Tips for Drawing
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Drawing is a skill. This means that drawing is not some magical activity that
some people are born with the ability to do. A skill is something that can be
taught and most importantly-learned. If you want to draw, draw better, or
draw as a professional- you can. Anyone can become skilled at drawing.
Don't ever say, "I can't draw."
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Drawing is about observation and seeing what is in front of you.
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Don’t press too hard with your pencil. Otherwise, you won’t be able to erase
what you have drawn.
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Loosen Up. Drawing doesn't have to be stiff. In fact, it shouldn't be. For
example, when you are trying to define the contour of an object, draw several
light lines. You have a better chance of "finding" the right line when you
draw several of them.
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Try holding the pencil differently than how you hold it when you write.
Draw with your shoulder instead of your wrist by moving your whole arm
when you make a mark.
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When creating a long line, consider drawing and putting several short lines
together to create the long line.
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If an area that is supposed to be white is smudged and dirty looking, use an
eraser and clean the after when you are finished drawing.
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So that the bottom of your hand does not get pencil all over it, place a scrap of
paper down between your hand and the drawing to rest your hand.
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When drawing an object or subject, look for the shapes inside of that object
and then draw by placing those shapes together to create a drawing of that
object or thing.
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Draw details last. You don’t want to draw the details in on part of the
drawing and then release you need to erase part of it to redraw it.
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If drawing from nature, don’t draw any straight lines. There are no straight
lines in nature.
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Line quality is how thin or thick your lines are. Consider varying the line
quality in your drawing.
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Good Drawings Have a Full Range of Value. Value is the darkness or lightness
of a color. So value is about light. We can't see without light, therefore we
see things because of value.
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Practice, Practice, Practice, and then Practice. This is the best tip that there
is. You must practice. This is true of any skill. Keep a sketchbook and draw
literally everything that you see. Draw everyday. When you can't draw, look
at objects and imagine how you would draw them. What shapes are there?
What values are there? Where is the light source? What medium would I
use? Drawing can take place between your ears.