How to Improve Your Drawing Skills

How to Improve Your Drawing Skills

 With a simple stroke of a pen or pencil, you can create cartoons, comics, realistic depictions of the world and you can even give life to a fictional character. Drawing is one of the most challenging, relaxing and wonderful skills to practice, but it can be very frustrating when trying to figure out how to improve at a good pace. No matter if you're a beginner or expert, hobbyist or professional, there are several effective methods of improving your drawing skills.

Draw Something at Least Once a Day

 Practice is one of the most important and effective ways of improving any skill. You may find yourself stuck behind a drawing block for days or even weeks on end, but even if you don't have the inspiration to draw something incredible you should still draw something at least once a day. Even if it's just a simple doodle, you'll still be utilizing skills that you've acquired throughout time, and you'll constantly be spotting areas that need improvement or areas that you've improved in.

Draw from Scribbles

 Most artists feel the urge to just let loose and scribble once in a while, and it can actually be helpful in developing your drawing skills. Scribbling in itself may not be very helpful, but take a minute out to see if you spot patterns and designs within the lines. You may notice shapes that give you ideas and provide a base for you to draw a full drawing. If you want, start drawing a full picture within the scribbles. You'd be surprised how much the imagination can build from seemingly random lines and shapes.

Draw What's Around You

 Many artists work from references to understand how certain things are designed. They want to have very detailed drawings, so they analyze something that matches what they're trying to draw thoroughly to transfer the details to paper and build on them. Drawing anything around you not only provides you with good reference material, but it helps you with shadows, texturing, light sources, shapes and perspective.

Use a Mirror

 When you're drawing, hold up the paper to a mirror. This may seem weird, but it's actually a great way to spot oddities and mistakes in your work. Not everything is symmetrical, but a mirror can show you the discrepancies between itself and the mirror image. Drawings should look nearly identical when mirrored, just on a flipped perspective.

Study the Drawings of Others

 It's never okay to outright copy another person's drawing, but there is a lot that you can learn from studying drawings from other people. Look at the details, take note of the light source, analyze any poses, consider the color choices, examine the lines and perspective. There is a lot to learn from just one drawing, and there are billions of drawings to see.

Ask Artists for Tips

 Examining artwork may only give you a piece of the puzzle. You may see that someone achieved a certain effect or was able to detail another part well, but how did they do it? Never be afraid to ask artists how they did certain things on their drawing. No matter if the artist is more or less skilled than you are, there is always something to learn from everyone. Many artists are more than glad to share their techniques and opinions, and there are several communities across the world dedicated to artists coming together to share knowledge, improve skills and encourage the art world to grow and thrive.

Change Up Your Art Tools

 It's very common for people to get comfortable with a specific tool in their art. For example, some people draw exclusively with pencils. Another may draw with only pastel crayons. While it is great to have a specialty, it's a good idea to break out of your comfort zone and try new art tools. It gives you a better perspective on what you're drawing and how it can be drawn. It may also give you a better understanding of textures and pressure. Not only is it great for your skills, but it's also a great way to freshen up your artwork when you're in a slump.

Keep a Sketchbook with You

 How many times have you had a great idea for a drawing or been hit by a sudden surge of inspiration only to find that you have nothing to draw with? Then when you get to a pad of paper and a pencil, the inspiration is gone. Keeping a sketchbook with you allows you to take advantage of these opportunities whenever they arise. They also allow you to keep up more practice outside of scheduled practice times.

Take an Art Class

When you've hit a wall in self-learning, want to return to the basics or simply want to take advantage of the skills and knowledge of professional artists, taking an art class can be one of the most beneficial options. These classes not only provide you with valuable knowledge and techniques, but they also give you a sense of structure in learning your craft, allowing you to more efficiently and effectively improve.

  There's no universal method for improving your drawing skills since, like every piece of art, every person is different and everyone shines in some areas over others. However, they do provide you with a good baseline to build your own unique practice and studying plan. No matter what you choose, there's no denying that improving your artistic skill requires a lot of practice, patience and hard work. Learn from every misstep, and celebrate even the smallest improvements in your work.

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