Drawing landscapes is something I used to do quite regularly, going out sketching whenever I could. But as time went on, and I started drawing professionally, my life moved to working entirely from photographs. The commercial realities robbed me of the time I needed to sketch outdoors. I took photos …
I remember an art teacher telling me to soften my edges, fine but you have to know where the boundaries are first. So do you need to outline drawings? Certainly You should outline drawings to get the correct proportions and overall shape. An outline is a scaffold for your finished …
I didn’t set out to become a hyperrealist. Honestly, my detailed art happened by accident. Early on in my commercial art career, insane detail wasn’t the goal. I was just drawing. The turning point came while selling my art in a street market. I set up an easel, and draw …
If you want to know how to shade a black background, the main problem is getting a deep, even black without patchy areas, or that annoying graphite shine. It sounds simple. You’re only filling in the background, after all. In practice, large areas of solid black can be a pain …
If you’re learning how to draw a realistic cat, whiskers are one of the things that trip people up. They look simple, but they’re surprisingly hard to get right. Most drawings end up with whiskers that look stiff, kinked, or fat. It’s a common problem, and it can ruin an …
If you want to know how to get good at drawing, and already know the basics, adding personality will improve your art. I draw animals from reference photos, and I’ve learned that a few small tweaks can turn a stiff illustration into something that actually feels alive. In this guide, …
Atmosphere is the mood a drawing gives off. Calm, creepy, dramatic – you feel it. Nothing about the subject has to change much to get there. It’s all in the light, the shadows, and what you choose to leave out. This isn’t some advanced trick only pro artists know. It’s …
These drawing tips will help you add movement to your animal drawings and stop them looking stiff and lifeless. It’s an easy trap to fall into. You spend hours getting the details right, refining the shading and sharpening the edges. Before you know it, you’ve tightened everything up and lost …
Choosing the most practical way to learn art is daunting for a beginner. Many students start with a book, so let’s answer the question – are drawing books worth it? Drawing books are worth it for learning art. They provide a structured approach to mastering various techniques and styles at …
I’ve been passionate about drawing animals for as long as I can remember. In this post “Cool Animal Drawings” I will showcase some of my best work, both old and new, in the hope that sharing my tips and experience will inspire you to create your own beautiful animal drawings. …
If you admire an artist’s work, you want to know how they did it, right? Perhaps there’s a magic formula that only professional artists know. Maybe it’s the kit list? If only you knew the best drawing supplies to buy. This article is about my personal kit. These are the …
Most lists of shading techniques on the internet repeat the same old advice. They focus on names like hatching, stippling, and blending, but they rarely explain the practical methods that actually improve your drawings. If you’re trying to learn to draw, that can leave you confused and frustrated. This drawing …
The purpose of this post is to list drawing ideas for adults in particular. That’s not to exclude anyone else, but I had three aims. That’s why certain subjects are missing. I haven’t included portraits because that’s not beginner material. No one starts with drawing portraits, or if they do, …
Most artists have a pile of unfinished drawings somewhere. Maybe you’ve started with good intentions, only to lose heart and grind to a halt. Finishing a drawing can be harder than starting one. The excitement fades, problems appear, and your confidence can take a hit. The good news is that …
Drawing water is one of the hardest techniques to master, it distorts, sparkles, and changes shape. The challenge is deciding which parts matter and which details to leave out. Over the years I’ve drawn water in many different ways and each drawing forced me to solve a different problem. Sometimes …
Believe it or not, this is one of the most common questions I’m asked. Problems occur mainly because we get into lazy habits, but there are many ways to prevent your drawings from smudging, such as: Spray your drawings with a fixative to seal the surface. Place a clean sheet …
In this post I cover one of the drawing basics you must know from the start. If you’ve ever watched someone drawing from life, you’ve probably seen them hold a pencil up at arm’s length and squint at the subject. It can look a bit odd if you don’t know …
Can you draw on canvas or is it only for painting? Beginners are nervous about doing the ‘wrong’ things. So I decided to answer the question. You can definitely draw on canvas! Most artists will sketch an outline prior to painting a picture with a pencil or charcoal stick and …
I love the way Stephen Bauman draws and if you want to know how to draw realistic eyes, he’s the man to show you. His classical training makes him a master draftsman, but there is one issue, he is too academic for many beginners. That is why I decided to …
Why I Never Use Other People’s Reference Photos Before I get into what makes a good reference photo, let me be clear about something. I don’t use other people’s photos, stock images, or anything downloaded from the internet. It comes down to two things: copyright and authenticity. I don’t want …