Breaking from symbol drawing and other issues

So, it took me a very long time to find why I seemingly could never make things turn out right. I was starting looking at the small details rather than the big picture, trying to sketch an outline before the actual base. Now I can kind of see these basic shapes in pictures.
 
Apparently, something that I thought was just how I drew, with lots of short, quick, lines is bad. I’ve tried drawing more with my elbow and shoulder. Starting to get used to it.
 
I just…don’t know what keeps me from drawing. I just can never get the initial sketch down. I can SEE the shapes that I need to do, but it’s like my mind can’t communicate with my hand. Either I draw too definitely or too loosely. I’ve tried several different mediums and have had very little progress save for being able to draw a cube and a spoon very well.
 
Do I just keep going, or am I going about this the wrong way?

Are you drawing from observation of imagination?

@Grieffon  
I try to balance the two. Sometimes I try to copy an image, other times I make an image in my head that I can constantly recall as I sketch. I know it’s cliche, but I can see every single step in my head. Just can’t put it on paper.

That’s what drawing is, creating a visual representation from your mind, and it’s hard, and takes lots of practice to actually get something down right from your head. I know the feel, when I think of a drawing, I can see every muscle, shape, and even recall the angle by actual degrees, but it almost never comes out how I want it.
 
Really just keep doing it <.> A month ago when I was in super self doubt mode, the basic geist of what every artist i asked told me was, keep drawing. What you’re doing, you’re not doing anything wrong, you just have to keep at it, and perhaps try another technique that works better for you.

What do you usually draw for observation, and what for imagination?

Try giving yourself a time limit on each sketch. Doing several five, three and even one minute sketches is a good way to force yourself to focus on the essential instead of every tiny detail.

Observation: usually some simple object that I have on hand, or basic skeletons. Imagination, usually some sort of portrait or simple landscape.

@Itsthinking  
Ok, that may be the problem there. Our imagination is less creating something new and more like arranging stuff we already know in a new way. Even a dragon is just features from different real animals slapped together. If you’re trying to draw something from imagination that you don’t know well, it may not work. Of course, you know what a mountain is, but without paying attention, your brain will just identify it with “a huge, jagged triangle = mountain”.
 
My suggestion is that try drawing from observation first, landscape in this case. Build up your “visual library”, get to know what it really looks like, then try drawing from imagination again. Doesn’t have to be exactly the same picture with every elements in the same spots, it just has to include what you’re trying to learn.

@Grieffon  
I honestly have been thinking about it, and I don’t know if it’s all in my mind or what. But I have a hard time seeing a picture slowly emerge from sketches. I guess I’m too focused on detail? It took a long time to be able to see shapes in figures for me.

@Itsthinking  
Don’t worry about it, I still have that issue.
 
One thing I do that’s probably not the best thing to do is to look for art of other people of what I want to paint, and see how they simplify the subject while keeping it recognizable. I probably do it more than I should, must try to only do that when I’m really, really stuck. It may cause you to make the same mistakes as the artist, and end up making those flaws more profound.

See, something I want to think will help is linearting/coloring someone’s monochrome sketches. Most artists don’t seem to mind and it could help me get that bit down. Only problem comes when drawing in detail that may be covered up by color…
 
Plus I just enjoy doing it. Know making my own work is more important, just do it on the side.

I always start with the perspective. That’s vital for the basic layout (“are we seeing this character from above or below?”) as well as fine details (like the “where does his other eye go?” problem that most new artists dread).
 
Even if you know that people are made of spheres and cylinders, you need to be able to join them together right, and knowing what angle you’re looking at them from is vital for that.
 
Cartoons are really bad to start imitating, because they break the rules for style and convenience. I started by drawing electrical sockets, keyboards, lamps, oranges, stuff like that. It really helped me figure out how to draw basic shapes.
 
A fun challenge is to pull out your mobile and draw it from a few different angles, really quickly. They’re a combination of wide, flat planes, gentle curves, and little details that need to be placed correctly. And you can do it anywhere, any time.

Yeah, I’ve heard the cell phone thing. And it really did help me learn how to fix my perspective/3D shapes.