Art Improvement: Redrawing Old Art to Measure Your Progress
One of the most motivating and eye-opening exercises for any artist—whether digital, traditional, beginner, or advanced—is the classic “redraw your old art” challenge. Often called the “Draw This Again” meme or progress redraw, it involves taking a piece you created months or years ago and recreating it with your current skills. The side-by-side comparison almost always reveals massive growth in anatomy, line quality, coloring, composition, confidence, and overall polish.
Why this method works so well:
- It’s objective evidence of improvement (no more “I feel like I’m not getting better”).
- It highlights specific weak spots you can target next.
- It’s fun and nostalgic—many artists pick pieces they once loved or were embarrassed by.
- Posting the before/after online often gets encouraging feedback from the community.
Here are some real-world examples that show just how dramatic the change can be over time.
This redraw of Hakurei Reimu (from Touhou) spans over a decade—from a simple 2010 sketch to a dynamic, detailed 2023 version with better proportions, flow, shading, and energy.
A fan art character from 2020 (childhood drawing style) to a much more refined 2025 version—notice the leap in understanding form, expression, and line confidence.
Vanellope from Wreck-It Ralph: A 2013 pencil sketch vs. a vibrant, stylized 2017 digital redraw. The anatomy, lighting, personality, and overall charm explode in improvement.
A clean “Draw This Again” template you can use yourself—just drop your old and new versions side by side.
How to Do Your Own Progress Redraw
- Dig up an old piece — Pick something from 6 months to 10+ years ago. Fan art, OCs, studies, or random doodles all work.
- Redraw it today — Don’t trace or heavily reference the old one. Use it only as loose inspiration. Aim to make it “better” using everything you’ve learned.
- Compare side-by-side — Use the same canvas size/resolution if possible for fair comparison.
- Analyze the differences — Ask: Better proportions? Cleaner lines? Richer colors/values? Stronger perspective/composition? More emotion/exaggeration?
- Share it (optional) — Post on social media, DeviantArt, Reddit (r/ArtProgress or r/learnart), or X with #DrawThisAgain or #ArtProgress.
Many artists do yearly redraws of the same character or pose to track long-term growth.
Here are more inspiring examples:
A cozy scene redraw—improved lighting, expressions, and overall mood.
Even focused studies like eye shading show huge progress when revisited.
Pose and anatomy references become much more natural after years of practice.
The beauty of this exercise is that everyone improves at their own pace, but the visual proof is undeniable. If you’re feeling stuck or unmotivated, grab an old drawing today and give it a fresh go—you might surprise yourself with how far you’ve come.
Have you tried a progress redraw before? What was the biggest change you noticed? Drop your before/after in the comments if you want to share! 🎨
