Learn How to Draw for Beginners
We think anyone can learn how to draw,
it’s all a matter of daily practice. We recently got asked how do you
learn how to draw if you’re just starting out? Are there any shortcuts? Yes,
there are.
First, pick up a pen
or pencil, whichever you’re comfortable with, and fill up an entire sheet of
paper with lines, circles ellipses. This is for you to get comfortable withdrawing and warmed up.
The idea here is not
to draw anything specific, but to warm up your hand and get into a creative
mindset.
Next,
it kind of depends on what it is you like to draw. If you’re trying to sketch
or draw something you’ve never done before, try to find drawings you like
and literally try to copy them.
Study their style and try to understand why they draw or paint
like they do. What techniques do they use to achieve a specific effect?
When you do this, you’ll learn faster than if you were to come
up with drawing on your own and even though you’re trying to copy their style
you will inevitably develop your own style of drawing without you even knowing
it.
So what if you don’t feel like drawing but still want to learn?
On
days we don’t know what to draw but we still want to sketch
something, we do something called speed form sketching. This is a great
way to loosen up and get your creativity going. You can do this with pen,
pencils or even markers.
No
matter what it is you’re drawing, always start by defining what simple
geometries your object is made out of. For example, if you’re drawing a coffeemug, start with a cylinder block, get the proportions and perspective right
before jumping into details.
Here’s an example of how to
sketch headphones with this technique.
This
technique is extremely useful and will make drawing and sketching a lot easier.
It can be used for sketching pretty much anything
from coffee mugs and buildings to animals and humans.
If you’re interested in mastering your pencil drawing skills, we
highly recommend having a look at the online class Pencil Drawing Made Easy byNolan Clark
It is a pencil drawing course that specializes in taking
beginners and teaching them how to draw in a realistic style.
The course itself is online
video, so you can access it from anywhere in the world – the videos worked
perfectly on my tablet and phone.
Learn how to draw any object with Nolan Clark
Each class is two hours long so you can even draw with which watching the video, nothing is left to the imagination. The course starts off by showing you all the equipment you need and the basic strokes. Even in this video we picked up a cool tip for erasing.
Each lesson builds on the previous so you are never thrown into the deep.
Each class has it’s own concept or technique that you need to master. For example, in the second class you learn how to spot the different tonal values. In this class Nolan (the instructor) uses different styrofoam objects to show you the light affects the tonal values.
The way he explains it makes it so easy to understand, like theory being explained in a practical way.
With each class you get a downloadable template which you can print out and use that to transfer to your drawing paper. You then also get a high quality photo of the reference and the final drawing.
They are laid out in the pdf in such a way that when you print it out, each are exactly the same size. This makes it easy to judge sizes while drawing. Smart!
In each class you complete a drawing project. Like in the second class you draw a realistic spoon. I though it was going to be difficult, but after watching the explanations at the start of the class and the practical demo, it turned out to be quite easy.
The next four lessons are also still life drawings. There is an onion and garlic still life, transparent wine glass, rose and an apple drawing. In each of these you learn all about creating texture and depth in your drawings as well as drawing negatively and how to draw reflective objects.
From there you start drawing portraits. Nolan shows you how to draw all the major features like the eyes and mouth. What we liked was that he shows you what to look out for with each one. Once you have completed say the ear class, you will be able to draw any ear you like.
We’re
still busy going through the course. It’s massive with over 32 hours worth ofvideo.
The course is brand new, so is currently on a launch special at less than half price. Why don’t you go and check it out for
yourself. You may be able to still bag yourself this bargain as well.
Have a look here.
The bottom line is if you want to get better at anything, it’s
all about practice. This includes if you want to learn how to draw. And if you
enjoy doing it, you’ll naturally become better at it.
Have fun!
