How can I practice drawing?

definitelynotacat

I recently discovered ctrlpaint.com, and I'm currently working through each section step by step. I'm a programmer by trade, and this is a skill i'd like to cultivate on the side. I know perfect practice makes perfect, so I want to make sure I'm practicing in a way that will give me meaningful growth every time. Ultimately, I'd like to be able to draw weapons, and environments. It feels like a stupid question because the most obvious answer is "just draw bro". Is following ctrl paint sufficient? How should I use the content? All of the videos are very short, so I could run through the one exercise and move on. But it doesn't seem adequate if that makes any sense. My current plan is to work through all of the exercises, and hope that puts me in a good spot fundamentally to practice on my own without any tutorials. Is this a good idea?

Any tips on how I should maximize my consumption of this content would be most appreciated. 

JordanN

You could look for workshops/night schools in your area, and they might have drawing classes. Although this might be more useful for trying to draw people. You can find still life objects in your home or take time out of your day and travel to the park, zoo etc and draw nature.

Search online for additional drawing resources. I loved reading Handprints guide to perspective. There's a wealth of knowledge to be found on that site.
https://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/tech10.html

But the really short answer is you really just have to draw non-stop. It's the only way your brain will learn to pick up on all the tiny details that leads to consistency in your work vs repeating amateur mistakes from lack of experience.

definitelynotacat

JordanN said:

You could look for workshops/night schools in your area, and they might have drawing classes. Although this might be more useful for trying to draw people. You can find still life objects in your home or take time out of your day and travel to the park, zoo etc and draw nature.

Search online for additional drawing resources. I loved reading Handprints guide to perspective. There's a wealth of knowledge to be found on that site.
https://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/tech10.html

But the really short answer is you really just have to draw non-stop. It's the only way your brain will learn to pick up on all the tiny details that leads to consistency in your work vs repeating amateur mistakes from lack of experience.

Hey thanks for the response! So you think drawing still life is an adequate way to practice? Do you think drawing imagined objects is a waste of time for a beginner trying to get good?

JordanN

definitelynotacat said:
Hey thanks for the response! So you think drawing still life is an adequate way to practice? Do you think drawing imagined objects is a waste of time for a beginner trying to get good?

The problem with drawing imagined objects is you might be tempted to gloss over important details without actually understanding how the design still needs to have some basis in reality. 
So it's not so much a waste of time but rather it would serve your skills better to learn about real life first before jumping head first into making your own creations.

definitelynotacat

JordanN said:

definitelynotacat said:
Hey thanks for the response! So you think drawing still life is an adequate way to practice? Do you think drawing imagined objects is a waste of time for a beginner trying to get good?

The problem with drawing imagined objects is you might be tempted to gloss over important details without actually understanding how the design still needs to have some basis in reality. 
So it's not so much a waste of time but rather it would serve your skills better to learn about real life first before jumping head first into making your own creations.

Fair point. Thanks again for your help!

Brian "Panda" Choi

I don't get how a cat is able to write this well.

Alex_J

Whether you are doing your training the best way or not, as long as you get started on something you are on the right path.

My favorite way to learn is to watch somebody with some expertise work. Lots of youtube and twitch stuff for that. Having an instructor explain things like perspective and composition is boring and I really believe it leads a lot of people into confusion rather than understanding, and these are things you can probably understand intuitively just by watching experts work, and then practicing on your own.

Domslice

Buy a sketchbook and keep it with you. At. all. times. Do you transit to work? Draw there. Like coffee? Draw while you drink your Starbucks. Not comfortable yet to doodle while onlookers peer at you as you bleed your artistic soul onto the page, just use it to jot down incoming ideas and flesh them out at home. 

If it weren't for making drawing a part of my daily life i'd never have improved. So glad you're developing the new skills dude!