Frequently Asked Questions

For who is it recommended? Virtually for anyone! Especially for those who really want to learn to draw, but don't really know how to get started and for those who are stuck in the learning process. Also for skeptics who thought that drawing isn't for them, because they can't draw a stick figure correctly and would love to change that. You may just be wondering if it is possible. For anyone who is between 9 and 99 years old. 

What can you get from the videos? There are 4 consecutive tasks that build on each other. So it is recommend to make them in the right order. I put them in this order to shift your vision and transform it towards the drawing process and mastering this kind of vision is the key to a successful realistic drawing. The point is to be able to draw what you really see with your eyes. To be able to see and examine the smallest details, to recognise differences, to exercise patience, to learn to focus on NOT drawing a hand, an eye or a forehead for instance, but drawing lines, shapes and shadows! The feeling of success is guaranteed, even for perfectionists. Everyone starts with a different basic knowledge, so there will be some of you who will be happy with the end results at first and will be able to move on to the next task immediately, while others will need more time to feel the process. For those I definitely recommend that if the expected success experience doesn't come at first, don't give up, but try it again and it will go !!

I also plan to make advanced instructional videos, but that's for the future.

What are the benefits of drawing skills in general? While drawing, we often have to activate our right cerebral hemisphere, which is also responsible for creativity. At first we'll have to learn to deactivate the left hemisphere which is responsible for analyzation and I think the usefulness to be able to switch between the two in your everyday life does not need to be explained. At the other hand drawing has also a relaxing effect, even if we get annoyed sometimes when it is harder to get it right on paper. That's because, while drawing, you turn off your current minor or major problems. It will help you to solve or process them more easily. Research has already shown that the time we spend with our hobbies has a good effect on our physical and mental health.

If you learn how to copy, when will you be able to draw from head or from a model? The basic tasks will teach you to acquire a kind of vision that is essential for drawing in general, so you'll be able to technically copy a particular image or photo onto paper. Afterwards you will need to practice this a lot, to get a quicker and more accurate sense of the proportions. Afterwards, you can try to make the size of your reference picture different than that from your drawing. In the meantime, you can learn about the features of each tool. When drawing from a model it is necessary to develop the above-mentioned sense of proportion and routine will help to shorten the time it takes to accomplish that. Drawing from head requires even more knowledge! So if you have that kind of desire, I still recommend that you copy a lot and you'll feel that when you gain enough knowledge to be able to move away from it.

When will you be able to draw hyper-realistically, like I do? I can't give a concrete answer to this, because it all depends with which drawing skill you start. What is certain is that the more you practice, the better it will go. Hyperrealistic creations require a degree of patience and observation that can only be achieved through hard work. The good news is that you can absolutely learn this too, the key is: practice, practice and more practice! For me personally, it took me over 3 years of active drawing before I was able to draw something hyper-realistic, although I didn't had the help that I am offering now with these instructional videos. I also was learning to paint with oil in parallel and I still can draw for up to 20 hours on a 30x40cm portrait!

Can you copy any photos you find on the internet? No !!!! Just because something can be found on the internet, does not mean that you can reproduce it! In fact! It can have serious legal consequences! The rule is simple: if it is not indicated next to a photo that it is free to use, it should be treated as copyrighted! I don't want to go deeper into it, but the point is that if you want to copy something from another photo or drawing or painting, you'll have to ask permission from the original artist or photographer! And when you present your work, always honour the other artist by mentioning his name! Usually they will approve it, with or without the right to sell it afterwards. There are different rules for celebrities, so you can use them more easily. 

Are you going to become an artist after a couple of video's? Obviously not !! But when somebody become an artist is also a question that you could philosophise about and I can only share my opinion with you. I've found out that realism is quite a boogey in artistic circles today. Art itself is very subjective! If you start working in this style, you have to reckon with the fact that while many will like it, you may face strong criticism in the professional field. Most generally, your work will provide nothing more than the reference photo itself and that it is merely a technical brilliance. This fact will discourage many people and others will even give up further creations all together. However, this is a big mistake, because hyperrealism as such is an existing and recognised art style. It has become art, because the work itself seems practically more detailed than a photograph. Such a degree of patience, observational skills and professional technical knowledge is needed that not anyone can achieve. Often the reference photo itself comes out of its own hands. So the subject itself is the creator's own, so it is also a form of self-expression. Just as the essence of this video material is to teach that anyone can draw, the question is, can anyone be an artist? Obviously not and at the other hand yes! Art is a vocation, it is not a hobby! Anyone who feels committed should overcome these obstacles! You can still move from realism to all sorts of styles, but other way around, it's not always that simple. So it is definitely a very useful foundation.

How will you be able to create your own ideas realistically? The realisation of your own ideas is in my opinion where art starts. You can do this either by copying from a model, a landscape, a still life, etc., or you can create a product of your imagination with the help of learned basic skills. You can also create something unique by bringing different existing and even non-existing elements all together.

Can you only draw realistically upside down? Off course not! However, in the first phase, I definitely recommend to draw upside down, until you learn to draw exactly what you see. In a later phase, it doesn't matter in which direction and which part of your image you are drawing.