So this is a topic that I have a deep connection with personally. I used to be one of those kids, who when an art teacher advised I should do some life drawing, I’d give the excuse of it ‘just being my style’ 
And I would never give it a second glance, continuing to copy anime characters, lol.
And art teachers really didn’t help. They would imply that life drawing was real art, and that there was something inherently wrong with anime/manga illustration or cartooning. Not explaining the real importance of life drawing to an artist or illustrator.
That’s the weirdest thing. It’s not as if it’s difficult to comprehend or complain. I’ll just give an example of something here, to help prove my point:
Quick Sketch
I did this in literally five minutes, I timed myself. Trust me, back when I just drew anime characters, I would not be able to draw a face with proportions even close to that cohesive without spending years practising life drawing!
Now, that’s the main thing it helps with. Anatomy. If you draw real people, you’ll learn the rules behind how real people work. How they look, and how clothes or accessories sit on the body. It works. And once you have that understanding down, when you work from the styles and artists that inspire you, that’s when you can stretch those rules and limitations to push for the desired effect. Be it illustration or cartooning!
So what do you think?
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That’s actually one of my main classes at the Academy!
I hated it for the longest time, it was always frustrating to me because I’m such a perfectionist but I agree with you. It is really important to draw real people because you do learn the rules behind how real people work. I do interior design so I don’t really need it but it’s really helpful for illustrators.
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Those are fantastic! And yeah, doing a module or course on it is soooo helpful for illustrators, just for the basic skills 
!
Interior design is super rad 
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I try to draw realistically, but I kind of suck at art in general
I took an art class, where we had to look at the work of a whole lot of different artists, work in a lot of different styles, and use a whole bunch of different materials. We did a lot of realism, and I actually think that doing all of that work was incredibly helpful for learning how a lot of things work. Anatomy, shading, drawing a variety of textures, drawing fabric, and other complicated things get a lot easier when you actually look at them realistically. I know that, as a kid, I did a lot of heavily stylized drawings, but the anatomy looked a lot more awkward because I didn’t understand the fundamentals.
Has anyone else had a similar experience to this?
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Yes! This! ^
I had this exactly! Also, nude portrature is wonderful for learning shading and anatomy!
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Bump!
How long did it take you to get good at life drawings?
Do you think that people should do more life drawings in their art classes? 
Basic anatomy and structure of the ‘real’ world is at the centre of all art forms, bar maybe abstract art. No matter how stylised something is, tehre’s always a base line. Humans have eyes, mouths, noses ect. and how they are shaped and placed are all according to real anatomy, even if this is bent slightly in terms of cartoon styles.
So yes, even if you don’t want to pursue realistic art styles, life-like art practice is essential nonetheless.
@Artists what do you guys think about this?
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