Why Drawing From Imagination Is Still Hard for Me (And How Beginners Can Improve)

Most people think artists can magically draw anything from their imagination. You say the word “dragon,” and boom, they expect a perfect sketch. But here’s the truth I rarely see artists talk about:

Drawing from imagination is one of the hardest skills in art. And even after years of sketching, it’s still hard for me.

If you struggle with imagination drawing too, trust me… you’re not failing.
You’re normal.
And honestly, I’m right there with you.

Why I Still Can’t Draw From Imagination (My Honest Reasons)

I’ve been sketching on and off since 2019, but even now, when I sit down and try to draw something without reference, my brain freezes.

Here are the real reasons, and maybe you’ll relate.

1. My Visual Memory Isn’t Trained Yet

When I draw from reference, I have something to look at:
the shape, the shadow, the angle, the size.

But when I try to imagine drawing?

My mind gives me the most BASIC, childlike version of the thing.
Like:

• hands → noodles

• faces → oval with two dots

• objects → broken outlines

Imagination drawing requires YEARS of visual memory training, and I simply haven’t built that library yet.

2. I Struggle With Proportions (Especially Without Guidelines)

This is one of my biggest weaknesses.
I draw without grids or guidelines most of the time, and because of that:

• One eye becomes bigger than the other

• Heads become too wide

• hands look stretched

• poses look stiff

• bodies look like LEGO figures

When there’s no reference to compare against, my proportions go wild.

3. The “Second Eye Problem” Kills My Confidence

Let’s be honest,
Drawing the second eye ruins 80% of beginner drawings.

Even with a reference, I struggle.
But from imagination?
Bro… It’s disaster-level art.

One eye looks normal.
The second looks like it’s living a different life.

This alone makes imagination drawing stressful.

4. My Outlines Are Still a Bit Shaky

When drawing from imagination, outlines matter more because you’re building shapes from scratch.
But my outlines sometimes:

• wobble

• tilt

• Go darker too early

This makes my imagination sketches look messy or stiff.

5. My Brain Tries to “Guess” Instead of “Understand.”

When drawing from reference, I observe.
When drawing from imagination, I guess.

Guessing is not an artistic skill; it’s luck.
And most times, my guesses are wrong, especially with:

• hand angles

• head shapes

• poses

• clothing folds

This is why imagination drawing exposes ALL your weaknesses at once.

Why Drawing From Imagination Is Hard (Even for Skilled Artists)

Let’s break this down in simple terms.

Drawing from imagination requires:

• anatomy knowledge

• perspective understanding

• knowing how light falls

• good shape memory

• visual library

• line confidence

• proportion accuracy

Beginners don’t have these yet.
And honestly… even many intermediate artists don’t.

So if you feel frustrated, it’s not you, it’s a normal stage.

How Beginners (And I) Can Improve Drawing From Imagination

Now here’s the good part:
You can improve imagination drawing.
I’m currently working on it using these techniques, and these are the same steps recommended by top artists.

1. Draw from Reference FIRST (This Builds Your Visual Library)

You can’t draw an eye from imagination if you don’t know what a real eye looks like.
So instead of skipping to imagination drawing too early, start by drawing:

• objects on your table

• your hands

• plants

• shoes

• simple portraits

• real-life items

Every time you draw from reference, you’re storing information in your visual memory.

2. Break Everything Into Shapes

This is the #1 skill imagination drawing relies on.

If you can see the world as:

• circles

• squares

• cylinders

• triangles

• blocks

…you can rebuild anything from imagination.

I’m still practicing this because my mind jumps straight to details, which is a HUGE beginner mistake.

3. Use Guidelines (This Helps Your Proportions)

Even if you hate grids (like me), use basic guidelines.
Just 3 to 5 lines can save your whole sketch:

• center line

• eye line

• nose line

• shoulder line

• simple shape blocks

Guidelines are the secret weapon for imagination drawing.

4. Practice “Memory Sketching”

This one actually works:

1. Look at an object for 20 seconds

2. Close your eyes

3. Try drawing it from memory

4. Then check how close you got

This trains your observation AND imagination at the same time.

5. Learn Anatomy Slowly (Not All at Once)

If you struggle with:

• hands

• faces

• bodies

• poses

You’re not alone, I struggle too.

But the secret is:
You don’t need full anatomy knowledge. Just simplified forms.

Hands = boxes + cylinders
Arms = long cylinders
Legs = thick cylinders
Heads = sphere + jaw shape

Once you simplify, imagination drawing becomes easier.

6. Don’t Expect Your Imagination Art to Look Good

Your imagination drawings should look worse than your reference drawings.
That’s normal.

Mine still look weird, messy, and sometimes straight-up cursed.

But they’re improving slowly.

The goal is not perfection…
The goal is building mental understanding.

What I’m Doing Right Now to Improve (My Personal Plan)

Since you like personal content, here’s the actual routine I’m doing:

Daily (10 minutes)

• Sketch an object from reference

• Try drawing the same object from memory

• Compare the two

• fix mistakes

A few times a week

• practice hands (still horrible, still doing it)

• draw simple poses

• do quick 2-minute doodles

Whenever I feel like it

• Redraw old sketches to check progress

• draw something without reference, even if it sucks

Slowly, I’m seeing real improvement.

Final Thoughts: It’s Okay to Struggle With Imagination Drawing

If drawing from imagination feels impossible for you, don’t feel discouraged.
It’s not a beginner weakness; it’s an advanced skill disguised as a simple one.

Your brain is still learning.
Your eyes are still understanding.
Your hands are still training.

And the truth is…
every artist you admire struggled with imagination drawing in the beginning, including me.

If you keep practicing the right way, imagination drawing becomes easier day by day.

You don’t have to be perfect.
You just have to start.