How to Draw: Shoulder or Wrist (probably wrist)

If you want your drawings to have appeal and detail, draw with your wrist (Not your shoulder). Illustrators draw with their wrist. Animators draw with their shoulder. Drawing with your wrist gives you more control over your lines, and more control over texture and small details.

When I drew with my shoulder I achieved none of this.

What I’m saying is, when you’re drawing on paper, Wrist, not shoulder.

Some teachers will try to teach you the OPPOSITE of this method. But those teachers are ANIMATORS, NOT illustrators, and that is why they prefer shoulder to wrist.

Bottom line? If you want real control over your own lines, draw through your wrist. Shoulder won't help you, especially if you're the analytical, technical artist, high I.Q. type, like myself

Here's an example: I drew the Paul Pope fanart sketch rendition below through the process of ONLY using my wrist, never my shoulder.

I like how it turned out.

Also...

2nd Attempt, drawn entirely with wrist (not) shoulder

Gendo Ikari

Wrist drawings help with line control, delicacy of line application, and textural control.

AND....3

I decided to take a stab at drawing Mono Jubei in a more American-Comics oriented style, which basically means I don't care if it looks eloquent or not and can go abstract on the fabric, instead of conservative...