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9:42 PM, Saturday August 28th 2021
edited at 10:38 PM, Aug 28th 2021

Pretty much. Common technique in character design is to draw a character, erase back most of the drawing, then draw back over it but with variations. This is not to trace the original but to try and improve it.

You will be using it to get closer to the drawing you are copying but it is mainly used for experimenting with and improving designs.

I'm a fan of Aaron Blaise's tutorials as they are very accessible. His character design course is well worth the investment. Here is a sneak peak where you can see him do this sort of process digitally but is effectively the same thing. Worth following his youtube livestreams too which he does most Fridays.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bzlcWKXIfI&t=2226s

edited at 10:38 PM, Aug 28th 2021
2:48 PM, Sunday August 29th 2021

thanks i havent seen this channel before but it seems pretty useful! (i'll try and take a look over the next few days) he seemed to just be skimming thru and not showing the entire drawing process of it

https://gyazo.com/3badad8befedeff4174f1438f8b201d9

if you dont mind, for example if i wanted to improve my propotions and other things with this drawing, what sort of specific process or steps should i take in order to go about this so i actually improve? (sorry im usually not very smart with this kinda stuff and i need explanions + details)

i assume its just sort of "oh the shape of the eye is wrong or theres too much space in between both eyes" according to the reference

then id re-draw the correct eye by hand overtop of my actual drawing (with opacity down)? but just want to confirm in-case im misunderstanding anything!

3:52 PM, Sunday August 29th 2021
edited at 3:53 PM, Aug 29th 2021

The video is one part of a paid for course. The point was to show that he starts with a rough drawing, reduces opacity, and then refines it on another layer. This can be repeated several times.

If I was starting doing my version of the reference I would start with the big shapes. Possible one circle for the head and one rectangle for the body. I would make sure these looked right in relation to each other. I would then add shapes for arms and hair etc.

Once this seemed right I would erase back and start drawing it more solidly using the reference.

The point being that it is better to start simple and build up rather than with final lines. Whether you want to do an exact copy or your interpretation is then up to you.

edited at 3:53 PM, Aug 29th 2021
9:17 PM, Sunday August 29th 2021

if its not too much trouble do you mind doing an example of this process so i can see it better? or if theres any more videos or resources i can take a look at to get a better picture of what im suppose to do? sorry for the trouble!

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