Structure | Pros get it, But too many students don’t

[@ybe7011]

I'm realizing how many elements my art teachers skipped over the years. I think in my day, many years ago, it was assumed you had talent, not treating drawing as a skill that could be learned from nuts and bolts. I appreciate this lesson.

[@alphonsodunn]

And it really is a set of skills that can be learned

[@cosmictraveler731]

This so much, I gave up on drawing(and writing) so often because people always said it was some innate talent or ability. Never did anybody say it was a skill to learn like carpentry or cooking.

[@zonelesilightore3993]

@@cosmictraveler731 Infuriating, isn't it?

[@DigitalViscosity]

@@zonelesilightore3993 I grew up drawing so by the time I was in art class, teacher always praised my ability. But never anyone else that never drew anything before, I had a lot of practice beforehand but they didn't. I always tell people when they say "wow you're so talented" I say "I'm skilled it can be learned" I actualy said that today at Wells fargo whilst signing up for an account. The banker wanted to learn but said he didn't have the talent and I told him to practice, anyone can learn the skill and it's never too late to start.

[@latetodagame1892]

Or, more likely, you weren't listening like many high schoolers.🤣

[@coyoteclockworkstudios3140]

Dude, PREACH. I spent the last 15 years learning how to draw what I see, because that was emphasized so often as the only thing that mattered. But I hit a wall, ate some humble pie, and started drawing cubes. It's really elevated my art, but man, it's difficult. Not impossible, but hard. Draw cubes, kids. They will help you so much.

[@alphonsodunn]

Every single time I give students the cube exercise they respond with 😳😩😩😩😩, BUT they always thank me later

[@banjerma]

I'm a 63 yo woman who drew cubes a few days ago. I was trying to figure out how much material I needed for outdoor chair cushions. Lol.

[@meikoluvv]

In order to draw what you see you have to understand what you’re seeing and I learned that

[@Darknight0681]

When something doesn’t work, go BACK to the fundamental shapes. Because if it’s wrong in its most basic form, no amount of “dressing” is going to fix it.

[@elmerkilred159]

I've been drawing for almost 50 years. The structure/shapes are what stick with you for the rest of your life, insomuch that you can pick up a pencil from a dead sleep, and immediately sketch something from a dream without having drawn for years. The drawing structures becomes automatic like breathing.

[@alphonsodunn]

100%

[@ianhall7513]

This is actually the first time I've heard anyone mention 'structure,' in terms of drawing, directly. I usually just hear "practice your simple forms" over and over. Its nice to know there is a name for the concept.

[@dorcalvary5285]

Thank you for everything! In the last six monthes i started to take drawing classes.. Every time i make drawing i wasnt heapy with it. The reason is that no one understood that my problem is with my basic skills. Two monthes ago i buoght both of your books and finely i am not throwing my drawings away! Thank you so much!

[@sbryant6797]

Say it loud for the people in the back! I was doing my daily sketch and it was of flip flops. Going okay and then I realized flip flops are short rectangular boxes. And that help so much. Using this in my daily sketches now. Thank you.

[@alphonsodunn]

🙂 thats all they are-flattened rectangular boxes

[@sbryant6797]

I have to tell you I have been using this daily. Curved Pedestrian bridge? Check. Bottom of rocking chair? Check. Flopped teddy bear? Check. Before I start a drawing or sketch now, I try to figure out the cubes/boxes. Thank you again for sharing.

[@michellewileymusic8091]

Each of your little gems is so much a part of my keeping my eye on the prize. I confess, I was going to skip this one the moment I saw the S word! So glad that I didn’t Alphonso. I have both your books and owe you so much for being there to guide, to instruct to encourage. I hope you know what a treasure your videos (and books!) are to those of us who don’t have access to a good teacher. Thank you so much.

[@alphonsodunn]

Thanks so much! 🙂 It means alot reading messages and comments like this

[@fbpliegorrivero8869]

Thanks so much Alphonso, emphasizing on the basics is truly critical, even for a well seasoned draftsperson.

[@alphonsodunn]

Thank you, we can never practice the basics enough

[@fbpliegorrivero8869]

@@alphonsodunn Absolutely!

[@kreaturs_kave]

I bought and used your pen and drawing workbook. It was fantastic I learned an amazing amount. I was a complete novice at drawing and I had never had a legitimate art class. Your book taught me the tools that I needed. After 2 years of diligent work, I'm proud to say, I'm on my way to becoming a credible tattoo artist. Thank you Mr Alfonso Dunn, you're brilliant. C.

[@alphonsodunn]

Thats so awesome!!🙏👏👏🥹

[@wavez8157]

That rock at 4:12 was really eye opening to me in how you use a simple cube in order to illustrate something that doesn’t need to follow the same exact shape as the cube but instead uses the cube as guidelines to achieve the depth of a complex form

[@cooldude6202]

This step is so critical to any artists journey, yet I always found myself struggling in the beginning to get through this step when I was first learning to draw. So if anyone is looking for advice, I found it helpful to make those shape studies relevant to what you'd like to draw instead of doing them at random. It helps to go with your impulse to draw the cool thing, then do it again but breaking it down into shapes and references, then redraw the cool thing a third time with the 2nd attempt as a guide. Helps to see the progression too if that helps with reassurance.

[@alphonsodunn]

Excellent advice!!!👏

[@PartScavenger]

This is a good comment!

[@sportintimber5890]

Thanks so so much. Everyone of your videos moves me closer to being a better artist. You are so clear and concise.

[@alphonsodunn]

Thats so awesome

[@Darknight0681]

Best way I’ve come to understand this is like when drawing something like a fork, the question isn’t what is a fork, but what IS the shapes that when put together just so happen to produce something that looks like a fork? But to even get to this point, I know of a LOT of artists, myself included, that had to put their egos to the side before this reality opened up to them.

[@wavez8157]

I am currently reading George Bridgmans constructive anatomy book and they explain things in similar ways like first understanding mass of an object then the plane and finally defining those things in strokes and lines. This video is really helpful and a good reminder that I need to focus on the simple shapes more because they are extremely important.

[@WileyChicken]

Found your KZbin channel a couple of weeks ago, ordered your book and got it a couple of days ago. Just wanted to say thank you for THE best instruction and description and suggestion and all the tion(s) of shading I have EVER found! OMG thank you so much! Love it! You’re words resonate with me and I find myself listening to you and saying to myself, “of course”. Very intuitive. I am overjoyed that I found you

[@alphonsodunn]

Thanks so much! Glad I am able to help in some way🙂🙏

[@saguaro]

For this reason children's toys can be a great subject to sketch from a few angles just for practice. They usually have simple geometrical shapes without distracting details, so you can get a feel for rendering those shapes on a flat page.

[@maryriley6163]

I so admire your drawings. You are tops. Thank you for reminding us of structure first. Sometimes I get lazy or hurried…or both…turning out unsatisfying sketches that look ill-formed, flat, and rushed.

[@alphonsodunn]

Glad it helped. Take your time

[@melsgalleria]

This is something I have been trying to spend more time doing is going back to my basics. A lot of my sketchbook time these days has been spent working on improving my basic skills.

[@Jenny-ud3gf]

I just bought your books. They are excellent. I’ve drawn for far too long without the knowledge you bring. Thank you.

[@crazypergy]

Wow. I just half-realized this today while I was drawing a character in perspective. This video really solidified the importance of structure for me. Great vid!

[@alphonsodunn]

Glad it helped

[@Gboythunda]

Too many art teachers fail to express what parts of art intuitive and what is technical. Learning the concepts should be the easy part. I had all the observation skills but couldn't figure how to apply it in a way that made sense. Took lots of trail and error. Lots of confusing artbooks out there that are big for no reason

[@alphonsodunn]

I have to agree….disappointingly

[@ronaldolio76]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. It Helps so much When I finally realized how fundamental structure is to drawing it changed everything. It stopped me wasting hours on drawings that were flawed from the start. Now I don't proceed unless the underlying form is solid. Take care

[@alphonsodunn]

Exactly! Thats the way to go👏👏👏

[@lucasfloresthedj4360]

Really love how relaxing this video is when I'm drawing and listening.

[@confusedpanda42]

This explains why I struggled with texture and volume in my drawings for a while. Thank you so much.

[@metalface7283]

I have both of your books. I even bought one for a friend of mine because she said "i'm so nervous when i use a pen!" I said "well there's this guy named Alphonso Dunn..." 😁. Keep it up. You're a great teacher👏👏👏👏

[@alphonsodunn]

Thanks so much🙂🙂🙏

[@jodroboxes]

I have the Pen and Ink Drawing book, What is the big difference between that one and the workbook?

[@Frijolin92]

So true I never understood why my drawings came out wonky until I realized I needed to work on structure.My drawings have definitely gotten better

[@alphonsodunn]

Thats awesome. Keep it up

[@sh4x7kyl0l3]

Such a precise and detailed video! props to you man, and thanks for this! I've started drawing around 6, almost 7 years ago, and even though i have a slow progress, I'm always down to learn important stuff, like structure. As a self-taught artist that isn't very active on, well, learning *new* things, this has actually piqued my interest! I think it'll help give my drawings a more tridimensional feel to it, so yeah, thank you so much again!

[@jagglebones]

I haven't watched your videos in a very long time. I'm glad to see you're still great at explaining concepts like this.

[@alphonsodunn]

Thanks much!🙏

[@funmisoroye4510]

Oof okay, guess I'm going to start drawing basic shapes! I've been thinking that that's an exercise i should probably do, but I've been passing over it in favour of other more exciting or glamorous ones. But I've watched so many videos where accomplished artists have stressed the importance of learning how to convey volume, and now this! Thank you, such an illuminating video. Really concisely conveys the importance of learning structure and how it will support the rest of your development!

[@smoothsketch]

I'm going through your book now and indeed I agree that the structures are the important part I wish I could be better at, and at the same time, structures are not the 'fun' part of drawing.

[@alphonsodunn]

Its not the funnest part but foundational

[@loleo123]

Damn. A KZbin creator explain shapes and forms better than all of those disappointed looking art teachers I’ve had… big W

[@JohnMitchellCalif]

very useful reminders! Bought the workbook, it'll help my skills advance.

[@exodus146]

Hey man, been watching a lot of you videos lately. its helped me to understand some essential concepts and helped me improve my work. Thanks for the uploads!1

[@mak_707]

I was struggling with practicing drawing until I took a second to reevaluate everything and found out that I am having a problem with confidence because I didn't learn about structure yet and so I didn't have a solid foundation to build up from.

[@alphonsodunn]

Its ok, many many students skipped structure. Take the time to revisit the basics and do your best to get a handle on them. Your drawing will thank you

[@ScilexGuitar]

My art didnt start improving until I actually learnt what simple forms are. I thought I knew how to draw a box, but I actually didnt. This was proven to me when I tried to rotate a box in perspective. So I practiced that a LOT. probably over 10k boxes by now. I figured out what the minor axis and degree of an ellipse actually meant and how it related to perspective. I started manipulating simple forms, bending and twisting and cutting them. I started to FEEL the space, like I was drawing on a 3D surface. Still not entirely comfortable I feel, but when I am I will start constructing objects and oberve more before going into anatomy

[@alphonsodunn]

This is exactly what I hope more and more students would do! But its hard to convince them that its worth pushing through the practice for

[@MrFunLight]

I will like to thank you for inspiring n’reminding me: to go back, and enjoy the time I spends in the process, for the process of improving~practicing drawing.

[@alphonsodunn]

Thanks much!🙏

[@dmat7148]

I draw fairly well but still trying to get better…your videos are so awesome!

[@abbaming2406]

An excellent point on why we need to learn this first. Thank you!

[@bonfireexodus3039]

I just bought your simple guide book. It's insanely helpful, just like your KZbin videos. Thank you so much for the tutorials I have no idea where I would be without them 😁

[@alphonsodunn]

🙂🙏🙏🙏

[@Zerophoenix1]

i have always had a talent for drawing. not much actual training though. for a long time i felt like i never improved but this concept has changed my whole perception of drawing and brought back a lot of fun to me. nice discussion on this topic though. i feel a bit inspired hehe

[@alphonsodunn]

Structure is a concept that normally is overlooked, especially if youre self taught or work mainly on your own

[@tamouse]

great advice! this stuff is my morning practice

[@artsmodelstation9396]

i can draw cartoons a little but not real stuff. stick figures only lol. i'm sculpting now using clay which i have a talent for. i find ur videos helpful in my sculpting. sculpting a male figure currently.

[@trublgrl]

KZbin Artist Reiq (Reynaldo Quintero) often uses the term "dimensionality" or "Three dimensionality" to discuss form and structure. He tends to not draw through objects, but applies the light and shadow to simplified forms to create a 3D look. This is a shortcut, but he is skilled and experienced enough to do the 3D form and basic shapes work in his head, keeping it in mind for the rendering stage, without actually drawing it on the paper. I hope to get there one day.

[@alphonsodunn]

You can! Just stick with it

[@JH-pe3ro]

I have a character design that uses pinball flippers for ears. Every time I draw this character I dread the ears because they require a precise structure at a relatively small scale, and there's just no way of getting around that without redesigning this feature. At the same time, it means I'm practicing my simple forms, every single time. Then I did it to myself again by making a robot character with blocky limbs...

[@alphonsodunn]

Take your time and find a way to visualize it as a simple form

[@lovetrenna]

Wow Im a beginner and this is so helpful! Thank you Alphonso!

[@alphonsodunn]

Very welcome

[@Caddrel]

Great video! Have both your books and love them.

[@himarihina]

i love your videos thank you for your hard work ❤️

[@alphonsodunn]

Thanks so much

[@maxc4747]

You just changed everything for me :) This is the key to everything ! THANK YOU so freakin' much !!!

[@alphonsodunn]

Glad I could help

[@CHAAAAAOTIC]

I feel like a learned a whole class worth of information in a five minute video

[@alphonsodunn]

🙂🙏

[@dianecharest8365]

I am finally getting your book on Thursday. Maybe sooner I hope. I had my granddaughter get it for me for my birthday (yesterday), 9/15

[@alphonsodunn]

Happy Birthday! I hope you enjoy them and they help to enrich your life

[@Thunderpuddle]

Fantastic video. So helpful. Thanks

[@gordonfreeman-g5w]

It's quite funny.. I view fine arts the same way I view any other profession. To me a student who wants to skip structure, blocking in, proportions, basically the "boring" steps of a drawing is exactly the same as a carpenter who doesn't build a steady foundation or frame for his house, and skips straight to what plants will look good on the window sill, what curtain will go good with the carpet, what color the walls should be.. 5, 10, even 20 years pass by and they still don't know why their drawings are always crooked or "off". I always been told by my peers that my skill is "good enough", they don't understand what I'm trying to do.

[@iamtics]

Shapes are my go to whenever im bored

[@Google_remote]

ive been doing structure without even noticing 😫

[@karensliwinski1243]

Thanks for the reminder!

[@Robert-xp4ii]

Excellent lesson!

[@adhdraw]

very important info to remember, i needed this

[@alphonsodunn]

🙂

[@YayaFeiLong]

"Pros get it but students don't" ...yeah, that's kind of how most professions work :P Jokes aside, great video. I certainly wish I'd started practicing this sort of thing earlier

[@artwhat..]

Alphonso,Nice talk about,thanks..

[@Tonelow187]

Thanks 👍

[@jannz1942]

Great message!

[@wingedsaiyan]

Very good information.

[@jasonautentico8856]

could you post on how to cross hatch or hatch shade a costumed figure? coz I see many head renderings but not figures and it would help

[@СейфСергиенко]

Thanks you very much.

[@tesconstamylo]

it was ! thanks

[@kingtutt61]

Wow….your teaching skills are impeccable. You turned the light on for many of us. Thank you for what you do. Sometimes, you don’t know what you don’t know. From now on, my primary goal will start with “structure “. 😊

[@earth2becky]

You’re a great teacher, Alphonso. I love your books too. Thank you!!

[@alphonsodunn]

Thanks so much!

[@pencraftcultureoflyricist2613]

Thanks bro.

[@agrainofsalt4889]

Great, thanks! Which pen/holder are you holding there?

[@XX-le1wn]

Hello Mr. Dunn, like the other commenters said, I too wasn't taught much about structure and I am very interested in learning how to do it. Other than your two drawing books (which I have), are there videos that you have that teach, to show me step by step (showing more examples) on how to do structure? Your videos and instructions are great you mention things that a lot of art instructors don't, sometimes I need to see the whole process. To walk me through. Thank you very much.

[@alphonsodunn]

Thanks so much. I have a series of videos on drawing complex forms and the basic lines of drawing

[@XX-le1wn]

@@alphonsodunn Thank you so much, I will have a look at those and practice as soon as I can.

[@tipchyk]

Thank you, this video helped me to understand that I am moving in the right direction^⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_^

[@puyatnascientist1555]

Thank you so much!! Ack why am I late discovering your yt channel

[@alphonsodunn]

🤷🏾‍♂️

[@christinecloutier4015]

Great tutorial? Thank you

[@alphonsodunn]

🙂🙏

[@mfsevin]

Your videos have been the absolute best help for my art. Which is saying a lot because I procrastinate watching art youtube way too much.

[@alphonsodunn]

That’s awesome! Thank you. Don’t watch too much, get working

[@InDisskyS131]

Solid advice

[@alphonsodunn]

🙏

[@mudassar84]

I realized over the years that drawing is a skill and not a talent ! It was opposed to what i learn from my seniors .

[@Phantom-kz9bv]

Hay quick question is that a standard number 2 pencil you are using?

[@bumbledebee]

I’m still trying to figure structure out but one practice method I’ve found to be useful is to take a lump of clay, form it into whatever I want and then draw that. Having just handled the clay in a way where I understand it’s mass in a 3-Dimensional way, the structure becomes much easier to understand. Hope this helps out some other students out there! :]

[@alphonsodunn]

Awesome tips. I have done that before with my kneaded eraser

[@solortus]

Amazing to see you now have 800k subs! I remember watching you while I was still in high school :)

[@alphonsodunn]

🙂🙏🙏🙏

[@jameslabs1]

Thanks

[@alphonsodunn]

🙏

[@Ideasbarfedonpaper]

If I want to reproduce your drawings for practice, should I use a pencil under drawing, or try only with a pen?

[@Kr4r4]

You are a very good person. Thank you so much

[@debh3404]

Thanks!

[@alphonsodunn]

🙂🙏

[@elianemara3326]

Amo seus vídeos vc é sensacional

[@alphonsodunn]

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙂

[@elianemara3326]

Se pudesse compraria seus livros desejo de consumo

[@DarkGloComics]

One of my younger sisters, at 8 yo, asked me to teach her how to draw. I told her, "draw these four shapes and then combine them in different ways as you look at objects to construct them." I was living with our birth father at the time and moved shortly after. I met up with her 8 years later and the drawings on her walls, y'all...she could draw feet and hands better than me! I was so proud of her!! She told me it all came from that lesson.

[@alphonsodunn]

Wow!! Thats incredible! I wish more students were just as receptive

[@DarkGloComics]

@@alphonsodunn Yes, I think it's because she is technically a half sister and felt she wanted to connect with me. Also because I always told her that I wasn't doing anything special; she could do it too.

[@neilneilrebel]

Ello from the Philippines! Welcome back sir

[@alphonsodunn]

Thanks much🙂🙏

[@c1borgen]

The redline of preview image made it look like I've already watched this video

[@alphonsodunn]

😳

[@robertgainer1395]

Brilliant five minute art class. Five minutes to watch, but hours of information to think about. Do I detect a cold or sore throat? Your voice is sounding a bit rough on this video.

[@alphonsodunn]

Thanks much. Yeah just get over a sore throat

[@jaimegarcia-xm3ll]

How can I take out the captioning on the video. It blocks a lit of what you're drawing.

[@alphonsodunn]

😳oops I believe you can just click on CC

[@kohlgriffin4086]

I really want to be a dynamic comic artist when I grow up. Should i draw everything I see or is that not important? Can you give me some direction?

[@kohlgriffin4086]

And I really like your 3d shapes barely seen and then all the sudden you draw a really good nose. I have a problem where I draw something really good but its so light that no-one can see it

[@kohlgriffin4086]

And I don't know when to lighten the drawing because when I do, even after all the construction and everything, the end looks worse then the beginning

[@kohlgriffin4086]

So when you draw, you just think of a box and draw inside it?

[@alphonsodunn]

You don’t have to draw everything. Focus on the fundamentals and then learn how to construct what you love to do via the fundamentals

[@alphonsodunn]

Drawing light is good and important, just have it be at the beginning stages of your drawing but as the drawing progresses, extend your value range

[@Monsterpala]

True

[@ginyoagoldie]

Dude! You’re the author behind the ink book I borrowed from my art teacher!! Awesome vid, really glad I found your youtube!

[@alphonsodunn]

Thats sooo cool! Tell your art teacher I said thank you! I hope you enjoy it and can learn a lot from it

[@klauspoetsch1841]

My usual drawing pattern: Ok, enough structure, I think I got it now, I`m experienced! Yes, I can skip this! After some hours of drawing and painting: Hold on, something is off with the perspective and why does it look so flat?

[@alphonsodunn]

💡

[@zoe6174]

Hello Alphonso! Your art is a big inspiration for me, and I try to put all that you teach us on practice, so thank you very much. I see that there are many artists worried about AI replacing art. It would be interesting if you could talk about it, if you want. I would love to hear, and maybe it would make me feel better about this all.

[@alphonsodunn]

Thanks much! Most definitely, can give my take on it

[@DC430]

Is the ice cream at 4:12 an example of what not to do?

[@alphonsodunn]

What to do to envision it with simple forms and shapes

[@THIRDWARD333]

Awesome videos, thanks so much.

[@alphonsodunn]

🙂🙏

[@shablabh]

can anyone reccommend me books for learning it?

[@alphonsodunn]

Mine will be coming out very soon hehe

[@sikawatthanaviratananich496]

❤❤❤❤

[@WileyChicken]

Sorry, I didn’t mean to gush but I am happy to have found your channel