How do you study from Loomis and Bridgman?

[NexoPhoenix]

I have rented Bridgman books from the library, obtained ebooks and really tried to utilize the books. I read the text and tried to understand what he was trying to convey. I copied the images he provided (and some were so complex I wasn't sure WHAT I was drawing and what importance each line had). Application of the text and images provided were also used during my gestures and life studies. I simply didn't see what I needed or how Bridgman would see the figures.

I also tried using Loomis' books. I did not get through them all,, but like Bridgman, lots of copying then attempting the application. I get to the figure and simply derp.

Many people tell me "JUST DRAW!", but if I am not practicing correctly, I am not learning. I learned that I must be analytical and critical during drawing, unlike Betty Edwards' method of unlocking a mythical higher state of power.

Am I rushing too quickly though the books? I do studies very often (and not enough original work), but I never feel like I am getting much out of these well-known books.

[rem92]

Stop trying to find some mystic secret way of fast learning, just DRAW, read the techniques, apply them, copy from those books, and repeat until you get it, then maybe you can go to a life figure drawing session, and make use of the knowledge, you'll find out you've improved a lot, Thats all there is to it dude, no need to be really analytical, but of course you gotta be self critic, and don't fall in love with your drawings, if they are wrong, out of proportions or what not, dump it, and do it again...

[Elwell]

You're describing doing everything right, so either that's not what you're really doing or you haven't done enough of it.

[Charlie D]

Beginner advice.

Lower your bar.

Hit the cubes, sphere, apple, orange, banana. Then the cup, bowl, vase, kettle, food processor and other household objects.

Once competent at rendering above, do head, hands, arms, torso studies.

Once competent at above, hit Loomis/Bridgman and the figure drawing class.

[acamaxos]

The secret is to just do it. It's the secret to everything... don't get yourself caught up in mistakes so much that it prevents you from drawing. When you draw something poorly, think really hard about its physical shape. If you're drawing the human body and have trouble with the way a hand is connecting to an arm, look at your own hand and arm.

I'm not a great artist (yet) by any means, but I've studied how people learn and mainly, besides loving to do something, it boils down to 1) being able to look at your mistakes and realize, in future attempts, how you can avoid the mistake (note this could take hundreds or even thousands of attempts) and 2) being able to focus intently on your practice. It's not a requirement that you practice six or eight hours a day, but that you practice 1-2 hours a day with extremely focused, error-correcting practice. Sure, it helps if you have the mental stamina to practice more than that (or the desire to) but if you really don't want to do that, then don't. Your brain won't continue to learn if your focus is elsewhere.

For example, you might think people like Mozart or Leonardo da Vinci were just "born with it;" born with the ability to write incredible symphonies and to paint stuff like the Mona Lisa, but the truth is, that just doesn't happen. What geniuses have is incredible stamina and desire to learn. For example, Mozart had practiced the piano and violin (not just played, practiced, with an instructor) for a total of around 3000 hours by the time he was six years old. I don't even think the average video game addicted six year old has played that many video games by that age. For comparison, I've played piano for twelve years (took lessons an hour a week for about nine of them) and I've played for a total of about 2500 hours; a vast majority of which wasn't lessons or practice with a heavy focus on improving. I'm not saying someone else would be Mozart if they'd done the same thing; all I'm trying to say is that it's really not a mystery why people are better or pick things up faster.

If you ever wonder why people are better, don't just think they're born with an innate natural ability to do something and you lost the genetic roulette. Just get to work; chances are that person you admire has just spent anywhere from 100-1000 times as much time on it than you.

Well, that was kind of a rambling answer, but to TLDR that: just draw. Don't worry about 'how' to study, because if you worry about that, you'll never study. Then, what's the point?