How to Learn to Draw:

We all drew when we were kids. It was pretty easy then, whether I used colored pencils, a stick or a finger on a steamy window. But even then, you may have noticed that some children have drawn better than you. Not that you knew what "better" means - what you understood was the sweetness of praise. Every time you heard someone else praised and your work ignored, you felt worse and worse. Eventually, you gave up drawing. Why would you continue if no one was interested?

Now, for whatever reason, you want to try again, but it looks scary. Those kids who have never given up are working like professionals now, and their art seems almost magical. How could this difference be covered? Will you ever be able to catch up?

The answer is that no one knows. But you shouldn't catch them . It is your dream to draw what you want, in any style you want, without being constantly criticized for drawing errors. That "future you" should be your ideal, and becoming as good as him or her depends only on you, not on the ability / determination of others.

Once you set your future as a point of reference, you will make steady progress. Your goal is to get better than yesterday. Doesn't this variant sound more possible, like the one to become better than someone else? If you agree, join me in this great search. I'm not going to show you how to draw - you don't want that either! Instead, I will show you how to learn to draw. I will guide you through four major stages, which you will go through at your own pace.

This is the first step. If you're wondering how to get started after such a long break, here's the answer. I will present a series of exercises for absolute beginners - maybe some of them you will find quite obvious, but this only means that you are a little more advanced than you thought. Ready?

Set your Mind

When you decide to learn something, the right attitude is far, far more important than all the books in the world. I've already given you some advice - compare skills with your future, not others. There are more, so read this section carefully before you start the exercises.

Perfection does not exist

When deciding on your goal, it may seem absolutely plausible. "These are me today, and this is when I reach my goal," you imagine. There is a certain way to cross these two bridges, and it seems achievable. However, you have lost sight of an important point - your needs change with you.

Today, your ability to draw a figure on a stick may seem incredible, but only because you don't know how to do it. Once you reach your goal, it loses its power, and you will look for something different, much stronger. You can't want something you already have. Because of this you complain that you don't know how to draw a figure on a stick, as if it were a skill worth having, and someone else who knows how to draw a figure on a stick complains that he doesn't know how to draw a stick. real person.

There is no point in being good enough. That's how we're built, so accept that. Never think about your skills like this: "I'm a great artist and I don't need to learn anything else, I'm doing this now just to have fun." It will not happen! There is always something that can be done, something that could complement you ... and once you understand it, this new thing will open your eyes to a new world, where there is a lot to learn.

drawing how much do you know

When you think you know 99% of something, the remaining 1% will show you how wrong you are.

If there's one way to be perfect, it's to stop trying. You have to understand that no matter how well you draw, it will not make you a better person, more valuable than you already are. The opposite is true - no matter how bad you draw, it won't make you a less valuable person. This brings us to another point:

Do It For You

If you want to draw just to feel the sweetness of a past praise, prepare for much suffering. Do you remember the feeling when you were so proud of your work, until someone criticized you? Why is your satisfaction so easily lost because a stranger declares his opinion?

why critique hurts so much

When you base your own satisfaction on the opinion of others, you will never be satisfied. What's more, you'll be able to control your mood for people who don't really care about you! Even if it helps you become a better artist, you will always be stressed that you are not good enough. And you'd rather be a great artist, but stressed out, or a bad one, but satisfied.

We've discussed the subject of criticism in this article , so if you feel it's a problem you're facing, make sure you read it. Remember: you don't want to be a great artist. You just want to be satisfied with your work, and by chance, you think you're just as great as the professionals. You do not need! Stop comparing yourself to others, and try to get better than yesterday - that's all you need to be satisfied.

You are the one who sets your goals, but does not make them very difficult to achieve. You have to decide which one is good enough for you. Keep it fun, take it easy, and don't be harsh with yourself, because you're not as good as the others who have been practicing for years. Do it only for yourself and only for yourself. Learn to be happy with your little progress, no matter what others think. What do they know, after all?

There is only one purpose

You may have several reasons why you want to learn to draw, but you have only one goal. And that is to learn to draw. The key word here is "learning" because you can't learn to draw once and for all. It is a constant, endless process! So if you decide to go it cheap and risk the low bandwidth you are only fooling yourself . And what you want changes simultaneously with the development of your skills, along with your vision of 100% realism.

learning never ends how to learn to draw

That feeling, that there is an end point, is just an illusion

It is important to understand that the journey never ends. As long as you are under the impression of a goal that you have to achieve in order to be satisfied with your own art, you will never be. Learn to appreciate every little sign of progress and enjoy the journey. Learning is the only thing you will always do, and it is the only goal you will not miss.

If you really need more defined goals, don't hesitate to create them. However, do not rely on any of them to get all your happiness and confidence - it is useless. And even when pursuing these small goals, keep in mind that this is the process, and it doesn't matter when you achieve them.

Manual Skills

The simpler it seems to you, the less advanced you are. Funny as it may sound, there's a rule for that, and it's called the Dunning-Kruger effect. In short, the less you know about something, the more you think you know. Because ignorance is also knowledge!

I can say "I know drawing is not an easy process - if it were, I would know how to do it"! However, you almost cried when your drawing didn't turn out the way you wanted. If you really knew how hard it was to draw something right, you wouldn't be so frustrated - it would be obvious to you that it must be hard!

When you look at a talented artist drawing his masterpiece and you don't understand how he does it, you might be tempted to put all the blame on the talent. This is a clear sign that you are a beginner. When you are more advanced than you are now, even a little - and if you only tried to learn to draw - you will understand that it is not just one skill.

why is drawing so hard

When you are an absolute beginner, you think it is all you need to draw them .

We have divided the most important drawing skills into four stages:

Step 1: Draw What You Want

This is the basic definition of drawing: creating signs on something. It's about training your hand to work almost automatically with the tool you want to use. Beginners consider this skill the only thing they need, but in fact it is just a base. Keyword: exercise.

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Step 2: Draw What You Want

This is about the intentional use of the tool, avoiding assumptions. If, after drawing something nice, you are afraid that you will not be able to draw it again, it is probably the stage you should work on. It's also about you, the one who doesn't know how to copy references, unless you trace them. Keyword: accuracy.

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Step 3: Draw What You Want

It's less about drawing as you know it, and more about memory. The main idea has been included in this article , where there are other exercises that will make this process easier. If in the previous stage it was about drawing things out of your head, here we are talking about putting things there. Keyword: visual databases.

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Step 4: Draw What You Want

It's the hardest, most ambiguous part. How can you draw something the way you want, regardless of the expectations of others? How can you do something unrealistic but still plausible? Notice that it comes after you have mastered realism! Keyword: style.

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How to Learn

Of course, today we are working on stage 1, hence this long introduction. You need to be aware that this is not a tutorial in the true sense of the word - these are just exercises that will help you get to the next level, but it's up to you how you use them.

For the purpose of this tutorial, I am going to assume that you are using a simple pencil and a piece of paper. Beginners often wonder if they should start with a pencil or a graphics tablet, but the second option complicates matters more than necessary. You're probably already familiar with pencil - so there's no need to add another tool, which you have to learn from scratch.

However, if you are already an expert in traditional drawing and want to get started in your digital drawing adventure, these exercises can help you get used to the specific movement of the digital pencil. If you want to draw with the other hand (for example, due to an injury or just for fun), they will help you too!

Now, there is only one and the best pencil grip. Start with the way you hold the pencil when you write, and if you don't feel precise / comfortable enough, change your position. All these exercises are an amusement park for you - do not think, test your skills and do not compare them with those imagined.

Remember:

Exercises on short sessions (5-15 minutes), but regularly - at least once a day .

Your hand shouldn't hurt - it can get tired, but if it's more than that, find a more comfortable version of the movement.

Keep your hand relaxed - don't push the pencil with all your might. Your skill is to make signs, and nothing more.

Do not use a special sheet or sketchbook. Feel free to draw on some already printed paper on one side, which you would have thrown away anyway, or on the cheapest printer sheet.

Start good music or an audiobook - you don't have to focus on what you're doing. The goal here is to implement these movements to become automatic for your hand.

Never forget why you are doing this. Don't treat him like a chore - you can stop at any time if you don't want to continue!

Enough of that, let's get to work!

1. Draw Scribbles

Start vaguely - just draw something. Believe it or not, you can already draw, you just want to get more control. Have fun and just draw, as if it were a boring lesson and you would have nothing else to do. Don't draw anything specific, and don't judge it!

how to learn to draw

This exercise:

warm your hand

It will relax your hand

it will remind you what it means to draw

it will free your mind

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This is a warm-up exercise, so don't force yourself!

All the examples, like the one above, were drawn with my left hand (I'm right). Your primary hand is probably more competent because you use it (at least sometimes) for handwriting. However, the untrained hand of an experienced artist clearly shows the manual part of the drawing process.

2. Control the direction

Draw a bunch of dots, or a starry sky. Then play Snake! Try to move smoothly, and don't take steep curves. If you want to make it more challenging, use several points and first, connect them diagonally.

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This exercise:

it teaches you how to change direction subtly

It will allow you to control the direction of the line - this is the first step in achieving accuracy

trains your hand for different positions

allows you to check that the tightening is comfortable in any position

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This is a fun exercise that you can treat like a game

3. Draw Any Line

Straight lines can be very difficult for an untrained hand, and this is why it is especially important to practice them. Don't expect the right direction - draw lines quickly, easily, using different directions. Some of them you will find more comfortable than others, and that is OK. That's why I draw my creatures positioned to the left!

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This exercise:

exercise a stable tightening

extend the previous exercise

allows you to find the "flow" of your hand - the most comfortable direction for your lines

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Don't worry if I come out shaking - it's completely normal when you start

When you find this perfect direction, keep using it in the future. Rotate the sheet if necessary, but stick to that favorite stream - it will be the first step towards a comfortable drawing.

4. Draw Oval

I didn't intentionally say "circles" because the circles are as scary as the straight lines. Use oval, but not perfect ones. Draw them big and small, fast and slow, and don't worry about their perfection. The goal here is to return unconscious and finish from the start.

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This exercise:

practice rotating the hand over a short and long distance

teaches you how to handle tightening during rotation

In the next step we gain control over the direction

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Forget about perfect circles for a while - they are rarely needed in drawing

5. Practice hatching

Hatching is a technique used for shading, but it is also based on an important hand movement. Draw a series of fast, short lines, all in the same direction, and then intersect them with another series. You can use the technique called "hair ball" or another version of hatching. It's hard, it starts a little slower, but never focus on a single line.

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This exercise:

allows you to recreate a move you've already used

It trains your hand for fast but deliberate movement

train "small and sharp" movements

it forces you to find tireless ways to rehearse

teaches you to think in terms of "area" instead of "line"

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This technique will always be a bit tiring, but try to find a way that does not require more effort than necessary.

6. Fill Closed Areas

Let's link two exercises. Draw ovals, and then quickly fill them with hatching. The goal here is not to cross the edges, which can be very difficult if you don't do it fast enough. Don't fix gaps - rather practice until they stop appearing.

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This exercise:

extends the "line drawing" exercise - leads to stable tightening

increase your confidence in line control

group different exercises

trains your accuracy for the beginning and end point of the line

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It's harder than you think!

7. Control Your Pressure Levels

It is very difficult for a perfectionist beginner to give up. This is somehow imprinted in them, that every line must be perfect all at once, without corrections. This exercise is the first step in breaking this "rule." Draw lines and scribbles using different pressure levels. Change it during the rhythm, and see if you can do it gradually. You can even draw a gradient from the lines!

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This exercise:

gives you freedom!

teaches you the crucial vertical movement and how to combine it with the common horizontal movement

it trains you to "feel" the tightness

it is the most important exercise of all

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Softer pencils (B) contain more pressure levels than hard pencils (H) - check them to find your favorite

8. Repeat Lines

Let's continue the previous exercise. Now you will learn a very important trick, one that most beginners are not even aware of.

Draw a short line using low pressure. Then he draws on it again and again. For the last line you can use a higher pressure. Do the same with different lines, fast, and don't worry if it doesn't turn out great at first. This is a difficult but miraculous exercise!

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This exercise:

trains precision

gives you complete control over the line

helps you achieve a higher level of accuracy

gives you confidence in what you can draw - the lines start to look intentional, and don't just "appear" anymore

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It doesn't go too slow, or it won't give you any effect

9. Draw "Smooth" shapes

All the previous exercises have prepared you for the latter. Circles or long lines are almost impossible to draw at once without additional tools. The truth is that artists rarely draw using long lines - short lines are much easier to control.

Learn this and become free - draw various shapes, lifting and moving the pencil back, all the time. Do it quickly and don't try to force your hand too hard.

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This exercise:

it will allow you to get rid of the most restrictive habit for a beginner

it will allow you to plan the direction of the line, instead of allowing this decision to rage

it prepares you for another stage

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You can draw anything with this technique - see for yourself what effect it has

Here we go!

Use these exercises to practice your manual skills every day. Your progress will depend only on the determination and discipline you show. Practice until I'm a child's play before moving on to the next stage. Order is very important here - without a good foundation, everything you learn later will be much harder to master.

It may sound boring, but remember what it's all about - you'll learn basic moves that will help you make even the most complicated drawings. It's like buying ingredients for a great new recipe. You can invest more and get the delicious food you want, or you can try to save some money and be disappointed in the end. Nothing of value is easily obtained!

Remember: rehearsal is the key here. You train what is called muscle memory, and identical to "normal" memory, it needs constant, regular practice to get a longer-term impression. So keep training and be excited about the next step - intention and precision.