7 Harsh Realities of Realistic Drawing 

Drawing realistically makes people, including yourself, realize the beauty of the world, and capture it in a new light, it helps you to find the beauty in anything you look at. Some of the greatest artists in the world can take something as simple as a leaf, and make it look beautiful. Appreciate the world around you.

There are many artists who need this message! Realistic drawing skills are still valued and important for many reasons. Realism involves transforming art materials into a refined expression and description of actual experience, providing an instant connection from the viewer to the subject. Maybe the most important reason why realism continues to thrive is as a reminder of what one human with a pencil and paper can do.

The concept is so funny. The fact that people compare our drawings with a photograph itself defines our efforts and hardwork. They dont know that they can't acknowledge us any better than calling us a camera 😂

I think a photograph captures the subject but realistic drawings captures its soul.

It’s the other artist that don’t like realism not the usually the public. Love what you do.

Realistic drawing is a skill of observation and dexterity and application. Some may not admire it but most would appreciate the time and work put in

People who say there is ' no point' to realism or hyper realism or that it's not 'true art' clearly don't have an understanding of art in general so therefore shouldn't have an opinion. End of. You are amazing by the way!! I know you don't need me to tell you that but it has to be said ❤

I stopped caring what people think a long time ago, I do what I do because I like it.

Yeah,you can print out any picture and frame it,but a drawing comes from your heart and soul.And that means so much more than clicking,print

Thank you Kirsty, 5 minutes in I’m already at ease on how I’ve been attempting it

My dear, your work is fabulous, love you. You are very good teacher, your art speak, don't care who criticise you. Ashok from India 🇮🇳

I really love Realistic drawing. It takes great deal of skill and creativity to draw something realistic. It captures the essence of shadows and shapes that you don’t understand until you’ve mastered it. You are awesome 👏

Ahh sorry to hear about little Lottie 😢 YOU taught me how to do realistic drawing……I love it! I don’t care what anybody else thinks, art is art 😉 x

I completely agree that drawings aiming for realism can take absolutely ages! I have lots of respect for people that can work on one piece for days or weeks as I do not have the patience for that haha 😂

I can’t imagine ragging on you because you are this talented. I wish I could do this. If you can do this, you can do anything.

There are few who inspire me. you are one of my inspirations. Not to mention the beauty that makes me adore .I am Brasileiro dont speak inglish

I have a great deal of respect and awe for someone who can reproduce a photo by drawing it.

It's funny because there are plenty of people who think it's not art UNLESS it's realistic lol so basically just do what you want

So true on that second point - I have no idea where the recent hate that realism has been getting, but it's stupid asf. Realist drawing IS art, and hell I would be bloating all day if I could draw that well too! It shows how far someone has come with all their skill and it requires so much time and dedication to achieve results.

Being an artist myself who draws mostly realistic art it's really feels bad when sometimes people says that cameras can do what I do but still there is something about the hardwork the dedication and the emotions of an artist that camera can never match I agree on every point you mentioned in this video I really appreciate your work

All beginners need to learn realism coz it actually helps u with stylizing ur art later

1. You have to spend a lot of time to get details. 2. Not everyone will appreciate realistic art. 3. You need to learn several high-level different skills. 4. You have to stick to your reference and the laws of realism. 5. You have to spend a lot of time on little details (similar to point 1). You can't get away with inaccuracies. 6. You need more time planning out your drawing. 7. You might get stuck in perfectionism and not wanting to take risks, and never be happy with how it turned out.

Sometimes, the beauty is hidden in the complexity. That's what goes unappreciated cause to be able to understand it you need to have some sort of foundation for that skill. Only those who have tried drawing something Realistic once will be able to appreciate those point which goes unnoticed by people who simply compare it to a Photo.

Love the one with watercolors though, if it makes you happy, go for it! It's amazing

i like learning from realism, and then i take what i learn and i amplify it to look creepy x kinda scary, think of pennywises smile from it, its an amplyfied version of a smile, realism is a very important tool for all artist not just people who work on realism portraits

Drawing photo realism has usually takes real skill and talent. Some of the other popular drawing techniques like manga and superheroes have millions of people imitating each other. Zero creativity.

How true your words are. One of my problems for a long while was being a perfectionist. Lately I have learned that it needs to stop. I really like realism and do mostly realism. The world and its people have so much art to offer by just being themselves. What a great God, the Master Artist, to create so much beauty that we can enjoy and reproduce as close as possible. Thanks, Kristy, for using your giftedness to encourage us to enhance what we have been given.

I think the achievement is realised when your drawing is as close as possible to a photo that’s why I like it .

So true about the being mocked for doing more realistic drawing, but it is the best way to build skill.

My third ever drawing was a drawing of my mom's dog, I gave it to her as a birthday present. She actually hung the framed thing to the wall and after 2 days she came to me and said " I am sooo sorry I have not thanked you properly, I thought it was a photo!" I felt proud of myself that someone thought my drawing was an actual photo. Just enjoy it and dont listen what others tell you. We draw for oourself, not to please others😉

Thank you for very good learning, I really like the way you draw, thank you very much, I wish you always healthy and happy with your family

Harsh reality I just came with. I can't use soft pastels and have my fan on at the same time because it would blow the dust everywhere and it's not good for the lungs. So no more softpastel painting in summer unless I want to die in a pool of sweat

Most of the anti-hyper-realism sentiments I've read and heard are expressed with disdain or bitterness. This led me to believe much of those who express this are actually jealous. They shouldn't be, because hyper-realism is accessible to everyone - it simply takes patience and time. But many people don't have the patience and won't take the time so give up or never attempt it (and many other things). It's an investment. Personally, I can appreciate hyper-realism, but it's not my chosen style because I really enjoy seeing the artist's hand in a piece. Realism is NOT the same as hyper-realism. Realism doesn't look like a photo to me, hyper-realism does and I don't care for it because I can't see the creativity, the pencil, brush or paint strokes. It doesn't stop me from appreciating the time, and most of all, the patience of the artist. I refuse to put down someone's work simply because it's not my chosen style. Rather I look for what I can appreciate and a hyper realistic piece takes a to of patience. An impatient artist can't get there. This is a great vid Kirsty, thanks for continuing to make content for us artsy folk!

I like the idea of abstract painting for hair as I am struggling using coloured pencil for hair alongside realistic drawing for the face.

People who say there's no point to realistic drawings are exactly the same people who genuinely think AI art is better than real art. They just don't get what art is.

It's interesting that you bring up how people say realistic drawing isn't "real art" because I've also heard so many other people talking about how they were told "art isn't real art unless it's realistic" and also "digital art isn't real art" so it's funny to note that anybody telling someone that "__" isn't "real art" just don't see what they want and try to bully someone into doing what they want to see instead of doing the extremely easy task of just going somewhere else with art that they DO like, but still frustrating that people will pull that scheme because they're so lazy.

Realism is a pain in my head and it's too difficult. I realized it will be more fun if you get used to it..

I am a bird artist (I was practicing kiwi birds, now I am practicing other birds) and I am getting pretty close to realistic. The thing is, it is hard to get perspective and contrast. I don't know the depth of some parts of the bird. I see how So much helpful you are! You have tons of talent. It is okay to not get everything you expect, because everyone is still practicing. your art is beautiful! It gives off the feeling and then you feel as if your staring into the scene. It is beautiful.

I'm a photorealist who works with graphite, and I just want to touch on a point Kirsty made in this amazing video. The point about having limited creativity with realism is true, however, there's still a ton of room for creativity and adding your own twists to things. Over time, I've realized that some things in reality don't look very appealing; so when it comes time to draw that area or thing, I have to either take it out or modify it. You can get creative with the way you modify it, I've done that a couple times. Also, whenever there's a random pattern that takes up a lot of space, you can customize that to make it look better in your view. For example, the stitching on a sweater or hair in certain cases, they can all be customized. You don't have to sit there and go inch for inch to make it exactly like the reference photo. I always tell people, on another day, the hair could've looked like the way I did it. It's not about making it easier for yourself, it's about making the shapes and overall look more visually appealing. Finally, and this is the most significant opportunity for creativity within the context of photorealism, and that's the background. The entire composition. Rather than just having a head on a white piece of paper, I like to make my drawings almost like movie posters. So I'll put some special effects, text, other objects in the background to make it look cinematic; you can literally do anything! So, you might have to limit your creativity for the subject itself, but you still have tons of room for creativity for the other parts of the composition. Some of the stuff I do can actually be considered surrealism just because of the background.

i follow a horror artist, mangaka, comic artist, disney inspired artist and a fantasy-realistic (dark souls art) artist on youtube and my mother draws photo realistic. they all have one thing in common: "learn and understand the basic rules of realistic drawing. that way you can later break the rules for your own style if you want." it makes sense to me. and when my mother was once told that her drawings, which she sometimes sat at for more than 12 hours over several days, were not art, the person had to draw a photorealistic horse. the reference was a postcard-sized photo she had taken sometime between 1990 and 1995, which she herself had already used as a reference. This didn't end well, of course, so a monologue ensued about how you don't have to like all art, but that no one has the right to dictate to others what is and isn't art.

Beautiful drawing you make ❤❤

I have taken Kristy's courses. My drawings now amaze people even though they are less than perfect photo realism. The more concessions you make to realism in your representational work the better your cartoons and stylized expressions will be. I highly recommend the drawing decoded course, no matter what style you draw you will do it noticeably better when you knuckle down to that discipline.

Awesome break down, thats what art is, the observation process and translating it into whatever medium you are working with, whether its drawing, music, dancing, singing, sport, exercise or welbeing, what is the process of getting the best out of what your doing, like meditation which is considered as the art of living, how can you live a happier and more harmonious life and the process of meditating teaches you the steps to achieve it, which is how to observe and pay attention to what your doing in the present.

2:18 This is true. There are always lots of fundamentals for realistic drawing that every artist must master to be able to be the best in realistic drawing. Otherwise, the drawing may lack depth. 5:23 This is the most true reality for all artists. With pencil drawings (colored or not), you really have to be committed to spending painstaking hours, if not, weeks or months of creating these drawings given that it requires so much planning. These drawings are not done just putting out some flat colors and call them done. No, it requires lots of layers regardless if it's a detailed drawing or not. I'm not kidding when I say some of my pencil drawings took me one month or few months even if there are some alcohol markers combined. This had shown to me that it always take me so much time before I can actually finish these drawings. They may time-consuming, but in the end it's worth it. Only perseverance can help you get though this.

There is room for all artistic styles, realistic or not. Even if you don't like realistic art, that's just a subjective view and has nothing to do with decreeing it real art or not. Even if you don't personally care for it, you have to at least admire the skill that goes into its creation. Sometimes I like doing realism and stick with the photo reference and sometimes I veer away from exact copying and make it more stylistic and expressive.

Portraits have to be the most challenging form of Art but [if/when] they turn out to be a masterpiece it is worth it in the end. But sometimes it takes several attempts to achieve this goal. And yes, a photo is good [but] when every bit of what you are creating through Art/sketching pictures/photos are all the more reason to treasure. Children grow so fast and it is meaningful to sketch portraits of special pictures. This is one way to freeze a moment in time that is a treasured memory.

Realistic drawing is my favorite, thanks for being a champion of the art (yes it most definitely is art!)

you are amazing artist and you explain things very well.

Some people don't value realistic art. Some people start to cry tears of joy when you hand them a painting of their child. Try creating for the latter, way more fun. ;)

Wow awesome artwork's.😁👍.

I once did a pen and ink drawing of a much beloved building that I had worked in, it was 3ft by 1¾ to get in enough detail and that took me 3mths. I remembe telling anyone that knew I was doing it that they shouldn't get excited as at any time I could make a mistake and ruin it and even said it would be just my luck to get a blot of ink at my last line 😂 luckily I didn't, but it's always a risk!

Is it possible that you could do a tutorial on skin blemishes like moles, freckles etc. Thank you for your videos they have helped me alot with my realism in portraits😊 and tears

people are crazy with that art cannot be realistic shit. I am very good at drawing and i like to draw realistic. I have a friend who recently started drawing but has not mastered anything yet. We were drawing the same picture of some man sitting with a cap. She tried to draw realistic, but was unable to. So her painting looked completly off. Deformed head, hands just two blotches with no fingers, no shading whatsoever, face just had the basics, nose, mouth and two eyes an so on. It looked like a 4 year old has drawn it. Mine was done well and you could see most detail. When we showed our picture to people, they said to mine: oh this is drawn well. To her picture they said: now that is art. IT WASN'T ART...she literally tried to get it right and get it realistic! We live in a world, where a badly drawn piece is called art and the good one is "just well drawn". How sick is that??????

I've been working up to realistic drawing with my prismacolours. So far I've been doing realistic versions of cgi characters. I'm going to try and draw Ashoka from the upcoming series next. Wish me luck.

I have a question. For other art style, like cartoon or anime , it is possible to draw characters or objects from imagination. They do use some references, but the concept of character is original. My question is, can realism do the same? Or are we bound to just copy

I want to see you (or anyone) drawing with the CMY color palette. Can the CMY colors mix togethor to get all colors like we use the RYB palette ?

Anyone who says realistic, especially photorealistic drawing, is just like photograph has clearly never tried to draw anything. In my opinion, it’s one of the hardest styles to do.

On average I spend aprroximately 15 to 20 hours on a b/w drawing ......but they are not so realistic as yours but I don't mind ......if I try to make them more realistic I think I need 30 to 40 hours for a 40x60 cm drawing. Keep up your good work, Kirsty. 🐞

I use to say this and now guess what? I want to learn it. I was intimidated and now I now it is achievable, there is beauty in it and I do want to learn it. My favourite at the moment is a mix of fantasy with realistic features.

Great tips and clear explanations. Thank you

When i do portraits, i do semi realism. Kind of the blend the two thing. I like all of the proprtions and whstnot to be correct but then i always throw in some abstract details that i can just have fun with. Sometimes i make the eyes ever so slightly bigger or the eyelashes fuller or the nose a bit bigger or smaller or wider. ❤ its a lot of fun

Outlet? you know if I want a photograph then I don't need to draw the same thing unless if I decided to add something special that's the differences, I don't need to pretend perfectionism a cartoon is a cartoon and a paint is the must beautiful thing which separate our reality from current one. I don't understand why should i worried too much about it lol.

Soo trueee

How do you draw a blurry background?

what is realism, what is realistic, what is plausible, what is three-dimensional ... a painter must ask himself these questions in the face of "reality" in constant evolution and change. Is drawing from life realism? Is doing it from photos photorealism? what to portray and for whom . if we draw a realistic tree trunk what will be its opinion about it . our eyes and mind look at the world in a unique and unrepeatable way, so realism is a mere illusion. we seek in things an "objective" confirmation of an anthropocentric reality and we call it realism.

Great video. Paintings by artists like Vermeer are certainly realistic so drawings in the same style is definitely art. It's some of the "art" in the Turner prize, that require very limited skill, is maybe not. 😀

Realistic drawings are really tough 🤒🤒

How does one turn a 5x7 picture into a life size portrait ?

Thank you, as always, a very good and thought-provoking video. I have also often heard the sentence that realism is not art... Then I ask people with this opinion whether the Mona Lisa from 1796 is also not art since it is most likely a living woman painted. WHAT is art? Because I've heard the saying that if you can't paint realistically, paint surrealistically. And now AI... So what is art? I wish you success.

You can slave over a drawing that's realistic and someone will still find fault with it.

Can't get good at surrealism without knowing the realism part. So there's stuff like that too.

Amazing videos

I recently started graphite drawing after doing exclusively digital art since 2017. I recently made this portrait I had to erase and redraw so many times the graphite was permanently pushed into the paper so much I had to do bigger cartoony versions of the features of the face to somehow cover them up. :D I still haven't finished it, but it's going.. okay.. Next time I'll make sure to make a better first sketch with an HB pencil.

Done

I love your art. 💘

to never stop was a problem I was facing for 2 years with a painting of mine 😂

exactly 🥲🥲🥲🥲

Tell me about art career

No matter what style you do, somebody will tell you it's not real art 🙃

I have a question about realistic drawing. If one wants to monetize digitally the illustration, how can it be done? Since prints might not be the best choice for that. What I mean is saving the photo of the drawing made by hand and then selling online somewhere, not sure if I got myself clear haha

I can't imagine many better ways to spend hours of my time.

I love you drawing

When I'm drawing and I'm feeling a bit negative, I draw Deadpool and usually have him give some encouraging thoughts

First comment!just found this channel, my goal one day to draw as realistic so very good points!

I started learning to draw by drawing realistically because it gave me feedback on my observational skills. Could I reproduce accurately what I could see? This has many benefits on developing observational skills. It has taught me to see and made the miraculous even more so.

Mam explain in colour mix ing with chart

Realistic and beautiful drawing. 🤞 🇮🇳

i always tell people to expect to draw a semi-realistic or realistic piece to expect sometimes days of work lol😝

You are such a good artist, have you ever entered the Wallace Portrait artist of the year contest for portrait art? Just curious.

You are amaaaaaaze🤩🥰

Oh no, if it takes me 20 hours to do one drawing... I'll be drawing every parrot species in existence for literally a year.

Try to make your self portrait with watercolour

You don’t have to copy a photo to create a realistic drawing

Is it worth it to practice realistic drawing of animals if you only want to do it because you enjoy it but not to learn it as a career?

Wow love from india❤

can one draw a realistic drawing based only based on imagination?

Have to comment as a faux designer and realist illustrator that you win when no one can tell what you’ve produced.

Pencils should always be placed sharp point down in any container. You don’t want any accidents if you are bending down or leaning over to get something.

I always say that when people say you may as well take a photo, then as a photographer as well as an artist, I say under that logic, there's no point to any art style then..since you can also create impressionism and even abstract with a camera.....straight from camera too...but if not, definitely in post processing....so, if you can do it with a camera, no point doing any art at all. They also forget that for the artist, it is more about the process than about the result. Realism still needs to be created and that process is very satisfying for many artists.

What kind of camera do u use