If I were going to teach myself to draw today, I'd turn to youtube. There are a variety of tutorials: I usually suggest Alphonso Dunn upfront. He also sells boo

If I were going to teach myself to draw today, I'd turn to youtube. There are a variety of tutorials: I usually suggest Alphonso Dunn upfront. He also sells books if that is your preference. The youtube content is free, however, and covers a variety of topics. Books are great, though its been a while since I've bought one: I think my last was portraits and the human body - these were great reference books and honestly, I still miss them sometimes. If I drew more portraits or city scenes, I'd probably get another set. And realistically, once you get going for a bit, the main thing is practice. Seriously: The main difference between the experienced artist and the beginner is practice. If you can do 10 minutes most days, you'll start seeing a lot of improvement. Some of these practice pieces should be quick (and sloppy), some take more time. I'd try a variety of subjects because it'll help you later on, but I'd suggest mostly doing pictures that you personally enjoy. I would definitely suggest starting with more "traditional" art, mostly realism. While I personally do a lot of abstract or surrealist pieces now, I'm really happy my art instruction as a child (through high school) focused more on tradition because it makes me so much more flexible now. (I'm over 40, by the way). This said, if you really enjoy abstract work, start doing some once you feel you are getting some decent control over the pencil, pen, or brush. And don't be afraid to go into more permanent media or to more sloppy media: You might find charcoal or pastels to be nice and expressive in ways that graphite won't. Similarity, you might have an affinity for ink. And don't forget trying out dip pens! The only way to get over that hump - and many others - is to just try things. Oh, and have fun.