Awesome question. I learned this in Kevin Chen's class at CDA. The first circle is just for the mask and face, closing off at the jaw line. The second circle is just to extend the skull. Typically, people don't realize just how big the back of the head is, so doing photo breakdowns like this forces you to realize how big boy reality works. You could just draw one big circle, but really, the head isn't a sphere, it's extended in the back. One major note: keep in mind every ethnicity, individual and head injury have different shapes- make sure to vary up your reference. When starting out, break down photos, understand structure, understand the foundation. once you understand it, then you can break and bend it to your will. All these little babies whining in this comment section don't seem to understand that.

@@EthanBecker70 Hi. Is this technique used only with photo studies or it can be used while drawing heads from imagination as well?

@@a.b.1870 If it's a helpful guideline for you, then I'd definitely recommend you use it! Any sort of technique that helps you advance, is probably really useful to use on a regular basis!

@@greco-romano9852 I'd really like to see him use that technique while constructing heads from imagination. I gave it a try and the heads end up too alien-like for my taste.

@@a.b.1870 Yeah! If you don't have a specific real-life head-type to draw from, in your imagination, I imagine it's difficult to judge how large head's back-mass is!

Yassss

I'm living that out right now lmao, 100% accurate

l

you and me both BABY!

Mixite I was thinking, lol that’s funny. then I check to see if I’m subscribed and apparently I already am LMAOO whAT

Mixite me too?? I don’t ever remember subbing lmao

me neither wtf

This must some witchcraft wtf

ikr

I was just thinking that before seeing you’re comment

The blood gushing from my fingers just helps me draw better

@Vixy Skunk ikr

knives make the best discipline

true, especially when others come to you and say: i know how you did that, i can do it too. and i be like, ok so do it....and they don't LOL.

@SomeHumanOnThe Internet There's cases when it's not stupid at all, but you're clearly not talking about the kind of clients who falls into those cases... xD It already happened to me to give my own character sheets to a commissioned artist just because their art style fitted the project I was working on better than my own style. And also because I was busy doing pixelart animations and the portraits that goes with the character (used as promotional material) would never have been finished in time for the deadline if I was working alone on both. I knew the art would match the stylistic choices of the head of project better by recommanding another artist instead of taking upon that task myself and I had some free days to revise the animations if anything was to be added last minute on top of that. So...It's not always stupid to ask someone while you can do it too, but those who really can usually knows how worth art is and at best ask to lower the price a bit when there's a batch of commissions being discussed, not plain says "it's too expensive" unless when faced with 2500$/portrait and being looked down upon when asking if it was a typo on the page. Cause that too tends to happen sometimes, and those artists tends to have a fairly strong following calling you out for scam if you "only pay 250$" because you were assuming it was a typo and shy out instead of asking the question. Stupids and scammers, they exist on both artist and client sides.

​@SomeHumanOnThe Internet What do you mean "what"? xD You said it's stupid that people ask for a commission if they can draw the thing themself, but some people have real reasons to do so. (here, it's the TL:DR version of my previous comment)

​@@mrfcauthen I always tell beginning artists that it's ok to learn by tracing, as long as you're transparent about it. I think it's really important for people who want to draw but are JUST starting out to learn how shapes are supposed to look, to, like ethan said, build up your database. People who are new to drawing don't know how to properly reference a photo like this yet, and it may be a difficult concept for them to grasp right away. I think a lot of great artists who are super creative now started out tracing cars when they were 12.

I agree! I regret refusing to use references for a couple years, because it ended up stunting my art and making it not as good as it could've been.

true

lol that is one hundred percent true, but maybe thats how real art actually goes. its not just 1 2 3 step, its always out of order

Tbh the causalness helps a lot and he explains how its suppose to help and what to do/look for and it's really great tbh i love it.

You want chaotic? Check out xabio arts... It's a madhouse over there

But hey, it works

This made me laugh

Ethan Becker Nice

Yeah I never really learn anything from Ross

Cute sound effects! MILO MILO MY DOG!! MY MOM!!! OH LOOK ITS THAT GIRL FROM MY BOOK! AND WAIT for COLOR DODGE!!

Wait, you guys watch his videos to learn how to draw!?? I just watch them ‘cause I love his art style, and I like watching him draw. I didn’t know that people actually clicked on a video of his for a legitimate tutorial 😅 (well, maybe new-timers do, but someone who’s been on his channel before, usually already know that you can’t get much learning out of those videos. It’s mostly just fun and games)

Yes

I'm gladly would pay for that.

Enjoy it

Dan same

"Let's get busy, baby!"

💀💀💀 lmaooo

Y'know, you could've just been more direct instead of beating around the bush. Try something like... uhhh, *"Here's my number, so call me baby!"*

Lmaooo he's a gem.

*Britney Spears entered the chat*

Okay~ Im the 1000th like in this comment lol

I don't know whats up with this stigma. Are peole blaming cooks for looking at the recipe? Are people blaming musicians for using a music sheet? No so why are people calling out artists who use reference to study art ? I don't understand this

@@damianogiolitti3416 me either lmfao even when u look at a live model it's the same thing as a 3d model or a reference. One thing I do understand is if your completely copying a photographer's art... like if they take hours and money on make up and props, l don't think it's fair to draw that and then hop on ur KZfaq like "omg guys so I came up with this AMAZING IDEA" like no, no u didn't 😂😂😂

@Ferris Bueller if ur tracing to learn, u capture the guester and simple shapes. And that's all life drawing is. That was the point of his video if your gonna trace do it right so it benefits you and ur skills.

tracing while not inherently bad is a crutch. its much better to draw free hand while using a reference. whenever I attempt to draw something new I tend to find multiple images of the same subject to get a general idea of the underlying structure.

Literally the first thing i learned in college was to use reference, be it from life or inspiration from other artists

Yes, great point!

it's because people kept mistaken btwn using references and tracing

I wasn't told unfortunately, and people use to bag my work for not looking as polished as my peers. Then, I discover they had a reference, but what pisses me off the most was the fact they acted superior. I'm good now though.

I disagree u can create something unique thats what bob ross did aswell if ur skilled enough u can make ur one stuff im nkt saying that references are bad but u can create something on your own unique and good

D'Jaziko at my school the art teacher made us do the opposite we weren’t allowed to use references at all to the point that guys who’s probably the best artist in the school (my friend) didn’t take the class again since it was so bad. not only that but the art teacher was known to grade the hardest in the school she barely ever handed out anything over 80% even if you tried your hardest not only that but she had terrible criteria’s for projects that would make everything harder on the students

Baby baby baby Oppo like

Mini 1928 just made it 420 😎

love this guy 😎🚬🔪

(👆 ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Look at yourself, oh wait you can't, I'm an ant or used to be and I kind of feel my eyes through my attenas, kind of

"bit I cint sii" STOP WINNING, stop being a little, little baby with a little baby brain >:(

The answer obviously is yes.

don't teachers do both

Same. Everything just hurts

Hey, someone gets it!

@@EthanBecker70 I'm bouta binge all your videos they all fire plus your art is amazing

yes

Same

okay

@@defhermann ikr

Hi 👋

*Applauses* "Forgot everything already"

It sucks bc on one hand, I totally get what you mean, but I feel like this might also help perpetuate the idea that references is "cheating" yknow? Ugh, it's all just so annoying and exhausting. It's part of why I don't like talking to non-artists about art lol

WhErE aRe We?

ah it is such a shame. but I also think the stigma around tracing should be cleared up too,, tracing a photo (as ethan did in the video) and even tracing the artwork of an artist you really admire can be very beneficial too for the sake of studying and breaking it down, not to copy it (and obviously not to pass it off as your own, which goes without saying.) I worry for young artists who'll struggle to learn properly because they're being taught that tracing and referencing makes you less of an artist when that's how you practice and get better :((

me too, i’ve learned how to actually draw!

... iM lOstTttT

*Angel: No planes, No life* Ethan:

Maile Naomi I love it so much 😂

He uses it for humour though, and to me that makes a world of a difference ahaha. I can handle it in this form. (and im speaking as an American myself lol)

I am American and he has more energy than me. 🥱

He makes it so much more entertaining and light hearted and I’m not even American but the persona he’s using is just, mwah Edit: real funny

I'm having a hard time getting through the video with speed at 1.75x.

Bruh

too bad he's not that kind of teacher lol. Get up off your baby feet and let's walk.

How da f did you pick up Robotics and Medicine from this?

Gandalf! You're a wizard!

WOOOOOOOO!!!!

@SUPER TG_KETU GAMING ikr. It's because he didn't get a checkmark

He drew Marzia too 7:45 I think thats her...

@@optimusprime5446 more like virtual Marzia :D

Even his sailor fanart I saw looked like Pewd's lmao

I AGREEEE

This!!!!

Lucas Freitas We all do. When people have deadlines they’ll take shortcuts to take out the guesswork and get to the actual rendering and artistry.

😂 this is so true

cries in aphantasia

@@dirtfriend all this years I thought that everyone's just pretending to think when someone tell them to "Imagine this" 😂😂😂

@anyone else from the future looking at this comment: don't be like this guy. Trying to sell something as important knowledge while being too vague to point out anything we don't already know. It depends on the definition of different. If it's very different, then it's no longer copyright infringement obviously. Also most traced art used for improving art skill isn't published, since most artists who would click on this video.. of course know what plagiarism is. Tracing is only harmful if it's hurting people, it's not an inherently evil practice. This is what Ethan's channel says too.

What's the name of that book ? 👀

He kinda implied you had to do that anyways - he just "wouldn't hold your little baby hand" about it, his words