September 13 2021

At the time of the first confinement, I had taken courses to learn to draw. I didn’t reach an incredible level, but it allowed me to relax and to dare to draw. I realised that once I got over my blocks, I really liked drawing. I tried to continue my learning after the confinement by adopting a more academic approach in order to progress more quickly. I chose to follow the programme of Yoann Bomal, which seemed appropriate. So I started to do exercises in movement, anatomy, composition, colours, etc. at a set pace, one hour a day. However, I soon became discouraged. The exercises were boring, and I didn’t feel like I was making any progress because the subject was changing every day. Eventually I got discouraged and stopped drawing.

In May, I missed drawing and started to take a course in character drawing. At the same time, I took the time to look for a method that would suit me to continue to progress while remaining motivated and having fun. I ended up developing a method that suits me and can be used by others who want to learn to draw on their own. I have written a list of specific topics that cover the basics of drawing such as: the basics of perspective, building shapes, simplifying values, light and shadow, the proportions of the human body, the construction of the body, the head, gestures, image composition, etc. For each subject, I set myself 28 days of practice, during which I dedicate 40 minutes to an hour to train on one of the facets of the subject. I try not to cut more than one day from this schedule and once the 28 sessions have been completed, I move on to the next topic. During these sessions I try to draw from a reference, then draw the subject again without looking at the reference. Before starting a new topic, I gather the resources I need to study it: books, courses, tutorials, videos.

In addition to this programme to cover the basics that I lack, I do one illustration a week, for the pleasure of drawing and telling a story visually. This allows me to relax, to have fun, but also to see my progress and to practice creating complete illustrations. This illustration is as important to me as the themes I am studying. If the latter allow me to progress, it is the illustrations that keep me motivated and make the whole thing exciting.