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 two-dimensional 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's 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 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 training. 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.
- 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
Every person in life needs to have an outlet. Even if a hobby is a job, it is still impossible to devote 24 hours a day to it. Drawing is a great way to relax. How to learn to draw from scratch? It will take a lot of patience, a good eye and, of course, a lot of practice.
Choosing a material
Of course, a professional artist will be able to draw a masterpiece with a simple pencil on an ordinary napkin, but people who are wondering how to learn how to draw from scratch should not make such experiments. Otherwise, you can be disappointed in your abilities, never knowing what Mother Nature has actually put into you.
For the first lesson, you need to purchase an album with thick paper or buy a sheet of drawing paper. Of course, you can draw on the "Snow Maiden" but the sheets intended for printing are so thin that the pencil will "stumble" on the substrate, which is a table or easel. By the way, about the substrate: you should not draw on the table, it is advisable to purchase (or make it yourself) an art tablet. Drawing at an angle is always more convenient, as the viewing angle becomes larger. And, of course, answering the question of how to learn how to draw from scratch at home, one cannot but say about pencils. The artist must have at least 5 of them. It is desirable to have 2 pencils of different hardness, 2 of different softness and one hard-soft.
There should also be 2 washers: one is standard soft, the other is nag.
The Basics: Learning the Stroke
How to learn to draw from scratch? First of all, you need to train your hand. There are many different exercises for this, for example, drawing eights, zigzags or straight lines. These simple exercises, if done 3-5 minutes before the start of the lesson, will be able to liberate your hand, it will obey you better.
The next exercise is the study of hatching. It can be straight, oblique or crosswise. In the process of work, each artist develops his own unique style, but at the first stage it is too early to think about style, you need to fill your hand, which means trying different stylistic solutions.
After hatching has been studied, you can move on to the form. But you need to draw it not with contour lines, but with strokes. So a person will better perceive the volume, and at the same time will bring his touch to perfection.
sketches
Today, sketchbooks are very popular. Moreover, both novice artists and professional illustrators draw in them. Why do you need such a notebook? Everything ingenious is simple. The purpose of a sketchbook is to be always at hand. After all, you never know where you can find interesting themes for sketches. Beginning artists who are tormented by the question of how to learn to draw from scratch just need to get a sketchbook. Here you can throw fantastic images or sketch the surrounding objects. It does not matter what will be depicted there, the main thing is daily drawing. And since it is difficult to find a free minute in the modern rhythm, if the sketchbook is always at hand, the task becomes many times easier.
Geometric bodies
Everyone can learn to draw from scratch with a pencil. It is worth starting your creative attempts with the image of geometric objects. After all, everything that surrounds us can be divided into cubes, spheres or pyramids. And if there is experience in the image of the base, then drawing, for example, a portrait will be much easier.
The first step is to learn how to draw a cube.
It is advisable to draw from life, and not from the monitor screen. After all, the image on the computer is two-dimensional, and it will not fully convey reality. It should be remembered that it is worth building the geometry, and not copying the outer shell, otherwise it will be simply impossible to achieve an understanding of the form. After the cube, you need to learn how to build a ball, then a cone, a pyramid and all other geometric bodies that exist should go further.
Solids of revolution
How to learn to draw from scratch? Working step by step first on geometric objects, and then on a body of revolution, you can achieve significant results.
First of all, try to depict teapots and mugs. Most of these items have a simple shape that even a novice artist will not be difficult to depict.
The next step is drawing vases and glasses. But you need to choose not elegant crystal objects, but rough clay products. They have a well-read form, so drawing them in a graphical version is much easier.
Having mastered fairly simple subjects, you can move on to more complex objects. For example, draw a still life. This task is given so that the novice artist understands how objects interact with each other. After staged still lifes, you can go directly to more lively drawings. For example, do sketches before or after breakfast.
landscapes
Having learned to draw well all the space in the house, you can go outside to draw. Drawing architecture and landscapes is a rather complex and time-consuming process. How to learn to draw landscapes for beginners from scratch? Do the preparatory work at home, consider similar drawings in textbooks. Many artists post on the Internet not only finished sketches, but also a step-by-step storyboard. Analyzing their work, it is quite easy to imagine what simple forms one or another bush can be broken into. As a workout, you can walk around the park from time to time and imagine how you can draw a tree, a pond or a bench. While the image has not left your head, immediately upon returning home, draw from memory the object that interests you.
Animals and people
We figured out how to learn how to draw with a pencil from scratch in stages, and now we need to understand where to start drawing a person or animal. Of course, the first step is to sit down for an anatomy textbook. Only by understanding the structure of the human face and body can an artist create a realistic figure or portrait.
Of course, you can draw the contours of the body, but in order to accurately depict the figure, you need to build. The first thing to do is to redraw as many sketches as possible from the anatomy textbook and, of course, carefully study and master the proportions. It is necessary to have an idea of how many times the head fits into the body, on which line the fingertips end, etc.
To learn how to draw portraits, you need to do preparatory work. Here stumping will help - a plaster cast of a human head, the face of which is laid out in planes. Any artist, when drawing a portrait, must keep in mind the chopping scheme.
And of course, the same goes for animals and birds. To draw any four-legged or feathered creature, you need to look at how it looks without wool and feathers. It is by knowing anatomy that the artist will be able to professionally draw any living creature.
Since you got here, it means that you believe at least a little that you can learn to draw. And indeed it is! Even if you drew just a little, didn’t draw at all, or doubt your abilities, find a simple pencil and 20 minutes a day- and in a month you will learn how to create amazing images.
The hardest part is getting started
To learn how to draw, a person first needs to just start. You need to push him so that he picks up a pencil and begins to draw lines on a blank sheet of paper. Many people think that a blank sheet of paper is a problem that only a talented artist can handle. In fact, having mastered it, you will gain enough self-confidence to enjoy drawing.
After completing this course, in thirty days you will achieve the first creative successes, get an incentive for constant practice, strengthen your self-confidence and keep your interest in drawing for life.
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.
