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 …
Those who can – do, and those who can’t – teach, a little unfair perhaps but there’s an element of truth to it. So how do you get better at drawing if the teacher isn’t very good? Get better at drawing by learning how to hold a pencil correctly, drawing …
The basic skills of drawing are easy to learn but difficult to master. In this article, I will explain the fundamentals of drawing in the simplest way I can and try to reassure you that mistakes are an integral part of the drawing process and are experienced by everyone, including …
Most artists don’t know when to stop. It’s hardly surprising, there’s so much going on. Making art is a mixture of dreams, expectations, obsessions, excitement, fear, pointless perfectionism, and the list goes on. This post will attempt to teach you how to know when your drawing is finished. Your art …
Many artists struggle with drawing accurate proportions and even when they can, it takes too much time. A grid helps artists create more realistic drawings, but is drawing a grid cheating? Drawing with a grid is not cheating, it’s a practical tool used for copying a 2D image accurately. However, …
There is a new drawing app in Canva so what can it do and how useful is it for an artist? Can you draw on Canva? Canva has released a new feature, it’s a drawing app with basic functions. It can be useful for creating simple designs or adding your …
In this post, I will show you how to trace a drawing, or to be more exact, how to trace any picture. There are more ways to trace than you might think. Tracing has a long history. The easy way to trace a drawing is to tape a thin sheet …
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 want to learn how to draw faster this article is for you. I’m going to teach you how to draw faster using 14 tips and tricks I’ve learned from 20 years of drawing professionally. Let’s make a start. 1. Sketch Faster by Drawing From Life It’s important to …
You need to protect and preserve your pencil drawings but there is a lot of poor advice out there and I want to put it right. This is my advice in a nutshell: Use acid-free tracing, wax, or parchment paper dividers between loose pencil drawings. Clamp your drawing pad shut …
When I’m talking to a novice, I’m often asked where I begin and the first thing I tend to say is ‘draw a quick outline’ but that’s not the whole truth. As an artist, you have to plan and compose your art before you can make a start. In that …
A contour drawing is, at its core, about using the fewest lines possible for the maximum effect. Yet there are different types of contour drawing, so what do they mean? A contour drawing is a technique that is used to study the shape and volume of an object and calculate …
Graphite has a major drawback, it reflects light, giving your drawing an unwelcome sheen. It can ruin an otherwise perfectly good drawing. All is not lost however, there are ways to reduce the problem and even stop pencil shine from happening in the first place. Pencil shine can be stopped …
There are a number of reasons why artists change style, sometimes a style just evolves, while at other times it’s a conscious effort to change tack. Artists change their style as they grow, when they try out new things, and experiment with new materials and techniques. They also change their …
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’ve heard it said many times, ‘I can paint but I can’t draw’ does that make painting easier? Is drawing harder than painting? I’m not so sure. Both mediums have their own set of challenges and both are difficult to master. It’s harder to paint realistically than it is to …
To stand out from the crowd you must develop your own unique signature style. Your art is your brand and in that sense, it should be instantly recognizable. That process starts with the basics of drawing and in this post, I’ll show you how to find your drawing style. And …
Have you ever wondered what pencil numbers mean and how to decide which pencil grades to use? This quick guide explains it all. Drawing pencils are graded on a scale from hard to soft using a combination of numbers and letters. The letters H are the hardest and lightest pencils …
There is no golden rule for the best angle for drawing but there is good advice that will help you to avoid some elementary mistakes. This is a question worth asking and one that is often overlooked., In general, you should draw at the same angle to your subject. If …
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 …