5 WAYS TO GET BETTER AT DRAWING.

Have you always been fascinated with art ? have you always been artsy? were you the kid that was scribbling in every notebook they had or are you the kind of person that always had a love for it but couldn’t draw anything to save your life. not to worry you’re at the right place and I promise no matter your skill level in art, at least one of these tips will work to improve your abilities.

1. Focus on improving one skill at a time

Art is very broad in its nature and when trying to get better it’s very easy to fall into the trap of trying to improve everything at once. what will most likely happen is your growth will be slow or next to non-existent.

What’s better is to break it down into parts for example focusing only on shadowing, lighting, anatomy, or coloring.

By focusing on a singular goal you drastically increase your chances of improving and then moving to the next thing. this is not just a good tip for art alone, this works in almost every sector of life as well.

** improving is still going to take time and dedication from you. ( you are stuck at home anyway so why not )

2 . Go digital

This might be controversial but hear me out . one of the reasons a lot of artists do not get better is because of financial reasons. Let’s be honest if you love painting and drawing you know how pricey this hobby of ours can be. paint, pens, brushes, canvases, and all the others in this ilk can quickly begin to stack up. Now am I saying traditionally drawing or painting is bad and old school?

Yes and no.

C’mon, we can at least agree it’s old school, it’s definitely not bad though. digital just has it beat in certain areas and one of them is cost. Digital art is ten times cheaper than traditional, let me explain. you could get free drawing software like procreate or pay for an affordable one like clip studio paint.

Then you buy yourself a drawing pad which can range from as low as 50 dollars sometimes and if you want to buy a better drawing pad which has a screen. those can cost about 330 and it’s awesome click here to see it

No matter how we slice it, after the initial monetary sacrifice you will be free to experiment as much as you want, making all the mistakes necessary that will further your growth without fear of running out of materials. I.e canvas or paint.

*** drawing digitally doesn’t affect traditional art or vice versa, the principles are the same. So if you want to do some traditional pieces you can always do so.

3. Art tutorials.

Now, there is only so much you can do by yourself to improve your skills. eventually, you are going to have to take some tutorials whether that be tutorials in your local area or art tutorials on youtube. There are talented artists out there who give out a ton of valuable lessons and a lot for free. you can get art books that give great tips on whatever you want or in whatever field you wish to work in the art industry like animations or comic books for example.

Tutorials can also come from mentorship, this could be paid or if you are lucky unpaid This is the best way you could ever grow as an artist. If you have an artist that you look up to, find out if they hold classes, go through the module then weigh the cost/benefit.

Getting an art mentor ( or sensei as I prefer to call them ) guiding you in your art journey can skyrocket your growth as well as connect you to like-minded people. It’s always a good idea to invest in yourself no matter how you go around it or expensive it can be

** there is also the option of getting a degree but I don’t think it’s necessary but that’s another blog in its own right

4. Cut away distractions.

While drawing, it is easy to be distracted by social media. Let me paint a picture for you.

You arrange your drawing station. take your seat and check that all your materials or drawing tablet are next to you or working fine. you begin drawing and it gets to the difficult part, you draw those fingers again and again but it doesn’t come out how exactly you imagined it.

so you grab your phone, I’ll spend just fine minutes on Instagram you tell yourself. slowly but surely however you get lost laughing at memes and before you know it thirty minutes are gone or worse an hour.

That was me and I am sure a lot of people as well. admittedly this is something I still deal with but I have found putting my phone away from arm’s reach helps tons. Now don’t get me wrong am not saying to bury your head in sand and draw till you’re done. that’s really hard to do and most of us simply don’t have the discipline for it anyways.

This is what I recommend, set aside an hour to shut off all distractions and work for that hour with no distractions. If you can finish a drawing in one sitting without losing interest or steam then please go ahead you’re a different breed. But if you notice yourself sitting for five hours and not accomplishing much. Then this advice is for you. set an hour and be productive

You can set an alarm if you absolutely must use social media. This way you snap yourself back from all those hilarious memes on Instagram and your breaks will be just that, breaks.

The key is to make sure the time you dedicate to getting better with art is used wisely and not efficiently. Anyhow you can do this for yourself, do it

*** stay away from social media, memes, and funny videos online when trying to be productive they are the kryptonite of us all. ( am not saying social media of itself is bad by the way. it’s just very good at doing what it’s designed to do, distract us)

5. Practise Practise

Now here comes the hard part, to say the truth no matter how expensive your materials or drawing software is. They won’t make you a better artist on their own. No shortcut exists without you practicing. you have to be willing to face the blank page, again, and again, there is no skill in existence that doesn’t require time and attention to improve.

We all know this, where people get it wrong is they look at it all as one giant task instead of breaking it down into chunks. Here is my advice: pick how many days a week you will like to draw and then do thirty minutes to an hour. if you dedicate an hour for four days a week, that’s four hours a week, and sixteen hours a month you’re dedicating to improving your skills.

It will take a while, but you will notice after some time how far you’ve gone. By the way, you mustn’t do up to four hours a week. But make sure you’re challenging yourself, don’t make it convenient after all pressure makes diamonds not hugs

*** To test out this theory I want you to make a drawing of whatever you like and after three months of consistent practice try that same drawing again and see how much better you do. it will shock you I promise.

Lastly, I believe in you to get better. Some people think art is about talent, others think it’s about perseverance and I agree. talent can take you far no doubt about it but hard work will always triumph over talent, good luck everyone.