But There Is More To It Than That
Repetition does do wonders but having understanding of what lies beneath the skins helps even more.
A lot of people think art is just some magical talent you are born with while others are of the impression that you can just learn a few tricks and magically improve.
The reality is that it takes a whole lot of effort and repetition but also a lot of studying. Regardless of what other people think, you have to combine both to see the best results.
A lot of people struggle with combining the two.
Sometimes, it's hard to apply what you learn through a video or a class into what you draw. Alternatively they might practice their heart out but are stagnating because they aren't learning anything new.
The thing is the actual anatomy studying can be done within a month or two. I'm referring to what an artist needs to know, not a medical professional. The next step is a life long journey of studying the human figure visually. The more figures you draw the more you pick up on. The challenge is in learning just a little bit and then applying that through practice. What or how much that 'little bit' is and for how long one needs to practice that varies from person to person, which is why it is so difficult to have a clear cut method that works perfectly for everyone.
The more figures you draw the wider your visual library becomes as well, so you will need less visual reference, and can focus on building up other aspects of your visual library.
Take Alex Negrea for example, he is a professional character design artist and he has a video out on how to build a visual library.
It pretty much comes down to just doing tons and tons of studies.
Once you understand the form and design of something you don't have to spend an extra 30 hours to make it photo real. Sometimes just an hour study is enough to really understand something. He recommends doing lots of somewhat clean line drawings but if you need to understand how the object is effected by light you'll need to do color/value roughs.
I would say that learning how to do art better is just as important as just drawing a lot. But it is much easier to learn too much and not practice enough. So if you're not sure if you should study or just draw, chances are you should draw. If you are feeling uninspired it can be helpful to learn more techniques and become inspired by the new knowledge as they will ultimately open up new paths for you to take.
Take a look at where you are today. You've got another thousand lousy drawings in you. That's how it works, we all have to make those thousand lousy drawings. The sooner you get them out the better. Get some vine charcoal, a kneaded eraser, and an 18 x 24 pad of paper and work like that for a while. It will help you to loosen up.
Now it is time for a cookie!