The art of drawing is a skill like any other. You can’t just expect to get it right from the get-go.
It takes time, practice, and a lot of dedication. There are so many different aspects to it that even veteran artists have trouble with it from time to time. To help you out, I have compiled this list of tips on how to draw like a pro. Read on for more information.
Get to know your tools
To start with, it’s best to get to know your tools. If you’re doing it right, drawing will be a big part of your life. You’ll want to get comfortable switching between HB pencils, 2B pencils and 6B pencils. It’s important to know the difference in the softness of the lead for shading or outlining.
HB is a medium-soft graphite lead and it is a good all-around pencil for most sketching and drawing purposes. It’s a good idea to keep a few HB pencils on hand for sketching and drawing. 2B is a softer graphite lead than HB and it’s best for shading and gradients, and can be good for outlining. However, for some, 2B may be too soft for this. 6B is generally used for shading and gradients and not usually for outlining, but hey, you’re the artist!
Practice, practice, practice!
This is something that I always recommend. Drawing is not a skill that you can just pick up in a day. Instead, it’s one that will take years of practice. And even then, there will always be areas that you can improve on. So don’t think that you’re ever done learning! Drawing is a skill that you can always be trying to get better at.
There are a few things that you can do to practice. The first is to grab a sketchbook, grab some pencils and just start sketching. You can sketch whatever you want, whenever you want. You can sketch from life or from your imagination. You can sketch whatever you want to practice. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t like it. What matters is putting a mark on the page.
Draw from life
You’ll want to draw from life whenever you can if you want to improve your art. This is because drawing from life is by far the most effective way to improve your art. It’s the only real way to get the experience you need to get better. There are many different ways that you can draw from life. You can go out into nature and sketch some plants or animals. Or if you want to draw from your home, you can sketch your family members while they’re around.
Pay attention to lighting
This is something that you should always be mindful of while you are drawing. Drawing in a dark room will provide you with a different type of experience than drawing with light coming in through the window. For example, if you draw something with a lamp above you, the light will be hitting the object from the top and creating shadows on the bottom. If you draw something with the sun coming in through the window, the light will be hitting it from the side and creating shadows on the top and bottom. These differences are subtle, but they are there. If you’re paying attention, you will be able to see them and use them to improve your drawings.
Don’t be afraid to experiment
While drawing from life and drawing from imagination are great ways to practice, you don’t want to get too caught up in them. You want to be able to experiment with different types of drawings, materials, and tools. This is how you find what works best for you. This is how you figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are. This is how you find what kind of materials you like and what types of drawings you enjoy doing. If you only ever practice with pencils and graphite, you’ll never know what it feels like to work with charcoal or pastels. If you only ever practice with graphite and sketching, you’ll never know what it feels like to use watercolours.
Take a break!
This might seem like the opposite of what you should do. After all, I just told you to practice, experiment, and draw as much as you can. But taking a break once in a while is actually good for your art. It allows you to come back to it with a fresher head, a new perspective, and a new drive to improve. Taking a break doesn’t mean that you stop practicing. Instead, you just stop thinking about art for a little while. You let yourself relax and not worry about finding time to practice. This is a good thing. Taking a break doesn’t mean that you stop thinking about art entirely. It just means that you stop thinking about it for a little while so that you can come back to it with a fresh mind and renewed energy.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many different things that you can do to help you improve your art. Drawing from life is a great way to improve your art. And you can always experiment with different types of drawings, materials, and tools. You can also try taking a break at times. This will allow you to come back to art with a fresh mind and renewed energy. Drawing is a skill like any other. It takes time, practice, and dedication to get good at it. With these tips, you should be able to draw like a pro in no time.
