Drawing What You Actually See
Break past the mental shorthand that makes drawing feel intimidating and train your eyes to see real shapes, angles, and values. Learn the fundamental observation techniques and shading principles that turn flat lines into believable three-dimensional objects on paper.
Like Duolingo, but for Drawing What You Actually See. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
A short one: 12 levels across 2 sections, about 24 minutes end to end, roughly 5 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Training Your Eye to See and Giving Objects Weight and Depth. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Drawing What You Actually See
- The brain stores generic, simplified symbols for familiar features like eyes, mouths, and noses
- Beginner drawings often look like cartoons because the brain relies on memory symbols rather than looking at real shapes
- Overcoming symbol drawing requires focusing on the unique, irregular edges you actually see
- Flipping an image disables automatic object recognition like 'face' or 'chair'
- Without recognizable labels, the brain is forced to process the reference as abstract relationships, angles, and distances
- Blind contour requires looking only at the subject and never glancing down at the paper while the pencil moves
- The goal is matching the speed of your drawing hand directly to your eye's visual path across an edge
- Looking at the page only happens once the continuous line is finished
- Pressing harder creates a thicker, darker line that naturally conveys shadow and downward weight
- Light pencil pressure leaves delicate lines that make edges appear illuminated by light
- The wrist has a small radius, which naturally produces cramped, arched, or hesitant marks
- Pivoting from the shoulder engages the whole arm, unlocking wide reaches and smooth, steady curves
- Lifting the hand off the page and drawing from the shoulder prevents rigid, scratchy lines
- Drawing the empty shape enclosed by an object (negative space) bypasses mental assumptions about what the object should look like
- It is often easier for the eye to recognize whether an enclosed shape of empty air matches reality than a complex curving contour
- When the negative space matches the reference, the outline of the positive object is naturally correct
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Drawing What You Actually See the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
Why do beginner portrait sketches often end up looking like cartoons?
Get it right to open this lesson and 11 more in the app.
How to learn Drawing What You Actually See, step by step
Go in order. 12 short levels across 2 sections, about 24 minutes in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
Training Your Eye to See
- Shutting Off Symbolic Drawing
- Measuring Proportions with Your Pencil
- 2
Giving Objects Weight and Depth
- Building 3D Forms from Basic Volumes
- Shading Light, Shadow, and Depth
2 sections · 4 units · 12 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about Drawing What You Actually See
How do I learn Drawing What You Actually See?
Go in order: start with Training Your Eye to See, then Giving Objects Weight and Depth. On Tomo that's 12 short levels, about 24 minutes in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.
Is there a Duolingo-style app for Drawing What You Actually See?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. Drawing What You Actually See is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is the Drawing What You Actually See course free?
Yes. Drawing What You Actually See is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.
How long does it take to learn Drawing What You Actually See?
12 levels across 2 sections, about 24 minutes of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.
Do I need any background to start Drawing What You Actually See?
No. It's pitched at a beginner level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
Drawing What You Actually See is taught in the Bestie style: your friend who just gets it. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start Drawing What You Actually See today.
Download Tomo, search Drawing What You Actually See, and play your first lesson in under a minute.