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Plenty of good suggestions so I'll just add: draw every day. Guided resources are good but nothing beats just doing it a lot. Start with some simple still life.

by nkrisc 4y ago

Plenty of good suggestions so I'll just add: draw every day. Guided resources are good but nothing beats just doing it a lot. Start with some simple still life. Get a big pad of paper, an easel if you like, and some charcoal. Each time you do a drawing, to begin with, just focus on one aspect of it. Try to just work on getting the perspective right, keeping in mind a vanishing point. Next just focus on light and shadow. Practice drawing circles. Lots of them. Over and over. Draw 100 vertical lines on a sheet as straight as you can. Drawing uses specific muscles and requires muscle memory to take the line you want to draw in your mind and translate it onto the page. The only way to build that is by just doing it a lot. Next take your still life objects and draw it from the perspective opposite where you're sitting, accounting for the light and perspective. Add in some more difficult things like fabrics or objects with fine texture. Your drawings will suck at first. They always do. Save some as you go as a sampling of your progress. From time to time compare your latest ones to your first ones. What's improved? What hasn't improved? Go outside on some lovely day and find a nice comfortable place to sit and just draw whatever you see. Doodle when you're on the phone. Draw in the margins of everything. Just keep drawing.

silicon2401 4y ago
I see the value of drawing every day, and I did that as a kid, but the two main issues I faced were (1) I had no idea how to expand my technical skills and (2) I had no idea how to draw more 'realistically' (quotes because my real goal is to draw fantasy/sci-fi subjects). For example, I actually have charcoal in my art supplies, but I have no idea what to do with it. In my hands it's basically the equivalent of a massive pencil. On top of that, even using it as a large pencil, whatever I draw just looks like a doodle rather than something with any kind of artistic quality
- nkrisc 4y ago
  Yes, at a certain point you do need some expert guidance. But nonetheless, experiment. > In my hands it's basically the equivalent of a massive pencil. What else can you do with it? What if you turn it sideways? What if you rub your finger where you've already drawn with it? What happens if you crush a small piece of it? What can you do with that? Grab a dry paper towel and start smearing your drawing. Get curious, get crazy. Drawing realistically begins with understanding light and shadow and form. A good teacher will absolutely speed up that understanding, and if you can find a teacher or class I also highly recommend that, but it can also be achieved through careful observation and experimentation.
  - silicon2401 4y ago
    > What else can you do with it? What if you turn it sideways? What if you rub your finger where you've already drawn with it? What happens if you crush a small piece of it? What can you do with that? Grab a dry paper towel and start smearing your drawing. Get curious, get crazy. This is actually part of what has drawn me back to art after not doing it much since I was in school. After getting into my career and adult life, I've gotten so accustomed to following rules and best practices (HIPAA, coding styles, bills, etc etc) I eventually realized, with some shock, that I basically never did anything in life anymore that was purely random and experimental like the stuff you described. I want to balance that out with just having fun creating and being accountable to no one but myself like I did when I was younger. Discussing this further bolsters my resolve to get into this

by nkrisc 4y ago

silicon2401 4y ago

I see the value of drawing every day, and I did that as a kid, but the two main issues I faced were (1) I had no idea how to expand my technical skills and (2) I had no idea how to draw more 'realistically' (quotes because my real goal is to draw fantasy/sci-fi subjects). For example, I actually have charcoal in my art supplies, but I have no idea what to do with it. In my hands it's basically the equivalent of a massive pencil. On top of that, even using it as a large pencil, whatever I draw just looks like a doodle rather than something with any kind of artistic quality

nkrisc 4y ago
Yes, at a certain point you do need some expert guidance. But nonetheless, experiment. > In my hands it's basically the equivalent of a massive pencil. What else can you do with it? What if you turn it sideways? What if you rub your finger where you've already drawn with it? What happens if you crush a small piece of it? What can you do with that? Grab a dry paper towel and start smearing your drawing. Get curious, get crazy. Drawing realistically begins with understanding light and shadow and form. A good teacher will absolutely speed up that understanding, and if you can find a teacher or class I also highly recommend that, but it can also be achieved through careful observation and experimentation.
- silicon2401 4y ago
  > What else can you do with it? What if you turn it sideways? What if you rub your finger where you've already drawn with it? What happens if you crush a small piece of it? What can you do with that? Grab a dry paper towel and start smearing your drawing. Get curious, get crazy. This is actually part of what has drawn me back to art after not doing it much since I was in school. After getting into my career and adult life, I've gotten so accustomed to following rules and best practices (HIPAA, coding styles, bills, etc etc) I eventually realized, with some shock, that I basically never did anything in life anymore that was purely random and experimental like the stuff you described. I want to balance that out with just having fun creating and being accountable to no one but myself like I did when I was younger. Discussing this further bolsters my resolve to get into this