How to Improve Your Drawing Skills
Draw shapes., Draw simple designs.When you are comfortable with shapes you can begin combining them., Practice shading., Ask for help and advice., Draw from life constantly., Add details with precision., Practice drawing animals or people in...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Draw shapes.
Try drawing the five basic shapes..
The five basic shapes are
- Sphere, Pyramid, Rectangle, Cylinder and Cone.
All drawings are derived from these five basic shapes Draw the shapes in different sizes and proportions and angles Practice shading with the shapes, lighting them from different directions.
This trains you for more complex shapes down the track, don't get impatient with it Use different drawing tools; pencils of varying thicknesses, pens, markers, colored pencils, charcoal, etc.
This will help you to get a feel for different mediums. -
Step 2: Draw simple designs.When you are comfortable with shapes you can begin combining them.
A cylinder with a cone on top of it, or interlocking spheres begin to move you towards very complex drawings in a simple way Don't press too hard if using pencil; this allows you to erase errors easily as you go.
You also typically want to figure out the proportions and the forms in the drawing before you begin darkening in lines.
Again, use different drawing tools, to get a feel for those that work best for you. , When a form changes, as does the value (how dark or light it is in that location).
The way to make something appear truly 3d and give it a lot of weight is to apply values (shading) to it.
Start by shading the simple forms and then apply the ideas to more complex combinations.
Shade only in one direction.
However, while shading in one direction (as in a straight line) is good for most objects, for things like animals or leaves, shading along with the curves of the object will help it read properly.
If you do not shade with the contours of an object you are giving the brain two different ideas of how a given form should read and the result is it will not look right , Do not think you need to evolve your inner artist on your own.
Ask other artists, art teachers, friends and anyone you trust to give advice.
Listen to their suggestions to help you improve the areas of your drawing skills that need it, and to learn new ways of doing your art. , This is the fundamental exercise that will train your observational skills and build your skill immensely Photographs are not ideal compared to life, a photograph flattens the perspective out, can distort and also takes away the sense of proportion.
Seeing a fighter plane in a photo is one thing, seeing how large they are in real life is another , But do not obsess over them. a good drawing will read early and details only go so far The best way to make detailed drawings is to start off by breaking it down into simple shapes and lines. make measurements by holding your pencil out and estimating height vs width.
Once you have captured the bigger picture go in and refine further, and then focus on the details last.
Always capture the bigger picture first and detail uniformly across the image For animals, add stripes, spots, scales, shine, fur, long coats and background. , This requires adding in motion-suggestive movements.
This will take you quite a while to master, so take it slowly and keep practicing; don't be surprised if your initial attempts look awkward or cartoonish. , Try a landscape or a street-scape, with all of the activities going on.
Do a rough sketch first, to capture everything, then return and infill everything that makes the scene come to life. , Drawing isn't something you master overnight; moreover, it is something that will continue to evolve all of your life.
If you do some research on artists, you'll find that those who kept doing their art throughout many years would often change their styles over decades, reflecting new-found knowledge, new ways of pushing the boundaries and simply seeking to change and improve.
In other words, improving your drawing skills, no matter how good you are already, is a work-for-life and is always in progress.
At the heart of it is effort and dedication; if you love drawing, both will come easily to you. -
Step 3: Practice shading.
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Step 4: Ask for help and advice.
-
Step 5: Draw from life constantly.
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Step 6: Add details with precision.
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Step 7: Practice drawing animals or people in motion.
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Step 8: Draw larger scenes.
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Step 9: Keep practicing and enjoy drawing as a lifelong passion.
Detailed Guide
Try drawing the five basic shapes..
The five basic shapes are
- Sphere, Pyramid, Rectangle, Cylinder and Cone.
All drawings are derived from these five basic shapes Draw the shapes in different sizes and proportions and angles Practice shading with the shapes, lighting them from different directions.
This trains you for more complex shapes down the track, don't get impatient with it Use different drawing tools; pencils of varying thicknesses, pens, markers, colored pencils, charcoal, etc.
This will help you to get a feel for different mediums.
A cylinder with a cone on top of it, or interlocking spheres begin to move you towards very complex drawings in a simple way Don't press too hard if using pencil; this allows you to erase errors easily as you go.
You also typically want to figure out the proportions and the forms in the drawing before you begin darkening in lines.
Again, use different drawing tools, to get a feel for those that work best for you. , When a form changes, as does the value (how dark or light it is in that location).
The way to make something appear truly 3d and give it a lot of weight is to apply values (shading) to it.
Start by shading the simple forms and then apply the ideas to more complex combinations.
Shade only in one direction.
However, while shading in one direction (as in a straight line) is good for most objects, for things like animals or leaves, shading along with the curves of the object will help it read properly.
If you do not shade with the contours of an object you are giving the brain two different ideas of how a given form should read and the result is it will not look right , Do not think you need to evolve your inner artist on your own.
Ask other artists, art teachers, friends and anyone you trust to give advice.
Listen to their suggestions to help you improve the areas of your drawing skills that need it, and to learn new ways of doing your art. , This is the fundamental exercise that will train your observational skills and build your skill immensely Photographs are not ideal compared to life, a photograph flattens the perspective out, can distort and also takes away the sense of proportion.
Seeing a fighter plane in a photo is one thing, seeing how large they are in real life is another , But do not obsess over them. a good drawing will read early and details only go so far The best way to make detailed drawings is to start off by breaking it down into simple shapes and lines. make measurements by holding your pencil out and estimating height vs width.
Once you have captured the bigger picture go in and refine further, and then focus on the details last.
Always capture the bigger picture first and detail uniformly across the image For animals, add stripes, spots, scales, shine, fur, long coats and background. , This requires adding in motion-suggestive movements.
This will take you quite a while to master, so take it slowly and keep practicing; don't be surprised if your initial attempts look awkward or cartoonish. , Try a landscape or a street-scape, with all of the activities going on.
Do a rough sketch first, to capture everything, then return and infill everything that makes the scene come to life. , Drawing isn't something you master overnight; moreover, it is something that will continue to evolve all of your life.
If you do some research on artists, you'll find that those who kept doing their art throughout many years would often change their styles over decades, reflecting new-found knowledge, new ways of pushing the boundaries and simply seeking to change and improve.
In other words, improving your drawing skills, no matter how good you are already, is a work-for-life and is always in progress.
At the heart of it is effort and dedication; if you love drawing, both will come easily to you.
About the Author
Timothy Webb
Creates helpful guides on home improvement to inspire and educate readers.
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