Do I need to read this before even thinking about getting good?

>>2748911
If you have to ask, you aren't going to make it.

>>2748914
I am asking because I mainly want to draw from imagination and not from life.

Plus the drawings of the author all look wobbly which makes me doubtful.

You do not have to read it. Just do some of the bargue course.

>>2748918
>want to draw from imagination and not from life.
Putting the cart before the horse. You will eventually come to learn that all the best artists at drawing from imagination, KJG for example, spent lots of time life drawing and still at the very least spend lots of time observing life to build a visual library. It's a necessary step.

>I want to compose symphonies, but I don't want to bother with listening to, reading, or playing music.

This is how you sound.

>>2748926
Do you know where its best that I could start from then? Besides reading these kinds of books, would there be any kind of daily practices that I could do to help myself improve?

watch accuracy by dorian iten, it teaches you how to copy things which is basically what you get from keys or betty edwards minus all of the fluff. He has some stuff on how to do bargue drawings as well but I haven't really studied it. You do need to get this stuff down before you try to do imaginative stuff.

>>2748952
Proko figure drawing is a mixture of both drawing from imagination while using reference and capturing a gesture from life... you slowly move into greater detail observing forms. Get that course if you're interested or check out reviews online to see if it'd help you

>>2748926

Sorry, but what do you mean by "bargue course?"

I'll be honest, I had a hard time figuring out why KtD is so highly recommended

>How do I deal with shading?
>draw what you see
>How to draw in perspective?
>draw what you see, maybe add a ruler
>How to handle foreshortening?
>draw what you see, extra carefully

I mean, if you have the patience and want an exact replica of whatever you're looking at, it will eventually work, but how painfully boring. How does anyone even stay motivated with this approach in a world where cameras exist.

Obviously drawing from life is crucial, but why do it in such a mindless way. It's not that hard to learn the basics of perspective and it makes everything much easier.

>>2748918
>>2748911
Work through the book. It gives a very nice ease into learning how to draw, and gives you a foundation. You probably don't /need/ to, but then I'd say you'd need something else, and I don't know what that is. Just do the book, do drawabox after, then Hampton, then I dunno, ask again. That'll last a year if you studied a lot, more if you're not grinding like fuck.

You'll be good, and able to draw from imagination though.

>>2749072
That's what observation drawing is...

>>2749063
Google is your friend here, but basically it's a drawing course in the french academic tradition where you learn how to draw very precisely. Starts with copying drawings by an artist called Charles Bargue