/ic/ - Artwork/Critique

>>3915831
>observation teaches you to copy or analyze shapes.
You also have to memorize those shapes and patterns for short periods between seeing figure and putting it down on the paper so it is also a memory exercise. So with repetitious drawing of hands from observation for example you are building your visual library of how they look and work. Obviously the best way to reinforce that memory would be try to recreate drawings from memory after you did them from observation.

It should be obvious by now. How well you're able to draw/construct figures from imagination is mostly dependent on how strong your knowledge is of how they actually look. There has to be that memory there to pull from.

>people who only draw from observation/reference tend to not draw well from imagination
You're partly right. Drawing from imagination is also a muscle that has to be worked in order to grow. Practicing it makes you better at recalling what you already know as well as using it to make new compositions. But you are still recalling from the memory you've built up of whatever subject, which could really poor if you didn't take the time to study.

>it's the atelier problem. they can sight size and observe but can't construct from imagination

That depends on the atelier and the person. It would be a piss poor atelier that only taught you sight-size copying for finished work and not how to construct figures and make compositions from imagination. That's why you have to be careful where you learn. Watts Atelier and the Russians take that very seriously. Which is why the Russians are still able to create monumental historical paintings in the style of the old masters, pic related.

Observational drawing is a sort of pre-requisite for good imagination drawing as well as finishing up imagined drawings to a high level (references!),& drawing from imagination is required for creating your own compositions from the ground up. They're equally important so do both as often as possible.