Many beginners do not know how to start learning to draw. The Internet is full of open materials that are confusing. Also, people, as a rule, have a fear of failure and doubts about their talent. Today, based on my own experience, I will tell you how to learn to draw from scratch.
First of all, I must say that it's never too late to start painting, there are many successful and talented artists who first picked up a brush already in adulthood. Of course, it is easier to teach children anything, including drawing. But, if in your childhood acquaintance with painting was limited to art lessons in the third grade, then it does not matter! You can start in your 20s, 30s or 50s.
But where to start?
Drawing is a creative and rather time-consuming process, so do not expect masterpieces from yourself in the second lesson, but be patient.
First step- sketching from pictures, photos, video lessons. Yes, this is not exactly what they do in art schools, and yes, you will not study the basics of academic drawing, since it is almost impossible to do it on your own without the help of professional teachers, and it is not necessary. Your hand is completely unaccustomed to a pencil, you still do not know the proportions and shapes of objects. Drawing various objects from a photo will help you fill your hand and understand the construction of objects.
To successfully pass this stage, you need to forget what exactly you are drawing. If there is a chair in front of you in the picture, do not think that you are drawing a chair, but simply copy the lines, shadows. Thus, your right hemisphere, which you now need much more than the left, will turn on. And yet, do not try to finish the picture in "one sitting", take breaks in work. When your drawings have become more or less "edible", you can move on to drawing by, where you draw in parallel with the video.
Second phase- sketches from nature. You are not yet ready for large-scale work with nature, but start sketching, draw everything that you see around. Pay attention to the proportions of the object and its location in space. Yes, you are not doing very well yet, but look at your first works. You will definitely see progress! In parallel with the sketches, continue drawing from pictures, photos and video tutorials. In principle, here it is the beginning, nothing complicated, just work and patience.
Now let's analyze 6 major mistakes, which beginners often admit.
- Buying too expensive materials. This is how psychology works, that on paper for 3,000 rubles you are supposedly obliged to do something worthwhile and you have no right to make a mistake. Such a completely natural attitude gives rise to a fear of drawing, so we do not buy the entire assortment of an art store.
- Painful perception of criticism. Most likely, you will post your work on social media. network, where you will find a million angry critics, but do not take anyone's words to heart. Pay attention only to constructive criticism of the case, and ignore insults and unpleasant statements about your work.
- Desire to embrace the immensity. Yes, I understand that you already want to draw views of your native village or a portrait of your beloved brother, but take your time. Taking on things that are too difficult for you, you will only be upset and disappointed in your abilities. Everything has its time.
- Reading books on drawing. It seems that books can contain bad things? If you have just started learning to draw, then you do not yet have the knowledge base for all these books on color perception or anatomy to help you. These books are designed for students of art academies, and not for beginners.
- Rare or irregular drawing. Here everything is the same as in sports, for 10 minutes a day you will not achieve anything, draw at least 1-2 hours a day. And if you give up drawing for a week or a month, you will lose shape and feel how naughty your fingers have become.
- Fear of new materials. In the initial stages of drawing, your main material will be a simple pencil, but do not be afraid to draw with pens, paints, markers, etc. If the opportunity to work with some new material is given, do not miss it.
Create, work hard, and everything will work out.
- Pencil. The simplest and most understandable drawing tool you will need in any case. Even if you want to learn how to draw with paints, you will need a simple pencil to create a sketch. Not all pencils are the same. Some are designed for drawings, others for drawing, others for everyday tasks. Too hard pencils (3H, 4H and more) are better not to choose: they are easy to scratch and tear the paper.
- Watercolor. Water-based paint is known for its lightness, transparency and a wide palette of shades. However, painting with watercolor is quite difficult: you need to learn how to use its properties and have a good idea of \u200b\u200bhow the paint will behave on paper. On the other hand, if you put in enough effort, you will learn to draw in one of the most impressive techniques.
- Gouache. This is a dense matte paint that is diluted with water. It is perfect for the first steps in drawing. Due to the dense texture of gouache, dark tones can be easily covered with darker ones. This is very important, because then all the flaws and shortcomings can be corrected. Another good news: gouache is inexpensive.
- Pastel (dry). These crayons are used to create drawings in soft colors. Due to its texture, the pastel is very easy to blend, which allows you to create beautiful transitions between shades. You should immediately prepare for the fact that your fingers and the table (at least) will be stained with dust and pastel crumbs. The finished pastel drawing is easy to smear, so the pigments on paper will need to be fixed with varnish or a fixative.
- Markers ("copies"). We asked illustrator and teacher Anna Rastorguyeva to tell us about this relatively unknown instrument. Because she draws with the help of markers and does it superbly. We are not talking about highlighters and not about simple felt-tip pens, but about alcohol markers, which, due to their basis, do not deform the paper and allow you to achieve smooth transitions between shades.
There are many manufacturers of such instruments, including Japanese, German, Chinese, Korean, and Russian brands. The price also varies - from 160 to 600 rubles apiece, so even a novice author can pick up a small kit to start.
The palettes of this type of markers are unusually wide, with an average of 300 colors, so in order not to get confused, you can buy a ready-made set, usually selected for a specific topic: architecture, nature, manga.
What if I don't know what to draw?
If you don't know what to draw, but really want to - copy, draw and repeat after others. There is nothing wrong with that. On the contrary, it is a normal process. Take a picture that you like, put it in front of you and start.
Video instructions are helpful. Unlike advice in the style of "draw a circle, draw sticks, add details - you get a great canvas," these posts do not lie. You will see exactly how the drawing is created.
Remember: creativity is an international thing. Don't be afraid to check out the YouTube channels of English-speaking bloggers, even if you don't understand what they're saying.
Try starting with these channels:
- Proko. An absolute must-have for anyone who wants to learn how to draw. The artist clearly, simply, clearly explains the most difficult thing - how to draw a person. This is the base and the foundation, so the channel will certainly live in your bookmarks.
- Mark Crilley. The artist works in a cartoon style, so those who want to learn how to draw cute, cute drawings will find everything they need here. The artist shows different techniques and in detail, frame by frame, demonstrates the simplest techniques for creating a spectacular drawing.
- Sycra. The channel will appeal to everyone who loves Japanese cartoons and wants to learn how to draw anime. Video lessons reveal the topic inside and out: body structure, facial features, costumes and everything.
- Bob Ross. Bob Ross is an American television legend. Perhaps the most inspiring program in the world was created by this man, who spent 11 years teaching people to create miracles on canvas. You may not understand what Bob is saying in a soft voice, but you can not resist the talent of the artist penetrating into you right from the screen.
In general, the choice of topic is the second fundamental issue after the choice of material. And here it is not at all necessary to be limited to traditional genres: portrait, still life or landscape. Nowadays, everyday household sketches are gaining more and more popularity. Like photos on Instagram, artists quickly capture exciting topics in their notebooks, post them on social networks, study and communicate together. Absolutely any object can become a subject of interest - from macro sketches of insects to detailed travel diaries.
Anna Rastorgueva, illustrator, teacher
"You can paint in 30 days" by Mark Kistler. One of the most famous drawing books. As long-term observations show, after reading it and, importantly, following the instructions, everyone learned to draw.
"Discover the artist in you" by Betty Edwards. Those who doubt can immediately be informed: about 2 million of those who considered themselves "armless" have already learned to draw from this book. To those who do not believe in their own strength at all and think that all artists know some secret of beautiful paintings, we say: yes, there is a secret. It is hidden in this book.
"A sketchbook that will teach you how to draw!", Robin Landa. As a teacher himself, Robin knows that students draw best on the pages of textbooks. This is where fantasy comes into play! So he created a book in which you can (and should) draw. And learn along the way.
I want to draw, but I don't have the time or extra money
Eugenio Marongiu/Shutterstock.com The first step can be taken without much investment and effort. Download creative apps and get started now.
Tayasui Sketches. One of the most beautiful and simple applications with numerous tools will teach you how to draw in different techniques.
Bamboo paper. Drawing tablet company Wacom has developed an app for artists. Sketches, sketches and full-fledged drawings - this program will be needed at every stage of learning.
Zen brush. This application will not help in learning, but will set you in the right creative way. With a brush, you can draw characteristic strokes, and the finished drawing looks like a work of art from some distant eastern country.
We figured out the materials, the sources of inspiration too, the books were studied, and there are applications for the laziest. Your move - it's time to get down to business.
The main thing is to find what you really like. Dare!
Anna Rastorgueva, illustrator, teacher
Love indoor flowers? Then watch short videos of flowering anthuriums, hibiscus and other house flowers.
Learn to draw cartoon characters
Animal Drawing Lessons
Pet Drawing Lessons
Lessons of drawing birds with a pencil
Nature drawing lessons
We will do the drawing of the mushroom in stages, first with a simple pencil. In the last step, you can color the mushroom drawing with paints or colored pencils, and if you draw leaves and grass next to it, the picture of the mushroom will be very beautiful and attractive.
To begin with, remember that a rose consists of petals adjacent to each other. This is the biggest difficulty for drawing this flower. To make the rose flower look more realistic, draw the stem of the rose with leaves as well.
It is better to draw flowers with paints, a black and white drawing of flowers cannot convey the beauty of flowers. In this lesson we will learn how to draw flowers in a bouquet in stages with a simple pencil.
To draw a picture of a snowflake, in addition to a pencil, you need a ruler. Any drawing of a snowflake has the correct geometric shape and therefore it is better to draw with a ruler.
A butterfly, as well as flowers, is best painted with paints. But first, draw a butterfly in stages with a simple pencil.
- Pencil. The simplest and most understandable drawing tool you will need in any case. Even if you want to learn how to draw with paints, you will need a simple pencil to create a sketch. Not all pencils are the same. Some are designed for drawings, others for drawing, others for everyday tasks. Too hard pencils (3H, 4H and more) are better not to choose: they are easy to scratch and tear the paper.
- Watercolor. Water-based paint is known for its lightness, transparency and a wide palette of shades. However, painting with watercolor is quite difficult: you need to learn how to use its properties and have a good idea of \u200b\u200bhow the paint will behave on paper. On the other hand, if you put in enough effort, you will learn to draw in one of the most impressive techniques.
- Gouache. This is a dense matte paint that is diluted with water. It is perfect for the first steps in drawing. Due to the dense texture of gouache, dark tones can be easily covered with darker ones. This is very important, because then all the flaws and shortcomings can be corrected. Another good news: gouache is inexpensive.
- Pastel (dry). These crayons are used to create drawings in soft colors. Due to its texture, the pastel is very easy to blend, which allows you to create beautiful transitions between shades. You should immediately prepare for the fact that your fingers and the table (at least) will be stained with dust and pastel crumbs. The finished pastel drawing is easy to smear, so the pigments on paper will need to be fixed with varnish or a fixative.
- Markers ("copies"). We asked illustrator and teacher Anna Rastorguyeva to tell us about this relatively unknown instrument. Because she draws with the help of markers and does it superbly. We are not talking about highlighters and not about simple felt-tip pens, but about alcohol markers, which, due to their basis, do not deform the paper and allow you to achieve smooth transitions between shades.
There are many manufacturers of such instruments, including Japanese, German, Chinese, Korean, and Russian brands. The price also varies - from 160 to 600 rubles apiece, so even a novice author can pick up a small kit to start.
The palettes of this type of markers are unusually wide, with an average of 300 colors, so in order not to get confused, you can buy a ready-made set, usually selected for a specific topic: architecture, nature, manga.
What if I don't know what to draw?
If you don't know what to draw, but really want to - copy, draw and repeat after others. There is nothing wrong with that. On the contrary, it is a normal process. Take a picture that you like, put it in front of you and start.
Video instructions are helpful. Unlike advice in the style of "draw a circle, draw sticks, add details - you get a great canvas," these posts do not lie. You will see exactly how the drawing is created.
Remember: creativity is an international thing. Don't be afraid to check out the YouTube channels of English-speaking bloggers, even if you don't understand what they're saying.
Try starting with these channels:
- Proko. An absolute must-have for anyone who wants to learn how to draw. The artist clearly, simply, clearly explains the most difficult thing - how to draw a person. This is the base and the foundation, so the channel will certainly live in your bookmarks.
- Mark Crilley. The artist works in a cartoon style, so those who want to learn how to draw cute, cute drawings will find everything they need here. The artist shows different techniques and in detail, frame by frame, demonstrates the simplest techniques for creating a spectacular drawing.
- Sycra. The channel will appeal to everyone who loves Japanese cartoons and wants to learn how to draw anime. Video lessons reveal the topic inside and out: body structure, facial features, costumes and everything.
- Bob Ross. Bob Ross is an American television legend. Perhaps the most inspiring program in the world was created by this man, who spent 11 years teaching people to create miracles on canvas. You may not understand what Bob is saying in a soft voice, but you can not resist the talent of the artist penetrating into you right from the screen.
In general, the choice of topic is the second fundamental issue after the choice of material. And here it is not at all necessary to be limited to traditional genres: portrait, still life or landscape. Nowadays, everyday household sketches are gaining more and more popularity. Like photos on Instagram, artists quickly capture exciting topics in their notebooks, post them on social networks, study and communicate together. Absolutely any object can become a subject of interest - from macro sketches of insects to detailed travel diaries.
Anna Rastorgueva, illustrator, teacher
"You can paint in 30 days" by Mark Kistler. One of the most famous drawing books. As long-term observations show, after reading it and, importantly, following the instructions, everyone learned to draw.
"Discover the artist in you" by Betty Edwards. Those who doubt can immediately be informed: about 2 million of those who considered themselves "armless" have already learned to draw from this book. To those who do not believe in their own strength at all and think that all artists know some secret of beautiful paintings, we say: yes, there is a secret. It is hidden in this book.
"A sketchbook that will teach you how to draw!", Robin Landa. As a teacher himself, Robin knows that students draw best on the pages of textbooks. This is where fantasy comes into play! So he created a book in which you can (and should) draw. And learn along the way.
I want to draw, but I don't have the time or extra money
Eugenio Marongiu/Shutterstock.com The first step can be taken without much investment and effort. Download creative apps and get started now.
Tayasui Sketches. One of the most beautiful and simple applications with numerous tools will teach you how to draw in different techniques.
Bamboo paper. Drawing tablet company Wacom has developed an app for artists. Sketches, sketches and full-fledged drawings - this program will be needed at every stage of learning.
Zen brush. This application will not help in learning, but will set you in the right creative way. With a brush, you can draw characteristic strokes, and the finished drawing looks like a work of art from some distant eastern country.
We figured out the materials, the sources of inspiration too, the books were studied, and there are applications for the laziest. Your move - it's time to get down to business.
The main thing is to find what you really like. Dare!
Anna Rastorgueva, illustrator, teacher
Drawing is at least a great hobby for creative people. Many believe that for this you need to have some kind of special talent, when, in fact, everyone can learn to draw - with a certain perseverance and systematic practice. We will help you figure out how to learn to draw with a pencil and what beginners need to know about this lesson.
Drawing supplies
You should have a set of simple pencils. They are denoted by the letters H (T in Russian marking) - a hard pencil, B (M) - soft, and a number is placed in front of the letter that indicates the degree of hardness or softness, for example, 2B.
Beginners should start with the HB (TM) pencil - this is a standard pencil, medium hard-soft. Once you get used to it, you will find it easier to control the pressure when using other types of pencils.
Take white and thick paper, best of all grainy - pencil shades will be clearly visible on it. If possible, buy one sheet of paper to check and rub it with an eraser - if it immediately becomes loose with spools, then the quality of such paper leaves much to be desired.
Remember to take a good eraser to correct future blots. Choose a soft eraser so that when erasing, the paper is not severely injured.
Where to begin
First of all, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic principles of drawing: composition, volume, perspective, dynamics. These basics apply to any style, not just pencil drawings.
After that, you should decide what exactly you are trying to learn and how you want to draw, which style to choose. Even if you want to be able to do a little of everything, stop at something specific first and don’t try to embrace the immensity - master one style, and then move on to another.
If you want to learn how to draw portraits, you will have to learn the basics of anatomy, the proportions of the human face and body. To learn how to draw landscapes, you need to practice drawing natural objects - plants, mountains, sea waves, etc. If you want to draw anime, then you need to know the features of drawing characters in this genre.
From simple to complex
You must learn how to draw geometric shapes in 2D and then in 3D. This will become a very important step in your practice, because, in fact, all objects, and even we ourselves, conditionally consist of different geometric shapes. And when you are just learning to draw objects and people, and even after gaining experience, you will still sketch circles, ovals, squares on paper, indicating the proportions of the objects you draw.
Draw a lot of simple objects, animals in a simplified form. Don't shy away from drawing seemingly boring objects like a cup, an alarm clock or an apple on a table - even a simple 2D outline drawing will require some skill from you.
Let's try to practice a little right now and draw a cute mouse.
1. Take a soft pencil and draw two ovals next to each other, with a slight intersection. One of them will be smaller - this is the future mouse head, and the second will become the body. 
2. Draw circles for the ears, outline the paws and outline the curly tail. 
3. Now let's draw a muzzle for the mouse - an eye in the form of an inverted droplet, a nose with a ball, a smile, and also do not forget to draw the ears. 
4. Erase the inner contours on the muzzle and make a more saturated stroke. Color the pupil and nose with black, with a white highlight in the middle. 
5. Draw paws for the mouse and shape the tail by erasing the auxiliary contours along the body. Circle the rest of the mouse. 
After two-dimensional images, start mastering three-dimensional ones, with the transfer of volume. When studying black and white drawing, start with the classic task - draw a ball with a falling shadow. If you don't have a suitable balloon at home, use a chicken egg as an object. How to perform such a drawing can be seen in the following video.
At first, it is very important to learn how to draw from nature - you must develop a sense of form on real objects, observe shadows and light, and see volume.
The main principle in drawing is the movement from the simple to the complex, from the general to the details.
Do not rush and do not expect that after a couple of drawing sessions you will be able to create brilliant paintings. Be patient: sometimes you will have to learn how to draw the same figure over and over again until you achieve a decent result and only then move on to more difficult tasks, for example, drawing people.
Basic pencil drawing techniques
The main pencil drawing techniques include shading and hatching.
In the initial stages, it will be easier for you to master shading. Although sometimes students of art schools, for example, use only shading, and shading is considered the wrong technique. In any case, it will be useful to master both techniques, as they help to achieve different results in the drawing.
Hatching
Hatching is done by drawing short thin lines with a pencil on a piece of paper. The lines are placed at the same distance from each other. At the same time, the pencil comes off the sheet: after drawing one line, you do not pull it across the paper in a zigzag to its original position, but return it back without leaving marks. It is important to hatch the drawing in one direction.
The degree of saturation of the tone is controlled by the different frequency of strokes and their direction - strokes can be vertical, horizontal, diagonal. An increase in color depth is achieved using cross strokes of different directions, for example, diagonal strokes are superimposed on top of vertical strokes.
There are also relief strokes - they are used to convey the relief and are performed with curved, arcuate, broken, but not straight strokes.
Through shading with a pencil, both light and shade and tones are transmitted, as well as various textures: backgrounds, surfaces, materials, etc.
The hatching technique is quite difficult for beginners and requires a lot of practice. It will most likely be a long time before you can develop your own hatching style. Therefore, for beginners, the shading technique is suitable, which will help to correct the flaws in the shading if necessary.
It is with the help of shading that the realism of the image is achieved with a smooth gradation of tone.
It is carried out as follows: hatching lines are applied to the paper with a pencil, and then rubbed with a special tool - blending, or with a cotton swab, a piece of soft paper, fabric or suede. You should not shade the lines with your finger in order to avoid the appearance of greasy spots in the drawing.
In fact, shading is an optional stage after hatching, but with its own peculiarity: it is better to hatch before shading with cross zigzag lines. Do not do horizontal shading - rub the pencil lines only in the direction from top to bottom.
It is important that the shading is uniform. In extreme cases, you can carefully shade the light areas with a pencil again, and weaken the dark ones with an eraser.
In this video you can see how to perform different types of hatching and shading.
When the basics are learned, pencil techniques are mastered, it remains only to practice drawing more often. Remember that practice is the key to your success.
There are many tutorials for beginner artists, where you will see special lessons on drawing individual objects or paintings with a pencil. You can either buy these publications in a specialized store or take lessons from the Internet. The main thing is to practice as much and as often as possible. Let drawing become for you, first of all, a pleasant leisure.
