While Proko’s premium courses (like the Figure Drawing Course or Portrait Drawing) are excellent investments once you are ready, you can actually get 80% of the value from the free "previews" and "trailers" he posts.
Search YouTube for "Proko Figure Drawing Course Trailer"—these 10-minute mini-docs are packed with actionable advice. They are essentially condensed masterclasses designed to sell the course, but you are legally allowed to watch them for free and learn endlessly.
Proko (Stan Prokopenko) is famous for figure drawing, but his free drawing basics series is a goldmine for beginners. You don’t need a paid course to learn form, gesture, perspective, and value. Below are the top free lessons from Proko’s Drawing Basics that will level up your skills fast.
Week 1: Gesture basics — 1–2 min gesture drills (daily), watch gesture videos.
Week 2: Basic forms — draw spheres/cylinders/cubes from imagination and reference.
Week 3: Construction — combine forms into simple objects and limbs.
Week 4: Proportions & landmarks — study head and torso proportions, quick portraits.
Week 5: Shading & planes — light source studies, render simple forms.
Week 6: Integration — full figure thumbnails, timed figure drawings, select 3 pieces for refinement.