The secret to learning how to improve your drawing skills is to learn how to draw what you see.
Does it sound confusing?
If, yes, let me explain.
Firstly, the good thing is that you are here, looking for answers, so you are on the path to get better at drawing.
Many people say that they can’t draw and give up. But I am sure you are not one of them.
Back to Childhood – How a child can draw better than an adult?
The reason why a child can draw better than an adult is that they are not worried if their drawing is right or wrong.
Children just want to have fun when drawing. It is simple like that!
So, with this principle in mind, let’s see what else we can do to learn how to draw and to learn how to improve drawing skills.
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Relax and Draw What you See
We can improve and develop any skill by practising. However, if you keep practising in the wrong way, your drawing skills would not improve.
To draw an object as easily as possible, you will need to photograph it mentally. Thus, with the contours of this object engraved in the brain, it will be easier to move on to paper.
In general, when copying a particular object we start to draw we have not yet seen the object, that is, we do not have a mental image of the model we are going to draw.
The result of our drawing will be a symbol of the object. To solve this problem we should follow three steps:
1- Observe the model well and draw its contours without looking at the drawing sheet. Try this a few times.
2- Save the object, hide the previous attempts and try to draw the “image” that formed in your brain.
3-Finally you will be able to copy the model by looking at it and the drawing sheet alternately.
Use Suitable Drawing Tools
Additionally, to learn by drawing what you see, you should use suitable drawing tools and materials.
This is important because like anything in life if you want to improve, you need to be willing to make some effort. Either by spending time and or money.
Artists that are on the top of the scale have done this step and they know which material and tools are best for their needs. That’s is one of the reasons their drawings are great.
When we use correct tools, materials and good instructions, drawing for beginners can run smoothly and we can have fun while learning.
When we use suitable materials and tools, it will make the learning process more comfortable, and you would enjoy the activity.
Imagine drawing portraits like the one below.
It might take time for you to get to this level but it is not impossible! Drawing is a skill to be learned! Remember that!
While being able to indulge yourself and relax, your creative mind unconsciously will take over, and you will learn to draw what you see.
Relax and create: this is the beauty of doing arts, crafts or any creative activity.
You might want to draw but don’t know where to start? Well, I have to say that you need good pencils and papers!
By using any paper or pencils you have, it will be difficult to have a good result.
If you are looking to improve your drawing skills this means that you already started. It is quite possible that you might be using basic materials (as your children’s pencils from school..)
If this is the case, I have to say that it will be very hard to see an improvement in your drawings if you use poor materials.
Also, having an excellent tutor, book or tutorial to follow instructions, you will learn how to improve drawing skills in a short time.
9-Best Tools For Drawings – How to Improve Drawing Skills
If you suffer when you are drawing, you will stop drawing. So, by using the right materials, you will see the difference!
My list below includes drawing kits, sketching pencils and ideas to get you inspired and ready to go!
Drawing kits are amazing, and I am a big fan of all arts and crafts kits.
Drawing kits helps the artist (beginner or not) to learn a new craft quickly as it will have everything ready to start! With time and practice, you will start choosing your favourite tools and materials individually.
But, for now, see below my selected tools, materials, kits and tips. I hope it will help you.
1-Pencils for drawing
You cannot draw without essential and suitable drawing tools. Consequently, if you want to learn how to draw or you are looking at how to improve your drawing skills, this is a well-recommended pencil drawing set for starters or those who want to improve their drawing skills.
It includes all the essential supplies you need. Learn shading, crosshatching and hatching will be more relaxed when using good quality pencils.
The hexagonal barrel of the pencils creates a firmer grip that helps beginners to learn how to draw with confidence.
It comes in a beautiful wooden case with a leather handle, so very mobile so it is easy to take everywhere with you.
This kit is an excellent tool if you want to get the grips of drawing and you don’t have a designated table for your drawings practice.
It comes with a canvas and acrylic paints but you can use to draw but swapping the canvas and adding your drawing paper.
You can use the storage box attached to the easel and put it away while not in use. Click here to get yours from Amazon.
3-Pencil Sharpener
It might be a basic thing but trust me, you must have a sharpener that it “just” for your drawings! not use it for anything else, as for example sharpen your make up eye pencil or your children’s pencils for school.
Keep all your drawing tools separated for any other craft.
Grab “your” professional pencil sharpener here and “hide” it from everybody!!!
4- How to Draw Cool Stuff
Learn how to draw cool stuff
I love drawing cool stuff. Learning with step-by-step illustrations make us gain precision and confidence.
Going through a guide that shows the basic principles of drawing by starting from shapes that build into intricate drawings is an excellent way to learn how to draw cool stuff and to improve our skills.
By following easy to draw fun exercises, it will improve your pencil gripping, shape and space awareness which are the root of learning how to draw.
I found the “How to Draw Cool Stuff book” perfect as it will help train our brain to visualize ordinary objects in a different way, which is the key to improve drawing skills.
With a variety of drawing ideas for beginners from faces and tattoo drawings, for example, How to Draw Cool Stuff makes drawing easier.
By doing the exercises, you soon will learn how to cool stuff, objects and scenes you’ve always wanted to draw.
How to draw cool stuff is easier than you thought with this useful book. Click here to buy yours and learn to draw what you see sooner than you imagine!
Do you think tracing drawing is cheating? I don’t.
Tracing drawing is not just fun but relaxing and an excellent way to learn how to draw and improve your drawing skills.
You might be wondering how you can improve your drawing skills if you are just “copying” something. Well, there is a straightforward answer to this question:
By practising!
The key factors on exceeding and succeeding in any skills are by practising and keep repeating without giving up. That is why tracing drawing would speed up your drawing skills.
If you are a beginner and starting to learn how to draw, tracing might be an excellent way to start. However, even experienced artists still using tracing to speed up their drawings as they do not have much time to waste.
When you try to sketch your favourite cartoon from scratch, you might expect to see something anything but not what you want to draw at first. 😉
So, to have a better chance to succeed, you could try using tracing paper or a lightbox.
Tracing is fun and recommended to help anyone to learn how to draw.
By drawing tracing, you can improve your drawing skill as practising and enhance the connection between your hand and your brain. And, as I already mentioned, you need to feel relaxed and not worried if you are doing it right or wrong.
By doing tracing drawing, you will learn the proportions and spacing which will build the muscle memory you need to draw that object repetitively without worries.
Once you’ve traced it enough times, you can try to draw it without the tracing paper (Canson paper is the best) or lightbox as your hand and brain would have learnt how to draw this specific object. Or at least, you would have stepped up the game and don’t need to draw from scratch.
If you are going to invest in something to improve your drawing skills, this is a book that I highly recommend.
As I’ve been saying, to learn how to draw, you need to be calm and relaxed.
You need to draw what you see, not what you know. You can do this by training your brain to work with your hands differently.
Your eyes will also learn how to see differently, and consequently, you would be able to train your brain to draw.
There is a range of books out there that can teach you how to draw what you see; however, I find the Hirameki, draw what you see the most effective and fun to use.
Look at the Clouds version of this lovely book. I just can’t resist. Can you?
An excellent aid for drawing accuracy and improve free-hand drawing skills by creating and transferring outline drawings. It is helpful to learn to develop drawing proportion accurately.
With this technique, you can also learn how to enlarge a drawing easily.
One of the most critical parts of the quality of the drawing is what paper you are using.
This one in the picture is a super quality thicker acid-free paper – 68lb./100gsm – perfect for pens, pencils, pastels & more. When choosing a paper for your drawings, make sure it is suitable for your needs as to size, thickness etc. From Arteza.
With over 500 minutes of actual drawing, the author guides you through all the essential problems and show how to overcome while teaching you how to draw.
Additionally, it also includes a set of 26 eBooks for additional studying with all the information presented to help you keep learning faster.
Should you invest in your artistic potential by purchasing “The Secrets of Drawing” video course? Read through this review, and you will be able to make an informed decision!
Things You Can Learn with The Secrets to Drawing
This well-rounded drawing course has five main sections aimed at guiding you from the very basics of tool selection to the more philosophical-minded considerations of a skilled artist.
The five sections are “The Tools”, “Perspective”, “Concepts”, “Inspiration” and “What to Draw With”.
“The Tools” – The first section in this drawing course focuses on showing you how to best use all the essential artistic supplies.
It also introduces the most common artistic techniques and tools. The aim of this section is getting you prepared for the journey ahead!
“Perspective” – While it may seem confusing at first, perspective is essential for anyone who wishes to learn how to draw.
It is paramount when convincing representations of reality. Perspective is everywhere. Once you learn how to “see in perspective” you will find it much easier to improve your drawings and spot any problem areas.
“Concepts” – You will start to become familiar with the basics of drawing. Therefore this section introduces you to some crucial concepts in rendering form and light.
You will learn about values, form and negative space, silhouette and shapes, and several other key concepts of drawing.
“Inspiration” – When you get to the point where you’re comfortable drawing anything from reality, you can jump to the next step.
The next step is to engage your imagination to create unique and inspiring compositions that will appeal universally.
“What to Draw With” – The final section in this program takes you back to basics to show you that art progress is a never-ending spiral of learning.
The reason is to provide you with specific solutions and tricks to help you to know what the best drawing supply to tackle each drawing problem is.
What Are the Pros and Cons of This Drawing Course?
Pros
“The Secrets to Drawing” is a popular and critically applauded video course that has been helping many people from all walks of life become better artists. There are loads of generally positive reviews of this course available on the Internet.
Thanks to his down-to-earth and straightforward presentation of elaborate artistic concepts, Matthew Fussel manages to put his message across clearly, and he shines a natural communicator and teacher.
The course would help you to make progress in a short time since with simple instructions and crucial concepts explained. All that’s left is for you to practice, and the results will speak for themselves.
Learning how to become a better artist is all about putting in the time and hard work, but you can surely progress faster when you know what you’re doing.
That is one of the core concepts of this course: learning how to practice effectively as a way to progress faster in terms of drawing ability.
One of the most notable achievements of The Secrets of Drawing is its focus in giving students the right skill set to thread their artistic path in positive steps.
Once you watch this course, you’ll have a solid idea of how you have to proceed to evolve quickly and impressively as a sketch artist.
The information presented in a very appealing multimedia format combines text manuals with video tutorials and high-quality illustrations, to make your learning experience as productive as possible.
Cons
One of the drawbacks of this course is that you will have to be connected to the Internet at all times, to get access to the course materials.
While this shouldn’t be a problem for most people, it’s worth keeping in mind in case you’re planning to learn with “The Secrets to Drawing” from a place without a broadband Internet connection.
Drawing for beginners and Improve drawing Skills is not impossible. It starts with the enthusiasm and the aim to achieve your goals.
By maintaining the focus, using suitable good tools and materials, with practice, you soon learn how to improve drawing skills.
Having a goal is vital in anything you do in life. So start now making the right choice selecting the correct tools and course for your fantastic journey.
And, most important: Practice, practice, practice!
I find that exploring a new hobby or learning a new skill is a great way to express myself.
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