I have always considered myself a creative person, so for a long time it bugged me that I couldn’t draw or paint. But it never occurred to me I could learn to draw. I believed art classes were for people who already had talent and wanted to improve their skills. I didn’t think they’d be for people, like me, who didn’t have the first idea how to draw.
Can You Really Learn To Draw?
In my head, I believed an artist was someone who could pick up a pencil or paintbrush and paint whatever they wanted without reference. If you asked me to draw a dog or cat from memory, my attempts would be laughable.
See what I mean?
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But, as I’ve only recently found out, that is not only wrong, but has stopped me from enjoying what I have since discovered is an immensely satisfying, calming and mindful hobby. I now believe most people can learn to draw and paint to a level that they find rewarding and fun, provided they’re prepared to practice. You don’t need any fancy equipment. Plain paper, a pencil and an eraser will get you going. Of course, once the bug bites you, you will probably want to enlarge your tool kit to include paint mediums (water colours, gouache, oil paint etc), brushes, markers and coloured pencils. You may even forego any painting supplies and prefer to practice digitally. Procreate is an immensely powerful app available to iPad users for a low cost.
My Secret Hack
Over the past few years, I have steadily been practising and improving my art skills by using “how to draw” books, online tutorials and videos. Along the way, another myth I’ve thrown out is that an artist never copies. In fact, most artists copy whether it’s a live model in their studio, a photograph or a real-life scene. Some artists also use light boxes and tracing paper. Using a reference image is a valid way to learn. Even copying another artist’s work to learn new techniques and how to improve your own work is okay. That’s how many of the great masters learnt their craft. However, copying another artist’s work and then trying to pass it off as your own is WRONG and ILLEGAL. Don’t do it!
I created the portrait below by first tracing over the reference image to make a rough sketch, then working with watercolours for the details. Think how cool that would be if you could use a similar technique to paint portraits of your kids or family? Is it cheating? I don’t know, but frankly, I don’t really care either.
Here’s an interesting article on the subject:
Artists Who Use Reference Are Cheaters
Another useful trick to help get proportions right is to place a grid over your reference image, then divide your drawing page into a grid with similar proportions. I find that helps me keep my drawing proportions right.
My Animal Challenge
Setting daily challenges is a good way to practice your growing skills. You can find many on Instagram. Try searching the hashtag #dailyartchallenge. Or if you need help coming up with ideas, you can try a “Draw This In Your Own Style” challenge #DTIYS on Instagram.
A few years ago, I set myself the challenge to draw a different animal each day. I found reference photos in books, magazines and online. Each sketch was no more than 5 cms square (2″ square) and I tried not to spend long on each drawing. The end result was a selection of drawings I was, in the main, quite proud of.
Here are some of the results.
Whilst I won’t be exhibiting my work anywhere, it is very self satisfying to see my skills slowly improve. I also find a great sense of peace and calm when I practice art. It focuses my mind to the exclusion of all else so it’s an excellent therapy.
There are many types of art from drawing cartoons, watercolours, oil painting. Everyone will have their favourite. My advice is to experiment with several different methods and discover which one you prefer.
Learning Art Online – Resources
One of the first things I watched online which made me consider that learning to draw could be possible was the Ted Talk: “Why People Believe They Can’t Draw”. The presenter was a communications expert called Graham Shaw and within minutes he had me drawing fun cartoons.
These days my go to place for art tutorials is YouTube. I find it really useful to have the ability to pause the video and review the transcript. You can even slow down or speed up the footage if the presenter is talking too fast or too slow. Here are some of my favourite teachers:
- Lisa Glanz @Lisaglanz
- Iva Mikles @artsideoflife
- Tatyworks @Tatyworks
- Calvin at Drifterstudio @calvinatdrifterstudio8438
- Andrea Nelson Art @Andrea-Nelson-Art
- Art With Flo @ArtwithFlo
- Roche Woodworth Illustration @rochewoodworthillustration
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