Do you want to improve your drawing techniques? Whether you want to become a famous artist, or just give yourself a creative style, drawing is a very beautiful way to express yourself and observe the details of the world around us. You will find help in this article.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: The basics of drawing
Step 1. Draw what you see
Start with simple and common objects (such as the classic fruit in a fruit bowl), to progress to more complex objects (for example, an intricately shaped table or people's faces). The more you learn to draw real objects, the better you will be at representing abstract concepts.
- For example, suppose you come up with an idea for a cartoon character. Maybe you can imagine every detail (the facial expressions, the emotions expressed in the eyes, the typical pose of that character). If, however, you have not practiced drawing faces, eyes and attitudes, it will be very difficult for you to reproduce that character so vivid in your head on paper.
- Instead of starting big and elaborate, try to focus on what is small and simple. Grab a fruit bowl with fruit, or a house, or a mountain range and practice reproducing them with a simple pencil. Try drawing the same object in different ways. If you're drawing a mountain range, for example, briefly evaluate your first drawing. Try to understand what is good and what is not; ask a friend to tell you which parts of the mountain look unnatural or need improvement. Once you have a list of things to improve, redraw the mountain range. This time improve those parts that you didn't draw well the first time.
- Think like a great cook. When a chef learns a new recipe, he often spends days or weeks cooking the same recipe over and over. For sure it will be a bore, but by the end of the week he will have perfected his dish. Don't be discouraged if your dish doesn't turn out the way you would like the first time you try it. It takes time to do well in what you do.
Step 2. Draw as many times as you can
The more you practice, the more you will improve. Even when you're busy with something else but have your hands free (when you're on the phone, it's the perfect time to scribble), grab a piece of paper and a pencil and draw some basic shapes.
- In the beginning, practice with some basic primary forms. These will be the basis for many other more complex figures you will face as you continue to draw. Mastering these forms will make your progress more constructive and productive.
- Draw circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, etc. Strive to improve by drawing these figures as perfectly as possible. Then, go even further by drawing variations: different sized circles and squares, different types of rectangles and triangles.
- After repeating a few times (and filling a full basket with crumpled papers), you should reach a level where you will be able to draw most of the figures without any problems. To increase basic skills, also draw curves and spirals. Try springs and spirals and curves of various shapes, squiggles and garlands, paying attention to the texture of your curves.
Part 2 of 3: Concepts to master
Step 1. Make a quick sketch
If you're drawing a tree, don't draw one leaf at a time. Otherwise, you run the risk of drawing only one part of the object and forgetting the whole figure. You will end up not having enough space or, as more often happens, your drawing will be disproportionate.
- Use light, repeated strokes. Don't be too precise, don't worry about mistakes. What you want is a general idea, not the perfect facsimile. Compare, modify and improve what you have achieved.
- If you are reproducing a real object, check what you have on the card with the original. Make sure the proportions are as accurate as possible.
- Imagine what you want your tree to look like, and make a light sketch with a pencil. You can draw a profile of what you want to draw, or you can draw its "skeleton" (as is usually done when drawing bodies).
- An effective method is to imagine the basic shapes that make up the object. In other words, mentally break down the object. A tree, in most cases, is an oval or triangle centered on top of a cylinder. Draw both shapes in 3D, so you can add details later and maintain their proportions.
Step 2. Develop your sketch
Use a heavier / darker line to highlight the parts of the design you need, and erase the lines you don't need with an eraser. Add in the details, a little at a time, without forgetting to take a step back and look at your drawing as a whole to make sure it's going the way you want it. Learn and experiment with different techniques, which can increase your ability to express your ideas.
- Draw using shading. The shading is based on the differences in light and color. Think about how light hits an object and which parts of the object are light or dark as a result. This can lend brightness, intensity and depth to a design.
- Imagine this painting: in the foreground, a bowling ball and, in the background, the sun begins to set. Since the sun is close to the horizon, the light will hit the ball at a very low angle, certainly not as high as with the sun at noon or on a sunny day. As a result, you will need to color the top of the ball lighter than the bottom, as the latter is not directly illuminated by the sun.
- Practice with shading. If you want to get very realistic, study how light reflects off objects, also considering the resulting shadows. Shadows can almost be almost a mirror image of the object, or they can be stretched, diagonal and distorted. Observe the different types of shadows formed by the sun in reality, and try to reproduce them in your drawings.
Step 3. Add some touches of realism
Even if in the end what you want is to draw cartoons or caricatures, you will still need to know what makes an object realistic. If you want your designs to be as similar to reality as possible, the key is to master these practices.
- Become familiar with the prospects. Perspective is the concept that things further away appear smaller, while things closer appear larger. If you are drawing a large object (a building) or a complicated scene (an entire neighborhood), it is especially important to understand the perspective, unless you want to give it a more two-dimensional look. A great exercise is to focus on perspective when drawing small, simple objects (a cube, a stack of books).
- Learn the proportions. Proportion is how different parts in an object relate in terms of size. The aspect ratio can greatly affect the realistic rendering of a drawing. For accurate proportions, use measurement techniques such as the grid method or checkmarks. Changing proportions, exaggerating some aspects and reducing others, can express unique ideas or represent a certain style of drawing. Characters in Japanese caricatures or cartoons, for example, have very large eyes or disproportionately large faces. Before upsetting objects and people, however, try to draw them in the correct proportions.
- Play with color. Color adds a different dimension to the piece. Contrast, blending, saturation, and color schemes make some designs more vivid or more realistic, or abstract, depending on how the color is applied. If you are interested, start by mixing watercolors and acrylics. Mix the most varied colors and see the results. Photocopy your drawings, play with the different colors and see how the results change, based on the colors you use.
Part 3 of 3: Materials, recording and drawing in sessions
Step 1. What you need to get started
For starters, sketch paper is the best choice; a smoother type of paper gives better detail, but a rougher paper will hold the graphite in your pencil better.
- The pencils are available in different degrees of hardness, ranging from "hard" pencils, type H, to "soft" pencils, type 9B. Hard pencils do not have many shades, i.e. they do not allow you to switch from lighter to darker colors. Soft pencils, on the other hand, have different shades: depending on the pressure you exert with the pencil, you will have lighter or darker lines. Try sketching with a 6B or 8B pencil (relatively soft): pressing the pencil harder will get darker shades.
- Once ready, try drawing with charcoal. The charcoal is available as a compressed stick or in the form of a pencil. The harder charcoal gives a gray color, while the softer charcoal makes shading easier. Use the charcoal like a pencil. Charcoal can be more expressive. Use it to capture sweeping gestures and movements, or use it to create deep shading. If you are going to paint on canvas, you can use charcoal for the outlines before using paints.
Step 2. Keep your work
Prepare a place to put all your drawings or collect them all together in a newspaper. By doing this you will be able to observe your progress. The more you get used to drawing, the easier it will be to recognize mistakes and decide how to correct them. Also, as you continue to draw, you will develop your own style. It is always interesting to look back and see how one has grown in one's ability to express. Don't let it get you down. If you practice, you can perfect yourself.
Step 3. Try out a movement design done in sessions
If you are having trouble with aspect ratio, if you are unhappy because your poses are stiff and, even worse, you make all those mistakes you don't want to make, this is a great way to break the cycle. Get a kitchen timer. Put it on five minutes. Choose something that doesn't move, like an artificial rose, something a little difficult but you like enough to be willing to draw more than once. It will help if you really like the item. Using a soft pencil (B, 2B or 4B), try to make a sketch in five or two minutes. Set a time interval no longer than five minutes. When the time is up, stop drawing even if you're not done yet. Try it again on a new part of the sheet.
- Whenever you try to draw something within five minutes, you will observe and focus on something different. You will correct mistakes without having to think about going back and erasing them.
- This method is especially good for drawing people, as it is not a problem to ask a friend to pose for two minutes for a "pose sketch", rather than asking him to sit for an hour.
- When you give yourself fifteen minutes to sketch a pose, it will feel like you have all the time you want to finish it. You will most likely finish before time is up. This is a good way to train to be able to draw outdoors where the light changes within half an hour.
- With small gestures, try to draw your cat or dog while it sleeps. Typically, a sleeping animal will sit still for about two minutes before turning around or moving about in sleep.
- Try drawing something as simple as a pencil. Common and easy to draw things. Practice a few times with the chosen item until it fits you well. Once you are satisfied, move on to a more difficult object, like the face of a person.
Advice
- Keep trying and don't give up, even if the first time won't go very well.
- The key to professional quality designs is to include lines, shapes, values, texture and color. Most all start with lines to create shapes. Beginners often stop there. A design should contain something completely white, something very black and some in-between colors. You should show in the drawing what is smooth and what is rough. Adding just one color to a pencil drawing will make it more interesting.
- Remember that your best is your best. Do not compare with the work of other professionals.
- If you break the tip (or graphite) of the pencil, you can use it as a shading technique.
- Some of the best works of art have the best shading. If you are good at shading, you are on a good start. Remember that practice is worth more than grammar.
- Vary what you draw. For example, practice on inanimate objects and work on people the next day. This will help keep your mind fresh and avoid frustration.
- Consider criticism and use it to improve. It is common for amateurs to take offense at criticism, even if it is not usually done with bad intentions. Recognize your mistakes and try to correct them.
- Drawing is an art that requires precision, but you can learn how to draw. You don't have to be gifted, you just have to dedicate some time to it!
- Put a date on every sketch and drawing. It's good for morale to see the progress made - over the course of weeks and months it can be remarkable.
- Find inspiration in everything. News, landscapes, emotions - anything can be drawn in a realistic or abstract way.
- For your scribbles or sketches, use some paper already written on one side. Save money and trees by using the best quality paper for your best works.
- Another secret to making your drawings realistic is to try to give them a three-dimensional look. This is achieved not only with shading, but also with the structure and direction of the lines. For example, if you draw a ball, make the curved lines.
- Remember what famous author James A. Owen once said, "Drawing is simply two things: putting lines on paper and deciding where they go."
- Plus, one of the best things to start with is scribbling! Once you're done, go ahead and do some criticism, add details, and you'll soon be on your way.
- Take art lessons. You can learn many techniques and tips. Don't worry if you are talented or not: an art class is not a competition to see who is the best, but a place to learn and share new ideas with other people.
- The beauty of drawing is that you can do it freely: When you feel like you are not progressing as fast as you would like, take it easy. It is always permissible to make mistakes. In their routine, even the best artists make mistakes.
- Art students who want to excel should use colored pencils.
- Don't focus on one style or the style that works best for you; try more ways to draw (manga, realistic, etc.)
Warnings
- If you intend to show your work to others, be prepared for criticism.
- Learn to distinguish constructive criticism from discouraging one. A criticism is always specific and accompanied by suggestions on how to improve. Comments to discourage you are personal and contain insults and phrases such as: “Give up, you have no talent.” Ignore and avoid anyone who wants to discourage you. For useful criticism, show your works to those who are better than you.
- There are those who might make fun of you: ignore them. If they understood something about art, they would know well that knowing how to draw requires a lot of work.
- Show your work to others at your own risk. Show it only to those you know will encourage you. Ask them to be honest; improve using their feedback.
