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It helps to turn to the masters when starting out. Try and find artists' sketches of the same object and imitate their style to understand their method.
It won't really do to use just normal printing paper. Go to your local art shop and get proper drawing paper because it makes a difference when you start making textures and shadows.
The eraser is the artist's best friend. There are many kinds of erasers, but the best ones are made from putty.
First, you have to have a good setup. Make sure you have a set of pencils ranging from sizes 9H to 2B. A sharpener is also integral, or a sharpening knife.
On a scrap piece of paper, play around with your pencils to see what different textures and strokes you can make. When you draw an object, you can use this experimental texture piece as a reference.
It's important to have a desk that's comfortable and a place you want to come back to each day. Pay particular attention to the table height, as it will influence how you hold your arm and pencil.
A key concept in sketching is perspective. When things are closer to you, they appear larger and when they are further away, they are smaller.
Choose your object to practice on and set it up on a simple background with the light coming from one direction. This way you can study drawing shadows too. Pieces of fruit work well.
In order to illustrate this, choose a focus point in the distance of the scene you want to draw. From it, use straight lines to determine the size of objects in relation to the distance you are from them.
When you have completed the preparatory tasks, take a look at your object. It is important that you try and see the bigger picture rather than the small details of the item.
When you have done the first layer of shapes, you can start adding in some more detail. To help give the picture nice proportions, use the 70/30 rule. This is where you put most of the detail in 30% of the drawing and leave 70% as a light sketch.
Go back to the texture piece you made before and experiment on your drawing to achieve different effects.
When drawing the foundation of the object try and use very light lines. This way you can erase things easily and fill in more detail later on without the sketch getting too messy.
Smudging is a great technique to create shadows. Get your hands on a smudging stub and play around.
An artist should erase as much as they draw. To create light and outlines, use the eraser as a tool rather than a fixer.
Holding a pencil is different for everyone. Generally, if you hold it closer to the nip you have more control and heavier strokes. If you hold the pencil further away from the nip, your strokes are lighter.
Start by filling in the darkest parts of your scene first. Light objects rarely have defined lines, but are just in contrast to shadows.
An easy way to get perspective on your item is to imagine every part of the object as an individual shape. Start by just drawing the abstract shapes with no detail.
An example of where light and dark create the shape rather than an outline is the lips. The top lip is always darker. It is not necessary to draw the outline of the lips, just the shading.
Draw lots of different things as well as the same thing from many different angles. This way you can build up a visual library and learn from artistically studying the objects.
If the proportions are off, it is difficult to see after working on the same sketch for hours. Use tracing paper to flip your drawing to give a fresh perspective on what might be going wrong.
Just like anything, you have to practice drawing every day to build up your muscle memory and skill. Try and set yourself a daily goal.
If your scene has many objects in it, use "the rule of thirds" for a neat composition. Place the focal points of the scene where the lines intersect on the nine-square grid.
Many people worry that their drawings are no good. No one is good when getting started, but that doesn't mean you're not learning and adding to your skill set. Let go of any expectations you have.
A trick to let go of art expectations is to crumple up every drawing after you do it so you don't get stuck on little problems. Learn from, but don't get hung up on, details.
Sometimes you can get caught up in tiny details and forget the overall composition of a drawing. Standing back and squinting helps to see issues in the bigger picture.
Art is fun, so make sure it doesn't get too serious. Just play around and don't worry about anything!
Sources: (Creative Bloq) (Büken Art) (Invaluable)
See also: The forgotten art of calligraphy
Art is mentally tiring, so don't overdo it. It's important to go for a walk and get some fresh air and new inspiration.
A general rule of thumb is that if an object is further away, it is lighter in color, but if it is closer, it is darker.
Have you always wanted to get into drawing but didn't know how? Drawing is a lifelong skill that is relaxing, stimulating, and fun.
Here, we have an easy step-by-step guide to help you realize your artistic ambitions. If you want to harness your artistic side and create beautiful drawings, click through this gallery now!
Unleash your inner artist and draw with style
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LIFESTYLE Art
Have you always wanted to get into drawing but didn't know how? Drawing is a lifelong skill that is relaxing, stimulating, and fun.
Here, we have an easy step-by-step guide to help you realize your artistic ambitions. If you want to harness your artistic side and create beautiful drawings, click through this gallery now!