RedMage the secret to creating in 2-D form is to not see the object but the form. For example if drawing a figure find the triangles or x's that form the composition. The second thing I do is depict the tone of whatever I am drawing. The third thing I do is...this is going to sound weird...I feel the surface of the figure or object with my mind. I feel what kind of texture it has...rough, smooth, grainy, oily, etc. Then I implement this with my drawing instrument whether it be pencil, crayon, pastel, brush, pen, litho crayon, carving implement(for printmaking or ceramics). In over 30 years this technique has never failed me. Good Luck in your endevors. Let your mind guide you.