much

Vy

I'm so happy to hear that you found it helpful! the most important thing to get in the flow of drawing is to allow ourselves to enjoy the process and restore some faith in ourselves. the skill improvement comes later!

Loish

Thank you so much for this. I just joined recently, and I didn't expect to see ANY improvement right away, but this video really "clicked" for me. I had so much trouble with my sketches looking stiff and heavy but breaking it down into steps like you have done instantly made them looser and more organic looking. Still LOTS to work on and I need to do it as often as I can to really burn that technique into my brain - but knowing it's an attainable goal is awesome. I had been feeling hopeless which led me to stop drawing for long periods of time.

Enrayn

thanks for your kind words andy!

Loish

Thank you for always making such thoughtful tutorials! The idea of separating sketching and finalising as two different processes entirely is actually really helpful and practical :D

andy_illustrates

thank you! I'm glad to hear that - it's always so satisfying to see immediate improvement in your art after trying something new!

Loish

What a great tutorial (as are all). I'm so grateful this platform provides us the opportunity to learn from you. Your teaching style is great, thank you. I drew a sketch while the video was playing and I already see some development in my drawing style. It was great to find out how you learned from other artists, and your tip about line work and smudging to show volume vs. light has had a real impact on me.

Samantha Lane

i'm so glad it helped you to open your sketchbook! I feel like this is one of the most therapeutic ways to create art :)

Loish

Hi Lois! Loved this tutorial! I have been avoiding my physical sketchbook in favour of digital sketches. But now I’m enjoying just playing in my my sketchbook and having fun. I found that I’m getting better ideas this way. Btw - the way you explain things is super helpful and easy to follow.

Martha Balaile

i think i should try it because i feel like the eraser that i use now isn't really precise, and sometimes i really only want to erase a tiny part. i will check it out!

Loish

this was a fantastic tutorial! It was great to get some insight into your process. Have you considered trying a kneaded eraser? This type totally changed my sketching process

Courtney

so glad you liked it! I feel like showing earlier work is essential to explaining why i developed certain practices :)

Loish

Thanks Loish! I really appreciate that you show early work to explain points and highlight how your practice has changed, that visual is really helpful. Also love seeing your sketches, those mermaids are gorgeous. And thank you for adding subtitles, super appreciate it!

Miranda Jelbart

hey lisa! I have tried that in the past, but I'm always worried it will leave wet smugdes on the page. I guess I should give it another try especially if it's better than normal setting spray!

Loish

thank you for your kind words! and yep, I've gotten that criticism a lot and there is a lot of truth to it haha. i generally enjoy ethan's videos so it was fun to be featured in one :)

Loish

Thank you so much for this. And for taking the time to bake in subtitles! Awesome tutorial

Hannah Rose Taggart

Ahaha, I agree. It pulled a little chortle out of me. :3

Corivana

This inspired me to crack open my sketchbook after avoiding it in shame and frustration for like 4 months. Thank you. ❤️ Also, I love that you embrace the "when in doubty, one finger outy." 😂

squidpeg

I'm always inspired to improve after your tutorials Lois. Thank you.

JASON WILLIAMS

My GCSE art teacher taught me to spray the final sketch with hair spray to seal in the leads. It also works with coloured pencils too. It’s very similar to setting spray you get now for make up, but hair spray is best because it’s not as wet and it’s cheaper. Have you ever tried this technique to stop your sketches from smudging when you’re done with them?

Lisa Harte

The Qtip Thing was incredibly helpful! I had stumps before but I got this disymphonia problem and I can't handle the sound it makes on the paper... Also as child / teenie I got a bit of trauma with "smudging" art since we did it TOO much in school (especially with coal penicls) - but i gave it another chance and its great! Thanks again for this great tutorial.

Lima

I SO appreciate the way you articulated the use of shading to define volume rather than light, thank you!

thelasthomely

happy it helped! sometimes a small switch in mentality can make a huge difference - this is what studying animation did for me. i started trying to capture form rather than just create a flat image.

Loish

I had a life drawing session this Tuesday. it was a great opportunity to put this tutorial into practice. The idea of using shading to convey the form, not shadows revolutionized my sketching process. And you can only feel it through practice. It's such a subtle difference, but it has a terrific effect. I used to focus on mapping out shadow shapes as a "human printer". It worked, but not always. You approach makes things easier, especially when there are many light sources on the model. Your tutorials are gold!

Anton Egorov

Well, I would definitely put this hand in her pocket ₍ᐢ. ̫.ᐢ₎ Thank you so much for this tutorial!! ♥ It was super helpful, especially this part about letting go! I always feel that I could improve my sketch and I fall into this loop of working on the same page over and over again OTL 'Be patient with yourself, you will get there with practice. It just takes a long time' - I love this quote, I really needed this kind of support today!! Thank you! ♥

candykiki

so happy to hear that ayanna!

Loish

it's 13x21 cm! but i've also used smaller ones. whatever works for you!

Loish

Your posts literally have helped me so much. I’ve gotten shapes and anatomy down so my faces look better but have been struggling with flat sketches for so long. I watched this tutorial and applied them and I immediately see a difference. Thank you!

Ayanna Wallace

How big is your sketchbook I always feel mine are too small

Amelia Fins

This was something I realized recently, that I need to learn to let go more. I’ve started trying to more sketching in this mindset, so this is a very timely tutorial for me, and reinforces my thought process right now. Thank you!

Spoopy Cat Studio

Helped me so much. Thank you!

Joanna Hojda

So good. Thank you.

Gene Powell

This is amazing, and definitely inspiring! Also, I didn't know about blending stumps, definitely buying one soon!

Matija

Thank you so much for this vid! I think it's my fav so far, I tried drawing along with you and learned a lot. Can't wait to try this approach again!

Noukah

thank you for the subtitles... 😊🤟