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To learn to draw, you first need to learn to see. So copy things. Try this project: Take a sheet of paper and divide the space into 2 equal halves. In one hal

To learn to draw, you first need to learn to see. So copy things. Try this project: Take a sheet of paper and divide the space into 2 equal halves. In one half make a collage of black and white images. No color - this is important. Try to fill the space if you can. Once done, get a pencil, eraser and ruler. Your job is to copy the collage into the other half as accurately as possible. To do this, measure where every point is on the collage - any place where 2 edges come to a point, then plot that point in your working space. With or without the ruler, copy the edges. Then focus on how dark or light the part of the collage you’re copying is and replicate that. After awhile you will find you’ll want throw away the ruler and do it by eye. Try it. You will find yourself drawing much better. Some tips: you have to use pencil and paper. A screen is going to throw you off. You can always try it on a second or third attempt of this project. This one project literally took my art mark from a failing grade to 85%, and everyone after swore I had a gift. It’s not a gift. It’s just a skill that develops with hours of practice.

systemvoltage 6y ago
This is the worst way to learn how to draw. It is a short term satisfying thing to do and produces great result. The litmus test for someone who knows truly how to draw is to ask them to redraw whatever object they drew but from a different angle or perspective. Most people to learned by measuring and training their eye won't be able to do it. In order to draw, you need to internalize the 3d shape. Start from basic shapes and learn to draw them in different angles and perspective distortions - surprisingly difficult. Then increase the complexity. As you draw, you need to not think in 2d, but in 3d and it needs to be more intrinsic than just "translation". You are so into it, you forget that you're drawing on a 2d plane. When you learn it this way, it gets easier to do follow up tasks such as shading and coloring. Syrcra is a great resource on YT and expands on what I just summarized: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpHAxHY8zvaMOCO6zeYxq0-0wAcPEEvrN https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpHAxHY8zvaMOCO6zeYxq...
- bskrobisz 6y ago
  I wouldn't call it the worst way to draw -- these studies are excellent at training the eye to understand things as they truly look (rather than the shorthand symbols we are accustomed to), but would agree that one will find their ability to draw from imagination extremely lacking if studies from reference are the only exercise used. An understanding of construction in 3D space is fundamental to the creative aspect of drawing.
  - systemvoltage 6y ago
    No, it's actually detrimental to learn by "seeing" because it sticks with you forever and hard to break the habit. There are similar things in learning instruments. Bad habits stick.
    - Viliam1234 6y ago
      There is an exercise in "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" where you turn a photo upside down and try to replicate it. Turning it upside down is specifically to prevent you from knowing what you "should see" so that you can better focus on what you actually see. When I observe people who quickly paint portraits, they usually first fill the paper with big dark areas (where the major shadows will be), and only afterwards add shapes and details. So it's a bit like iteratively loading JPEG: first the entire picture in low resolution, then gradually increasing resolution. Would you call both these approaches "learning bad habits"?
- roberthahn 6y ago
  Suit yourself. The method I described worked for me. I was terrible at drawing before, and I was awesome at it after. If it helps the OP great, if not, maybe your way would work. I’m a bit surprised at the perceived hostility here. When it comes to making things, since when was there only one way to do anything?
  - artem247 6y ago
    There are different kinds of drawing, the person that replied to you refers to 'academic' realist drawing traditon which has a certain very specific way of training. an example - https://www.pinterest.ru/pin/442760207118409728/ https://www.pinterest.ru/pin/442760207118409728/ Generally such result is achieved through very specific rigorous steps to which that downvoted comment referred. The training that you suggest is also nice but I understand why someone classically trained would object to it.
  - systemvoltage 6y ago
    I don't know why its hostile to say something is bad. No personal animosity intended. The problem is that your method is an easy way to get great results and probably good enough for hobbyists. But if you really want to seriously learn how to draw, I implore you to explore the formal way of learning how to draw. It's hard and long haul task, takes years but it is damn satisfying.
    - roberthahn 6y ago
      Saying “ This is the worst way to learn how to draw.” feels, to me at least, like a microinvalidation. If that’s not your intent then I’m happy to move past it. That exercise I outlined was the first project that gave me the confidence I needed to pursue a fine art education up to an undergraduate level. I didn’t get to that point without learning anything more, but I honestly don’t feel I made a critical error here. And with respect to the OP, it kind of does look like he aims to only be hobbyist levels of good. I commend your passion for the subject. I just can’t support the idea that there is a right and wrong way to learn how to draw. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- joeldg 6y ago
  What he is saying is literally the basics/first week in "Art 101" and addresses the OP who was asking about "learning".
- odshoifsdhfs 6y ago
  You are being downvoted because you may have come a bit crass in your point. But I do agree. The best thing I did to improve my drawing skills (which are still shit) was to move from thinking in 2D to think in 3D. This small (but mentally big) change improved my drawing skills 10 fold.
  - systemvoltage 6y ago
    It is actually frustrating how often it is repeated. Every time I come across any advice on drawing, it is leading masses of people the wrong way. What's worse on top of not learning how to draw well, is that a false sense of accomplishment. People who learn how to draw this way think they've learned and climbed the mountain of creative achievement but the truth would come out the moment you ask them to redraw with a different perspective. This is my pet peeve.
    - odshoifsdhfs 6y ago
      Do you have any recommendations on courses/books/whatever? I don't remember what it was, I think maybe a udemy course that made me 'shift' from 2d->3d but I don't remember the name, but always interested in knowing more. (specially as I am actually working on a drawing application, so the more the better ;)
- avereveard 6y ago
  But op didn't ask for the ultimate drawing test, asked for starting practice. Parent advice is spot on: the initial exercises need to focus on arranging lines and spaces maintaining arbitrary proportions, and copying existing things is great for that. The other foundational stkill is shading, but that's easy enough to learn by doing. Then you move into figure study, and maybe begin to develop your own style, but it's not really needed at this phase. You know shapes by now, so drawing cats, animals, persons outlines works great in putting harmony into shapes. Once one can reliably put down shapes and proportions and shading, it's time to move up to scenes. Object interactions, shadows, relative positioning are the skill to master here, perspective lines can help at the beginning, copying architecture and placing figures on it a great exercise. Once this skillset is built then you've the tools to test yourself, and the litmus test is not drawing figures, that is foundational. The litmus test is to draw a figure out a scene in various styles so that it's clear in each different production both that the character and which style does it fit.
- WheelsAtLarge 6y ago
  Many people draw very well by using models. Even some of the best known artist used models to make their master pieces. I understand what you are pointing out but keep in mind that there are many styles of learning to draw. It all comes down to what works for you.
chevill 6y ago
>This one project literally took my art mark from a failing grade to 85% Was this a university course? Unless you're a fine arts major I can't imagine any teacher being such an asshole that they grade an art class based on artistic ability. Usually its just a matter of participation and putting effort into the assignments.

systemvoltage 6y ago

This is the worst way to learn how to draw. It is a short term satisfying thing to do and produces great result. The litmus test for someone who knows truly how to draw is to ask them to redraw whatever object they drew but from a different angle or perspective. Most people to learned by measuring and training their eye won't be able to do it. In order to draw, you need to internalize the 3d shape. Start from basic shapes and learn to draw them in different angles and perspective distortions - surprisingly difficult. Then increase the complexity. As you draw, you need to not think in 2d, but in 3d and it needs to be more intrinsic than just "translation". You are so into it, you forget that you're drawing on a 2d plane. When you learn it this way, it gets easier to do follow up tasks such as shading and coloring. Syrcra is a great resource on YT and expands on what I just summarized: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpHAxHY8zvaMOCO6zeYxq0-0wAcPEEvrN https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpHAxHY8zvaMOCO6zeYxq...

bskrobisz 6y ago
I wouldn't call it the worst way to draw -- these studies are excellent at training the eye to understand things as they truly look (rather than the shorthand symbols we are accustomed to), but would agree that one will find their ability to draw from imagination extremely lacking if studies from reference are the only exercise used. An understanding of construction in 3D space is fundamental to the creative aspect of drawing.
- systemvoltage 6y ago
  No, it's actually detrimental to learn by "seeing" because it sticks with you forever and hard to break the habit. There are similar things in learning instruments. Bad habits stick.
  - Viliam1234 6y ago
    There is an exercise in "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" where you turn a photo upside down and try to replicate it. Turning it upside down is specifically to prevent you from knowing what you "should see" so that you can better focus on what you actually see. When I observe people who quickly paint portraits, they usually first fill the paper with big dark areas (where the major shadows will be), and only afterwards add shapes and details. So it's a bit like iteratively loading JPEG: first the entire picture in low resolution, then gradually increasing resolution. Would you call both these approaches "learning bad habits"?
roberthahn 6y ago
Suit yourself. The method I described worked for me. I was terrible at drawing before, and I was awesome at it after. If it helps the OP great, if not, maybe your way would work. I’m a bit surprised at the perceived hostility here. When it comes to making things, since when was there only one way to do anything?
- artem247 6y ago
  There are different kinds of drawing, the person that replied to you refers to 'academic' realist drawing traditon which has a certain very specific way of training. an example - https://www.pinterest.ru/pin/442760207118409728/ https://www.pinterest.ru/pin/442760207118409728/ Generally such result is achieved through very specific rigorous steps to which that downvoted comment referred. The training that you suggest is also nice but I understand why someone classically trained would object to it.
- systemvoltage 6y ago
  I don't know why its hostile to say something is bad. No personal animosity intended. The problem is that your method is an easy way to get great results and probably good enough for hobbyists. But if you really want to seriously learn how to draw, I implore you to explore the formal way of learning how to draw. It's hard and long haul task, takes years but it is damn satisfying.
  - roberthahn 6y ago
    Saying “ This is the worst way to learn how to draw.” feels, to me at least, like a microinvalidation. If that’s not your intent then I’m happy to move past it. That exercise I outlined was the first project that gave me the confidence I needed to pursue a fine art education up to an undergraduate level. I didn’t get to that point without learning anything more, but I honestly don’t feel I made a critical error here. And with respect to the OP, it kind of does look like he aims to only be hobbyist levels of good. I commend your passion for the subject. I just can’t support the idea that there is a right and wrong way to learn how to draw. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
joeldg 6y ago
What he is saying is literally the basics/first week in "Art 101" and addresses the OP who was asking about "learning".
odshoifsdhfs 6y ago
You are being downvoted because you may have come a bit crass in your point. But I do agree. The best thing I did to improve my drawing skills (which are still shit) was to move from thinking in 2D to think in 3D. This small (but mentally big) change improved my drawing skills 10 fold.
- systemvoltage 6y ago
  It is actually frustrating how often it is repeated. Every time I come across any advice on drawing, it is leading masses of people the wrong way. What's worse on top of not learning how to draw well, is that a false sense of accomplishment. People who learn how to draw this way think they've learned and climbed the mountain of creative achievement but the truth would come out the moment you ask them to redraw with a different perspective. This is my pet peeve.
  - odshoifsdhfs 6y ago
    Do you have any recommendations on courses/books/whatever? I don't remember what it was, I think maybe a udemy course that made me 'shift' from 2d->3d but I don't remember the name, but always interested in knowing more. (specially as I am actually working on a drawing application, so the more the better ;)
avereveard 6y ago
But op didn't ask for the ultimate drawing test, asked for starting practice. Parent advice is spot on: the initial exercises need to focus on arranging lines and spaces maintaining arbitrary proportions, and copying existing things is great for that. The other foundational stkill is shading, but that's easy enough to learn by doing. Then you move into figure study, and maybe begin to develop your own style, but it's not really needed at this phase. You know shapes by now, so drawing cats, animals, persons outlines works great in putting harmony into shapes. Once one can reliably put down shapes and proportions and shading, it's time to move up to scenes. Object interactions, shadows, relative positioning are the skill to master here, perspective lines can help at the beginning, copying architecture and placing figures on it a great exercise. Once this skillset is built then you've the tools to test yourself, and the litmus test is not drawing figures, that is foundational. The litmus test is to draw a figure out a scene in various styles so that it's clear in each different production both that the character and which style does it fit.
WheelsAtLarge 6y ago
Many people draw very well by using models. Even some of the best known artist used models to make their master pieces. I understand what you are pointing out but keep in mind that there are many styles of learning to draw. It all comes down to what works for you.

chevill 6y ago

>This one project literally took my art mark from a failing grade to 85% Was this a university course? Unless you're a fine arts major I can't imagine any teacher being such an asshole that they grade an art class based on artistic ability. Usually its just a matter of participation and putting effort into the assignments.