10 Tips to Get Started in Drawing

Hi everyone, when you start working in a field, especially in drawing, you can sometimes feel lost and not know where to start given all the information you see. What materials to choose, what to learn... Today I offer you 10 tips to effectively start your drawing apprenticeship.

DOES DRAWING TALENT NOT EXIST?

To start this article, it seemed essential to discuss the notion of talent. How many times have I heard "Wow, what a talent!" when talking about a drawing I had just done. This phrase, which might seem trivial or even a compliment, gives the impression that in order to be able to draw, one must have received a “gift” at birth. However, this is completely false! Talent does not exist, but hard work does!

You only need to look at the examples below to clearly see that originally the drawings are far from exceptional.

Everyone can learn to draw and reach a good level, but it is true that some skills are easier to acquire for some than for others. For example, some are more gifted in observation, others make very precise strokes... like everywhere, everyone has their favourite area and the rest comes with work and perseverance.

There are 4 main differences between a beginner artist and an expert artist:

- Understanding the Fundamentals;
- 3-dimensional visualization;
- Confidence in themselves and their gesture;
- Practice time.

All these elements are acquired through work, perseverance, and time, not through a "gift".

NO NEED FOR EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT

We often tend to think that the equipment makes the artist, yet this is not the case. We cannot deny that quality materials make the practice of drawing more pleasant and some results more beautiful, but when you are a beginner, it is not necessary.

If we make a comparison with another discipline, such as cycling, it is not necessary to have a bicycle with a beautiful and very expensive carbon frame to learn it; the good old bicycle with the little wheels already marked by time is just fine. If you persevere with cycling, you can invest in more technical equipment, but initially it is not necessary. Well, for design it is exactly the same!

I think many of us dream of a workshop full of quality materials to give free rein to our creativity, but this will build over time, during practice. To start with traditional drawing, a few sheets of paper,a pencil and an eraser will do. To start with digital, quality graphics tablets can be found for less than 50€.

ADOPTING THE RIGHT HABITS FROM THE START

This advice is very important, yet it is probably one of the least practised. When starting to draw, it is important to adopt the right techniques right from the start to avoid getting into bad habits that will be very difficult to lose later on.

For example: 

- If you are having difficulty with something (like drawing hands) don't look for all the solutions to avoid it (like placing the hands behind the back, or in pockets) but focus on learning how to draw hands. It's not pleasant, it's hard but whatever happens you will need to learn how to draw them one day to progress, so make sure not to delay this learning too much.

- Draw with your arm, not your wrist. It's much more natural for beginners to want to draw using their wrist, but this could lead to pain over time and your lines will be less clean and stable. So, get into the habit right from the start to draw with your arm!

- Practise having clean, precise lines. It is very important to be able to draw lines that follow the desired direction cleanly, which will allow you to quickly improve the quality of your drawing.

- Warm up your hand before each drawing. The physical fatigue that can come from drawing is often underestimated. Like an athlete, make sure to warm up your hand (by drawing lines and circles, for example) for at least a few minutes before you start drawing.

STUDYING THE BASICS TO GET OFF TO A GOOD START

I guess you were expecting this advice; it is inevitable. When starting out, it is essential to learn the basics, otherwise it is a bit like being asked to solve an equation without even having learned the numbers.

You can choose to learn the basics in many different ways, by reading books, watching videos, but if you want this learning to be even easier, you have the option of finding online courses such as Dessindigo's one dedicated to drawing basics that will take you step by step and provide you with both theoretical advice and exercises.

MOVE FORWARD STEP BY STEP

This advice is in line with the previous one: as a beginner, you will be overwhelmed by a flood of very dense information and theories. To ease your start, I therefore advise you to proceed step by step, starting with very simple concepts (such as volume). Think of your learning as a ladder in which each step corresponds to a concept and, to climb easily, you will need to have acquired the knowledge of the previous step.

It's up to you to choose which points you find most interesting to acquire.

ACCEPT YOUR MISTAKES

No one has ever learnt to walk without falling. It seems quite obvious, the same applies to drawing. During learning we encounter difficulties and failures, and this is even more true when we start, we have many ideas in our heads and sometimes the result of our drawing does not match our expectations. This is frustrating and completely normal. As we saw in the first point, there is no such thing as talent, only hard work and perseverance.

When you are not satisfied with your drawing, observe what you do not like and use it to learn. Is the perspective off? Then you will learn a bit more about perspective. Are the proportions not working? Then you will study some anatomy...

The progress curve in drawing is not a straight line; it is dotted with mistakes and self-questioning, followed by a breakthrough and a new phase of progress. Embrace your mistakes and turn them into a strength!

OBSERVE AND ANALYZE

Drawing derives directly from the world around us, be it perspective, anatomy, lighting... Therefore, I recommend that you learn to observe the world around you and/or use references for your drawings. The more you observe and analyse, the more your brain will understand the world around you and allow you to better represent it in your drawings.

In short, observe, observe, and observe some more!

DRAW WHAT YOU LIKE

This advice may seem paradoxical compared to the previous advice about learning the basics, yet they are complementary. When starting in a discipline, it's very important to enjoy yourself in order to persevere. There are numerous styles of drawing (cartoon, comics, realistic, semi-realistic, manga...) and subjects (human, nature, animals, vehicles...). Explore what you like and develop skills related to that area; for example, if you enjoy drawing landscapes, learning anatomy might not be necessary at the beginning.

The same applies to graphic style. Everyone follows their own rules, which does not mean that there are no common basics, but if you are interested in cartoons, you are not necessarily required to learn the anatomy of realistic drawing.

EXPLORING DRAWING TECHNIQUES

One of the wonderful things about starting out is that you don't have any habits yet, which makes it an ideal time to explore all drawing-related techniques. Of course, it can be confusing, but it is also an excellent way to develop your creativity and perhaps surprise yourself with an appreciation of a discipline you were not expecting!

EXCHANGE WITH OTHERS

We couldn't end this article without mentioning a key piece of advice: interact with others, ask them for advice, observe their drawing methods... in short, find a community where you feel free to ask any questions you may have and which provides valuable feedback on your drawings. Most activities take place in clubs, so why not join a drawing club or, if you draw from home, a forum:https://dessindigo.com/forum 

To conclude these 10 tips for starting to draw, remember the most important thing to start drawing: you only need a pencil, an eraser, paper, motivation and a goal! And if you want to learn more, we look forward to seeing you on the Dessindigo blog with many more articles on drawing: blog Dessindigo. 

Editor: Chloé Pouteau