Ok, another question:

I have learned how to 'see' things as lines, shapes, angles and proportions. That's not my problem. My problem is, although I can see things as they are, I can't transfer them 100% accurately. In the half a second from me looking at the computer with the reference photo/object/reference photo, i forget the exact angle of the line. It's only marginal, but it makes a difference later on in the drawing. Once i've drawn my bit of the line, I look back to the object/photo, and see the problem, try to fix it, see the problem with that, try to fix it, etc. about four times. Is there a way to avoid this? It happens to almost every bit of every drawing I do, and It's rather annoying.

Hi Spuddy,

I have the same difficulty. I personally don't know anyone who can draw free hand without some guide lines or reference points. I'm sure those people exist, but I'm not one of them. When I first started I used a grid method. I no longer use a grid today, but I still use measurements to find key points on the paper to determine where a line starts and where it ends.

It is a long and tedious process to get it just right. All my drawings are just approximative, but I'm always improving. My goal is to draw freehand with no aids and get the same results that I'm getting now with aids.

One technique that I often use with the computer is to overlay a grid on the reference but not on the paper. This makes it easier not to loose my place each time I change my view from screen to paper. I'm hoping this method will help me to improve my freehand skills.

I have a little tip using GIMP on my website if you want to have a look. Being a tip it is not very detailed but you should get the idea.

that helps a bit, thanks