How do you get better at drawing?

DataDragon

I keep sinking time into it, and I get really non-ideal results... Does anyone have general advice that could help me get better? I'm not looking for advice like "(draw!)x5" I've done that, I want to actually get good y'know? Like how do you even study anatomy with effectiveness? Or paint values like a boss? Do you need a mentor? What books are the best?

This is a shot in the dark, all answers are welcome.


Help me not waste away in my room working fruitlessly.



Thanks lol.

MagicSugar

DataDragon wrote: »

What books are the best?

Before reading this book...




My drawings were like this:




After reading the book, I know draw like this:

Lamont

Some people need that push a mentor provides, some can do well with books. Have you tried a mentor? Gumroad and sites like it offer such things.

In a nutshell: You keep drawing.. other people call it "studying". But you keep doing it..

Left is a drawing someone did 3 years ago, right is last week. This person studied day in and day out.

JordanN

DataDragon wrote: »

I'm not looking for advice like "(draw!)x5"

It really is the answer though.

The final result wont come from a book, but your hands. Books only serve as a reference or as guidelines but they don't do drawings for you.

If you want to study anatomy, anatomy is right in front of you. Your hand doesn't change shape, so draw that. If it doesn't come out right the first time, you don't blame your hand (because it's already perfect) but try drawing it again.

Or if you want to paint value. Look at what objects are sitting at your desk. They will receive light and cast shadow information based on the light conditions of your room. A painting would follow this.

You can learn about the fundamentals of art, and use that every time you draw.

MagicSugar

DataDragon wrote: »

Like how do you even study anatomy with effectiveness?

Sometimes, death metal album covers are alright for styudying.

Laughing_Bun

I used to ride the train to work and my goal was to draw on the train everyday. After doing that a while I realized I wasn't getting much better and was just drawing similarly weird creatures.

I decided to download some Sargent drawings to my phone and try and copy how he drew. It helped me a ton. I was no longer just enforcing bad habits and personal drawing quirks.

I would recommend finding a drawing style that you like or a drawing style that you think will help get you wherever you want to be and then copy them apologetically until you start drawing like them naturally.

Draw 5x! Be super analytical, Set goals, and be a little bit of a theif.

Brian "Panda" Choi

What Laughing_Bun said.

Draw more, but don't lackadaiscally do it. Make sure you're attempting to learn something, like "Hey I want to learn how to draw bodies more proportionally."

For me right now, I'm forcing myself to awkwardly figure out emotional expressions and gestures.

Mary_Marinez

I think it all really depends on how as well as how much you practice; the adage that 'practice makes perfect' holds true in this regard. However, there are a couple of books which can give you a feel of some of the nuances and tricks involved. My suggestions:
1. The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. This book, written by Betty Edwards, is 'the world's most widely used drawing instruction book'. The best part is that whether you are a beginner or even a professional artist, this book has something concrete to offer for everyone, provided you love drawing.
2. The Natural Way to Draw. The back cover says it all: 'There is only one right way to draw and that is a perfectly natural way. It has nothing to do with artifice or technique. It has nothing to do with aesthetics or conception. It has only to do with the art of correct observation, and by that I mean a physical contact with all sorts of objects through the senses.'

MisterSande

Drawing without understanding is a waste of your time. You can only draw, or sculpt for that matter, that which you understand.

A master draughtsman who changed my life was Glenn villpu, he has a bunch of courses on the amazingly useful site new masters academy.com www.newmastersacademy.com

Study perspective, form and light, anatomy, gesture and composition.

Cloudydays

Looking at other people's work and using theirs as inspiration. It becomes much easier to absorb information, styles, and techniques when you have someone that you look up to or reference a lot to influence your own style. Alternatively, having someone to be a bit competitive with so that you can always push each other to be better.

I'll agree with you that I never really paid attention to all of the folks who said "Hey, just draw more and you'll get better at it". I understand now what they meant - just making drawing a larger part of your life so that you're always looking at other people's work or drawing something. In the end, I still don't feel like I'm super great at drawing but I have grown in confidence and my drawing skills are where I need them to be at least.

DrunkShaman

Laughing_Bun wrote: »

I used to ride the train to work and my goal was to draw on the train everyday. After doing that a while I realized I wasn't getting much better and was just drawing similarly weird creatures.

I decided to download some Sargent drawings to my phone and try and copy how he drew. It helped me a ton. I was no longer just enforcing bad habits and personal drawing quirks.

I would recommend finding a drawing style that you like or a drawing style that you think will help get you wherever you want to be and then copy them apologetically until you start drawing like them naturally.

Draw 5x! Be super analytical, Set goals, and be a little bit of a theif.

this is pretty much what I was about to say, except the draw part. When I usually draw, I am mainly taking the process from the foundation to the end pencil shadowing a face, a hand or a character or anything. When I fail to see the desired results I usually head back to the random tutorials "found on youtube," and or read the fundamental books of my choice to figure out what went wrong. You also need to have some artists for your motivation and inspiration. So draw x5 pretty much depends on what you exactly draw. If you draw something without the foundations you are pretty much running blind in the dark and may or may not get the desired results.

As for books, there are probably 100 books one can recommend but they wont help you in your skill refinement process unless you get the foundations down, in that matter, any art's fundamental book will help you.

moose

when i feel like i'm not able to do something well, i just do it over and over and over with references, and always analyzing what i did wrong so it can be improve during the nth attempt.

Draw 10 things a day, or 1 thing a day, but do it every day for a year. Or pick a month and every day draw 5-10 of those things. I spent 3 weeks drawing hands in school, did so many drawings from neutral poses when i was learning to more complex poses later.

Practice makes perfect; so long as as you practice you're fixing mistakes and improving on them. If you practice something wrong over and over (don't use reference or inspiration) then you're teaching yourself that what is wrong is right. This isn't always bad as it can lend to your own distinct style; but when "wrong" is "bad," then there is an issue No one is going to help you with this, other than telling you what they like and don't like about your drawing abilities. It is up to you to enact and react to observations to push yourself in a positive direction.

Also, you must always challenge yourself. To what i mentioned about hands - after about 60 neutral hands and finger anatomy drawings, i could do that shit in my sleep. I started changing it up by altering physique, perspective, pose, weight, injury, etc. Likewise, you can't draw the same Sailor Moon pose 50 times and expect to be a bangin' artist. Your brain and skills require, and should demand change, and challenge to really push yourself.

so in short; yes. To draw good, you must draw a lot, constantly be honest with yourself, and hold yourself accountable to critiques.

Its your responsibility, all you have to do is want it and you can get awesome at it by working hard. Athletes don't go pro by sitting around playing Madden all day, they practice and hone their skills; art is fundamentally not any different.

JacqueChoi

Get great at drawing by following this 1 easy step:

1) DRAW!

Pay attention to the dates of each post in this thread:

To see how Algenpfleger goes from being a mediocre artist who drew nothing but anime, to a world class award winning Fantasy artist:

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php/114449-Algenpfleger-learns-to-draw-%28He-really-does!%29-2014-New-Sketchbook!


Goes from This: (Dec 2007)
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=279753&stc=1&d=1200188851
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=267687&stc=1&d=1198888062
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=270284&stc=1&d=1199233151

To This - Several Thousands of drawings later ** ONE YEAR LATER** Dec 2008
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=541503&d=1229375412
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=548842&d=1230312466


Probably tens of thousands of drawings later, This is what he does now:

pangaea

@JacqueChoi do you think it possible to progress that fast in 3D art?

Target_Renegade

You only get better by doing the thing you're trying to do. I had a great animation tutor, when doing animation - he said: observe everything, people's movements, expressions, personalities. Buildings don't have personalities.

Daew

Buildings don't have personalities.

This is a bit misleading. Observe how things flair out out or how straight things are. They may not move but they still can express .

littleclaude

Best of luck, I hope this helps.

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php/870-Journey-of-an-Absolute-Rookie-Paintings-and-Sketches

Draws this on week 1


Then he posts drawings every day and ends up like this

Now draws and paints like this



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