How to Keep Drawing When You Don't Know What Comes Next

Get my free sketching PDF: https://learnhowtosketch.com My Ultimate Sketching Course: https://www.proko.com/s/rMQf?af=467576 In this video, Marshall Vandruff joins me to look through a drawing I worked on at WonderCon and talk about the decisions behind it. I often draw intuitively, so having Marshall there gives us a chance to slow down and explain things I might otherwise pass over: how the figures occupy space, how a small mark describes a form, and how the composition develops as I draw. We start with Catwoman, building the figure with a light mannequin before working into the ink, shadows, and folds. I spend more time on that first character than I probably need to, but getting something I like onto the page makes me excited to keep going. Marshall connects that to the idea of an early win, something that gives you a little encouragement at the beginning of a drawing. We also talk about the uncertainty in the process. Even when a drawing is going well, there can be some nervousness about what comes next. That tension becomes part of our conversation about staying alert and involved in the work, instead of needing every decision to feel completely safe. As the characters develop, we look at changing the angles of the limbs, wrapping lines around forms, and using small dark accents to create depth. Marshall points out how these choices work together. A fold can describe the shape of a leg, while a dark area where forms meet helps separate them in space. I have an idea for the overall scene—superheroes moving through space toward an oil rig—but I haven't decided every character or pose in advance. At one point, I cover a part of the drawing I don't like with a black shape before knowing what that shape will become. It gives me a new problem to solve and a reason to keep drawing. If you're working on drawing from imagination, I hope watching these decisions unfold helps you approach your own page with a little more freedom. You can have a direction in mind and still leave room for the drawing to surprise you. My Materials: Moleskine Sketchbook: https://a.co/d/07Wk6ZBf Ballpoint Pen: https://amzn.to/4mAiG7G My Instagram: Instagram: rembertmontald