Why do I draw better when I don't look at images?

[smoky spoke]

Cam we see your drawings
With reference, the reference , and without reference

[fathom crystal]

ok, i will if my camera stops closing itself

[dense goblet]

you mean, references?

[fathom crystal]

yes

its an issue and i cant find a way to breakthrough because i find im not very good at observation drawings

[dense goblet]

well the thing is, 90% of the time you DO need a reference, without one, there new info, no new visual library, nothing, if a reference DOESN'T help you, i means you aren't able to understand drawing fundamentals, volume, form, gesture, etc etc, that's why you draw better when you don't follow any guide, BUT without fundamentals or references, you won't progress much, drawing has a route, a core, stuff that must be studied, and that's fundamentals.

[fathom crystal]

oh 😔

[fathom crystal]

i draw this no reference

other one is on paper

its so ugly bro

i feel like the forehead and space between nose and lip could be fixed but other than that i kinda like it

and the eye i changed it earlier

this isold

[smoky spoke]

can we see something you drew with reference?

if you're using irl people as your reference then it makes sense it feels 'worse' than without because you use a very stylized form of drawing

It also takes practicing how to translate an irl picture into your own style