- Joined
- Jun 9, 2020
Decided to get back into drawing after spending a couple days with my $250 drawing tablet last summer. Drew yet another old guy to see if I could do it any better.
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I haven't drawn in years (and even then it was only occasionally), but everything I've drawn so far looks no better than the stuff I did when I was nine, and all I had then was pencil and paper without the ability to make a rough sketch on a separate layer. The most frustrating thing is that I "see" what I'm trying to draw in professional graphic novel-level detail, with my own drawing style, but when I try sketching that mental image it comes out as a total mess and I'm forced to omit details until it looks like what you see above.
Hey dude, don't sweat it. Learning to draw takes studying and practice. You have to know what you're doing before you can do it perfectly!
One of the first drawing classes I took made an emphasis on disregarding your criticism while you're drawing. That is to say: don't think too hard about it when you're doing it, save the corrections for later. Concentrate on the drawing. You're still learning, so things won't look like you want to immediately. Next step was to eliminate preconceptions about how things should look and learn to look at things objectively.
My favorite excersise was to grab something like a shoe, and slowly drawing everything you can see without looking at the sheet of paper. Then doing it again, but now looking at the paper just a little, and with a closed eye. And then, doing it again, but making sure your lines connect to the correct places. It helps a ton, because it makes you concentrate in what you see first and then you can concentrate on what it looks like on paper. This shoe doesn't look that great now, but at the time I couldn't draw if my life depended on it.
Negative space, then start with isometric perspective. After that, perspective with one vanishing point, then two, then three. Then you can start with human anatomy.
I really like this order because it helps you cover the basics while you prepare for the heavy stuff. Also, you can go look for specific lessons rather than overwhelm yourself with something too broad. There's a ton of books on how to draw. The other thing you should study is image composition, but you don't really need to draw good to learn about it.
I really like this order because it helps you cover the basics while you prepare for the heavy stuff. Also, you can go look for specific lessons rather than overwhelm yourself with something too broad. There's a ton of books on how to draw. The other thing you should study is image composition, but you don't really need to draw good to learn about it.
I don't know if you're planning to study any of this, but if you want to get better at drawing, it's honestly worth it giving it the proper time. Don't give up !!