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I kind of wish I could have recorded this and made a video on how to practice drawing characters. Too bad I don't have any access to recording programs

Anyway, here's some tips for drawing characters until you can memorize them and draw them well with no reference.

1. Start with a reference! You will never be able to draw any character right unless you have a general idea of the little details in their designs. Try and get a stock image from a wiki or google images, and avoid using fanart for your reference, especially if you want to draw the character in their original style.

2. Get the feel of how the character looks! With your reference draw some different positions and expressions with the character. Use perspective and really get a sense of how the character would look if you were standing next to them, or looking above or below them. (This is what I did on the top line of drawings)

3. Now it's time to play with the character! Draw them in all sorts of positions. Sitting, laying down, running, or even tending to a garden. Here you can really exaggerate the personality of the character you chose (Raymond happens to be confident, dramatic, and into sports). What would they do? Try to do a different angle, facial expression, and feel with each pose. Don't draw two sketches of the character looking straight to the side, for example.

While your experimenting with the character keep looking back to your reference. With every drawing that you replicate the design, you are slowly memorizing how to draw the character.

- Keep this part of your practice rough and sketchy if you need to, at this point nothing should look too polished. Leave that for when you feel comfortable enough.

- Watch for the proportions you give to the drawings. If your using your own style, you can exaggerate them a little. If you want to replicate the look of the original character try to keep the proportions as correct as you can. Even make generalization guidelines such as "This character's head is twice as wide as their shoulders, which are the same width as their legs".

- Don't feel bad if you don't get it right the first time! Just keep looking to the original picture. Replicate that if you have to. Remember that the more drawings you do, and the more you experiment, the better the next will come out.

Hope this is helpful, though half of it is pretty obvious.

Description
I kind of wish I could have recorded this and made a video on how to practice drawing characters. Too bad I don't have any access to recording programs

Anyway, here's some tips for drawing characters until you can memorize them and draw them well with no reference.

1. Start with a reference! You will never be able to draw any character right unless you have a general idea of the little details in their designs. Try and get a stock image from a wiki or google images, and avoid using fanart for your reference, especially if you want to draw the character in their original style.

2. Get the feel of how the character looks! With your reference draw some different positions and expressions with the character. Use perspective and really get a sense of how the character would look if you were standing next to them, or looking above or below them. (This is what I did on the top line of drawings)

3. Now it's time to play with the character! Draw them in all sorts of positions. Sitting, laying down, running, or even tending to a garden. Here you can really exaggerate the personality of the character you chose (Raymond happens to be confident, dramatic, and into sports). What would they do? Try to do a different angle, facial expression, and feel with each pose. Don't draw two sketches of the character looking straight to the side, for example.

While your experimenting with the character keep looking back to your reference. With every drawing that you replicate the design, you are slowly memorizing how to draw the character.

- Keep this part of your practice rough and sketchy if you need to, at this point nothing should look too polished. Leave that for when you feel comfortable enough.

- Watch for the proportions you give to the drawings. If your using your own style, you can exaggerate them a little. If you want to replicate the look of the original character try to keep the proportions as correct as you can. Even make generalization guidelines such as "This character's head is twice as wide as their shoulders, which are the same width as their legs".

- Don't feel bad if you don't get it right the first time! Just keep looking to the original picture. Replicate that if you have to. Remember that the more drawings you do, and the more you experiment, the better the next will come out.

Hope this is helpful, though half of it is pretty obvious.