Is it normal to only be able to draw amazingly with a grid?

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11 Comments

Sometimes I just love to sit and draw for 5-8 hours straight. That's how long it takes me to draw a portrait of a person I admire while looking at a gridded picture of them. But, without a grid, I can't draw a face well AT ALL. it's not coordinated or even looks like what I want to draw. I can kinda draw other things, like items and such, without a grid BUT I have to look at a picture of it. I can't draw it if it's really there in front of me, only from another picture can I draw it exactly. It's like I have no imagination cuz I can't draw from my head unless it's doodles. Yet everyone compliments my art work because it looks exactly like the photos I drew to the last dot but it makes me feel like a phony cuz I wouldn't be able to do it without looking at the original picture, a grid or draw it from my imagination... Is this normal? I feel so untalented.

Voting Results
83% Normal
Based on 103 votes (86 yes)
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Comments ( 11 )
  • flutterhigh
    12 years ago

    Guys, I'm really good at American football when I strap myself into my 15-ton Mechabot. Is it normal?

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  • [Old Memory]
    12 years ago

    I can't draw well when I use the grid... I don't know why. But I'm good at drawing anyway. I dunno why the grid fucks me up :/

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  • FocoUS
    12 years ago

    The grid isn't talent. Anyone can do it, I wouldn't call you amazing.

    If you want to get good at drawing draw from life not photos. If you're bad at it the practice till you're good.

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  • CheekyChihuahua
    12 years ago

    Try practicing with the grid for a while then taking it away after a while. Don't keep going back to the grid or you will never learn how to draw without it. Once you can draw faces right practice on small parts and details and then finally try to get faces from your imagination. It will take patience, but you'll get it eventually. see if you can get friends to pose for you so you can draw them at multiple angles. Do a variety of angles and don't just draw them in 3/4 or frontal view.

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  • windowlicker
    12 years ago

    I think I'm the opposite. doing a grid seems like a hassle and I don't do it unless it is required. I think the guidelines just distract me. Nevertheless, it's not cheating because it's a tool, just like using a ruler or a reference picture like you mentioned.

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  • shade_ilmaendu
    12 years ago

    Grids are supposed to teach you to draw, then you take the grid away. It's not the worst thing you could do by far, but I'd feel like I was cheating if I used one. Though, I think I'd do worse with a grid. I tried once or Twice and it came out horribly; I prefer to look at the composition as a whole, set up generally where everything is, then work in with details.

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  • howaminotmyself
    12 years ago

    I love to use grids to make mandalas. The more I use them, the easier it is to make them freehand. Some things just take practice and patience.

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  • Smartasscookie
    12 years ago

    I don't have the patience to use grid-lines, it is a very useful guideline though if you want to draw an accurate picture, but often pictures don't have to be completely accurate to look good

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  • [Old Memory]
    12 years ago

    good idea i like it

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  • [Old Memory]
    12 years ago

    drawing with a grid is cheating it doesnt take talent and drawing something from a picture youre looking at is kinda cheating because they captired it at a perfect angle and imagination is everything without it there is no art to be a real artist/designer/drawer you have to be there and design and sketch no planning should be done for a masterpiece just dedication a pencil and paper and/or colored pencils and has to be drawn from your point of view not a photographers. i draw from things that come out of my head or something that isnt man-made that is pure art i create a whole new person in my head and sketch them on a notepad and then i create a whole life for them and maybe write a story or something then add them into a beautiful place ive been to or created that i draw on to a piece of paper. thats art, creativity, imagination, and dedication and im only 17 and i care about art this much!

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  • [Old Memory]
    12 years ago

    Dont listen to these people, using the grid IS talent. its called, guidelines. usually, when someone copy draws, they look at the original picture and line up one thing to another using imaginary lines or something of than nature. Using a grid is simply saving you time and effort by drawing in guidelines. It is a much better system that using imaginary guidelines or simply holding your pencil to the original to see what lines up with what. Furthermore, guidelines are necessary for copy drawing and are NOT cheating. keep doing what your doing, you'll be just fine.

    Also, just because you copy draw rather than free hand something from your imagination doesn't mean you dont have talent. Copy drawing is what portrait artists do, and what many artists do when they paint nature. It is a talent and a valued style of art. However, i would recommend practicing free handing because it is extremely useful when you get bored! :)

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