Tips for Drawing Figures in Pencil, Thoughts on Progress, How to Control Form

Grab video tutorials here: gumroad.com/stevenzapata
I'm drawing Yoni Baker & Ryder, check out their pose packs below (NSFW):
Yoni- gumroad.com/bakermodel
Ryder- gumroad.com/poserman
Support me on Patreon for early access to these videos and other perks like high-res scans, Discord, and exclusive in progress shots: / stevenzapata
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Reach out: [e-mail]
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I'm usually drawing on Strathmore 400 Series Bristol Paper Smooth or in my Moleskine Sketchbook with some sort of HB lead, Palomino Blackwing pencils, and black colored pencils.

[@moderndayjames]

the realization that art is ENTIRELY just expressing your opinions was instrumental in changing the way I approached it. And I feel bad for all of the "shotgun" approaches that I've promoted over on my end haha

[@StevenZapataArt]

At least you promoted them well my friend

[@Thesamurai1999]

What do you mean by “shotgun” methods? 🧐 I think your videos are great!

[@flowerpot-h7p]

@@Thesamurai1999 I think he uses shotgun as an analogy for approaches to learning art that are very broad and formulaic to maximize the size of their target audience. Courses and school can teach you how to draw, but it's up to you as an individual to figure out why to draw.

[@Thesamurai1999]

@@flowerpot-h7p Ah, I see, thanks for the answear! :)

[@flowerpot-h7p]

@@Thesamurai1999 no problem :D

[@Samkiitt]

Thank you patrons for making this possible!

[@yogeshpanwar3201]

Thank you patrons!

[@supalive3335]

He was hot af but he got no ball

[@erutz5190]

here i am just having a nice studying session when Steven hits me with an existential crisis making me doubt every artistic choice i've ever made... Probably the only youtuber that does that regularly

[@DarkPhazonElite]

A couple of years ago I went through my "existential crisis" phase of "Ahhhh my art is all crap and I know NOTHING" after years of thinking my art was great when there were so many issues with it. It started me down a path of real improvement. Now I've hit another wall and feel like I backslid, and a fellow artist linked this video to me. Very helpful stuff!

[@anzolomyer4584]

That part between 29:00 and like 32:30 made me actually put my pencil down and look outside the window for a while lol. Very impactful stuff. But I think I understand why a lot of people are maniacally focused on improving their art for the sake of being seen as “good.” When you still suck at drawing, people ask-“What do you do all day?” And then you tell them you draw. And then they want to see your drawings and it’s a stomach churning feeling. But if you can flip through a sketchbook with your friends/acquaintances/parents, and they say, “Oh wow, oh wee,” then everyone involved feels like you’re on the right path and like you’ll figure it out eventually. Anyway, this video really helped me refocus. I will listen to the rest later once I’m not so jazzed to draw in silence lol.

[@emdeesaif]

I feel like this is one of the most important videos I’ve ever watched.

[@Drumaier]

Yes me too, is packed with lots of eye opening knowledge. I agree with everything he said but i wasn't even aware of it 🤔.

[@jackhearts9827]

Steven the part at 39:30 where you spoke about being able to draw the Landrover from imagination really struck me. When I first started drawing I felt so much pressure to practice a little bit of everything even though I was mostly interested in figure drawing and character design. Now I enjoy my art process so much more since I dropped that mentality and focus on drawing and studying the things I'm actually interested in. Thanks for putting into videos the thoughts I have about these issues.

[@babywolfj7576]

@31:45 when I listened to this part for the first time last winter, I thought I understood what he meant. I came back to watch this again after months of practicing fundamentals every day, which ended up preventing me from drawing 'creatively'. It makes so much sense now! the abstract fundamentals gave me so much more anxiety than when I used to draw without any knowledge that I needed to stop completely for 2 weeks. after experiencing the existential crisis, (which was an inevitable step towards growth now that I'm looking at it), I was drawing again while watching this video and was completely shocked and inspired by your wisdom! Thank you for sharing this advice/warning hahaha. This video is a goldmine of wisdom. I can't wait to come back again to find more lessons in the future.

[@NJ-vk1dg]

So this is why my shading looks way more decent at the beginning and then goes bad. Thank you. Subbed.

[@Leprocotic]

I came here for the artwork, but stayed for the entirety of the video and learned quite a bit. I genuinely wish my current professor would give at least a fraction of this advice that you've offered here. We're currently in this process of "just getting better" which has not helped at all. Thank you for uploading this!

[@TheAzhighwayman]

Steven you simply are the best. Thank you for the all the time and effort you put into this videos.... I don't know about you guys!! but all I'm seeing is a non-profit art academy!!! for must of this tips and tricks you have to pay nowadays....So make the best out of it guys!!

[@GaryRPeters]

I'm about to turn 40 and this is the first time I've literally heard just about all the things holding me back as an artist presented and explained in a way I couldn't previously understand of process constructively. And best of all, you pointed out how common these things are, and that they can be overcome. In the last few years, I've been starting to wonder if I just wasn't into it like I used to be. I'm one of those people who seems to think they're worse at drawing than they used to be. I've been feeling that way for a long time. So I thought maybe I should just quit... except I keep coming back to it, so obviously I WANT to be making art. Lately I've been trying to let up on myself and forgive myself for not practicing and going years without drawing much. It's the past. Now I have a choice: draw or don't. And as I approach 40 (two days from now), I just feel like there's a line in the sand. On one side is my anger and regret for not making as much art in recent years and my attitude of "it's too late to improve!" On the other side is now, where, regardless of what I did or didn't do before, I have a choice to do whatever I want, and it's no more simple or complicated than that. And seeing this video has totally steeled my resolve to hold to that mentality and just see what I do when I just show up and do. Thank you so much for sharing your time, wisdom and talent. It does make a difference!

[@MagneticDwarfReptile]

As an artist that started really late, going almost a year and a half with daily practice and soon turning 28, I feel like videos like this has already saved me years of frustration. I do have a hard time pulling myself out of the bootcamp mindset, I have yet to make a finished piece. I guess the "sport" of draftsmanship has become really addictive to me.

[@datingwally]

Steven, I just wanted to say that I love and appreciate you! You're an amazing human being.

[@atrophy984]

Writing down my tastes was a very good experience. It's opened up so many questions though. What do I even want out of my own art? Am I just trying to be as good as those people my tastes tell me are talented? Is it really a validation-seeking, self-absorbed motivation and is that ok? Am I even putting in the kind of work I need to produce the kinds of images that I like? Why does the 2 inch tall sketch, done in 30 seconds, of a figure in the middle of a volleyball serve appeal to me more than the rhino that took me a week and a half, yet everyone else praises the rhino and gives a dismissive look at the sketch? There's an hour left on this video, I should finish it and then get out the drawing I put aside for a month and get some more work done on that so I can get a sense that I'm not a complete failure in life when strangers and family tell me that it looks good, then they forget about it. Thanks for the exercise.

[@Blueskybuffalo]

It’s impressive how intuitive light and shadow seems to be for you. There’s confidence in each stroke which makes it especially fun to watch.

[@Hiadica]

I've been going through your whole library over the past weeks while drawing and I think this one has been (technical-wise) the most eye opening yet. Up until recently I was only drawing intuitively rather than using learned techniques and was using a crude version of that early shadow shape technique. When I tried to abandon it entirely to adopt a line-based proportion method for improvement, I felt like a fish out of water. This was the missing nugget I needed for so long to actually work to refine and build from what was natural to me rather than starting over. Thank you!

[@EricAlonsoArt]

I actually was one of those that haven't come up with what they actually want to do. I tried writing about it as you mentioned and discovered the reason why I always felt anxious and stuck when wanting to draw just for myself and enjoy it. Without realizing it I was ignoring what I actually wanted to see drawn and pursuing some unreacheable "good/correct idea/art" and being lost. As when you just scroll through your music list and pick a song that you feel like listening, pick the image that you feel like seeing. Seems so simple and obvious but I was blind to this blockage, so thanks Steven for reminding me to get in touch again with my own taste. Love your chats ;)

[@joannaramos4147]

Listening to you gives me comfort. Knowing that it possible to learn and unlearn things is actually okay is comforting. That even you who's been drawing for years go through the same experience. One of my fear is to forget drawing a certain object or style once I start learning a new interest. I've realized that it's not entirely because I feel bad that all these years what I have spend learning will fade a way, but more like the feeling of being invalidated. 'If I forgot to draw this and that then I failed to be an artist.'

[@emmablomskog3593]

Thank you Steven for your videos, they're a perfect blend of fun and meditative :) You've reminded me to take pride and joy in being an artist, no matter what exact path I choose, and to be confident in what I'm most drawn to draw. Means a lot!

[@davinu.9867]

Thank you so much, this is exactly what I needed! You nailed it with the abstract practice, I have been in this trap so many times and I am going to try to figure out what I want out of my art now.

[@Agigaherger]

This is one of my favorite videos on art and the climb. Steven's the man

[@thatnitesh]

Thank you Steven for articulating what I’ve been feeling but didn’t know how to put into words. 🙂🙏

[@roguu]

Thank you so much for this video Steven! For the longest time I've felt torn about this topic, and always felt like I had to fall into the constant rat race of GENERAL improvement to numb the thought, or more so the fear of not becoming better day by day, week by week. And I did fall into the trap and when it came to making art I constantly felt the anxiety of juggling 50 things at once, having GOOD form, line control, gesture, etc because all GOOD art has it and i'm trying to vaguely emulate GOOD art as opposed to conveying a honest personal expression onto the paper. So excited to figure out what I like in honest words! YEAHHHH!

[@vivanecrosis]

First time viewer here. I've learnt so much from this video, it's unreal. Huge thanks. Much love 🤍

[@sarahhall5282]

Thanks for all the videos Steven. I always want to go and draw after watching a few minutes of one of your videos

[@patrickwarley]

I think you just helped me save years, asking myself what I do like and getting to the conclusion that I like to "Go crazy" but in a realistic way, kkk, was liberating and did give me the motivation to keep going. Sorry if my english sucks and thank you.

[@BTT16]

Nice! While in graduate school I was using canson marker paper and col-erase prisma color pencils for many sketches before I scanned them and completed them digitally. Drawing on this surface was so therapeutic, especially when blocking in core shadows and general half tones.

[@Drumaier]

Man this video is an endless concatenation of incredible relevant and golden concepts and advices. 👍👍👍💯💯💯💪💪💪Thanks so much for sharing this.

[@terryhohne1676]

Thank you for talking about how long it takes to make art. I know, intimately, personally and logically, that it takes a lot of time and effort to do a finished piece (or even a simple sketch), but somehow that knowledge never really clicked in my mind until I had it spelled out and pointed out to me. I used to think that because it takes me 3 hours to do a mediocre sketch I was falling short on the effort part of art-making (and maybe that was also true), but it turns out that *art really does take as long as it takes*! Whether that's an hour, a day, a year or more. Now I'm a lot less stressed about my drawing speed and I can focus better on improving and finding out what I really like to draw. So thank you again. You are an inspiration in all possible ways.

[@KershalJC]

Amazing drawings! This inspired me to draw more. Thank you

[@bodawei425]

Definitely one of the most insightful thoughts about what it is to be an artist. Thanks.

[@prazerjoao]

That's was just nice :) ty for all the people that make this possible!

[@ayan4697]

Wow. This is legit teaching and can you imagine this is just on youtube available for anyone to see? Crazy world we live in

[@elwiwithegreat7771]

I love drawing, but I’m not that great, but watching your videos makes me confident in things I make, and inspires me a lot. I also love watching you shade your drawing.

[@yylendraw5334]

this is great, willing to learn more from Steven~

[@jcrafthouse]

I never thought of using my marker paper, which ive had for years for pencil. Loved the video. Thank you!

[@rohitkumar-dw1gl]

Always so informational ❤️

[@KarenDodo9]

Such good advice, thank you, I have not really ever diluted all the things I love doing artistically down to where my interests are and working towards that as a goal

[@seb1520]

A modern master, over here!

[@DaniBaArt]

Amazing drawing and very interesting video. Thank you for sharing!✨😍👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@kingpen1179]

Really appreciate your help with your vids brother 👌🏻👌🏻♥️

[@ChadMichaelSimon]

I've been drawing on marker paper for almost 25 years. We illustrate client stories about marketplace and strategy and go through many iterations, so the marker paper started as pure utility. But you're absolutely right - it takes every medium well. I love layering Prismas as much as chunking out rough ideas with Sharpie on it. Anymore everything we do is digital, but I still have pads of marker paper for thought sketching and travel work.

[@Ryoushi_Akanagi]

Oh man the lesson about ego-based goals of "getting good" from 30:00 to 41:00 really hit me. I fell into that trap until now. Just trying to be able to draw EVERYTHING from every angle from memory.. and I think that stems from the fear of settling for one thing. Because if you can do it all, then you don't have to make a decision. It is a knee-jerk reaction to a fear of making a decision. The scary thing is that settling for comics about xyz means that you can't do comics about another thing, or illustration, or oil-painting etc etc.. I did all the things people recommended. Getting a good mentor, studying form, perspective, shading... but the moment I said down to do a project, there was just a void. I didn't know how to even begin a comic.. because that's a skill as well. Coming up with a story, the entry point etc. So I would always just reverse back to drawing an isolated element that would appear in all types of art. Like drawing an isolated arm, toes, a car. etc. The drawings would look good, but the moment I tried to put stuff together it just fell apart. Either because it didn't transfer, or because I didn't even managed to conceive of an idea. There is that fear of missing out by making a choice. That is the prime motivation - I think - for why we want to learn EVERYTHING and do everything.

[@gozinta82]

I haven't even watched it yet(waiting for my food to heat up) but I already know that I'm going to enjoy this :D

[@MKisJ]

thank you for sharing your insights and tips, from a PRO!

[@BTDrawing]

Amazing drawing skills. Awesome.

[@mistyristy1308]

This is awesome. Thanks.

[@KillerTacos54]

Incredible!

[@yahushaking4367]

One of the best figure drawing I've seen. I Ilike your art and style. I am trying to learn shading.I subscribed.

[@CCTravelAlone]

looks amazing

[@aspenram3885]

Thank you for the video!!

[@dougg1075]

A real pro.. just beautiful.

[@aligrim3027]

I was wondering if Steven Zapata could draw with his left hand as well... That's it. 😁 Thanks for drawing Steven!

[@ramleyarts9793]

I love the way you holding pen, you are really good artist. greetings from middle east. have a wonderful day

[@sk8mike]

Going darker around the highlights is really good advise for me. Often times my highlights don't pop because the shadows are to light, and there's not enough contrast. I have to start doing this.

[@Eltokeruno]

so funny how I did all my study on human anatomy, how to draw eventually I got the hang of it but how you mention I fell down to the same hole being all stressed out. until I saw this video it makes so much sense know thank you for the awesome lessons

[@safir2241]

you absolutely killed me and made me rebirth myself with the shotgun learning bit. thank you so much.

[@artistankit8945]

Omg.... Such grt video.... Its really difficult to create light and shadow from imagination.... Grt

[@davidheard709]

This is a step to encourage artists.... those who struggle at growing through practice, just have to take a chance with going through a process of developing in exercises.

[@viniciosmarra1958]

thank you so much for this video

[@brianm3160]

I love this guy! Please don't stop making content for us❤

[@boyayayan]

Thank you Felipe

[@theAnalogManifesto]

Missing your content man. :) can't wait.

[@dannyfreitag3071]

Thank you, very amazing!😀🤘🤘🤘

[@ESTcreatives]

Thank you for this

[@marfrinix_]

25:26 to 50:00 destroyed me, I think... I actually cried. Thank you, this video taught me a lot.

[@israelhernandez764]

Draw Chris bumstead doing a pose! It would be sick!

[@imperfectartist6378]

Awesome video, it felt like you were literally reading my mind because I found myself in this place today actually. When you say “find what you want from your art” do you mean what the individual may want to draw. For example if someone really only cared about drawing figures would that make learning perspective non essential in terms of landscapes and such. Or do you mean what you visually want your art to look like, in terms of wanting art that works for concept design or more of a fine artist? Once again, great video.

[@TV2016Channel]

Thank you

[@Rebe8d89AH]

24:33 I did this before I'd seen this video. I'd been beating myself up over being unimaginative, but also because I love so many different things. It was like I'd mentally bullied myself into believing I have no opinions or ideas, or if I did they weren't worthy of becoming art. But I do! We all do! And our likes, dislikes, wants are all valid. It was easier to write out what I don't like, and then eventually what I enjoy started to emerge. Now I'm studying with a goal to produce a certain type of work. I felt stuck for so long but I'm starting to figure it out.

[@earth355]

I like how you draw Baximus maximus muscles

[@StevenZapataArt]

;)

[@akkad7514]

“There is no path. Beyond the scope of light, beyond the reach of Dark... what could possibly await us?"

[@Tabaluka777]

40:20 I had the same mentality practicing classical guitar for quite a while. Always forced to practice the pieces I had already learned because I couldn't move on knowing I would eventually unlearn some older ones. Fortunately, that's not the case anymore.

[@harambe3363]

after some really intense abstract study in my senior year of hs for ap studio exams. Because i wasn't going to college those series of pieces were like my dissertation. I broke my whole world of art down unknowingly. Before that I was in like a 3 year like art block. I never drew outside of class. I've been going to classes since like 4th or 5th grade. Then i'd draw for my own enjoyment A LOT. Once like 6th grade hit. I got really serious because my goal was to be a mangaka nd i looked up how other mangakas got good. Started doing hella at home practice with realism and figure drawing. Went to even more classes in highschool. At that point before senior year. My idea of good art was just anything that looked cool or you could draw literally anything. I upped it up hell of a notch in 3rd grade and still practice this where I only draw in pen so it strengthens my memory drawing and my overall confidence in drawing. Imo i just got so good at what i considered good and the be all end all goal of art i stopped progressing tbh. It had to have been like junior year or early senior year. I did the best nude live drawing ive ever done and I had a realization over the few weeks. I've kind of made it in my goal of getting good. The lines and dots connect in my brain I KNOW HOW TO DRAW. But what else is there. Yeah I haven't drawn everything but like I know how to get to the point where I can draw anything I want proficiently and in an efficient manner. It was the same with realism that I noticed earlier. The only thing separating me from the best realism master and me is the amount of time im willing to actually spend rendering this thing to absolute photorealism and WHY i'd want to do that. You ask many hardcore hyperrealism artists, they are working on these hours if not days long paintings, sculptures, drawings with not only the idea of oh I want this to look cool. There's more there driving them. hell of a lot more driving these madmen. The basis for my Ap studio portfolio was How can I clean up my work. In an effort to clean up my drawing style to be more focused visually I somehow stumbled upon focusing my work mentally and the idea behind the work as well. It pushed my drawing abilities beyond that of lets make something cool. Hella more life shit happened and here I am 20 years old and ive come to the conclusion. The ultimate like artists bliss and core for progression is not appeasing what you think is good or what others think is good. Just express yourself how you want unapologetically and honestly. Progression on an objective scale is nothing special because anyone can do it. Anyone could get to where i am or where you are. But what is special is how you express yourself with the mix of of that objective skill level. Adding those two things just skyrocket your own "skill level" It's completely your own lane where yeah it doesn't matter that you can draw this or that the best. YOure not focused on that, thats not what your lane is for. And your lane changes to with LIFE, experiences, the food you eat everything. So maybe one day hyperrealism will be in that lane. But maybe one decade drawing animal fur is the craze for you.

[@StevenZapataArt]

Amen friend. Amen.

[@user-uj7pm2fk6p]

Hope to try long point one day. Must stop doing so much in so little time at sketch sessions.

[@camerongrenier5405]

You should write a book. Crazy vocabulary

[@giusartdrawings]

So beneficial sharing, thank you for this video, it's helps a lot 🙏❤️🤝👍😃

[@eli-shulga]

amazingly useful, saving for later practice :) Can you do something similar for ink pen? Im having trouble to combine, understanding of light and the actual lighting implantation with hatching and cross hatching

[@zooropa414]

I saw this video 3weeks ago and I kept staring at the way your hand move 🥺 I didn't notice the name of the channel or video and I spent one week researching for the video again and I finally found it 😭

[@donnagoode6923]

there is a history feature in youtube

[@NoName-ym5zj]

43:07 - This is literally me. I've been working in comics for a while now and you need to be good at drawing a lot of stuff, I was absolutely freaking out about the fact I couldn't draw every single thing I had to draw from imagination, felt like I was just pretending to be an artist. It seems so stupid in retrospect.

[@Haruyuki_Art]

Awesome

[@lazzarothompson6015]

Where can I find good references? I need to work on gesture, and the human form overall really badly but I can’t find a good enough reference site.

[@drippinghanamizu]

01:33:11 Is that... Ahmed Aldoori? xD the Sinix trend Aldoori hah! Nar, it is @bakermodel

[@thephilosopher5799]

You said you do digital so what drawing tablet do you use? Also great drawing, I definitely need to work on value. I always mess up and have the tendency to erase and it messes up the drawing because I have a heavy hand and press down hard while drawing and I am working on pressing lighter.

[@freegender930]

I really don't want to be negative and I'm very impressed by your drawing. Is a light shining onto his chest or should his left arm be casting a shadow onto his torso ?

[@dataminer1398]

woohoo! WOOOHOOOOOOO! YEAH YEahwOOO

[@emok2284]

amazing video, i watched the whole preview thumbnail. if it's not too much to ask, what are you brushes and all the tablets you use and can i rear projection my portfolio onto your shower curtain while you're in there and get some feedback?

[@Manowjoe]

I had no idea that Ahmed Aldoori, besides being an exceptional artist also works as a model.

[@maxpitchkites]

Style is preference.

[@earth355]

Is this the day I get BETTER?? I hope so

[@gozinta82]

Every time you do art, you get better ;)

[@charlietheebarker3234]

I truly need an art coach or mentor but where would you even start trying to find someone willing to even look at your art work.

[@colourmequaint9690]

I feel like I found a gem 😍

[@buffwarriors]

1:05:27 is the start of the best moment :D

[@karimkaan8700]

Really talented. I have some questions : How do you make your drawings ?Is it from imagination ?If so , how do you procede to imagine ?Otherwise do you relay on something else?

[@StevenZapataArt]

I make them all sorts of ways! From reference, from imagination, sometimes a sort of mixture of both. I don’t know “how” I imagine. I do truly believe I have gotten better at imagining through practice and by soaking in the world.

[@isaiahnavarro3480]

I know I'm waay behind on this but this whole time ive been trying to add local value and wondering why my drawings looked so compressed

[@coloursmovement]

Side portrait drawing demo please sir

[@Buffwannabe]

thank you for drawing more men!

[@marzilianosculpts]

I wanna draw a range rover bro, I WANNA MAKE BANK!

[@mklimczak1305]

can i learn figure drawing without live studies? i dont have access to models

[@StevenZapataArt]

Sure, these drawings were all done from photos. That said I’ve also done lots of love model sessions