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ArtWod's "6-ation" Principles

Antonio Stappaerts of ArtWod has a fantastic video on six fundamental principles that one can develop in order to draw from imagination more easily. The principles build upon one another, and move from the most general to the most specific in focus. They are:

1. Structuralization - This is to learn how to draw all of the "primitive forms" (e.g.: spheres, boxes, cylinders, cones, etc.) in 1-point, 2-point, and 3-point perspective. Get comfortable in drawing clusters of primitives.

2. Manipulation - This is to learn how to alter those "primitive forms" in various ways (e.g.: bending, twisting, squishing, stretching, rounding off edges, etc.). One aspect that is very important is the ability to change the contour / cross-section of a form. [Moderndayjames has some great videos for learning how to approach principles #1 and #2 of this list.]

3. Observation - This is to use the previous two levels to "mannequin-ize" what you see. In other words, simplify complex forms into sets of primitives.

4. Education - This is to learn more deeply about the subject matter which you are drawing (e.g.: its structure, function, characteristics). Refine the mannequins created in the previous level by manipulating their forms to more closely align with real-life details.

5. Imitation - This is NOT to copy any particular artist, but to learn carefully from as many as you can. For example, what types of forms do different artists come up with to simplify complex subjects?

6. Imagination - This is to combine all of the previous levels. Usually one begins with an abstract silhouette and then tries to derive a realistic structure to fit it.