New design! We’ve recently redesigned the site, so please bear with us while we get everything working as intended. 🙂

Drawing: Tips and Tricks

Here are some tips to keep in mind before you start any drawing:

1. Get inspiration
Before you start drawing, look at other artist’s work, especially those you admire. More often than not, their techniques and styles will stick in your mind and come out when you put your pencil to paper (or tablet to screen).
2. Use a reference
A reference is a picture that will serve as an example of what you want to draw, something you can refer to at any point during your drawing process. Do not underestimate the power of references. Even great artists use references.
3. Keep in mind your basic shapes
Hold your reference picture far away from you, or if it is on the computer, walk a few steps away from the screen – no, not out the door! Just a few steps back… that’s it. For the techno-savvy – use zoom to make your picture smaller. Try to identify basic shapes, the largest first.

Advertisement:

Try to identify these basic shapes in your reference picture before you start drawing:

4. Be confident
If you aren’t feeling confident it will influence your drawing.
In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.” (Bill Cosby)
You can do this! Believe it.
5. Be patient
Most people give up when their first attempts fail. Rome wasn’t built in a day… It sure as heck was destroyed in one, but never mind that. Be patient and try again. Sometimes your third or fourth attempt will turn out to be your masterpiece!
“Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure.” (George Edward Woodberry)
6. This is the wrong way to draw a line: hold down your pencil and drag. (As you can see, you will have little or no control over where the line goes.)

7. This is the right way to draw a line: make light, short, feathery strokes. Remember: don’t press too hard, since you are going to erase many of the lines later. (This way you have more control.)

Advertisement:

pencildrawing of face with hair

Admin note: I found a cool online course called Pencil Drawing Made Easy 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. I will do a full review of the course soon, but for now I just want you to know that I think it's definitely worth checking out, and you're sure to get better at drawing if you follow the lessons. I'm already learning a lot from it! The course teaches you how to draw ANYTHING realistically in pencil - from onions to hands to hyper realistic portraits. The teacher explains everything really well, so you'll understand exactly what you're doing and why. Click here to check it out!

Advertisement:

About The Author:
BarakiEl's favourite things to do include creating digital art, listening to music, playing computer games and spending time with her husband. She works from home as a freelance desktop publisher, colourist and illustrator.
(Read more posts by )

Posted in: Art by on May 17, 2010 @ 10:00 am

(2 Comments)

Tags: ,