Get Started With Drawing

Art Tips

Jun 2

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I’m not an art teacher but I do love drawing and know a few simple things that helped me get started when I wanted to learn to draw. The nice thing about drawing is that you really don’t need much; just some paper to draw on, a few pencils or pens, and some time.

Here are some drawing for beginner tips that it took me way too long to learn.

Don’t Be Intimidated

If the idea of drawing intimidates you because you think that what you draw should be good straight away, then throw that idea out the window. You want to be bad to begin with, and I mean really bad.

Just draw whatever you can and embrace the fact that a lot of it will look silly or unfinished or just not quite right, because by doing that you’ll loosen up and find techniques and styles that you wouldn’t have if you were aiming for perfection from day one.

I used to be intimidated by nice art supplies, which feels really silly to say. But when I had a beautiful, clean sketchbook I felt pressure to only draw beautiful things in it, because I thought that if I didn’t then I would ruin it (so then I just wouldn’t draw in it at all).

I fixed this by:

a) drawing on scrap paper when I wasn’t feeling confident and

b) realising that it’s my sketchbook and I can draw as badly as I want in it.

Make sure you have a safe place to draw badly, otherwise it’ll take you a long time to draw well.

Follow Tutorials

There are so many resources out there for learning to draw and they don’t have to cost you a penny. Start by getting back to basics and exploring topics on Google or YouTube like:

Drawing basic shapes
Building a colour palette
Understanding perspective
Coloured pencil techniques
Simple character illustration
Drawing simple faces

YouTube is an incredible resource when you’re starting out. I enjoy art channels like Bobby Chiu and Jenna Rainey, but find someone whose tutorial style you really like and follow along with what they’re doing.

If you’re wanting something a bit more in depth and structured I also like to use online classes. I have a subscription to Creativebug which has lots of videos and mini courses on all sorts of art and crafts topics. I recently watched Drawing and Illustration Basics by Heather Ross and loved it.

Encourage Your Own Ideas

Once you’ve mastered a few basics you’ll want to come up with your own ideas for scenes and characters. Start finding sources of inspiration and collecting ideas for drawing. I go for a walk every morning and always find I’m inspired by an animal I see, the shape of some leaves or maybe even the colour of someone’s shirt.

Using Pinterest to curate your own inspiration boards and following artists you like on your favourite social media platform are also great ways to spark your own ideas (definitely never copy someone else’s work though!).

And it’s ok to keep drawing the same few things again and again. Remember, there are no rules in your own sketchbook and if you want to draw cats exclusively then draw cats exclusively.

Make Time To Practise

If you’re feeling like you’ve done lots of tutorials and still aren’t achieving the drawings you want, then make sure you practise as much as you’re able because sometimes good things just take time. By finding time in your schedule to practise art regularly, you’ll quickly build habits that improve your art and your ideas. Since I started drawing five days a week I’ve noticed that I find it much easier to come up with ideas and that certain techniques come naturally to me now, which has also given me the confidence to share what I’ve learned with you!

Remember that learning a new skill takes time and you’re (probably) not going to be amazing overnight, but with the help of a few resources and some practise you’ll be able to get to where you want to be.

And if you’ve made it this far then I hope you’re already reaching for that pencil and paper.

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They have lots of videos and mini courses on all sorts of art and crafts topics. I recently watched Drawing and Illustration Basics by Heather Ross and loved it.

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