Drawing is a super fun hobby and can be very relaxing. But it can also be frustrating when things don't go the way you want them to. In this article, I want to give you five tips to improve your drawing skills.
Tip 1
Everyone has drawn as a child, but often we draw less as we get older. We tend to become more critical of ourselves and more afraid of making mistakes. We also learn the rules of how reality is and start copying more rather than using our imagination. This is a shame because it often leads to losing the joy of drawing.
That's why my first tip to improve your drawing is to let go of the idea that you have to create perfect drawings. Try to see drawing as playing. Your drawings will be much more playful and relaxed if you're not trying to make a perfect piece. You can tell when someone has created something with joy. This tip sounds super easy, but it's one of the hardest steps to let go of. This is because we quickly notice our own mistakes and prefer to create perfect drawings. And this doesn’t happen right away. It can even take years to become good, which scares many people off. This is a shame because everyone can get better at drawing through practice.
I've seen many people make significant progress in just a few drawing lessons. I also often hear participants in my workshops say they’re surprised at how good they still are at drawing, even after not doing it for years. This is because you never really forget how to draw, and your eyes continue to develop. You just need to train your hands again to become as skilled as your eyes.
Tip 2
Usually, when we start drawing, we sit down and expect to spend hours or even days on a drawing. The problem is that we frequently go on for too long and, in doing so, remove all the spontaneity from our drawings. This is also why people typically find sketches more beautiful than finished illustrations.
My second tip is to learn how to sketch quickly. Try giving yourself a time limit when drawing. The idea here is not to create drawings to show the world, but to warm up and loosen up. I find one-minute time limits to be a lot of fun. But if you’re not yet that fast at drawing, a ten-minute limit is also very short. Decide what you’re going to draw and, for example, use photo references. Don’t trace, but try to actually draw your references. Work on a sheet of paper, set a timer for ten minutes, and start drawing. When time runs out, move on to your next drawing, regardless of whether the first one is finished or not.
The fun part of this exercise is that you don’t have time to think about whether your drawing is good or not. You’ll also see that your drawings become looser the more you practice this. But take enough time to observe well. If you’re going to draw from a photo, look at the photo carefully for at least 10 seconds before you start drawing. This way, you’ll learn to observe.
Tip 3
Have you ever been super happy with a drawing while you were making it, only to notice mistakes the next day that you hadn’t seen before? While drawing, we’re very focused on certain parts of what we’re drawing. Often hunched over, with our eyes on the spot we’re working on. The problem with this is that we can become blind to our mistakes.
My third tip is to look at your drawing with fresh eyes from time to time. You can do this by occasionally stepping back to view your drawing from a distance, or by looking at it through a mirror, or even viewing it upside down.
When you do this, you reset your brain, so to speak, and can see mistakes that you hadn’t noticed before. Our vision is not perfect, and our brains distort reality. By seeing your drawing in reverse or upside down, your brain suddenly starts analyzing it more abstractly.
A great book that discusses this phenomenon is ‘Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain’ by Betty Edwards. On her website, you can also see countless examples of people who have improved enormously in a very short time. This book is also the main reason why I believe that everyone can learn to draw.
Tip 4
Anyone who draws has hidden hands or feet at some point to avoid having to draw them. Some things are difficult to draw, and we prefer to avoid them. The problem with this is that you won’t improve and will keep making the same mistakes. As a result, difficult elements remain a point of frustration when drawing. And when you’re frustrated, you enjoy it less and are more likely to give up.
My fourth tip is to regularly draw things that are outside your comfort zone. Study anatomy, learn about perspective, or try drawing backgrounds or characters. When you practice things you find difficult, you’ll strengthen your drawing skills faster. You’re essentially broadening your toolbox of things you can draw.
I used to find drawing hands super difficult, but nowadays, I truly enjoy it. This is all because I practiced drawing hands a lot and now understand better how to draw them. And because of this, I no longer have to draw characters with their hands behind their backs every time.
Tip 5
It’s very difficult to strengthen your drawing skills without help. Even after watching 100 videos explaining how to draw something, it doesn’t always work out when you try it yourself. This is because we’re often blind to our mistakes. Moreover, videos regularly move too fast, and you can’t ask questions if you don’t understand something. As a result, you may not absorb the information from a video well, or even interpret it incorrectly. And it’s difficult to unlearn bad habits once you’ve learned them incorrectly.
My fifth tip is to participate in classes where you get personal guidance. The best option is to be taught by an experienced instructor who can tell you exactly what you’re doing well and where you can still improve.
I experienced this myself during my studies. During my training at Animschool, an online animation school, I was taught by animators from America who had worked on famous Disney and Pixar films. Before I joined Animschool, I thought I was already great at animating. But I had taught myself the wrong things and made mistakes that I couldn’t see clearly. My teachers could show me exactly what I was doing wrong and how I could improve. After my education, I realized how much I had learned in a very short time and understood that I could never have gotten that good on my own. Certainly, not in such a short time.
So if you want to strengthen your drawing skills, try to ask for feedback. But be careful about whom you ask for feedback. Your family members or friends probably won’t be able to give you truly honest feedback, so find someone who is impartial and has more experience than you do.
During my workshops, I constantly try to give personal attention and focused feedback. Presently, we only offer beginner workshops in Manga and Kawaii drawing, but I want to offer follow-up courses and cover other themes in the future.
We’d love to hear what you would like to learn. What course would you like to see at Nanda Creates?
It doesn’t have to be about drawing, either. For example, would you like to learn how to animate, paint miniatures, or sculpt in 3D? Please let us know by sending us your ideas via email, social media, or using our contact form on the 'about' page of the Nanda Creates website.
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