As a beginner I hear a lot how you have to draw what you see.

>>2676189
OP here, wanted to add:

So it'd kind of be like how KJG or Vilppu have no trouble drawing figures from imagination because they've done so many from life, and how they'd also be able to draw people from life well because they've constructed so many.

>>2676189
Short answer: Draw more poses/figures, pick some fashion mag or google and keep at it regularly.

Long answer
1.Learn to trace for linework "to improve your line work"
2. learn to draw shapes
3. referenced drawing/fanart
4. freestyle and learn techniques
5. keeping drawing
6.focus on your weakness, eg if you suck at poses then draw more poses regularly.

I can do mid level genga keyframes but shit at hands and hair, so I attacked my weakness.

/ic/ spouts too much rhetoric but the main thing is get strong with your drawing mechanics then apply knowledge to it as you get better.

>>2676189
When you draw from knowledge, you're no longer drawing what's in front of you. When you draw what's in front of you, all you should see are lines and shapes, colours and values. We're turning 3D into 2D. This is purely an observational drawing.


Learning form and construction go hand in hand and are used to be able to draw objects that we *understand*. When you understand an object, you can draw it from any angle in theory because you have the form and construction fundamentals solidly placed.


So to answer your question, they are completely separate things. To better do observational drawing thinking in form rather than shape is often better, because you understand *why* each line is placed like it is, etc, and even if it's not exactly what you see, it's so close that barely anyone would notice.


However, both are important skills I'll argue. Doing purely observation drawing (shape more than form) helps you learn proportion and placement fundamentals a lot faster, because you are literally just drawing lines and having no help from anything else. In reality though, envisioning things as being 3D as you draw them is very powerful, and when you get them learnt properly make it easier to draw things you see, and create your own.


Draw from observation for proportion and placement practise, and with form and construction (and probably perspective, because it's useful to understand for these) you should break the objects down and understand them, before drawing them is my answer to your question. :)