Any artists all up in this?

[Ufgt]

One of my hobbies is drawing and this year, I want to become much better at it. I'm not very good right now, all I can do is look at something and sketch it (none of this mind's eye business yet). Does anyone have good practice tips or rescources that will help me learn and practice the right way?

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Any artists all up in this?

There are an assload of great guides out there. My daughter likes to draw too and I'll tell you what I told her. Go to a huge bookstore like Barnes and Nobles, then browse to your hearts content until you find a few that feel like a good start for you, then write down the names/authors and then put them down and leave the store. Go home, get online, go to some torrent sites and search for them. If you can't find them for free, then do a search on Ebay or Amazon and see if you can get them significantly cheaper. Only you know how advanced (or how not advanced lol) you are and your capacity for learning, so you'll be the best judge in what books will help you the most.

[Armando]

Re: Any artists all up in this?

Do you use basic shapes and guidelines when you start a drawing, or do you just draw your subject directly? If you're doing the latter and you're a beginner, odds are you won't be able to draw things from scratch while keeping things in proportion. Here's an example: Tutorial: Drawing Guidelines by *kitten-chan on deviantART

The idea is to decompose a complex shape (like the human body) into simpler shapes, use guide lines to keep things lined up and in proportion, and slowly work in the details. Every artist has his or her own way of doing this; you could look up 5 tutorials and find that each is doing things differently. It doesn't really matter how you do it as long as you get the job done. However you choose to do it, your shapes should be simple and easy to draw, and match that the body's shape as closely as possible - you can't accurately represent the human torso with a perfect oval or square.

You're also going to have to start paying and attention and taking notes about your anatomy. For example, in a human face, the eyes are halfway down, the nose ends about halfway between the eyes and the chin, and the mouth is about halfway down from the bottom of the nose to the chin. The hair line is about halfway between the top of the head and the eyes. A person's lips are usually just long enough that the corners of their mouth fall directly below their eyes' pupils when looking dead ahead. You need to analyze every part of your body in this way.

[Ufgt]

Re: Any artists all up in this?

Sometimes I use basic shapes, sometimes I don't haha. I should probably start being more consistant. I have a couple of sketches I made over the last few years that I'll try to get scanned and posted to my DA account this weekend though. Maybe you guys can take a look and tell me what you think.

[Ziero]

Re: Any artists all up in this?

Really, as someone who likes to draw as a hobby, my only advice to getting better is to keep doing it. Find what works for you and draw what you think looks best. The outline technique is easily the most simple, common and helpful ways to draw something, especially more complex things like actions or groups.

It'll also help to study other drawings and art work to see which styles you like the best to help mold your own personal style. Do it enough and you'll eventually be able to create your own specific style of drawing that will make your images that much more unique when compared to other artists.

You could also try taking requests or drawing things outside of your comfort zone. Expand your horizons to try new things and styles and it will help improve your art overall.

What specific things are you interested in drawing anyway? Landscapes, objects, comic/anime characters? Different topics use different techniques and your abilities could evolve in different ways depending on what you prefer to focus on.